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8. From Troas to Miletus (Acts 20:13-16)
ACTS 20:13-16
13 But we who went ahead to the ship set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for he had so arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard, and came to Mitylene. 15 Sailing from there, we came the following day opposite Chios. The next day we touched at Samos and stayed at Trogyllium, and the day after we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had determined to sail past Ephesus, that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hastening, if it were possible for him, to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.
Paul and the delegates of the different churches did not sleep that wonderful night. In the morning they sailed toward Jerusalem. But Paul separated himself from his traveling companions, who traveled by sea around the peninsula, while he walked the 25 kilometers on foot to the port of Assos. Paul wanted to withdraw himself and walk alone, so that he might have greater freedom to converse with God in solitude and prayer, thanking, praising, and magnifying Him for all Jesus had done that wonderful night. Paul wanted to give all glory to him. He separated himself from his brothers. He did not want them to look at him in a spectacular fashion or to flatter him. Instead, they were to think together and recognize what the Lord Jesus had done in raising the young man in Troas. This raising to life of the dead man was the evidence of the power of God at work. It was a symbol of His raising many out of their sins, wherever the fullness and purity of the Gospel is preached. Paul crossed long distances on foot. He had more time than we ourselves often have. We travel quickly among the countries, and speak more than we pray. The apostle prayed in his isolation, and participated in eternity and in the expanses of Christ.
Do you see Turkey on the map? Look for the names of the great islands Mitylene, Chios, and Samos, lying between Turkey and Greece. There you will see lines representing the journey of Christ’s triumphal procession.
This time the travelers did not set out as soldiers, amid spiritual and material hardship, but like a ship overflowing with cargo or a truck filled with the blessings of the harvest. Paul came with a generous gathering from each church. The donation in his hand symbolized the sacrifice of Christ- trained churches exercising the discipline of sacrifice. This was twenty-five years after His death on the cross. They offered their Lord not only silver and gold, to help the needy, but also themselves, as a living sacrifice. They sacrificed their time and strength, in spite of the surrounding dangers and troubles. Have you offered your life as a complete sacrifice for Christ? Or are you still selfish and stingy?
Paul wanted to arrive in Jerusalem by the Day of Pentecost. This old Jewish feast was the Thanksgiving Day following the end of the harvest. At the same time, the feast was the beginning of the Christian church. Paul had come with a great harvest, which would soon be turned into a starting point for preaching the gospel to the whole world. No one brought as many parcels as Paul did. Only a century after the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the praying disciples there were churches planted in all the centers and capitals between Jerusalem and Rome, which were filled with this blessed Spirit. This was the greatest miracle of the first period of church history. These capitals were like hearts, which pump out the blood of life into the limbs of the body. In this manner the Gospel infiltrated all regions. All this happened without the stroke of a sword, without central organization, without financing, and without international aid. The name of Jesus shone as Savior over all the peoples, even though the Gospel had not yet been written in Greek. Moreover, the Gospel of salvation rested only on the oral testimony of witnesses or the epistles. The gospels were later written to strengthen the new churches, which wanted to know about the life of Jesus and the history of His works. The first books, marking the beginning of the church age, were not the gospels, but the epistles, accompanied by the apostles’ manner of life, as evidence of the power of salvation.
Even today we live from the divine power flowing out of the apostles of Christ, for their epistles are powerful sermons, warnings, reproaches, and comforts for the churches. Do you want to recognize the spiritual life in the early churches? Study the epistles. There you will partake of the rivers of the Holy Spirit, who until now is at work in this world, building up believers and establishing them in their obedience to Christ.
PRAYER: O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank You, for You have raised up a multitude out of the death of sin and offense. You empower us by their words, as a token of Your grace. Help us to offer our bodies and lives as a sacrifice, acceptable and eternal, not just in words and feelings, but also in deed, in the use of our time and money, offering our weariness to You, while walking in truth.
QUESTION:
- Why did Paul walk alone from Troas to Ephesus?