<p>19:31 <em>And some also of the Asiarchs, being his friends, sent word to him, pleading that he not venture into the theatre</em>- The Gospel had won friends in high places, even among the Asiarchs. The Lord Jesus is the representative of all men, and therefore appeals to all. This is why Christianity was and is unique in its appeal to people from all social strata and backgrounds. See commentary on the list of names in Romans 16.</p><p>In Paul&rsquo;s inspired thought, on the cross the Lord &ldquo;gave himself&rdquo; for us (Gal. 1:4; 1 Tim. 2:6; Tit. 2:14). And yet he uses the same Greek words to describe how are to &lsquo;give ourselves&rsquo; for our brethren (2 Thess. 3:9), to &lsquo;give ourselves&rsquo; in financial generosity to their needs (2 Cor. 8:5), and in Acts 19:31 we meet the same phrase describing how Paul &lsquo;gave himself&rsquo; into the theatre at Ephesus, filled with people bent on killing him, taking the conscious choice to risk his life in order to share the Gospel with others. In this I see a cameo of how the choice of preaching the Gospel is in fact a conscious living out of the Lord&rsquo;s example on the cross. Paul was discouraged from doing so by his friends and brethren; and yet surely he had his mind on the way the Lord &lsquo;gave himself&rsquo; for us in His death, as a conscious choice, and so he brushed aside his reserve, that human desire to do what appears the sensible, safe option&hellip; in order to bring others to the cross of Christ. And day by day we have the same choice before us.</p>