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VII.     The Third Great Mission of Paul to the Gentiles: To Asia Minor and Europe, 18:23-21:16

A.       Ephesus, the Market and Religious Center of Asia Minor: Apollos; Preparing the Way,   18:23-28

1        Two great ministers of the Lord   

2        He was an eloquent man, mighty in the Scriptures

3        He was instructed in the way of the Lord

4        He was fervent in spirit

5        He taught accurately, taught what he knew

6        He spoke boldly

7        He was teachable, willing to be taught even by those of less           learning

8        He was faithful to his call

B.       Ephesus: Paul in Ephesus—Salvation and Revival, 19:1-20

1        Paul arrived in Ephesus, but missed Apollos

2        The lessons on salvation

3        The lessons on revival

C.       Ephesus: The Way of the Lord Disturbed People, 19:21-41

1        Paul’s great strategy

2        The Way disturbed the greedy, the materialists

3        The Way was falsely accused and attacked

4        The Way required great courage, but also wisdom

5        The Way was the object of mob action

6        The Way was miraculously protected by God

D.       Europe and Asia Minor, the Great Cities Revisited: 20:1-12

1        He considered the church above all

2        He served quietly, exhorting much

3        He faced constant threat courageously, but intelligently

4        He grew disciples

5        He worshipped with believers wherever he was

6        He preached long and fervently

7        He served tenderly and warmly

E.       Miletus, A Notable City in Ancient Myth: The Faithful Minister, 20:13- 27

1        Paul’s passion—His face set for Jerusalem

2        A constant, unswerving service

3        A sense of urgency in evangelism and teaching

4        A nagging compulsion: To reach the lost

5        A willingness to suffer

6        A total abandonment to Christ

7        A testimony of foreseeing his ministry in the future

8        A clear and pure heart

F.       Miletus: The Last Words to Church Leaders, 20:28-38

1        Guard yourselves and the Church

2        Feed the Church of God

3        Live for God and for God’s Word

4        Labor and give, not coveting worldly wealth

5        Conclusion: Pastor and people departed

G.      Jerusalem, the Final Miles: Warned, Yet Compelled to Preach, 21:1-  16

1.       Paul journeyed over a land rich in ancient history

2.       The pull of a Spirit-filled Church versus a sense of duty

3.       The remembrance of believers and their needs everywhere versus          a deep sense of the Spirit’s leading

4.       The fact of sure persecution versus an immovable compulsion to do   God’s will

5.       The tug of loved ones versus a readiness to die for the Lord Jesus if need be

On his way back to Antioch, Paul stopped to visit the great port city of Ephesus, on the southwestern coast of Asia Minor.

The apostle was impressed with the potential of this city for the spread of the Gospel and he determined to return. No one knows how long it was before Paul set out on his Third Missionary Journey. This trip Paul appears to have followed the same route he had traveled on the previous journey, except he went to Ephesus, as he planned.

His stay in Ephesus was long, productive, and stormy. As usual, he began to preach in the synagogue; as usual, opposition drove him away. His ministry lasted there for more than two years and the Gospel spread throughout the large province of Asia.

Luke also relates two major occurrences: a deliverance that led to many conversations and a riot provoked by craftsmen. The craftsmen, who fashioned idols for the goddess Diana, were losing money as a result of Paul’s ministry. Paul was not directly affected by the uproar. Officials could find nothing legally wrong with Paul’s activities.

While in Ephesus, however, Paul received reports that the church in Corinth was experiencing severe problems, particularly divisions within the congregation.

Paul found it necessary to pay a visit to Corinth as noted in 2 Corinthians 2:1; 13:1, yet it was not possible for him to go, so Paul sent Titus as his representative. It is probable that Titus carried with him one of the Corinthian letters. Paul instructed Titus to attempt to resolve the problem and to meet him in Troas. Titus reported with great joy that the Corinthians had finally come around. During the apostle’s three-month stay in Achaia he wrote Romans from Corinth.

