Acts 20:17-38 Lesson 268

Acts 20:17-38
Lesson 268

Read both the "King James Bible" and the "New Living Translation."

In this lesson:

Miletus.

Paul's farewell to the Ephesians.
Being a Christian is not always easy (20:23-25).
Beware false teachers. (20:28-31)

Also;
Look for examples of Christian living.

Paul's farewell to the Ephesians.

By the Florida Center for Instructional Technology,
College of Education, University of South Florida.

Study Tip:

Be skeptical of different interpretations of the Bible, including these lessons.
Let God speak to you, then form your own conclusions.

The Acts of the Apostles

The King James Bible

Acts 20:17-38
Paul's farewell to the elders

17 And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.

18 And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,

19 Serving the LORD with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:

20 And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

22 And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:

23 Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

25 And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

26 Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.

27 For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God*, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
*Some original transcripts read "the Church of the Lord."

29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.

30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

32 And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

33 I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel.

34 Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

35 I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

36 And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

37 And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck, and kissed him,

38 Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.

Margin notes:

"The first day that I came." (20:18) - The first day was in the spring of AD 52, almost three years earlier.

"I have been with you at all seasons." (20:18) - Means "I have been with you all the time."

"Temptations." (20:19) - "Trials."

"The lying in wait of the Jews." (20:19) - Paul is referring to the Jews plotting against him in verse 20:3 (lesson 267).

"Taught you publickly, and from house to house." (20:20) - Paul talked about Jesus in public squares, house to house, and in a borrowed school room (Acts 19:9).

"Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God." (20:21) - In each town Paul visited, he preached repentance. First to Jews and then to Greeks (Gentiles).

"Faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ." (20:21) - "Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ." We are saved by our faith in Jesus, not by our good deeds.

"I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem." (20:22) - "I am driven by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem."

"Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me." (20:23) - "Except that the Holy Ghost tells me that in every city, prison and suffering await me" (Acts 9:16; 21:11).

"Finish my course with joy." (20:24) - "Finish my mission with joy." Paul's mission was to spread the word of God. And he succeeded, in 2 Timothy 4:7, he declared, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course."

"I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men." (20:26) - "Today I tell you, if any of you are lost, I'm not at fault." Why? Because they were warned. See Ezekiel 33:8-9.

"I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God." (20:27) - "I have not hesitated to tell you God's plan."

"Take heed..." (20:28) - Paul is still addressing the Ephesian elders.

"He hath purchased with his own blood." (20:28) - Jesus bought our salvation with His blood. "Believers are blood kin, all in Christ, one family, purchased by the blood of God." (Harold Ihlefeldt 1920-1970)

"Grievous wolves." (20:29) - This is a warning, a prophecy of false teachers more interested in their own glory than God's. Instead of feeding the flock, they feed themselves. Jesus also warned/prophesied of these "wolves" in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 7:15). It didn't take long for the prophecy to come true (Galatians 1:6-8).

"Speaking perverse things." (20:30) - "Speaking distorted things." False teachers distort God's message.

"By the space of three years." (20:31) - "For three years."

" I commend you to God." (20:32) - "I commit you to God."

"Give you an inheritance." (20:32) - As promised by Jesus (26:18).

"I have coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel." (20:33) - Unlike false teachers, Paul did not live off his congregation. See also 1 Corinthians 9:18 and 1 Thessalonians 2:9.

"These hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me." (20:34) - "These hands have supplied my needs and the needs of those with me." Paul worked as a tentmaker (18:3) to make ends meet.

"They all wept sore." (20:37) - "They all wept loudly."

New Living Translation

Acts 20:17-38

17 But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.

18 When they arrived he declared, "You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now

19 I have done the Lord's work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.

20 I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.

21 I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike-the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 "And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what awaits me,

23 except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead.

24 But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus-the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.

25 "And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again.

26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it's not my fault,

27 for I didn't shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

28 "So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock-his church, purchased with his own blood-over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.

29 I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.

30 Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following.

31 Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you-my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.

32 "And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.

33 "I have never coveted anyone's silver or gold or fine clothes.

34 You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me.

35 And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

36 When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them.

37 They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye.

38 They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship.

This second Bible text from the "New Living Translation" (Tyndale House, Publishers, Wheaton, Illinois) is a paraphrase and not an accurate word for word translation of the Bible. However, it is a helpful tool when read with the "King James Version."

Today's Question:

1. What can be learned from this segment?

Count your many blessings, and soon, you'll lose count.

Answer: (Do you agree?)

1. This segment has many lessons for Christians. For example, since we've all sinned, we should all be humble (20:19), we should be repentant and have faith (20:21), we should nourish others (20:28), and we must always be on the alert for false teachers (20:29), and be good Christian role models (20:35). Can you find any other lessons?

Application thought for the day:

Paul told the Ephesians that the only thing in his life that mattered was doing God's work (20:24).
What work do you deem important?
What work does God deem important?
Are you serving God?

Thanks to the writings and commentary of John Wesley and Adam Clarke. Also, "The Layman's Bible Study Notebook" by Irving Jensen published by Harvest House Publishing, Irvine, California; the "Life Change Series" published by NavPress books, Colorado Springs, Colorado; the "Life Application Study Bible" published by Tyndale House Publishing, Carol Stream, Illinois; the "Quest Study Bible" published by The Zondervan Corporation, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "Robertson's New Testament Word Studies;" "The MacArthur Bible Commentary" by John MacArthur published by Thomas Nelson, Nashville, Tennessee; "Wisdom of the Bible" CD by Topics Entertainment, Inc., Renton, Washington for their inspiring pictures; "My utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers published by Barbour Publishing, Inc., Uhrichsville, Ohio; The "Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge" by Reuben Archer Torrey; "Hope For Each Day" by Billy Graham published by J. Countryman, a division of Thomas Nelson, Inc., Nashville, Tennessee; "Easton's Bible Dictionary" by Matthew George Easton; "Unger's Bible Dictionary" by Merrill F. Unger, published by Moody Press, Chicago, Illinois; "Halley's Bible Handbook" by Henry H. Halley, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; "The Everyday Bible" published by World Wide Publications, Minneapolis, Minnesota; "The Living New Testament" published by Tyndale house; "The New Living Translation" published by Tyndale House; "The New Testament" translated from the Latin Vulgate, published by Guild Press, New York, New York; BibleGateway.com for all their wonderful links; and of course the "King James Bible." All were critical in putting these lessons together.
© 2024 evolke

Subscribe for Free Bible Lessons