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Acts Chapter
Twenty
I.
Content of the Chapter
The Return Trip of Paul’s Third Journey
I. He departed from
A. He
departed from
B. He
sailed away from
C. He
gathered together with them in the Lord’s Day in
D. A
young man named Eutychus fell down from the third and was raised from the dead
(v.8-12).
II. He encouraged the Ephesian elders in
A. He
came to
B. He
sent to
C. He
gave an account of his waling in
D. He
declared his burden to go to
E. He
encouraged the elders that they should take heed to themselves and to all the
flock (v.28-31).
F. He
commended them to God and to the word of His grace (v.32).
G. He
mentioned his example of toil and helping others again (v.33-35a).
H.
Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, “It is more blessed to give than to
receive” (v.35b).
II.
Verse by Verse commentary
Acts. 20:1 “After the uproar had
ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go
to
YLT: “And after the
ceasing of the tumult, Paul having called near the disciples, and having
embraced [them], went forth to go on to
Literal Meaning: “After the uproar had ceased” It indicates that after the uproar in
“To go to
Acts. 20:2 “Now when he had gone over
that region and encouraged them with many words, he came to
YLT: “and having gone
through those parts, and having exhorted them with many words, he came to
Literal Meaning: “Now when he had gone over
that region” “that region”
refers to Philippi, Thessalonica,
“He came to
Acts. 20:3 “and stayed three months.
And when the Jews plotted against him as he was about to sail to
YLT: “having made also
three months' [stay] -- a counsel of the Jews having been against him -- being
about to set forth to
Literal Meaning: “and stayed three months” It is reckoned that the Book of Romans of
Paul should be written in
“As he was about to sail to Syria” He previously intended to pass through the
Aegean Sea from Grete which was close to Corinth and go back to Jerusalem by
way of Syria.
“When the Jews plotted against him” Probably the Jews planed to seize him in
the boat.
“He decided to return through
Acts. 20:4 “And Sopater of Berea
accompanied him to
YLT: “And there were
accompanying him unto
Meaning of Words: “Secundus”: second; “Gaius”: joy; “Tychicus”: fortunate.
Literal Meaning: “accompanied him to
“Sopater of Berea” “Sopater” may be Sosipater, the kinsman of
Paul (Rom. 16:21).
“Aristarchus and Secundus of the
Thessalonians” “Aristarchus” was once seized by the Ephesian mobs
(Acts. 19:29); he followed Paul all the time and even accompanied him in the
prison (Acts. 27:2;
“And Gaius of Derbe” “Gaius” was a usual name at that time and
several different “Gaius”s were mentioned in the New Testament (Acts. 19:29;
1Cor. 1:14; Rom. 16:23; 3John. 1).
“And Tychicus and Trophimus of Asia” “Tychicus” may be born in
In the above name list, Titus and
another two brothers who were sent by the church in
Enlightenment in the Word: Christians should provide for honest things. We
should not only have a good conscience in the sight of the Lord but also be
cautious in the sight of men and try our best to avoid being misunderstood or
suspected by others (See 2Cor. 8:20-21).
Acts. 20:5 “These men, going ahead,
waited for us at
YLT: “these, having gone
before, did remain for us in
Literal Meaning: “waited for us at
Acts. 20:6 “But we sailed away from
Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at
Troas, where we stayed seven days.”
YLT: “and we sailed,
after the days of the unleavened food, from Philippi, and came unto them to
Literal Meaning: “after the Days of
Unleavened Bread” “The Days of Unleavened Bread” refers to the feast of seven days of the
Passover. It is also called the Feast of the Unleavened Bread because men are
not allowed to eat what is leavened (Exod. 12:18-20; Luke. 22:7). It shows that
Paul and others spent the Passover in
“We sailed away from Philippi” It indicates that they went on board at
the
“And in five days joined them at Troas” At that time two days was needed to sail
from Philippi to
“Where we stayed seven days” From the following descriptions, Paul
seemed to wait seven days there in order to join the gathering of the Lord’s
Day.
Acts. 20:7 “Now on the first day of
the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to
depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”
YLT: “And on the first of
the week, the disciples having been gathered together to break bread, Paul was
discoursing to them, about to depart on the morrow, he was also continuing the
discourse till midnight,”
Meaning of Words: “the week”: the
period of Sabbath.
Literal Meaning: “the first day of the week” refers to the day of the Lord’s
resurrection (Matt. 28:1; Mark. 16:2; Luke. 24:1; John. 20:1, 19) and the
“Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10).
“When
the disciples came together to break bread” “The disciples” included Luke the authority of
this book. Them (Paul and others) stayed at
According to the grammatical structure in the
original, “the
first day of the week” and “came together to break
bread” have the same
apposition, showing that they come together to break bread on every first day
of the week.
