Message of the Week

The Little White Community Church

Scripture: Acts 19: 23-36 Nov. 30, 2025

Message: “A Friend in Times of Need!”

by Pastor George Gnade

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Introduction:

1. As most of you know, during the Thanksgiving season, we have been studying the lives of Paul’s helpers, people Paul was very thankful for.

2. These included Philemon and Onesimus, Epaphras, Luke, and two men who were used by Paul to carry his letters named Tychicus and Epaphroditus.

a. Many of these men you probably never heard of before because they helped Paul behind the scenes.

b. That doesn’t change the fact that they played important roles in Paul’s life.

3. The same could be said about the man we are considering today. His name was Aristarchus. In Col. 4: 10, Paul writes: “My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you greetings.” Let us take a closer look at this man this morning.

A. To begin with, the Bible says he was from a city in the province of Macedonia called Thessalonica (Acts 20:4). 

1. Most of you have probably heard how Paul was seeking God’s will and couldn’t decide where he was to go next. It was as if all the places he had planned to go were closed.

a. That is when Paul had a vision (Acts 16: 6-10) in which a man spoke to him and told him he was needed in Macedonia. 

b. Because of that vision, Paul went to Philippi where he started a new church and led many to the Lord.

2. From Philippi, Paul went to Thessalonica which was also located in Macedonia. These people were also responsive  to Christ. In fact, their lives were so changed by the gospel that the whole area was talking about them. That is probably where Paul met Aristarchus.  

a. But wherever Paul went, he had enemies who followed him. As a result, he was in Thessalonica for only three weeks before he was forced to move on to Berea (Acts 17: 10-12).

b. From there he ministered in Athens and from Athens he went to Corinth and from Corinth to Ephesus where he stayed for about three years. 

3. Ephesus was known for its worship of the goddess Artemis. A silver smith named Demetrius made silver  shrines of Artemis which he sold to many people who came to worship the goddess. 

a. He did not like what Paul was teaching. He felt it was a threat to his business as well as an attack on their faith.

b. He created a great uproar. A great crowd started shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”  And this riotous crowd got out of hand.

4. This where we are told in Acts 19:29 that the crowd “seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia.”

B. Consider what “being a traveling companion meant.”

1. In our day close friends might travel together to go on a cruise. Or they may travel from place to place to see the “sights.” Most of the time, they all had a great time.

a. To be a traveling companion of the Apostle Paul was nothing like that.

b. In all honesty, it was usually very dangerous. 

2. When Silas went with Paul as his traveling companion to Philippi, they were both arrested, beaten, and put in stocks that were very uncomfortable (Acts 16: 11-40). 

a. Instead of complaining, they sang songs into the night when God sent an earthquake that set them free. 

b. Would you have the courage to do that?

3. Assuming Aristarchus became Paul’s traveling companion starting from Thessalonica, Paul had to leave Thessalonica in a hurry due to persecution. 

a. In Berea, things went more smoothly. But the Jews in Thessalonica followed him to Berea, forcing Paul to leave and go to Athens. Through all this, Aristarchus never left Paul.

b. From Athens, Paul went to Corinth and from Corinth he went to Ephesus where things calmed down for about three years.

4. That is where trouble found him again. That is where we learn that Aristarchus and Gaius were caught right in the middle of this riot caused by Demetrius. 

5. In fact, they took these “traveling companions” of Paul and seized them while they kept on rioting and

looking for Paul.

a. Luke tells us in Acts 19:30 that Paul wanted to go and talk to the rioters, but the other Christians in Ephesus wouldn’t let him. 

b. Thankfully, the city clerk intervened (Acts 19:35). After the crowd had yelled for over two hours, he quieted them, pointed out that Paul had done nothing wrong and what they were doing was disorderly conduct that could get all of them in trouble.

6. Luke was also with Paul when all of this happened. Many scholars would suggest that he deliberately made note of each incident where people attacked Paul and brought charges against him, only to be vindicated. 

a. This was not the last time this would happen. Later on, the Jews attacked him again in Jerusalem. Then Paul had to appeal unto Caesar.

b. When Paul finally appeared before Caesar, we believe all of these incidents where Luke showed Paul was innocent were used to prove his case. Let us keep going.

C. None of this caused Aristarchus to stop supporting Paul.

1. Obviously, the crowd must have let him and Gaius go when they were dispersed by the city clerk. Because in Acts 20: 4, we learn that Aristarchus continued on as one of Paul’s traveling companions.

a. When Paul left Ephesus, he reversed his course and went back to revisit some of the cities in Macedonia where he had already been.

b. After making a number of other stops, he came to Miletus where he sent a message to the believers in Ephesus to send the elders of their churches to a special conference just for them.

2. When they arrived, Paul shared how everywhere he went, the Holy Spirit warned him of the dangers that awaited him in Jerusalem. As a result, in Acts 20: 20-25, he said this was probably the last time they would see him. Upon hearing this, they all wept before sending him on his way. That means Aristarchus knew what to expect!

3. But he remained faithful. In fact, in Acts 27:2, we learn Aristarchus was still with Paul as he traveled to Rome where he would remain in prison for at least two years. 

That is where Paul’s good friend became a prisoner too

(Col. 4:11). 

In conclusion: Here is a man who was always with Paul when the going got tough. He stuck with him to the end. In Col. 4:11, Paul said this was a great comfort to him.  Do you have a friend like that who is always with you when you need him? That is a great friend to have. Thank God for friends like that. Amen!