Acts 20:17-37 - Jon B

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Acts 20:17–37 (ESV)

Acts 20:17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
Acts 20:18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,
Acts 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews;
Acts 20:20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
Acts 20:21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 20:22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,
Acts 20:23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.
Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.
Acts 20:26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all,
Acts 20:27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
Acts 20:28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
Acts 20:29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
Acts 20:30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
Acts 20:31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.
Acts 20:32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Acts 20:33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
Acts 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me.
Acts 20:35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Acts 20:36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
Acts 20:37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him,

 

Acts 20:17-25 - Jon B

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Acts 20:17–25 (ESV)

Acts 20:17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.
Acts 20:18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,
Acts 20:19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews;
Acts 20:20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house,
Acts 20:21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Acts 20:22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there,
Acts 20:23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me.
Acts 20:24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.

Acts 6:1-15 - Jon B

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Acts 6:1–15 (ESV)
Acts 6:1 Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
Acts 6:2 And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
Acts 6:3 Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
Acts 6:4 But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
Acts 6:5 And what they said pleased the whole gathering, and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch.
Acts 6:6 These they set before the apostles, and they prayed and laid their hands on them.
Acts 6:7 And the word of God continued to increase, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests became obedient to the faith.
Acts 6:8 And Stephen, full of grace and power, was doing great wonders and signs among the people.
Acts 6:9 Then some of those who belonged to the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it was called), and of the Cyrenians, and of the Alexandrians, and of those from Cilicia and Asia, rose up and disputed with Stephen.
Acts 6:10 But they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking.
Acts 6:11 Then they secretly instigated men who said, “We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses and God.”
Acts 6:12 And they stirred up the people and the elders and the scribes, and they came upon him and seized him and brought him before the council,
Acts 6:13 and they set up false witnesses who said, “This man never ceases to speak words against this holy place and the law,
Acts 6:14 for we have heard him say that this Jesus of Nazareth will destroy this place and will change the customs that Moses delivered to us.”
Acts 6:15 And gazing at him, all who sat in the council saw that his face was like the face of an angel.