Acts 20:18 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,

NIV: When they arrived, he said to them: 'You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia.

NASB: And when they came to him, he said to them, 'You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,

CSB: When they came to him, he said to them, "You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time,

NLT: When they arrived he declared, 'You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now

KJV: And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,

NKJV: And when they had come to him, he said to them: “You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you,

Paul and his traveling companions are in Miletus, on the central west coast of modern-day Turkey. Paul wants to get to Jerusalem to celebrate Pentecost, but he also wants to visit with the elders from the church in Ephesus. In order to save time, he asks the elders to come to him (Acts 20:16–17).

Asia is the province that spans most of modern-day western Turkey. Paul's wording is just a little hyperbolic; he entered Asia from the east and it would have taken several days for him to reach Ephesus. Once he arrived, however, there's no indication he left. Although residents from all over Asia heard Jesus' story (Acts 19:10) it doesn't mean Paul went to each town.

Throughout his ministry, Paul would have taught hundreds or thousands of times. However, Luke records only six of his messages:

An apologetic showing that Jesus is the Messiah of Jewish Scripture: Acts 13:16–41
A contextualization for the pagan Athenians showing God can't be represented as an idol: Acts 17:22–31
This exhortation for the Ephesian elders: Acts 20:17–35
His testimony before the Jews in Jerusalem: Acts 22:3–21
His testimony before Felix: Acts 24:10–21
His testimony before Agrippa II: Acts 26:2–23

As literary criticism developed around the turn of the last century, some scholars grew to doubt the Paul of the book of Acts was the same as the Paul who wrote the Epistles. This message, given to church leaders as the letters are, is similar enough to his letters to Timothy and Titus to set aside such concerns.

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.