Session 10: The Network

Session Overview

Creedal Statement

We prize the family as a bedrock of faith formation,
we cherish marriage as a most holy and most sacred union,
we value parents as frontline shepherds to disciple their children,
we treasure friends as our own souls,
we engage society as godly citizens with redemptive purpose, and
we embrace our lifework with a God-centered focus.

We confess the church as Christ’s family, a family called to:
treat other members with genuine care,
steward our possessions for the common good,
honor appointed leaders and participate in Christ’s worldwide body,
engage the domains of the world with the truth of the gospel, and
represent Christ to all those who are far and near.

Key Elements

• Key Passage - Acts 14:19–16:5
• Scripture Memory - Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith. Hebrews 13:7
• Catechism - Q: What helps the church exist as a global community of faith? A: Structure.

Introduction

For you, brothers, became imitators of the churches of God in Judea that are in Christ Jesus.

I would have you live in unity; but yet I would have you to be careful that you do not purchase unity with the breach of charity.

The church is a part of a global community. For Christians who seek to follow Christ in their daily life, this might seem like an irrelevant or unnecessary observation. However, behind this insight is a possibility for Christians and churches to mature in their faith in profound and unexpected ways. As we have learned, our participation in the common life of the local church community can help uproot sinful vestiges of our past life. When we see our meaningful role in a global network of churches, we are confronted with weaknesses and immaturity that we likely had not noticed before. But our participation in the global church—an active and substantive involvement in the worldwide community of faith—is not just a matter of our maturation and development. God wants to use us as members of a global church to strengthen churches and Christians in other parts of the world. To help us in this regard, we must see what it looks like for a church to be structured for global connectivity.

In Acts 14:19–16:5, we witness the church leverage key structures as a part of a diverse community across various regions and diverse ethnicities. Committed to the global progress of the gospel, the early church supported and encouraged two general categories of leaders: local leaders who provided ongoing shepherding care for churches and mobile leaders who pioneered the progress of the gospel in frontier areas. When conflict arose related to the message of the gospel and the diverse ethnicities who had come to faith in Christ, key leaders gathered together in a collective assembly. These leaders reinforced the multicultural character of the church that was built upon the unchanging foundation of gospel truth. After coming to some conclusions on this issue, the church mobilized its leaders to send this decision to churches in other regions. This work helped to establish the church as a unified community in an emerging global network. Paul and Barnabas then had a conflict of their own and eventually parted ways. We learn about the difficult realities of ministry teams working in collaboration (and sometimes in disagreement) and that we should value ministry apprenticeship in mentoring relationships.

The church’s structure—simple yet substantive—helps God’s people enjoy Christian community as a part of a multicultural community of faith. While heavy, man-made structures can weigh churches down and impair community life, the absence or lack of ecclesial structure can threaten a church’s integrity and its ability to survive. In this story, we see several structures arise: local and mobile leadership, a common conciliar gathering, church networking, and intentional mentoring. These structures provide enough framework for the church to mature and the gospel to spread while not overburdening the church with unnecessary formality. Our own journey of faith involves our integration into the community of faith. While our initial taste of community will likely be at the level of a caring local church community, God wants to expand our vision for what it looks like to be a member of his global church. The story at hand not only gives us a glimpse into this possibility, but it also encourages us to take its principles and apply them to our own ecclesial situations.

Biblical Interpretation: Hearing the Word

Study the Text: The Bible is God’s inspired word to his people. Christian disciples mature in the faith when they are grounded in God’s word. In this movement, you will study the basic details of the biblical text.

Observation Questions

Read (or listen to) the whole passage of Scripture. Discuss the questions below for each section of the story. Pay attention to the details of the text to recall what the passage is saying. Use the focus verses to guide your conversation.

Storycraft

Retell the story in your own words, recounting the overall flow of the narrative, the main segments of the story, and the major developments that take place.

Narrative Elements

Story Retell

Theological Dialogue: Discussing the Plot

Explore the Text: God’s word is his trustworthy and sufficient revelation to his people. We grow as Christ’s disciples by rooting our lives in God’s unchanging truth. In this movement, you will explore vital teachings of this biblical passage.

Discussion Questions

Summarize the biblical story. As a community, discuss the following questions. Be attentive to the truths taught in this text. Use the commentary on the next pages to uncover core principles this passage teaches about the Christian faith.

