Paul was sometimes hard to get along with. In our scripture today he and Barnabas disagreed over whether or not Mark should hang out with them. This disagreement was so strong that it resulted in the division of these two men for a time, going their own way.

In the body of Christ, we don’t always get along. We disagree over the color of the carpet, the style of the new preacher, which picture should hang on the bulletin board, and sometimes this can create hardships and hurts that are difficult to heal from.

What struck me in our scripture today was the result of this going their separate ways. Barnabas took Mark and headed towards Cyprus. Paul took Silas and went down through Syria. But please note what verse 41 says; “strengthening the churches.” Even though their was a “sharp disagreement” it did not stop them from fulfilling the call to share the good news of Jesus Christ.

We are not always going to agree, on every person, on every nuance. However, it should never stop us from sharing the Gospel message and strengthening one another in our walk.