Ever been sure you handled conflict “the right way” and still couldn’t land on the same page? We explore one of Scripture’s most honest moments: when Paul and Barnabas, two trusted leaders with years of shared wins, hit a sharp disagreement over John Mark and choose to part ways. Luke gives us no juicy motives and crowns no winner. Instead, he shows us what comes next: the mission doesn’t stall. It multiplies.

We walk through how Paul and Silas press on, Timothy joins, and new churches take shape—while Barnabas invests in Mark, the once unreliable companion who becomes a trusted partner, a Gospel author, and a pillar in the early church. Along the way we tackle hard questions: Can separation be faithful? What does obedience look like when clarity never arrives? How do we release the need to be right and still take responsibility for wisdom and care?

This conversation is both pastoral and practical. We talk about naming grief when relationships change, refusing to recruit sides, and trusting God with unfinished people, including ourselves. We challenge the efficiency mindset that confuses speed with faith and anxiety with discernment, and we draw hope from a God who keeps working beyond our control and on timelines we don’t choose. If your life holds unresolved endings at home, work, or church, this story offers permission to be faithful without being vindicated, and courage to believe that unfinished does not mean failed.

If this episode resonates, share it with a friend who needs hope in a hard season, subscribe for more thoughtful teaching, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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This podcast is intended for general informational purposes only. The views expressed by the hosts or guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Madison Church. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. For detailed information regarding our terms of use and privacy policy, please visit our website.

Thank you for being part of the Madison Church community! We appreciate your support.

A young movement is spreading fast across the Roman world—and friction follows. When believers from different cultures collide in Antioch and Jerusalem, a hard question rises to the surface: do Gentile Christians need to carry the full weight of the Law to truly belong? We walk through Acts 15 and the Jerusalem council, where testimony, Scripture, and courage converge to protect the heart of the gospel.

We share how Paul and Barnabas arrive in Jerusalem with stories of Gentile transformation, how the church chooses to listen before judging, and how fear of Rome’s power feeds the impulse to control. Then Peter reframes the debate: God knows the heart, has given the Holy Spirit without distinction, and saves by grace—not by a yoke no one could bear. James anchors the decision in the prophets, arguing that welcoming outsiders was always part of God’s plan. Together they remove barriers to belonging while offering practical guidance to avoid idolatry and preserve table fellowship across cultures.

Along the way, we draw out four enduring practices: remember your faith when anxiety rises, love your neighbor by clearing the path to Jesus, resist legalism that sneaks in as “standards,” and name modern idols that compete with allegiance to Christ—success, power, identity, or even ministry itself. If you’ve wrestled with where conviction meets compassion, this conversation offers a path forward: clarity on essentials, wisdom on non-essentials, and charity in all things. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs hope, and leave a review telling us which barrier you think the church should remove first.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing to Madison Church on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback means the world to us, so please take a moment to leave a review and share the podcast with your friends and family.

For inquiries, suggestions, or collaboration opportunities, please reach out to us at help@madisonchurch.com.

For the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on social media:

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New episodes are released every Monday, so mark your calendars and join us weekly!

If you'd like to support the show, you can make a donation here. Your generosity helps us continue to bring you meaningful content.

This podcast is intended for general informational purposes only. The views expressed by the hosts or guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Madison Church. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. For detailed information regarding our terms of use and privacy policy, please visit our website.

Thank you for being part of the Madison Church community! We appreciate your support.

What if the clearest next step is simply to go—without a map, a timeline, or a promise of applause? We take you to Antioch, where an unglamorous team of teachers and prophets fasts, prays, and hears the Spirit say just seven disruptive words: “Set apart Barnabas and Saul for the work.” No itinerary. No metrics. Just obedience. That choice launches a shift from reaction to persecution toward intentional mission, and it challenges our modern reflex to measure faithfulness by momentum.

As the journey reaches Cyprus, we meet Bar-Jesus, a polished insider who speaks fluent faith while quietly bending truth around power. Luke’s insight cuts deep: resistance to God’s work often comes as subtle redirection, not open hostility. Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, confronts with clarity, and the result isn’t spectacle for its own sake. The governor believes not because of a dramatic sign, but because he is astonished at the teaching about the Lord. Signs may expose deception; teaching forms faith that lasts. Along the way, we explore why posture beats strategy, why availability matters more than outcomes, and how discernment helps us navigate half-truths delivered with confidence.

We don’t tie a bow on the story. Luke refuses tidy endings, and that’s the point. The earliest church was formed in the discomfort of the unfinished—trusting God when clarity was scarce and applause absent. That pattern still holds: ordinary conversations about Jesus, generosity without recognition, staying put in hard places, and praying more when the Spirit speaks. Communion reframes our expectations too: the cross looked like failure before it became victory. Trust comes before understanding, and the “best” God intends may pass through pain before it bears fruit. If your story feels unresolved, you are not off course. You might be right where the Spirit leads.

If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a friend who needs courage for the next faithful step, and leave a review to help others find these conversations.

Support the show

If you enjoyed this episode, consider subscribing to Madison Church on your favorite podcast platform. Your feedback means the world to us, so please take a moment to leave a review and share the podcast with your friends and family.

For inquiries, suggestions, or collaboration opportunities, please reach out to us at help@madisonchurch.com.

For the latest updates and behind-the-scenes content, follow us on social media:

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• YouTube

New episodes are released every Monday, so mark your calendars and join us weekly!

If you'd like to support the show, you can make a donation here. Your generosity helps us continue to bring you meaningful content.

This podcast is intended for general informational purposes only. The views expressed by the hosts or guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Madison Church. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. For detailed information regarding our terms of use and privacy policy, please visit our website.

Thank you for being part of the Madison Church community! We appreciate your support.