Biblical Commentary

Use this commentary to help you understand the meaning of the text. Refer to the infographic on the next page to think through how narratives work.

Passage Introduction

Key Idea

Christian community thrives by its connection, participation, and contribution to the global church community.

Passage Overview

God is establishing his church throughout the world. Each Christian and every church is a part of the global movement of the Christian faith. For the church to enjoy Christian community to the fullest, it must learn to meaningfully participate in this expansive community. From the example of the early church, we see several structures emerge that help the church to realize its connection to the global church community. God has given the church key leaders. While some leaders focus on the local care of churches, others encourage the advance of the gospel into frontier areas. This allows the church to grow strong locally while the gospel spreads abroad. The church also gathered collectively to resolve issues that arose in the growing multicultural faith community. Commitment to a diverse community of faith built upon common belief in the gospel moved the church to network with other churches through key mobile leaders performing itinerant work. Further, leaders took other, younger disciples under their care to help them grow in the faith and in ministry. These basic and important structures help us participate in what God is doing globally. As you form your thinking about the church as a worldwide community, utilize the exposition in the following commentary to help guide you toward participation in the global church.

Passage Outline

The Global Church

Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.

Here the two grand characteristics of the true Church of God, the evangelical, and evangelistic or missionary, are written as in a sunbeam … Hence it follows, that when a church ceases to be evangelistic, it must cease to be evangelical; and when it ceases to be evangelical, it must cease to exist as a true church of God, however primitive or apostolic it may be in its outward form and constitution.

Introduction

Each local church is part of a global network of churches. As much as believers are responsible to one another in the context of a local congregation, churches need to learn to care for other churches in other regions and in other parts of the world. A sense of interconnectedness to other churches in the global scene helps to strengthen each local church and reinforce the global movement of churches. Key leadership structures, foundational gospel convictions, intentional church networking, and dynamic mentoring relationships allow for this sense of interconnectedness to become a reality.

We gain a glimpse of this vision for God’s global community of Christ followers in Acts 14:19–16:5. In this narrative, we see the end of Paul’s first missionary journey in which two key leadership roles show a symbiotic relationship: local stabilizing leaders to care for churches and mobile missionary leaders to pioneer the continued progress of the gospel. Gospel inroads in Gentile areas provoked a tension around how Jewish and Gentile believers would relate to one another. Confronting false teachers who threatened the integrity of the gospel and the unity of the church, the early church fortified its convictions of the truth and charted a course for how Christians could participate in the multicultural Christian movement. The ethnic diversity of the church (unified around common belief in the gospel) encouraged churches to network together across cities, regions, and the world. As Paul and his missionary team embraced their apostolic missionary work, Paul also demonstrated a commitment to mentorship. When a young disciple named Timothy joined his team, Paul mentored him as an apprentice in the faith and in the Christian mission.

While we can focus much attention on the community life of the local congregation, individual churches will never fully realize God’s plan for community until they embrace their participation in the global church. In a beautiful tapestry of divine working, God is winning a people for himself from all peoples in the world. By common faith in Christ, all people have an equal standing before God and one another. We are better Christians and churches when we embrace our vital role in this global community, a role that not only invites us to benefit from such an incredible global network but also to contribute to its well-being.

Commended for the Work: Structuring the Church With Key Leadership Roles

Biblical Narrative (Acts 14:19–28)

In its early days, the church of Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas on a cross-cultural, itinerant mission (13:1–4). Paul and his missionary team traveled to various towns throughout Asia Minor (13:4–14:18). While people came to faith in Christ, the missionaries also met persecution. Toward the end of this first missionary journey, Paul was stoned by hostile crowds in the city of Lystra (14:19). They thought he was dead, but Paul got back up and entered the city (14:20). The next day, Paul traveled with Barnabas to Derbe (14:20). When he arrived there, he “preached the gospel” and “made many disciples” (14:21). Paul and Barnabas returned to the cities where he had previously ministered—Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch (14:21)—to further establish them in the faith. In particular, Paul and Barnabas returned to these cities “strengthening the souls of the disciples and encouraging them to continue in the faith” (14:22). Specifically, he was telling these infant churches that they “must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (14:22).

