Acts 20 | Daily Bible Reading & Reflection

Acts 20 Devotional: Follow Paul’s final journey to Jerusalem, his miraculous raising of Eutychus, and his emotional farewell to the Ephesian elders. A study on faithful leadership and the power of the Word of God to build up the Church.

Dear brothers and sisters, peace in Christ. Welcome to Acts Chapter 20. Today we travel with the Apostle Paul during a time of transition and deep emotion. As he prepares to depart for Jerusalem, knowing that trials await him, he leaves us with a blueprint for what a healthy, Christ-centered church looks like. Let us listen closely to his parting words, for they are filled with the urgency of a man who knows the value of every soul.

Acts Chapter 20 Introduction:

The Shepherd’s Charge and the Word of Grace

Acts 20 is a chapter of movement and ministry. It begins with Paul traveling through Macedonia and Greece, encouraging the believers. In Troas, we witness a long night of teaching that includes the miraculous restoration of a young man named Eutychus. However, the heart of the chapter is Paul’s meeting with the Ephesian elders at Miletus. He reminds them of his own integrity, his tireless preaching of "the whole counsel of God," and his warning against "savage wolves" that would try to distort the truth.

What can we learn from this today? In this chapter, we see the Final Authority of the Scriptures. As your Statement of Faith affirms, the Bible is the final authority for all Christian faith and life. Paul does not point the elders to new traditions or human wisdom; he commends them to "God and to the word of his grace," which is able to build them up. We also see the mission of the Church in action: to nurture believers through teaching and fellowship. Paul’s life is a testament to the fact that salvation is a gift of grace worth more than life itself. He shows us that a leader’s greatest tool is not charisma, but a life lived in accordance with the inspired Word of God.

Bible Verse - Acts 20

Through Macedonia and Greece

20 When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. 2 He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, 3 where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 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. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. 6 But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.

Eutychus Raised From the Dead at Troas

7 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. 8 There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. 9 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. 10 Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms around him. “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “He’s alive!” 11 Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. 12 The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.

Paul’s Farewell to the Ephesian Elders

13 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. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 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.

17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 18 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. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 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. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.

22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.

25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 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. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

32 “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. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 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.’ ”

36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.

Prayer

Paul knelt down with the elders and prayed with them all. As we enter into our own time of prayer, let us approach the throne of grace with that same spirit of fellowship and dependence on the Lord.

Prayer Theme: "The Whole Counsel of God"

Dear Heavenly Father, We thank You for the record of the early Church and for the faithful example of the Apostle Paul. We believe that the Scriptures are Your inspired Word, given to reveal Your perfect will for our salvation and our growth. Thank You for the "word of Your grace," which has the power to build us up and give us an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

Lord, I ask that You would give me a heart like Paul’s—one that is fully committed to Your mission and Your Truth. Help me to be "compelled by the Spirit" in my daily life, following Your lead even when the path ahead is uncertain. I pray for the elders and leaders of my local church; protect them from the "wolves" of false teaching and give them the wisdom to shepherd Your flock with humility and tears. May our church be a place where the whole counsel of God is taught without compromise, and where Your love is demonstrated in every action.

We pray for the global Church, especially in places where believers are facing "prisons and hardships" for the sake of the Gospel. Strengthen them to finish the race and the task of testifying to the Good News of Your grace. We lift up the lost in our world, asking that the light of Your Word would break through the darkness. May we be a people who find it "more blessed to give than to receive," reflecting Your generous heart to a watching world. Amen.

Daily Application Question

Paul told the elders that he did not hesitate to preach "the whole counsel of God." Is there a part of God's Word that you have been avoiding or finding difficult to accept lately? How can you submit to the Bible's authority in that area today?

Frequently Asked Questions about Acts 20

What happened to Eutychus? Eutychus fell asleep and tumbled from a third-story window during Paul’s late-night sermon. Paul went down, threw his arms around him, and by the power of God, the young man was raised back to life—a sign that God’s life-giving Word was indeed with Paul.
Why was Paul so emotional in his farewell? Paul had spent three years in Ephesus, laboring with tears and deep affection. He knew by the Holy Spirit that he would not see them again, and he was burdened for the spiritual safety of the "flock" he was leaving behind.
What are "savage wolves" in a biblical context? Paul uses this metaphor to describe false teachers who come from both outside and inside the church to lead disciples astray with "distorted truths." His remedy for this was a deep rooting in the Scriptures.

Thank you for joining us for Acts 20. May you carry the "word of His grace" in your heart today, knowing that it is sufficient for every trial you face. We look forward to seeing you tomorrow as Paul continues his journey toward Jerusalem in Acts Chapter 21.

Navigate the Journey

Previous: ← Acts Chapter 19 | Next: Acts Chapter 21 →

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