Acts Chapter 20
Showing all 38 verses for Acts Chapter 20.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And after the uproar was ceased, Paul called unto him the disciples, and embraced them, and departed for to go into Macedonia. "
"Once the riot had died down, Paul sent for the believers, hugged them goodbye, and set off for Macedonia."
When life forces you to move on from a place or a chapter, don't let the ending be cold. Take the time to properly say goodbye to the people who mattered - a warm departure costs little and means everything.
"And when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much exhortation, he came into Greece, "
"After travelling through that region and giving the believers there plenty of encouragement, he arrived in Greece."
Real encouragement isn't a one-off pep talk; it's showing up again and again for people who are trying to live well. Jesus asks you to be the sort of presence that leaves others stronger than you found them.
"And there abode three months. And when the Jews laid wait for him, as he was about to sail into Syria, he purposed to return through Macedonia. "
"He stayed there three months. Then, just as he was about to sail for Syria, he discovered a Jewish plot against him, so he changed his plans and went back through Macedonia instead."
Being brave doesn't mean being careless. Jesus wants you to use good sense to protect yourself from unnecessary harm, saving your courage for the moments that truly demand it.
"And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus. "
"He was joined on the journey by Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia."
No one is meant to carry a mission by themselves. Jesus builds his followers into teams and communities, and surrounding yourself with trustworthy companions is a strength, not a weakness.
"These going before tarried for us at Troas. "
"These men went on ahead and waited for the writer and his companions at Troas."
Even the unglamorous, practical details of planning and coordination are part of faithful service. Jesus values the quiet work of preparation just as much as the dramatic moments.
"And we sailed away from Philippi after the days of unleavened bread, and came unto them to Troas in five days; where we abode seven days. "
"The group sailed from Philippi after the Passover festival and reached the others at Troas five days later, where they stayed a week."
Jesus doesn't ask you to throw away your roots or your heritage to grow spiritually - he builds on them. Honouring where you come from and moving forward in new directions can happen together.
"And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. "
"On the Sunday, when the believers gathered to share a meal together, Paul spoke to them - and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking right up until midnight."
When you know time with someone is limited, make it count - don't hold back what genuinely matters. Jesus values honest, generous presence over polite brevity.
"And there were many lights in the upper chamber, where they were gathered together. "
"There were a lot of oil lamps burning in the upstairs room where they had gathered."
Even ordinary physical details - tiredness, heat, a late hour - are part of real life and worth taking seriously rather than dismissing. Jesus meets people in their actual, human circumstances, not an idealised version of them.
"And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third lost, and was taken up dead. "
"A young man named Eutychus was sitting in the window. As Paul kept preaching, he grew drowsier and drowsier until he fell fast asleep and dropped three storeys to the ground - and was picked up dead."
Jesus doesn't shame ordinary human weakness like tiredness or boredom - he meets tragedy with compassion, not judgement. Whatever mistake or accident has knocked you down, it is never the end of the story.
"And Paul went down, and fell on him, and embracing him said, Trouble not yourselves; for his life is in him. "
"Paul went down, threw himself over the young man, wrapped his arms around him, and said, 'Don't worry - he's alive.'"
Jesus calls you to move towards suffering and loss with your whole self, not to keep a safe, clinical distance from it. Real comfort often means physically showing up for someone in their worst moment.
"When he therefore was come up again, and had broken bread, and eaten, and talked a long while, even till break of day, so he departed. "
"Paul went back upstairs, shared the bread and ate with everyone, and kept talking with them until dawn - then finally left."
When crisis passes, Jesus invites you to keep living fully rather than staying stuck in fear or shock. Gratitude for a disaster averted is best expressed by simply carrying on with the good, ordinary things - food, conversation, togetherness.
"And they brought the young man alive, and were not a little comforted. "
"They brought the young man home alive, and everyone was hugely relieved and comforted."
Jesus doesn't do things by halves - when he brings comfort, it's real and complete, not a token gesture. Let yourself feel the full weight of relief and gratitude when something genuinely painful is put right.
"And we went before to ship, and sailed unto Assos, there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go afoot. "
"The rest of the group went ahead by ship to Assos, planning to pick Paul up there, since he'd chosen to walk that stretch on his own."
Jesus understands the need for solitude - even the busiest, most purposeful life needs quiet stretches to reflect and recover. Don't feel guilty for occasionally choosing to walk alone for a while.
"And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. "
"When he met up with them at Assos, they brought him aboard and carried on to Mitylene."
Jesus values reliability - being someone others can plan around and trust to show up when and where you said you would. Small acts of dependability build the kind of trust that holds a team together.
"And we sailed thence, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus. "
"Sailing on from there, they passed opposite Chios the next day, reached Samos the day after, stopped at Trogyllium, and arrived at Miletus the following day."
Jesus honours patient, one-step-at-a-time progress - big journeys are made of small daily stages, and there's no need to rush or resent the unglamorous middle parts of any worthwhile path.
"For Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hasted, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. "
"Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus rather than stop there, so as not to lose time in the province of Asia - he was hurrying to reach Jerusalem, if at all possible, by the day of Pentecost."
Jesus asks you to sometimes give up a good thing - even seeing people you love - for the sake of a greater responsibility you've committed to. Discipline isn't coldness; it can be its own form of faithfulness.
"And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church. "
"From Miletus, Paul sent word to Ephesus asking the leaders of the church there to come and meet him."
Jesus values making time for the people you're responsible for, even when your schedule is full. A short, purposeful visit driven by genuine care beats a longer one done out of mere obligation.