Part of Paul’s strategy to keep the churches strong was to designate local leaders who would provide ongoing care for the churches in Paul’s absence. The appointment of these local leaders allowed Paul to continue establishing the church in other areas while the newly established churches endured and matured. In this regard, Paul “appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed” (14:23). Having left the churches in the hands of trusted elder-shepherds (and a gracious and sovereign God), Paul and Barnabas continued to preach the gospel as they traveled (14:24–25). Eventually, they returned to Antioch. This was the church by which they “had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had just completed” (14:26). When they arrived in Antioch, the church gathered together. Paul and Barnabas “reported all that God had done through them” and reported how God “had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (14:27). They stayed with the church and “spent a long time there with the disciples” (14:28).

Biblical Principles

Gospel Spread and Strong Churches. The early church was concerned both about spreading the gospel and strengthening churches. The church at Antioch sent Paul and Barnabas to preach the gospel and make disciples (14:21). This was their commissioned work (14:26). As part of a mission strategy, new converts were formed into communities of faith. So important was the health and well-being of the church community that Paul circled back to places of previous ministry to strengthen these church communities in the faith (14:21–22). Both of these concerns—the progress of the gospel and the maturation of church communities—were important for Paul and his missionary endeavors. While Paul was personally involved in the establishment of churches, one of his main strategies to provide for the ongoing care of the church was to appoint elders (14:23). Importantly, the appointment of elders—mature and overseeing godly leaders—helped to strengthen churches and facilitate gospel progress.

Elder Oversight. An integral component for the church community to thrive is godly leadership. Like children without parents, churches that lack oversight, supervision, and care are vulnerable to all sorts of threats. The early church (like all churches) would face “many hardships” (14:22) in the world. In light of a forecast of affliction, Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the churches (14:23). When the apostolic team “entrusted them to the Lord” (14:23), they were effectively commending the whole church to the Lord’s care (cf. 14:26). Without help from mature leaders, suffering and persecution would threaten the stability of the church. While leaders do not replace the true head of the church, Jesus, godly leaders provide a support structure in which the Christian community can develop. As such, the church enjoys a rich community when it is structured after God’s design. While leadership is a general aspect of Christian community, the Scriptures commend specific categories of leaders that allow for a healthy church.

Two Leadership Structures. By appointing elders, churches assured these local shepherding leaders would be able to care for the needs of the flock (14:23), while pioneering apostolic leaders (like Paul and Barnabas) would be able to travel and serve the progress of the gospel (14:21–22, 24–25, 27). In this way, the progress of the gospel would continue while healthy churches were established. In general, two groups of leaders existed in the early church: local leaders who provided stability and ongoing care (i.e., elders) and mobile leaders who advanced the gospel into frontier areas (i.e., missionaries such as Paul and Barnabas). In the next scene of the narrative, Luke makes repeated reference to a twofold group of leaders called “the apostles and elders” (15:2; cf. 15:4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4). This does not mean that these were the only leaders in the early church. But at this time, local stabilizing overseers and itinerant mobilized missionaries worked together in symbiotic and mutual respect to care for churches and pioneer the gospel in frontier areas.

Throughout the history of the church, God has appointed two kinds of leaders: leaders who help the gospel spread and leaders who take care of the flock. To be a healthy church community, we need to learn to relate to and respect both kinds of leaders as God instructs us to do (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:12–13; Hebrews 13:7, 17). Christians need to have meaningful relationships with shepherding leaders. Under the authority of loving elder care, believers can grow in their faith. But believers also need to have substantive connections to the ongoing mission. Although not every believer will become an itinerant missionary like Paul or Barnabas, all believers can participate in gospel progress by having a meaningful connection with (and support of) such leaders (cf. 3 John 6–8; Luke 10:7–8).

