PAUL'S LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM
Acts 20:2, to 21:16
AFTER his three years at Ĕph́ e-sŭs in Ā́ s̝iȧ, Mī́ nor, Pa̤ul sailed across the Æ-ġī́ an Sea to Mac-e-dṓ nĭ-ȧ. There he visited again the churches in Phĭ-lĭṕ pī, Thĕs-sa-lō̇-nī́ cȧ and Bē̇-rḗ ȧ. Then he went southward into Greece, and saw again the church at Corinth, to which shortly before he had written two long letters. While Pa̤ul was visiting these churches he told them of the believers in Christ among the Jews̝ in Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm and Jū-dḗ ȧ; that many of these were very poor, and since they had become disciples of Christ the other Jews̝ would not help them. Therefore Pa̤ul asked the Ġĕń tīle churches everywhere to send gifts to these poor people. He said in his letters:
"These people have sent the word of Christ to you; now send to them your gifts to show that you love them, and to show that you thank God for the gift of his Son who saves you from your sins.”
From each of the churches men were chosen to go with Pa̤ul to Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm and to carry these gifts. From Bē̇-rḗ ȧ, the place where so many had studied the Scriptures, as we read in Story Eleven, went a man named Sŏṕ a-te͂r. From Thĕs-sa-lō̇-nī́ cȧ went Ăr-ĭs-täŕ chus and Sĕ-cŭń dus. From De͂ŕ bē̇ in Ā́ s̝iȧ, Mī́ nor, Gā́ ius and Tĭḿ o-thy̆ were sent; and from the other churches in Ā́ s̝iȧ. Mī́ nor, Ty̆ch́ ĭ-cŭs and Trŏph́ ĭ-mŭs. All these went on before, and waited for Pa̤ul at Trṓ as, on the shore of the Æ-ġḗ an Sea. Pa̤ul's friend Lṳke the doctor joined him again at Phĭ-lĭṕ pī, and they sailed together to Treas. There the other disciples met them, and they stayed for a week.
On the evening of the first day of the week, a farewell meeting was held at Trṓ ăs, for Pa̤ul and his party, who on the next day were to start on their journey to Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm. The meeting was in a large upper room on the third story of a house, and it was filled with people who had come to hear Pa̤ul. While Pa̤ul was speaking, one young man, named Eū́ ty̆-chus, who was sitting in a window, dropped asleep, and in his sleep fell out of the window upon the ground, two stories below. He was taken up dead; but Pa̤ul went down, and fell on him, and placed his arms around him, saying, "Do not weep for him, for his life is still in him.”
Then Pa̤ul went up again, and broke the bread with the believers, and held with them the Lord's Supper; and then he talked again for a long time, even until the break of day. And they brought the young man living, at which they were very happy.
All the rest of the party going to Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm, except Pa̤ul, went on board the ship at Trṓ ăs. But as the ship was to stop on the way at a place called Ăś sŏs, Pa̤ul chose to go to that place on foot. At Aś sŏs, they took Pa̤ul on board, and sailed for some days among the islands of the Æ-ġḗ an Sea, and stopped at Mī́ lē-tus, which was not far from Eph́ e-sŭs. Pa̤ul did not wish to go to Ĕph́ e-sŭs, but he sent to the elders of the church, asking them to come and meet him at Mī́ lē-tus. They came, and Pa̤ul said to them:
"You know from the first day that I set foot in this part of Ā́ s̝iȧ, after what manner I was with you all the time, serving the Lord with a lowly mind, and with tears, and with many troubles which came upon me from the plots of the Jews̝. You know, too, how faithfully I spoke to you, teaching you in public and from house to house, to repent of your sins, and to believe in our Lord Jesus Christ.
"And now, bound in my spirit, I am going to Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm, not knowing what shall come upon me there, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in every place that chains and troubles will meet me. But I do not hold my life of any account, as dear to me; so that I may run out my race in Christ, and may do the work given me by the Lord Jesus, to preach the good news of God's grace. And now, I know that you all, among whom I went preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more.
