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Acts 42. Acts 21:1-16

 Philip the evangelist (21:8). About twenty-five years earlier, Philip reached Caesarea on his missionary wanderings (see 8:40). Apparently, he eventually settled there, married, and raised a family. “Evangelist” may have been Philip’s office, as Paul was an apostle and Agabus was a prophet.   Agabus (21:10). The same man who prophesied famine about fifteen years earlier (see 11:27-29). His demonstrative method of prophecy (see 21:11) was used by Old Testament prophets to make their points more vivid than mere words could.    6. Why was Paul going to Jerusalem (see 20:22; 24:17)?   " I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me" (20:22)   "Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings." (24:17)  He was compelled (" bound ' cf. 21:11) by the Spirit  He ...

Acts 41. Acts 20:1-38

 Even before the silversmiths’ riot, Paul had planned to leave Ephesus and go to Jerusalem (see 19:21). Although Luke barely mentions the reason (see 24:17), we know that Paul’s chief errand was to deliver money collected from his Gentile churches as a gift to the poor believers in Jerusalem (see Romans 15:25-33; 1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:1–9:15). To gather this money, Paul intended to visit the churches in Macedonia and Achaia—in Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, and Corinth. From Acts 19:21, Romans 1:8-15, and Romans 15:17-33, we also know that Paul was already convinced he “must visit Rome also” and that he hoped to bring the gospel to Spain thereafter.   Luke tells us little of what Paul did after he left Ephesus and before he reached Greece (see 20:2), but Paul’s letters fill in some details. While in Ephesus, Paul learned of a dispute in the Corinthian church. He sent two letters to settle the strife (one is lost  - referred to in I Corinthians 5:9. ; the o...