Acts 14:24–28 (ESV)
Paul and Barnabas Return to Antioch in Syria
24 Then they passed through Pisidia and came to Pamphylia. 25 And when they had spoken the word in Perga, they went down to Attalia, 26 and
from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled. 27 And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with
them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. 28 And they remained no little time with the disciples.
Paul and Barnabas end their
journey by reporting to those who sent them everything God has done. Neither our faith nor our missionary achievements are ultimately our doing. It is God who opens the door of faith—for us and for those to whom we witness.
I pray: Heavenly Father, may Your Spirit move Your Church to spread Your Word. Bring many more people into Your kingdom, and strengthen all believers to endure the trials they face on their way to heaven.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Edward A. Engelbrecht, The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis, MO: Concordia Publishing House, 2009), 1865.