ACTS 20:3

The Bible says about the Apostle Paul and his time in Greece on this particular trip in Acts 20:3-7, “And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secondus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. These going before tarried for us at Troas.” Once again we see the resolve and the determination of the Apostle Paul. When he was finished in Greece, he wanted to just get on a boat and head towards Syria. But evidently the unbelieving Jews had set a trap for him, and he had to change his route. Instead of taking the most direct route, he had to pass back through Macedonia. You may not be able to take the route that most people would take to get where you are going, but do not give up. Do not lose sight of the goal. Your lot in life might be to take a circuitous route: just keep heading for the goal that God has set before you. That is what Paul did.

The Bible says in Acts 20:6-7, “And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them in Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.” These verses show once again the pattern and the custom that the early Christians had come to acquire in regards to gathering together. They met on the first day of the week, and not on the Sabbath. One reason for this was probably to emphasize the fact that they were no longer under law. Sad to say that some Christians have turned their gatherings into some kind of law requirement similar to the keeping of the Sabbath. Galatians 3:10-12 says, “For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is everyone that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, the man that doeth them shall live in them.”

It is important to notice what the disciples did when they came together here in Acts chapter 20. Two things are mentioned. They came together to break bread, and Paul came and preached to them. If you have Christian fellowship and the preaching of the Word of God, then you have the most important things needed when Christians gather together. If you just go to church and sit down in a pew and then get up and leave, you have missed Christian fellowship. When it says that these Christians came together to break bread, it means that they ate together. Some of the best Christian fellowship takes place when Christians sit down for a good meal together. A church ought to be a place where people can eat and talk and fellowship. Everyone takes time to eat, so everyone has time for this; and no Christian in the community would ever go hungry if this kind of thing were done more consistently.

Such meals would provide food for the body, but to be a complete person you need food for the soul also. That is where the right kind of Bible preaching comes in. Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every Word of God.” Jesus said to Peter, “If you love me, feed my sheep.” God’s sheep are fed when someone preaches to them the Word of God. That is why Paul told Timothy to “preach the Word.” The Word of God is alive and powerful. Paul preached the Word in the city of Troas until midnight according to Acts 20V7. This was Paul’s third missionary journey. Perhaps Paul had a lot to say because he knew that he would never pass this way again, and he wanted to use every minute to teach all that he could to these believers. If you want to do something for someone that is really meaningful and really important and that will last them throughout their lives, then teach them some good teaching from the Word.

The Bible says in Acts 20:8-12, “And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep; and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted.” Initially this was a terrible disaster for the parents and friends of this young man. The sudden death of anyone can be a great shock, especially that of a young person. To see anyone die right before your eyes would be a terrible thing in any circumstances. But perhaps to show the power of the gospel of Christ and to show its ultimate and its greatest value to the human race, this young man was raised from the dead. That which at first appeared to be a disaster, in the end was simply a means by which God was glorified. If you follow the Lord, the same will be the final result of sorrows that come into your life. God will take your defeats and turn them into victories. He will take your sorrows and turn them into joy. The daylight always follows the night. If you trust Jesus as Savior, life forevermore will follow death.

Paul was continuing his journey back toward Jerusalem, and the Bible says in Acts 20:13-17, “And we went before to ship and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul; for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next dau we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogylium; and the next day we came to Miletus. For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. And from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.” Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem. There was a time when Jesus was determined to also go to Jerusalem. Nothing could stop Jesus from going there. Jesus went there to die. Strange is it not: that Jerusalem has now for two thousand years become a city of violence and death. It should be the city of the most high God, the righteous city. It should be a city where those who are servants of God will be welcome. It should be a city of peace, but in reality it is a city of war. The last great war of humanity, the battle of Armageddon, will be fought over Jerusalem. It will be an easy win for King Jesus.