Authority, Mutuality, and Accountability. By design, God has appointed both of these leaders to the church (14:23, 26). Although these leaders carried God-given authority, no one leader possessed complete authority or autonomy. The early church leaders worked together (not without tension at times) in mutual interdependence, respect, and humility. Importantly, the early church leadership had a diversity of leadership types (as in the elders and missionaries mentioned above) and functioned as a plurality of leaders on a team (multiplicity of elders across churches and teams of missionaries). One’s role as a leader did not eliminate one’s duty as a disciple. While elders oversee the church in a position of leadership and authority, they are at the same time fellow believers in Christ (14:23). In fact, elders and apostolic missionaries held one another accountable. While the mobile leaders were sent from the church to pioneer the gospel on behalf of the church (14:26), they were also responsible to report back to the church the progress of their work (14:27). These pioneering leaders not only acted as extensions of the church into frontier areas (14:26), they also were incorporated into the church community when they returned from their mission ventures (14:28). In sum, while leaders have authority and responsibility over God’s people, they simultaneously function as an integral part of God’s people and perform their ministry service with accountability.

Just as He Did to Us: Learning to Participate in a Diverse Global Community

Biblical Narrative (Acts 15:1–21)

After Paul’s first missionary journey throughout Asia Minor, a controversy arose in the church. Some people from Judea were wrongly teaching disciples that “unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved” (15:1). This controversy arose at a time when the gospel and the church were expanding into Gentile territory. Because of the frontier progress of the gospel, many churches planted in different cities belonged to one diverse yet unified church. Now a multicultural community across regions, ethnicities, and cultures, the church faced Jewish zealots attempting to impose Jewish tradition upon Gentile converts.

Knowing this false teaching was a threat to the church and the gospel, Paul and Barnabas engaged these men “in sharp debate” (15:2). After this contentious confrontation, a group was appointed to travel to Jerusalem and bring this question before the church’s leaders—specifically, before “the apostles and elders” (15:2). Paul and Barnabas were a part of this convoy of leaders sent to resolve this matter. As they traveled to Jerusalem, they recounted “the conversion of the Gentiles,” a report that brought “great joy to all the brothers” (15:3). They eventually arrived in Jerusalem (15:4). The church, apostles, and elders welcomed them (15:4). Again, the group of emissaries gave a report of what God had accomplished in the missionary work with the Gentiles; that is, “all that God had done through them” (15:4). Some believers who were a part of the Pharisees—a rigorous and law-abiding group of Jewish devotees—said that “the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses” (15:5).

In response to this controversy, “the apostles and elders met to look into this matter” (15:6). After “much discussion” (15:7; cf. 15:2), Peter addressed the gathering. He recounted his own experience with the conversion of Cornelius (cf. 10:1–11:18), then explained that God had already chosen to include the Gentiles in the church and confirmed this by giving them the Holy Spirit (15:7–8). In his work of salvation, God “made no distinction” (15:9) between Jew and Gentile and offered forgiveness of sins to all who would believe. Expecting Gentiles to yield to Jewish tradition would not only be against God’s multicultural work but would also place a cumbersome burden—a weight the Jewish people themselves found burdensome—on Gentile believers (15:10). In sum, regardless of one’s culture or ethnicity, “it is through the grace of the Lord Jesus” (15:11) that people will be saved.

At this word, “the whole assembly fell silent” (15:12). Paul and Barnabas recounted God’s miraculous work among the Gentiles (15:12). When they finished giving their account, James addressed the assembly (15:13). He confirmed Peter’s testimony of God’s work among the Gentiles (15:14) and reiterated that the inclusion of the Gentiles was a part of God’s plan by citing from Amos 9:11–12 (15:15–17). In this prophecy, God spoke about “all the Gentiles who are called by My name” (15:17). Since the inclusion of the Gentiles into the church was a part of God’s plan, James explained that Gentile believers should not be burdened with the requirements of Jewish tradition (15:19).

In its past, even Judaism had been culturally diverse (15:21). The church needed to find a way to preserve the integrity of the gospel and facilitate fellowship between diverse cultures. Therefore, instead of requiring Gentiles to be circumcised, the church would ask the Gentile Christians “to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals, and from blood” (15:20). While sexual immorality and idolatry were clear moral concerns, some of the other restrictions were accommodations made to prevent an obstruction to the fellowship between Jew and Gentile. In other words, while circumcision would not be required of Gentiles for salvation, the Gentiles would be asked to abstain from these four things in order to remove obstacles to a Jew-Gentile unity in the church. The church made cultural accommodations and maintained moral principles.