"And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, "
"When they arrived, Paul said to them, 'You know how I lived among you the whole time, from the very first day I set foot in the province of Asia.'"
Jesus asks you to live in a way that your character can stand up to scrutiny from the people who know you best. Integrity means your private, everyday conduct matches your public words.
"Serving the LORD with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews: "
"'I served the Lord with complete humility, through many tears and hardships caused by the plots the Jewish opponents laid against me.'"
Jesus doesn't promise that serving others faithfully will be easy or comfortable - but he does honour humility and perseverance through hardship as the real substance of a life well lived.
"And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, "
"'You know I never held back anything that would help you - I taught you openly in public and also went house to house.'"
Jesus calls you to be generous with what you know and have learned, sharing it fully rather than holding back out of pride, self-protection, or favouritism. Genuine care shows up in both public and private moments.
"Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. "
"'I testified to both Jews and Greeks that they needed to turn back to God and put their trust in our Lord Jesus Christ.'"
Jesus's invitation to change direction and trust him isn't reserved for any one group - it's genuinely for everyone, no exceptions made by ethnicity, status, or background.
"And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: "
"'And now, look - I'm heading to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, without knowing what's going to happen to me there.'"
Jesus doesn't ask you to have every answer before you take a hard step forward - sometimes faithfulness means walking into the unknown, trusting the conviction that got you moving in the first place.
"Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. "
"'Except that the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and hardship are waiting for me.'"
Jesus honours the kind of commitment that holds steady even when you can see the cost coming. Knowing something will be hard is not, by itself, a good enough reason to abandon what you believe you're meant to do.
"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. "
"'But none of that troubles me - I don't cling to my own life as something precious, as long as I can finish the race and complete the work the Lord Jesus gave me: to testify to the good news of God's grace.'"
Jesus asks you to hold your own comfort and safety a little more loosely, and your purpose a little more tightly. A life spent fully on something meaningful outweighs a life merely preserved.
"And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. "
"'And now, look - I know that none of you, among whom I've gone about preaching the kingdom, will ever see my face again.'"
Jesus values honesty over comforting half-truths, even in painful goodbyes. Naming an ending clearly, rather than avoiding it, allows real closure and lets love be expressed fully while there's still time.
"Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. "
"'So I declare to you today that I am not responsible for anyone's fate - my conscience is clear.'"
Jesus calls you to do your part honestly and fully, and then to let go of responsibility for outcomes you can't control. A clear conscience, earned through honest effort, brings real peace.
"For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. "
"'Because I have not held back from telling you the whole of God's plan.'"
Jesus values truth-telling that doesn't cherry-pick only the easy parts. Real care for someone sometimes means telling them the whole truth, even when a partial version would be simpler.
"Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. "
"'So watch yourselves closely, and watch over the whole community the Holy Spirit has placed you in charge of - shepherd God's church, which he bought at the cost of his own blood.'"
Jesus asks anyone entrusted with looking after others - whether a parent, a friend, a leader - to first keep their own character in check. You can't pour out care for long from a well you've neglected.
"For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. "
"'I know that after I leave, vicious wolves will come in among you and won't spare the flock.'"
Jesus wants you to stay alert to people or influences that seem to offer belonging but actually seek to exploit trust for their own gain. Genuine love protects; it doesn't prey.
"Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. "
"'And even from among your own number, men will rise up twisting the truth, to drag disciples away after themselves.'"
Jesus warns against building a following around your own personality or ego rather than around genuine truth and service. Watch your own motives as closely as you watch anyone else's.
"Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. "
"'So stay alert, and remember that for three years I never stopped warning each one of you, night and day, with tears.'"
Jesus values consistency over grand gestures - showing up, again and again, with real emotional honesty, does more good than one impressive but isolated act of care.
"And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. "
"'And now, friends, I entrust you to God and to the message of his grace - which is able to build you up and give you a place among all those made holy.'"
Jesus wants you to know that lasting growth doesn't depend on any one person's constant presence. Trust that good, true things you've planted in someone's life can keep growing even after you've had to step back.
"I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. "
"'I have never wanted anyone's silver, gold, or clothing for myself.'"
Jesus values leaders and helpers whose motives are transparently unselfish. Genuine service is measured by what it costs you, not by what you gain from it.
"Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. "
"'You yourselves know that these hands of mine provided for my own needs and for those travelling with me.'"
Jesus honours quiet, practical hard work as a legitimate and dignified expression of faithfulness - you don't need a platform or recognition to be doing something genuinely valuable.
"I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. "
"'In everything I showed you that by working hard like this, we ought to help the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus himself: it is more blessed to give than to receive.'"
Jesus's own teaching, quoted directly here, is simple but radical for a self-help culture obsessed with getting more: true satisfaction comes from what you give, not what you collect. Try it deliberately and notice the difference.
"And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all. "
"When he had finished speaking, he knelt down and prayed together with all of them."
Jesus values moments where words give way to shared, humble action - sometimes the most meaningful thing you can do with someone is simply be present with them in silence or prayer, rather than say something more.
"And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, "
"They all wept bitterly, threw their arms around Paul's neck, and kissed him goodbye."
Jesus doesn't ask you to hide grief or affection behind a mask of toughness. Letting yourself be fully seen in love and sorrow, without shame, is part of living an honest, connected life.
"Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship. "
"What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they walked with him all the way to the ship."
Jesus honours the kind of love that stays present right up to a painful goodbye, rather than pulling away early to avoid the discomfort. Walking someone all the way to their departure, even when it hurts, is itself an act of love.