After Paul's arrest he was taken to Caesarea to answer the charges that the Jews had brought against him in Jerusalem. They argued that he was troublemaker on civil, state and religious grounds. Paul was none of these things, and in fact forfeited some of his rights so he may show that he was man of peace, trying to persuade these people about God's salvation through Christ. We should also be trying to live peaceful lives with those around us, because that is one of the ways that Jesus works in us. We can do that by remembering what he has done for us and treasuring it. Accept him if you don't treasure him already.

Christianity has at its heart the belief in the resurrection from death of Jesus. If Jesus wasn't raised from the dead then the Christian faith would be futile. We see in this passage how the disciples and friends of Jesus had their eyes opened to the reality that He had been risen from the dead and was alive again. When we look at Jesus today, is it as a historical figure or as a reality that He is alive in our lives. As Christians, we need to open the eyes of others to the reality of Jesus.

In this passage Paul's message of Jesus was falling on deaf ears in a lot of cases because the Ephesians had forgotten what it meant to be a follower of Jesus. It is easy for us to move into the same situation as the Ephesians where we fall away from the enthusiasm we had when we first became a Christian. We need to continue to work on our relationship with Jesus and rely on Him in all things and not do things in our own strength.

Political parties send out messages and promises to the people, but even though we all hear the same message, we each respond to those messages differently. In this chapter of Acts, Paul visits three different cities, and whilst he brings the same message to each city, the good news of Jesus, people responded to the news differently. Today, we have this same message to share with others. We are not responsible for how people respond to the message we bring, but we are to faithful, like Paul, in delivering the good new of Jesus to others.

God has made us for partnerships and when we come together with others, disagreements can occur, as was the case in this passage. As a church, we aim to live in unity with each other as we strive to live like Christ. Paul and Barnabas could agree on the mission but not agree on the team. The gospel is about getting the right balance of staying firm and true to God's Word, but also being flexible when appropriate. We are called to be partners with each other and to be partners with God so that He can speak through us as we minister to others. Are you ready to partner with God?