3rd Missionary Trip - Lorin

numerous house church groups over the city and the surrounding countryside, this could take considerable time
and effort in meeting with the various groups, as well as with the leaders of these groups. From Romans 15-16,
we also are made to know that the letter to the church at Rome was composed during this three month stay.
Given the very careful crafting of this lengthy document of introduction, the time of composition was not brief at
all, especially given compositional challenges in the ancient world.
Over the time of the second and third missionary journeys the apostle Paul spent more time and effort
with the Corinthian church than with any other congregation, even the church at Ephesus with his three year
ministry to these folks. At least four letters were written to the Corinthian church by Paul, along with at least three
visits to the city. Much of his efforts were focused on helping
the church solve a wide range of spiritual and moral
problems that plagued the congregation. He experienced
the most shaky relationship to this congregation of any of
the many churches that he began. The Jewish synagogue
more consistently opposed his ministry in the city than any
other synagogues in the other cities where churches were
began. The religious leadership of the synagogue on more
than one occasion sought to get rid of Paul either by manipulating
the Roman law or by outright assassination efforts.
He thus invested more of himself into this congregation
than perhaps any other church, but with fewer results
to show for it. Why give so much of himself to this congregation?
Paul’s answer comes in 2 Cor. 12:15: ἐγὼ δὲ
ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καὶ ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν
ὑμῶν. εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶ[ν], ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι;
I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more,
am I to be loved less? This is the heart of a true pastor! His
harsh condemnation of their sinfulness, as well as his excited
joy over their positive accomplishments, came out of
a heart of sacrificial love for the Corinthians. Such love for God’s people should challenge every servant of God
in ministry.
7.1.4 Return to Jerusalem (AD 57), Acts 20:4-21:16
The Acts narrative for the return trip actually begins in 20:3b which reports a plot against Paul’s life that
forced a last minute change of plans on how to get back to Jerusalem. And thus the trip back to Palestine takes
the long way around, largely overland through the Aegean Sea region for Paul’s safety. This led to a delay of
some months for Paul to arrive back in Jerusalem. Paul managed to spend the Jewish Passover in Philippi, interestingly
enough, celebrating this Jewish festival with the small Jewish community mostly of women who had
been converted to Christ during his initial ministry there. Most likely this was March - April of 57 AD. As Acts 20:16
indicates, his goal was to be in Jerusalem on the Jewish festival of Pentecost, some 50 days after Passover.
Although Luke does not specifically indicate that Paul reached this goal, it seems likely that he did. This objective
will shape significantly the way this trip took form. He will not stay over a few days everywhere he stops. And
even this is determined in part by available ships that carried passengers from one port to another, in addition to
their cargo.
7.1.4.1 Trip to Troas, Acts 20:4-6
3b γενομένης ἐπιβουλῆς αὐτῷ ὑπὸ τῶν Ἰουδαίων μέλλοντι ἀνάγεσθαι εἰς τὴν Συρίαν, ἐγένετο γνώμης τοῦ
ὑποστρέφειν διὰ Μακεδονίας. 4 συνείπετο δὲ αὐτῷ Σώπατρος Πύρρου Βεροιαῖος, Θεσσαλονικέων δὲ Ἀρίσταρχος
καὶ Σεκοῦνδος, καὶ Γάϊος Δερβαῖος καὶ Τιμόθεος, Ἀσιανοὶ δὲ Τύχικος καὶ Τρόφιμος. 5 οὗτοι δὲ προελθόντες ἔμενον
ἡμᾶς ἐν Τρῳάδι, 6 ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐξεπλεύσαμεν μετὰ τὰς ἡμέρας τῶν ἀζύμων ἀπὸ Φιλίππων καὶ ἤλθομεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς
εἰς τὴν Τρῳάδα ἄχρι ἡμερῶν πέντε, ὅπου διετρίψαμεν ἡμέρας ἑπτά.
3b He was about to set sail for Syria when a plot was made against him by the Jews, and so he decided to
return through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Beroea, by Aristarchus and
Secundus from Thessalonica, by Gaius from Derbe, and by Timothy, as well as by Tychicus and Trophimus from
Asia. 5 They went ahead and were waiting for us in Troas; 6 but we sailed from Philippi after the days of Unleavened
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