Acts: Part 6 - Ch. 19-21

The Third Journey

As we approach chapter 19 in the book of Acts, we now come to Paul’s third missionary journey. If you have been following along with us through this series, you know that Paul has already gone through his first and second journeys where he has done great work to spread the gospel with fellow disciples like Barnabas, Timothy, and Priscilla & Aquila who we learned about at the end of chapter 18. All of this sets us up for the third journey which perfectly takes place in the chapters we are about to cover today. Through these journeys, Paul doesn’t just preach the gospel to the lost, but he is verified by the miracles he is able to perform and also through the suffering that he endures that God promised he would go through. Just as Got Questions states, “The purpose of all of Paul’s missionary journeys was the same: proclaiming God’s grace in forgiving sin through Christ. God used Paul’s ministry to bring the gospel to the Gentiles and establish the church. Although Paul’s missionary journeys caused him to sacrifice everything, they were worth the cost.” I couldn’t agree more with this statement, and if you’re a fellow believer, I can imagine you can’t either. Seeing the work that Paul was able to do in order to not just reach the lost, but build our Bibles as we know it, shows that Paul’s work for the gospel was absolutely necessary. God’s purpose for Paul going on these journeys wasn’t just for the people that he reached at the time, but it’s also a beautiful picture for Christians today. A picture that shows us the sacrifice of following Christ but also the amazing reward of being able to witness many who are lost come to saving faith in Christ. With this in mind, let’s dive in.

Paul In Ephesus

During his third journey, Paul spends some time in Ephesus preaching the gospel. In fact, all of chapter 19 is about Paul’s time here. One of the biggest things Paul does in this chapter is set the record straight about baptism. Acts 19:2-5 says “He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” And they said to him, “On the contrary, we have not even heard if there is a Holy Spirit.” And he said, “Into what then were you baptized?” And they said, “Into John’s baptism.” Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” There are two major aspects here that Paul clears up. First, if you are followers of Christ, you must have the Holy Spirit, and second, the only name that matters in baptism is the name of Jesus. It does not matter who you are baptized by but rather what name you are baptized in. This gospel that Paul is preaching and the truths that he is exclaiming are not just being heard, but they are being confirmed by God Himself as many healings and miracles are taking place wherever Paul goes. Chapter 19 ends with unfortunate riots taking place in Ephesus because of the attack on idolatry that takes place because of the gospel that Paul is preaching. With Christ being the one true God, this meant that all the idols that Ephesus had and worshiped were now worthless, and this made people very angry. The crowd eventually calms down by the end of chapter 19 and Paul decides it’s time to head out.

Miracles & Suffering

In chapter 20, Paul sets sail for Macedonia, Greece, and Toras where he spends little time preaching and teaching the gospel, in one of these cases, however, Paul was preaching in Troas when a man named Eutychus died from a fall. Acts 20:8-11 tells us “There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered together. And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting on the window sill, sinking into a deep sleep; and as Paul kept on talking, Eutychus was overcome by sleep and fell down from the third floor, and was picked up dead. But Paul went down and fell upon him, and after embracing him, he said, “Do not be troubled, for he is still alive.” When Paul had gone back up and had broken the bread and eaten, he talked with them a long while until daybreak, and then left.” Just like we said at the beginning, God doesn’t just use Paul to preach the gospel, He confirms his message through miracles such as this one. It’s difficult to question Paul’s authority and message when they are backed by signs as great as this. Beyond this, Paul gives his farewell to the Ephesian elders as he is about to set sail for Jerusalem. In this farewell, Paul again doubles down on his message of the gospel and tells the people that Christ is the only true way to salvation and that they must protect themselves from the idolatry and false teachings that surround them. With that, Paul sets sail to Jerusalem as we open chapter 21.

Paul visits many places along the way to Jerusalem but one that is important to note is the house of Philip. While Paul was staying at Philip’s house, a prophet named Agabus came down and told Paul that he was going to be captured and turned over to the Gentiles while he was in Jerusalem. Paul’s friends at this point obviously begged him not to go, but look at Paul’s response. Acts 21:13-14 “Then Paul replied, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” And since he would not be persuaded, we became quiet, remarking, “The will of the Lord be done!” What a beautiful yet humble response. As Christ-followers, the fear we have for our lives should not rival the fear we have of the Lord. We should have the utmost respect and love for Christ, even beyond our own lives, and Paul shows us this exact type of character. Regardless of what the cost may be to spread the gospel, the price that the lost will pay if they never hear the good news is much greater. It is far greater to suffer here on earth for a little while than to suffer for eternity in hell, separated from God forever. Paul understood this greatly, which is why even the threat of death would not stop him from his journey. After this, Paul goes to Jerusalem where he is indeed arrested and put before the judges where he presents his case. But this case that Paul lays out in chapter 22 is all about. For now, I hope we can see through these 3 short, yet powerful chapters, that preaching the gospel will indeed bring suffering from this world to us, but it is beyond worth it. With the Holy Spirit as our guide, I hope and pray that we will evangelize to whoever God calls us to witness to bring the lost to Christ. May God give us this same boldness that He gave Paul to do just that.