And Lord, please help me not to preach like Paul, until midnight.

Saturday  2-13-16 (Home in Modesto)     

Scripture reading for today:    Lev 20 – 22   Acts 20

S=Scripture  O=Observation  A=Application  P=Prayer  SOAP for the soul.

S.  Acts 20:5-8 These men, going ahead, waited for us at Troas. But we sailed away from Philippi after the Days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days. Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. NKJV

O. The seaport city called Troas is mentioned only 6 times in the Bible.  The first two times was in Acts 16. While there, Paul had a vision from the Lord in the night and was called to Macedonia, Greece.  Luke writes of that first visit... “They” arrived at Troas... but moments later “We” put out to sea. This indicates that Luke, the medical doctor and historian, the author of this book must have been converted in Troas and joined Paul’s team on that first visit.  Now Troas is mention twice again in these verses indicating that there was now a solid church of disciples now in this city and they met on the third floor... and the young fellow falls out of the window.  The fifth mention is when Paul writes to the Corinthians and telling them: “I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me...” (2 Cor 2:12) NIV  The final time is in Paul’s last letter to Timothy just before going to his martyrdom.  This times he asks for his cloak and scrolls and especially the parchments that he had left with a brother named Carpus. 

A.  All this indicates to me that Troas became a launching pad for Paul to enter Greece and beyond.  Luke may well have been practicing medicine in this city when the love of Jesus conquered him.  Soon the Gospel became uppermost in his life and leaving all, he began to accompany Paul and witness first hand this Gospel in action.  Later he delved deeply into all the details of Jesus birth and life apparently interviewing Mary, the mother of Jesus and many others to write his first book. 

P.  Lord, many important things happened at Troas... things that made a difference for my life.  Paul’s call brought the Gospel to the people of Europe.  My background is Germany and England.  Today I enjoy studying Luke’s two books in the New Testament and am blessed by his first hand careful record of these things.  And by the way, thank You for raising that young man to life again after that fall from the third floor.  And Lord, help me to not preach as long as Your Apostle Paul... until midnight.  Amen.

Ralph