Read or listen The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 20 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Church division and false teachers

"But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another."
(Galatians 5:15)

Paul wrote the above words to the churches in Galatia, where rival factions had arisen and were fighting each other. But who is biting whom in Acts 20? The issue was a disagreement between Paul and representatives of his own people, the Jews. It is not always entirely clear whether Paul's opponents were Jewish Christians or also Jewish by faith.

There are three places in our chapter where Luke talks about these problems.
- The first is in verse 3, where Paul changes his travel plans because of Jewish plots.
- In verse 19, Luke quotes Paul’s speech in which he speaks of the plots of the Jews against him. The listeners must have had in mind in particular the riot in Ephesus described in chapter 19, in which the Jew Alexander was also accusing Paul (Acts 19:33; whether the coppersmith Alexander mentioned in 2 Tim 4:14 is the same person is uncertain).
- The third is in verses 29 and 30, where Paul first speaks of false teachers coming from outside the church and in verse 30 of deceivers and disrupters rising from within the church.

This chapter of the Acts of the Apostles also reminds us that the early Christian era was not the time of bliss and harmony that some would like to portray it as.

Disputes and disagreements have existed among Christians since the beginning. They are not just modern-day plagues in the church. Therefore, we must also learn from Paul's attitude towards them. Some of the disagreements, in Paul's opinion, are such that it is not worth breaking up the church, but rather that a common path forward should be sought (for example, 1 Cor 10:23-33). Some disagreements, on the other hand, should be taken so seriously that the representative of such a disagreement should be separated from the Christian community (for example, Gal 5:1-6).

Even today, a line must be drawn between disagreement and false belief. Paul was criticized for drawing his own lines, and so can we, but the line must still be drawn. Not where we want it to be, but where God wants it to be!

To Jerusalem and Rome – Acts 20:1-6

The riot described in the previous chapter did not cause Paul to flee, but he left Ephesus only after the riot had ended. However, Paul was not a daredevil, but in verse 3 we see that Paul was even willing to change his travel plans because of the machinations of his enemies. Paul did not let the actions of his enemies prevent the proclamation of the gospel, but on the other hand he did not knowingly fall into the traps set by his enemies or seek out difficulties.

From Ephesus Paul went to Greece, where he spent three months, apparently mostly in Corinth. Whether Paul visited Illyria this time, or whether he had already been there on another missionary journey, remains unclear (compare Rom 15:19). In any case, it is clear that Paul felt that he had done his part in the work of the kingdom of God in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire. His heart was set on Rome and then on to Spain.

Before leaving for the West, however, Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem to deliver the collection collected by the Gentile Christians to the elders of the Jerusalem church (Acts 19:21, Rom 15:23-29). It was evidently spring in the year 57, and Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem in time for Pentecost. However, his busy schedule did not prevent Paul from celebrating the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which fell in the week before Easter, before he left Europe and Philippi, where Paul’s European work had begun.

Paul himself followed several Jewish regulations, and he did not want to prevent Jews who converted to Christianity from following them either. But Paul drew a line at one point: Gentiles should not be required to follow them, because then they would easily become a way of salvation. We will learn about Paul's relationship to Jewish law and regulations later.

“We” Episodes

Verse 5 begins the second time in the Acts of the Apostles, a description told in the form of "we". The following sections in Acts use the “we” form:
Acts 16:10-17,
Acts 20:5-21:18 (the section begins in Philippi, where the previous section ends), and
Acts 27:1-28:31.

Traditionally, it has been thought that the physician Luke in these passages was quoting from his own diary entries from his travels with Paul. Others believe that the writer of Acts was quoting from notes written by someone else. It is not possible to determine from the passages themselves which one is being referred to, but the “I” form of Acts 1:1 would fit better with the “we” form of these passages if they were Luke’s own notes.

Beloved service – Acts 20:7-12

We Christians today could learn a lot from this episode. For Christians in Paul's time, worship and the celebration of the Lord's Supper were so dear that they were prepared to spend all their free time from evening to morning (at that time, both "Sunday" and "Monday" were working days) listening to the Word of God and practicing Christian fellowship.

The events at Troas confirm that the early Christians observed their holy day specifically as “Sunday,” the first day of the week. In many countries’ calendars, the old practice has been changed, and Sunday is the last day of the week.

Seventh-day Adventists and others who want to keep the Old Testament regulations in force in this regard also make Paul and the early Christians heretics. But the resurrection of Jesus also changed the order of things regarding the holy day.

A miracle also occurred during the service. Eutychus, who had fallen out of a window, asleep from fatigue, came back to life, although the doctor Luke stated that he had died after falling three stories from a window into the courtyard.

