Acts 20, Paul Heads for Jerusalem (and Prison)

Paul and the disciples have just endured a near riot in which the supporters of the god Artemis attack members of The Way (and their effect on the goddess's profits.)

Acts 20:1-5
When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-by and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, where he stayed three months. Because the Jews made a plot against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from  Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the  province of Asia. These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.

Note that Luke meticulously records the individuals traveling with Paul.

It is widely believed that Paul's stay here in Corinth would fit with his writing his letter ("epistle") to the Romans.

Acts 20:6-12
But we sailed from Philippi after the Feast of Unleavened  Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days. On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight.

There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. "Don't be alarmed," he said. "He's alive!"

Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Verse six shifts back to "we", first person.  Presumably Luke, who was last seen in Philippi, rejoins the group.

Even Paul's speech was long and boring, so that others fell asleep!

The fact that the meeting was on "the first day of the week" is significant.  Somewhere in the first century, as the Jewish Messiah becomes the Gentiles' savior, the young church shifts from a Sabbath (Saturday) worship to worshiping on the first day of the week, in celebration of that first Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead. This is the first mention of Sunday as a day to meet and "break bread."

Acts 20:13-16
We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement  because he was going there on foot. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Kios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus.

Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.

Paul is in a hurry to reach Jerusalem in time for the Jewish festival often called The Feast of Weeks, or Shavuot, also known as Pentecost.

Acts 20:17-24
From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 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. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. 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. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus."

"And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me--the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Miletus was a coastal city south of Ephesus. It is a good sixty miles by land from Ephesus, so Paul is asking for a lengthy journey for the Ephesus elders.

In Paul's speech, he makes clear his concern for, but also his growing frustration with, the Jewish people.

Acts 20:24-35
"Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.

"Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.

"So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

"Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

"I have not coveted anyone's silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 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.'"

Note Paul's emphasis on his commitment and honesty with them ... and his lack of interest in money!

In verse 28 the word translated here "overseers" was also often translated "bishops."

Every Christian leader should read Paul's sermon as a model of service.

Acts 20:36-39

When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

A tearful farewell.  For all his letter writing and theological training,  Paul's first gift is his genuine concern and affection for others; here we see it reflected by those he has loved.

Acts 19, Paul in Ephesus

Leaving Antioch on his third missionary journey, Paul returns to modern Turkey, to towns he has previous visited. One of them is the relatively large city of Ephesus.

Acts 19:1-7
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples and asked them, "Did you receive the Holy Spirit when You believed?" They answered, "No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit."

So Paul asked, "Then what baptism did you receive?" 

"John's baptism," they replied.

Paul said, "John's baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus."

On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.  When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. There were about twelve men in all.

Paul arrives at Ephesus to learn of disciples of Jesus who know of John's baptism, but do not know of Pentecost.  These disciples (coincidentally about 12) may not even know of the crucifixion and resurrection (and its meaning) and so are not yet fully aware of Who Jesus is.

Acts 19:8-12
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord. God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.

Paul stays in Ephesus for two years, so it plays a central role in his ministry. Ephesus was a large port city in that day, on the Kaystros River, but it would be destroyed by an earthquake in the seventh century and now its ruins are a tourist designation, five miles from the ocean, as the Kaystros has filled with silt.  I spent an afternoon there in summer 2012, a tourist among the ruins.

Acts 19:13-17
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. [One day] the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.

When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in  Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

Luke records a strange event in which even the evil spirits acknowledge Paul ... but aren't willing to abide by fake exorcists!

Acts 19:18-22
Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds. A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas. In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in  power.

After all this had happened, Paul decided to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. "After I have been there," he said, "I must visit Rome also." He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

The NIV footnotes say that a drachma (verse 19) was a silver coin worth about a day's wages.  The gospel has made a serious dent in the finances of the worshipers of Artemis!  (Then, as today, people react strongly to beliefs that hurt their pocketbooks!)