“Breaking bread” refers to the bread-breaking of
remembering the Lord’s death and it is also called “the Lord’s table” and “the
Lord’s Supper” (1Cor. 10:16-17, 21; 11:20, 23-26). After they broke bread and
remembered the Lord, they usually had “the love feast” (See 1Cor. 11:21-22,
33-34).
In the beginning of the church, probably on the
Lord’s Day believers usually came together after the evening because: 1) at
that time, some slaves became Christians and they needed to work during the day
and were able to attend the gathering at night only; 2) the gathering of
remembering the Lord by breaking bread was held at night and therefore it was
also called “the Lord’s Supper”.
“Paul, ready to depart the next day,
spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” Some people said that Paul was ready to depart
the next day and therefore they came together to break bread on the first day
of the week. This saying was wrong and the right explanation should be that
Paul spoke to them and continued his message until midnight because he was
ready to depart the next day. According to the Roman chronometry, a day is
counted from midnight to midnight (the Jews count the day from sunset to
sunset) and therefore “the next day” refers to Monday. They came together to
break bread in the evening of the Lord’s Day and listened to Paul speak until
the daybreak of Monday (See v.11).
This verse shows that the church in the
beginning did two things on the Lord’s Day: 1) “break bread” to remember the
Lord; 2) listen to Paul “speak”, i.e. they came together to listen to God’s
servants preach.
Controversial Clarification:
Some people call themselves as the sect of
Christianity and bring the way of the Sabbath in the Old Testament to the
Lord’s Day and it is indeed falling to the Law from grace. Christians in the
New Testament should not regard the Lord’s Day as a day of rest or a day of
keeping the religious ceremony. We should regard it as a day that the Saints
coome together to worship the Lord in Spirit and truth and a day that we eat
the Lord’s Supper and remember the Lord together.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The first day of the week” is the day of our Lord’s death and resurrection
and it is the day when many disciples met the Lord originally (Matt. 28:1, 9;
Mark. 16:9; Luke. 24:13-15; John. 20:19, 26). It is also the day when it is
easiest for us to meet the Lord.
2) Christians should attach importance to “the
Lord’s Day”, separate this day for the Lord and come together with all
believers to remember and pursue the Lord.
3) When the spiritual atmosphere is high in the
church, the spirit of God will work freely, the time of gathering won’t be
limited naturally and it is not unusual that they gather together until the
midnight.
Acts. 20:8 “There were many lamps in
the upper room where they were gathered together.”
YLT: “and there were many
lamps in the upper chamber where they were gathered together,”
Meaning of Words: “lamps”: torch.
Acts. 20:9 “And in a window sat a
certain young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was
overcome by sleep; and as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third
story and was taken up dead.”
YLT: “and there was
sitting a certain youth, by name Eutychus, upon the window -- being borne down
by a deep sleep, Paul discoursing long -- he having sunk down from the sleep,
fell down from the third story, and was lifted up dead.”
Meaning of Words: “Eutychus”: by luck, by chance.
Literal Meaning: “a certain young man” He may be in his tenth and therefore he
was called “the lad” in v.12.
“Who was sinking into a deep sleep. He was overcome by sleep.” “Being sinking into” and “being overcome” are
the same word in the original and it indicates that he was overcome, conquered
and pressed by sleepiness so that he slept heavily.
“And was taken up dead” It was the description of Luke the
physician, the authority of this book. And therefore we should believe that he
was indeed dead and should not surmise that he was just in a state of
unconsciousness as the modern Liberalists do.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If believers are spiritually naïve (“a certain
young man”), do not know the danger of the situation (“sat in a window”), are
not watchful in the spirit (“was sinking into a deep sleep…was overcome by
sleep”), they will probably fall down (“fell down”) and in a result they will
be spiritual depressed (“dead”).
2) Whoever is “overcome by sleep” towards the
Lord’s word will fall from the spiritual high peak------“fell down from the third
story” to the spiritual
death temporarily------“was taken up dead”.
3) The devil always makes accidents so as to
interrupt the gathering and therefore we should watch and pray for the
gathering and ask the Lord to keep the gathering.
Acts. 20:10 “But Paul went down, fell
on him, and embracing him said, ‘Do not trouble yourselves,
for his life is in him.’”
YLT: “And Paul, having gone
down, fell upon him, and having embraced [him], said, `Make no tumult, for his
life is in him;'”
Literal Meaning: “fell on him”
Elisha, the prophet in the Old Testament, once brought a dead back to life by
lying upon him (2Kings. 4:33-35).