Biblical Principles

Multicultural and Global Community. As much as believers need to relate appropriately to godly leaders, Christians also need to rightly relate to other believers throughout the world. As this passage highlights, the church is a multicultural fellowship of Christ followers (15:3, 5, 7–9, 12, 14, 17, 19–21; 14:21, 24, 27). God makes “no distinction” (15:9) between different ethnicities, languages, or cultures. All people—Jew and Gentile—must be saved the same way—through faith in Christ (15:9, 11). This diverse, multicultural, and global body of believers is “a people to be [God’s] own” (15:14). All the churches planted throughout the world were part of one universal church—a global network of Christian communities. The multicultural nature of the church was what caused such a great controversy to arise in the early church. As the gospel made progress into Gentile areas, the church had to wrestle with what it meant to be one church community of diverse ethnic groups. Jews wanted to maintain traditions of their Jewish faith, yet these traditions had become an obstacle to the full inclusion of the Gentiles into the church.

Gospel Integrity and Church Unity. A multicultural community only works if the gospel is the immutable foundation of the church’s community life. In the early church, the unity of the Christian community was at risk because the purity of the gospel was being threatened (15:1, 5). True unity only comes from common gospel belief. So important was the truth of the gospel that this errant teaching caused a big debate and dissension to arise (15:2, 6, 7). If the gospel were compromised—either by imposing unwarranted requirements or diluting its message—Christian unity would be impossible. As the tension of Jew-Gentile division gripped the early Christian community, the common ground of gospel belief established these two diverse peoples into one body. This was affirmed by Peter (15:7–11), Paul and Barnabas (15:12), James (15:14, 19–21), and the Old Testament prophets (15:15–17). Upon genuine faith in Christ (15:7, 11, 19), every ethnic group is an equal member of Christ’s body (15:7–9, 12, 14). As Peter affirmed, shared gospel belief overcame common human distinctions (15:9). By definition, the church is a multicultural community of Christ followers that places all classes, genders, and ethnicities on the same level by faith in Christ. God’s vision for a diverse church cannot be realized without divine aid. Too many preferences, idiosyncrasies, and cultural differences threaten to tear the church apart at its seams. However, when genuine faith in Christ is the starting point, diversity becomes not an obstacle to overcome but rather something that is celebrated. Gospel integrity is the vital substructure to church unity.

Conflict Resolution. Because the crucial foundation of the gospel was uncompromisingly laid in this early multicultural community, the early Christians also practiced loving conflict resolution to resolve concerns and tensions that arose (15:2; cf. 15:36–40). While Jews were not to impose burdens upon the Gentile converts that would become an obstacle to the faith (15:10, 19), Gentiles should refrain from acts that would be immoral and cause unnecessary breaches in fellowship with Jewish believers (15:20). The early church prioritized many things that made their conflict resolution possible: meaningful discussion (15:1, 6–7), plurality of godly leadership (15:2, 7, 12, 13), gospel centrality (15:9, 11; cf. 15:1, 5), biblical fidelity (15:15–18), and missional concern (15:12, 14, 19). In other words, the early church arrived at a “holy compromise” in which both sides accommodated to one another in a way that did not compromise the integrity of the gospel and preserved the unity of the church.

Brothers in Every City: Being Active in a Network of Churches

Biblical Narrative (Acts 15:22–41)

After coming to doctrinal conclusions and charitable compromises for the multicultural church, the leaders need to deliver this decision to all the churches. Therefore, in a unified decision—“the apostles and elders, with the whole church” (15:22)—the believers decided to choose men from the Jerusalem church to travel with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch (15:22). They selected Judas Barsabbas and Silas, “two leaders among the brothers” (15:22). In this convoy were people who could represent the Jersualem church and the Antioch church. No favorites were being played. This envoy was sent to deliver a letter that explained the church’s conclusions about this controversy. The letter greeted the Gentile Christians in Asia Minor as brothers (15:23) and addressed the unauthorized and troubling teaching that had unsettled these new believers (15:24; cf. 15:1–5).

Specifically, the letter described the church as united and harmonious: “we all agreed” (15:25). The decision was endorsed by Paul and Barnabas (whom the Antioch church knew) and Judas and Silas (who affirmed the same conclusions as representatives from the Jerusalem church) (15:25–27). Essentially, the letter signified agreement between the Gentile church of Antioch and the Jewish church of Jerusalem. More importantly, this decision was in accord with God’s own will: “it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us” (15:28). In the letter, they listed the four areas from which they asked Gentiles to abstain (15:29), saying that they desired “not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements” (15:28).

