Here is a teaching on chapter 20 of the book of Acts. If you want to check out previous Bible studies and chapters going forward, join our group here. Once you get added into that Facebook group, you can go to the "units" tab and you'll see all of the chapters and their study guides as they are being taught.
First I want to say a quick prayer... Lord, I pray that you lift up every single person reading this right now. Please give us the knowledge and understanding to know exactly what it is that we're reading and the wisdom to implement it in our daily lives. Lord please lead, guide, and direct us through every aspect of our lives and help us to see the truth, know the truth, discern the truth, and live by the truth. Lord, I can't thank you enough for every single thing that you've done. I'm beyond grateful and blessed for all the things that you've done in my life and for allowing me to help other people know about you and have a relationship with you. I love you with every ounce of my being. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Acts Chapter 20:
1 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because the Jews had made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.
7 On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!" 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.
So in verses 1-6 we see that after the uproar had ended Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, and then he set out for Macedonia. In verses 5-6 it says that "these men went ahead and waited for us in Troas," so Luke and the others had met with Paul and the others in Troas. Then in verses 7-12, on the first day of the week they came together to break bread and Paul spoke to the people until midnight. So it was midnight, Paul had been preaching for hours, and there were many lamps in the upstairs room. So it was hot from all of those lamps and this man that was seated in a window was tired and hot from all the lamps and it was late and all of this combined made him fall to the ground dead. We see in verse 10 that Paul went down and told the people not to be alarmed and said that the man was alive. So God had raised this man from the dead and Paul had faith that God would do it. So the power here is not in Paul, but the power is in God. In all of the miraculous signs that we see in people being healed and all of that, the power is always in God. It's not in Paul or Peter or any of the other apostles or disciples that God used to perform these miracles, the power is in God. Without God we are nothing. He created us. He made all of us and without him we're nothing.
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 When they arrived, he said to them: "You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.
25 "Now I know that none of you among who I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 "Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'
36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
Alright, so those are all the verses of chapter 20 of the book of Acts, but I'm going to discuss these verses with you guys here. So in verses 13-31 Paul was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem because he was compelled by the Holy Spirit to do so. He knew that prison and hardships were facing him, but he was fully submitted to complete his task of testifying the gospel of God's grace. In all of these previous chapters we've been doing on the Bible studies of the book of Acts, we see that Paul has repeatedly been guided by the Holy Spirit, he is fully submitted to the will of God the Father, he testifies about Jesus, and he lives to complete his task to testify about the gospel of God's grace. As believers of Christ in this world, we're going to face hardships and we're going to have troubles, but Jesus has overcome the world. Jesus says this to his disciples in John chapter 16 verse 33 he says: "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." So as believers and disciples of Jesus Christ, we're going to suffer in the name of Jesus and we're going to have troubles. We have to stand firm in our faith, let the Holy Spirit guide us, and stay faithful to our God-led calling, and that's exactly what Paul is doing here.
Then in verses 32-38 of chapter 20 of the book of Acts Paul was saying goodbye to the elders of Ephesus and telling them to work hard, help those in need, and stand firm in their faith. He says in verses 34-35 that his hands have supplied his own needs and the needs of his companions and in everything that he did, he showed them by that kind of hard work they must help the weak and remember the words of Jesus: "It's more blessed to give than to receive." So Paul was telling them to give generously and he prayed with them. Paul didn't know what was going to happen to him in Jerusalem, but he knew that he wouldn't see them again. Paul faced hardships in Ephesus with the Jews plotting against him, but he cared deeply for his people (for the elders that he was speaking to and the people that believed and listened to him) and they cared deeply for him, and you can really see this in his farewell to them and how they were grieved when he said that they would never see him again.
Acts Ch 20 Study Guide
How was Eutychus raised from the dead?
In verse 16, why was Paul in a hurry to go to Jerusalem?
As Christians, when we face hardships, what can we always count on?
Is it better for us to give or receive? Why?
What is your biggest takeaway from this Bible study?
So that concludes this Bible study on chapter 20 of the book of Acts. Next week we're going to go into chapter 21, so make sure you stay tuned for that.
I love you guys so much.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
p.s. If you'd rather listen to Faith-based, business, mindset, and mental health tips, then check out my podcast. There I will share my personal experiences, stories I've never told before, and bring you along with this hot mess life of mine. New episodes every week.
For weekly Bible Studies, tune in every week to my podcast. Every week I go over a new chapter/s of the Book of Acts.
You can also follow me on Instagram (_lorenacamille_) I'll be posting frequently and doing daily stories.
For past Bible Studies on the books of Jeremiah & John, join our Facebook Community
Scripture taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.
Comments