Luke tells us that he and the other missionaries board a ship and are going to meet up with Paul at Assos. "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. When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 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." (Acts 20:13-15) The men are probably traveling on a trading vessel that stops at a different port each day. We are not told whether Paul shared the gospel at each stop, but I believe he did if he had the time and opportunity.
"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." (Acts 20:16) It's not that Paul doesn't want to visit with the believers in Asia, but he knows doing so will delay his arrival at Jerusalem. As a compromise he intends to send for the elders from Ephesus to meet him at one of his stops.
"From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 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. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 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. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.'" (Acts 20:17-21) I don't think Paul is bragging on himself. I think he is using himself as an example that the elders from Ephesus can follow. He worked hard among their people; they must work hard too. He persevered under trial; they must persevere as well. He told the truth in his preaching because only the truth about Jesus Christ can save souls they must also be bold in sharing the truth.
Paul has a sense of foreboding about his journey to Jerusalem but, like Jesus, he is determined to go anyway, no matter what is going to happen there. "And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me." (Acts 20:22-23) He has faced enemies in every city where he has preached the gospel, and nowhere are his enemies more powerful than among the religious elite at Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit has told him to go to Jerusalem and he is going to obey. The Holy Spirit has warned him that if he obeys he faces persecution. After counting the cost, he considers Christ and His gospel worth any personal sacrifice. "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." (Acts 20:24)
The Apostle Paul is the man who will someday declare joyfully from a prison cell, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." (Philippians 1:21) For Paul there is nothing but Christ. As long as he lives he will preach Christ, no matter the cost. If he loses his life for the gospel, he will enter the presence of Christ. Either way he sees himself as a winner because no one who knows the Lord Jesus Christ can ever be a loser.
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