“For his life is in him” “Life” refers to one’s “self”. Once soul
departs from the body, the body becomes “the dead body” (James. 2:26). The
souls will depart from the bodies after the common people die (Gen. 35:18) and
the souls will be taken up in hell temporarily (Acts. 2:27, 31) and wait for
the judgment at the last day (Rev. 20:13).
Acts. 20:11 “Now when he had come up,
had broken bread and eaten, and talked a long while, even till daybreak, he
departed.”
YLT: “and having come up,
and having broken bread, and having tasted, for a long time also having talked
-- till daylight, so he went forth,”
Meaning of Words: “eaten”: taste.
Literal Meaning: “had broken bread and eaten” There is an article concerning “had broken
bread” in the original and it should be “had broken the break” literally. It
means that they break bead to remember the Lord. “Eaten” refers to taking food
except bread, i.e. the love feast. In the beginning of the church, breaking
bread to remember the Lord and the love feast were carried out together,
however, some abnormal condition took place later (See 1Cor. 11:20-34) so that
this custom was given up gradually.
“And talked a long while, even till
daybreak” Paul was ready to
depart the next day (See v.7) and he did not have chance to talk with them (See
v.25, 38) and therefore he talked with them earnestly and tirelessly. It shows
that: 1) Paul had the gift of making weighty preachment; 2) Paul had long and
close sentiments with the listeners.
Acts. 20:12 “And they brought the
young man in alive, and they were not a little comforted.”
YLT: “and they brought up
the lad alive, and were comforted in no ordinary measure.”
Literal Meaning: “And they brought the young
man in alive” “In alive” shows
that he was in good condition and he was vigorous and energetic and did not
have the appearance of the state of coma at all.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The gathering of breaking bread (See v.7) is to
display the victory that through death the Lord might destroy him that had the
power of death and therefore life overcomes death finally------“they brought the young man
in alive”.
2) Only the witness that life overcomes death could
make us be comforted and encouraged.
Acts. 20:13 “Then we went ahead to the
ship and sailed to Assos, there intending to take Paul on board; for so he had
given orders, intending himself to go on foot.”
YLT: “And we having gone
before unto the ship, did sail to Assos, thence intending to take in Paul, for
so he had arranged, intending himself to go on foot;”
Literal Meaning: “and sailed to Assos” “Assos” was in the north of the ras of
“Intending himself to go on foot” There was about thirty kilometers from
Acts. 20:14 “And when he met us at
Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene.”
YLT: “and when he met
with us at Assos, having taken him up, we came to Mitylene,”
Literal Meaning: “and came to Mitylene” “Mitylene” was the main city
on the
Acts. 20:15 “We sailed from there, and
the next day came opposite
YLT: “and thence having
sailed, on the morrow we came over-against Chios, and the next day we arrived
at Samos, and having remained in Trogyllium, on the following day we came to
Miletus,”
Literal Meaning: “the next day…the
following day…the next day” refers to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.
“Came to
Acts. 20:16 “For Paul had decided to
sail past
YLT: “for Paul decided to
sail past
Literal Meaning: “so that he would not have
to spend time in Asia” When Paul preached
in
“For he was hurrying to be at
Enlightenment in the Word: here it is not written in the Bible that “God asked
Paul to sail past
Acts. 20:17 “From
YLT: “And from
Literal Meaning: “From
Acts. 20:18 “And when they had come to
him, he said to them: ‘You know, from the first day
that I came to
YLT: “and when they were
come unto him, he said to them, `Ye -- ye know from the first day in which I
came to
Literal Meaning: “when they had come to him” According to the speed at that time, it is
reckoned that they probably come to him the third day that Paul stayed in
“He said to them” The words from this
verse to v.35 are the only message to the leaders of the church that is
recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “In what manner the preacher lived” is obvious
to all and it is “known” to the elders and fellow-workers. And therefore the
Lord’s servants should be cautious about how they live.
2) A preacher must have three essential conditions:
“preaching”, “the word”, “man”; the most important of them is “man”. If the
“man” is wrong, no matter how good the way of “preaching” is and how unique the
word is, they are useless before God.
3) As the vessel, so
shall the work be. If God’s workers want to do great work, they should become
great vessels. If we want to know why the work of Paul was so great in the
nineteenth chapter of the Acts, we should know “in what manner he always lived”.
Acts. 20:19 “serving the Lord with all
humility, with many tears and trials which happened to me by the plotting of
the Jews;”
YLT: “serving the Lord
with all humility, and many tears, and temptations, that befell me in the
counsels of the Jews against [me];”
Literal Meaning: “with all humility”
“all” refers to everything, including great events and small matters, things in
public or in private. He always had the attitude of humility.
