Paul’s Third Journey Continues

Paul is continuing on his third missionary journey. After two years in Ephesus, and a near riot, he is off to Macedonia.

The craftsmen in Ephesus staged a riot over the decrease in their business of idol making. The whole city got caught up in it. Fortunately, the town clerk was able to defuse the situation. But Paul had already been thinking of going on to Macedonia. Now is as good a time as any. Let’s rejoin him as he strikes out from Ephesus.

Holy Spirit, let me see the events of Paul’s journey. Open my eyes to what is going on around him, so I can share Your story. Direct my eyes to what You want me to see and what You want me to take from it for my life.

♥ ♦ ♥

A short while later, Timothy returns with news from the church in Corinth.

“Brother Paul, the people rejected the letter! They claim that, because of your suffering, you are not really an apostle and they don’t have to listen to you.”

Paul cannot believe his ears. “I must make the trip I warned them of then; and do it now.”

Paul and Titus sets sail to Corinth the next day. When they arrives, they goes straight to the home where the church is meeting. They are surprised to see him.

“Brother Paul, no one told us you were coming.”

“Did you think that with the report I received from Timothy that I would stay away? Were you expecting that one you deem ‘not an apostle’ would walk away without correcting you? I am your spiritual father. I MUST discipline my children when they go astray.”

Rather than letting Paul speak, some of the leaders of the church physically attack Paul. Others verbally shout him down. Paul turns to the people and says; “I commend you into the hands of the Lord and His Spirit. May They judge between you and me.”

With this, Pau and Titus return to Ephesus. They do not wait for the church to repent. Paul will let the Lord deal with the church. He can do no more until they repent.

Once back in Ephesus, Paul writes again to the Corinthian church. This letter is hard on him to write, and it will be hard for the church to hear.

“I write to you brothers in love. The excellent love of Jesus Christ, who chose me as an apostle to the Gentiles. It is for this reason that I first came to you and preached the gospel. I have not departed from that gospel, even though you apparently have. I urge you to examine your hearts and remove the sin of rebellion, sexual immorality, and division from your midst.

“You are in grave danger. ‘For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt’ (Hebrews 6:4-6). Do NOT let this be said of you, my children!

“My heart is grieved over you and the condition of your hearts. Repent and return to the gospel which I first brought to you. You yourselves have seen my heart for the Lord. Do not despise my teaching or my calling, for they are both from the Lord. Christ Himself commissioned me and spoke that I would have struggles in this world. Do not think that because of these struggles that I am not worthy to bring His message. I suffer as He did. And I count it a privilege to do so. If you discount my suffering, you are discounting His.”

Paul is in tears when he delivers this letter to Titus to take to the church in Corinth. “Please, bring me back word once you have read this letter in their hearing.”

“I will brother. My heart breaks along with yours. I will represent you well, and pray that they listen.”

Paul continues working for the Lord in Ephesus after sending Titus on his way. Many more come to faith before Paul feels he is nearing the end of his time with them. Before leaving himself, he sends Timothy and Silvanus ahead of him. He will meet up with them in Troas.

Paul continues working for the Lord in Ephesus after sending Titus on his way. He begins to  feel the call to go to Macedonia, but delays for a short time longer. Instead, he sends Timothy and Erastus ahead of him.

“I will join you there as soon as I am freed by the Lord to leave Ephesus.”

With all this going on in town, a problem arises with those who make and sell idols. Jesus allows no idols in His kingdom. And the conversion of the people to Jesus is cutting into their business.

Demetrius, a silversmith in Ephesus calls together a group of workers in the same kinds of trade; those who crafted idols or sold items used in worship of Ephesus’ gods. When they are assembled, Demetrius begins to stir them up.

“Men, you know that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship” (Acts 19:25-27).

Demetrius’ desire to disrupt works better than he ever imagined. Those in attendance begin to chant and shout; “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:28).

