Study Desk

When the girl's owners realized that they had lost all chances for making more money, they grabbed Paul and Silas and dragged them into court.

The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas.

They replied, "Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home."

The next morning the officials sent some police with orders for the jailer to let Paul and Silas go.

Some men went with Paul as far as Athens, and then returned with instructions for Silas and Timothy to join him as soon as possible.

God has done all this, so that we will look for him and reach out and find him. He isn't far from any of us,

He has set a day when he will judge the world's people with fairness. And he has chosen the man Jesus to do the judging for him. God has given proof of this to all of us by raising Jesus from death.

Paul stayed on in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching God's message to the people.

After Paul had stayed for a while with the Lord's followers in Corinth, he told them good-by and sailed on to Syria with Aquila and Priscilla. But before he left, he had his head shaved at Cenchreae because he had made a promise to God.

After staying there for a while, he left and visited several places in Galatia and Phrygia. He helped the followers there to become stronger in their faith.

For three months Paul went to the Jewish meeting place and talked bravely with the people about God's kingdom. He tried to win them over,

for two years, until every Jew and Gentile in Asia had heard the Lord's message.

So he sent his two helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia. But he stayed on in Asia for a while.

A silversmith named Demetrius had a business that made silver models of the temple of the goddess Artemis. Those who worked for him earned a lot of money.

But when the crowd saw that he was Jewish, they all shouted for two hours, "Great is Artemis, the goddess of the Ephesians!"

Finally, a town official made the crowd be quiet. Then he said: People of Ephesus, who in the world doesn't know that our city is the center for worshiping the great goddess Artemis? Who doesn't know that her image which fell from heaven is right here?

We could easily be accused of starting a riot today. There is no excuse for it! We cannot even give a reason for this uproar.

When the riot was over, Paul sent for the followers and encouraged them. He then told them good-by and left for Macedonia.

and stayed there for three months. Paul was about to sail to Syria. But some of the Jewish leaders plotted against him, so he decided to return by way of Macedonia.

They went on ahead to Troas and waited for us there.