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In our daily lives as we move out to do any team work for our Lord we can expect differences to arise among team members. It could be composition of team members, method or ways we do things, timing and even the target group we are called to reach out to. This was what happened in the early church mission team between two key team members, Paul and Barnabas, concerning another team member, John Mark. It is documented by the Holy Spirit at the end of Acts 15 for our reading, study and careful understanding.
The beauty of the Lord’s plan is that, no matter what divisions impacted the mission team, His gospel of salvation was preached. The Word of God continued to spread even beyond the intended planned territories into the cultured Roman and Greek cities of Asia Minor. The new team of Paul and Silas zealously continue into Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea. Jealousy and envy among the Jews in these cities were present wherever they went for the mission team was always confronted with dangers in their mission. They pressed on and refused to be cowered by the physical and spiritual pressures and barriers placed around them by the enemies of the gospel of salvation. The mission team’s practice was to always speak to their Lord and King, and move in simple obedience. Through natural calamities and personal dangers they eagerly examined the Scriptures and took stock of the situation as they moved. They always did what was right and truthful in the eyes of the Lord.
We all like to have a team leader, someone all knowing, to lead us in perfect harmony and in the right direction without mistakes being made either by the team leader or a team member. The reality is that, in our Lord’s kingdom and in His economy, we all make mistakes. We make mistakes daily as we pursue to do what is right in the eyes of our Lord. He weighs our motives and our desires to be in the centre of His will. Daily, at home, at work or in the mission field, we execute God’s plan through team work with our friends. God alone will shine through the teams as they press on proclaiming His salvation. “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28a).