They rush into the streets, carrying their energy and outrage with them. People are confused as to what is going on. Mob mentality took over and the people followed the loudest leaders. Gaius and Aristarchus, two men who travel with Paul are seized on the street and dragged by the crowd into the hall where Paul normally speaks.

Total chaos reigns. Some people are calling out one thing while others call out the opposite. Most of the people don’t even know why they are caught up in this to begin with.

Alexander, a leading Jew in the area stands before the crowd, motioning with his hands for them to calm down. He is trying to deescalate the situation. When the people realize that he is a Jew, they shout, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:34) with one voice. This quickly becomes a chant and the people continue this chant for two hours.

Paul wants to go in and calm the people down himself, but the disciples in the area will NOT let him. It is too dangerous for him.

After two hours of chanting, the town clerk stands before the people. They recognize him and respond to his direction, finally quieting. Once the noise dies down to a level where he can be heard, he addresses the crowd.

“Men of Ephesus, who is there who does not know that the city of the Ephesians is temple keeper of the great Artemis, and of the sacred stone that fell from the sky? Seeing then that these things cannot be denied, you ought to be quiet and do nothing rash. For you have brought these men here who are neither sacrilegious nor blasphemers of our goddess. If therefore Demetrius and the craftsmen with him have a complaint against anyone, the courts are open, and there are proconsuls. Let them bring charges against one another. But if you seek anything further, it shall be settled in the regular assembly. For we really are in danger of being charged with rioting today, since there is no cause that we can give to justify this commotion” (Acts 19:35-40).

The people caught up in this mob are ashamed of their actions. They begin to melt from the scene a handful at a time. Demetrius is still angry, but he knows that the town clerk is right. They are in danger of having Rome respond with force to put down this uprising.

Gaius and Aristarchus are grateful for the rescue. They had no idea what would happen to them. They prayed fervently through the whole ordeal, trusting God with their lives.

Some in the crowd are reluctant to leave. The town clerk calls out to all. “Go back to your homes or your places of business. Nothing more is going to happen here today.”

Finally, the crowd disperses. Gaius and Aristarchus return to the brothers. They are celebrated for returning safely. Yet ALL vow to NOT allow this to stop their ministry. Persecution is part of the process of change. And Jesus told them it would happen.

Paul has already been planning on going to Macedonia. This is as good a time as any. It also serves to get him away from the mobs that might reform if he stays. Paul doesn’t leave though without encouraging those who remain in Ephesus.

“Brothers, know that the Lord is always with you. Stand firm in the gospel of Jesus Christ. Nothing of this life can separate you from the Lord. Not even death. Remain strong.”

The brothers all turn out to wish Paul a safe journey. Several brothers travel with Paul, for safety, company, and support.

“We are going to take the inland route,” Paul says as the group starts out from Ephesus.

“Wouldn’t it be faster to go by sea?” asks one who is traveling with him.

“It would. But we are not in a hurry, and we will encounter more people this way who are in need of the gospel.”

It is a hard journey with few towns along the way. Sleeping under the stars is how most nights are spent. Walking the Roman roads is not an easy job, even for the sturdiest of soldiers.

“I can’t imagine traveling this path without the benefit of the Roman roads. These hills are steep and the terrain is difficult. But those who walked it before had it even worse,” comments one of the brothers.

“I’m glad to be born in the era we are in now! I don’t know if I could have made it back then.”

“And even better than that, we have Jesus! The completion of the promise. This is the GREATEST benefit to being born at this time in history.”

“There is still much to come in the promises of the Lord. We haven’t reached the end,” Paul reminds them. “But I too am grateful for the roads.”

It takes the group just over two weeks to cover the distance between Ephesus and Troas. The stops made along the way lasted no more than a day. Paul feels the need to keep pressing on. When the group arrives at Troas, passage is booked to Neapolis.

Arriving safely in Neapolis, Paul decides to follow the same path that he covered the last time he visited with Timothy and Silas. Philippi is the first stop on that path.

