Acts 20:35 - Printer Friendly

ESV: In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

NIV: In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' '

NASB: In everything I showed you that by working hard in this way you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’?'

CSB: In every way I've shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' "

NLT: And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’'

KJV: I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.

NKJV: 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.’ ”

Paul first came to Ephesus on his way home from his second missionary journey and spoke in the synagogue for only one Sabbath (Acts 18:19–21). After he left, Apollos learned about Jesus and spoke of Him some before moving on to Corinth (Acts 18:24–28). Later, Paul came to Ephesus again and spent three months in the synagogue, explaining how Jesus of Nazareth brought the kingdom of God. Some of his audience couldn't accept his words, so he moved to a local hall (Acts 19:8–10). In all, Paul spent three years in Ephesus, establishing and building the church (Acts 20:31).

Now on his way back to Jerusalem, Paul meets with the elders of the church. He reminds them of his service and warns them about coming false teachers. He also tells them he is going to be imprisoned and they will not see him again. Now, he gives them final instructions as he commissions them to faithfully lead their church (Acts 20:17–34).

Paul's hard work showed in two ways. First, for two years, he reasoned daily about how Jesus is the Messiah who fulfills the Old Testament prophecies and brings reconciliation with God (Acts 19:9–10). Second, he worked when he wasn't teaching (Acts 20:34). He didn't want the new believers to be distracted from learning about Christ, so he didn't rely on them for his physical needs or the needs of his team: Timothy and Erastus (Acts 19:22). As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, he would rather live in the freedom of the gospel—the freedom to not demand what he is owed—than inhibit the spread of the gospel (1 Corinthians 9:12, 18).

These instructions are for the elders of the church; they are not for the members and attendees. In 1 Corinthians 9:8–12, Paul tells us if a leader feeds us spiritually, we should feed him physically. In 1 Timothy 5:17, he says elders who preach—teaching pastors—should receive "double honor"—meaning, more income. Pastors should not let their need for support get in the way of teaching God's Word, but church members should not pay so little their pastor cannot teach.

This quote isn't found in the Gospels. Jesus did say, "…give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you" (Luke 6:38). That doesn't mean Jesus didn't say this; Jesus said many things the Gospels didn't record (John 20:30–31), and Paul may have heard it from one of the apostles. Both the apostle John and Jesus' half-brother James share a similar sentiment in their letters (1 John 3:17–18; James 2:14–17).

Acts 20:28–35 records Paul's last words to the elders of Ephesus. He has reminded them of his own faithful service to them and the church. He has told them he is going to Jerusalem where he will be imprisoned; they will never see him again (Acts 20:18–27). Now, he exhorts them to follow his example in leading the church, protecting their people from false teachers, and sacrificing worldly gain to bring others to Christ. Paul will live out this last point as he spends the next five years in custody but still preaching and writing to the churches (Acts 28:30–31).

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.