Hello, my “Walking with Jesus” friends on this Friday,
We’ve all had the experience of reaching a point in a journey where we turned back toward home. That’s a special time and place in your memory, isn’t it? For some time, we’ve been traveling with the apostle Paul on his second missionary journey. Paul spent 18 months in the great city of Corinth, and after Paul finished writing his two letters to his friends in Thessalonica, it appears Paul sensed the Holy Spirit leading him to begin the homeward trek.
From Corinth Paul headed south only a few miles to Cenchrea on the coast. Acts 18:18 tells us Paul shaved his head there, as was the Jewish custom marking the end of a vow. Accompanied by Aquila and Priscilla, and I presume at least Dr. Luke, Paul then set sail across the Aegean Sea, heading for Ephesus.
Unlike Paul’s first journey, this time he was not backtracking, for this time the Spirit of God led Paul to follow a very different route back to Jerusalem. During this, Paul’s first visit to Ephesus, he did as was very familiar for him, he went into the Jewish Synagogue to debate the Scriptures with Jewish men there, seeking to prove to them that Jesus his Savior, is their long-awaited Messiah. Paul also introduced his friends Aquila and Priscilla and they decided to remain there in Ephesus while Paul continued on. (Acts 18:19)
This was a strategic moment. Aquila and Priscilla were successful businesspeople, tent makers, and we can assume they quickly went to work establishing a small business there in Ephesus. But they were also passionate followers of Jesus, who had been taught the deeper truths about the Gospel of Jesus Christ from Paul, so their decision to remain in Ephesus was a church planting strategy! The Holy Spirit would work through them, establishing the Gospel in Ephesus, while Paul continued on, taking the Gospel to other places he had not yet visited.
Pause. Think of all the places you’ve lived in your lifetime. Regardless of how long you were there, if you were a Christian at that time, do you understand that your presence THERE was part of God’s strategic plan to help the name of Jesus become famous in that place? Oh my, that’s a staggering thought isn’t it, my friends?
As Paul prepared to leave Ephesus some of his new friends begged him to stay, but he told them: “I will come back if it is God’s will.” (Acts 18:21) Those few words were significant. Paul was living everyday as a man on a mission, a mission from God. Paul’s DAILY passion was to discern from God how best to use each day to help Jesus become famous wherever Paul was that day, including prison, as we’ve seen in Philippi, remember? (Acts 16:25)
Paul lived with open ears, open hands and heart, always ready to hear the Holy Spirit tell him it was time to move on, to another place, but always with a similar life purpose. That challenges me, how about you, my friends? We call this daily encounter “Walking with Jesus”. but to actually live that phrase requires being willing and able to FOLLOW Jesus when He points us to a new path. Pause. Willing… is your heart willing to receive a new invitation from God to something you can’t possibly even imagine?
Acts 18:21,22 tells us “Paul set sail from Ephesus. When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch.” Oh my, it’s only one sentence but we should presume it took quite some time and very likely the ship or ships upon which Paul sailed made multiple stops along this 600-kilometer journey, traveling along the coast of southern Turkey, and finally across the Mediterranean Sea, near the island of Cyprus. It’s likely each of these stops was the first time Paul had visited these ports, and he apparently didn’t stay long in any one of them. Paul was anxious to return to Jerusalem and ultimately Antioch. Can you imagine why?
Caesarea, you’ll recall is the place where Philip the Deacon was strategically placed by the Holy Spirit some years before. (Acts 8:40) We have no record Paul and Philip met on this occasion, for Paul seemed anxious to get to Jerusalem, where he could meet with the other apostles and elders, giving a full report of what God had done in Asia, Macedonia and Greece. (Acts 18:21,22)
Finally, Paul headed north again to Syrian Antioch, the place from which Paul had twice been sent out on his first two missionary journeys. (Acts 13:1-4; 15:40) We have no record of Paul’s meetings in either Jerusalem or Antioch, but I presume those meetings were many and lengthy. We should imagine the Jesus followers both in Jerusalem and Antioch were fascinated to hear how the Gentiles in such far away places had responded to Paul and his traveling team as they shared the Gospel of Jesus Christ in such famous places as Troas; Neaoplis; Phlippi; Thessalonica, Berea, Athens, Corinth, and Ephesus.
Pause again. What if I passed you the microphone to tell us all some of your story. Born where, raised where, met Jesus when? And of course, to where and how have you followed Jesus since? And all along the way how has Jesus led you to make a difference and help Jesus be known in each place?
This concludes Paul’s second missionary journey. More than two years and about 2700 miles of adventure! Wow, it’s been amazing and tomorrow, if you’ll join me, we’ll see what Jesus did with Paul next! The “lessons learned” notes will help you dig more deeply at the link below and wonderful worship song will bless your soul. I’ll be here waiting for you tomorrow.
Today’s Scripture: Acts 18:18-22.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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