Lydia greets the brothers. “Welcome Brother Paul. It is good to see you again. I see you have brought along helpers again. A wise decision, as it is not safe to travel alone these days. One never knows who they might run into.”

“I am glad to be able to see you again. I have come to offer support and encouragement in any way I can.”

“Your support is always welcome.”

Paul and the brothers spend several weeks with the church in Philippi. While they are here, Titus comes to visit, carrying news to Paul regarding the church in Corinth. It has been a year since Paul sent them their letter of correction and eight months since his short visit.

“Brother Titus, it’s good to see you.”

“It is good to see you too. And I have news from the church in Corinth. It is both good news and distressing news.”

Paul steels himself to hear Titus’ report. His last report and last letter were anything but encouraging. “Just tell me. I will let the Lord sort it from there.”

Titus nods and begins his report. “Many returned from their divisions and have repented. They are ashamed of their behavior. The sexual sin in the church has been eliminated and those guilty have been cut off.”

“This is good that these issues have been addressed. Yet I hear a ‘but’ coming.”

“You are as perceptive as ever brother Paul. There are still those who believe that, because of all your suffering, you are not an apostle of Christ. There are others they esteem highly that speak poorly of you. They even claim that, because you left so abruptly when you visited last, you don’t really care about them anymore.”

“As I expect there will always be those who try and stir up trouble. Did the one who started the division in the church repent?”

“He did. He has been excluded from associating with the brethren as well.”

“This needs to be addressed. It is time for forgiveness and healing. And dealing with the ‘super apostles’ who are stirring things up.”

“I’m ready whenever you are to address these issues. I want to see restoration in the church.”

“First on that agenda will be demonstrating that I DO love them and will never stop striving for their good.”

Paul begins composing another letter to the Corinthian church. Timothy will be the scribe for this letter. After greeting and introducing himself and Timothy, Paul shares his love and forgiveness for the church.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort” (Corinthians 1:3-7).

“Things were very dangerous in Asia. It was the worst we have ever encountered, and feared that we would lose our lives. Praise be to God that He sustained us and rescued us from peril. He has taken us from Ephesus to Macedonia.

“I know I had stated that I wanted to visit you before leaving for Macedonia, and that the ‘apostles’ who are speaking ill of me, claim this as reason to doubt my teachings and calling. In truth, brothers, I didn’t come to you because of the pain of our last visit and the letter I sent to you by the hand of Titus. I restrained from coming to give you time to repent and return to the Lord.”

Paul breathes a deep sigh. The decision to delay was a difficult one. But he WILL go to Corinth before leaving the region. Their repentance has made that possible. It is time to address forgiveness in light of their repentance.

“Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs” (2 Corinthians 2:5-11).

Paul releases the man and fully forgives him, along with all those who sided against him. Jesus forgave those who crucified Him, even as He was being dropped into place to endure the suffering of the cross. Jesus even forgave Paul for persecuting those of the Way. If Jesus can forgive, then Paul HAS to do likewise.

“I have been eagerly awaiting word from Titus regarding you. I did not even avail myself of the opportunity of remaining in Troas and teaching there. We came straight to Macedonia, hoping to meet up with Titus. Praise be to God that he met us here and brought me news of your repentance.

“God opens doors wherever we go for the spread of His word. ‘For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 2:17). Are we boasting of ourselves? Do we need letters of recommendation to come to you? YOU are our letters of recommendation, written on your hearts in Christ to His glory.

“Yes, brothers. Christ Himself is the author of those letters. This is nothing we have done or can take credit for, but the Spirit works in you and His glory shines through you. ‘Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit’ (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).”

“It is only by the mercy of God that we are surviving what the enemy is throwing our way, and we will NOT use tricks to convince you or others to follow us. We speak only the truth of God. Those who refuse to understand, do so because the enemy has blinded them to the truth. That truth is Jesus is Lord and we are your servants in His name. ‘For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6). ‘We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies’ (2 Corinthians 4:8-10).”

