2022_06_29 Insight Post- Rusty Coram
This week’s reading- Acts 20
It is something that speakers never want – someone to fall asleep during a talk or presentation. I had it happen to me some years ago, and the person nodding off was actually a good friend… ouch! After it happened a few weeks in a row, I mentioned it to him and discovered that he suffered from narcolepsy and often fell asleep during the day, even when he was driving.
This week we read about Paul in Troas, where he was on a
“farewell tour” to places he was not going to visit again – he knew he would be arrested and sent to prison soon. Here is what happened, “On the first day of the week, we gathered with the local believers to share in the Lord’s Supper. Paul was preaching to them, and since he was leaving the next day, he kept talking until midnight. 8 The upstairs room where we met was lighted with many flickering lamps. 9 As Paul spoke on and on, a young man named Eutychus, sitting on the windowsill, became very drowsy. Finally, he fell sound asleep and dropped three stories to his death below.” Acts 20:7-9 (NLT)
Paul knew he would not see these people again, and he wanted to encourage and equip them well, so he taught late into the night. We don’t know anything else about Eutychus, we just know he was part of the local church, and was there to learn. Maybe he had a long day or didn’t get much sleep the night before, or it’s also possible that Satan was at work to distract him so he wouldn’t learn the important principles Paul was teaching. Either way, he goes to sleep on the window ledge and falls to his death in an accidental tragedy. The church is saying goodbye to their beloved friend and mentor Paul, and now the farewell is marred by the horrible loss of one of their own. But God had other plans… “Paul went down, bent over him, and took him into his arms. “Don’t worry,” he said, “he’s alive!” 11 Then they all went back upstairs, shared in the Lord’s Supper, and ate together. Paul continued talking to them until dawn, and then he left. 12 Meanwhile, the young man was taken home alive and well, and everyone was greatly relieved.” Acts 20:10–12 (NLT)
To the amazement and joy of everyone, God, in His mercy and kindness, restored Eutychus and brought him back to life. I love this. God doesn’t eliminate all of our problems, suffering, loss, or accidents, but there are times when He intervenes in big, unexpected ways to remind us that He is aware and with us. The believers in Troas regularly told the story of Eutychus and remembered the presence and goodness of God. I am confident that it strengthened them during the times of trial and persecution they were rapidly approaching!
Rusty Coram
Senior Pastor