The Brotherhood of the Saints
Let’s begin with a quick review. Paul is credited with writing 1 Thessalonians, but the greeting includes Silas and Timothy. This is because these men were brothers, and as brothers, they shared in the writing of the letter.
Some churches use the word ‘brother’ as a formality, but with Paul, Silas, and Timothy, it was the real thing.
Let’s look at the evidence.
To begin, let's look at how Paul teamed up with Barnabas.
After his conversion, Paul preached for three years and then had to flee to his hometown, Tarsus. Paul assumed that because the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea knew him, they would be open to his message. Contrary to what he thought, the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea wanted their old friend and brother dead. As a result, Paul spent about 14 years hidden in Tarsus. (We know about the 14 years from Galatians 1 and information from Acts.)
Let’s fast forward about 14 years. During those 14 years, the persecution of Christians in Jerusalem continued. Acts 11:19-26 tells us what happened at the end of those 14 years.
Acts 11:19-26 (NKJV) 19 Now those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but the Jews only. 20 But some of them were men from Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Hellenists, preaching the Lord Jesus. 21 And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord. 22 Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. 23 When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. 24 For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. 26 And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Barnabas knew about Paul because he, too, was from Jerusalem. Because he was aware of Paul’s tremendous knowledge, passion, and ability, Barnabas brought Paul to help with the teaching of the Christians in Antioch. Antioch was the first Church in which Gentiles and Jews were integrated, and the new Gentile believers needed someone with Paul’s knowledge. What they didn't need was Paul’s hard-nosed approach. Paul was a zealous personality who tended to be harsh and legalistic.
Though we often think of Paul as the leader, Barnabas, being older, was actually mentoring Paul, not in theology, but in how to lead with grace. Barnabas was gentle, even his name means encourager. Please remember, Paul started out as a bully and God shut him down for 14 years. Younger Paul had tried to lead Jews away from converting to Christ by threatening, beating, imprisoning, and killing them.
As we follow the story in Acts, we see that Barnabas and Paul went together on a journey to preach the gospel. During this time, Barnabas continued to mentor Paul in leading with grace.
They returned to Antioch and reported on their mission trip, but they encountered a problem in the Antioch church. Some Jewish men from Jerusalem went to Antioch and began teaching that the Gentiles had to convert to Judaism if they wanted to follow Jesus.
Paul, Barnabas, and some others went to Jerusalem to consult with the Apostles. The counsel of the Church leaders clarified that no such thing was required. They sent a letter back to Antioch to clarify this issue. Along with the letter, they sent a mature man with Paul and Barnabas to confirm both the letter and Paul and Barnabas. That man was Silas.
When Paul and Barnabas decided to go back and visit the churches where they had been before, they had a sharp disagreement. Barnabas wanted to take along a young man named John Mark. However, Paul refused to include John Mark because John Mark had joined them on the first journey but had quit partway through. Remember, Paul tended to be hard-nosed, and Barnabas was an encourager.
Consequently, Barnabas took John Mark, and Paul teamed up with Silas and set out on what we know as his second missionary journey. Once again, Silas was a mature man like Barnabas. Perhaps he was there to help Paul not be too severe. By this time, Paul was in his 50s. He may not have needed teaching, but he still needed partnership. This is an essential part of being brothers. There is a Proverb that says,
Ecclesiastes 4:12 (NKJV) Though one may be overpowered by another, two can withstand him. And a threefold cord is not quickly broken.
In all his ministry, Paul never traveled alone, and neither did Jesus. Jesus was setting an example for us.
Never traveling alone serves any number of purposes, but I am only going to look at three.
First, Jesus used companionship for teaching and training, and so did Paul. We should follow their example. You have much to pass on to your children and grandchildren.
Second is safety. The roads were not necessarily safe all the time. Whatever happened, they were able to help each other. It is the same for us. Cars break down, and people get sick. Stuff happens.
Third, and just as important as the others, is temptation. If you have someone with you all the time, you are less likely to do sketchy stuff or give up. Of course, this works even for those who are evil. Outlaw gangs keep each other in line, but not for good purposes.
If you are at all familiar with the ministry of Paul, you know a lot of things happened to him. He was stoned, beaten, imprisoned, and shipwrecked. And he was not alone for any of these things.
Let me encourage you. As much as possible, don’t travel alone. Many temptations can be avoided this way. For example, I might not stop as often for a milkshake if someone is with me. If a person is tempted with alcohol, having a partner helps. Of course, the wrong partner can make it worse.
We are called a brotherhood for a reason. We are to encourage each other and lift each other up. To do this, we have to be together. Older men as much as possible can take younger men with them so that the young ones can learn. How else are we going to help our teenagers grow? Of course, this is a father’s job, but what if the father can’t be there or isn’t there at all? Yes, it takes effort and can be inconvenient. But real brotherhood was never meant to be easy. However, if Jesus is our example, it is the way to be fruitful as far as our faith is concerned.