“Though we suffer much, it is for your benefit and His glory. And we have confidence that God, who raised Jesus from the dead, will raise us as well and bring us into His presence. It does not matter that our physical bodies are suffering hardship, as long as the gospel of Christ is being proclaimed to more and more people. ‘For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal’ (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).”

Paul turns his eyes towards heaven, imagining what awaits him on the other side of this struggle. “THIS is what the church needs to hear”, he says to himself. “The promise that lies ahead.”

“We know that while we suffer much here in this body, God has prepared an eternal body for us unlike anything man can imagine. We know this by faith in Jesus. No man has revealed it to us. And while we long for that day, to be with Him, we continue on in our struggles so that you may know and grasp this hope as well.”

Paul turns to the consequences of walking away from the work set before each of them.

“So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience” (2 Corinthians 5:9-11).

‘“The love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵ and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised’ (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Because He died for us and rose again, He gives life to us through the Spirit.”

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).

“Now is the day of salvation. We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; by purity, knowledge, patience, kindness, the Holy Spirit, genuine love; by truthful speech, and the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; through honor and dishonor, through slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything” (2 Corinthians 6:2-10).

“Because you are new creations, the temple of the living God, separate yourselves from evil. ‘As God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
and I will be a father to you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me,
says the Lord Almighty”’ (2 Corinthians 6:16-18).”

Paul needs the church to know how much their returning to the Lord means to him and for them; as well as their receiving his words of correction.

“I praise God that you have again made room in your hearts for us. That you have repented of your sin, of your longing to see me again, and for your renewed zeal for the Lord. I know I brought you grief through my ‘painful letter’ but I do not regret it. For, that godly grief produced in you the work of repentance and reconciliation that would not have otherwise have been possible.

“You have proven through your eagerness to clean the sin from yourselves, your indignation at the wrong being done among you, your zeal and fear of God, your longing to restore relationship, and judging rightly those who sinned that God’s work in you through your grief restored you to fellowship with Him. I am proud to boast about your hard work. ‘I rejoice, because I have complete confidence in you’ (2 Corinthians 7:16).”

Now that the church surely knows that their reconciliation is complete, Paul turns to the business of the body. The support that they promised before all the division happened. This is for the sake of those in need as well as their own sake. Giving blesses both the recipient and the giver, when done in the spirit of love. Paul needs to remind them of this in his letter.

“They need to know that they are not the only ones supporting the gospel” Paul tells Timothy as he continues to compose his letter.

“We want to praise God for the hearts of the churches in Macedonia for their generosity in supporting the saints in need. They begged us to allow them this privilege and they gave above and beyond what anyone expected. Titus began working with you in this area a year ago. I urge you to complete the commitment that you made to him at that time, not for my sake, but that you may be found faithful in this also.

“I say this NOT as a command to you, but through your gift, it is a demonstration of your love and faithfulness to the Lord. For we know that Jesus Himself became poor that we might be rich. Your willingness to follow His example and leading is a benefit to you as well.

“I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened, but that as a matter of fairness your abundance at the present time should supply their need, so that their abundance may supply your need, that there may be fairness. As it is written, ‘Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack’” (2 Corinthians 8:13-15).

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work” (2 Corinthians 9:6-8).

“Titus is eager to return to you as he feels the call of the Lord to do so. He not only brough your appeal, but will carry our love to you again. Welcome him into your hearts again. Several of the brothers will be accompanying him. Show them proof of your love for the Lord and commitment to His calling. And prepare in advance of our arrival, for we will be coming to you after strengthening the churches in Macedonia, the gift for the believers in need. This will demonstrate your willingness to give, rather than your compunction.”

Paul now turns his attention to defending himself against the ‘super-apostles’ that have been turning the church against him. Not out of conceit, but out of necessity to prove his right to stand before them in confidence. He knows he speaks strongest through the pen and wants to set things right before coming in person.

