Thursday, May 19, 2022

Multiplication by Division

Thursday, May 19, 2022

After some time Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord, to see how the new believers are doing.”  Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark.  But Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in their work.  Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus.  Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care.  Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.  

Acts 15:36-41

There are rules which govern mathematics.  For instance, for an equation to be valid, or true, both values on either side of the “equal sign” must be equal.

1 + 1 = 2

No matter how many times you do this problem, adding two ones will always equal two!  Because of this rule (and others too numerous and increasingly complicated – much too complicated for my brain) division and multiplication are inextricably related.  To do one is to mirror the other.  An example:

2 x 2 = 4   mirrors  4 ÷ 2 = 2

What does this have to do with the Kingdom of God here on earth?  Everything.  In the case of Paul and Barnabas, God divided their opinion about Mark in order to multiply their missionary impact.

It is a common understanding that an argument in church is counter-Christian in nature.  However, that is a far cry from a matter of differing opinion about which way to do something.  The rules governing truth require us to recognize that two contradictory opinions cannot both be right.  Therfore, there only three possible outcomes, relative to truth:

          1.  Party A is right, Party B is wrong

          2.  Party A is wrong, Party B is right

          3.  Party A and B are both wrong.

It is never a matter of victor over loser in God’s Kingdom, but humility to understand God does math more perfectly than human wisdom.  Sometimes He uses the division of thought between believers to create multiplication of His plans for spreading the love He has for us.  It was this way with Paul and Barnabas’ dispute over the usefulness of John Mark on the next road trip.  Instead of one missionary team of three (Paul, Barnabas & John Mark), God had two missionary teams of two each, adding the usefulness of Silas to the mix.

I cannot recall how many times I’ve been asked the question about why so many different denominations and doctrines, preacher?  My stock answer has become:  Sisters and Brothers…it’s God-math!

For You Today

In my journey, God took a rebellious teen, who was raised in a northern Congregational church, and later joined a Methodist tribe, moved to a non-denominational fellowship, then moved to the South (Florida) and joined a Southern Baptist church, studied in a Southern Baptist seminary, to pastor Southern Baptist churches, only to wind-up in the United Methodist tribe. 

Now, if you can use a calculator and press the right buttons to figure out what God was accomplishing, you’re on a higher pay grade than I.  But remember, just like God’s Word never returns to him void of the accomplishment He plans[1], so it is with what He does with our days and movements.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road with Jesus; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©  

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