Acts 20:1-16
20: After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. 2 When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. 3 There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. 4 Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. 5 These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days.
7 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. 8 There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. 9 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. 10 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.” 11 And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. 12 And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.
13 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. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 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. 16 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.
Reflection
Paul spends several days with the believers in Troas, teaching them and even raising young Eutychus from the dead (after a fatally long-winded sermon; Acts 20:7–12!). After sharing a meal and talking with them throughout the night, Paul finally leaves the deeply comforted church and heads toward Jerusalem.
In this brief glimpse of the early Christian community, we see their eagerness to be with one another and grow in their love for Christ. They gathered on “the first day of the week” (Sunday; v. 7); they talked and learned together; they shared meals and the Lord’s Supper together; they witnessed the powerful work of God together. The church is designed to be the greenhouse for the growth of God’s people. Those who follow Jesus must make it a priority to be a member and regular participant in a local gospel-teaching church.
Revelation 12:7-12
7 Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, 8 but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying, “Now the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of his Christ have come, for the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down, who accuses them day and night before our God. 11 And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. 12 Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!”
Reflection
On the basis of what Christ accomplished in his death and resurrection (Rev. 12:5), Michael is enabled to drive Satan and his angels from the heavenly field of battle.
We see what this means when verse 10 states that the “accuser of our brothers” has been thrown down. Formerly, Satan had been standing in heaven to accuse God’s people (cf. Job 1–2; Zech. 3:1–2). Now that Christ has died and risen, however, Satan no longer has any standing before God to accuse us. His charges are thrown out, and he is thrown down to the earth (Rev. 12:9). On the basis of the blood of the Lamb, the people of Jesus can now conquer the dragon by testifying to the gospel and being faithful unto death (v. 11). To lay down our lives to benefit others with the message of the gospel is to conquer Satan in the same way that Jesus did (v. 11; cf. 5:5–6). For Christ and for us, life and victory come through death.
Psalm 34:3
3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!
The weekly gathering of the church body is the most important responsibility of the local church, but it is not the only component of a healthy Christian family. Pray that God would produce and sustain genuine Christian community in your life, providing Christ-oriented relationships that go beyond formal organizational and ministry meetings.