Acts 20
Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece
1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left to go to Macedonia.
It was not the riot that caused Paul to leave. He had already made this decision earlier in Acts 19:21. Macedonia was the Greek region of the world where Alexander the Great was born. Paul may have visited this church in Philippi.
2 After he had gone through those regions and spoken many words of encouragement to the believers there, he came to Greece,
As he traveled through Macedonia, he was not practicing evangelism but discipleship. He then went as far as Illyricum, which is modern Yugoslavia (Rom. 15:19).
3 where he stayed for three months. Because the Jews had made a plot against him as he was intending to sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
In 56-57 A.D., Paul stayed in Macedonia for three months during the winter. During this time, he wrote Romans and possibly Ephesians. He was planning to sail for Syria so that he could participate in the Passover in Jerusalem. However, he heard about a plot to kill him, so he took the land route and spent his Passover in the city of Philippi. Luke was the pastor-teacher at Philippi. The Philippians were a very mature group of believers who actually supported Paul financially, while many of the other churches refused to do so.
4 Paul was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
All of these men were elders of different churches scattered throughout the Roman Empire. Paul gathered these church leaders together for some certain reason.
5 These had gone on ahead and were waiting for us in Troas.
Luke now uses the plural "we”, meaning that Luke is the representative from Philippi. Luke will stay with Paul until his death.
6 We sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and within five days we came to the others in Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
Paul did not get to teach the Gospel in Troas earlier, because he was in agony about the immoral state of the Corinthians. Therefore, he will now spend time in Troas and teach the Gospel.
7 On the first day of the week, when we met to break bread, Paul began to speak to the people, and because he intended to leave the next day, he extended his message until midnight.
Paul observed the Lord's Supper with the church. The Jewish first day of the week begins on Sunday night. Paul preached until midnight.
8 (Now there were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.)
These were oil lamps that were used at night.
9 A young man named Eutychus, who was sitting in the window, was sinking into a deep sleep while Paul continued to speak for a long time. Fast asleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.
The Greek name Εὔτυχος (eutochos), meaning fortunate, was not so fortunate a person. All of the windows would be open because of the oil burning from the lamps. Many skeptics claim that Eutychus did not die. However, Luke was a doctor who was present at the time. He recorded this as a death.
10 But Paul went down, threw himself on the young man, put his arms around him, and said, “Do not be distressed, for he is still alive!”
This resurrection of the dead is similar to the miracle in which Elisha performed in 1 Kings 17. Charismatics cannot copy this miracle.
11 Then Paul went back upstairs, and after he had broken bread and eaten, he talked with them a long time, until dawn. Then he left.
Paul completed the Lord's Supper. It was a full course supper and not a snack. Paul was leaving the next morning, so everyone stayed up all night long to hear the word of God from an apostle, who was receiving direct information from God.
12 They took the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.
The entire church knew that Paul's message was from God, because only God could raise the dead. This miracle authenticated Paul's message.
The Voyage to Miletus
13 We went on ahead to the ship and put out to sea for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for he had arranged it this way. He himself was intending to go there by land.
Paul desired to walk 20 miles from Troas to Assos. The rest of the company went ahead on ship and they met at Assos.
14 When he met us in Assos, we took him aboard and went to Mitylene.
Mitylene was the capital of Lesbos and was third miles from Assos.
15 We set sail from there, and on the following day we arrived off Chios. The next day we approached Samos, and the day after that we arrived at Miletus.
There were three legs of his trip, each leg was about a one day travel.
16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so as not to spend time in the province of Asia, for he was hurrying to arrive in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
Paul had missed Passover, but he wanted to celebrate Pentecost in Jerusalem. After the atonement of Christ, Jews have freedom to celebrate or not celebrate the Jewish holidays.
17 From Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.
The elders of Ephesus were to meet Paul at Miletus, about a 30 mile, one day journey, if they walked fast. The Greek word for "elder" is πρεσβύτερος (presbuteros), meaning a mature, seasoned man with divine viewpoint wisdom. Elders were the leaders of the local churches. As long as the apostles were living, they were underneath apostolic authority. Once the apostles died, the elders became the leaders of the church.
18 When they arrived, he said to them, “You yourselves know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia,
Luke is recording Paul's only discourse to a group of believers. Paul had established the Ephesus church and discipled them for almost three years. Many of the elders are his earliest converts.
