Peace of Our Savior Lutheran Church and Preschool - WELS

Acts 21:1-16

Acts 21

To Tyre

¹ After we ^[1] tore ourselves away from them and set sail, we headed straight to Cos, and the next day to Rhodes, and from there to Patara. ² When we found a ship crossing over to Phoenicia, we went on board and set sail. ³ After sighting Cyprus and passing by on its south side, we sailed to Syria and put in to port at Tyre, because there the ship was to unload its cargo.

⁴ We located the disciples and stayed there seven days. Through the Spirit, they kept telling Paul not to go to Jerusalem. ⁵ When our time there came to an end, we left and went on our way. All of them, with their wives and children, accompanied us out of the city. We knelt down on the beach and prayed. ⁶ After saying good-bye to each other, we went on board the ship, and they returned home.

To Caesarea

⁷ When we completed our voyage from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais. There we greeted the brothers ^[2] and stayed with them for one day. ⁸ The next day, we left and came to Caesarea. We entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven, and stayed with him. ⁹ He had four virgin daughters, who prophesied. ¹⁰ After we had stayed there for a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. ¹¹ When he came to us, he took Paul’s belt, tied his own feet and hands with it, and said, “This is what the Holy Spirit says: ‘This is the way the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and will deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’”

¹² When we heard this, both we and the local residents urged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. ¹³ Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” ¹⁴ Since he could not be persuaded, we said nothing more except, “May the Lord’s will be done.”

In Jerusalem

¹⁵ After those days we got ready and went up to Jerusalem. ¹⁶ Some of the disciples from Caesarea also went with us and brought us to Mnason, with whom we were to stay. He was from Cyprus and was one of the first disciples.

Acts 20:17-38

Acts 20

Paul Says Farewell to the Elders of Ephesus

¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ When they came to him, he said to them, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I set foot in the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with all humility, with tears, and with the trials that came to me due to the plots of the Jews. ²⁰ You know how I did not hesitate to proclaim to you anything that would be beneficial for you or to teach you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have solemnly testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. ^[1]

²² “And you see, now I am going to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit keeps warning me in town after town that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life as of no great value to me, so that I may finish my race and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus—to testify to the gospel of God’s grace.

²⁵ “Now take note of this too. I know that none of you among whom I went around preaching the kingdom of God will ever see my face again. ²⁶ Therefore I solemnly declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, ²⁷ for I did not hesitate to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God.

²⁸ “Always keep watch over yourselves and over the whole flock in which the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, ^[2] which he purchased with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after my departure savage wolves, who will not spare the flock, will come in among you. ³⁰ Even from your own group men will rise up, twisting the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ Therefore be always on the alert! Remember that for three years, night and day, I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.

³² “And now I entrust you to God and to the word of his grace, which has power to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I did not covet anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands have provided for my needs and for those who were with me. ³⁵ In every way I gave you an example that, by working hard like this, we need to help the weak and to remember the words that the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

³⁶ After Paul said these things, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. ³⁷ They all wept very much, as they threw their arms around Paul’s neck and kissed him. ³⁸ They were most distressed over the statement he made, that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

Acts 20:1-16

Acts 20

To Macedonia and Greece

¹ After the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and encouraged them. After saying good-bye, he left to go to Macedonia. ² After he had gone through those areas and had spoken many words of encouragement to the people, he came to Greece ³ and stayed there three months.

Because a plot was made against him by the Jews just as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴ He was accompanied ^[1] by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, along with Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us ^[2] at Troas. ⁶ We sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and within five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead

⁷ On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul spoke to the people. Since he intended to leave the next day, he continued talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus. He was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking for a long time. When he was sound asleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, bent over him, threw his arms around him, and said, “Do not be alarmed, because he is alive!” ¹¹ Then he went upstairs, broke bread, and ate. After talking for a considerable time until dawn, he left. ¹² They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.

