Paul Arrives in Jerusalem - Acts 21

¹⁵ After this, we started on our way up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the disciples from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, where we were to stay. He was a man from Cyprus and one of the early disciples.

¹⁷ When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers and sisters received us warmly. ¹⁸ The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. ¹⁹ Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

²⁰ When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. ²¹ They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. ²² What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, ²³ so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. ²⁴ Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everyone will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. ²⁵ As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

²⁶ The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them.

The whole effort from Paul based on the recommendations of the Jerusalem church is based on lies being told by others.  This whole effort is a political move to try to offset or minimize damage to the perception of Paul.  When Jesus returned to Jerusalem He made no such effort.  He was Himself and content in what He had done, what He had said, and in Whose will He was in. 

I probably do not understand this effort fully, but to me this is a mistake.  Paul should have just been Paul and depended upon God for his protection.  This seems to be an effort in deception.  Other than living, working, and preaching with Gentiles, I’m not sure Paul has lived outside of obedience to the law, and the part about Gentiles is somewhat debatable.  However, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 about winning people by being like them and not against what they know.  So maybe in this effort, Paul is being as a Jew so that he might win the Jews.

External appearances do not define internal beliefs.  Paul might go through rituals and acts, but in his heart he knows that Jesus is the Son of the Living God.  He will be opposed by those who do not believe this.  People, often unknowingly, see through the exterior physical and know what's in someone's heart.  When Jesus is there, people are often repelled or attracted and they may not know why unless they have Jesus in their heart also. 

Paul Marches To Jerusalem - Acts 21

21 After we had torn ourselves away from them, we put out to sea and sailed straight to Kos. The next day we went to Rhodes and from there to Patara. ² We found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, went on board and set sail. ³ After sighting Cyprus and passing to the south of it, we sailed on to Syria. We landed at Tyre, where our ship was to unload its cargo. ⁴ We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them seven days. Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. ⁵ When it was time to leave, we left and continued on our way. All of them, including wives and children, accompanied us out of the city, and there on the beach we knelt to pray. ⁶ After saying goodbye to each other, we went aboard the ship, and they returned home.

They had to push themselves away from the Ephesians.  It was a difficult goodbye.

How can the disciples in Tyre urge Paul not to go to Jerusalem “through the Spirit”?  Yet, isn’t Paul going to Jerusalem by following the Spirit?  I think there is some question here as to whether Paul is indeed following the Spirit or if the Spirit is with Paul wherever he goes. 

They have another beautiful goodbye as all of them and their families come to the beach to see him off and kneel and pray together.

⁷ We continued our voyage from Tyre and landed at Ptolemais, where we greeted the brothers and sisters and stayed with them for a day. ⁸ Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. ⁹ He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.

¹⁰ After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ Coming over to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘In this way the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.’”

¹² When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, “The Lord’s will be done.”

Paul has had three missionary journeys and they have taken at near to a decade.  This is sort of like a victory tour or march for them as they return home.

Philip, one of the Seven, is one of the ones chosen in the first church to feed the poor (Acts 6:5).  His daughters have the gift of prophesy.  Since there was no New Testament, this is an important gift to the early disciples.

The Corinthians, Ephesians, those at Tyre, these at Caesarea, and the accompanying disciples with Paul, one being Luke, all are urging Paul not to go.  This prophet tells what the Holy Spirit has shown him.  Paul already knows this and has stated it back in chapter 20.  He knows what awaits him.

This is an extraordinary event.  Is Paul so tied to the Spirit that he knows what he must do?  And is everyone else so tied to the Spirit that they are being shown what is to happen, but they personally do not want anything to happen to Paul?  Or is the Spirit showing them he shouldn’t go?  The Spirit is not confusion.  The Bible tells us that the evil one is the author of confusion.  The Spirit would have them all in agreement.  Yet, this story seems to lead us to wonder if they all agreed.  In the end they all accepted that Paul could not be dissuaded from going to Jerusalem.  It is obvious that they loved Paul dearly.

There is debate among theologians on this topic.  Some believe Paul was following the Spirit, others believe Paul was outside the Spirit.  I personally find it hard to believe that a guy who is so consumed with teaching that he teaches all night long up until there is no more time to teach and who is able to raise a boy from the dead is outside of the Spirit of God. 

Another point that might be made is that In Acts 9:15-16, Ananias is told by God that Paul is His chosen vessel to bear His name to the Gentiles and to kings.  So far, Paul hasn’t witnessed to kings. 

Paul Leaves Ephesus - Acts 20

³⁶ When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷ They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. ³⁸ What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

These elders and the church are heart-broken now having heard from the father of their church that they will never see him again.  Paul was such a force of God walking so diligently and purposefully in the Spirit that it would be very difficult to realize he would not return.  Often the knowledge that he might return keeps a group together and faithful, but learning that he wouldn’t return means other leaders have to take over.  Who could replace Paul?  This would be a difficult transition time for the church and it seems that Paul knew it.

