And when they were come, and had gathered the church together, they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door of faith unto the Gentiles. Acts 14:27
A few weeks after I was saved, I heard a missionary report for the first time. A woman who had been working with a Baptist missionary organization in a country in the middle east came to speak to a group of young people at the denomination that I then was attending. Until that point, I knew very little about missionaries. So that woman’s report that day was a great revelation to me and to many of the other young folks who listened. Two important aspects of that woman’s report still stand out in my mind. Firstly, she spoke of the various accounts of dealing with people who were possessed with demons, a very real problem in that part of the world. Then, she spoke of the frustrating and dangerous efforts to bring the Gospel before the Muslims who were there. Missionaries do not have an easy life, that is for sure. And we should pay great heed to the reports that they bring us.
Our text relates how Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, the Assembly that had commended them to their missionary work. They wasted no time in gathering the saints to let them know about their efforts. The Antioch Assembly was deeply interested, and had a great deal invested in the mission. So it was right that they should know all the details. At this point, the door of faith had been opened unto the Gentiles for only a short time, and this was the first missionary trip with a major focus on the Gentiles. So the Christians in Antioch would want to know how how well the Gentiles received the message of the Gospel. This was not just idle curiosity; this was confirmation of their own efforts to reach the Gentiles in their own area.
Antioch had been the commending Assembly for the missionary journey, and the company had done all it could to support the missionaries. They had no doubt contributed financially and materially to the work. They would need to know if they had invested wisely. They had also supported the missionaries with their prayers. Ask any missionary, and they will tell you that prayer support is critical to the success of any mission work. To hear of the large numbers of Gentiles who were saved as a result of the mission would have been a great encouragement to the Antioch saints to continue praying, not only for more souls to be saved but also for the preservation and growth of the new Assemblies.
A missionary report should always stir up our hearts to further pray for the work and to support in every way that we can. -Jim MacIntosh