Immerse: Messiah - Flipbook - Page 109
20:20–21:4
L UK E – A cts
97
with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots
of the Jews. I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear,
either publicly or in your homes. I have had one message for Jews and
Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and
of having faith in our Lord Jesus.
“And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what
awaits me, except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail
and suffering lie ahead. But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it
for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling
others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
“And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, for I didn’t shrink from declaring
all that God wants you to know.
“So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s
flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy
Spirit has appointed you as leaders. I know that false teachers, like vicious
wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even
some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order
to draw a following. Watch out! Remember the three years I was with
you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many
tears for you.
“And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able
to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart
for himself.
“I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. You know
that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even
the needs of those who were with me. And I have been a constant example
of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember
the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. They
all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. They were sad most
of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they
escorted him down to the ship.
After saying farewell to the Ephesian elders, we sailed straight to the island
of Cos. The next day we reached Rhodes and then went to Patara. There
we boarded a ship sailing for Phoenicia. We sighted the island of Cyprus,
passed it on our left, and landed at the harbor of Tyre, in Syria, where the
ship was to unload its cargo.
We went ashore, found the local believers, and stayed with them a week.
These believers prophesied through the Holy Spirit that Paul should not
