Acts 20:17-38 - Commissioned to Pastoral Ministry

Introduction

Nearly four years ago, on December 30, 2018, I preached from the passage we’re going to study today. It was my last sermon from the pulpit of FBC Diana, and the futures of this church, my family, and my pastoral ministry were foggy. All of us who were here then knew that I was leaving for at least five months, and we all knew that FBC Diana was set to keep functioning without me, with many church members stepping up to various responsibilities. But what might happen during those five months, and where we all might be afterward was quite unclear.

Bob Reeves, Scott Trochim, and Russ Holland all volunteered to teach on a rotating basis through 1 Peter during our Wednesday night inductive studies. Barry Ward and Cody Howard (a good friend who has become dear to many of us) both volunteered to preach through Ephesians, each preaching about half the time. Pastoring or shepherding was still happening in early 2019, but I wasn’t doing any of it. And, looking back now, I think some church members began to tangibly understand the responsibility we all have to disciple one another.

As I stood up here for what I thought might be my last Sunday at FBC Diana, I tried to put into words the heavy burden of pastoring. I said then what I still believe is true now, and these truths are still a heavy burden. I believe that Christ is the Savior of sinners and the head of His Church. I believe that God’s word alone is powerful to save, to renew, to regenerate, and to nourish Christ’s people in the world. I believe it is every pastor’s responsibility to explain and to help church members apply God’s authoritative and life-giving words. And I believe that Christ Himself will hold me (and all pastors) accountable for every word we say and every word we avoid.

Brothers and sisters, I believe these truths, and I believe that we shall all give an account for how we live, for how we act as church members, and for how we speak as Christians. We must all live with that final day in mind, and may God help us to live more faithfully every day, out of love for Christ and out of love for one another… not seeking to build our own kingdom, but happily serving as citizens of Christ’s everlasting kingdom… under His good authority.

But even though there is a burden to carry throughout the Christian life, even a unique pastoral burden for those who make it their duty to care for souls, the burden is light because Christ helps us bear it. More than that, Christ even sometimes gives is glimpses at the fruit of our labor and the labor of others around us. Such joys are hard to put into words… the joys of seeing sinners converted, seeing saints mature, and seeing Christians grow. Many of you know these joys.

Nearly four years ago, many of you know that we were a different church then… not only in the sense that we had some members who are no longer here and others who have joined us since… but we were a different church in the sense that today we are (generally) more united, more invested, and increasingly healthier and growing. Our membership numbers and budget aren’t moving much these days (up or down), but I can see evidence of God’s powerful work.

God is producing spiritual fruit in our lives… love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control… or to put all of this in more observable terms, a greater percentage of our church members are quietly serving one another in tangible ways, more of us are stepping out of our comfort zone and having gospel conversations, more of us are feeling responsible to reach out to absentee members, to hurting members, to weaker members, to wayward members, and even to rebellious members.

There is so much we still have yet to do, so much I believe God will do in and through us, and we will always have need of returning to the basics… to re-centering our focus upon (1) the message of the gospel, (2) the authority and power of the Scriptures, (3) the trustworthiness of Christ, (4) the goal of Christian living, and (5) the glorious hope that lies before those of us who repent and believe.

Reflecting on our present and our past, I think Acts 20:17-38 has much to teach us today. As you might recall from last week, the Apostle Paul was on his way to Jerusalem (Acts 19:21), and he was stopping by various churches he’d planted in order to edify them and to tell them all goodbye.

Let’s see what we might learn from our text today… What did Paul say to the leaders of a church he planned never to see again… until the resurrection?

Acts 20:17–38 (ESV)

17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them:

“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.

26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.

31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

Main Idea:

Local churches will always face the challenge of false doctrine and false Christians, and one of the main remedies which God has established is the ministry of pastoring.

