|
PAUL STARTS HIS THIRD JOURNEY; APOLLOS ARRIVES IN EPHESUS; HE
IS TAUGHT BY PRISCILLA & AQUILA, AND CROSSES TO ACHAIA
Acts 18:23b-28 - (After spending some time in Syrian Antioch [1], Paul starts on his Third Missionary Journey, and ....)
1. A) Antioch
(two large areas in which Paul must
have spent quite a few months Tarus. In the book of Acts in the Bible, there is no specific information
about this visit to Derbe by Paul and his companions. Only the visited regions are specified. In the book of Acts in the Bible,
there is no specific information about this visit to Iconium by Paul and his companions. Only the visited regions are specified.),
"While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus" (Acts 19:1, NIV).
Now a Jew called Apollos, a
native of Alexandria
and a gifted speaker, well-versed in the scriptures, arrived at Ephesus.
....
This man began to speak with great boldness in the synagogue. but
when Priscilla and Aquila heard him they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him
more accurately.
Then as he wanted to cross into Achaia, the brothers gave him every
encouragement and wrote a letter to the disciples there, asking them to make him welcome. .....
While Apollos was in Corinth Paul journeyed through the upper parts
of the country (the high inland plateau of Asia Minor) and arrived at Ephesus [4].
There he discovered some disciples (...
who he baptises in the Holy Spirit),
Then Paul made his way into the synagogue there
(in 4. Ephesus) and
for three months he spoke with the utmost confidence .... But when some of them hardened in their attitude towards the message
and refused to believe it ..... Paul left them, and withdrew his disciples, and held daily discussions in the lecture-hall
of Tyrannus. He continued this practice for two years (...
Paul's longest recorded stay in any one location during his three Missionary Journeys),
so that all who lived in Asia (not just Ephesus, but
the surrounding country), both Greeks
and Jews, could hear the Lord's message. (Paul continues to preach
and also to heal, and with such success that a number who previously practised magic publicly burn their highly-prized books)
(Towards
the end of his 3 year stay in Ephesus, Paul probably wrote his First Letter to the church in Corinth)
After these events Paul set his heart on going to Jerusalem
by way of Macedonia and Achaia, remarking, "After I have been there I must
see Rome as well." . 4. Ephesus
Then he despatched to 5.Macedonia (the province that included
the cities of Philippi and Thessalonica) two of his assistants,
Timothy and Erastus, while he himself stayed for a while in Asia.
(Paul is now publicly attacked
by the many craftsmen whose livelihood depends on the worship of the goddess Diana and a near-riot ensues)
...... After this disturbance had died down, Paul sent for the disciples and after speaking
encouragingly said good-bye to them, and went on his way to 5.Macedonia [5]. As he made his way through these districts (... of Macedonia, Paul probably wrote his Second Letter to the
Corinthians after Titus' return from Corinth) 5. 5.Macedonia
.... he spoke many heartening words to the people and then went on to 6. Greece [6]
(including Corinth), where he stayed for three months.
(During his stay in Corinth, Paul is believed to have written
his Letter to the church in Rome. According to this Letter, either on his
way from Macedonia or during his three months stay in Greece, Paul led or organised a mission to Illyricum or Dalmatia - the area of the old Yugoslavia.)
RETURN TO JERUSALEM IN PAUL'S THIRD
MISSIONARY JOURNEY; THE c AD58
Taken from Acts 20:3b-12 - 21:15
- Then
(after staying in Greece [6] ...) when he (Paul) was on the point of setting sail for Syria the Jews made a further plot against him and
he decided to make his way back (by land) through Macedonia [7].
His companions on the journey were Sopater a Beroean ... two
Thessalonians ... Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and two Asians..... This party proceeded to Troas to await us there while we
sailed from Philippi [8] after the days of unleavened bread. and joined them five days later at 9. Troas [9], where we spent a week.
(At
Troas, Paul's lengthy teaching
almost leads to the death of a young man Eutychus who goes to asleep and falls out of window!) Meanwhile
we had gone aboard the ship and sailed on ahead for Assos, intending to pick up Paul there ..... since he himself had planned
to go overland. When he met us on our arrival at Assos [10]
we
took him aboard and went on to Mitylene [11].
We
sailed from there and arrived off the coast of 12. Chios [12] the next day.
On the day following we crossed to Samos [13], and the day after that we reached Miletus [14]. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus with the idea of spending as little time as possible in Asia.
He hoped, if it should prove possible, to reach Jerusalem
in time for the day of Pentecost.
At 14. Miletus he sent to Ephesus to summon the elders of the Church. On their arrival he addressed them ...... What saddened
them most of all was his saying that they would never see his face gain......
When
we had finally said farewell to them we set sail, running a straight course to Cos [15], and the next day we went to Rhodes [16] and from there to Patara [17].
Here
we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, and we went aboard her and set sail. After sighting Cyprus [18] and leaving it on our left we sailed to Syria and put in at Tyre [19], since that was where the ship was to discharge her cargo. We sought out the disciples there
and stayed with them for a week (... the disciples warn Paul not to go up to Jerusalem ). ..... We sailed away from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais [20].
We
greeted the brothers there and stayed with them for just one day. On the following day we left and proceeded to Caesarea [21] and there we went to stay at the house of Philip the evangelist
(... again he is warned of the dangers of returning
to Jerualem).
After this we made our preparations and went
up to Jerusalem [22].
22. Jerusalem
|
