“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. And they remained no little time with the disciples.” —Acts 14:27–28 (ESV)
There’s a quiet holiness in that final line.
After the journeys.
After the risks, the opposition, the miracles, the open doors.
After the stories had been told and God had been glorified…
They stayed.
Luke could have ended with momentum—on to the next mission, the next city, the next need.
Instead, he slows us down: “They remained no little time with the disciples.”
This is God’s economy.
Mission is not just movement.
Calling is not constant urgency.
Fruitfulness is not measured only by miles traveled or doors opened.
Sometimes obedience looks like lingering.
Paul and Barnabas gathered the church and declared what God had done—not what they had accomplished. Then they rested into community. They let the story settle. They let relationships deepen. They let joy and gratitude take root among people who understood the cost and the calling.
In a world that rewards speed, visibility, and the next big thing, Scripture honors something quieter:
- Staying long enough to be known
- Sitting with people who share your scars
- Letting celebration turn into companionship
- Allowing the soul to catch up with the assignment
This wasn’t wasted time. It was formative time.
The disciples didn’t just hear a report—they shared life. And in that shared life, faith was strengthened, courage renewed, and identity anchored again in what God was doing, not what they had to produce next.
Maybe the mid-week invitation for us is this:
Where are you rushing past the very place God is asking you to remain?
Who has God placed around you—not to impress, but to be present with?
What would it look like to stay “no little time” and let grace do its slower work?
Because sometimes the most faithful step forward… is choosing to stay.
And that’s the mid-week memo.