Sermon

1. The Context (v17, 36-38)

In Acts 20:17-38, we’ve read the words from the Apostle Paul as he was departing from the leaders of a local church in the town of Ephesus. Paul had ministered among the Ephesians for about three years during an earlier visit, and he had seen much fruit there. In fact, the whole town was turned upside-down by the spread of the gospel.

Some of you will remember that Ephesus was the center for worship of the goddess Artemis (Greek) or Diana (Roman). As many people were converted to Christianity, the massive pagan temple was receiving fewer sacrificial offerings, and the idol-makers were going out of business (Acts 19). Paul narrowly escaped an angry mob, which wanted to stop his preaching mouth and to maintain the apparent stability of their paganism, and then Paul left Ephesus to further his missionary activity in a different area – Macedonia.

Now, in Acts 20:17, we’re picking up on Paul’s return journey to Jerusalem. I emphasized last week that Paul was taking time to stop by various churches in different towns along the way. Paul had been “encouraging” (Acts 20:1-3) churches in Berea, Thessalonica, Philippi and Corinth; and the bulk of our passage last week was Paul’s encouraging or edifying ministry among the church in Troas.

After Paul’s time in Troas, Acts 20:13-16 is basically a detailed travel log, and Luke told us that that Paul wanted to avoid spending too much time “in Asia,” so he arranged to “sail past Ephesus” (v16). Paul still wanted to edify or do spiritual good for the church in Ephesus, however, so (we’re told in v17), he “called the elders of the church to come to him” at the port town of Miletus.

Last week, I also said that I wasn’t sure if Paul knew he was leaving Troas for the last time, but there is no question that Paul knew that’s what was happening with the Ephesian elders at Miletus. Luke says, in v37, “there was much weeping on the part of all… being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again.” In v22-25, Paul seems to indicate that he’d gotten a special revelation from God that he was to “go to Jerusalem” (v22) in order to “finish” his “course” and complete “the ministry” that he’d “received from the Lord Jesus” (v24). Somehow, Paul knew that this would include “imprisonment and afflictions,” and probably even the end of his “life” (v23-24).

That’s the context, then. Paul was leaving the Ephesian church behind, and he was never coming back. This church he loved, a church he’d served for years, and a church he would send Timothy back to pastor (5-10 years later). A few years after his departure, Paul wrote a masterful letter to the church in Ephesus; and Paul wrote two letters to Timothy to instruct him in his pastoral leadership in Ephesus. But what did Paul say to these Ephesian elders at their last face-to-face meeting?

2. An Apostolic Ministry (v18-26, 33-35)

Most of what Paul said was a reminder of his own Apostolic ministry among them. As an Apostle, Paul had a unique ministry that could not be repeated. New Testament Apostles were eleven of the twelve disciples who had been named throughout the Gospels, and Matthias (number 12) took Judas’s place in Acts 1. The Apostle Peter gave us the qualifications for who could be an Apostle, and he named all twelve of the Apostles at the beginning of Acts (Acts 1:13, 21-26). The number 12 is not coincidental, and it’s no mistake that these are named (along with Christ) as the foundation of the New Testament Church (Eph. 2:19-21).

That said, Paul was even unique among the Apostles. He referred to himself as an Apostle “untimely born” (1 Cor. 15:8). You see, Paul’s conversion to Christ included a special commission from the risen Jesus to be an Apostle to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15-16). There’s a sense in which Paul was the 13th Apostle, and all of the Apostles were men who were specially commissioned by Christ to be His authoritative spokesmen in the world.

I’m trying to make it clear that the Apostles (Paul included) had a unique ministry that cannot and will not ever be repeated. There are no divinely commissioned Apostles in the world today. Today, we have the prophets and the Apostles in the text of Scripture. The Apostles established what Christians are to believe and what Christians are to do by writing it down as God “carried” them “along” (2 Pet. 1:21). We continue the Apostolic witness, then, not in our personal words from God, but in the revealed words of the Bible.