Luke, the physician, affirmed that Eutychus was picked up dead after he had fallen from a third-story window. This was from Paul’s long preaching before departure. Like Elijah and Elisha, Paul embraced Eutychus and the young man came alive.

Evidently Paul remained in Troas longer than he originally planned. They sailed on to the island of Miletus, where the elders from nearby Ephesus came to hear a farewell from the apostle.

Paul urged the leaders to be on their guard. He had repeatedly warned them of the danger of doctrinal error. Then Paul turned to the future responsibilities of the elders in Ephesus. First, they were to attend to the care of themselves and all the flock. Notably, before they could provide for the flock, they had to care for their own spiritual well-being.  Paul warned that some teachers would attack from without and others would arise from within the Church to pervert the truth.

Traveling to Cos, then to Rhodes and on to Patara, as far as we know, represented one-day’s sea journey. Paul boarded a ship which evidently was larger and would make the journey to Phoenicia. Going south of Cyprus they landed at Tyre where the ship unloaded its cargo, which took a week. The persecution of the Early Church in Jerusalem had scattered the believers to Phoenicia, so Paul sought out believers there.

Through the Spirit the believers at Tyre urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem. In view of the phrase, “through the Spirit,” was Paul wrong in pursuing his course to Jerusalem?  Agabus prophesied that Paul would be imprisoned. Paul was persuaded, however, that he must fulfill his mission, and he was more than ready to suffer in the name of Christ.

Paul was taking an offering to the Jerusalem believers.  Apparently one reason this trip to Jerusalem was so important to Paul was he wanted to make this presentation of money in order to fortify one of his basic doctrines, the unity of Jew and Gentile in Christ.

H.       The Jerusalem Council

During Paul’ First Missionary Journey, much was accomplished in Galatia.  We find that a difficulty occurred at Antioch as to the obligation of the Gentile members of the Church to come under the full ceremonial regulations of the Jewish Law; and it was resolved to send delegates to the governing body of the church in Jerusalem about this question.

THE FIRST CHURCH CONFERENCE/ Acts 15

As long as most of the first Christians were Jewish, there was little difficulty in welcoming new believer; however, Gentiles (non-Jews) began to accept Jesus’ offer of salvation. The evidence in their lives and the presence of God’s Spirit in them showed that God was accepting them. Some of the early Christians believed that non-Jewish Christians needed to meet certain conditions before they could be worthy to accept Christ. The issue could have destroyed the Church, so a conference was called in Jerusalem, and the issue was formally settled there, although it continued to be a problem for many years following. Above is an outline of the three points of view at the conference.

This event is among the five major events of Early Church history.  Many people fail to understand the implications arising out of this dispute.  The Early Church and its brethren were climaxing and actually beginning to settle into a religious comfort zone in Jerusalem and Judea.  They had begun to be passé and thought more of their own religious heritage than their religious future.  The ministry of Paul and Barnabas began to challenge the current trend.   And of course within a challenge comes a retort.  We see this retort in the face of the opposition loyalists who wanted to have Jesus, yet preserve, and still promote the law.  This one can imagine was truly counter productive to the ministry of Paul and Barnabas.

The new departure in Galatia and Antioch—the opening of the door of faith to the Nations—forced into prominence the question of the relations of Gentile to Jewish Christians.  Confusion rose in the church at Antioch.  One can only imagine the firestorm within Paul upon finding out those Judaizers had followed him destroying everything he taught.

We learn from Paul himself (Ga. 2:12) that even Peter, already prepared to some extent by his own bold action in the case of Cornelius, had no hesitation in associating freely with the Antiochian Christians in general. Many if not most of the Jews of Jerusalem were far more rigid and narrow.  Some traveling on a mission to Antioch from the church in Jerusalem, were shocked by the state of things which they found. They had not the authority of the Jerusalem church (Ac.15:24) but began to declare that no one could become in the full sense a member of the Church, unless he came under the Jewish Law, and admitted on his body its sign and seal: the Nations could be received into the Church, but in the acceptance they must conform to the Law (15:2).

