Paul’s third missionary journey was the most extensive of his journeys and took place between approximately 53-58 AD. After staying in Antioch for some time, Paul traveled through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the believers (Acts 18:23). He then came to Ephesus, where he stayed for almost three years.
During his time in Ephesus, Paul taught regularly in the lecture hall of Tyrannus (Acts 19:9). As a result, the gospel spread rapidly throughout the province of Asia. God also did extraordinary miracles through Paul, so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and evil spirits left them (Acts 19:11-12). These miracles led many to turn to the Lord.
However, Paul’s ministry also stirred up opposition. In particular, the new converts burned their scrolls of magic, which undermined the local economy that was centered around the worship of Artemis (Acts 19:18-19). Demetrius, a silversmith who made silver shrines of Artemis, gathered his fellow craftsmen together and incited a riot, shouting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” (Acts 19:24-28). The uproar lasted for hours, but the city clerk eventually quieted the crowd and urged them to handle matters legally (Acts 19:35-41).
After the uproar had ended, Paul called the disciples to him, encouraged them, and then said farewell and left for Macedonia (Acts 20:1). He traveled through that region, speaking many words of encouragement, before arriving in Greece, where he stayed for three months (Acts 20:2-3). He was about to sail for Syria when he learned of a plot against his life by the Jews, so he decided to go back through Macedonia instead (Acts 20:3). Accompanying him as far as Asia were Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus, and Trophimus (Acts 20:4).
Paul eventually arrived in Miletus, where he called for the elders of the church in Ephesus to come meet him. In his address to them, he reflected on his time of ministry in Ephesus, saying he served the Lord with humility and tears and did not shrink from declaring anything that was profitable. He testified that he was innocent of the blood of all men, for he did not hesitate to preach the gospel in its entirety (Acts 20:18-21, 26-27).
Paul also warned the elders to be on guard against false teachers who would distort the truth and draw people away to follow them (Acts 20:29-31). He commended the elders to God and to the word of His grace, which was able to build them up and give them an inheritance (Acts 20:32). After praying with them, they accompanied Paul to the ship, sorrowing over his departure, and kissed him goodbye (Acts 20:36-38).
From Miletus, Paul sailed to Cos, Rhodes, and Patara, before catching a ship to Phoenicia (Acts 21:1-2). He passed south of Cyprus and sailed to Syria, landing at Tyre (Acts 21:3). The disciples there warned Paul not to go on to Jerusalem, telling him through the Spirit that imprisonment and suffering awaited him there (Acts 21:4). But Paul was determined to go. So after seven days, they accompanied him out of the city, with the women and children kneeling on the beach to pray before his departure (Acts 21:5-6).
Paul’s companions sailed on to Ptolemais, where believers greeted them warmly (Acts 21:7). The next day they went to Caesarea and stayed with Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8). During this time, the prophet Agabus came down from Judea. He bound his own hands and feet with Paul’s belt to demonstrate how the Jews in Jerusalem would bind Paul and hand him over to the Gentiles (Acts 21:10-11). Both Paul’s companions and the local residents pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem, but he responded that he was ready not only to be bound but even to die for the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 21:13-14). Since Paul could not be persuaded otherwise, they ceased pleading and simply said, “The will of the Lord be done” (Acts 21:14).
After this interaction, Paul and his companions packed up and went on to Jerusalem (Acts 21:15). They were gladly welcomed by the believers there, and Paul met with James and the elders, telling them what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry (Acts 21:17-19). The elders glorified God but informed Paul that thousands of Jewish believers were zealous for the law, having been told that Paul taught Jews to forsake Moses and no longer circumcise their children (Acts 21:20-21).
To refute this rumor and defuse hostility, they proposed that Paul participate in a vow along with four other men, paying their expenses so that they could shave their heads and purify themselves (Acts 21:23-24). This would show that Paul lived in an orderly manner, keeping the law (Acts 21:24). Paul agreed to their request. So after he had purified himself with the men, he entered the temple to give notice of the expiration of the days of purification and to offer the sacrifice for each of them (Acts 21:26).
However, while Paul was in the temple, he was recognized by Jews from Asia who had previously opposed him, and they stirred up the crowd against him (Acts 21:27). A mob formed, and the people seized Paul, dragging him out of the temple and beating him, seeking to kill him (Acts 21:30-31). But when the commander of the Roman troops heard the commotion, he came with soldiers and centurions and stopped the beating. Paul was bound with two chains as the commander tried to ascertain who he was and what he had done (Acts 21:31-33). As Paul was being led into the barracks, he asked to speak to the people. He addressed them in Hebrew, sharing his background as a Jew and former persecutor of the church. He recounted his conversion experience on the road to Damascus. When he described the Lord’s command to send him to the Gentiles, the crowd became enraged again and demanded his death (Acts 21:37-22:22).
The commander brought Paul into the barracks and ordered him to be interrogated under scourging to find out why the people were shouting against him like this (Acts 22:24). But when the centurion learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, he refrained from scourging him (Acts 22:25-29). The next day, the commander freed Paul from his chains but ordered the chief priests and Sanhedrin to assemble so Paul could stand before them (Acts 22:30).
In front of the Sanhedrin, Paul perceived that one part was made up of Sadducees and the other of Pharisees, so he appealed to the resurrection hope, knowing the Pharisees believed in resurrection while the Sadducees did not (Acts 23:6-8). This caused dissension between the groups, and the Pharisees ended up taking Paul’s side, saying they could find nothing wrong with him (Acts 23:9). Since their debate was becoming violent, the commander had his soldiers take Paul by force into the barracks (Acts 23:10).
