June 1st They
return to Antioch
21:
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught
many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch, 22:
Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue
in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into
the kingdom of God. 23: And when they had ordained them elders in
every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the
Lord, on whom they believed. 24: And after they had passed throughout
Pisidia, they came to Pamphylia. 25: And when they had preached the
word in Perga, they went down into Attalia: 26: And thence sailed to
Antioch, from whence they had been recommended to the grace of God
for the work which they fulfilled. 27: 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. 28: And there they abode long time with the disciples.
The
Missionary team return retracing their steps through the cities in
which they had seen Gods blessing and suffered persecution. On their
way they are not presenting the Gospel primarily but meeting with the
believers and strengthening them in their faith. Encouraging them to
continue in the faith and telling them that it was through much
tribulation that they will enter into the kingdom of God. They also
ordained elders to look after the spiritual welfare of the believers
in each city and they prayed and fasted and commended them to the
Lord. As they passed on they preached the word in Perga and went down
to the harbour of Atalia and took a ship for Antioch. On arriving at
Antioch they gathered the whole church to report the work which God
had done with them and how God had opened the door to Gentiles. They
remained in Antioch a long while.
- Why do you think that Paul and Barnabas returned to the cities where they had worked?
- What did they do wjhen they arrived back in Antioch?
- How would you rate the success of the first missionary journey?
No comments:
Post a Comment