As the debate raged between the Gentile Christians and the Judaizers, Paul found it necessary to write to the churches in Galatia. The Judaizers were trying to undermine Paul's authority. The debate over Jewish laws and Gentile Christians was officially resolved at the Jerusalem council.

I.        What the Judaizers said about Paul

1.       They said he was perverting the truth.

2.       They said he was a traitor to the Jewish faith.

3.       They said he compromised and diluted his message for the Gentiles.

4.       They said he was disregarding the law of Moses.

J.       Paul's defense

He had received his message from Christ himself (Ac.9:15; Ga.1:11-12).

He was one of the most dedicated Jews of his time. Yet, in the midst of one of his most zealous acts, God had transformed him through a revelation of the good news about Jesus (Ac.9: 1-30; Ga.1:13-16).

The other apostles declared that the message Paul was preaching was the true Gospel (Ac.9:28; Ga.2:1-10).

Far from degrading the law, Paul put the law in its proper place. He wrote that it shows people where they have sinned and points them to Christ (Ga.3:19-29).

The date of this council is generally taken to be A.D. 49. If the crucifixion was 30 or 31 A.D. then the Church had been in existence for over 18 years. When Peter referred to God’s choice of Cornelius some time ago he was looking back about 10 years (Ac.10:1-11:18).

The dispute between Paul and the Judaizers became the central issue that confronted the mother church in Jerusalem. In spite of a challenge to Paul’s Gospel in the assembly from some believers who were also Pharisees (15:5), the decision of the elders and apostles was affected by the testimony of Peter, Paul, and Barnabas. Peter’s speech reminded the council of the work of the Holy Spirit in the conversion of the first Gentile, Cornelius.  Peter declared the issue of whether to accept Gentiles was settled immediately. This was evidenced, Peter said, because God gave the Holy Spirit to them (10:44-46) just as He did to the Jews (2:4; 11:15). So God made no distinction between believing Jews and Gentiles. All were accepted by faith. Paul and Barnabas also referred to the miraculous work of God in their experiences with the Gentiles.

To James, the brother of Jesus and the leader of the Jerusalem church was left the final statement. He began by discussing Peter’s experience (Acts 10). In referring to Peter as Simon, James used a name which would be logical in its setting in Jerusalem (actually the Gr. has Symeoôn, an even more Jewish spelling). The phrase at first is crucial because it affirmed that Paul and Barnabas were not the first to go to the Gentiles. As Peter had already said (Ac.15:7-11) the question had actually been settled in principle (chaps. 10-11) before Paul and Barnabas went on their First Journey.

Quite properly the council desired more than the testimony of experience. They wanted to know how it corresponded with the witness of the Scriptures. This is what every believer should do when “new” revelation of Scripture comes forth. This was the ultimate test of validity.  To prove that Gentile salvation apart from circumcision was an Old Testament doctrine, James quoted from Amos 9:11-12. James spoke in the plural about the “prophets” before quoting Amos as an example, testifying that this was the position of many of the Old Testament prophets.

Theologically, the Gentiles would not be hindered from becoming Christians; they would not be required to undergo circumcision. Practically, however, the council requested that Gentile Christians refrain from practices that would put a strain on their relationship with Jewish Christians and might create morality issues within their own relationship with Jesus according to scripture.

The council, in their wisdom, thought it prudent to send witnesses back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas to confirm what was decided by the council.  The whole church as well as the apostles and elders were allowed to debate and then address the conclusion.  They chose to send two of their important elders to be their witnesses. The qualification of Judas and Silas for exhorting the congregation is carefully stated. Luke lays such evident stress on proper qualification that he seems to have considered Divine gifting necessary in any one that was to address a congregation in a capacity of minister.  This was also considered necessary as to protect both sides from unwarranted attacks by Judaizers.

