It is easy to fall into the misconception that Christians will never have disputes within the church. While we should strive for no divisions amongst our brothers and sisters (1 Cor. 1:10; 2 Cor. 13:11), there will be times when, despite our best efforts, strong disagreements will arise. What should our response be when Christian conflicts arise? Consider the story of Paul and Barnabas.
In Acts 15:36-41, Paul and Barnabas planned to visit brethren in each city and see how they were. A disagreement over taking John became so sharp that they went their separate ways, taking new partners with them (Acts 15:39-40). Knowing the history of Paul and Barnabas makes this story even sadder, considering Barnabas would have been akin to a mentor to Paul. They would have been extremely close thanks to the missions they went on together (e.g., Acts 13).
It is important to note two big things from this passage. Firstly, even though they disagreed, they did not sin. The conflict did not lead to something they would regret more later. Secondly, they did not let this cause them to stop serving the Lord! They continued to work just as planned but now separately. Likewise, later in the New Testament, we see they settled their dispute (Gal. 2; Col. 4:10). May our disagreements never cause us to lose track of what is most important in our lives or cause us to sin against our brethren and God!