The following night, the Lord stood by Paul and told him to take courage, for as he had testified about Jesus in Jerusalem, so must he also do in Rome (Acts 23:11). More than forty Jews formed a conspiracy, vowing not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul (Acts 23:12-13). They planned to ask the Council to bring Paul down again to inquire more accurately about his views, and then they would ambush and kill him on the way (Acts 23:15). But Paul’s nephew heard about their plot and reported it to the commander, who prepared 470 soldiers to escort Paul under cover of night to Caesarea, where he could stand trial before Felix the governor (Acts 23:16-35).
In Caesarea, the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus to present charges against Paul before Felix (Acts 24:1). Tertullus began with flattery toward Felix but then accused Paul of being a troublemaker, a ringleader of the Nazarene sect, and one who tried to desecrate the temple (Acts 24:2-6). The Jews present affirmed these charges (Acts 24:9). But in his defense, Paul denied violating the temple or causing any disturbance (Acts 24:12-13). He did acknowledge belonging to the Way, which they called a sect, and worshiping the God of their fathers according to the Way (Acts 24:14). This included having a hope in the resurrection of the dead (Acts 24:15).
After hearing from both sides, Felix adjourned the proceedings, saying he would decide the case later when the commander came down. In the meantime, he ordered that Paul be kept under guard but have some freedom (Acts 24:22-23). Over the next two years, Felix frequently sent for Paul and listened to him speak about faith in Christ Jesus, though he continued holding him in custody hoping Paul would offer him a bribe for his release (Acts 24:24-26). When Porcius Festus succeeded Felix as governor, he inherited Paul’s case. The Jews still wanted Paul executed, so they asked Festus to transfer Paul to Jerusalem. But recognizing their plan to ambush and kill him along the way, Paul appealed to be tried before Caesar in Rome instead (Acts 25:1-12).
Some days later, King Agrippa arrived in Caesarea with his sister Bernice to pay respects to Festus (Acts 25:13). Festus took the opportunity to explain Paul’s situation to Agrippa. He was at a loss in preparing his report to Caesar since the Jewish charges against Paul seemed unreasonable and centered on religious differences (Acts 25:14-21). Agrippa expressed interest in hearing Paul himself (Acts 25:22). So the next day, amid great pomp, Paul was brought in to make his defense before Agrippa (Acts 26:1).
Paul recounted his background as a Pharisee and former persecutor of the church. He described his conversion experience again, stressing how Jesus appointed him to be a witness to the things he had seen and how he was obedient to the heavenly vision he received (Acts 26:16-19). He shared the gospel message, declaring that Christ had suffered and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles (Acts 26:23).
Festus interrupted at this point, accusing Paul of being out of his mind. But Paul denied being insane and appealed to King Agrippa directly, questioning whether he believed the prophets. Agrippa evaded answering and instead said to Paul, “In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?” (Acts 26:28). In the end, Agrippa concluded that Paul could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar (Acts 26:32).
As Paul waited to be sent to Rome, he was allowed to stay under guard in Caesarea. After spending two years in Caesarea, during which time Felix was succeeded as governor first by Festus and then by Porcius Festus, Paul finally embarked on his journey to Rome. Julius, a centurion of the Augustan Cohort, was tasked with taking Paul and some other prisoners by ship to Rome (Acts 27:1).
They sailed along the coasts of Asia, passing Cilicia and Pamphylia until reaching Myra. There they transferred to an Alexandrian ship headed for Italy (Acts 27:2-6). It took many days to reach Cnidus because of unfavorable winds. They passed Salmone and sailed weathered past Crete near the town of Fair Havens. Much time had been lost, and sailing had become dangerous because it was now after the Fast. But the centurion was persuaded to put out to sea again, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there (Acts 27:7-12).
However, a tempestuous wind called the Northeaster soon struck violently against the ship so that they had to give way to be driven along (Acts 27:14-15). Taking precautions, they undergirded the ship, lowered the gear, and were driven violently for many days (Acts 27:17-18). Finally, they jettisoned the cargo and tackle to lighten the ship (Acts 27:18-19). When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and they despaired of being saved, Paul encouraged them that his God had assured him their lives would be spared (Acts 27:20-25).
The ship was eventually wrecked on the reefs of Malta. Those who could swim jumped overboard while the centurion had the rest cling to planks or parts of the ship (Acts 27:41-44). In this way, all 276 souls made it safely ashore (Acts 27:37, 44). The islanders showed remarkable kindness. As it rained and grew cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed Paul’s group (Acts 28:1-2). Paul was helping gather sticks for the fire when he was bitten by a viper, but suffered no harm, astonishing the islanders (Acts 28:3-6).
Publius, the chief man of the island, hosted them courteously for three days. When Paul prayed and laid hands on Publius’s sick father, he healed him, after which all the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured as well (Acts 28:7-9). They remained on Malta for three months until an Alexandrian ship that had wintered there took them on to Syracuse and Rhegium, and finally to Puteoli (Acts 28:11-13). From there, Paul traveled to Rome by land.
When he arrived in Rome, Paul was allowed to stay by himself with the soldier guarding him (Acts 28:16). He summoned the leaders of the Jews, seeking to remove any misunderstanding they might have about him and to explain that he was bound with this chain because of the hope of Israel (Acts 28:17,20). They replied that they had received no letters about Paul nor heard any ill spoken of him. But they desired to hear his views because people everywhere were speaking against the sect he belonged to (Acts 28:21-22).
So at Paul’s lodging, he explained and solemnly testified about the kingdom of God and tried to persuade them concerning Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets (Acts 28:23). Some were convinced, but others refused to believe (Acts 28:24). They disagreed among themselves as they left (Acts 28:25). But Paul declared that God’s salvation had been sent to the Gentiles, who would listen. For two whole years, Paul stayed in Rome, welcoming all who came and proclaiming the kingdom of God and Jesus Christ with complete boldness and without hindrance (Acts 28:30-31).