In Acts 20 we see Eutychus fall asleep in a window and plunge to his death, and we hear Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders. Both noteworthy events!
In the account of Eutychus, we get a strong indication of Paul's focus on his message, and we see an interesting establishment of the relationship between miracles and the Word of God. When Eutychus fell, (and died), Paul did not say, "Woah there folks- we better call it a night!" He knew he was leaving and he had things to say. The level of Paul's faith is amazing. It is almost like he walked downsatairs, and in a very businesslike fashion, took care of raising Eutychus, then returned to what he really came for- preaching the Word. I don't mean to minimize the value of the miracle, but when you read the account you can't help but think that, at least in this case, the miracle was not as important as the preaching.
I think that is at least somewhat true today. People want miracles. Quick fixes. God stepping in and doing a John Madden, (BOOM- We'll miss you on Sunday nights, John). Where what they really need is the whole of the Word of God. The only miracle we really need took place on Calvary and in the empty tomb.
Also in Acts 20, Paul delivers his farewell address to the Ephesian elders- people he would have known well and loved dearly. I do not have much to say about this now, as we had good discussion in class, but I will say this- As I come away from this study of the book of Acts, I am more amazed at who Paul was than I have ever been. To be able to stand before those men and say (paraphrased) "You saw how I lived- I was never a burden to you- I told you the truth the best way I could tell it and I did not leave anything out." To be able to stand and speak like that is what we all want. And to do so only requires consistent day-to-day living in which we let every "today" take care of all of the tomorrows. I guess it is the nature of us/we (which is it) temporal humans that we can see and understand that, yet we (or at least I) struggle to do it.
In Acts 21 Paul seriously turns his sights on Jerusalem. The chapter tells the story of his travels through several cities and how he meets up with a number of people who tell him, "DON'T GO TO JERUSALEM!!" And these people are not just acting on emotion. Verse 4 tells of a group of believers who "through the spirit" urged him not to go. Verse 10 tells of the prophet Agabus (there's another baby name!) who demonstrates what will happen to Paul in Jerusalem, and again the people urge him not to go.
So, Paul is getting all of this advice- don't go, don't go, don't go. And it is coming from people who care about him and people who are Godly. What is an Apostle to do with such advice? Well, read verse 13 and 14. (I am not going to put the verses here- sorry. You'll have to grab your bible and read it.)
The thing this makes me think about is my own capacity to give sound advice. I come to the conclusion that I should be very careful and prayerful when I give advice about "serious" things. All of these people who told Paul not to go to Jerusalem were well meaning, and I don't blame them a bit for how they counseled Paul. After all, they cared for him, and having a strong feeling that danger awaited in Jerusalem, they did not want him to come to harm. But the truth of the matter is that in this case, they were advising against the will of God. Like I said- I don't blame them- I would have said the same thing. It just makes me think that I need to be careful when I advise people!
But let's think from Paul's perspective a bit. As we have mentioned, Paul was VERY in touch with God and His will. God had purposed for Paul to get to Rome, and in the coming chapters, we are going to see how He (God) manages to get him (Paul) there (Rome). The threat of danger and eminent suffering was nothing new to Paul. He is probably thinking, at least a little, "What are they gonna do to me that hasn't been done already?" Add to that the fact that Paul is so sold out at this point that he would gladly go to Jerusalem and die there if that is what God has in mind, (verse 13). And, later when we read Philippians we find that Paul considers it a privilege to suffer for the cause of Christ (Phil 1:29)
Later in the chapter, Paul participates in a cleansing ritual in the temple in Jerusalem, and is arrested on, (wait for it.... wait for it...) false charges!! (big surprise). There is an uprising, (big surprise), and Paul's trial sequence begins.
Chapters 22-26 tell the story of the series of trials and changes of venue- all a part of God's work to get Paul to Rome. We will be looking at the highlights of those chapters this coming Sunday, (April 26), and then finish the book off with a look at the "end of the story".
Just keep swimming....
Jon
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