“I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete” (2 Corinthians 10:1-6).

‘“I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present’ (2 Corinthians 10:9-11). I will not repent of being proud of you and standing on the authority that God has given me is building you up. Not that I am boasting of myself but of the spread of the gospel to even greater areas by strengthening you. Those who do boast of themselves need to realize that we too are in Christ and stop tearing us down.”

“To defend myself before you, I must boast, though it pains me to do so. ‘Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things’ (2 Corinthians 11:5-6). ‘Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one…with far greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?’ (2 Corinthians 11:22-29).”

“Continuing painfully to ‘boast’, I refute their claims of superiority in visions and revelations. I do not like speaking of this as it is still beyond my own understanding as to how the Lord accomplished this in me, yet fourteen years ago I was caught up to the very realm of God. I don’t know if it was a physical experience, a dream, or a spiritual transformation for a time. But while there, I heard things too great for man to understand, or even speak of. To keep me from becoming proud of this encounter, the Lord gave me a ‘thorn in the flesh’, a struggle that I have continued to carry to this day. Three times I asked the Lord to remove this from me, but He would not. Instead, He told me; ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong’ (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).”

“This will be the third time that I come to you. And as before, I will not ask you to support me. None of the brothers who have come from me or traveled with me have burdened you in this way. We have always and will continue to work to support ourselves. This cannot be said for those false apostles. Is it because they burden you that you treat them with more respect? Children should not have to take care of their parents, parents should take care of their children. You are my children!”

Paul returns to his love for the church. It is a godly love that seeks good and does not shy away when discipline is needed.

“Out of great love for my children, ‘I fear that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced’ (2 Corinthians 12:20-21). ‘This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. I warned those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them’ (2 Corinthians 13:1-2). ‘Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test!’ (2 Corinthians 13:5). ‘Your restoration is what we pray for. For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down’ (2 Corinthians 13:9-10).”

Paul ends his letter with his sincerest wish for the whole body.

“Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the saints greet you.

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:11-14).

Paul is emotionally and physically spent after pouring his heart out in this letter. He thanks God for those who have already repented and been restored to fellowship. He prays that the rest will repent before he arrives. “I don’t enjoy disciplining the churches, but I cannot let sin reign and destroy the work that the Lord has done”, Paul tells Titus.

“I agree brother. I’m glad I could bring you good news. Or at least partial good news.”

After reading the letter through again, Paul places it into the hands of Titus.

“You have served so faithfully, and I’m asking you to do so again. Take this to the church in Corinth and ensure that ALL hear it.”

“I am honored to be of service to the Lord, and you, in this way.”

Titus takes four other brothers along with him and sets out for Corinth. Paul continues visiting the churches in Macedonia, encouraging them in the faith.

While Paul is making his way towards Corinth, Titus is continuing to encourage the brothers. All are ready to welcome him when he arrives. Forgiveness and unity reign in the church.

(to be continiued)

I am choosing to break here for the sake of being able to read the story in a day. I thought about going to the end of Paul’s third journey, but Romans is written in Corinth. So, it’s going to take several pages for that portion alone. Hopefully, this will be the last break before he concludes his journey. No promises though.

While going through Paul’s missionary journeys I have found SO MUCH MORE that I ever knew was there. I’m grateful to all those who recognized and put down the timeline for me to follow. As hard as it is, I think that his letters should be included in his story instead of left to stand alone. I hope you are all alright with this too.

Father God, thank You for opening my eyes to Your story. The ins and outs that I never knew about. Thank You for those who walked before me down this path and ‘marked the way’ for me to follow. I pray that retelling Your stories will bring them to life, or at least open others’ eyes to some of the ‘hidden pictures’ within them. I PRAY with ALL my heart that I listened well to the Spirit when ‘condensing’ Paul’s letters. I don’t want anything to go unsaid that You mean to impart to Your children. Again, PLEASE change anything You need to through Your mighty hand.