[Linux4christians] Wednesday - Acts 20

Tue Nov 1 22:26:32 EDT 2011

    Wednesday

      Acts 20

Paul Travels Through Macedonia and Greece

20:1 After the disturbance had ended, Paul sent for the disciples, and 
after encouraging them and saying farewell, he left to go to Macedonia. 
20:2 After he had gone through those regions and spoken many words of 
encouragement to the believers there, he came to Greece, 20:3 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. 20:4 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. 
20:5 These had gone on ahead and were waiting for us in Troas. 20:6 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. 20:7 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. 20:8 (Now there were 
many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.) 20:9 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. 20:10 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!" 20:11 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. 20:12 They took the boy 
home alive and were greatly comforted.

The Voyage to Miletus

20:13 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. 20:14 When he met us in 
Assos, we took him aboard and went to Mitylene. 20:15 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. 20:16 
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. 20:17 From Miletus he sent a message 
to Ephesus, telling the elders of the church to come to him.

20:18 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, 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility and with 
tears, and with the trials that happened to me because of the plots of 
the Jews. 20:20 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, 20:21 testifying to both Jews and Greeks about 
repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. 20:22 And now, 
compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem without knowing what 
will happen to me there, 20:23 except that the Holy Spirit warns me in 
town after town that imprisonment and persecutions are waiting for me. 
20:24 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.

20:25 "And now I know that none of you among whom I went around 
proclaiming the kingdom will see me again. 20:26 Therefore I declare to 
you today that I am innocent of the blood of you all. 20:27 For I did 
not hold back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God. 20:28 
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. 20:29 I know that after I am gone fierce 
wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 20:30 Even from 
among your own group men will arise, teaching perversions of the truth 
to draw the disciples away after them. 20:31 Therefore be alert, 
remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning 
each one of you with tears. 20:32 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. 20:33 I have 
desired no one's silver or gold or clothing. 20:34 You yourselves know 
that these hands of mine provided for my needs and the needs of those 
who were with me. 20:35 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.'"

20:36 When he had said these things, he knelt down with them all and 
prayed. 20:37 They all began to weep loudly, and hugged Paul and kissed 
him, 20:38 especially saddened by what he had said, that they were not 
going to see him again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

      Prayer

Lord, You caused the apostle Paul to evangelize and disciple, then he 
transferred leadership and instructed them all to persevere and to watch 
out for deceivers. May I also be a useful instrument but then not tarry 
when my service is complete and I need to be elsewhere.

      Summary & Commentary

Paul traveled through Macedonia and Greece with several disciples, 
including the author of Acts, Luke. On his last day in Troas he spoke 
until midnight and a young man fell asleep on the 3rd story ledge and 
fell to the ground. Paul threw himself upon him, a conduit for the 
healing power of the Holy Spirit, and the boys life was restored.

Paul set out on a voyage to Miletus, bypassing Ephesus, but asking them 
to instead meet him there. He reviewed his ministry with them, shared 
his understanding from the Holy Spirit that he would not live to return 
to Ephesus, and warned them to beware false teachers.

Paul informed them that he was going on to Jerusalem, knowing that there 
waited the most fierce and violent opposition to the Word of God about 
Christ.

      Interaction

        Consider

The key points of emphasis in Paul's parting words to the "elders of the 
church" from Ephesus:

I served you with humility

I declared Christ despite the threats of the religious leaders

I worked with my hands to support myself and those with me

I earnestly discipled you and now expect you to do the same for others

Just as Jesus had Judas you have weak men among you who will betray you

The "elders" are to care for and feed the flock, as Jesus instructed the 
Apostle Peter

Discuss

To what message from the Lord God to an Old Testament prophet was Paul 
referring when he said in Acts 20:26-27 "Therefore I declare to you 
today that I am innocent of the blood of you all. For I did not hold 
back from announcing to you the whole purpose of God."

Reflect

Paul warned them to be watchful because deceivers would come.

Share

When have you experienced or observed a deceiver come into a fellowship?

      Faith in Action

Prayer:

Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you a ministry you may need to hand-off 
to someone else, a threat to ministry from bad teaching or other 
deception, and/or and opportunity to be His instrument of emotional, 
intellectual, physical, and/or spiritual healing.

        Action:

Today I will step out of my comfort zone of ministry in faith that He is 
in control.

        Be Specific ______________________________________________________

    Thursday's text will be:

      Acts 21

-- 

Draw nearer to the Lord and He will bless you,
Have an http://Ultrafidian.com Day!
David M. Colburn, DMin. MaCo
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Savannah-Statesboro needs a Bible College/Seminary!
Personal Site: http://bibleseven.com
Bible Resources: http://bible.org
Teacher's Verse: John 7:16
I don't google I SEARCH! Yippy.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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