Jesus said that one of the signs of the end-times would be a significant unholy event that would take place in Jerusalem. Jesus said in Matthew 24:15-16, “When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand.) Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.” The final dispute between the Jews and the Moslems will probably take place over Jerusalem. They might come to an agreement about other things, but they will never agree on the future of Jerusalem. No matter: God has that planned very well.

Paul was determined to go to Jerusalem and to be there in time for Pentecost. Once he had a goal, he organized his life to accomplish that goal. He did not get side-tracked. It is no wonder that God chose this kind of a person to be the great missionary, evangelist, teacher, and example to us all on how to follow Jesus Christ in this world. Paul wanted to see the pastors and deacons from Ephesus, but instead of risking missing his goal by taking a detour to Ephesus, Paul asked them to meet him in the town of Miletus. What resulted was some tremendous spiritual advice that Paul gave to the leaders of the believers in Ephesus that we will read in the rest of Acts chapter 20.

In Acts 20:18-21 Paul reminds the Ephesians of several important things about his work when he was with them. Paul reminds them of exactly what he was doing, how he did it, and what the results were of doing so. The Bible says in Acts 20:18-21, “And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you, and have taught you publicly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”

In these verses Paul reminded the Ephesians that he had done three things while he was with them. 1. He was serving the Lord. 2. He was teaching publicly and from house to house. 3. He was testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks. Paul viewed himself as a servant of the Lord. Paul was not doing what he wanted to do with his life. He was doing what God had called him and led him to do, and Paul never lost sight of the fact that what he was doing, he was doing as a servant of the Lord. Everyone serves someone or something. Some people serve themselves or serve money, but there are a few wise and blessed people who actually go about doing what they are doing knowing that they are serving the Lord.

Paul was serving the Lord, and Paul knew what God wanted him to do. God wanted Paul to teach; and so Paul taught God’s Word whenever he could. Paul taught crowds of people in public gatherings, and Paul also taught individuals within their own homes. A true teacher will teach whenever and wherever he can. You do not have to have the title of a teacher or be in control of a classroom to teach. You can be under the stars, out in a field, or walking along a road and be teaching. Jesus did that, and He was the greatest of all teachers.

Of course, to teach the Word of God the way that Paul did you must be called to teach, and you must have the gift to teach. If you want to serve the Lord the way that Paul did, make sure that you find out what your gift is and put it to use. Paul said to Timothy, “Neglect not the gift that is in thee.” We do not serve God based upon how good or accomplished or educated we are, although a good Christian education can help. Christian education can help you discover your gifts and to sharpen them; but the gift still comes from God. It says in Ephesians 4:8, “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” And then it says in Ephesians 4:11, “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers.” If you do not have the gift to teach, then you have some other gift. All gifts are important. Perhaps you have a gift that will help others to teach or help to prepare them to teach; and then you will all share in the results. Perhaps you have the gift of administration, or the gift of love. Nothing is more important than love.

Paul said that when he was in Ephesus he was teaching. He was also testifying. In verse 21 Paul said, “Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Notice to whom Paul testified. He testified to the Jews and to the Greeks, that is the gentiles. That covers everyone. You are either a Jew or a Gentile. Everyone is a sinner. Everyone needs to be saved, and everyone can be saved, if they hear the gospel of Christ and turn to Him. Paul said that when he testified, he spoke of “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” The problem with the world is the sin problem. Each person must repent of their sins or they will be lost forever. Jesus said, “Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.”

When you repent, you are turning from one thing and to another. Your old life in the world was based upon human selfishness and the depths of sin, or perhaps in some other way you were trapped by the errors and lies of the world’s system. When you turn from your sins and from the world, you turn to God through Jesus. When you trust in Jesus and put your faith in Jesus, He becomes your Savior. That is the gospel. That is the most important message in the world. Throughout eternity the damned souls in hell will wish that they had listened to that message more closely, and considered its claims more intently when they had the chance. Do not lose your chances to be a testimony. You may not be a teacher, but you can always be a testimony if you believe in Jesus.

If you do not believe with saving faith, you can repent and turn to Jesus today and start believing with saving faith.

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