Acts Of The Apostles # 29 Of 39

God worked in a marvelous way! New converts actually forsook their former practice of black magic, and in a public burning, they destroyed over $10,000.00 worth of occult scrolls and magic charms, thus openly proclaiming their faith in the Lord Jesus.

Illus: Wilmington states, "It is often noted, even today, by missionaries in such places as Haiti where voodoo is still practiced, that a private confession of faith is almost worthless, until the individual is willing to go to his home, bring out his occult objects, and openly and publicly destroy them.”

The new converts of chapter 19 wanted everyone to know they had been saved from the occult, that is why they publicly burned all their occult objects. Any time God does something in an extraordinary way, we can rest assured Satan will try to undo what the Lord does. The situation in chapter 19 is no exception. After that great revival, Paul felt it was time to leave. He made arrangements to leave, but had to alter those plans due to the severe riot that broke out as a result of Paul's preaching. Once that riot had been quieted, Paul felt the Ephesian church was stable enough for him to leave, so he departed to go into Macedonia.

I. THE FAREWELL (VERSES 1-6)

A. THE PLAN

Verses 1-3, "And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, and there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia."

After Paul spent three months in Greece exhorting the Christians, he was preparing to go to Syria, when he discovered a plan that the Jews had against his life. Once he knew about the plan, he decided to return through Macedonia instead.

B. THE PEOPLE

Verses 4-6, "And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. These going before tarried for us at Troas. And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days."

As he traveled through Macedonia, several associates were traveling with him. Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timotheus, Tychicus, and Trophimus. Why does the Bible make a point of mentioning that Paul was not alone? So that we might understand that God's work is always done by a body of believers. As great a man as Paul was, he was not great enough to do God's work alone. He would not have gotten anywhere if he had to do it by himself. For example, it was probably one of his loving associates of verse 3 that made Paul aware that the Jews had a plan to kill him.

The reason many churches are at a standstill, or even going backwards, is because it takes many in God's work to get something done for Him. Paul was aware of that, and as we read of this great man of God, we read over and over again, how he was surrounded by other great men of God.

II. THE FALL (VERSES 7-12)

A. PAUL PREACHING

Verses 7-8, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together.”

Evidently, though Paul arrived at Troas on the Jewish Sabbath, he did not go to the Synagogue until the following “...first day of the week,..”, and at that time he met with the church, for the Bible makes no mention of his going to the Synagogue the first day that he arrived. The Bible does state that he was in church, as was the custom with Christians, on “...first day of the week,..” In Old Testament days, the Jews met on the Sabbath, what we know to be Saturday. Once the Lord had died, was buried, and was resurrected on the first day of the week, Christians began to worship on that day to celebrate His resurrection.

Illus: The New Scoffield Bible States, “The fact that Paul and others sometimes attended Sabbath services in Jewish Synagogues does not prove that the apostolic church kept the seventh day as a special day of worship. It only shows that the early missionaries took the gospel message wherever and whenever they found people gathered together.”

B. PAUL’S PERIL

Verses 9-12, "And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted."