Acts 18:18–23 (ESV)
Paul Returns to Antioch
18
After this, Paul stayed many days longer and then took leave of the brothers and set sail for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had cut his hair, for he was under a vow. 19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there, but he himself
went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20 When they asked him to stay for a longer period, he declined. 21 But on taking leave of them he said, “I will return to you if God wills,” and he set sail from Ephesus.
22 When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch. 23 After spending some time there, he departed and went from one place to the next through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening
all the disciples.
Paul heads back to Antioch and takes his fellow tentmakers, Priscilla and Aquila, with him. He did have to stop off and get a haircut because of a vow. I guess the Saints
lost their game and so he had to cut his hair. Well, to be honest, we don’t know what type of vow he took or what was going on. It was probably a temporary Nazirite Vow (Numbers 6:2-5, 13-21). Paul made a promise to the Lord and now
he fulfills it. One of the thing that catches my eye is that everywhere Paul goes, he stops and he preaches and teaches the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When you go traveling on the road, do you take your faith with you? I know that one of my
highlights of vacation is planning where I will go to church. I call around and talk to the pastors and decide where I will attend. It may be the pastor, the location, the size, the liturgy/worship style... who knows... but it is great for me because
I get to sit with my wife and worship with her. As a pastor, I don’t get to do that often. I encourage you to visit churches while you travel.
I pray: O Lord, we often take trips to
get away from work and all the hub-bub of life at home. Help us to escape and to be refreshed, but help us to take you along on the trip by taking bibles for devotion and attending church while we are gone. Help us to never escape you. Amen.