The ill-affected Jews from Asia stirred up the people to think of Paul as not only against the ceremonies but they also assumed, wrongly, that he had taken Trophimus, an Ephesian, into the temple (vs. 18-19). Uproar resulted and Paul's life was only saved by the intervention of the guards (v.31-33) and the tribune (the captain of a thousand men),

God's purpose is so often different to ours. God works in situations that look so confusing to us. But all is calm in the mind of God, the whole of history is as a "sea of glass" (Revelation 15:2) from the throne of God. James and the elders gathered and gloried in the Lord for His grace to the Gentiles

The apostle Paul has been represented by enemies of the truth as an unfeeling autocrat. That this is nonsense is evident from the sorrow of the Ephesian elders in the previous chapter (20:36-38). They sorrowed at the thought of not seeing him again! Likewise at Caesarea, his friends and fellow-believers wept as they pleaded with him not to endanger his

To leave this world with comfort through death, it is necessary that we be assured of our being in Christ, and that we have such a sense of the excellence of Christ and of going to be with Him, that any sense of loss of present enjoyments is thoroughly outweighed by the anticipation of the joys of the world to

Paul's concern for the unity of the church was coupled with an ardent desire that the church should be soundly established in true doctrine, as his address to these elders clearly shows. Without the truth of the Gospel being maintained, any supposed unity is a mere façade. That for which men will shed tears can be a strong indicator of

Paul was accompanied by seven men (v.4) who were possibly representing the various Gentile churches who had contributed money to relieve the church at Jerusalem. The apostle was deeply concerned that this help should be both given and received to express the oneness of the whole body of Christ, both Jew and Gentile (2 Corinthians 8:1-5 & ch.9:, Romans15:25-28). As he

During Paul's lengthy preaching at Troas a young man called Eutychus fell out of the window, down into the courtyard, and Paul (like Elijah in 1 Kings 17:21 and Elisha in 2 Kings 4:24) went down to the courtyard, fell upon him and embraced him and he came to life. This was undoubtedly one of the signs of an apostle

With indefatigable zeal the apostle laboured on with fellowship in the work (v 4). He came to Troas and didn't meet with Christians on the seventh day but on the first day of the week and so the weekly Sabbath established at creation is to be observed on the first day of the week (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Revelation 1:10) and

The church at Ephasus began with just twelve men (v 7). All the members received the special baptism of the Spirit which was not an individual experience but which was the distinctive mark of the New Testament church and of the exalted Saviour (John 7:39; 1 Corinthians 12:13). They also received water baptism in its distinctive Christian form and these

The apostle was not only to be the means of helping forward the existing believers, but also of heralding the Gospel to pagan multitudes. The effect was twofold - many conversions and raging opposition. Verse 20 describes the first of these effects. By the power of God, the word of God increased in its influence over the hearts of men.