8th Jun 26 | 14:45
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Learning from John Mark
📖 Acts 15:36-38
Acts 15 - Series 3/Episode 11 - Sun, 17th May 2026 - Learning from John Mark - Acts 15:36-41 - THE SEPARATION OF PAUL AND BARNABAS - Acts 13:13
Act 15:36-38 Then after some days Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing." (37) Now *Barnabas was determined* to take with them John called Mark. (38) But *Paul insisted* that they should not take with them the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.
John Mark left Paul and Barnabas and returned to Jerusalem, and had not gone with them to the work. Acts 13:13 Now when Paul and his party set sail from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia; and John, departing from them, returned to Jerusalem.
What can we learn from John Mark?
John Mark's departure from the team at Perga in Pamphylia serves as a warning to us.
1. Spiritual zeal does not remove human weakness
2. Failure is possible among sincere believers
3. Ministry teams must take care of and help team members overcome their struggles.
Firstly, initial failure does not define a person's destiny. We may have made mistakes in life, but God restores and brings us to the place of fruitfulness. Joel 2:25-26 "So I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, The crawling locust, The consuming locust, And the chewing locust, My great army which I sent among you. (26) You shall eat in plenty and be satisfied, And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt wondrously with you; And My people shall never be put to shame.
God does not abandon the fallen. Psalm 145:14 The LORD upholds all who fall, And raises up all who are bowed down. Barnabas was the one whom the Lord used to lift up John Mark. Acts 15:39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
Secondly, after _Acts 15_, we do not hear of John Mark, but the Lord was building his life. He was kept out of the spotlight, but the quiet work of character formation was taking place. When we are away from the focus, we need not be anxious. The Lord is doing deep work in us.
The character formation that took place in John Mark was that he transformed from a quitter to a finisher. II Timothy 4:11 Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry.
This is Paul writing at the very end of his life, and he refers to John Mark as a person who is useful for the ministry. This was the same John Mark about whom Paul had said, "the one who had departed from them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work".
Paul commends John Mark in the context where no one stood with him. II Timothy 4:16 At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them. In such a lonely situation, Paul saw John Mark as one who would not leave him alone, as the others had done. This is such a big shift in the character and nature of John Mark. From being a person about whom Paul had a low opinion, he became a person about whom Paul had a very high view.
Thirdly, the quitting of John Mark was for a short duration. He returned quickly to the ministry and was willing to be mentored by Barnabas. This shows a shift from pride to humility.
Something had triggered John Mark in Pamphylia that upset him and made him operate in the flesh. Instead of submitting to God, he enthroned himself in the soul and that caused him to behave as a quitter. By not submitting to God, he had opened the door to the devil, who caused him to take the rash decision to turn away from the ministry.
Different things happen to each of us. These are known as stimuli. Every stimulus produces a response, and this is where we generally operate in the flesh, and the devil is active. II Timothy 2:26 and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.
We were once in the captivity of the devil to do his will, but the Lord has set us free. Hebrews 2:14-15 Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, (15) and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
Now that we are set free from the devil, we need not succumb to the pull of flesh, but we can operate in the Holy Spirit in every stimulus in life. The response that will emerge will be glorious, for the Holy Spirit will bring God's response in and through us. Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
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