Luke mentions the name of proconsul Gallio of Achaia, which helps put the time of the incident around AD 50-51 and it is worth noting that Caesar Claudius (AD 41-54) did grant the Jews some protection of their religion, but later expelled Jews from Rome for rioting. Gallio was the brother of the famous philosopher Seneca, and his “positive response toward Christianity was a key building block in the church’s case for a positive legal standing” in the Roman Empire. (TNAC, Fernando, Acts, 493)
(1) Corinth was the 3rd largest city in the Roman Empire, after Rome and Alexandria, with the famous temple of Aphrodite housing a thousand prostitutes. Why would the Spirit command Paul to spend a disproportionately long period of time in such a sin-city? Can you think of a modern city comparable to Corinth ― that is a cultural and commercial “boom-town” with great immorality? Do you know of any major effort of evangelism in that city?
(2) How did the Lord honor His promise in the vision to Paul in this incident? Was Gallio one of “His people” (v. 10)? Can God use non-believers as His tool to accomplish His will? Was there any such precedent in the Bible?
(3) While the Bible emphasizes the leadership role of men in the household and in the church, Luke now reverses the order and places Priscilla before Aquila in v.18. What might be the message here?
(4) Cutting hair as a vow, usually taken to be a Nazirite vow (Num. 6:1-21), marks the end of the period of the vow. We do not know what Paul’s vow was and when he made that vow, but obviously he made a vow to God and he kept it. Have you ever made a vow before God, and have you kept it?
(5) Paul was greeted with a good reception at Ephesus and yet he declined to stay longer at this point in this very important city of Asia Minor. Its church eventually became the most important church in Asia Minor where John and Timothy ministered and it was the home church of Jesus’ mother, Mary. Read 16:6 again and reflect on Paul’s words here in 18:21, “I will come back if it is God’s will.”
(6) The end of the section marks the end of Paul’s 2nd missionary journey. Spend some time to review what you have read from 15:35 to 18:22. If you were Paul, what would be the highlights of your 2nd journey that you would share with the church back in Antioch?
Compare the scene at the end of this 2nd journey at Antioch and that at the end of the 1st journey in Acts 14:26-28. Do you sense the difference in atmosphere? What might be the reason for the difference?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
One cannot help but notice the difference between the end of Paul’s first missionary journey and that of the second one. The first journey began with great fanfare, with praying, fasting and laying of hands, and rightfully so (Acts 13:2-3). This marked the “official launch” of the first mission team, sent by the Holy Spirit and a local church into Gentile land. This was a clear fulfillment of part of the Great Commission to reach beyond Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria.
And at the end of their journey, Paul and Barnabas held a special celebration to report this important mission breakthrough of “how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (14:27). It would not be an exaggeration to call it a celebration.
However, as we know, the second missionary journey was marked by a sharp division. Paul and Barnabas parted way, and it appears that the church in Antioch may have only blessed Paul’s team. In any case, their division had definitely hurt, if not split the church — this mission-pioneering church.
Now, Paul had finished his second missionary journey and returned to this church. This second journey saw great miracles (like the driving out of a demon and the breaking of chains in prison), the important conversion of the jailor, preaching in extremely important cities like Athens, Corinth and Ephesus, and with much success. Yet, upon his return to Antioch, Luke only recorded that Paul went up and greeted the church — a very different picture from his last return: There was no mention of any report, any celebration or praise given to the Lord. Then, as Paul began his 3rd missionary journey, he simply slipped away, with no laying of hands or blessings from the church.
One cannot help but sense that the church of Antioch had become a very different church and Paul had a very different relationship with the church. Division must have taken its toll!
This section marks the 3rd Missionary Journey of Paul, but some scholars see it as a continuation of the last journey instead.
(1) In early church history, Alexandria emerged as a very important theological center producing the likes of Clement, Origen and Augustine. As much as “knowledge puffs up” (1 Co. 8:1), from what was described about Apollos and his ministry, do you think being learned can be a great asset to Kingdom’s work? Why or why not?
(2) As Apollos went to Achaia where Corinth was, he ended up having great influence on the church of Corinth. Read 1 Corinthians 3:1-9 to get a sense of Apollos’ influence.
Who was at fault and who contributed to the quarrelling in Corinth? Should Paul and Apollos be responsible for their division? Why or why not? What is meant by Paul in 1 Corinthians 3:10?
(3) Note that Apollos ministered at Ephesus powerfully too and spoke boldly in its synagogue. Did the church in Ephesus have the same problem of division? Why not?
(4) What was Apollos lacking when he first came to Ephesus? How did Priscilla and Aquila help him? Was he willing to be helped? What then can you learn from Apollos who was already a great orator before his arrival at Ephesus?