Acts 19:23-27

About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in no little business for the craftsmen. He called them together, along with the workmen in related  trades, and said: "Men, you know we receive a good income from this business. And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that  man-made gods are no gods at all. There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited, and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty."

Poor Artemis, unable to defend herself!  (One should always be suspicious of any deities -- Artemis, Allah, Jesus -- that rely on their followers to protect them!)

Acts 19:28-34
When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!" Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul's traveling companions from  Macedonia, and rushed as one man into the theater.

Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews pushed Alexander to the front, and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in  unison for about two hours: "Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!"

It is good that the "disciples" don't let Paul address the crowd!

Acts 19:35-41
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: "Men of Ephesus, doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to be quiet and not do anything rash. You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.

If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of today's events. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it."

After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.

Luke's impression of the city clerk here is considerably better than his account of Gallio of Corinth, of the previous chapter.

It is likely that Paul wrote his first letter to the Corinthians during his three years in Ephesus.

Acts 18, Paul in Corinth; Third Journey Begins

Paul has spent time in Athens, talking to the Greeks, and now moves further west to another Greek city, a center of commerce and Greek culture.

Acts 18:1-8
After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.

Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when the Jews opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, "Your blood be on your own heads! I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God.  Crispus, the synagogue ruler, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized.

A turning point occurs. Paul begins to understand that the Gentiles are more receptive to the gospel and decides to go to them first.  Still, he continues to care about his Jewish brothers and sisters. Luke notes that the local synagogue ruler becomes a believer.

Acts 18:9-11
One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: "Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city."  So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word  of God.

With encouragement from the divine vision, Paul devotes portions of two years to building the church in Corinth.  He will later send them letters, working through a number of practical and theological problems.

Acts 18:12-17
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him into court. "This man," they charged, "is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law."

Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or serious crime, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you. But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law--settle the matter yourselves. I will not be a judge of such things."  So he had them ejected from the court.

Then they all turned on Sosthenes the synagogue ruler and beat him in front of the court. But Gallio showed no concern whatever.

Luke expresses surprise at the apathy of Gallio.  

Acts 18:18-22
Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchrea because of a vow he had taken. They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews.

When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. But as he left, he promised, "I will come back if it is God's will." Then he set sail from Ephesus. When he landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.

Paul returns home to the church in Antioch.  The trip is covered quickly in Luke's telling, other than the vow made in Cenchrea (a port of Corinth.)  At Cenchrea Paul apparently gets on a ship and crosses the Aegean to Ephesus, a port city on the opposite side.  Ephesus is a major city in this time and Paul had set up a significant ministry there.  Later he will write them a letter which comes into our canon as the Epistle to the Ephesians.

Acts 18:23-28

After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples. Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught about Jesus accurately, though he knew only the baptism of John.

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately. When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. On arriving, he was a great help to those who by grace had believed. For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

The third missionary journey begins, with a return through Asia Minor, visiting the churches (synagogues) developed in the previous journeys.  

Meanwhile, Luke digresses to tell us of Apollos in Ephesus.  Apparently Apollos knows of Jesus, but not of Pentecost.  The knowledge Apollos has might be equated with that one has after reading the gospel of Mark or Matthew.  Luke emphasizes that because Apollos knew the Scriptures (that is, what Christians today would call the Old Testament) and because Apollos knew about Jesus, he was able to accurately link the Jewish Scriptures to the Messiah.  (I would love to know what Apollos taught!  Could it be summarized in the book of Hebrews?)

Acts 17, Paul in Athens

Paul and Silas have embarked on Paul's second missionary journey, traveling through southern Turkey, picking up Luke in Troas and then crossing the Aegean Sea into Greece.

Acts 17:1-4
When they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where there was a Jewish synagogue. As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the  Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Christ had to suffer and rise from the dead. "This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Christ," he said. Some of the Jews were persuaded and joined Paul and Silas, as did a large number of God-fearing Greeks and not a few prominent women.