          K.       Churches Crisis: Dangerous Opportunities! /Acts 15:31

The Chinese word for “crisis” consists of two letters: one means “danger” and the other means “opportunity.” Indeed, every church crisis involves a dangerous opportunity to bring either great glory or great shame to the name of Christ. Acts 15 is a good example of this truth.

Also we should consider the central church in Jerusalem.  They said in the letter they were of one accord, v. 25 and it pleased the Holy Ghost.  They were also cognizant of the need for compromise and unity.  There was still a need for adherence to ethical and moral guidelines and these three requirements or requests were for the good of the Church Body (“…ye shall do well.”).  Both morally and ethically they satisfied both opponents. Therefore in the selection of witnesses, we find it relative to discover that one, Judas was the brother of Joseph, representing the Hebrew sector and Silas, a Jewish-Roman Citizen like Paul, representing the Hellenists.

The conclusion to be drawn here is that the Church was at a major crossroads in its young life.  Before the council, the Jerusalem church acknowledged the Gentiles in name only, not generally within Jerusalem fellowshipping with Gentile believers.  However, when conflict arose, effectually, the decision on the table was this.  Do we accept the Gentiles into full fellowship and make the Christian movement universal; or do we just quietly move the events into an outreach of, or another branch of, Judaism.  The decision made by the council would affect generations of believers and Jews.  We see that God’s hand was upon the decision and not men; as the letter stated to the Antiochian church, “For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost…”

L.       Paul the Prisoner

Paul the missionary became Paul the prisoner, and he remained in bonds for the remainder of the story in Acts.  This is another of the five major events in Early Church history.  Paul’s life was effectively changing the world.  When Paul became a prisoner of Rome, it represented the believer, being imprisoned by the world system.  Paul began to write to the believers all over the Roman world to encourage and entice Christians toward proper attitude and behavior even in times of tribulation.

Luke knew he was not writing a complete biography of Paul.  Any awareness that Luke had of Paul being given other opportunities to serve God in greater ministries did not deter him from closing his account where he did.  Borne of the Holy Spirit, the physician-writer designed Acts to close with an action-packed account of the appearances of Paul the prisoner in defense of his Christian testimony.  These were appearances before the angry mob, a disorganized council, and confused rulers, all leading to his finally reaching Rome (Ac.28:14), the goal of his heart (Ro.1:10-11; 15:22-24).  One man writes, "Paul's life was the most significant life ever lived, and when he came to Rome, the purpose for which he had toiled and striven was virtually achieved".

Paul stated in his epistles that his ultimate goal was to see Rome.  Rome was the seat of authority of the known world.  It was the world system of that day.  It represented all that we as believers face in this day, immorality, greed, lasciviousness, perverseness, pride, arrogance, and secularity.  Once Paul arrived, he began describing to the believer, even to the point of correcting, the proper conduct and actions needed by the believer no matter what his circumstances were.

Paul’s imprisonment and successive examinations marks this as the most important part of the Book in the Luke’s estimation. It is essential to the purpose to establish the approaching climax, and that what had up till that point, been a narrated lead up to the great event of the whole work. Study the table below of Paul’s journey to Rome.

          M.      Paul’s Journey to Rome / Acts 27:1-28:1

One of Paul’s most important journeys was to Rome, but he did not get there the way he expected. It turned out to be more of a legal journey than a missionary journey. Through a series of legal trials and transactions, Paul was delivered to Rome, where his presentation of the Gospel would even penetrate the walls of the emperor’s palace. Sometimes when our plans do not work out as we want them to, they work out even better than we expected.

