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Acts 19:21-22  PAULS PLANS FOR THE FUTURE

Introduction: 

	 Our previous text tells us about a group of seven Jewish exorcists in the 
city of Ephesus trying to duplicate the method of the Apostle Paul in their 
efforts to cast out demons.  One or more of them had apparently been present 
when Paul spoke and in the name of Jesus commanded a demons to come out of a 
demon afflicted person.  Much to their amazement the demons immediately came out 
and the afflicted person was healed.  This beat the methods which they had been 
using in an effort to cast out demons.  They had been using the magical formulas 
of sorcery and witchcraft.  They saw an opportunity to make much more money by 
using Paul’s method.  
	So the next time they attempted to cast the demons out of a man they spoke 
and commanded the demons in the name of Jesus to come out of the man.  They were 
in for another surprise.  It did not work for them as it had for Paul.  The 
demons spoke back to him and said, “Jesus we know and Paul we know, but who are 
you?”  Then the demons caused the afflicted man to viscously attack them.  He 
ripped their clothes off them and wounded them.  I don’t suppose he mortally 
wounded them because they were able to flee and escape.  
	In our text today Luke tells us about some plans that the Apostle Paul 
made for the future.  

I.  Paul purposing in his heart

	V. 21, “After these things were ended...”  By this Luke referred to more 
than just the incident when the exorcists attempted to copy Paul’s method in 
casting out demons.  Luke certainly must have included that incident, but he 
really referred to all that had transpired in the life of Paul since his return 
to the city of Ephesus.  It included the three months that Paul attended the 
services at the Jewish synagogue and witnessed to the Jews about Jesus.  It 
included the fact that Paul stopped going to that synagogue because most of the 
Jewish leaders there turned against him and rejected his message about Jesus. It 
included that fact that Paul was allowed to use the facilities at the school of  
Tyrannus for preaching and teaching the word of God.  For about two years he 
used those facilities to reach and teach not only residents of the city of 
Ephesus, but also people from all of the surrounding cities and villages.  
	By this time Paul had strengthened the church at Ephesus considerably.  
When he had organized the church he did not stay to teach and strengthen the 
work.  He was in a rush to get on to Jerusalem to attend a certain feast day and 
to fulfill certain obligations concerning a religious vow which he had made.  
But he had promised to return and return he did.  And strengthen the church he 
did.  He could now leave the church in the hands of good brethren whom he had 
well taught and trained.  There was no need for him to stay at Ephesus much 
longer and, therefore, he planned to leave in the near future and go to other 
places where he would be needed.  
	 (V. 21), “...Paul purposed in the spirit...”  Paul purposed in his spirit 
or in his heart to carry out his plans.  In his mind he had four specific places 
to which he planned to go.  First he purposed to go to Macedonia.  (V. 21), 
“...when he had passed through  Macedonia...”  Luke says that he purposed in his 
spirit to go through Macedonia.  But that also means that he purposed to go to 
Macedonia.  He had earlier established churches in Macedonia at the cities of 
Philippi and Thessalonica.  It was at Philippi where and earthquake came and 
opened all the doors of the jail where Paul was a prisoner and the jailor got 
saved.  I am sure that he wanted to return both to Philippi and to Thessalonica 
to help them with whatever problems they might need help with.
	But there was also another special reason why he wanted to return there.  
Luke says nothing about it in this text, but a great drought had hit Jerusalem 
and the surrounding area.  The people of the Jerusalem church were suffering as 
a result of that drought and needed some help.  It was Paul’s intent to raise 
funds among the Gentile churches to carry to Jerusalem to aid the Jerusalem 
Christians.  He would surely try to strengthen and encourage the churches at 
Philippi and Thessalonica, but he would also seek to raise funds from them to 
help the Jerusalem church.  
	Since raising funds for the Jerusalem church was his chief purpose in 
going to Macedonia, Paul would not tarry long at either Philippi or 
Thessalonica.  He would go through Macedonia to another place.  
	V. 21, “...and Achaia...”  He purposed to go to Achaia.  In the province 
of Achaia Paul would visit the church which he had established at the city of 
Corinth and at Cenchrea, the twin city of Corinth.  Again Paul would surely seek 
to help them with whatever problems they faced, and he would seek to encourage 
them.  He would certainly want to leave them spiritually stronger than when he 
arrived.  But, again his chief purpose in the visit was to raise funds which 
would then be taken on to Jerusalem to help the people in the Jerusalem church.  
	Even though Luke does not mention this purpose at this point, Paul makes 
mention of it in I Corinthians chapter 16.  He even mentions that he would first 
pass through Macedonia as he would journey to Corinth which was in Achaia.   
“Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the 
churches of Galatia, even so do ye.  Upon the first [day] of the week let every 
one of you lay by him in store, as [God] hath prospered him, that there be no 
gatherings when I come.  And when I come, whomsoever ye shall approve by [your] 
letters, them will I send to bring your liberality unto Jerusalem.   And if it 
be meet that I go also, they shall go with me. 
Now I will come unto you, when I shall pass through Macedonia: for I do pass 
through Macedonia,”  (1 Cor. 16:1-5).
	Luke tells us that after leaving Corinth in Achaia, Paul purposed to go to 
Jerusalem.  (V. 21), “...to go to Jerusalem...”  Luke does not tell us that he 
would make any stops prior to reaching Jerusalem.  But from I Corinthians 
chapter 16 we learn that enroute to Jerusalem he would visit or revisit several 
more churches.  He would revisit the church at Ephesus.  He probably stopped at 
Laodicea.  It was on his route and there was a church there.  He would revisit 
all of the churches of Galatia which he had earlier organized.  That would 
include churches at Colosse, Antioch of Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe.  I 
am not certain if there was a church at Tarsus, which was his home town, but it 
was on his route and he surely must have stopped there briefly.  In all of the 
churches that Paul would visit he would seek to raise offering for the 
Christians at Jerusalem who were suffering terribly because of the great 
drought.  Even if the drought was over by the time he reached them, they would 
have been unable to raise and harvest a new crop by that time of his arrival and 
so they would still be very much in need of help.  I am sure that his arrival 
and the help that he would bring would be an answer to prayer to them.  
	Paul also purposed to go to one other place that Luke named.  He purposed 
to go to Rome.  (V. 21), “...saying, After I have been there, I must also see 
Rome.”  From Paul’s writings we learn that he had long desired to go to Rome, 
but had never done so up to this point.  So Paul has it in his plans after 
leaving Jerusalem he would go to Rome.  And he would do so.  But he would not go 
there in the way that he planned to go.  He would go there as a prisoner of the 
Roman government and he would remain a prisoner there for an extended period of 
time.  But Paul’s journey is another story and Luke will tell us about it in 
great detail later in the Book of Acts.  