Paul and Silas continue to begin with their message by speaking in the synagogues about the Messiah of the Jews.  Luke, as throughout his gospel, is quick to mention the involvement of women.

Acts 17:1-4
But the Jews were jealous; so they rounded up some bad characters from the marketplace, formed a mob and started a riot in the city. They rushed to Jason's house in search of Paul and Silas in order to bring them out to the crowd. But when they did not find them, they dragged Jason and some other brothers before the city officials, shouting: "These men who have caused trouble all over the world have now come here, and Jason has welcomed them into his house. They are all defying Caesar's decrees, saying that there is another king, one called Jesus."

When they heard this, the crowd and the city officials were thrown into turmoil. Then they made Jason and the others post bond and let them go.

The charge against Paul and Silas (like the charge against many Jews!) was that they worshiped a god other than Caesar.

Acts 17:10-12
As soon as it was night, the brothers sent Paul and Silas away to Berea. On arriving there, they went to the Jewish synagogue. Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Many of the Jews believed, as did also a number of prominent Greek women and many Greek men.

The simple description of the Bereans, in verse 11 ("examined the Scriptures every day"), explains the numerous "Berean" churches one finds in rural areas all over the USA.  I have often, on some drive along a two-lane country road, passed by a small "Berea Bible Church" or "Berean Baptist Church."  In my mind, they are always white, one-room buildings with a steeple.  There may be a thousand of them here in my country.  All because of Acts 17:11.

Acts 17:13-15
When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea. The men who escorted Paul brought him to Athens and then left with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

Paul moves on to Athens, a vibrant Greek city, long home to a rich culture of philosophy and inquiry. It is here that Plato built his famous Academy four to five centuries earlier.

Acts 17:16-21
While Paul was waiting for them in Athens, he was greatly distressed to see that the city was full of idols. So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the God-fearing Greeks, as well as in the marketplace day by day with those who happened to be there.  A group of Epicurean and Stoic philosophers began to dispute with him. Some of them asked, "What is this babbler trying to say?" Others remarked, "He seems to be advocating foreign gods." They said this because Paul was preaching the good news about Jesus and the resurrection. Then they took him and brought him to a meeting of the Areopagus, where they said to him, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? You are bringing some strange ideas to our ears, and we want to know what they mean." (All the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there spent their time doing nothing but talking about and listening to the latest ideas.)

Paul is driven by his Jewish sense of purpose and frustration with pagan idolatry.

And the Athenians are true to their roots -- they are always interested in hearing the latest ideas! So a dialogue begins....

Acts 17:22-31
Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus and said:  "Men of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you."

"The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by hands. And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else. From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. `For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, `We are his offspring.'

"Therefore since we are God's offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone--an image made by man's design and skill. In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

For a Jew, Paul's words are carefully chosen, even somewhat affectionate.  His Jewish anger about idolatry is concealed by his public recognition that the people of Athens are (at least) interested in spiritual things.

Acts 17:32-34
When they heard about the resurrection of the dead, some of them sneered, but others said, "We want to hear you again on this subject." At that, Paul left the Council. A few men became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus, also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

So in Athens there are now Greek followers, including Damaris.  In the next chapter, Paul and Silas move on to Corinth.

Acts 16, Paul, Silas (and Luke!) reach Philippi

Paul has embarked on another missionary journey, this time with Silas in place of Barnabas.

Acts 16:1-4
He came to Derbe and then to Lystra, where a disciple named Timothy lived, whose mother was a Jewess and a believer, but whose father was a Greek. The brothers at Lystra and Iconium spoke well of him. Paul wanted to take him along on the journey, so he circumcised him because of the Jews who lived in that area,  for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

As they traveled from town to town, they delivered the decisions reached by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem for the people to obey. So the churches were strengthened in the faith and grew daily in numbers.

In Lystra, Paul picks up a young Gentile/Jew convert, Timothy.  The circumcision of Timothy seems strange, given Paul strong opposition to circumcision of adults in his letter to the Galatians, most likely written before this event.

