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Paul’s 3^rd Missionary Journey (Part 3)

Last week we discussed Paul’s 2-plus years in Ephesus . . . a highly successful ministry, which ended abruptly when craftsmen rioted, fearing as more and more people followed Jesus, there would be less and less demand for cult objects for the goddess Artemis. (They shouldn’t have worried; anyone who visits Rome or Jerusalem realizes there’s lots of money to be made in Christian religious objects, too.) Nevertheless, Paul had been planning to visit the churches in Macedonia and Achaia (Acts 19:21); and although he’s not forced out of Ephesus, he decides this is a good time to leave.

What was the reason for the trip? There was surely an element of spiritual reinforcement. But the real reason was money . . . for the church in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem church has been poverty-stricken ever since capital assets were sold to pay daily expenses after Jesus’ Ascension. Paul and Barnabas were asked for money at the Council of Jerusalem (Gal 2:9-10). This must have happened again when Paul visited Jerusalem before this trip to Ephesus, because while he is in Ephesus, he asks the church in Corinth to set aside money for the Jerusalem church (1Co 16:1-4, 2Co 8:16-23). Presumably he also did this with other churches in Macedonia and Achaia, because the primary purpose for this trip is to collect the money and take it to Jerusalem (Ro 15:25-29).

Paul probably goes to Philippi, Thessalonica, and Berea . . . and he seems to spend 3 months in Corinth (when he probably wrote his letter to the Romans). Acts does not mention any of these cities . . . but what is mentioned is a serious threat on Paul’s life. Hence, rather than return by ship, he goes overland through Macedonia—with Luke and at least 7 companions/bodyguards. He celebrates Passover in Philippi, then sails to Troas . . . where, less than 7 years before, he had a vision to take the gospel to Macedonia.

Lots of changes in those 7 years! Paul departed Troas for Philippi on faith alone, trusting God’s direction and provision. He could easily have packed it in after being beaten and jailed in Philippi, run out of town in the middle of the night in Thessalonica, expelled by mutual consent in Berea, or ridiculed in Athens. But Paul kept at it, and God rewarded him with successful ministries in Corith and Ephesus—two commercial centers, which became hubs to spread the gospel elsewhere. Now Paul is on his way to Jerusalem . . . with a large entourage and what must be lots of money for—ironically—the very church which seems the hotbed of the legalism which has so dogged his ministry.

Paul’s visit to the church in Troas is the first recorded instance of Christians meeting on Sunday—though it’s actually Saturday night, since the Jewish day begins at sundown.

The story of Eutychus has been the subject of many sermons . . . about preachers who drone on too long or about people who fall asleep in church. I hope I would have been listening to every word Paul said into the wee hours of the morning—stoked with coffee, if necessary—but the point I want to make is the special miracle. The bible says Eutychus died when he fell out a 3^rd story window . . . but Paul raised him from the dead. This is a dramatic confirmation by God of Paul’s ministry, putting him into a special category with Jesus and Peter . . . performing the ultimate miracle of raising the dead.

Paul bypasses Ephesus when he leaves Troas. The bible says he wants to get to Jerusalem for Pentecost, and since he spent Passover in Philippi, this gives him less than 5 weeks, and he fears he will spend too much time there. He’s probably right: after the riot that caused him to leave the city, it’s possible he could be charged and jailed . . . or otherwise so overwhelmed with love by the church he will find it difficult to leave. Hence he meets the elders of the Ephesian church in Miletus . . . a middle-sized city a one- or two-day trip from Ephesus. Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders bear repeating:

The Holy Spirit—which has directed Paul to Paphos and Pisidan Antioch and Iconium and Lystra and Derbe and Troas and Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea and Athens and Corinth and Ephesus—now sends him to Jerusalem. Paul doesn’t have to go . . . he can send others with the money for the church. But the Holy Spirit compels Paul to Jerusalem . . . even facing prison and hardship. Paul has followed the lead of the Holy Spirit so far . . . why stop now?

There’s something here that I think is significant. As we discussed about Peter when an angel saved him from execution by Herod Agrippa I in Acts 12 . . . as we said about Paul when he survived stoning in Acts 14: there is a time and a place for martyrdom . . . and it’s God’s time and God’s place. Up until now, in Pisidan Antioch and Iconium and Lystra and Philippi and Thessalonica and Berea and Ephesus, the Holy Spirit has told Paul to flee when persecuted; but now he walks into it. And he does so willingly . . . as a prototype for future Christian martyrs. But unlike radical Moslem martyrs like Mohammed Atta, death for Christian martyrs is not an objective, but a last resort. As Jesus showed in His response to Satan’s temptation to jump off the pinnacle of the temple, we should not "die for Jesus" whimsically or stupidly; but we should not be afraid to die for Him when the Holy Spirit leads.

Another of Paul’s comments bears scrutiny:

Has someone accused Paul of murder, that he must proclaim his innocence? No . . . this remark should be taken in the context of what he said to the Jews of Pisidian Antioch and Corinth (Acts 13:46, 18:6): Paul "had to speak the word of God to you (Jews) first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life" (Acts 13:46), "Your blood (is) on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility" (Acts 18:6). Paul has carried the good news of Jesus the Messiah boldly and freely, and he is not responsible for the salvation of those who do not listen.

This is also a good lesson for 21^st century evangelism. I know Christians so focussed on one special person they want to bring to Jesus . . . usually a family member or a friend. Over and over they try some new tactic with this person . . . over and over they fail. They feel guilty—especially if the person dies "unsaved" (in their opinion). But Paul’s point is that we should not feel guilty under such circumstances; God is the one who moves on the hearts of those who are "saved" and "unsaved"; all we do is share the gospel. It’s like God says to Ezekiel: "You must speak my words . . . and whether they listen or fail to listen . . . they will know that a prophet has been among them" (Ezek 2:5-7).

