Acts 15:32

Acts 15:32 says. And Judas and Silas, being prophets also themselves, exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them.  Like Paul and Barnabas, Silas and Judas completed their trip to the churches to encourage them and clarify the question of circumcision, and then it was time to continue spreading the gospel.  Verse thirty-three adds, And after they had tarried there a space, they were let go in peace from the brethren unto the apostles.  Silas and Judas had stayed there many days exhorting them with many words and confirming them.  The church let them go in peace to return to the apostles.  Verse thirty-four continues, Notwithstanding it pleased Silas to abide there still.  Verse thirty-five says, Paul also and Barnabas continued in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.  Paul and Barnabas, with Silas also, stayed in Antioch for a while, preaching and teaching.  Wherever we are, we should be sharing the gospel and encouraging other Christians.  Verse thirty-six adds, And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do.  Paul proposed that he and Barnabas go to every city where they had preached and see how the Christians there were doing.  We should always be concerned about new Christians and check on how they are doing and not just get them to accept them Jesus Christ and then forget them. Verse thirty-seven continues, And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.  Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them, but as we will see, Paul did not.  Even great men of God don’t always agree with one another.  Verse thirty-eight says, But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them in Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work.  Paul and Barnabas had a disagreement about John Mark going with them.  Paul did not want him to go, since he had left them before, and Barnabas wanted to him to go with them.  Verse thirty-nine adds, And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus.  The contention between them was so sharp, they split from one another.  Two missionaries, who could not agree about a fellow believer, were going on separately.  Barnabas took John Mark and went to Cyprus.  Verse forty continues, And Paul chose Silas, and departed, being recommended by the brethren unto the grace of God.  Verse forty-one concludes, And he went through Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches.  Paul and Silas teamed up and went to Syria and Cilicia, confirming the churches there were following the  gospel..  We can speculate about who was wrong, Paul or Barnabas, but the end result was two teams of missionaries preaching God's word.  We may not always see eye to eye, even with those that we have been closest to.  That does not mean we are to sit back idly, attempting to assign blame.  Sometimes, other than with the gospel, we simply have to agree to disagree, and continue to proclaim the gospel.