Acts 16:6-10
Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to. So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them.

Suddenly, in verse 10, we are speaking in first person, not third person.  Luke is along!

Acts 16:11-15
From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days.

On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there. One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul's message. When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.

An early convert in Philippi is a young merchant, a woman, Lydia.

Acts 16:16-21
Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, "These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved." She kept this up for many days. 

Finally Paul became so troubled that he turned around and said to the spirit, "In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!"  

At that moment the spirit left her. When the owners of the slave girl realized that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the marketplace to face the authorities. They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."

Luke records the real reasons why Paul and Silas are arrested: the owners of the slave girl have lost their means of making money!  But the public accusation is essentially that these two are Jews.

Acts 16:22-31

The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 

The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"

They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved--you and your household."

The result of the attack on Paul and Silas is an immediate jailing, apparently for being troublemakers. The two missionaries respond by praying and singing hymns to God (surely from the Psalms) and Luke records that the other prisoners were listening.  And then there is an earthquake....

The question the jailer asks, and the answer given by Paul and Silas, has, through the centuries, become a standard short salvation quote. But I don't think the jailer is asking for spiritual salvation. He is most likely asking, "What can I do to live?" since if the prisoners all run away, his life is over. But Paul and Silas answer a different question (or a deeper one?)

Acts 16:32-36
Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his family were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God--he and his whole family.

When it was daylight, the magistrates sent their officers to the jailer with the order: "Release those men." 

The jailer told Paul, "The magistrates have ordered that you and Silas be released. Now you can leave. Go in peace."

Luke records here, as in other places, that the Good News brings joy. 

In the morning the jailer gets the message he needs, that he can now release his prisoners.

Acts 16:37-40
But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out."

The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.

Roman citizenship has certain privileges.  One of them is (apparently) a right to due process before jailing.

In the next chapter, Paul and Silas travel further into Greece, eventually reaching Athens. But they leave Luke here in Philippi, as the first person account disappears for a time, reappearing in chapter 20 when Paul returns to Philippi.

Acts 15, Council at Jerusalem

There is a critical meeting in Jerusalem.  It is a turning point in the history of the new Jewish movement.

Acts 15:1-3

Some men came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the brothers: "Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved."

This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. The church sent them on their way, and as they traveled through Phoenicia and Samaria, they told how the Gentiles had been converted. This news made all the brothers very glad.

Paul and Barnabas are sent to Jerusalem to discuss the "circumcisers".  Along the way, they repeat previous visits, seeing further evidence that God is indeed working in the Gentiles.

It is very likely that during this trip to Jerusalem, Paul wrote his letter to the Galatians. The letter to the Galatians is a summary of the arguments he might expect to make in Jerusalem.

Acts 15:4-12

When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported  everything God had done through them. Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the  Pharisees stood up and said, "The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses."

The apostles and elders met to consider this question. After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them:  "Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.

"Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have  been able to bear? No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus  that we are saved, just as they are."

The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the miraculous signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them.

Peter, once a conservative and legalistic Jew (see Galatians 2:11-13), speaks in support of the liberal welcoming of the Gentiles.  This is an important endorsement and it has a strong effect.

Acts 15:13-21

When they finished, James spoke up: "Brothers, listen to me. Simon has described to us how God at first showed his concern by taking from the Gentiles a people for himself. The words of the prophets are in agreement with this, as it is written: `After this I will return and rebuild David's fallen tent.  Its ruins I will rebuild, and I will restore it, that the remnant of men may seek the Lord, and all the  Gentiles who bear my name, says the Lord, who does these things' that have been known for ages.

"It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it  difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest  times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath."

After Peter weights in, James does.  James is another devout Jew, known for his adherence to the laws of Moses.  (Again, see Galatians 2:11-13, for an example.)

The Old Testament quotation in verse 17 is from Amos 9:11-12.