This group of representatives traveled to Antioch, gathered the church together, and delivered to them the letter (15:30). Having read the letter to the church, the believers were joyful and encouraged (15:31). Being prophets, Judas and Silas “said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers” (15:32). They were not only received by the Antioch church, but also had an opportunity to minister to the Antioch church. They spent time with the believers and eventually “were sent off by the brothers in peace to return to those who had sent them” (15:33). Paul and Barnabas stayed in Antioch longer, “teaching and preaching the word of the Lord” (15:35).

After some time, Paul and Barnabas decided to “go back and visit the brothers in every town where [they] proclaimed the word of the Lord” (15:36). These visits were “to see how they are doing” (15:36) and strengthen them in the faith. At this time, a conflict arose between Paul and Barnabas. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark along with them, but Paul did not think it was a good idea (15:37–38). Apparently, John Mark had removed himself from the work at some point, and this caused Paul to hesitate to bring him along (15:38). Paul and Barnabas were not united on this issue. In fact, “their disagreement was so sharp that they parted company” (15:39). Barnabas went to Cyprus and brought John Mark along (15:39). Paul took Silas with him (15:40) and “traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches” (15:41).

Biblical Principles

Church Networks. As a multicultural community, the early church existed as a network of churches. Through missionary work, the gospel spread, and churches were planted in many different cities (14:21–27; 15:3–4, 21, 23). The churches in these various locales were connected together. The church was interconnected city-to-city by the itinerant work of these mobile leaders who were sent between churches (15:22, 25, 27, 30, 33). Their translocal work encouraged and strengthened the churches (15:30–35, 36; 16:5) and gave a sense of unity between various Christian communities (15:33). They traveled to various cities (15:30, 36, 39, 41; 16:1, 4) and spent time with Christians in various areas (15:33, 35, 36). Clearly, the church in Jerusalem and the church in Antioch played major roles in uniting all the churches into one (15:22–23, 30, 35). But the churches in other areas—at this time, “Syria, and Cilicia” (15:23; cf. 15:41) in particular—were also a part of this growing global network. The distributed letter was a means to unite the disparate churches (15:23, 30–31; 16:4). Ministry visits to the various churches also contributed to this unity (15:30, 32–36, 41; 16:4–5). While a church community is a particular ecclesial expression in a given locale, local churches belong to a worldwide network of churches. This network of churches is essentially a “church of churches.” While experiencing peace and harmony among Christians in a local church can be challenging, it is equally formidable to maintain unity with other churches throughout the globe. Distance, culture, language, and other obstacles make networking challenging. However difficult this may seem from a human perspective, the mission engagement and vitality of each Christian congregation are shaped by its interconnectedness to other churches throughout the world.

Church Unity. In this story, we see the early Christians striving to maintain unity and harmony among churches in different areas. The council at Jerusalem was made up of representatives from various areas (cf. 15:2). As mentioned, their deliberations considered how Christians from other cultures would relate to one another (15:6–21). Their conclusions represented the will of God and the agreement of the people (15:28). They sent a mixed group to Antioch, which would represent both sides of the issue (15:22–23). This group represented and commended unity among the churches (15:22, 25, 27). While they served in the role of leaders, they approached their relationship as brothers (15:1, 3, 7, 13, 22–23, 32–33, 36, 40; 16:2). While godly leadership and church structure help churches throughout the world relate to each other, real unity is only something that God himself can create (15:7–9, 11, 14, 16, 28). It is only God who can form “a people to be his own” (15:14), broker peace between believers (15:33), and cultivate genuine concern for churches abroad (15:36). In the end, church unity at a local level and in the global sphere is vital for strong churches, mature believers, and an advancing gospel.