"Take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock which the Holy Spirit has placed in your care, as shepherds to feed the church, which the Lord Jesus bought with his own blood. I know that after I go away, enemies, like savage wolves, shall come among you, not sparing the flock, and also among yourselves men shall rise up speaking false things and leading away disciples after them.
Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease warning you, night and day, with tears.
"And now, I leave you with God, and with the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to make you fit to dwell among his holy ones. I have not sought among you gold, or silver, or fine clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have worked for my own living, and to help those who were with me. I have tried to show you by my own life how that you should in the same way help those who are weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, `It is more blessed to give than to receive."'
When Pa̤ul had said this, he kneeled down and prayed with them all. And they all wept, and fell on Pa̤ul's neck, and kissed him; for they felt very sad at his words, that they should see his face no more. They went with him to the ship, and saw him sail away from them.
Pa̤ul and his company sailed among the islands and toward the land of Jū-dḗ ȧ, and went ashore at Tȳre. There they found disciples, and stayed with them a week. Some of these spoke to Pa̤ul in the Spirit of God, and told him not to go into Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm. But Pa̤ul had set his face toward that city; and when he found a ship going from Tyre to Jū-dḗ ȧ, all the disciples, with their wives and their children, went with him out of the city; and all knelt down together on the beach and prayed, before they parted from each other. Pa̤ul's party left the ship at a place called Ptŏl-e-mā́ is, from which they walked down the shore to Cæs-a-rḗ ȧ. This was the place where years before Pḗ te͂r had given the gospel to the Rṓ man centurion Côr-nḗ lĭ-ŭs. And there Pa̤ul found Phĭĺ ĭp, the man who had preached to the Sā̇-măŕ ĭ-tans̝ and to the nobleman from Ē-thĭ-ṓ pĭ-ȧ. In those old days, Pa̤ul then Sa̤ul, had been Phĭĺ ĭp's enemy, and had driven him out of Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm. Now they met as friends, and Pa̤ul stayed as a guest at Phĭĺ ĭp's house.
While they were at Cæs-a-rḗ ȧ, an old man, named Ăǵ a-bŭs, came down from Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm. He was a prophet, to whom God had shown some things that were to come to pass. We have read of a prophecy by this man before. This man came to Pa̤ul, and took off Pa̤ul's girdle, and with it bound his own feet and hands, and he said:
"Thus saith the Spirit of God, 'So shall the Jews̝ at Jē̇-rṳ́ lĕm bind the man that owns this girdle, and shall give him into the hands of the Ġĕń tīles̝.'”
When they heard this, all Pa̤ul's friends; and Phĭĺ ĭp, and the disciples of Cæs-a-rḗ ȧ, pleaded with Pa̤ul and begged him not to go up to Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm. But Pa̤ul answered:
"What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not to be bound only, hut also to die at Jē̇-rṳ́ sā̇-lĕm for the name of the Lord Je'sus!”
When they saw that Pa̤ul could not be moved from his purpose, they ceased trying to persuade him, saying, "The will of the Lord be done.”
After some days in Cæs-a-rḗ ȧ, Pa̤ul and his friends, with some of the believers from Cæs-a-rḗ ȧ, went up the mountains to Jē̇-rṳ́-sā̇-lĕm. So Pa̤ul was once more, and now for the last time, in the city of his people.
Lesson 42. Paul's Third Journey.
(Tell Stories 13 and 14 in Part Seventh.)
1. In what great city of Asia Minor did Paul preach on his third missionary journey? In Ephesus.
2. What did Paul do in Ephesus? Many great works of healing.
3. How long did Paul stay in Ephesus preaching? Three years.
4. What arose in Ephesus a little before Paul left the city? A great uproar against Paul.
5. To what places in Europe where Paul had preached before, did he go after leaving Ephesus? To Philippi and Corinth.
6. Where did Paul make a young man well, after he had fallen out of a window? At Troas.
7. At what place did Paul send for the leaders of the church at Ephesus? At Miletus.
8. What did Paul speak to these leaders of the church? His farewell words.
9. What words of Jesus did Paul tell them to remember? "It is more blessed to give than to receive.
10. Where did Paul end his third missionary journey? At Jerusalem.