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?
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?
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?
(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?
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?
(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?
(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?