Acts 20:21 - Printer Friendly

ESV: testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

NIV: I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

NASB: solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

CSB: I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.

NLT: I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike — the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

KJV: Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

NKJV: testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul and the elders of the church in Ephesus are in nearby Miletus. Paul is giving them one last admonition before his final farewell. He reminds them of his service to them for the three years he lived in Ephesus, planting and building up the church. He boldly taught them "anything that was profitable" (Acts 20:20). Here, he gives three significant points.

First, he taught Jews and Gentiles (Acts 19:10); in fact, when Paul writes to the church in Ephesus, he seems to indicate the church is primarily Gentile (Ephesians 2:11; 3:1). We tend to miss the significance of this. In the early days of the church, Jews had a difficult time accepting that Jesus' salvation is available to everyone. The Holy Spirit led the apostles—particularly Peter—through a series of encounters that set the stage. Jews and very devout Gentiles came to faith in Jesus the day the Holy Spirit started the church (Acts 2:5, 11). Samaritans and an Ethiopian eunuch accepted Jesus later (Acts 8:14, 27). Then a Jewish enemy and persecutor of the church (Acts 9:1–19). Next, a houseful of Gentiles who worshiped God but had not converted to Judaism (Acts 10:1–2, 44–45). Finally, a city of Gentiles who had no prior devotion to the Jewish God (Acts 19:1–20). Jews and Gentiles worshiping together was a significant change in worldview.

Second, Paul taught repentance to God. This is the baptism of John the Baptist (Mark 1:4). At the end of Paul's second missionary journey, he spent a very short time in Ephesus (Acts 18:19–21) before leaving Aquila and Priscilla there while he returned to Syrian Antioch. The couple met a powerful Jewish teacher, Apollos, who was a disciple of John's and taught people to repent of their sins. Priscilla and Aquila explained that the Messiah John heralded was Jesus of Nazareth. Apollos accepted their words and started preaching about Jesus in Ephesus and Corinth (Acts 18:24–28). When Paul returned to Ephesus, his first encounter was with twelve men who were also disciples of John's. They were his first converts in Ephesus (Acts 19:1–7).

Finally, Paul taught faith in Jesus. This was the piece Apollos and the twelve men were missing. Because they had the background in John's message about repentance and the coming Messiah, they were primed to accept Jesus as the Savior they were waiting for. Others either took more time or rejected their own Messiah (Acts 19:8–10).

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.