II.  Messengers sent ahead to Macedonia

	V. 22, “So he sent into Macedonia two of them that ministered unto him, 
Timotheus and Erastus...”  Before leaving to go to Macedonia, Paul sent two of 
his helpers ahead to prepare for his coming.  They were sent to prepare for his 
coming.  They would deliver Paul’s message to the churches at Thessalonica and 
Philippi that he would later arrive and that he wanted them to start raising 
funds now for the Christians at Jerusalem so that when Paul did arrive the funds 
would be ready and he would not be delayed trying to raise funds.  
	He sent Timothy, with whom you are very familiar.  Timothy had been with 
Paul on his first trip to these places and was known and trusted by the brethren 
of those churches.  He would be a valuable man to send there to raise funds for 
the Jerusalem brethren.  
	He also sent a man by the name of Erasmus.  In Romans 16:23 we learn that 
Erasmus had earlier served as chamberain or treasurer of the city of Corinth.  
Therefore Erasmus was experienced in fund raising.  He was also experienced in 
safely handling large sums of money and would know how to do so in a way that 
everybody would know that all funds were properly accounted for and that none 
were being misused.  Erasmus would be a valuable man to have with Timothy in the 
churches of Macedonia.  Then when they would leave Macedonia and go to Achaia, 
he would be personally known in the cities of Corinth and Cenchrea and would be 
even more valuable.  The people who were being asked to give not only knew 
Timothy, but they also knew Erasmus and knew that he was a man who could be 
trusted.  