In a similar way, the Apostles also established a pattern of local church leadership. We’ve already seen how Paul and Barnabas appointed elders in the churches they planted (Acts 14:23), and the Apostles themselves modeled the sort of leadership and pastoral care they intended elders to keep on doing after they were gone. This is not to say that elders are to do all that the Apostles did, but it is to say that elders are to do what the Apostles told elders to do… and the Apostles practiced what they preached with regard to pastoral leadership.

Let’s observe three ways Paul modeled good pastoring in Ephesus…

First, Paul “lived among” the Ephesian Christians (v18), “serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials” (v19). Now, again, Paul faced challenges unlike the ones that most Christians (pastors or otherwise) will face, but he did model what it looks like to pastor through difficult circumstances. He wasn’t an isolated minister, who merely descended from his study on Sunday mornings in order to preach. No, he “lived among” those he served and loved (v18). He did it with “humility,” and he did it through “tears” and “trials” (v19).

Friends, good pastors are not clergy, in the sense of being some special class of Christian. Apostles, more than anyone, had the right to claim some special class, but even Paul counted himself as one of them. So too, pastors are church members. Pastors sin, pastors make mistakes, and pastors get tired, discouraged, spread thin, and broken-hearted. Pastors go through economic recessions, pastors endure public shame, and pastors have all the same basic life-experiences as all other Christians… Their loved ones die, their children sometimes rebel against Christ, and their marriages go through seasons of more or less joy.

Brothers and sisters, expect much from your pastors, but don’t expect them to be super humans. Expect them to be faithful, and pray for their faithfulness. Bear with their weaknesses, confront them in their sin, call them to repentance, praise God for their strengths, and follow their lead as they aim to follow Christ.

Second, Paul “declared” what was “profitable” (v20), he “taught” church members “in public” and “from house to house” (v20), and he called everyone to “repentance toward God” and “faith in our Lord Jesus Christ” (v21). More than anything else, the Apostles made it clear that the primary ministry or service of those who lead the local church is teaching… but not just any kind of teaching… teaching “the whole counsel of God” (v26).

Friends, good pastors teach the Scriptures. They aim to know the Bible, to know what it says, and to apply it increasingly well in their own lives. And they aim to teach the Bible, to teach the meaning of the text, and to help other Christians apply it increasingly well in their lives too. Pastors are not life-coaches, therapists, marriage counselors, or parenting experts. Pastors don’t always know the right answer, they don’t always have a good story, and they don’t have the ability to save your kids, heal your marriage, or bless your bank account.

Brothers and sisters, expect your pastors to go to the Scriptures with you. Expect your pastors, first and foremost, to teach you how to be in right relationship with the God of the universe through the person and work of Jesus Christ. And expect your pastors to teach you biblical principles that you can apply to your marriage, to your parenting and grand-parenting, to your work ethic, to your budget, to your calendar, and to a host of other areas of your life.

But look to Christ, not pastors, as your only hope in life and death! Look to Christ, not pastors, as your only mediator before God! Look to Christ, not pastors, as your ever-present help in time of need! Look to Christ, not pastors, as the one who can and will make good on all the promises in the gospel! And expect your pastors to keep pointing you to Christ, not to themselves… expect them to show you Christ’s words and to help you think through the good application of them.

Third, Paul “worked hard” to “help the weak” (v35). Now, there’s more in this than we can get to today, but Paul knew that his ministry among the churches in both Ephesus and Corinth might be hindered in some way if he made his living (i.e., earned his money) from them. Paul says, in v33-35, that he “ministered to [his] necessities and to those who were with [him]” by making a living with his own “hands” (v34). He clearly did this to “help the weak” (v35).

However, Paul also explicitly taught that pastors or ministers of the word are normally to gain their living (i.e., earn their money) from those with whom they share their pastoral ministry. In his first letter to Timothy, for example, Paul wrote, “Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor [or, “work full-time”] in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says,” Paul went on, “‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,’ and, ‘The laborer deserves his wages’” (1 Tim. 5:17-18).

