The Book of Acts | God’s Revelation of Transition

Session 66 Acts 20:33-21:14

Acts 20:17-38 | The Third Missionary Journey: Farewell to the Ephesians

• Verses 17-25 – see session 64
• Verses 26-32 – see session 65
• Verses 33-34 –
  • In closing words, Paul reminds the Ephesians that he was self-sufficient.
  • This is one of many examples to illustrate the truth that you should not make an historical example to be a doctrine. Paul teaches that Bible teachers should be paid (Gal. 6:4, 1 Cor. 9:14, etc.).
  • The support of a local pastor or Bible teacher is circumstantially determined.
• Verse 35 –
  • Paul’s teaching style was to convince and persuade_but also to display_.
    • He has instructed us to be followers of me, even as I alsoamof Christ (1 Cor. 11:1).
    • It is important that believers today use Paul’s teachings and examples, because they contain the full revelation, whereas the four Gospels do not have the rest of the story(see Col. 1:25).
  • Verse 35, in fact, gives testimony to the fact that we cannot sufficiently be a “Christ follower” without being a “Paul follower.”The words of Christ, It is more blessed to give than to receive, are only included here. Without Paul, we would not even know that Christ spoke these words.
• Verses 36-38 –
  • Clearly Paul loved the Ephesians, and also knew that he was entering into danger as he approached Jerusalem.
  • For what would he be charged in Jerusalem? Was it for sharing a non-Jewish Gospel? Absolutely not. The Jews did not care if the Gentiles had a correct or an incorrect Gospel. He would be imprisoned for the Kingdom Gospel, as all the evidence of the book of Acts will bear. The Kingdom Gospel was an indictment on Israel, a “bad news” Gospel, and thus the Jewish authorities would take it very seriously.
  • Paul would be in prison and would have some freedom or release later, and desired to go see Timothy in Ephesus (1 Tim. 3:14-15), but there is no indication the trip ever happened.

Acts 21:1-14 | The Journey to Caesarea

• Verses 1-3 –
  • These verses simply give information for the historical record.
• Verses 4-5 –
  • The disciples warned Paul (and companions) through the Spirit not to go up to Jerusalem. They knew the danger of such a journey. These disciples are likely Jewish believers, but both Jews and Gentiles who loved Paul would see the same danger.
  • Is this the Holy Spirit? Is Paul disobedient to the Holy Spirit?
    • In verse 11 there is a similar but not the same counsel, and it is clearly the Holy Ghost. This does not require that this instance also be the Holy Ghost. The two events are in the same chapter but in different towns. and events.
    • The Greek phrase δια του πνευματος [dia tou pneumatos], translated through the Spirit is used in Acts 11:28, where the KJV chooses a lower-case “spirit.” The phrase is used three other times in addition to Acts 21:4, but in each of those three the Spirit is further defined as being God’s Spirit.
    • If this is the Holy Spirit, then Paul is disobedient to the Spirit and (one might argue) even dismissive of God’s direction.
    • However, the word δια [dia] can be understood as “thoroughly.” The phrase could be literally translated “thoroughly of the spirit/Spirit” and be taken to mean that the disciples in Tyre were “thoroughly spiritual, not in one way having the wrong intent.”
  • Clearly those in Tyre were worried about Paul, and clearly Paul chose to ignore their worries. Because Paul is an apostle, he is surely not disobedient to a clear call from the Holy Ghost.
    • This incident, if I have interpreted it correctly, serves to remind us that we have to be very careful even of our spiritual intent and “thorough spirituality.”
    • In the end, Paul does what he, in his own conscience, desires to do.
• Verses 6-8 –
  • These three verses are also for the historical record. By the use of the pronoun we it appears that Luke is traveling with Paul.
  • The group stays with Philip the evangelist (from Acts 6, the selection of the seven who are often called the first Deacons).
  • This is the same Philip who met the Ethiopian eunuch on the road to Gaza.
• Verse 9 -
  • This is likely about 60AD, and before the times in which prophecy had ceased (1 Cor. 13:8). There were, in that day, Jewish prophets, even female.
• Verses 10-11 –
  • The message of this certain prophet, named Agabus (presumably the same Agabus of Acts 11:28) is different than that of the disciples of Tyre. In Tyre they told him that he should not go up to Jerusalem(v. 4). Here the message is that Paul would be arrested and handed into the hands of the Gentiles. This prophecy could obviously not be true if Paul was not going to Jerusalem.
  • It is interesting that we are never told whether God’s will was for Paul to go to Jerusalem or not. Why? Likely because Paul is the type of this current dispensation, in which believers are free to decide their course of action. Paul has heard the warnings, and chooses to step forward, nonetheless.
• Verses 12-14 –
  • In spite of the begging, Paul insists on going, showing a total willingness to die, if necessary.
  • Later, he is commended by the Lord (Acts 23:11).