Written ~ 06-28-2024
Read Acts Chapter Twenty
Acts 20
In Acts chapter 19 we read about a huge riot that overtook the entire city of Ephesus. Paul wanted to go into the amphitheater where the protesting was taking place, but the believers with him would not let him risk his life like that and begged him not to go in the amphitheater (Acts 19:31). So now in chapter 20, the protesting and rioting was over, Paul gave some encouraging words to the believers and left for Macedonia (Acts 20:1).
Paul had several other men traveling with him as he went back to Macedonia, then off to Greece for a while. When they reached Troas we find Paul, his companions and the local believers getting together to share the Lord’s Supper.
Acts 20:7-12…
7“On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below. 10Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” 11Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. 12Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.”
Now… When I read these few verses, I couldn’t help but relate to Eutychus a little bit! Have you ever been somewhere, maybe even a church service where you are listening to someone speak, the room is getting stuffy, the hour is getting later and later, you strain to hear the speaker’s voice, your eyes are getting heavy and you’re having difficulty staying awake? I must confess I have had that experience and it’s a bummer to find yourself falling asleep when you really want to pay attention. Now obviously I have never fallen out of a window to my death, but what a wonderful display of God’s glory in this story! Paul bends over the young man and when he took him in his arms he is brought back to life. To see this story from a different angle, what if we looked at it this way… When you have an eager heart, and the Word of the Lord has reached attentive ears and your eyes are opened to the truth, when the decision has been made to follow Jesus, you must die to self and become alive in Christ. I’m sure there was great rejoicing when this young man was saved, the believers in that upstairs room were greatly relieved and were able share in the Lord’s Supper with praise on their lips and in their hearts. Same thing happens when anyone comes to Christ and becomes a new creation through the Holy Spirit.
Moving on…
Acts 20:16-17…
16Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost. 17But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.”
It wasn’t because Paul did not want to go back through Ephesus, he had spent quite a lot of time there, but he was intent on being in Jerusalem for the Festival of Pentecost. And that’s why we see here in verse 20:17 that he sent messengers to request the elders of the church at Ephesus to come to him in Miletus. Miletus was about 48 miles from Ephesus, so by the time the messengers came back with the elders, it could have been 4-5 days before they arrived.
There isn’t mention to what Paul was doing while he waited for the Ephesus church elders, but I would imagine he was in prayer, he had a lot to share with these men, not all of it good news. Paul was sensitive to the Holy Spirit and was cognizant of the suffering he would be faced with when returning to Jerusalem.
In verses 20:18-38 Paul told the elders what his ministry goal was all about. He told them of the suffering he would need to endure. He told also them that he would never back down no matter what came his way.
Acts 20:18-24…
18When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now 19I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. 20I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. 21I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
22“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, 23except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. 24But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
Here we have some very powerful points of how Paul has lived his transformed life. When Christ enters in, everything else fades away and all you can think about is how to serve and honor the Lord. Paul is an outstanding example of just that… Let’s look more closely at the things he mentioned in these few verses. These are things that we should, as believers, be doing in our own walk with the Lord.
- Do the work of the Lord humbly
- What grieves the heart of the Lord, should grieve our hearts as well (humbly and with many tears)
- Endure the trials that come from serving the Lord
- Never shrink back to telling everyone what they need to hear
- Our one message should be the necessity of repenting from sin, turning to God and having faith in the Lord Jesus
- Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit – when He speaks, we listen
- We must never be “finished” with the work the Lord has assigned to us
- Tell others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God
This world is filled with selfishness, sinful decisions and the insatiable desire to fulfill every fleshly whim. The world is full of anger, hatred, protest, pride, arrogance and the pursuit to do whatever the heart desires. It says in Proverbs 4:23… “Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.” If we are not applying the things Paul is pointing out to us in Acts 20:18-24 to our own lives, then our hearts can and will lead us astray. Look also at what it says in Jeremiah 17:9-10… “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who knows how bad it is? But I, the Lord, search all hearts and examine secret motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve.”
The next several verses Paul gives the elders some bad news and also a warning, it would be wise for us to listen to the warning as well…
Acts 20:25-31…
25“And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, 27for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
28“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. 29I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. 30Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. 31Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.
Because Paul knew he was facing jail and suffering, for him to tell his dear friends they would not see each other again the Holy Spirit must have given him the premonition he would not be able to go back to Ephesus. Could it have been because death would separate them or was imprisonment the reason? I don’t think Paul knew that answer for sure.
Paul was clear however, that if the message of Salvation did not reach the hearts of the people and they died in their sin, that it would not be his fault. Paul did all he could to preach the message of Jesus Christ and the redemptive power of His saving grace. Paul was not shy about getting to the heart of the matter at hand. Anyone who has not put their trust in the Lord, must repent and turn to God or else be subject to an eternity of damnation and hell.
It’s quite evident the love Paul had for the church at Ephesus, I’m sure that’s why he gives the elders the fierce warning about false teachers who would try to infiltrate the church. It’s the same way we should love our brothers and sisters in Christ. We want their growth in the Lord to be steady and firm in the truth of Scriptures, we want their hearts to be on guard against the trickery of the evil one whose only desire is to divert their eyes and taint their hearts. But even besides that our hearts should be heavy for the Salvation of the unsaved, especially for those closest to us. Paul said, “…my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you…” What that means to me is that he prayed, he cried out to the Lord that their eyes and ears would be opened. He saw the hearts that were being deceived and it made his heart cry out that much more. Anguish filled prayers should be our posture when we pray for the unsaved. Paul said he was at a state of constant watch… it means he was the one who guarded against the enemy’s attack, he’s the one who wielded the power of the Holy Spirit against the “vicious wolves” who tried to distort the truth and turn the minds of the people back to their evil ways. He was worried if they did not guard themselves, that they could be deceived.
But Paul doesn’t leave them in a place of fear… no, he makes a statement that brings them hope and turns their attention back on the Lord. As we should do when we are giving tough news to hear.
Acts 20:32…
32 “And now I entrust you to God and the message of His grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those He has set apart for Himself.”
These elders knew the Good News of Jesus Christ, so Paul was charging them with this knowledge as their tool, their weapon against evil. This also gave them hope, God was with them and the grace of God would continue to build them up. It’s important for us not to lose sight of that very thing. We may go through some very difficult seasons, but God is with us and we look forward to the inheritance we have awaiting us in Heaven.
Paul’s last few words to the elders wasn’t to show them he was better than them, or better qualified to spread the Gospel message, no, he was giving them a hint to what the attitude for a Christian should be, to be humble, to not covet the things of this world and to work hard.
Acts 20:33-35…
33“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. 34You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. 35And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
These reminders from Paul are important for us to heed as well as the elders from the church at Ephesus. We live in a world whose entire purpose seems to be to achieve success through money and possessions by whatever means necessary. But that’s not the way Paul says the Lord wants it to be in the life of the believer. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” You might be thinking you have nothing to give. But if you have the Lord residing in you, you have the very best, most beneficial gift to share.
Acts 20:36-38…
36“When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. 37They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. 38They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship.”
What a heartfelt moment. I think we can all relate to tearful good-byes when we embrace loved ones who we aren’t sure when or if we’ll see again. But when we are unified with Christ we at least have the assurance that we will see each other again in Heaven. Praying for one another to remain strong in faith and trust in the Lord is the greatest gift we can give one another.
As what Paul said, also comes from my own heart to all those reading this… “my constant watch and care is over you, and my many tears flow for you…”
God Bless you dear ones…
~AMEN~