III.  Paul remaining in Ephesus for a while

	(V. 22), “...but he himself stayed in Asia for a season.”  Luke says that 
Paul stayed in Asia for a while giving Timothy and Erasmus time to do the needed 
fund raising in Macedonia before going there.  Luke doe not tell us in this 
verse what part of Asia Paul was in, but earlier verses tell us that he was in 
Ephesus.  
	Paul would seek to accomplish two things while he remained behind at 
Ephesus.  For one thing, he would continue to seek to strengthen this church.  
He would continue to teach them the word of God and the will of God for their 
lives.  He would continue to seek to win new converts and, thus, to strengthen 
the church numerically.  
	The second thing that Paul would seek to do was to inform the church at 
Ephesus about his efforts to raise funds for the church at Jerusalem.  He would 
inform them that he had sent Timothy and Erasmus before him to raise funds and 
that he would soon follow after them not only into Macedonia but also into 
Achaia and that he would receive the funds which Timothy and Erasmus had raised.  
He informed them that after receiving the funds which the churches in Macedonia 
and Achaia had contributed he would return to Ephesus.  He would inform them 
that while he was gone they, too, should be gathering together whatever they 
could add to the collection.  According to I Corinthians 16 he did plan that 
when he returned he would remain at Ephesus unto Pentecost and then he would 
leave to go on to Jerusalem.  But the point is that once Pentecost arrived, he 
wanted to be able to have all funds collected so that he could move on toward 
Jerusalem without further delay. 

III.  Some lessons for us

	For one thing, we learn that it is Scriptural and it is wise to make plans 
for the future.  This is true for an individual.  It is true for a family.  It 
is true for a New Testament church.  Someone has wisely said, “Plan your work 
and work your plan.”  
	It is necessary to have a vision of the need and to map out a plan to meet 
that need.  That is what Paul was doing.  The need was to get food and other 
necessary supplies to the brethren of the church at Jerusalem.  Paul could give 
of his own means to help them, but what he alone could give was not enough.  
Paul had a plan that would be much more effective.  He had a plan that would 
provide a great help for the Christians at Jerusalem.  His plan was for the 
Gentile churches which he had organized to make sacrificial offerings to help 
the Jerusalem church in their time of crisis.  
	Paul also saw the need for the Christian faith to be strengthened in the 
city of Rome, the capital city of the Roman empire.  After helping the church at 
Jerusalem he intended to go to Rome and help them.  He would be helping the 
church at Jerusalem, but he would be helping the church at Rome spiritually.  By 
helping the church at Rome, he would help the cause of Christ throughout the 
whole Roman empire.  Paul could see that the church at Rome could have great 
outreach into all of the empire.  By going to Rome to help that church he could 
personally help the cause of Christ throughout the empire.  Paul had a plan and 
he intended to work his plan.  
	Another thing we learn is to give of our means to support the cause of 
Christ and to give of our means to help others.  Some of the churches which 
contributed to the funds which Paul was raising were very poor churches.  But 
Paul encouraged them to give.  Even poor folks can usually give something to the 
cause of Christ and these people did.  Paul later wrote to them and commended 
them for giving even in the time of their own poverty.  They still had a little 
and they shared what little they had to help the cause of Christ.  Paul was 
confident that God would bless them for their generosity and their willingness 
to give even in their own time of poverty.  
	We also learn to enlist the help of others.  Paul did not try to do all of 
the work himself.  He enlisted two capable men to assist him.  He enlisted the 
aid of Timothy and Erasmus.  Paul was but one man.  There is a limit to what one 
man can do.  By enlisting the aid of two other men, Paul could accomplish three 
times as much as he could do alone.  
	Paul also enlisted the aid of the churches that he had organized.  When 
all of the Christians of all those churches combined their efforts a much 
greater work could be done than he and Timothy and Erasmus could possibly do.  
If the cause is worthy and the plan is workable then it pays to enlist the aid 
of others to carry out that plan.  
	We learn that the cause of Christ should be foremost in our lives.  It was 
for Paul.  Paul put the cause of Christ ahead of his own comfort, ahead of his 
own provisions, ahead of his own pleasure.  Paul put the cause of Christ ahead 
of his own life.  He was willing to sacrifice his life if that would bring 
others to Christ.  He said that he could even wish himself accursed from Christ 
if that would bring his Jewish brethren to Christ and salvation.  
	Thus we learn that being saved and being faithful to Christ are the most 
important things in life.  Being saved is far more important than gaining all 
the wealth of the world.  Being saved is far more important than experiencing 
all of the pleasures of the world.  Being saved is far more important than being 
the most popular person in the world.  Being saved is far more important that 
gaining the most powerful position in the world.  Being saved gets one prepared 
for all eternity.  This something that earthy wealth, earthly pleasure and 
earthly popularity and power cannot do.