RESTORING
AND REBUILDING CONFIDENCE AFTER IT HAS BEEN FORFEITED IS ONE OF THE GREATEST
CHALLENGES IN LIFE. Trust is a sacred and securing attribute that every one of
us ought to covet, and we ought to work diligently to build and maintain it.
Often we forfeit confidence by bad choices we make. Even the business world
realizes the value of trust, and when that is broken businesses are hindered.
Jim Burke, former CEO of Johnson & Johnson said, “You cannot have success
without trust. The very word trust embodies everything you could strive for
that will help you to succeed. Tell me any relationship that works without
trust. A marriage? A friendship? A social interaction? In the long run the same
thing is true about business. They can only succeed when there is trust.” Acts
chapter 12 introduces us to a man whose life has become a story of hope and
encouragement for everyone who has gained and then lost the trust or confidence
of someone. Unfortunately, this is something that happens often through bad
behavior or foolish decisions. This is the first time we are introduced to John
Mark, who lived in the city of Jerusalem, but was a native of Cyprus. This
young lad had the opportunity to be part of the miracle of seeing Peter
released from prison. Earlier, Peter had led John Mark to Christ; and in verse
25 of Acts 12, we see him again. John Mark had been given great responsibility
as a ministry assistant to Paul and Barnabas, and he was greatly used of the
Lord. Out of the thousands of young men, John Mark was chosen to serve the Lord
alongside these great and renowned men of God. But,
in spite of his unique opportunities and usefulness, he blew it. He decides to
quit and go home and walks away from the work. John Mark in essence said, “I’m
going home,” and he forfeited the confidence and trust of Paul. Acts 13:13, “Now when Paul and his company loosed from
Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned
to Jerusalem.” He wasn’t the first person who has walked out on God, or on
the preacher, or on the will of God. Many faithful Christian servants,
employees, parents, and disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ have lost trust
because of a similar departure from their Lord, their church, or their family.
That trust is in need of restoration, but it seems so difficult to repair. In
Acts chapter 15, we see John Mark four years after this event as Barnabas and
Paul are preparing for their second missionary journey. Acts 15:36-37, “And some days after, Paul said Let us go again and visit our brethren
in every city, and see how they do. And
Barnabas was determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark.”
Barnabas invited his nephew John Mark to go along; however, Paul did not think
this was a good idea. Unfair? Maybe a little bit, but John Mark had broken
the trust and confidence they had in him. When you break the trust and
confidence someone has in you, you cannot expect it to return instantaneously. Paul
was not some carnal man that held a grudge for no reason; he was a man of God.
Barnabas had taken in Paul when the church didn’t want to accept him, and now
Paul was rejecting John Mark. This must have been hard for Barnabas to accept. Verse
39 says, “… the contention was so sharp
between them, that they departed one from the other.” You can imagine the
pressure of Barnabas; Mark was only 3 years old in the Lord when he quit, and
so Barnabas refused to go with Paul as a result. Verse 40 says, “Paul chose Silas, and departed.” Let’s
look at a later event in AD 66-67.
Fifteen years have passed, and Paul is in prison, ready to lose his head
as a martyr for the cause of Christ. John Mark is now serving the Lord at
Ephesus with Timothy. Timothy receives this request in the form of Paul’s last
written letter: “Take Mark, and bring him
with thee, for he is profitable to me for the ministry.” (II Timothy 4:11) John Mark is regaining lost
trust. It didn’t happen overnight, but it did happen. And let me say to you
that it won’t happen overnight, but it will happen for you, too!
Next
week, we will discuss how John Mark regained the trust and confidence of the
apostle Paul.
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