James ends with a comment about Moses being preached "every Sabbath".  The Gentiles need to be aware of the Jewish history and consistent teachings from the Torah and should be careful to not offend their new friends who (like James) are proud of their Jewish heritage.

Acts 15:22-29
Then the apostles and elders, with the whole church, decided to choose some of their own men and send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas. They chose Judas (called Barsabbas) and Silas, two men who were leaders among the brothers. With them they sent the following letter: 

"The apostles and elders, your brothers, To the Gentile believers in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia: Greetings. We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said. So we all agreed to choose some men and send them to you  with our dear friends Barnabas and Paul--men who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord  Jesus Christ.

"Therefore we are sending Judas and Silas to confirm by word of mouth what we are writing. It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things.  Farewell."

Luke summarizes the message to the Gentiles, repeating the various proscriptions that conflict with the Jewish practices.  I find it interesting (and a little strange) that three of the four prohibitions are cultural (for the Jews) while the fourth, about sexual immorality, fits into both Old and New Testament teachings on building a good marriage.  Yet this distinction (an important one to me!) is ignored.

Acts 15:30-35
The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers.

After spending some time there, they were sent off by the  brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them. But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

Luke has a lot to say about the "encouragement" and enthusiasm that accompanies the Messianic message.     

Some ancient manuscripts in Act add a phrase to verse 34, "but Silas decided to remain there."

Acts 15:36-41
Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing."

Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.  He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

The dispute between Paul and Barnabas is sharp.  Barnabas, ever "the Encourager", sees potential in John Mark, even though John has deserted them.  Paul, every bit the "type A" personality, is having none of it.

History suggests that John Mark will eventually author the Gospel of Mark.  So Barnabas knew what he was doing.

The Three Missionary Journeys of Paul

An understanding of the New Testament letters of Paul ("St. Paul", "Paul the apostle") requires a summary of the travels that Paul took over about a dozen years (from 46-58 CE?)  These journeys are described in chapters 13-21 of the book of Acts and represent the very earliest history of the Christian church.

The missionary journeys of Paul

According to Acts 13, the Holy Spirit tells the church in Antioch to "set apart Barnabas and Saul for the ministry I have planned for them."  And so this early church ordains two missionaries and sends them off, first to the island of Cyprus, and then on to Asia Minor (now Turkey) to tell the Jewish people in those locations about their recently revealed Messiah.  The book of Acts eventually describes three missionary journey and ends with a fourth journey, a forced journey in which Paul, as prisoner, travels to Rome.

It is on one of those missionary journeys that the author of Acts, Luke, becomes a convert and travels with Paul.

The first missionary journey

In this first journey, described in Acts chapters 13 & 14, Barnabas is the presumed leader; he has been a disciple much longer than Saul and is more experienced.  But Saul is the "talker" and seems to draw much of the attention.

The first missionary journey (Acts 13:4-14:28, about CE 46-48) begins with Paul and Barnabas visiting the island of Cyprus.  They then visit southern Galatia (Perga, Pisidian Antioch) where they stay awhile before going on to Iconium.  After conflict in Iconium, Paul and friends flee to Lystra and Derbe (and the surrounding region of Lycaonia, south of the province of Galatia.)  In Lystra, after they heal a lame man, Barnabas is identified by the people as Zeus and Paul is called Hermes (Acts 14:11-13)

The map below (taken from Gracepoint notes, which took them, in turn, from the Holman Bible Atlas) displays Paul's first missionary journey.

Interlude

In Acts 15 we see the important meeting in Jerusalem, in which an official decision is made regarding Gentile Christians.  This meeting is stimulated by the great success in the first missionary journey and by the obvious openness of the Gentiles (non Jews) to the message about Jesus the Messiah.

