Acts Acts

Paul's Final Journey Toward Jerusalem

Discover Jesus as: Authority Acts 20 Read on Bible Gateway (HCSB)

Day 356 of 730
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INTRO

The one word for the book of Acts is Authority. Acts 20 continues to look at Paul walking out his call on his third missionary journey under the authority given by Jesus Christ. Wiersbe describes chapter 20 as Paul’s farewell journey.1Yesterday, in Acts 19, Paul was in Ephesus and had been there three years. At the end of Acts 19, a riot took place. It’s at that point Acts 20 picks up.

TEACHING

Acts 20:1–6: After the riot was over, Paul sent for the disciples in Ephesus and said goodbye before heading north to Macedonia (v. 1). Paul went through the places he visited on his second missionary journey before moving into Greece, where he stayed three months (v. 2). He planned to sail from Greece to Syria, but when he found out about a plot the Jews had planned against him, he went back through Macedonia (v. 3). There was also opposition from Paul’s fellow countrymen (2 Corinthians 11:26; Acts 18:12) and sidestepping this plot did not mean Paul would not face difficulties. Co-laborers accompanied Paul from the towns of Macedonia and Asia (v. 4). These co-laborers went ahead of Paul and Luke and waited for them in Troas (v. 5). Paul and Luke left Philippi after the Passover and reached Troas in five days (instead of the two days it took to sail to Philippi the last time). They spent seven days in Troas before moving on (v. 6).

Acts 20:7–12: On the first day of the week (Sunday), Paul and his companions assembled to break bread together and hear Paul speak. Paul continued to speak until midnight since he was leaving the next day (v. 7). The Jews had kept the Sabbath (from dusk on Friday night to dusk on Saturday) as part of the Mosaic Law (Exodus 31:16–17; Nehemiah 9:14; Ezekiel 20:12). The agreement made in the Jerusalem Council did not require Christians to observe the Saturday Sabbath since they were under the New Covenant, and Paul never taught those he led to Christ to keep the Sabbath either.2There is no command in the New Testament about when the church should worship (Romans 14:5; Galatians 4:10–11; Colossians 2:16–17).

A young man was sitting in a window listening and fell asleep, possibly because of the fumes from the oil-burning lamps. Eutychus, the young man, fell out of the third-story window and was found dead on the ground (vv. 8–9). Paul went down and embraced Eutychus’s body and said the boy was still alive (v. 10). Paul went back upstairs, ate, continued teaching until dawn, and then left (v. 11). The boy was taken home alive (v. 12). Jesus gave His disciples the command to heal the sick and raise the dead (Matt 10:8).

Acts 20:13–16: Some of Paul’s group sailed ahead to Assos to meet Paul, while Paul traveled by land (v. 13). Then Paul sailed with them from Assos to Mitylene, then to Chios, then to Samos, and the next day to Miletus (vv. 14–15). It feels as though the journey had begun to pick up speed. Paul even decided to bypass Ephesus and Asia because he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem before Pentecost (v. 16).

Acts 20:17–38: While in Miletus, Paul asked the elders in Ephesus to come to him (v. 17). When they arrived, Paul reminded them of the time he had spent with them and the ministry of evangelism he had shared with them (vv. 18–21). Paul then told them about what he anticipated would happen in Jerusalem—that the Holy Spirit had told him chains and afflictions waited for him (vv. 22–23). Paul took this as confirmation of what he had been called to do in testifying to the gospel of Christ (v. 24) (Matthew 10:38; 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:24.) Paul told the leaders he would never see them again but that he would remain obedient to God’s call on his life (vv. 25–26). Paul described his obedience to “the whole plan of God” (v. 27). MacArthur explains this whole plan as the fullness of salvation, which includes: “divine truths of creation, election, redemption, justification, adoption, conversion, sanctification, holy living, and glorification.”3Since Paul knew he was moving toward his own death, he warned the elders to be on guard for themselves. He warned the church to guard against false teachers within the church and against opposition from without (vv. 28–31). Paul committed them to God and reminded them he had asked nothing for support from them (vv. 34–35). Paul then prayed for them, and they embraced Paul, all weeping at this final departure (vv. 36–38).

CLOSING

Paul was mission minded, but he also loved the people he ministered to.

  1. Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary (Colorado Springs, Co: David C. Cook, 1989), p. 483.

  2. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2005), pp. 1477–1478..

  3. JMacArthur, p. 1479.

Questions

  1. Why did Paul take people with him when he traveled to different cities? Would you consider Paul the first missionary?
  2. Why was it important for Paul to be back in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost? (Exodus 23:14–17)
  3. Does your life mirror Paul’s in any way? What lessons can we learn from Paul’s obedience to God?
  4. In Acts 20:20–23, Paul said he didn’t withhold anything that was profitable in his teachings to both the Greeks and Jews, knowing that afflictions awaited him in every city. Do you continue to share the truth about Jesus, knowing you may suffer trials, afflictions, and persecution for your faith? Why or why not?
  5. What did Paul mean in Acts 20:26 when he said, “Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of everyone’s blood”? (Ezekiel 3:20–21)
  6. What did the Holy Spirit highlight to you in Acts 20 through the reading or the teaching?

Next: the Daily Word →

Daily Word

Laura Martin Acts 20:31–32

“Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears. And now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.”

After spending three years in Ephesus, Paul sensed the Lord had a new season awaiting him back in Jerusalem, possibly one of chains and afflictions. However, before leaving, he imparted a word of encouragement, truth to both Jews and Greeks, and a warning to stand firm as believers in Jesus. His heart ached to say goodbye to these believers he loved. Even so, he chose to entrust them to the Lord and moved on to a new season of ministry.

Have you ever had to leave people you love and thought, What do I say to these people to whom I feel so connected and who desire to stay strong in the Lord? Maybe you moved away, departed from the mission field, or even sent your child off to college. Paul gave a good example of how to leave loved ones by imparting last minute words of wisdom, love, and grace. First, remind them about the love of Jesus and His message of grace, which is able to build up and give hope. Second, remind them to be on guard because the enemy prowls around seeking to destroy their faith and bring discouragement. Last, remind them to stay alert. As you leave, you must ultimately trust the Holy Spirit to carry them. It’s not easy to say goodbye, but when God calls you into a new season, know He will be faithful.

“Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears. And now I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.”

— Acts 20:31–32

FURTHER SCRIPTURE

  • 1 Corinthians 16:13 — “Be alert, stand firm in the faith, act like a man, be strong.”
  • Hebrews 10:38–39 — “But My righteous one will live by faith; and if he draws back, I have no pleasure in him. But we are not those who draw back and are destroyed, but those who have faith and obtain life.”
  • 1 Peter 5:8 — “Be serious! Be alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

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