LIFE SCRIPTS

18 Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time. Then he left the brothers and sisters and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila. Before he sailed, he had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken. 19 They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila. He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined. 21 But as he left, he promised, “I will come back if it is God’s will.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22 When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.
Acts 18:18‭-‬23 NIV

https://bible.com/bible/111/act.18.18-23.NIV.

Paul’s movements were not random. They were planned as it can be seen if we trace his movements on a map. He moved in a well defined circuit covering the regions of Asia Minor, Greece and Palestine. He left Corinth and made his way towards Syria. He had started the journey with Priscilla and Aquila but left them in Ephesus as he progressed. Scripture tells us of him having a haircut because of vow he had taken. We’re not told anything about the vow but all we can infer is that Paul was a man of his word. He accomplished what he stated he will accomplish. At Ephesus, he did what he was used to by this time…reasoning with the Jews in the synagogue. We see this predictable pattern over and over again when Paul entered a new city. He was not just ‘punching the air’ in his pursuits. He was strategic. The synagogue hosted the creme de la creme when it came to religious folk. They were the opinion shapers of the day and so Paul reasoned with them with the intention that the conversion of the leaders would impact many others. His impact on the religious folk in Ephesus was so much that they begged him to stay further. But Paul won’t. Remember in Corinth, he faced opposition. Different places bring about different experiences in our life. Facing hardships in one area doesn’t necessarily mean that we’ll face them in another area. So Paul landed in Jerusalem but didn’t stop at that. He still kept on moving encouraging other brethren in regions around. He was an encourager. He built people. He chose to be a blessing.