19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots of the Jews.
While the Jews attempted to kill Paul, he ministered to the Ephesians with humility, tears, and trials. God was supernaturally protecting Paul from the onslaught of the enemy.
20 You know that I did not hold back from proclaiming to you anything that would be helpful, and from teaching you publicly and from house to house,
Paul taught at the deepest level and did not hold anything back. He taught publicly and in house churches.
21 testifying to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.
Paul evangelized the Ephesians. He taught repentance from sins and faith in Christ.
22 And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem without knowing what will happen to me there,
Some teach that Paul was disobeying God when he planned to travel to Jerusalem. However, Paul was compelled by the Spirit to make this trip. He knew something bad was going to happen, but he also knew it was God's will that he make this trip.
23 except that the Holy Spirit warns me in town after town that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me.
Paul was receiving private revelations from the Holy Spirit about his coming trip to Jerusalem. He knew of the coming imprisonment and persecution, but he did not know the details.
24 But I do not consider my life worth anything to myself, so that I may finish my task and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God’s grace.
Paul's main priority was not to preserve his life, but to fulfill God's call in his life.
25 “And now I know that none of you among whom I went around proclaiming the kingdom will see me again.”
Paul did not think that he would see the Ephesians again, but God actually allowed him to visit one more time.
26 “Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of you all.”
Paul had taught them the truth, which is what believers are called to do. Often, believers may not share the gospel to someone, because they do not want to offend them. This silence is not agape love, because silence can send someone to the Lake of Fire.
27 For I did not hold back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God.”
Paul taught the entire counsel of the Word of God. This is something that is not happening in modern churches today. It is the goal of YEBC to teach the entire counsel of the Word of God.
28 "Watch out for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.”
Notice that Paul called these elders another title, which is overseers. The Greek word for "overseers" is ἐπίσκοπος (episkopos), which means to shepherd the flock by keeping a keen eye on them so that wolves do not fleece them. Overseers is the origin of the English word bishops. Elders and bishops or the same person. Elder is the name of the person while bishop is the name of the office. They are mature in Bible doctrine and they are to keep their keen eye on the flock. Elders are to teach the entire counsel of the word of God and protect the flock from error.
29 “I know that after I am gone fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”
The Greek word for "fierce" is βαρύς (barus), meaning violent, oppressive, and crushing. Jesus used this term in John 10:12 when speaking about false teachers who would come to smash the flock. Jesus, Paul, Peter, Jude, and John all warned about false teachers who would come inside of the churches.
30 “Even from among your own group men will arise, teaching perversions of the truth to draw the disciples away after them.”
The Ephesians were the most advanced congregation as far as knowledge of Bible doctrine. Even these super saints would have wolves rise from among their own group. Their goal was to draw away disciples and split the church. Paul wrote 1 and 2 Timothy in order to warn that there were already false teachers inside the local churches.
31 “Therefore, be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears.”
Paul taught them for three years with tears. He loved the Ephesians, but he knew that wolves would arise to devour them.
32 “And now I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace. This message is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
The Greek word for "entrust" is παρατίθημι (paratithami), meaning to deposit. Paul was depositing the Ephesian elders in God's bank so that they could draw interest.
33 “I have desired no one’s silver or gold or clothing.”
Paul did not ask for money. Sometimes, he was supported by the churches at Jerusalem or Antioch. Sometimes, he had performed manual labor via his tent making business. Most of the time, Paul had little or no financial support. He had to construct tents during the day to support his ministry, and then teach at night and on weekends.
34 “You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my needs and the needs of those who were with me.”
Paul worked not only to pay his way, but to fund his travels as well.
35 “By all these things, I have shown you that by working in this way we must help the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Paul asked the elders to model and perform manual labor to help those who were weak in Bible doctrine. This quote by Jesus is not found in the Gospels, so Paul must have received this from oral tradition.
36 When he had said these things, he knelt down with them all and prayed.
Paul left his elders with prayer.
37 They all began to weep loudly, and hugged Paul and kissed him,
The Ephesians were sad to see Paul go and even sadder that they would never see him again. Paul had paid a heavy price to bring them the Gospel, and they knew it and appreciated it.
38 especially saddened by what he had said, that they were not going to see him again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
This goodbye ended Paul's third missionary journey.