Paul cited that same Old Testament passage in his letter to the church in Corinth. He said, “9 it is written in the Law of Moses, ‘You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain.’ Is it for oxen that God is concerned? 10 Does he not certainly speak for our sake? It was written for our sake… 11 If we have sown spiritual things among you, is it too much if we reap material things from you? …13 Do you not know that those who are employed in the temple service get their food from the temple, and those who serve at the altar share in the sacrificial offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord commanded that those who proclaim the gospel should get their living by the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:9-14).

Brothers and sisters, I’m so glad to be a vocational pastor, one who earns a living by pastoring. FBC Diana has treated me and my family so well in regard to generously contributing to my salary, to my educational expenses, and several members have even privately helped us with gifts for extra or unexpected costs. I am so very thankful for your generosity!

And I don’t think Paul’s point in v33-35 is that elders should never get paid for pastoral work. Some pastors serve without payment at all (such as lay-elders), and some work non-church jobs because the church cannot afford to pay them a full salary. But all pastors are to “work hard” (v35) and to work “willingly,” not for “shameful gain” (1 Pet. 5:2). So too, pastors are to bear with “the weak” (v35) and aim to remove unnecessary obstacles to their spiritual growth and health.

So, in summary, Paul’s Apostolic ministry set an example for the Ephesian elders to follow when he left… and for all elders to follow in every church. Paul lived among his fellow church members, he taught them diligently and faithfully, and he worked hard among them.

May God grant that the men who serve as pastors of FBC Diana, paid or not, would have such a ministry and reputation.

3. An Apostolic Warning (v29-30)

The center of our text this morning is found in v29-30. Paul knows he’s leaving, Paul knows those men in front of him in Miletus are going to carry on the pastoral ministry in his absence, and he also knows that there will be a particular challenge which might spell the end of the church in Ephesus.

What is the challenge? From where will it come? And how does Paul tell them to meet it? Let’s answer the first two questions in point three, and then I’ll try to answer the third with my last point.

What is the challenge? Paul says, in v29, that “after [his] departure fierce wolves will come among you.” In v30, he says that these will speak “twisted things,” and that they will “draw away the disciples after them” (v30).

Paul is not the only biblical writer to warn people about “wolves” in this way. Jesus spoke of the same kind of thing in Matthew 7. Jesus said, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15). And because Jesus’s warning is so broad, it helps us to avoid the assumption that Paul might just be talking about some specific assault on the Ephesian church by some special group of “wolves.” Wolves are always a threat to local churches.

So, how does Paul articulate the threat?

Paul says, “wolves” will “not spare the flock” (v29)… that is, they will not refrain from injuring or destroying sheep. He says they will “speak twisted things” (v30)… that is, they will teach and say things that are crooked or out of step with sound doctrine… speaking more than biblical truth or contrary to biblical truth.

And the warning is sobering. Wolves seek to “draw away… disciples” or Christians (v30). They are not interested in merely keeping their errors to themselves. They want to sway you; they want you to listen to their twisted things, their false things, their empty things… and they want you to buy in.

Now, just as we might assume that Paul was only talking about a threat to the Ephesian Christians, we might also assume his warning is about some kind of pagan religion that might try to intrude on their church family. And such an assault would certainly fall into the category of “twisted things.” But let’s understand that there is a more common and dangerous assault on unsuspecting sheep. The “twisted” words you are most likely to hear are words that appeal to your comfort, words that stir your sentiment, and words that affirm your experience.

Many-a-preacher makes a living telling people things that make them more comfortable. Who wouldn’t enjoy someone working to make them feel at ease with who they are and where they are in life? Friends, beware of teachers who always leave you feeling comfortable!

There are also very many teachers and preachers who draw a crowd to listen to heart-warming sentiment. A preacher might be liked by all if he learns to tell a great story that warms everyone’s heart. Friends, beware of teachers who frequently speak to your feelings or emotions, and not your mind!

