Acts 20:7-16

                                                                     Acts 20:7-16

On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.

This passage is a that is both a warning and encouragement to long-winded preachers.  It is an encouragement because people even fell asleep when Paul was preaching.  It is a warning because the consequences of putting people to sleep with our preaching can be fatal.  Joking aside, the passage demonstrates Paul’s dedication to leaving his disciples well instructed as well as his determination to follow the will of the Lord.

PAUL’S PRIORITY: Teaching the Word of God to follower of Christ so they may be effective at making other disciples was clearly Paul’s priority.  He knew that His time was limited and so he made use of every moment to be able to fulfill this mission.  He spoke until after midnight and then kept discussing the Scriptures with the disciples until daybreak.  This kind of passion for the Scriptures is what ever spiritual leader must possess. Every follower of Christ should have a hunger for the Word of God that allows them to speak of the things of Christ in a way that time simply stands still.

PAUL’S POWER: The power to raise someone from the dead does not really belong to Paul, it comes from God.  However, He used Paul to perform this miracle.  It is not wise to sit in a window when you are falling asleep.  The tragedy turned into a miraculous healing and gave the crowd even more incentive to continue discussing the Scriptures with Paul until morning.  Everyone went home having been fed both physically and spiritually.  The power of the Lord is at work in the lives of men.

PAUL’S PLAN: Paul’s goal was to get to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost.  This was an important holiday on the Jewish calendar and a time when people would gather in Jerusalem from all around the world.  It was a key time of worship and opportunity to witness for Christ.  However, following this plan meant sacrificing time in Ephesus.  Ministry is always full of choices and sacrifices.  We always need to make those choices according to the greatest impact we can have for the kingdom.  Planning is an important part of life and we do it for the glory of God and the growth of His kingdom.

APPLICATION: We are called to use our gifts for the furtherance of the kingdom and the building up of the body of Christ.  We can trust the Holy Spirit to empower us to accomplish what He has called us to do.  Along the way we must have a hunger for God’s Word and enjoy discussing His Word with other.  Make plans that we believe will be the best use of our time to serve God and others.

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