On to Miletus

¹³ We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had arranged it this way, since he was intending to travel there by land. ¹⁴ When he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. ¹⁵ From there we set sail. We arrived off Chios the next day. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and ^[3] on the following day we came to Miletus. ¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he would not have to spend time in the province of Asia. He was in a hurry to be in Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

Acts 19:21-41

Acts 19

²¹ After all this had happened, Paul resolved in his spirit ^[1] to go to Jerusalem by traveling through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must also see Rome.” ²² After sending two of his assistants, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, he stayed in the province of Asia for a while.

The Riot in Ephesus

²³ During that time there was more than a minor disturbance about the Way. ²⁴ A certain silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little income for the craftsmen. ²⁵ He called them together, along with the workers in similar trades, and said, “Men, you know that our prosperity comes from this income. ²⁶ You also see and hear that not merely in Ephesus but throughout almost the entire province of Asia, this Paul has persuaded and turned away a large number of people. He says that gods made by hands are not gods at all! ²⁷ Not only is there danger that our trade may be discredited, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be considered worthless. Then she will suffer the loss of her magnificence, although she is worshipped by the whole province of Asia and the world.”

²⁸ When they heard this, they were filled with rage and began to shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” ²⁹ The city was filled with confusion, and with one goal in mind they rushed to the theater, dragging along Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul’s traveling companions. ³⁰ Paul wanted to enter the public assembly, but the disciples would not let him. ³¹ Even some of the provincial officials of Asia, who were his friends, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater.

³² Some were shouting one thing, others another, because the assembly was in confusion. Most of them did not even know why they had come together. ³³ They made Alexander come out of the crowd. ^[2] It was the Jews who pushed him forward. Alexander motioned with his hand and wanted to make his defense to the assembly. ³⁴ But when they recognized that he was a Jew, a single cry rose from all of them. For about two hours, they kept shouting, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

³⁵ After the town clerk had quieted the crowd, he said, “Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is the keeper of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image that fell from heaven? ³⁶ Therefore, since these things cannot be denied, you need to be quiet and not do anything rash. ³⁷ For you have brought these men here who are neither temple robbers nor blasphemers of our ^[3] goddess. ³⁸ If Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them press charges against one another. ³⁹ If you want to pursue something about other matters, ^[4] it should be settled in the legal assembly. ⁴⁰ For we are in danger of being charged with rioting today, because we will not be able to give any reason for this disorderly mob.” ⁴¹ After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Acts 19:1-20

Acts 19

Paul Goes to Ephesus

¹ While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul traveled through the interior districts and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?”

“No,” they answered, “we have not even heard that the Holy Spirit was given.”

³ Paul asked, “What were you baptized into then?”

They replied, “Into John’s baptism.”

⁴ Paul said, “John baptized with a baptism of repentance, telling the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus. ^{[1] 5} When they heard this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.” ^[2]

⁶ When Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they began to speak in other languages and to prophesy. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.

⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly for three months, leading discussions and trying to persuade them about ^[3] the kingdom of God. ⁹ But when some became hardened and refused to believe, even slandering the Way in front of the crowd, he left them. He took the disciples with him and led discussions every day in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, with the result that all who lived in the province of Asia, both Jews and Greeks, heard the word of the Lord.

¹¹ God was doing extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the sick; their illnesses left them and the evil spirits went out of them.

The Seven Sons of Sceva

¹³ Then some Jewish exorcists who went from place to place tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits. They said, “I command you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches to come out!” ¹⁴ It was the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who were doing this. ¹⁵ But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I am acquainted with Paul, but who are you?” ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them, overpowered them, and exercised such complete domination over all of them that they fled from that house naked and wounded.

¹⁷ This became known to everyone who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. They were all overcome with fear, and they held the name of the Lord Jesus in high honor. ¹⁸ Also many of those who had become believers came forward, confessing and admitting their actions. ¹⁹ And a large number of those who had practiced magic arts ^[4] collected their books and burned them in front of everyone. They added up the cost of the books and found it to be fifty thousand pieces of silver. ^{[5] 20} In this way the word of the Lord was growing and gaining strength.