Eutychus Raised to Life: Church Growth

Discover how Eutychus’s resurrection in Acts 20 reveals God’s unstoppable power and the early church’s unwavering faith amid persecution and opposition to the gospel. The death and resurrection of Eutychus is not merely a miracle story. It reveals the unstoppable spread of the gospel even amid persecution, and the living power of God at work throughout that process. Through this event, which occurred in the middle of Paul’s discourse, the early church became firmly convinced that the Lord is truly alive.

[Scripture]

Acts 20:1-12 (ESV)

[1] After the uproar ceased, Paul sent for the disciples, and after encouraging them, he said farewell and departed for Macedonia. [2] When he had gone through those regions and had given them much encouragement, he came to Greece. [3] There he spent three months, and when a plot was made against him by the Jews as he was about to set sail for Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia. [4] Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus, accompanied him; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timothy; and the Asians, Tychicus and Trophimus. [5] These went on ahead and were waiting for us at Troas, [6] but we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread, and in five days we came to them at Troas, where we stayed for seven days. [7] On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight. [8] There were many lamps in the upper room where we were gathered. [9] And a young man named Eutychus, sitting at the window, sank into a deep sleep as Paul talked still longer. And being overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. [10] But Paul went down and bent over him, and taking him in his arms, said, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” [11] And when Paul had gone up and had broken bread and eaten, he conversed with them a long while, until daybreak, and so departed. [12] And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted. (Acts 20:1-12, ESV)

[Daily Word]

The riot that broke out during the final period of Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was ultimately resolved by the decision of the city clerk. The religions of the world opposed the gospel, and the Jews also sought to hinder Christianity, yet the gospel spread to Macedonia and continued to advance widely.

Even amid such persecution, God caused the gospel to be proclaimed with greater power, and through this process, brought many people to faith in the Lord. He also allowed those who already believed to witness firsthand how He was alive and at work. Through Paul’s ministry of the gospel, they experienced God faithfully building up His church.

Even today, the church and Christianity face criticism and rejection. Yet in the midst of all this, God always leads His people to victory. Just as the threatening riot in Ephesus and the hostility of the Jews could not stop the spread of the gospel or the growth of the church, God will continue to accomplish His saving work for all nations and for His righteousness — through the proclamation of the gospel and the footsteps of faith. And throughout this process, He will demonstrate that He is with us by bringing forth the work of life. Therefore, like Paul, even if this road is a lonely one, we must remember that we are called to walk it together in faith.

Sunday: The Church at Troas Gathered to Break Bread

Verse 7 tells us that on the first day of the week — the Lord’s Day, the day after the Sabbath — the believers in Troas gathered together with Paul to break bread. The breaking of bread here refers to the Lord’s Supper. The Lord’s Supper is a rite of remembrance and commemoration of the death and resurrection of Jesus. For Christians, this is the most central act of worship and a profound expression of the gospel. Paul expounded on the Word, and the believers in Troas stayed through the night to hear it.¹

Whether it was because of the many lamps burning in the upper room, a young man named Eutychus could not resist falling asleep and fell from the third floor, dying from the fall. Paul immediately went down, threw himself on the young man, and embraced him, saying, “Do not be alarmed, for his life is in him.” In the same way, when Jesus stood before the dead Lazarus, He declared, “Lazarus, come out!” — speaking as though Lazarus were already alive — and Lazarus walked out still wrapped in his burial cloths. In like manner, Paul declared that Eutychus was alive, and indeed, Eutychus was restored to life.

God’s Glory Revealed Through the Restoration of Life

The reason God restored Eutychus to life is the same as the reason He raised Lazarus. Just as the Lord said, “Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?” (John 11:40), His purpose was to show that He is the resurrection and the life — and to make known that whoever believes in Him who raises the living will never die.

The Lord Watches Over His Church

No matter how great the power of the evil one and the forces of death may seem, Jesus — who conquered the power of death and rose again — will surely watch over and protect us. Just as the gospel that Jesus taught awakens the people, and the gospel that Paul taught builds up the church, drawing many back to the Lord, so too must we grow strong and healthy within the gospel. It is our earnest prayer that we would be a people who strive to proclaim the gospel in season and out of season, becoming the Lord’s people in whom God delights.

Originally published in Korean at bible2u.com