Paul’s farewell speech is a beautiful message and it is obvious that he deeply cared for the Ephesian church.  Paul is incredibly sincere and I imagine somewhat heart-broken himself at having to tell them he was leaving and wouldn’t return.  You don’t just live and work alongside people for three years in the intimate settings of Christian ministry without being strongly connected with them. 

This current time in church history is significant.  Many churches today are experiencing the foundational members of the church dying.  The hand-off to the next generation isn’t happening very smoothly as had happened between the previous generation hand-off.  What these elders hold most dear and value greatly, mostly traditional by description, aren’t held in high regard by the new generation.  Like the Ephesian church which would hope to cling to all they had been taught by Paul, I hope the new generation will hold onto the steadfast faiths of the previous generation regardless of the style of worship.

Paul says Goodbye to Ephesus - Acts 20

¹³ We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴ When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵ The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. ¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

Luke describes their daily travels and remarks that Paul is hurrying the trip in order to make it back to Jerusalem.  However, Paul purposely does not travel by Ephesus without saying goodbye.  His greatest success as a missionary has been in Ephesus.

¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. ²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

Paul’s farewell to the Ephesians starts with the important things first.  1) He came as a humble servant and preached to them with great compassion for them.  He didn’t hold anything back even when he was being persecuted.  He preached the good news of the gospel to everyone.  He gave them the full Word of God. 

²² “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

2)  He is following the Holy Spirit and he has been shown that severe hardships are waiting for him.  In an earlier trip, God had provided a roadblock that kept Paul from traveling in a certain direction.  That is not the case here.  God has shown him what will happen and it is severe.  Yet Paul faithfully follows.  Even so, his life means nothing to him, he will gladly give it up for the purpose of Jesus.  His purpose from God is this: “Testify to the good news of God’s grace.”  Hardships or no hardships, at home or abroad, to brethren Jews or Gentiles, his task is to testify salvation through Jesus and he intends to finish.

²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

3)  He has foreseen that he will not be in Ephesus again.  God is leading him to another place.

4)  He is “innocent of their blood”.  He is not responsible for any of them not knowing or not receiving salvation.  He has poured himself out with great compassion and effort always preaching and teaching at every opportunity for their benefit.  They are now responsible for their walk with God. 

²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

5)  Paul is speaking to the elders or most learned disciples in the church.  As such, they are to be as shepherds to the rest of the church and guide them to God and His will which they have been taught.  They are to be ready because there are those immediately ready to tear apart the body of believers.

³² “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

6)  Paul leaves them with God’s Word as their inheritance and he dedicates them to God.  He doesn’t leaven them money or things of the world, but the things of God which can encourage them and heal them.

7)  He did not receive from them earthly goods for his preaching services.  He provided as a laborer for his daily living while preaching and teaching as an example of how to help the weak. 

A Boy is Raised from the Dead & EQ - Acts 20

⁷ On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

The church that follows Jesus meets on the first day of the week.  Why?  Shouldn’t this be on the Sabbath, the seventh day of the week?  It is because that is the day that Jesus rose from the dead.  The church has moved from the Jewish tradition of meeting on the Sabbath like the Jews to meeting on the first day in recognition of being aligned with Jesus the Savior.  The old creation was seventh day was important, but under the new creation, the first day is important.   On the Sabbath day, Jesus was dead, but on the first day He was alive!  The church meets on the first day because they are joined with Christ.

However, it must be noted that nowhere in Scripture is a particular day of worship required.  In fact, I believe Scripture leads us to be intent to worship every day.

Paul speaks until midnight.  How many complaints do you think he got from those attending?  Paul, knowing he wouldn’t return, is probably much like a parent trying to put every bit of wisdom and instruction possible into their minds that he can for their protection and well-being.

 ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Here is a good lesson on why we should not fall asleep in church.  Paul is speaking “on and on” and a young man falls out of the window to the ground.  God raises him from the dead through Paul.  Just as Peter had raised Dorcas, Paul raises Eutychus from the dead.  Then Paul goes back up and preaches until daylight.  He speaks up until the time that he must leave.  How does someone teach half the night, raise someone from the dead, then continue to teach until daybreak. 

In many of today’s churches, we’re amazed if someone raises their hands or shows any kind of emotional response within the hour of assigned worship time.  Holy hellfire if the preacher preaches 5 minutes too long.  What a stark change from this first church. The rising trend today is EQ – Emotional Intelligence.  I think the churches could learn a lot by increasing their EQ to visibly show their love for preaching and teaching.