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. (Acts 14:24-28 (ESV)
So the first mission trip is over. Paul has been gone at
least one winter and two summers. Now he is back in Antioch. Now he and
Barnabus are doing what all missionaries do. They are telling the home
congregation how the trip went, sharing the successes and failures.
They stay no little time with the disciples. I love the
understatement here. Paul stays for some time. It is needed. Time for
reflection, recovery, time to come to grips with what he has learned. Those who
are sent to teach learn more than they teach as a rule. He has learned what to
expect from the gentiles as he preaches the gospel. He has learned what to expect
from his compatriots. Sometimes this sort of thing is necessary. Paul had
success on his mission trip, but we learn from our failures more than our
successes. He will build on what he has learned as he gets back to it shortly.
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