And so (verse 27), Apollos "helped them much which had believed through grace:

For he mightily convinced the Jews shewing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ".

We now go on further and find in chapter 19: that Paul comes back to Ephesus

again, and a little further on we read this (verses 11-12): "And God wrought special

miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his body were brought unto the sick,

handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went

out of them". When we get to the close of the Acts we shall find that miraculous and

instantaneous healing still takes place. In this case, it was not necessary for Paul to be

present! If only a piece of clothing that had touched his body was sent at a distance, it

was quite sufficient to heal! Note these are special miracles and they run like a thread

through the book of the Acts and then stop: We will note the importance of this later.

We now pass on to the twentieth chapter; here we find the Apostle Paul calling

together the elders of the church at Ephesus (verse 17) "And from Miletus he sent and

called for the elders of the chapter, we cannot help feeling that this phase of Paul's

ministry was coming to a close. Twice he tells them that they are never going to see him

again, and that greatly upsets them because they had such affection for him. He had

helped them so much. Look at verse 25; Paul says "behold, I know that ye all, among

whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more". Verse 37:

"And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for

the word which he spake, that they should see his face no more". He continues (verse 22)

"And now, behold I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall

befall me there: save that bonds and afflictions abide me", or, as the margin says, "wait

for me". Prison lay ahead for him, God the Holy Spirit had shown him that, but he was

willing and ready for it. Is it not grand to hear him saying (verse 24): "But none of these

things move me"? Strengthened by the grace of God, that is what you and I can say

whatever problems lie ahead. Paul later on when he wrote to the church at Philippi said:

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthened me". It is a wonderful thing to

know where the source of our strength lies. He knew, and surely we can know too.

Then follow two things which, we believe, sum up all faithful ministry and faithful

service for the Lord Jesus. He says to them (verse 20), "how I kept back nothing that was

profitable to you". (Verse 27), "I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of

God". I have kept back nothing; I have made known everything. This is the hall-mark

of faithful Christian witness. Nothing held back because it may be unpopular, but

everything the Lord has entrusted to us fully made known. If we can truthfully say this at

the end of our lives, we shall be happy indeed!

When we come to chapter 21: we find this prediction of imprisonment stressed.

There was a prophet called Agabus (verse 10) and in verse 11 "when he was come unto

us he took Paul's girdle and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy

Ghost, so shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle and shall

deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles". Again, God is speaking through this prophet

and he is telling Paul that there is imprisonment ahead for him. Some have gone as far as

to say that the Apostle Paul made a mistake; he should have avoided going to Jerusalem