“With many tears” The reason why Paul was in tears may not be his
own sufferings but the pain and misery for the spiritual conditions of the
church and believers (See v.31; 2Cor. 2:4; Pill. 3:18).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Serving the Lord with all humility” The most important in serving the Lord is holding
the attitude of humility. It is not to exercise dominion over the Lord’s flock
but being the servant of all; it is not to be served, but to serve (Matt.
20:25-28).
2) The spiritual ones are not cold-blooded, the
more one is of spiritual, the more emotional he will be. However, it is not the
natural emotions but the mood of the Lord (See Heb. 4:15; 5:7).
Acts. 20:20 “how I kept back nothing
that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from
house to house,”
YLT: “how nothing I did
keep back of what things are profitable, not to declare to you, and to teach
you publicly, and in every house,”
Literal Meaning: “that was helpful” Please note that people are unlikely fond
of the words that are helpful to them.
“How I kept back nothing…but proclaimed it to you” “kept back…but proclaim” means concealing for
misgiving. Though Paul was will all humility (v.19), he was not craven and he
boldly spoke the words that should be preached publicly without any misgiving
or reservation.
“And taught you publicly and from house
to house” The former refers
to the public occasions, e.g. in the synagogue or in the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) What’s most important for a servant of the Lord
is to know what is helpful to the Saints and what is unhelpful to them. He
should speak what is helpful and do not speak what is unhelpful.
2) He whoever dare not say what he should say and
“keeps back” something is not the Lord’s faithful servant because he is afraid
of displeasing men because he scruples about human relationship or he is afraid
of his suffering because he is unwilling to pay price.
Acts. 20:21 “testifying to Jews, and
also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.”
YLT: “testifying fully
both to Jews and Greeks, toward God reformation, and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ.”
Meaning of Words: “testifying”: bear
witness fervently, earnestly advice; “toward”: into; “faith toward”: believe
in.
Literal Meaning: “repentance toward God” “repentance” in the original means “the
change of mind”; the Holy Spirit works in men’s hearts and lets men see that
they are against God and therefore they blame themselves (John. 16:8) and have
a will to repent and turn to God. It is the repentance.
“And faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” “Faith” in the original means “believing
on or receiving”; faith toward the Lord is to believe on the name of the Lord
and to receive Him as the Savior (John. 1:12).
“Repentance” and “faith” are the two
essential elements in the gospel. They are indispensable just as the two sides
of a coin. The faith without repentance may be not true. And the repentance
without faith is of no value. If men truly repent and turn to God, they will
believe into Jesus Christ; if men truly believe in the Lord, they will repent
and turn to God.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “To Jews, and also to Greeks” The Lord’s workers should not have the
discrimination on the grounds of race and religious backgrounds.
2) “Repentance toward God” shows that the repentance that makes men receive
the salvation is not the repentance toward goodness, righteousness and others
but the repentance toward God. It is not with the goal of other things but God
Himself.
3) If a man does not truly feel the sin that he was
far away from God, he will not truly receive the Lord Jesus as his Savior. And
therefore though repentance is not the condition for one’s being saved, it is
the presuppositional phenomenon before one truly believes in the Lord.
4) If our faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ is
only the “knowledge” of mind and the “identification” of emotion and we do not
truly “believe on” Him, we have not truly believed in Him.
5) The true faith shall make us no long live by
ourselves and entrust ourselves unto the Lord and live by Him.
Acts. 20:22 “And see, now I go bound
in the spirit to
YLT: “`And now, lo, I --
bound in the Spirit -- go on to
Meaning of Words: “bound”: be in
bonds, tie; “there”: in it.
Literal Meaning: “bound in the spirit” “spirit” refers to believers’ spirit that
is born from above; Paul felt restraint, urgency and pressure in his spirit and
it seemed that he would not feel free and relaxed if he did not go to
“Not knowing the things that will happen
to me there” It shows that Paul
had a feeling in the spirit that something would happen upon him this time that
he went to Jerusalem.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Christians walk not according to the inference
of mind and reason but the urgency and guidance of the spirit.
2) The urgency, pressure and compelling in the
spirit make men despise tribulations and not count their lives dear to
themselves (See v.23-24) because only through obedience the inner men will be
released.
Acts. 20:23 “except that the Holy
Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me.”
YLT: “save that the Holy
Spirit in every city doth testify fully, saying, that for me bonds and
tribulations remain;”
Literal Meaning: “except that the Holy Spirit
testifies in every city” It has two
meanings: 1) the Holy Spirit directly bore witness toward Paul continuously; 2)
the Holy Spirit indirectly bore witness toward Paul through believers in
various places.
