Sha’ul’s Third Missionary Journey ~ Part 1

Note: To examine the graphics in this series, click on them for a pop-up version.

As I mentioned in my last post, we returned to the Book of Acts. In this post, Sha’ul begins his Third Missionary Journey in Acts 18:23.

Introduction

Luke does not indicate how long Sha’ul stays in Antioch after returning for his Second Missionary Journey. Still, it is probably not long before He prepares again for an extended evangelistic tour. He begins his third journey by passing north and west through Galatia and Phrygia. He continues to be concerned about the spiritual growth of those he converted several years earlier.

When he travels through Asia to its capital, Ephesus, he fulfills a desire he first felt on his second tour, when the Ruach directed him to Macedonia instead. It appears that Sha’ul relishes the opportunity in this vital city and stays there for three years. During this time, he writes letters to the church in Corinth. [1]

Sha’ul’s Third Missionary Journey

Beginning of the Journey

Then he came down to Antioch, ²³ spent some time there, and afterwards set out and passed systematically through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the talmidim.

His third journey, described in 18:23–21:16, commenced with his passing systematically through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the talmidim he had won to the Lord – this was part of his calling as an emissary and congregation-planter. His second journey began the same way (Acts 15:41).

Apollos Is Taught

²⁴ Meanwhile, a Jewish man named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker with a thorough knowledge of the Tanakh.

Alexandria was the chief center of Diaspora Hellenistic Judaism. The great Jewish intellectual Philo lived there and possibly was still alive during these events. Jews occupied two of the city’s five districts, named for its founder, Alexander the Great, who established it on the Mediterranean Sea near the mouth of the Nile River in 331 BCE. Its great library, destroyed in 699 CE, became a major learning center. It developed its variety of Judaism, accommodating Greek culture – it was a kind of “Reform Judaism” in its day. Alexandria even had its own Temple. The Septuagint was translated there around 200 BCE.

²⁵ This man had been informed about the Way of the Lord, and with great spiritual fervor, he spoke and taught the facts about Yeshua accurately, but he knew only the immersion of Yochanan.

He knew only the immersion of Yochanan (Mattityahu 3:1–12), so even though he accurately taught the facts about Yeshua, he had not experienced the full significance of Yeshua’s life, death, and resurrection and had not been filled with the Ruach HaKodesh (see Acts 19:1–7).

Likewise, today, there are those whose knowledge of the things of God is good as far as it goes and who can even present the facts about Yeshua accurately. Still, they have not experienced his salvation and his Ruach for themselves. If they are as open to the truth as Apollos, it should be enough for their salvation to have the way of God explained in fuller detail, emphasizing the person and work of Yeshua the Messiah since they already know who God is. I suspect that many well-informed Jews belong to this category.

²⁶ He began to speak out boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way of God in fuller detail. ²⁷ When he made plans to cross over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote the talmidim there to welcome him. On arrival, he greatly helped those who, through grace, had come to trust; ²⁸ for he powerfully and conclusively refuted the unbelieving Jews in public, demonstrating by the Tanakh that Yeshua is the Messiah. ^[2]

Apollos was useful in Achaia because he used the Tanakh and focused his efforts on showing that the promised Messiah is indeed Yeshua rather than dealing with secondary issues that satisfy curiosity but do not lead people to salvation.

In our next post, we continue to explore Sha’ul’s Third Missionary Journey beginning in Acts 19:1.

Click here for the PDF version.

^[1] F. LaGard Smith, The Narrated Bible in Chronological Order.

^[2] Acts 18:22b–28.