A Disciple Was There: Leveraging the Ministry Context of Mentoring Relationships

Biblical Narrative (Acts 16:1–5)

In Paul’s subsequent travels, he came back to Derbe and Lystra (16:1). He had already visited these cities in his earlier missionary journey in Asia Minor when he traveled with Barnabas (cf. 14:6–23). This time Paul arrived with Silas (cf. 15:40–41). In this area, there was a disciple whose name was Timothy (16:1). His mother was Jewish, and his father was Greek (16:1). This cultural distinction would make him a great asset on the mission field, especially with the most recent tensions around Jewish-Gentile practice of the faith. Additionally, Timothy was a young man of character: “the brothers in Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him” (16:2). Paul wanted Timothy on his team (16:3). Making a strategic move for the mission, Paul had Timothy circumcised “on account of the Jews in that area” (16:3). Since the people of that area “all knew that his father was a Greek” (16:3), Timothy’s circumcision would remove potential obstacles that might prevent a Jewish audience from hearing and receiving the gospel. With Paul’s newly acquired apprentice, “they went from town to town” and “delivered the decisions handed down by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem” (16:4). These decisions were binding, “for the people to obey” (16:4). Communicating the decision by the Jerusalem Council was a means of making the church strong and maintaining the momentum of gospel mission. Through their itinerant work, “the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers” (16:5).

Biblical Principles

Mentorship and Ministry Apprenticeship. Paul’s relationship with Timothy shows the importance of mentoring relationships. While Paul practiced a team approach to ministry, he also modeled investment in the next generation of leaders. Soon after Paul parted ways with Barnabas and John Mark, Paul and his newly acquired teammate, Silas, traveled amongst the churches in their ongoing mission work (cf. 15:36–41). Paul’s desire for Timothy to be a part of his team is noteworthy. Timothy was a strategic choice because he had Jewish and Greek heritage (16:1; cf. 16:3). He had a good reputation among the Christian community (16:2). Timothy was also a believing disciple (16:1). Although Timothy did not have mission experience commensurate with Paul’s, he had the requisite character and reputation to enter into an apprenticeship process. Church community thrives when older, more experienced Christians invest in those who are younger and less mature. Acting like students in the lives of such mentors, younger disciples can mature in the faith and grow in ministry as they learn from those more experienced. Much growth in the Christian life comes from observing, following, and emulating more mature Christ followers. While such relationships may or may not exist as formal positions in churches, it is important that churches consider how they will connect younger believers to more seasoned saints. Mentorship in the faith and apprenticeship for ministry are part of what it means to make disciples (14:21).

Character, Commissioning, and Community. Importantly, the community in Lystra and Iconium “spoke well” (16:2) of Timothy. Just like Paul and Barnabas were sent out from the church in Antioch (13:1–4), so Timothy was commended to the work by the believing community. Although he likely needed to gain mission competence and experience, he had a requisite character and integrity that fit him for the work. His learning was “on-the-job” and “in-service” training under the tutelage of Paul. The Paul-Timothy model is a helpful paradigm of ministry training and development. It centers the church as a place of testing and commendation. It prioritizes ministry training that takes place “on the field.” It establishes a close mentoring relationship with a trustworthy and proven ministry leader. The Paul-Timothy relationship served the progress of the gospel and the strengthening of churches. Godly character, church commendation, mission exposure, and church ministry form a helpful basis for mentoring and leadership development.

Conclusion

The early church established leadership structures that cared for the local Christian community, encouraging the gospel to spread. The ethnic tension in the early days of the Christian mission provided an opportunity for the church to realize God’s vision for a worldwide, multicultural community of faith when they kept the gospel as central. This commitment to a globally diverse body of believers encouraged key leaders to interconnect churches throughout the world into a unified, global network. At the leadership level, the older, seasoned leaders brought younger, emerging leaders under their care to help them grow in the faith and in Christian ministry.

The church community is unlike any other community of human relationships. God’s vision for his church is a global vision: a diverse community of Christ followers, a fellowship of disciples whose leaders also consider themselves fellow brothers of those they oversee, a coalition of local Christian communities networked throughout various regions of the world, and a global movement that takes concern for the formation of each disciple seriously. Because the church community has been designed by God, it can only be realized with God’s help. When we grasp the breadth and depth of what God is accomplishing in and through his church, we can become key participants in helping the church realize this vision for community. In the end, we learn that Christian community is nourished and expanded by full participation in the global church.