Controversial Clarification: some people held that Paul should not be deaf to
the warning and dissuasion of the Holy Spirit and therefore he was arrested and
imprisoned in
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Paul clearly knew that “chains and tribulations
awaited him” in Jerusalem, however, he still went to the city of Jerusalem,
just as the Lord Jesus still steadfastly set His face to go to the city of
Jerusalem when he clearly knew that He would suffer death there (Luke. 9:51).
2) The steps of preachers are according to the
burden and guidance in the spirit and they are not determined by whether there
is peace or tribulations in future.
Acts. 20:24 “But none of these things
move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race
with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to
the gospel of the grace of God.”
YLT: “but I make account
of none of these, neither do I count my life precious to myself, so that I
finish my course with joy, and the ministration that I received from the Lord
Jesus, to testify fully the good news of the grace of God.”
Meaning of Words: “life”: soul.
Literal Meaning: “But none of these things
move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself” It implies that Paul had a feeling that he would
be martyred finally.
“To testify to the gospel of the grace
of God” “the gospel of the
grace of God” and “the
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) To every believer, there is a race before him
from the day he has been saved and he has to run forth (Heb. 12:1).
2) When we walk on the way of the Lord, we should
not consider our behavior according to the safety of our life. We should
consider finishing the ministry that we have received from the Lord.
3) There are two important things for those who
serve the Lord: a) faithfulness; b) wisdom (Matt. 24:45). In other words, we
have to clearly know the ministries that the Lord has assigned to us and the
race that the Lord has asked us to finish. Moreover, once we clearly know these
things, we shall be faithful to the end and finish the race and ministry.
4) The Lord does not ask each of us to be martyrs,
however, we should hold the attitude of martyrs, i.e. not loving our own life.
The life is our life of soul. To his life of soul, Paul did not love it and
even did not count it dear. And it is the attitude that everyone who serves the
Lord should have.
5) If one is moved by his life, he shall be afraid
of death; if one is afraid of death, he is all his lifetime subject to the
bondage of death (Heb. 2:15). Such man is unworthy to be the Lord’s servant.
6) Men’s “race” is their “ministry”. The capital by
which we finish the race is our “life” and “time” which the life is of. The
life and time that we own is the capital that God has given us to make us
finish the race and ministry.
7) Those who know the Lord know that all his
fortune and experiences are measured by the Lord and He has His goodwill in
everything and therefore they go forth at ease in order to finish the mission
that the Lord has entrusted to us.
Acts. 20:25 “‘And
indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the
YLT: “`And now, lo, I
have known that no more shall ye see my face, -- ye all among whom I did go
preaching the reign of God;”
Literal Meaning: “preaching the
“Now I know that you all…will see my face no more” It shows that Paul had a feeling that he would no
longer have many chances preaching freely and he would be martyred for the Lord
finally. The fact proves that after he went to
Acts. 20:26 “Therefore I testify to
you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.”
YLT: “wherefore I take
you to witness this day, that I [am] clear from the blood of all,”
Literal Meaning: “Therefore I testify to you
this day” “this day” is with
the tone of emphasis.
“I am innocent of the blood of all men” It shows that all men should bear the
responsibility of their blood and he was innocent. Paul said so because he did
not neglect the responsibility as a “preacher” and he did what he should preach
and teach and kept back nothing (See v.20, 27). And therefore the problem did
not lie in him but the audience.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God’s servants are set as “watchmen unto the
house of
2) The Lord puts us among the particular crowd
(including kinsmen and friends, colleges, classmates, neighbors and etc.) and
asks us to bear the responsibility of preaching the gospel; if we do not
preach, we will be called to account (1Cor. 9:16-17).
3) Our responsibility is preaching and the sin is
not on us if others are unwilling to receive. Certainly, we should learn the
skills at preaching the gospel so as to make others receive the gospel more
easily.
Acts. 20:27 “For I have not shunned to
declare to you the whole counsel of God.”
YLT: “for I did not keep
back from declaring to you all the counsel of God.”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Concerning the whole counsel of God, we should
not be shunned to declare or pursue. As Christians, it is wrong that we merely
receive some truth of the Bible and do not receive other truth.
2) If preachers have shunned to preach, the will of
God will be darkened and consequently they not only sin against God but also make
men not have the benefits (See v.20).
3) If we compare this verse with v.20, we shall
know that “the whole counsel of God” is the principle of what is truly
“helpful”.
Acts. 20:28 “Therefore take heed to
yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the
YLT: “`Take heed,
therefore, to yourselves, and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit
made you overseers, to feed the assembly of God that He acquired through His
own blood,”
Meaning of Words: “overseers”: the
looker above, the supervisor above.
