SUNDAY July 23, 2023
A Missionary’s Report
Now when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles. So they stayed there a long time with the disciples.
Acts 14:27-28
Among the eldership in the church in Antioch, there was much accountability. When Paul and Barnabas returned there as missionaries, they gave a full account of their trip to them. What a wonderful report they must have given them. They had seen God’s wonders and how He had moved among the people miraculously on their first missionary journey.
Once home, Paul and Barnabas did not just kick back and relax. They remained with the disciples a long time. What did they do? They continued to teach, preach and exhort believers in Christ. Paul and Barnabas were men of the Word and passed on their deep knowledge of the Scriptures to younger Christians, causing them to grow in their faith.
Did you notice on this journey that Paul and Barnabas never asked for any money? They never asked for one penny. Why? The Church at Antioch was sensitive in helping them with their needs. The church elders made it a priority to support missions so that the Gospel spread. They desired to keep moving forward in building the kingdom of God.
The Church today needs to be sensitive toward missionary work. People are often generous. As the Lord moves on their hearts, they give willingly, liberally, and hilariously to the work of missions. The key to giving is to always keep in mind that together we are building the kingdom of God.
I wholeheartedly pray God would raise up missionaries from Calvary Chapel Golden Springs to go out into the world to preach the Gospel. As hearts are touched by God’s Spirit, people will hear the call to the mission field and take the necessary steps to prepare themselves to go!
Is not the commission of our Lord still binding upon us? Can we not do more than now we are doing?
~William Carey~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!
