Acts 20

v1-6: The manner in which Paul left showed the love he had for the church in Ephesus, having spent the longest amount of time there after becoming an apostle.  "Loving friends do not realise how much they love one another until they come to part, and then it emerges how close they were to one another’s hearts."

v7-12: "There should be regular times for disciples of Christ to come together." Our private devotions are not enough to maintain our relationship with God.  We need to gather with other followers of Jesus to worship God and to give and to receive help and support.

v13-16: As Paul went from place to place, he tried "to make every place he came to better because of his visit," either by evangelising sinners or edifying saints.  Are the places we visit each day better because of our visit?

v17-35: It is the Holy Spirit who choses, calls, and ordains men to be overseers or elders in a local church.  These men who are given to the church are first to keep watch over themselves and their own Christian walk, because if they don't, they are unlikely to be skilful or faithful at keeping watch over the souls of those whom Christ laid down his life for, which they have been given responsibility for.

v36-38: "[Paul] not only prayed for them; he prayed with them, prayed with them all , so that they could offer the same petitions for themselves and one another that he spoke to God for them all, and so that they would learn what to ask from God for themselves when he had gone."  What we learn from this is that "public prayers are in no way intended to replace our own private prayers or make them unnecessary, but are intended to inspire them, encourage them, and guide us in them. When we are by ourselves, we should pray over the prayers that our ministers have offered with us."

Acts 21

v1-7: "Providence must be acknowledged when things happen so opportunely and we are favoured by some small circumstances that expedites the execution of our plans; we must then say, "It is God that maketh our way perfect."

v8-14: It would be wise of us "to think of the worst that may happen to us and to prepare for it accordingly," so that if this is God's will for us, we are ready for it.

v15-26: We need to distinguish between those who are weak in the faith and those who subvert the faith.  We are called to be patient with those weak in the faith and oppose those who subvert the faith.

v27-40: People may easily run away with "false, mistaken ideas of good people and good ministers" and not bother having them put right.

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MATT HENRY ON PAUL THE PREACHER - ACTS 20 - 7 points