(5) Apollos got a letter of recommendation from the church of Ephesus. What kind of a letter would you get from your own congregation if you were to leave for another place?
(6) What is the main message to you today?
As the Apostle Paul wrote his letters to the church in Corinth, it was more than obvious that he took issue with their pride in knowledge and learning. Although he himself was a man of great learning, he purposely downplayed his learning as he ministered to them “not with wise and persuasive words” (1 Co. 2:4), and he reminded them of the danger of knowledge, because it “puffs up” a person. (8:1)
Does it mean that knowledge or learning is necessarily a liability to a Christian’s life and his ministry for the gospel?
We know
that many who have been used by God were men of great learning. Solomon was very learned who wrote 3,000 proverbs
and 1,005 songs (1 Ki. 4:32). As much as
Paul wished to downplay his learning, his powerful speeches caused Governor
Festus to exclaim, “Your great learning is driving you insane” (Acts 26:24). And in Acts 18, we are told that Apollos was
from Alexandria, the second largest Roman city at the time and a place of
learning. Luke called him a learned man
as well.
Solomon’s great wisdom and learning caused the queen of Sheba to give praise to God (1 Ki. 10:9). Many of Paul’s epistles stand out as great theological treatises, as inspired by the Holy Spirit. And Apollos left his mark of ministry in Achaia, especially in the city of Corinth. Knowledge does not have to be a liability to the Kingdom. On the contrary, if placed in the hand of God, it can be a tremendous blessing to the Kingdom of God.
We should not be surprised by it, because after all, knowledge is a gift from God. Like all gifts from God, it can be turned into something destructive if we claim it for ourselves — destructive to us and to His Kingdom. But it can be turned into a blessing to God’s Kingdom if we use it for His glory.
As I received my call into full-time gospel ministry, one minister of God told me with good intention, “Paul, you do not have to attend any seminary. Just read the Bible yourself.” I am glad that I did not listen to him, because without attending a seminary, I would not have benefited from the knowledge and wisdom of past saints concerning the Word of God. It was by humbling himself that Apollos learned from Priscilla and Aquila and so came to a fuller understanding of the Word of God. I believe Apollos did not stop learning even afterwards, especially from the Apostle Paul.
Ephesus was the real seat of the provincial administration, with quite a bit of its economy based on its temple to Artemis, the multi-breasted goddess of fertility. It was also a city famous for magic, as “the phrase, 'Ephesian writings' was commonly used in antiquity for documents containing spells and formulae” (Bruce, Paul, 291).
(1) We learned that Apollos knew only the baptism of John, and now some “disciples” (of Christ, obviously), knew only of John’s baptism after more than 2 decades of John’s martyrdom. What does it say about the impact of John’s ministry, especially as the “Preparer of the way” for Christ?
(2) Paul’s question to the disciples was, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?". To this they answered that they had not even heard of the Holy Spirit. Though they had not heard of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit manifested Himself only when Paul laid hands on them, do you think these disciples were saved when they “believed”? Why or why not? (The real question is: Was being saved dependent on Paul’s laying of hands, or on their faith? Refer to Paul’s subsequent letter to the Ephesians in 2:8.)
(3) Paul, after delaying his ministry in Ephesus (18:21), now spent a good two years there, after Priscilla, Aquila and Apollos had served there. What was the result of Paul’s two years of ministry (19:10)? What lesson might you learn about waiting?
(4) The Jews were described as publicly maligning “the Way” (see 9:2) which refers to “a manner of behavior” (TICC, Barrett, Acts vol. I, 448). Do you think today’s Christianity is viewed by the public more as a religious belief or “a manner of behavior”? How do your non-believing friends view your belief? Is it more as a religion than “a manner of behavior”? What is the difference between the two?
(5) The lecture hall of Tyrannus was definitely a non-Jewish place. What might be the advantage of moving away from the synagogue in terms of evangelism? At the same time, how does leaving it echo Paul’s statement in 18:6?
(6) Luke describes the miracles by Paul as “extraordinary”. How were they beyond the ordinary miracles? Why were they necessary in a city like Ephesus?
(7) Why were such “extraordinary” miracles not mentioned again elsewhere in Acts?
(8) What is the main message to you today?
It is interesting to note that believers of Jesus came not only to be called Christians, but their religion came to be known as "the Way”. Even Paul, in his defense before Felix, called himself “the follower of the Way”.
In his research, C.K. Barrett concludes that this was “not only a term for a manner of behavior, but also for those who adopted the behavior” (TICC, Barrett, Acts, Vol. I, 448).
In other words, Christians in those days were not only identified by what they believed, but by how they lived out their beliefs. There was a manner of behavior that distinguished them from the rest of the world. I wonder what that manner of behavior might be!
