Acts 14:19-28
19 Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowds to their side. They stoned Paul and dragged him out of town, thinking he was dead. 20 But as the believers gathered around him, he got up and went back into the town. The next day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
21 After preaching the Good News in Derbe and making many disciples, Paul and Barnabas returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch of Pisidia, 22 where they strengthened the believers. They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God. 23 Paul and Barnabas also appointed elders in every church. With prayer and fasting, they turned the elders over to the care of the Lord, in whom they had put their trust. 24 Then they traveled back through Pisidia to Pamphylia. 25 They preached the word in Perga, then went down to Attalia.
26 Finally, they returned by ship to Antioch of Syria, where their journey had begun. The believers there had entrusted them to the grace of God to do the work they had now completed. 27 Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported everything God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too. 28 And they stayed there with the believers for a long time.
If any of you have ever returned from a mission trip, you would know how exciting it can be to tell your loved ones every detail about your journey. A few summers ago I went on a mission trip to the Ukraine that changed my life. I think about it every day; the people, the experience, the way God changed me. I talk about it so much that my friends tease me by rolling their eyes and finishing my sentences, but this never stops me from sharing.
By the time Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, where they began their mission, they had a lot to talk about. When they met up with their friends they could have laughed and said: “You should have seen the joy on the crippled man’s face when he jumped to his feet and started walking!” or “You haven’t seen an angry mob until you’ve been to Iconium! They know how to throw rocks!” or “It was so strange, all of the sudden they were calling Paul ‘Hermes’ and were calling me ‘Zeus’!”
In the Scripture today, we are given a clear example on what to do after serving the Lord. The first thing these men did was commit their work to God: “They had committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed” (v.26). Then they reported to the church: “Upon arriving in Antioch, they called the church together and reported about their trip” and finally, told everyone what God had done: “Telling all that God had done and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, too.” (v.27). When you serve the Lord be sure to commit everything to Him and share His goodness with others, because your mission is your life.
Youth Department