In the Third Gospel, Luke alone among the four historians records formally the attempt made by the Jews to implicate Jesus in criminal practices against the Roman Empire, and the emphatic, thrice repeated statement of Pilate acquitting Him of all fault (23:2, 4, 14, 22) before the law. Throughout the whole Book, from the time when the centurion Cornelius is introduced, great art is shown in bringing out without any formal statement the friendly relations between the Romans and the new teaching, even before Paul became the leading spirit in its development.

When Paul was accosted in the Temple area, the evidence of Roman favor began to show more prominence.  People were warned in the Temple area that Gentiles were not allowed beyond a certain point.  The person offending would have only himself to blame in case of his death.  So deep was this feeling that the Romans gave permission to Jews to fulfill this death sentence, even if the intruder was a Roman citizen.  Therefore the quick action of the Roman soldiers is evident for the protection of Paul, as a Roman as well as being known through out the Roman world and some have said he was the most influential man of his time.

The importance of the preliminary stages of the trial lies in its issue; a formal decision by the Supreme Court of the Empire that it was permissible to preach Christianity: the trial, therefore, was really a charter of religious liberty, and therein lays its immense importance.  Secondly and of equal importance, was fulfilling Scripture and the call.

But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: (Ac.9:15) 

Paul had fulfilled two of the three challenges and so the process of bearing Christ’s name before Kings began.

The accusations against Paul were Jewish, and the best way to unearth these was to have a hearing before the Sanhedrin. If the prisoner was found innocent he could be released, but if the charges were valid the case could be remitted to the procurator, the Roman governor.  Paul disrupted the proceedings by starting an argument between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. By using this tactic, Paul divided his enemy. Amazingly the Pharisees defended Paul, a fellow Pharisee.  Paul was in more danger in the midst of the Jews than he was in a Roman prison. So again he was brought up the steps to the army barracks at the Antonia Fortress.

There was a plot by the chief priests and elders of Israel to kill Paul.  Word of course was brought to the Captain and he in turn sent Paul to the Governor at Caesarea. When a prisoner was forwarded to a superior, the subordinate officer was required to accompany the subject with a written statement of the case. The importance of this document is seen in 23:29 where the commander declared Paul innocent.  Felix was the procurator, learned Paul was from Cilicia, and he determined to hear the case.  The high priest himself went down to Caesarea as well as some of the elders of the Sanhedrin with an orator to present their case.

Paul was in the Caesarea prison for two year speaking many times to Felix and Drusilla.  During this period he was in constant written communication with the churches, and some scholars think that he helped supervise Luke’s writing of the Acts.

Felix was replaced by Festus as Governor and new accusations were brought by the Jews against Paul.  The Jews knew their case against Paul was false and the only way to do away with this man was to lay in wait for him as he traveled.  Therefore, the Jews requested he be brought to Jerusalem for trial and punishment.  Festus did not agree, but said he would reopen the case in Caesarea.  The scene of previous trials repeated itself. Luke added, however, that the charges were many and serious.  Festus ask Paul if he would return to Jerusalem for trial and Paul refused. He categorically denied the charges against him and appealed to Caesar.  So after he had conferred with his council, he announced that in view of Paul’s appeal, he must go to Caesar.

A convoy of prisoners was starting for Rome under charge of a centurion of the Augustan cohort, and a detachment of soldiers; so Paul was sent along with it.  Luke and Aristarchus accompanied Paul: some may wonder how a prisoner could have traveling companions or servants.  Paul occupied a very different position from the other prisoners. He was a man of distinction, a Roman citizen who had appealed for trial to the Supreme Court in Rome.  He was probably entitled to companions or servants of some sort.  He was allowed extensive freedom while in the custody of Felix, so one could conclude that he was permitted traveling companions as rights granted to any Roman nobleman.  We do not know for a surety that Paul was born of noble birth, but several things bear witness to the fact that Paul showed himself as a man of means, either by dress or by requesting such an expensive trial. The Roman government took heed to such a presentation, thereby, receiving audiences directly to the Governor and not a local magistrate as was common for the times.

