And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren. Acts 15:3
Excitement continues to build over the progress of the Gospel work in Mexico. Missionaries in that land continue to relate to us stories of God opening the doors to new areas in which people are showing great interest in the message. Souls continue to be saved and little Assemblies continue to be planted there. Good and faithful people are on the ground, working tirelessly to take advantage of this great opportunity, but many more workers are needed in this emerging field. Our first encounter with this work came as Duncan Beckett became involved with a new work in Ciudad Obregon. As we received reports of God working in that city, our hearts were filled with joy, just as the Christians in Phenice and Samaria were when they heard of the missionary trip by Paul and Barnabas.
Proverbs 25:25 tells us that as cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. And what could be better news than hearing of souls being saved? Paul and Barnabas had experienced the thrill of seeing God work as the Gospel work was extended into Gentile regions. No doubt their reports to the Assemblies in Phenice and Samaria reflected the excitement of that journey. Certainly their audiences appreciated the reports because they rejoiced at what God had done. It did not matter that they did not know the people to whom Paul and Barnabas had gone. What mattered was that precious souls were saved. We also experience the same joy today at news of blessing in Gospel meetings, regardless of the location. Of course, it is always joyful to hear of people we know in our own area being saved. But that same joy is experienced when the news comes from afar.
As Christians, we have many things that give us joy. Every day, in fact, every time we think about it, we should rejoice that we are saved. That means we rejoice that we have been delivered from the wrath of God and that we are assured an eternity of delight in the presence of our Lord. It also means we rejoice that we have come to know Jesus Christ, the One Who loved us and gave Himself for us. Beside this, we can rejoice that we have God’s word as our spiritual nourishment and our guide, that we have the fellowship of the Lord’s people, that we have the protection, comfort, and guidance of the Holy Spirit as He dwells within. When we consider all that we have and are because of our salvation, we must also rejoice when we hear of others who have entered into all that we have received.
The most exciting news that we can hear today is that precious souls have been saved. It’s wonderful news, regardless of where in the world those precious souls are. -Jim MacIntosh