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October 18 - Acts 20 · A Chapter a Day Bible Reading

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  Hello friends. It is Sean here you have tapped
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  on play. Welcome to this a chapter, a day
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  Bible reading podcast where you and I each day read a chapter of
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  God's Word together to punctuate our life, to shape the rhythms
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  of our day to the almighty God of the universe and what he has
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  to say in our lives. And today is a particularly cool
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  day. It is the 18th of October.
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  I didn't realize this, but today is actually a public holiday in
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  Zambia. Stay with me.
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  Stay with me because it is Zambia's day of prayer.
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  And today no one goes to work. Except for the essential
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  workers, obviously. But people stay home.
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  They fast and the nation prays. They pray for the things that
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  matter to them. How cool is that?
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  So if there's anyone in Zambia, although I'm not sure there is,
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  who's listening to this? God bless you on your day of
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  prayer. It even inspires me to pick a
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  day that I can make my annual day of Prayer, that I would put
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  everything else off and spend a day fasting and praying.
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  Isn't that just the most wonderful thing?
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  So happy Zambian Day of prayer, everyone.
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  Maybe that can be a model for us.
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  I think that's fantastic. Well, sadly I've already had
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  breakfast, so I am not fasting today.
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  But perhaps we can all spend some time in prayer today with
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  our brothers and sisters there. But before we do that, let us
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  read the next chapter of the story where Paul will go through
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  Macedonia and Greece and end up meeting with some elders from
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  Ephesus where things have gone a little bit sideways.
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  After all of those who have profited from the industry
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  surrounding the Goddess of Artemis are not happy with this
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  new way worshipping Jesus and not Artemis.
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  So join me friends, as we read together Acts chapter 20.
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  When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and
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  encouraged them. Then he said goodbye and left
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  for Macedonia. While there he encouraged the
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  believers in all the towns he passed through.
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  Then he travelled down to Greece, where he stayed for
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  three months. He was preparing to sail back to
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  Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life,
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  so he decided to return through Macedonia.
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  Several men were travelling with him.
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  They were Cepeda, son of Pyrus from Berea, Aristarchus and
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  Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derby, Timothy,
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  Antikychus, and Trophimus from the province of Asia.
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  They went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.
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  After the Passover ended, we boarded a ship at Philippi in
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  Macedonia, and five days later joined them in Troas, where we
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  stayed a week. On the first day of the week we
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  gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord's
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  Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and
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  since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until
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  midnight. The upstairs room where we met
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  was lighted with many flickering lamps as Paul spoke on and on.
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  A young man named Euticus, sitting on the window sill,
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  became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep
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  and dropped three stories to his death below.
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  Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms.
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  Don't worry, he said. He's alive.
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  Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord's
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  Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them
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  until dawn, and then he left. Meanwhile, the young man was
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  taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.
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  Paul went by land to Asos, where he had arranged for us to join
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  him while we traveled by ship. He joined us there, and we
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  sailed together to Mittalin. The next day we sailed past the
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  Island of Chaos. The following day we crossed to
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  the island of Samos and a day later we arrived in Miletus.
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  Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for we didn't want to
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  spend any more time in the province of Asia.
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  He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible in time
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  for the festival of Pentecost. But when we landed at my Letus,
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  he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking
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  them to come and meet him when they arrived.
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  He declared. You know that from the day I set
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  foot in the province of Asia, until now I have done the Lord's
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  work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that
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  come to me from the plots of the Jews.
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  I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear,
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  either publicly or in your homes.
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  I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike, the necessity
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  of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having
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  faith in our Lord Jesus. And now I am bound by the Spirit
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  to go to Jerusalem. I don't know what awaits me
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  except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that
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  jail and suffering lie ahead, that my life is worth nothing to
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  me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord
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  Jesus, the work of telling others the good news about the
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  wonderful grace of God. And now I know that none of you
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  to whom I have preached the Kingdom, will ever see me again.
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  I declare today that I have been faithful.
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  If anyone suffers eternal death, it's not my fault, for I didn't
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  shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
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  So guard yourselves, and God's people feed and shepherd God's
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  flock His church purchased with his own blood, over which the
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  Holy Spirit has anointed you as leaders.
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  I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in
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  among you after I leave, not sparing the flock.
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  Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort
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  the truth in order to draw a following.
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  Watch out. Remember the three years I was
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  with you, my constant watch and care over you night and day, and
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  my many tears for you. And now I entrust you to God and
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  the message of His grace that is able to build you up and give
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  you an inheritance with all those He has set apart for
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  himself. I have never coveted anyone
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  silver or gold or fine clothes. You know that these hands of
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  mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of
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  those who were with me. And I've been a constant example
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  of how you can help those in need by working hard.
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  You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus.
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  It is more blessed to give than to receive.
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  When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them.
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  They all cried as they embraced and kissed him goodbye.
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  They were sad most of all because he had said that they
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  would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to
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  the ship. Thank you, Jesus, for this story
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  that we read about Paul and this group of elders for the deep
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  friendship that they shared in ministry for you.
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  And thank you that Paul spoke so clearly about that message that
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  you had him preach to repent from sin, to turn to you and
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  have faith in Jesus. Lord, inspire us with the
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  message that you would have us share in our part of the world,
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  in the people you have placed us amongst in our lives.
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  Guide us, Jesus. Use us so that your heart and
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  your message drawing people into your Kingdom, can be burning on
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  the tips of our tongue, ready to share.
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  Thank you that this message has come to each one of us and that
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  you have transformed us and drawn us into your family.
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  Thank you for your graciousness, your love, and your welcome, and
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  I pray that we would celebrate and live in that today.
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  We pray all this in your name, Jesus.
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  Amen.