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Acts 19:21–22
“After these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’ And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.”
Since Ephesus was the capital of the Roman province of Asia and a key cultural and economic center of the Roman Empire, establishing a flourishing church in that city would do much for the advance of the gospel. A thriving Ephesian church could send missionaries to evangelize other places and even become a center of theological learning. No wonder, then, that Paul spent two years in Ephesus ministering the gospel before moving on to another place (Acts 19:10).
Near the end of Paul’s stay in Ephesus, it became clear to him that “the word of the Lord” would continue “to increase and prevail mightily” (v. 20). Seeing that his time in Ephesus was drawing to an end, the Apostle Paul began making plans for his next few stops on his third missionary journey. Today’s passage tells us that he resolved to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia on his way there (v. 21). This would give him an opportunity to visit the churches he had planted on his second missionary journey, including the churches in Philippi, Thessalonica, and Corinth (chs. 16–18). Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem to deliver to the church the financial aid that he collected on his journey throughout Macedonia and Achaia (Rom. 15:25–27; 1 Cor. 16:1–4; 2 Cor. 8–9).
After Jerusalem, Paul wanted to go to the city of Rome, resolving “in the Spirit” to visit that city after Macedonia, Achaia, and Jerusalem (Acts 19:21). This means that the Apostle earnestly sought the Lord’s direction, set his plans before God in prayer, and received confirmation from Him to take the trip he desired. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, the Apostle notes that one of the reasons he wanted to go to Rome was to formally introduce himself to the Christians in the empire’s capital city and to secure their assistance for a mission to Spain (Rom. 15:22–29). Remember also that when Jesus called Paul to ministry, He said that Paul would be His instrument to carry the name of the Lord before kings (see Acts 9:15). Ministry in the city of Rome would enable him to preach to the most important earthly king of those days, the emperor of Rome.
Paul sent Timothy and Erastus ahead of him into Macedonia to ready the churches for his arrival (19:22), and Paul makes reference to this also in 1 Corinthians 16:10. Even as the Apostle wanted to declare Jesus where He had never been proclaimed, he remained concerned for the congregations that he had already planted.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
From the New Testament, it is clear that Paul was concerned both to preach Jesus to people who did not know Him and to faithfully shepherd the existing churches he had planted. The church’s work in world missions and in tending to people who are already believers is not to be opposed. Instead, every church should be seeking to care for its own members and to send forth men and women to proclaim Jesus in places where He is not yet known.
For further study
- Romans 15:14–21
- 1 Corinthians 16:10
- Philippians 2:19–24
- Revelation 2:1–7
The bible in a year
- Psalms 130–133
- 1 Corinthians 8