Many more preachers still will make their arguments and base their claims upon experience. Some will go so far as to urge you to measure spiritual growth and health by your own experience. Friends, beware of basing your Christianity on what you’ve experienced… there may be a whole world of Christianity beyond what you’ve already known and done.

When someone wants you to believe something, you should always ask, “Where is this in Scripture?” When someone wants you to do or not do something, you should consider, “What does Scripture say on the matter?” If you don’t know where to find something in Scripture, or you don’t know what Bible says, then ask the godliest person you know to help you look and learn. Don’t be prey to wolves!

Now, the threat of “wolves” is bad enough, but what’s worse is that you don’t always immediately recognize them. Wolves sometimes seem to be sheep... but they are not. Maybe they look like sheep for a while, maybe they sound like sheep, and maybe they even seem to know more about church or Christianity than you. But over time, they show themselves to be wolves by teaching and acting contrary to Scripture.

They show their wolfy teeth by demanding that you do or not do something that Christ never commanded. Their wool starts to feel more like dog hair when they claim that “The Lord is leading me” to do this thing that we know has nothing to do with what God has instructed or is even the opposite of what God has commanded Christians to believe and to do.

So, Paul’s warning was that “wolves” will make evil assaults on the local church, and this will prove to be a challenge. Brothers and sisters, let’s take note of this warning, and let’s be aware of such a challenge for us today. Let’s not pretend that there is ever going to come a time when we won’t have to be on our guard against wolves that threaten the unity, the stability, and the health of our church.

If that’s the warning, then from where does Paul say the critical challenge will come? It will come from church’s own members… even from some of their own leaders… their own pastors. What a terrible and appropriate thing to say to a local church! The fact is that there will always be false Christians among a church family… among church members and church leaders.

Brothers and sisters, this may be the hardest thing we’ve had to grapple with as a church family during my time as the senior pastor. It’s almost as though, over the last 40-100 years, Christians have forgotten how to deal with sin and error among the church. We’re learning to use those muscles again, but many of us are feeling the soreness of moving in ways that we just haven’t done in a long time.

I have repeatedly urged us to take Christianity, to take church membership, and to take discipleship seriously. I believe that the unity and health of FBC Diana is directly related to our understanding and practice of biblical church membership, which includes our practice of affirming and/or challenging church leadership.

We must recognize that not everyone who claims to follow Christ actually does so, we must understand that every Christian needs other Christians in order to grow in Christ, and we must love one another enough to be vulnerable and known among our church family… and this is not just true of church members… it’s also true of church members who lead as elders or pastors!

The honest and open pursuit of Christ among a church family is messy and sometimes very painful, but it is also one of the most beautiful and God-glorifying things I know. And it’s also the great remedy to the intrusion of dangerous wolves.

Well, I’ve already started answering my third question about what Paul tells the Ephesian elders to do in order to meet this challenge… The fundamental answer is that a church – all of the members – should be serious about following Christ honestly and humbly together. But that’s not exactly the way Paul answers the question here. Paul was talking to elders, so he tailors his answer to them.

How does Paul tell a group of elders to meet the challenge of “fierce wolves” that will inevitably “come in among” the church? In short, he tells them to give themselves to faithful and diligent pastoral ministry.

4. The Pastoral Ministry (v28, 31-32)

Many of you are already familiar with the terms I’ve been using today – elder and pastor. But let me take just a moment here to show you why I think it’s perfectly appropriate to use the words pastor and elder interchangeably. In v17, Luke says that Paul “called the elders of the church to come to him.” The Greek term there is πρεσβύτερος or πρεσβύτεροι. Then, in v28, Paul calls those same guys “overseers.” The word there is επίσκοπος or επίσκοποι. And then, in v28, Paul tells them to “care for” or “shepherd” or “pastor” the “church of God.” The verb there is ποιμαινω or ποιμαινειν.