Session Synopsis

SESSION 10 SYNOPSIS
Global Church	In this passage, we learn about the nature of the global church. In the early church, Paul and Barnabas traveled around sharing the gospel, planting healthy churches, and appointing godly leaders. As the gospel spread to various cities, the church became a multicultural community. A controversy arose between Jewish and Gentile believers. Many Christians and leaders met in Jerusalem to resolve this issue. When the church came to a united decision that would preserve the truth of the gospel and accommodate cultural differences, they sent this decision by letter to the churches in other areas. Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement that caused them to part ways. Eventually, Paul traveled with Silas and added Timothy to his missionary team as they traveled to various cities. This narrative helps us understand important dynamics of being a part of a worldwide church community. A summary of this story’s principles is outlined below.
Multicultural Global Community	The church is a multicultural global community (15:3, 5, 7–9, 12, 14, 17, 19–21; 14:21, 24, 27). The church should strive for unity and peace (15:9, 25, 33) in a way that preserves the truth of the gospel (15:8–9, 11, 17, 28–29).
Global Mission Priorities	The church should focus on gospel proclamation, church planting, and leadership development (14:21–23) as key priorities in the mission (14:26–27). Strong churches endure suffering (14:22) and conflict (15:1–35) well.
Church Structure	The church has simple structures that enable churches to mature and the gospel to continue to spread. Some of these structures are gathered church community (14:27; 15:22, 30; 16:2), godly leadership (14:23; 15:2, 22; 16:2–3), church-to-church connections (15:2, 21, 23, 36, 41; 16:5), and mentoring relationships (15:37–40; 16:1–4).
Chuch Leadership	Local leaders called elders care for the church (14:23), and pioneering missionaries help to advance the gospel to other areas (14:21–22, 24–25, 27). Both kinds of leaders are important, valued, and helpful for healthy churches and advancing the mission (15:2; cf. 15:4, 6, 22, 23; 16:4). Godly leadership has authority, mutuality, and accountability (14:23, 26–28).
Conflict Resolution	As a multicultural global community, the church will experience tension and conflict (15:1, 5, 19–21). Christians should aim to resolve conflict in a God-honoring way and with the following priorities: thoughtful discussion (15:1, 6–7), godly leadership (15:2, 7, 12, 13), gospel purity (15:9, 11; cf. 15:1, 5), biblical faithfulness (15:15–18), and missional priority (15:12, 14, 19).
Church Networks and Christian Unity	The church is a global community of interconnected churches: a network of churches or a church of churches (14:21–28; 15:21, 23, 30, 36, 41; 16:3, 5). The early church developed unity through conciliar assembly (15:1–22), theological dialogue (15:1–3, 5–21), written correspondence (15:23–31; 16:4), and ministry visits (15:30, 32–36, 41; 16:4–5). The interconnectedness of churches helped them to be strong (15:30–35, 36; 16:5) and assisted in the spread of the gospel (16:5).
Mentoring Relationships and Ministry Training	Growth in faith and mission takes place in healthy church communities and mentoring relationships (16:1–5). Ministry training is best suited as a church-based, in-service apprenticeship process (16:2–5; cf. 13:1–4).

Personal Reflection: Entering the Story

Apply the Text: The word of God is binding and authoritative, the only reliable guide for faith and godliness. True disciples submit themselves to God’s word. In this movement, you will apply God’s word to your lives.

Reflection Questions

Encourage one person to share a testimony about how this story has impacted them so far. Use the reflection questions to examine your life in light of this biblical passage.

Spiritual Practice

Consider the way that Christians and churches are part of a global community of faith. Consider concrete ways you can participate in the global community. Write a prayer that asks for God’s grace in the lives of a specific church in another area of the world.

Ministry Practice: Rehearsing the Script

Minister the Text: God’s word is living and active. Through God’s word, the Christian community is edified. In this movement, you will utilize the biblical passage to minister to other believers and build them up in their faith.

Application Questions

Look at the infographic below. Use the questions to think about how to minister this text to other believers.

Missional Outreach: Publicizing the Truth

Witness the Text: The Bible is a message of God’s gracious salvation to the world. In word and deed, God’s people proclaim the good news of the gospel. In this movement, you will use this biblical passage to reach out to unbelievers.

Strategy Questions

Reflect on the infographic below. Consider how you can use this passage to witness to the surrounding world. Use the suggested ideas to prime your imagination. Then, put together a plan to share this passage with unbelievers, Afterward, reflect on this mission experience.