Literal Meaning: “among which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers” It shows us two
things: 1) overseers are the elders (See v.17) and the elders are overseers and
the two appellations refer to the same duty; 2) the elders are made by the Holy
Spirit and are not chosen or ordained by men. Though apparently the elders are
appointed by the apostles (Acts. 14:23; Tit. 1:5), actually the apostles only
understood the meaning of the Holy Spirit and proved the appointment of the
Holy Spirit.
“Which He purchased with His own blood” The Bible exegetes had great debate over
this sentence, especially in the explanation for the word “He”. If He refers to
the Lord Jesus and it seems that it did not connect with the previous word
“God”. If He refers to God, God is the Spirit and could not bleed. Actually in
Paul’s whole passage of words, God, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit alternate
(v.21, 23, 24, 27, 28, 32, 35) and the truth of Trinity is included. The word
“He” here could be explained as the Lord Jesus with the body and what the Lord
Jesus has done is also what the Holy Trinity has done. Moreover, some Bible
exegetes held that it could be translated into “with the blood of the one who
is of Him” or “with the blood of His beloved one” in the original and therefore
He refers to the Lord Jesus.
Controversial Clarification: in the second century, the elders and
overseers became the leaders of the church of two different classes because of
the wrong teaching of Ignatius and the elders took chare of the church in one
place and the overseers were superior to the elders and supervised the churches
in several places in one district. And the overseers were also called
“bishops”. Actually “the elders” and “overseers” were synonyms (c.f. v.17, the
two words could alternate) and they refer to the same group of people.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “The Holy Spirit has made you” It is the clear proof that the Holy Spirit works
in the church; the existence and building-up of the church is all of the Holy
Spirit instead of any spiritual giant.
2) When all workers who are greatly used by the
Lord appoint the elders in various places, they should earnestly look upon the
guidance of the Holy Spirit and should not do it by their own favor or others’
recommendation.
3) In the original, “overseers” does not mean to
take charge of or control others but to take care of others and therefore the
elders should feed the flock of God according to the will of God and should not
be lords over God's heritage (1Pet. 5:2-3).
4) “Therefore take heed to yourselves” The leaders of the church should take heed to
their spiritual states. They won’t take care of the spiritual needs of all
Saints properly unless they should live in the light of God’s countenance
daily.
5) “And to all the flock” Those who only think about themselves are
unworthy to be leaders of the church; a responsible leader of the church should
give priority to the blessing of the flock and bear in mind the interest of
them in all things and all occasions.
6) All the Saints in the church are all bought by
the Lord with His own blood and they are of Him (1Cor. 6:19-20) and everyone
should not have the idea of keeping the flock for his own.
Acts. 20:29 “For I know this, that
after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.”
YLT: “for I have known
this, that there shall enter in, after my departing, grievous wolves unto you,
not s paring the flock,”
Literal Meaning: “savage wolves will come in
among you” “Savage wolves”
refers to the false prophets (Matt. 7:15) and the false teachers (2Pet. 2:1)
and they were the false brothers who were brought in surreptitiously (Gal.
2:4).
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) “Not sparing the flock” is the feature of the false teachers; those who
only talk about reasons and right and wrong and do not spare the Saints are
probably not the true servants whom the Lord has entrusted.
2) When leaders of the church walk in the church,
they should use love as the starting point.
Acts. 20:30 “Also from among
yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after themselves.”
YLT: “and of your own
selves there shall arise men, speaking perverse things, to draw away the
disciples after them.”
Literal Meaning: “men will rise up, speaking
perverse things” “men” refers to
the leaders rising from the church who had ulterior motives and they were
different from “the savage wolves” in v.29 who were from the outside of the
church. “Perverse things” refers to the words that are against the truth.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) There will be the perverse attack where there is
the truth. If we want to keep the completeness of faith and the purity of the
church, we have to get ready to face the war that may come.
2) Mark them which cause offences contrary to the
doctrine which you have learned; and avoid them; they, by good words and fair
speeches, deceive the hearts of the simple (Rom. 16:17-18) with the aim of
making men follow them.
Acts. 20:31 “Therefore watch, and
remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day
with tears.”
YLT: “`Therefore, watch,
remembering that three years, night and day, I did not cease with tears warning
each one;”
Literal Meaning: “night and day with tears” It is the wording of generality (See v.19)
and we should not explain it that he was in tears twenty-four hours.
Acts. 20:32 “‘So
now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
YLT: “and now, I commend
you, brethren, to God, and to the word of His grace, that is able to build up,
and to give you an inheritance among all those sanctified.”
