Summary:
Paul meets with the leaders from Ephesus in a closing message of faith and hope as he sets his sights and begins the path to Jerusalem. He is warned and foretold of the tribulation that awaits him there, but his calling leads him on
Questions:
13. humility and tears, severely tested by plots of the Jews, taught publicly and house-to-house
14. a. 20:27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. I think this speaks to the boldness in the message that Paul had and encouraged others to have that I do not always possess. I hesitate a lot. I discuss rather than proclaiming and I spoon out the will of God in discussions rather than proclaiming the whole will of God.
b. Paul was vulnerable, confident and bold all at the same time. This can only happen in a setting and with a group where there is loving fellowship. Paul spoke openly of his life and desires and concerns and maintained confidence despite urgings from others for a less bold path
15. a. 35 more blessed to give than to receive
b. Start with how can I serve rather than what’s in it for me.
Conclusion:
Conviction.
I worked with a lady who used to talk about how she tried to be a confident person. For example, when she would get the message on her computer “the following action will erase your files, are you sure?” She would explain, they clearly don’t know me – I am always sure. I am not always right, but I am always sure.
Paul was sure as well. The Latin roots of the word conviction mean, with proof. Paul was plugged into the spirit and lived in that power to the extent that the message of the gospel wasn’t a belief – it was lived with proof as a fact. He was convicted of his sin, he was convicted to the message, he had conviction in his delivery and he had conviction in his mission.
But the biggest difference in the confidence and conviction that Paul had and my friend had is that what he was confident in was always right.
The Notes are Good 