Frankly, after reading Acts 20, I never want to hear anyone complain about the length of preachers' sermons again!
Imagine if the story of Eutychus in verses 7-12 happened today. Paul is preaching an evening service after supper. Fine. But he goes on until midnight? That's got to be taxing. In fact, just as happens today, someone in his congregation fell asleep: an exhausted young man named Eutychus (Yeah, you know how those young people like to turn in early.) Unfortunately, Eutychus was sitting in a window on the third floor, so when he dozed off, he plummeted to his death!
The sin of falling asleep during preaching leads me to consider this the most justified church death since Ananias and Sapphira. Paul, however, had compassion on the young man and raised him back to life. The young whippersnapper and the crowd didn't get off so easily, however, as Paul went up, had a midnight snack, and then continued to preach UNTIL DAWN. (I bet nobody else fell asleep!)
If this hadn't been Paul's good-bye sermon beforehand, it certainly would have been after this sermon of telethon proportions!
In fact, Acts 20 is the first chapter of a long good-bye that Paul is making through his rounds to the churches he had planted as he prepares to go to Jerusalem. Later in this chapter, he summons the elders from Ephesus to say good-bye, leaving them with the poignant detail that they will never see his face again. Paul had a special relationship with this church as he had spent so much time there. It is a beautiful section of scripture as we read of his farewell message to the Ephesian elders.
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