Acts 13:4, 5 The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. (NIV)

Acts 13:13  From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Perga in Pamphylia, where John left them to return to Jerusalem. (NIV)

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Well, that didn’t last long. 

John Mark joined Barnabas and Saul on their walk from Jerusalem to Antioch. This took somewhere between two and a half and three weeks. Can you imagine the conversations? What a learning opportunity that was for John Mark. His older cousin, Barnabas, was kind, generous, and full of wisdom. Saul, soon to be called Paul, was full of fire and ready to change the world. 

If Mark was wise, he listened more than he talked, and when he talked, he asked questions. We don’t have much of a clue how long the three of them stayed in Antioch, where a multicultural, multiethnic church was thriving. We see a brief snapshot of what the church was like. Verses 2 and 3 tell us, 

While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

First, they sought God’s will and direction with intention and focus. Second, they immediately complied with what the Spirit of God said. 

Notice the wrapping around this whole incident. They were worshiping and fasting. The Holy Spirit told them what to do. Then they fasted, prayed, and commissioned Barnabas and Saul, and sent them off. 

Here are the elements they included:

1. Worship
2. Fast
3. Pray
4. Hear and obey
5. Commission
6. Send

You get the idea that this was pretty much an ordinary day in Antioch. This was more of a habit than an exception. No wonder this church became the center of missions and evangelism in the early church era.

What would be different in the life of the church you attend if this were the church’s common everyday pattern? 

Back to our little buddy John Mark. His home hosted the Last Supper. His home was the site of some of Jesus’ first appearances after the resurrection. His home was where the 120 disciples were gathered on the day of Pentecost. Barnabas was his cousin. Paul was his new friend. 

He was likely the best-equipped person in the world to join Barnabas and Paul on their first missionary journey. He was the least likely to abandon them days into that journey. But when they got to Perga, John went home. Sometimes even the best-prepared leaders come up short. 

I was pondering some of my failures a couple of days ago. I have more than enough to merely ponder. I wonder sometimes how in the world our Father in heaven could ever use somebody like me. The good news is God is not only our Creator, but he is also our Redeemer. He turns our failures into life lessons. He teaches us from them and gives us the opportunity to teach others through those most humiliating of moments.

John Mark had a pedigree like nobody else. But a pedigree was not enough. Maturity was necessary. Perspective was necessary. Redemption was necessary. Thank God that abandoning Barnabas and Paul in Perga was not the end of John Mark’s story. We’ll see more later about how Barnabas helped him begin again more intelligently. 

Let’s pause and take a look at your life and mine. Are you camped out around your last failure? Or are you leaning into the kind of behavior and hard-won lessons that lead to success as we move into the special future God has designed for us? If it’s not the latter, let’s talk about how to get up and get moving in the right direction again. Dare to fail forward. 

Our adversary will tell you that your failures disqualify you. Our Savior will tell you how He can take your failures and use them as stepping stones to a life God can reward. Be careful who you listen to here. Go back to the beginning of this story and notice how that group of church members leaned in to listen to what the Holy Spirit was saying. What happened next changed the world. Go thou and do likewise. 

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I will listen deeply to what the Spirit is saying and do what he says immediately.

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Our Father, whatever you want for me is what I want, too. Show me the way I should go. Empower me for the journey. Use me for your glory and the benefit of everyone I meet. Thank you for forgiveness, redemption, and reorientation. Thank you for helping me overcome my past failures, and for your grace for all my future failures. Amen.