Paul had to maintain himself and friends while a prisoner.  He was not held in the public jails but housed himself.  Financial circumstances, from wherever, yielded Paul added public opinion at least with the Roman officials.  Again we have no solid facts- just circumstances- which lead us to acknowledge that Paul possibly had a benefactor somewhere, churches, individuals, possibly an inheritance from family.

The ship worked slowly along the Cilician and Pamphylian coast, as the sailors availed themselves of temporary local land breezes and of the steady westward current that runs along the coast. In the harbor of Myra, the centurion found an Alexandrian ship on a voyage toward Italy. He embarked his convoy on board this ship. Egypt was one of the granaries of Rome; the corn trade between Egypt and Rome was important, therefore, it is a reasonable probability that this ship was carrying corn to Rome.  The ship continued to Fairhaven where it was docked for over two weeks waiting for prevailing winds.  A meeting was held to consider the situation, at which Paul was present, as a person of rank whose convenience was to some extent consulted, whose experience as a traveler was well known.  Contrary to Paul’s advice the majority decided it best to sail on to a more commodious harbor and to winter there (Ac.27:11).

They set sail and very soon ran into a “Nor’easter”, a storm of great magnitude.   It drove the ship aimlessly and with no stars to guide them they were lost.  They did all they could as sailors, but it seemed all hope was gone.  Paul then spoke, “Sirs, ye should have hearkened [listened] unto me”—his comment was not meant to aggravate the situation, but to give authority to what he was about to say.  He encouraged them with a message from God.

Soon the ship would crash into Malta, but God’s promise to Paul was sure.  No one was lost, they found favor with the local residents, and within three months, they saw another ship docked at the island.  Another grain ship bound for Rome.  The journey was carefully traced by Luke: from Malta to Syracuse, Sicily; to Rhegium (today Reggio) on the “toe” of Italy; to Puteoli (today Pozzuoli), 152 miles south of Rome; and finally to Rome itself.

Paul and his companions found some brothers at Peutoli. This is significant because it shows that the Gospel had already spread from Rome to this Italian seaport.  The Christians at Rome soon heard of Paul’s coming, so they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius (a market town 43 miles from Rome) and the Three Taverns (33 miles from Rome) to meet him and his companions.  At last God was bringing Paul to Rome. And the welcome of fellow believers, whom he had never met, uplifted his soul. So they proceeded on the Appian Way.  Paul was delivered to the Captain of the Guard.  .

The capital of the ancient world was located on the Tiber River. Paul was allowed to dwell by himself, meaning not in the public prison, with a soldier that kept him. This privilege was given to many of the better-class prisoners who were not charged with any serious crime. Festus’s letter and Julius’s high recommendation probably helped Paul to secure this arrangement. His guards were changed often, which gave him a good chance to spread the Gospel among the Praetorian Guard.

The climax of the Book is found in these closing verses.  As usual Paul first spoke with the Jews. In this case he called the leaders to meet with him because he could not go to their synagogues.  The response of the leaders was ambivalent: they said they knew nothing about Paul and their only reports about Christianity (this sect) were negative.  They were interested in hearing Paul’s views since they knew that people were talking against his message.  In the second meeting with Paul, they were much more definitive in their responses to the Gospel. This time they came in even larger numbers. The discussion was also longer. All day long Paul spoke of the Kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets.

The term “Kingdom of God” includes the death and resurrection of Christ as its basis, but also looks ahead to Christ’s reign on earth. It is clearly eschatological in significance To the Jews the concept of the Messiah dying for sins as atonement and the teaching of justification by faith as the way of entering the Kingdom was foreign. The Jews were divided in their responses. Some were convinced, but others refused to believe (Ac.28:24).

Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all that came in unto him—He was still under guard and was not allowed to go out but could have visitors in his house.  He preached the Kingdom of God with all confidence [boldness]. This characterizes the dynamic energy with which Paul preached about God’s Kingdom and the Lord Jesus Christ.

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