Literal Meaning: “I commend you to God and to
the word of His grace” “The word of His
grace” includes the word of God’s grace “all the time”------the Bible and the
word of God’s grace “in season”------the words that the Holy Spirit speaks
through men and circumstances.
“Which is able to build you up” The word of God’s grace would make
believers be spiritually rooted and built up in Christ, and established in the
faith (Col. 2:7).
“And give you an inheritance among all
those who are sanctified” The word of God’s
grace would sanctify believers (John. 17:17) and have the fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life (Rom. 6:22), i.e. partaking in God’s eternal
heritance.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) The Lord’s workers should learn to command the
church “to God
and to the word of His grace” and should not
attempt to seize the church at their own hands.
2) Christians should learn the lesson of
“commanding”: we should command not only the works of the church but also the
individual private affairs.
3) The testimony and message of experiencing God’s
grace could have great effect in men’s hearts and therefore they could build up
the church.
Acts. 20:33 “I have coveted no one's
silver or gold or apparel.”
YLT: “`The silver or gold
or garments of no one did I covet;”
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) Those who take care of God’s people shall serve
wholeheartedly and not care about the material rewards.
2) If the Lord’s workers are greedy, the quality of
his work of preaching will be destroyed and men’s attack and criticism will be
brought in. These become the mortal wound to preachers and may also offend
others.
Acts. 20:34 “Yes, you yourselves know
that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with
me. ”
YLT: “and ye yourselves
know that to my necessities, and to those who were with me, minister did these
hands;”
The
Background: “these hands” Paul was a tentmaker (See Acts. 18:3).
Dean Alford, the Bible scholar, said that the tents needed to be dyed at that
time. And therefore when Paul spoke of “these hands”, his hands must have been
dyed with all the colors and be different from that of others. Moreover, his
hands were surely rough because of work and even had callus.
Literal Meaning: “these hands have provided
for my necessities, and for those who were with me” It does not mean that the Lord’s workers have to
do the worldly work to make a living by themselves but that under the condition
that the church could not afford workers, they must have the will to take pains
to get a job and serve the Lord.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) God gives us a mouth and two hands with the aim
of letting us work more and talk less; what we work speaks louder than what we
talk.
2) The Lord’s workers not only preach the word of God
in the church, but also should put their hands in the church; they should not
learn from the scribes and the Pharisees “who say and do not do” (Matt. 23:3).
Acts. 20:35 “I have shown you in every
way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the
words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It
is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
YLT: “all things I did
shew you, that, thus labouring, it behoveth [us] to partake with the ailing, to
be mindful also of the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is
more blessed to give than to receive.'”
Literal Meaning: “that you must support the
weak” “The weak” refers to those who were poor
in health and cannot stand laboring and therefore their income cannot make ends
meet and need others’ help.
“It is more blessed to give than to
receive” This sentence is
not recorded in the four Gospels and therefore there are two possibilities: 1)
Paul used this sentence to sum up the Lord’s teachings concerning “blessings”
(Matt. 5:1-12; Luke. 6:20-23); 2) Paul heard other apostles instruct orally
that the Lord once said this sentence.
Enlightenment in the Word:
1) If we keep the money in our own hands, the
blessing that we could enjoy is limited and if we take it out and help others,
greater blessings will be brought in.
2) If we are willing to give for the Lord, we will
receive more from the Lord. This principle is applied to both the material and
spiritual things.
3) The Lord’s blessings pour out to those who are
willing to make themselves be others’ blessing.
4) Our joy lies in that what we do for others is
more than what others do for us.
Acts. 20:36 “And when he had said
these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.”
YLT: “And these things
having said, having bowed his knees, with them all, he did pray,”
Enlightenment in the Word: prayer is the behavior and expression of commanding
to God.
Acts. 20:37 “Then they all wept
freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him,”
YLT: “and there came a
great weeping to all, and having fallen upon the neck of Paul, they were
kissing him,”
The
Background: according to the
custom in the region of the
Enlightenment in the Word:
there is love from the depth of hearts among believers. Once love of brothers
is lost, the witness of Christians is lost (See John. 13:34).
Acts. 20:38 “sorrowing most of all for
the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied
him to the ship.”
YLT: “sorrowing most of
all for the word that he had said -- that they are about no more to see his
face; and they were accompanying him to the ship.”
Enlightenment in the Word: Though “partings in life or death” are the most sorrowful
things in the world, we Christians are different from the world because those
who are dead in Christ still have the hope of resurrection.
III.
Outlines of the Spiritual Lessons
The Travel-stained Paul
II.
Encouraging------called the disciples and encouraged them with many words
(v.1-2).
III.
