SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 6/3/2018
6:45 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-3 “Paul in Transition”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
18:18-23
Message of the
verses: “18 Paul, having remained
many days longer, took leave of the brethren and put out to sea for Syria, and
with him were Priscilla and Aquila. In Cenchrea he had his hair cut, for he was
keeping a vow. 19 They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself
entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to
stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21 but taking leave of them and
saying, "I will return to you again if God wills," he set sail from
Ephesus. 22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church,
and went down to Antioch. 23 And having spent some time there, he left and
passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all
the disciples.”
We pick up looking at verse 19-20 this morning and we see
that Paul left Priscilla and Aquila at Ephesus, probably to continue to work on
their business. The remained there for a
few years and according to 1 Cor. 16:19 we read “The churches of Asia greet
you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is
in their house.” According to Rom.
16:3-5 they went back to Rome “3 Greet
Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, 4 who for my life risked their own necks, to
whom not only do I give thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles;
5 also greet the church that is in their
house. Greet Epaenetus, my beloved, who is the first convert to Christ from
Asia.”
Now back to Paul in Ephesus who as his usual custom went
into the Synagogue to speak to the Jews.
Similar to Berea Paul was received well and they ask him to stay for a
while. John MacArthur writes “His
response to this great opportunity gives a clear testimony to the seriousness
of his vow. He refused to stay! In a hurry to reach Jerusalem because of his
vow, and (as some Greek manuscripts add) to reach the city before the Feast
(probably Passover), ‘he did not consent.’
Regretfully ‘taking leave of them and saying, ‘I will return to you again
if God wills,’ ‘he set sail from Ephesus.’
He did not leave the city without a Christian witness, however, since
Priscilla and Aquila remained there.
And, as will be seen shortly, they were soon to have help.”
Now according to verse 22 we see what Paul did, however
we do not see that he went up to Jerusalem to fulfill his vow, but MacArthur
writes it “is clear from the requirement of the vow, as well as from Luke’s use
of the terms ‘went up’ and ‘went down.
On naturally ‘went up’ from Caesarea, located on the coast, to
Jerusalem, located on Mount Zion, then ‘went down’ from Jerusalem to anywhere
else. Paul, then completed his second
missionary journey in Antioch, from where it had begun (15:35-36).”
William Barclay writes:
“We may see very clearly here
how much we do not know about Paul. Acts
18:23-19:1 describe a journey of no less than 1,500 miles and it is dismissed
with barely a reference. There are
untold tales of heroism of Paul which we will never know. (The
Acts of the Apostles [Philadelphia; Westminster, 1955], 150).”
“23 And having spent some time there, he left and passed
successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the
disciples.” We see that Paul did not
stay very long before he was off again to begin his third missionary journey,
as he truly had a desire to bring lost souls to the Savior.
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Jesus” (Luke 23:43).
Today’s Bible
Question: “In Psalm 23, the Lord
prepares a table before me in whose presence?”
Answer in our next SD.
6/3/2018 7:10 AM
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