The following letter from Pliny, the proconsul of Pontus (AD 61/62 – 115) to the Emperor Trajan, in which he expresses his hesitation in persecuting Christians, might provide us with some clues as to his reasons. Pliny had presumably killed Christians who refused to worship the image of the Emperor, but upon further investigation into who Christians were, this is what he discovered:
“They…meet together on a stated day before it was light, and sing among themselves alternately a hymn to Christ, as to God, and bind themselves by an oath, not to the commission of any wickedness, but not to be guilty of theft, or robbery, or adultery, never to falsify their word, not to deny a pledge committed to them when called upon to return it. When these things were performed, it was their custom to separate, and then to come together again to a meal, which they ate in common without any disorder.” (COBTAEL, Vol. III, 294)
In other words, Pliny was trying to tell the emperor that Christians were no threat to the government, and that they were peaceful citizens of the empire, even though they refused to bow to the image of the emperor.
(1) It appears that demon-possession was quite common in Ephesus. Since the seven sons of Sceva went around driving out demons using the name of Jesus, did they then “believe in the name of Jesus”?
(2) The fact that the evil spirit said, “Jesus I know and I know about Paul, but who are you?” clearly means that it did not know them. So, did these Jews really know Jesus?
(3) What kind of “faith” did they have in the name of Jesus?
(4) If you are faced with a demon-possessed person, should you be afraid? (Read 1 Jn. 4:4.)
(5) To be seized with fear is one thing, to openly confess one’s evil deeds and to burn what could have been $300,000 worth of magic books is another. Why would they bother to calculate how much they were worth? What did all these actions show?
(6) Can you define true repentance based on their actions?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
We often read with envy revival stories of the past, like the Scottish Revival of 19th century, and think that it is a spiritual phenomenon that belonged only to the past. I have come across much more recent stories of revival and here is one that happened in the city of Resistencia, Argentina in 1990, where virtually all its 400,000 citizens were won for Christ:
"…over a three-year period, Evangelical believers had grown 500% and as part of a series of revival meetings, a book-burning ceremony was held every evening: 'A 100-gallon drum was set up to the left of the platform to dispose of Satanic paraphernalia. As people came forward, they dumped all kinds of occult-related items into it. Before praying for the people, gasoline was poured on the contents of the drum, a match was struck and every evil thing inside went up in flames'.”
According to one of the Sentinel videos that documents revivals in recent years, a small Inuit city north of Quebec also experienced great revival at the beginning of this millennium. Many young people came to Christ and burned all their occult books and music in a huge bonfire. A city once dominated by suicide and crime received new life because of the persistent prayers of its Christian leaders.
I encourage the readers to go to the Sentinel website www.glowtorch.org to read more of the stories of remarkable revivals that have taken place in recent years or decades.
Having witnessed a very successful revival at Ephesus, Paul now set his heart on both Jerusalem and Rome. Little did he know that in Jerusalem that he will face fierce persecution that would eventually lead him to Rome where he would die as a martyr. From this point on, from chapter 19 until the end of chapter 28, Luke gives us the events that happened during this period of time.
(1) Although Paul did not share the reason why he wanted to go to Rome, from a historical perspective, how important has Rome been to Christianity?
(2) From what Demetrius said, can you assess the impact the gospel had in Asia Minor at that time?
(3) Do you think the gospel still has an impact of such kind and power today in our city? Why or why not?
(4) I visited the ruins of the theatre at Ephesus which was a huge, open arena sitting atop a hill. When full, it could seat 24,000 people, more than the attendees at a hockey game. The whole city assembled in an impromptu gathering, bordering on a riot. It is worth noting that
a. The Jews (a term normally used in Acts to denote non-believing Jews) in pushing Alexander to the front, were obviously trying to disassociate themselves from Paul and his company, and
b. The city clerk, though affirming the divinity of Artemis, exercised his administrative role in maintaining law and order.
What did Paul try to do? If he did go into the theatre, what might the result be? What can you learn from this incident?
(5) What is the main message to you today?
Some years ago, I had the opportunity of visiting the countries of Greece and Turkey. I was excited because these are the lands where the first Christian missionaries, including the Apostle Paul and Apostle John set foot on. I was not disappointed.
As I stood at the little cave in Patmos and enjoyed a panoramic view of the island, I was soaked in the memory of John’s vision on the lonely island which is inaccessible to the outside world for a good 6 months after September each year. What a place for solitude, I thought to myself.
But ruins like
the Theatre in Ephesus brought me a somewhat profound thought. As I looked at this huge theatre that is much
bigger than any professional hockey rink, with its special box for the Emperor and
marble-back seats for the elites, a term frequently used by the tour guide came
to my mind — magnificent ruin! I thought
to myself,
“What an oxymoron! How can ruins be magnificent?"