Deciding------he decided to return through
IV. Coming together
to break bread------we came together to break bread (v.7a).
V. Power upon power:
A. The power of preaching------continued
his message until midnight (v.7b).
B. The power of love------Paul went
down, fell on him (v.10a).
C. The power of calmness------do not
trouble yourselves (v.10b).
D. The power of healing------the young
man in alive (v.12).
E. The power of walking------intending
himself to go on foot (v.13b).
VI. Giving orders
and intending------for so he had given orders, intending himself to go on foot
(v.13).
VII. Hurrying on
with his journey------he was hurrying to be at
Paul Stated His Will of Serving the Lord
II. Will all
humility (v.19a; Eph. 4:2).
III. Be not afraid
of trials (v.19b).
IV. Keep back
nothing (v.20a).
V. Teach everywhere
(v.20b; 2Tim. 4:2).
VI. Regardless of
objects (v.21).
VII. Be not afraid
of danger (v.22).
VIII.
Be faithful to what the Lord has entrusted
(v.23-27).
The Testimony of Paul
II. His
service------serve the Lord with all humility (v.19a).
III. His
tears------with many tears and everyone night and day with tears (v.19, 31).
IV. His preaching:
A. Regardless of contents------he kept back nothing
that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you and he had not shunned to declare to
you the whole counsel of God (v.20, 27).
B. Regardless of places------he taught you publicly and from house to house
(v.20b).
C. Regardless of objects------he
testified to Jews, and also to Greeks (v.21).
D. Regardless of night and
day------everyone night and day with tears (v.31).
V. His sense of
spirit:
A. He was bound in the spirit by the
Lord------he was bound in the spirit (v.22).
B. He always had the communion of the Holy
Spirit------he knew that the Holy Spirit testified in every city (v.23).
VI. His
boldness------he did not count his life dear to himself (v.24).
VII. His
calmness------he was innocent of the blood of all men (v.26).
VIII. His
probity------he had coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel (v.33).
IX. His
diligence------his hands…by laboring (v.34-35).
X. His
example------he had shown you in every way (v.35a).
The Example of the Lord’s Worker
I. The attitude of
serving the Lord------with all humility, with many tears (v.19a).
II. The experience
of serving the Lord------trials which happened to him by the plotting of men
(v.19b).
III. The attitude
towards believers------keep back nothing that is helpful, but proclaim it
(v.20).
IV. The attitude
towards the world------preach the gospel regardless of race (v.21).
V. Towards his own
fortune------though he did not know what would happen, he would obey the Holy
Spirit (v.22).
VI. In the face of
tribulations------none of these things move him; nor does he count his life
dear to himself (v.23-24a).
VII. Towards the
ministry that the Lord has entrusted------so that he may finish his race with
joy, and the ministry which he received from the Lord Jesus (v.24b).
VIII. Preach to the
church------preach what he should preach and he was innocent of the blood of
all men (v.25-27).
IX. Advice to the
elders------take heed to yourselves and to all the flock; watch and remember
the words of exhortation (v.28-31).
X. Towards the
future of the church------commend the church to God and to the word of His
grace (v.32).
XI. The attitude
towards money------he has coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel and his
hands have provided for others; obey the word “It is more blessed to give than
to receive” (v.33-34. 35b).
XII. In what manner
he always lives------he had shown you in every way, by laboring like this and
supporting the weak (v.35a).
Paul’s Exhortation to the Leaders of the
Church
II. Take heed to the
responsibility for shepherding (v.28b; Eph. 4:11).
III. Remember the
mode that the apostles serve God:
A. Warn faithfully and constantly
(v.31).
B. Build up believers by the word of God
(v.32).
C. Be clean in money (v.33-35a).
IV. Exercise the
lesson of “giving” more (v.35b).
The Knowledge of the Elders of the Church
I. The elders are
made by the Holy Spirit (v.28a).
II. The elders are
the overseers of all the flock (v.28b).
III. The elders
should take heed to themselves and all the flock (v.28b).
IV. The elders’
responsibility is to shepherd the
V. The elders should
watch and beware of savage wolves and perverse men (v.29-30).
VI. The elders
should remember the exhortation of the apostles (v.31).
VII. The elders
should rely on God and the word of His grace (v.32).
VIII. The elders
should learn the example of the apostle (v.33-35a).
IX. The elders
should remember the word of the Lord Jesus (v.35b).
The Two Kinds of People that Harm the Church
I. The savage
wolves------they will come in from the outside, not sparing the flock (v.29).
II. The perverse
men------from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to
draw away the disciples after themselves (v.30).
──
Caleb Huang《Christian Digest Bible
Commentary Series》
Translated by Sharon Ren