Paul checks in on churches he started
1When the city calmed down, Paul met with the believers. He encouraged them, told them goodbye, and then left for Macedonia. [1] 2As he passed through the towns there, he encouraged believers along the way, often talking with them for quite a while. He eventually got to Greece. 3He stayed there for three months. He was about to leave by boat and head back to Syria. But some Jews made plans to kill him. When he found out about it, he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4By this time Paul had developed an entourage of traveling associates: Sopater, the son of Pyrrhus from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus, both from Thessalonica; Gaius of Derbe; Timothy; along with Tychicus and Trophimus, both from the province of Asia. 5These seven men went on ahead of us and waited in the city of Troas. [2] 6We stayed in Macedonia through Passover. [3] Then we left the city of Philippi and sailed for five days before we reached Troas. We stayed there for a week.Paul’s mega-long sermon bores young man to death
7We met with the local believers on Sunday [4] to eat and celebrate the Lord’s Supper together. Paul took the opportunity to speak with the people because he knew he would be leaving them the next day. He spoke until about midnight. 8We met in an upstairs room, lit by a number of oil lamps. 9A young man named Eutychus [5] sat on the window ledge, as Paul talked on and on. Eventually, Eutychus fell asleep. Then he fell three stories. When they picked him up, he was dead. [6] 10Paul went down and wrapped his arms around the young man. He told the people, “Don’t worry. He’s still got some life in him.” 11They all went back upstairs and Paul preached till dawn. They ate some food first, though. At daylight, Paul left. 12Local folks were relieved that the boy was still alive, and they took him home.Goodbye to Ephesian friends
13Paul decided to travel by land to the port city of Assos. [7] He arranged for the rest of us to go by ship and meet him there. Then we would continue the voyage together. 14So we met in Assos, picked up Paul, and continued our voyage. We made a stop in Mitylene. 15The next day we sailed to Kios Island. Then a day later we sailed to Samos Island. [8] A day after that we arrived at the port town of Miletus. [9] 16Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus because he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem in time for the Jewish festival of Pentecost. [10] He didn’t want to spend a lot of time in the province of Asia. [11]17But he did want to see the Ephesus church leaders one last time. So he sent messengers from Miletus to invite them down. 18When they arrived, Paul told them, “You know how I lived my life when I was with you. From the very first day I set foot in the province of Asia, 19I did whatever the Lord wanted me to do. I did it humbly. And sometimes I did it with tears. I suffered through the hard times caused by Jews intent on making trouble for me. 20When I taught you, I didn’t hold back. I told you everything that I believed would help you. I taught you in public. I made house calls too. 21My message to Jews and to non-Jews alike was this: God wants us to turn our back on sin, look to him for guidance, and put our trust in Jesus.
Nothing but trouble ahead
22“Now I feel the Spirit driving me to Jerusalem. I don’t know what all will happen to me when I get there. 23But I do know this. The Holy Spirit has told me that in every city I go to from now on, I will face persecution and imprisonment. 24What happens to me now isn’t important to me anymore. All I care about is finishing the work that I’ve been given by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling the good news about the kindness of God.25“I know this too, my friends. Not one of you will see my face again—none of you whom I have taught about God’s kingdom. 26I want to make it clear that if any of you miss out on getting saved, it’s not my fault. 27I didn’t hold back anything. I told you everything God wants you to know.
28“Take care of yourselves. And take care of the church. Those souls are your flock. They have been bought by the blood of God’s Son. They have been entrusted to you by God’s Spirit. 29I know that when I’m gone false teachers will attack your flock like a pack of savage wolves. 30Some of those lying teachers will come from inside your own congregation. They’ll twist the truth. They’ll lure people away from the faith. 31So keep your guard up. Don’t forget that during those three years I was with you I never stopped trying to steer you away from danger. I warned you day and night, sometimes with tears.
32“Now my friends, I leave you in God’s hands. I want to give you a message about his kindness too. God is able to give you all the strength you need. And God can bring you home to share the inheritance of all the people who have devoted themselves to him. 33I have never envied anyone else’s silver or gold or fancy clothing. 34You know that I paid my own way, working at my trade. [12] I covered the expenses of my associates as well. 35I did this because I wanted you to see that you need to work like I did to help people who are weaker than you are. I wanted you to remember what the Lord Jesus said, ‘It’s more of a blessing to give something than it is to get something.’”
36After Paul said this, he knelt with everyone and prayed. 37It seemed that everyone was crying. They hugged Paul and kissed him goodbye. 38What made them saddest of all was that he told them they would never see his face again. They walked with him all the way to the ship.
