Acts 20-22:29

This chapter begins with Paul going here and there and encouraging the brothers and such. There's a plot made for his life, and he goes here and there. At one point, Paul is speaking to a gathering of followers of Jesus. He only intended to talk for a short while and then leave, but he ends up talking until midnight. A guy named Eutychus is sitting at the window and he begins to fall asleep. He falls from the window and is declared dead, but Paul brings him back to life.

Paul then calls for the Ephesian Elders and begins to share with them about him and his ministry. He talks about not having shrunk in declaring Jesus and what is profitable to them. He also doesn't count his life of value but only testifying about the gospel of Jesus. Having done these things he states that he is innocent of their blood, since he hasn't kept anything from them but boldly told them what needed to be said. What's also interesting is how he points out that wolves will rise among them from the flock when he leaves, so they are to be on guard. In addition, he reminds them about how he didn't take anything from them, but provided for himself his own physical needs. This is all a sad farewell as they cry and pray before Paul leaves. It is also mentioned how they would never see his face again.

So Paul leaves and is on his way to Jerusalem. In one of the cities on the way to Jerusalem, Paul meets some disciples and they tell Paul not to go to Jerusalem. This they tell Paul is apparently through the Spirit. At another place on his way to Jerusalem, he stays at the house of Philip the evangelist. While there, a prophet named Agabus takes Paul's belt and binds his own hands and feet with the belt. He declares his words to be that of the Holy Spirit, saying that the Jews at Jerusalem will bind Paul in a similar manner and will deliver him to the Gentiles. They try to persuade him not to go, but he will not be persuaded.

Paul gets to Jerusalem, meeting James and the elders. He tells them about his ministry and they glorify God. However, some Jewish believers are zealous for the law, keeping fast to the traditions of the Old Testament. Some of them have heard that Paul teaches the Jews to forsake Moses and not circumcise their children. This isn't the case, but they don't want Paul to get into any trouble for this. In addition, Paul has been travelling and staying in Gentile lands, causing him to be ceremonially unclean. They instruct him to pay the expenses of four men under a vow, which is an observance of the law and an act of piety. This would help prove to others that Paul did in fact observe the law.

Jews from Asia find Paul shout claims against him to gather a crowd and drag him out of the temple. While they were beating him up, news of this came to the commander of the Roman troops of the city, so he took some officers with him to the crowd. The crowd stops beating Paul when they see the soldiers and the soldiers take Paul into the barracks. Paul asks for permission to speak to the crowd and the commander permits him to do so.

When they hear him addressing them in Hebrew, they quiet down to listen. He tells them about himself and how he was before his conversion. He explains to them his conversion experience. However, after Paul tells them about the stoning of Stephen and how Jesus sends Paul to the Gentiles, the crowd begins shouting and causing trouble. So the commander takes Paul into the barracks and decides to flog Paul to find out the truth about this matter. It's hard to understand what happened because many people were saying different things. As they ready the whip, Paul asks whether it is lawful to flog a Roman citizen who is uncondemned. Those people chose not to flog him and were afraid because they had bound a Roman citizen.