The key question is, “How many people worship Artemis of
the Ephesians?” I suspect that no one does but Jesus is worshiped by millions.
The change came by a focus on the Gospel with evangelism and discipleship.
Acts
20:1-6 … After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after
encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. When he had gone
through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece.
There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews
as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.
Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians,
Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians,
Tychicus and Trophimus. These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas,
but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in
five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
Paul goes north to Europe again and preaches in
Macedonia. We would therefore expect him to minister in Neapolis, Philippi,
Amphipolis, Apollonia, Thessolonica, and Berea. After this he went south to
Greece and in particular probably to Corinth. His plans changed because of
persecution. He was at the Aegean Sea and could have headed back across to a
port near Jerusalem but that wasn’t what God had in mind. Instead Paul reverses
direction and walks hundreds of miles north to Europe again.
We will also see a shift in focus from Luke. He is
beginning to finish up the scroll. Remember that the length of the book is
limited by the size of the scroll. Luke spends more time on what Paul said,
more stress on the physical resurrection as evidence of the Gospel, and a
greater effort to keep the Jewish and Gentile portions of the Church fused
rather than fractured.
Eventually, after encouraging the Church in Southern
Europe, Paul starts south from Philippi and heads on to Troas. The sense of
urgency that Paul demonstrates in his travel under difficult conditions and
expresses in the epistles was well founded. Paul was being spent by the Holy
Spirit on these cities all around the Aegean Sea. Paul also ministered in Troas
on the way back to Jerusalem.
Acts
20:7-8 … On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break
bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he
prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room
where we were gathered.
Notice how early we began to worship on Sunday, the first
day of the week. They were meeting on Sunday to have communion. It was a very
long Sunday evening service but it was urgent because Paul didn’t know when or
if he would be back to disciple them further. The next passage explains why we
don’t have seats in the windows.
Acts
20:9-12 … And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a
deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell
down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent
over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is
in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed
with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the
youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
So the young man was dead and Paul prayed and he was
raised from the dead and Paul went back up and kept teaching. He taught all
night and in the middle of the teaching – about midnight – they had a death and
resurrection. Paul’s sense of purpose kept him focused on establishing the Church
even when something as remarkable as a death and resurrection occurred in the
middle of discipling the Church.
Acts
20:13-16 … But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to
take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by
land. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene.
And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day
we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. For Paul had
decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia,
for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
I am guessing but I suppose that Paul went overland to
check on other Christians and then met the boat in Assos. They then started
working their way south towards Jerusalem. Paul needs to be back in Jerusalem
to talk with the other Apostles and bring them up to date on the ministry to
the Gentiles. However, he sails past Ephesus but has the elders come down to Miletus
for a brief time of ministry.
Acts
20:17-21 … Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the
church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them: “You
yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I
set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with
trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink
from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public
and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance
toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
This message for the Ephesian leaders has a bit of the
character found in Paul’s epistles. Paul’s testimony was his faithfulness under
fire. In the face of spiritual opposition Paul was faithful and this forms the
basis of his last words to this Church. His living testimony was literally the
group standing before him. Paul’s humility, courage under fire, preaching
repentance from sin and faith in Christ were why they were standing before him
listening. This was the basis of his authority over them.
Acts
20:22-28 … And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit,
not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies
to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not
account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my
course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the
gospel of the grace of God.
Here is the core problem for Paul. He is probably done
with "in person" ministry to this group. He is sure that the Holy Spirit is
leading toward some loss of his freedom. His prayer now is to finish his course
well and to complete the work that God gave him in spreading the Gospel of
Grace. The Gospel of the Grace of God is being stressed to the Ephesians. That
is the core of the epistle to this church too. Paul is heading into
imprisonment and affliction and they need to listen carefully.
Acts
20:25-28 … And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone
about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to
you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from
declaring to you the whole counsel of God. Pay careful attention to yourselves
and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care
for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
This is their charge as leaders in Ephesus. They are told
to pay careful attention to their own walk before God and to all the flock.
This is a statement meaning that they must pay particular attention to the
doctrinal “whole counsel of God” that Paul preached. The Holy Spirit put them
in their positions of leadership to care for the church of God in Ephesus that
Christ purchased with His blood. Can you imagine the gravity of this charge
coming from the Apostle Paul? Paul tells them the Holy Spirit selected them to
be in charge of what Christ purchased with His blood and that Paul have
declared the whole counsel of God to them in order to equip them. We each have
a similar charge to family and our local church. We have the whole counsel of
God – hopefully it is not covered with dust – in our possession. We are each
called to serve the Body of Christ, a body purchased by His blood, according to
our gifts. 
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