JOHN SHIRK – Today’s Q and A Segment explores the question, “What is the value of hearing reports from missionaries serving in other parts of the world?”

Something similar to this scenario happened in the early church when Paul and Barnabas traveled to different places to share the good news of Jesus.

Eventually, they returned to the church that commissioned them for service. Acts 14:26 says, “they sailed back to Antioch where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now completed. On arriving there, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.”

When missionaries share with us how God has worked through their service, it gives us a bigger picture of how God is at work in other parts of the world. If we are supporting their work, it will encourage us to see how our investment is advancing God’s Kingdom. Their visit will give us an opportunity to bless and encourage them. As they share specifics of their missionary journey, we will gain better understanding of how to pray for them. And sometimes, reports from missionaries spur more missionary activity. These are some ways that reports from missionaries can build up believers and advance God’s Kingdom in the Year of Exploration.

John Shirk

john@wjtl.com