But that is what human achievement always is. No matter how glorious, how esteemed and how shockingly great it can be at any moment, over time, it will lose all its glory. In fact, over time, it will become a ruin and will be forgotten! At best, it remains as a historical relic!
(1) As Paul left Ephesus and ventured into Macedonia, Luke describes Paul’s ministry at the time as speaking words of encouragement to the disciples. What kind of encouragement did these disciples in Ephesus and Macedonia need at a time like this?
(2) Luke mentions the names of those who now ministered together with Paul. In particular, he highlights where they were from: Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe and Asia. What might be the Luke's intent? (Note: Most commentators think that Paul’s journey to Jerusalem was to take donations from various churches to aid the suffering brothers there, and these named brothers had been appointed by their respective churches to accompany Paul for this purpose. See 2 Co. 8:19.)
(3) V. 7 is the first clear allusion to Christians meeting on the 1st day of the week and the Didache, (a late 1st century or early 2nd century document) confirms this as a regular habit of worship of the early Christians. What, do you think, was the reason for this change (from worshipping on Sabbath), and what is the theological significance of this change?
(4) While the preaching lasted many hours, the occasion was described as coming “together to break bread.” (v. 7 and v. 11) What is the significance of “breaking bread”, and “breaking bread together”? What should you learn from them concerning your attitude towards the Lord’s Supper?
(5) Since breaking bread is part of a meal (see 1 Co. 11), it is likely that Paul began preaching at supper time till midnight and then till daybreak. How many hours were there? Was Paul being insensitive? What caused the believers to listen for such a long time?
(6) The word used for the young man seems to indicate that Eutychus was no more than 14 (Marshall). From this incident, what can we learn about the house church of the early centuries?
(7) What is the main message to you today?
When I was studying theology to prepare myself for ministry, one of the great disappointments was having to sit and listen to some arrogant professors tear down the church of Jesus Christ. They never opened their classes in prayer, as if we did not need the Holy Spirit to guide us into the truth. His teaching would be the truth. At one such class, the professor made this destructive statement, “I never listen to sermons that last more than 15 minutes.” If he were at that midnight service of Paul at Troas, perhaps he would have fallen asleep and fallen down three stories before Eutychus did!
This is the curse of this generation. We have lost the ability to fix our attention steadily on a matter. As a result, most of the commercials on television have to last only between 15 to 30 seconds, or else the viewers will change the channel right away. Watching television is one thing, listening to sermon is another. In order to cater to this phenomenon, a church in Vancouver, Canada once put up a big sign on its front lawn with these words, “15-minute sermon, or your money back!” .(I have a picture to prove it!)
Indeed,
the curse of Amos has come to pass:
“The days are coming…
when I will send a famine through the land—
not a famine of food or a thirst for water,
but a famine of hearing of the words of the Lord”. (Amos 8:11)
With a “not-more-than-15-minutes-a-week” diet, no wonder the flock of Jesus Christ is weak and starving!
(1) Paul’s main destiny was Jerusalem and he bypassed Ephesus so that he would not be unduly delayed by the local disciples.
a. What reason did Paul give about his desire to go to Jerusalem?
b. What could he expect to face in Jerusalem?
c. Why then would he still go? What can you learn from Paul in this respect?
(2) Paul gave a very honest account of his life and ministry among the Ephesians which includes:
a. Serving the Lord with great humility
b. ...and with tears
c. Being severely tested by the plots of the Jews
d. Not hesitating to preach
e. ...both publicly and from house to house
f. Declaring to both Jews and Gentiles
g. ...that the message was about repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus
Reflect on each of the above, and write down what each
- would have meant to Paul, and
- should mean to you.
(3) What is the main message to you today?
Paul’s farewell message to the elders of Ephesus was one of the most moving speeches in the Bible to me. As Paul bared his soul before the leaders whom he deeply loved, every word spoken was obviously from the heart, and one could sum up the ministry of Paul among them as a ministry of BLT— blood, labor (or sweat) and tears! Paul really set us an example of faithful, loving and humble servanthood. As a result, he was bold enough to ask us to emulate him, not because he was arrogant, but because he first emulated Christ.
Talking about emulation, I often hesitate to follow the tradition of some denominations or churches in practicing the foot-washing ritual in which they seek to take after Christ as in John 13. It is because servanthood can only be emulated from the heart, and not by outward rituals.
I once saw a well-meaning pastor who took the lead in performing such a feet-washing ceremony, only to find that there was no towel prepared for the occasion. Out of frustration he yelled, “Give me a towel!”
So much for servanthood!