Acts 20:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,

NIV: You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house.

NASB: how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and from house to house,

CSB: You know that I did not avoid proclaiming to you anything that was profitable or from teaching you publicly and from house to house.

NLT: I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.

KJV: And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

NKJV: how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

Paul is speaking to the Ephesian elders. He is on his way to Jerusalem where he will be arrested and under house arrest for five years including two years in Rome. He will not see the Ephesians again, and he wants to remind them of important things that will help them protect their church from false teachers.

Paul doesn't have time to repeat everything he taught over the three years he lived with them, so he reminds them of himself. He doesn't do this because he's arrogant. He has planted many churches in Greece, Macedonia, and modern-day Turkey, and has watched as some of them fell into confusion and heresy because false teachers came in, repudiated him, and led the believers astray.

Paul will later similarly encourage Timothy, writing, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it" (2 Timothy 3:14). In Timothy's case, Paul is referring to his mother and grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5). In Galatia, Paul defended the gospel against legalistic Jews who believed Gentile Jesus-followers should first convert to Judaism (Galatians 4:9–10; 6:12–15). In Corinth, in addition to personal attacks, sects split the church as members followed different Christian leaders (1 Corinthians 1:10–17).

Paul doesn't want the Ephesian elders to follow him. He wants to remind them that his upright, self-sacrificing, devoted character reflects the authenticity and importance of his message about Jesus. That's convicting for believers now: if we're going to talk about Jesus, we need to act like Him.

In Acts 20:17–27, Paul begins his farewell to the elders of Ephesus. He and his team leave Troas and sail to Miletus, south of Ephesus, where Paul requests the Ephesian elders meet him. He reminds them how he served with dedication and self-sacrifice, and he also relays disturbing news. When he gets to Jerusalem, he will be imprisoned, and they will never see him again. Next, he will challenge them to protect their church from false teachers and to emulate his humble leadership (Acts 20:28–35).

Acts 20 finishes Paul's third missionary journey. He leaves Ephesus after three years and travels to Macedonia and Corinth. Threats from the Corinthian Jews send him and his team back to Macedonia and Troas. In Troas, Paul gives a very long sermon and raises Eutychus from the dead after he falls—both asleep and out a window. In Miletus, Paul meets with the Ephesian elders. He reminds them to beware of false teachers and tells them he is going to be imprisoned and will not see them again. After a tearful farewell, he boards a ship for Judea.

Acts 20 records the last stages of Paul's third missionary journey. He started by visiting the churches he and Barnabas had planted in central modern-day Turkey (Acts 18:23). From there, he traveled southwest to the province of Asia, where he established a church in Ephesus (Acts 19). In Acts 20, he visits the churches in Macedonia and Greece before returning to Judea. When he lands, he meets briefly with Philip the Evangelist in Caesarea Maritima before going to Jerusalem and getting arrested. He will stay in house arrest for the next two years before embarking on a dangerous sea voyage to Rome (Acts 21—28).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.