And ponder Paul’s concluding remarks to the Ephesian elders:

False prophets will come . . . even within the church! In his 2^nd letter to the Corinthians—written from Ephesus—Paul refers to "servants (of) Satan (who) masquerade as servants of righteousness" (2 Cor 11:14-45). Paul especially worries about Pharisee-Christian legalists, who seem to follow him, trying to undo his work. Other examples of false prophets within the church are in Revelations 2-3: the letters to the 7 churches (including Ephesus). For the next 1900-plus years, false prophesy remains a problem. That’s may be one thing Paul was talking about when he wrote in his letter to the Ephesians:

Notice our offensive and defensive weapon in this struggle is "the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." That’s why it’s so important that every Christian read and study the bible as our best way to combat false prophesy.

Paul concludes with these words:

This was a sub-theme of Paul’s ministry: working to help others . . . underscoring what we all should know: the blessing we receive from helping others is usually greater than the time and effort and expense it takes.

With these words, Paul tearfully boards a ship and departs Miletus. Luke’s description of the trip to Tyre is very detailed—just like his description of the trip from Troas to Miletus. There is a church in Tyre, which Paul visits. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the brothers there urge Paul not to go to Jerusalem. What’s with this? Is the Holy Spirit sending mixed signals? The answer, of course, is "No!" Luke probably means the Holy Spirit revealed to the brothers that Paul faces persecution; and their instinctive, human reaction is that he should avoid it . . . the same as when Jesus told his disciples about his upcoming death, and Peter protested: "This shall never happen to you!" (Matt 16:21-23). But in both cases, man’s hope is not God’s plan.

Paul sails on to Ptolemais, where he finds another church. It’s beginning to seem churches are almost everywhere by now. Paul stays one day, then travels to Caesarea, capital of the Roman Province of Judea and Samaria. It was here—almost 20 years ago—the doors of the church of Jesus were first opened to uncircumcised Gentiles, when the Holy Spirit came upon Cornelius and his family and friends while Peter was speaking to them (Acts 10:44). Paul has spent his entire ministry fighting for Gentiles who are proclaimed "saved" by faith in Jesus, without needing to be circumcised or to follow the legalistic oral law of the Pharisees.

Caesarea is also home to Philip, the fellow deacon with Stephen . . . the Hellenized Jew and who first evangelized Samaria, and who baptized the Ethiopian treasurer. Philip has been "chief evangelist" here for over 20 years (Acts 8:40), and has sired 4 daughters—all unmarried, and all with the spiritual gift of prophesy. These days there seems to be so much said about the position of women in the early church; some claim there is something special in the designation of Philip’s daughters as prophets. "Big deal!" I say. There were acknowledged female prophets as far back as Miriam (Ex 15:20) and as recently as Anna (Luke 2:36), and in 1 Corinthians, Paul speaks about women prophets in such an offhand way that it must have been commonplace (1 Cor 11:5).

But the main prophet in Paul’s visit to Caesarea is not Philip’s daughters . . . it’s Agabus. About 15 years before, Agabus traveled from Judea to Antioch and prophesied a famine "over the entire Roman world" (Acts 11:28). He was right then; and he’s right now:

If John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet, surely Agabus is the first major New Testament prophet!

Notice Agabus states only the facts. He does not urge Paul to avoid Jerusalem and fulfillment of this prophesy; he merely quotes what the Holy Spirit has told him . . . accurately. But when Luke and Paul’s other companions heard this, they "pleaded" with Paul not to go. They know Agabus’ track record of accurate prophesy; and by tying his own hands and feet with Paul’s belt, Agabus makes Paul’s fate real and graphic. Yet they also know how many times Paul has encountered opposition and persecution . . . and he has fled and lived to minister elsewhere. Why doesn’t Paul go to Spain or Rome—two places he wants to visit (Rom 15:28)? Wouldn’t that make more sense?

But like the churchmen in Tyre, Paul’s friends don’t realize the Holy Spirit is telling Paul he must not to flee; this time he must go into the lion’s den in Jerusalem. Paul responds: "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 21:13). What faith!

As Paul has done for the 20-plus years since he became a Christian—and perhaps even before that—he is determined to follow God’s will. When Paul’s friends realize he cannot "be dissuaded," they say with resignation: "The Lord's will be done" (Acts 21:14).
And that may be the central message of this lesson: "The Lord's will be done." God never promised an easy life . . . He only promised a blessed life. (And if we go back to Matthew 5 and read the beatitudes, we see that those whom Jesus refers to as "blessed" sometimes suffer.) And sometimes the Holy Spirit tells us—as it is telling Paul now—we must submit to persecution rather than flee. Martyrdom, after all, is a spiritual gift (1 Cor 13:3). Some will be called to that . . . hopefully not us, but if we are, we pray we will have Paul’s courage to submit and say: "The Lord's will be done."

Next week we’ll see just how prescient Agabus was. Paul goes to Jerusalem . . . and promptly sets off a riot. Jews attack Paul right in the temple: the holy place that has been a sanctuary in Israel’s history. He would have been killed, except that he was rescued by Roman troops. We’ll review the story and read Paul’s speech to the crowd—emphasizing his conversion on the Damascus road. One of the false charges against Paul was that he took a Gentile into the temple; the web site will include one of my prize photos: the stone pillar—now in the National Archaeological Museum in Istanbul—prohibiting Gentiles from entering the Gate Beautiful.