Rushing forward - Acts 20:13-17

Paul was already in a hurry. He took a shortcut by land while others sailed (verses 13-14). He did not want to go to Ephesus because he knew that it would take so much time there that he would not be able to reach Jerusalem in time for Pentecost. But from Miletus, south of Ephesus, Paul sent an invitation to the elders of Ephesus to come and hear his teaching one last time.

Paul's journey passed through many popular holiday destinations today: Chios, Samos and Lesbos, whose most important city was Mitylene, can be found not only in the Acts of the Apostles, but also in travel agency brochures.

Paul's farewell speech - Acts 20:18-38

When Paul called the elders of the church at Ephesus together, he gave them a touching farewell speech. It is worth noting that the church at Ephesus did indeed have elders who bore responsibility for the church. The word elder, presbyteros, is the very word from which the words for priest come into modern languages ​​(präst, Priester, etc.). These brothers are referred to in the New Testament by a variety of terms. They are called shepherds, teachers, even angels (Rev. 2-3, based on Mal. 2:7).

If we are to be precise, there is one High Priest in the Church, Christ, and all Christians are part of the holy priesthood (1 Peter 2:9). Our pastors are not priests in the sense that they are not sacrificial priests. Instead, they are entrusted with the shepherding of the flock, with all the duties and authorities that go with it. The claim that there were no such men in the early Church is not supported by the New Testament. This is best demonstrated by the passage we are discussing right now.

Paul spoke of his own work. He had done the work according to his ability. He had not withdrawn, but had proclaimed the word boldly and publicly. Paul had only a vague idea of ​​what lay ahead. Difficulties were to be expected, chains and afflictions.

Acts 21:4 and 11 tell of two such testimonies of the Holy Spirit concerning Paul’s future, which Paul spoke of in verse 23. The fulfillment of those prophecies is recorded in Acts 21:33.

More importantly, however, Paul was already a prisoner on the coast of Miletus. The Holy Spirit had bound him and taken him to Jerusalem for unknown destinies. It was time to shift responsibility once and for all from Paul to the elders of the church.

Paul could boldly say that it was no longer his fault if any of the Ephesian Christians were lost. The word of God had been openly preached. Now it was the duty of the elders of Ephesus to take care of themselves and the flock over which the Holy Spirit had made them overseers.

Ezekiel 33:1-9 speaks of the responsibility of the pastor. When reading that passage, one might think that this is simply a doctrine of salvation by works: if you testify of God, you will be saved, but if you do not, you will be lost. At this point, one must remember Luther’s words: “Good works do not make a good man, but a good man does good works.” No one who has encountered the living Jesus can be indifferent to the salvation of others. No one who sees a blind person walking towards a cliff thinks, “Let him do his own thing,” but everyone naturally tries to stop him before an accident occurs. But one must remember that there are many ways to witness to Christ. Not everyone needs to preach and hand out leaflets on the street.

It is sometimes claimed that Luke was not familiar with Paul's doctrine of the atonement. However, it is here that Luke records the essence of the gospel as Paul's message. The Lord has obtained the church for himself with his own blood.

"I commend you to God and to the word of his grace"

Paul told a shocking thing about the future. From within the congregation, heretical teachers would arise, cruel wolves who would not spare the flock. Shepherds had to be alert and remember the trouble Paul had seen when he taught the elders. Not just anyone could become an elder in the congregation. Thorough training was needed for the demanding task. Those appointed to it should continue to remember that the flock is more important than the honor and prestige of the shepherd.

Paul left the friends of Ephesus in the care of God and the word of his grace. The word of God has the power to build up the church. Only the living and powerful word can give us an inheritance among the sanctified.

Paul also assured that he had not sought to profit from the church. He had worked honestly and supported not only himself but also others. In this way, he had followed the will of the Lord and set an example for the church as well.

Paul has finished his farewell speech. In this worldly time he no longer saw the Christians of Ephesus and the separation was sad. However, Paul had left a testament, a mission, to the elders of Ephesus and at the same time to the entire church. Hopefully, it encourages priests not to do their job just for the pay. The mission given by the Lord is enormous and one day an account will be made of it.

Hopefully, the members of the congregation will understand the enormous task their pastors have been given and will remember them faithfully in prayer. We can only cope by loving one another and focusing on the fact that the Lord has obtained us with His own blood.

Dear teacher

The final verses of the chapter show how dear Paul was to the church in Ephesus. A true shepherd chosen by God will face adversity and opposition in his work, but it must be said that he will also receive the intercessory support of God's people and the love of God's children.

Jesus’ words in verse 35 (“It is more blessed to give than to receive”) are not preserved in the Gospels, so here is a glimpse of the vast material that the oral and written tradition about Jesus contained (compare John 21:25). In his wisdom, God transmitted only a part of it to us through the apostles, but in that part the most important thing is told: Jesus has reconciled us to God (compare Acts 20:20-21).