The second missionary journey

The second missionary journey is reported in Acts 15:40-18:23 (49-52 CE?) It is possible that Paul visited north Galatia (administrative Galatia) at this time.  This second journey is caused by a desire of Paul and Barnabas to revisit the synagogues and converts from the first journey.  But at the very beginning, Barnabas wants to take John Mark and Paul does not, so the dynamic missionary duo split up, Barnabas with John Mark heading back to Cyprus while Paul take Silas and travels north through Syria into Asia Minor.  In Lystra, a young disciple named Timothy joins Paul.  Since Timothy is uncircumcised (his father is Gentile), to please the Jews in the area, Paul has Timothy circumcised.

In this trip Paul has a vision of a man calling him into Macedonia (north of Greece, across the Aegean Sea.)  Responding to that call, Paul travels to the coastal town of Troas and then "we" set sail across the Aegean Sea to Macedonia and eventually Philippi.

The transition from third person to first person in Acts 16:11 most likely means that Luke, the author of the book of Acts, joins Paul at Troas and then for a time can tell the story in first person.

In Philippi after speaking in a small synagogue and baptizing new believer, Lydia, Paul and Silas are then thrown in prison.  During the night an earthquake opens the prison doors and Paul and Silas are freed and their jailer becomes a believer.  Paul frightens the local authorities by explaining that he is a  Roman citizen.  From Philippi the two travel on to Thessalonica where, as is their practice, they speak in the local synagogue.  On to Berea and Athens, where Paul speaks at Mars Hill, to both open ears and skeptics.  Luke lists by name several converts but also points out the Greek skepticism of someone claiming that a man was resurrected.

In Corinth, Paul meets a Jewish couple, Aquila and Priscilla, who, as believers, join Paul's ministry team.  Silas and Timothy join Paul in Corinth but due to strong opposition from Jewish leaders, Paul leaves the synagogue and begins to speak and minister from the house of Titius Justus, presumably a Gentile.  Luke records that a number of Jewish believers, including the synagogue leader, join Paul.

Paul stays in Corinth for at least a year and a half before being forced out and heading back to Antioch, detouring to Jerusalem along the trip home.

The third missionary journey

The third missionary journey (CE 53-58?) begins in Act 18:23, after the conclusion of the second journey and after "some time" at Antioch.  In the third journey, Paul again returns to visit the various churches across Asia Minor.  Galatia is explicitly mentioned in that verse, with Asia Minor presumably mentioned in two parts, as "Galatia and Phrygia."

Paul visits Ephesus (on the western coast of Asia Minor) in Acts 19 and there many followers of the goddess Artemus turn to the Jewish Messiah, to the point that those making money off of Artemis are infuriated and cause a riot.  After that, Paul moves west across the Aegean to Macedonia and Greece, ministering in the places he had been before, including Philippi.  Eventually he returns east to Troas (where he had picked up Luke) and there we have the story of Paul preaching very long (possibly all day) and a young man (with whom I have considerable sympathy) falling asleep during Paul's message.  Young Eutychus pitches out a second story window and is picked up below as dead, but Paul's stretches over him, prays and revives him.

Paul continues on to Miletus, near Ephesus, where a prophet warns that if Paul continues, as planned, to Jerusalem, he will end up in chains.  But Paul must go ....  The last half of chapter 20 of Acts is a moving goodbye from Paul, given to the elders from Ephesus, expressing his care and concerns for them.

From Miletus, Paul's entourage move on past Cyprus to Syria and then down to Caesarea.  In Caesarea Paul is warned (a third time!) of the chains that wait for him in his Jerusalem trip.  In this case, the warning is acted out; a prophet named Agabus takes Paul's belt and then ties up his own hands and feet to show what will happen "to the owner of this belt."

But Paul must go on, and the third missionary journey ends in Jerusalem with Paul's arrest there, at the end of Acts 21.

Some resources and notes

Wikipedia, of course, has some good stuff.  Check out the article on St. Paul.

The Christian Classic Ethereal Library, based at Calvin College, Grand Rapids, MI, has lots of excellent resources.

There is a summary of the missionary journeys from a webpage sponsored by Gracepoint church in Berkeley CA.   The maps I used are taken from the Gracepoint notes, which took them, in turn, from the Holman Bible Atlas.