In this one passage, then, elders or bishops or overseers are the ones called to do the work of pastoring or shepherding. Do you know that the noun “pastor” only shows up one time in the whole New Testament in reference to the teaching and leading office of the church (Eph. 4:11)?[1] By far, the most frequently used label for the pastoral office is the word “elder” (12 times). Furthermore, it’s worth noting that there’s never a single church in all the New Testament being led by a single elder. Every time elders are mentioned, it’s always a plurality of them.

My goal today, however, is not to argue for a theology of the pastoral office or title, but to close my sermon by pointing to what Paul articulates as a theology of the pastoral ministry. What did Paul instruct those Ephesian elders to do?

Well, he told them to understand something, to do something, and to stick with something. We’re getting close to the end of the sermon, and we’ve covered a lot so far, but I need you to shake off the temptation to sleep, and to listen carefully to the rest of this. Here is where we get to the heart of our passage today.

What does God want pastors to do in an effort to meet the challenges of ongoing ministry after the Apostles left and before Christ returns? What should every church member expect of his or her pastors? Here it is!

First, pastors or elders must understand that the church is God’s and so is their ministry. Paul says, in v28, that it is “the Holy Spirit” who has “made” them “overseers,” and that their job is to “care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.” Oh, the theological and soul-nourishing riches we might gain from mining these few words this morning! The saints who are members of a local church are those who have been bought with God’s own blood! But how can this be?! Can God die? Does God bleed? And, even if He did, why in the world would He do so for sinners like us?!

This taps into the profound center of the gospel itself… that the One who, in very nature or form, was God, “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant… becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8). Jesus, the only God-man, lived and died in order to obtain or purchase a people for His glory, which He has most certainly done, and which He will certainly bring to Himself on the last day!

Friends, if you want to know more about what it means that God, in Christ, died for sinners or what it means to receive the benefits of God’s sacrifice (what it means to be a Christian), then let’s talk in just a bit when the service is over.

But, here in our passage, Paul says that the church itself is God’s and so is the pastoral ministry in which elders or pastors serve. This means more, but it does not mean less than understanding that pastors are stewards of the Master’s stuff. Paul told these elders that they need to understand that they are not to be innovative or creative in their role. None of this is ours! Pastors are to act and talk like we’re handling stuff that doesn’t belong to us. God has obtained and created the church, God has established and given the ministry, and God has told us exactly what we are to do with His stuff.

Second, pastors or elders must “pay careful attention to” themselves and “to all the flock” (v28). Paul later wrote to his young pastor friend, Timothy, something very similar. He said, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers” (1 Tim. 4:16).

Friends, there’s a reason that character is the chief qualification for pastors in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1. Pastors are not perfect men, they are sinners too; but pastors must be good men… men of godly character and of good reputation.

So too, pastors must help other church members in their efforts to be good Christian men and women. Sometimes this is done by calling out sin, sometimes by correcting error, and sometimes by lifting downcast hearts. But the pastoral ministry is one of “caring for” or “shepherding” the flock of God as need and occasion arise… and doing so as one who is personally striving for holiness and growth, even as he depends upon fellow church members in his own weaknesses.

Third, pastors or elders must stick with “the word” of God, “which [alone] is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (v32). As I’ve already labored to explain this morning, it is the word… the Scriptures… the Bible which is our guide, our rule, our infallible and inerrant standard for all we must believe and for all we must do.

Good pastors keep going back to the Scriptures. Good pastors keep calling their church members back to the Scriptures. Good pastors keep measuring their church – both the teaching and the function – by the Scriptures.

Conclusion

You know, during the time of the Protestant Reformation (in the 1500s and 1600s), there were several slogans that seemed to capture various aspects of what the reformers were after when they protested the beliefs and practices of common and established Christianity in their day. One of those slogans was semper reformanda, which means always reforming. It was their goal, not to arrive at some static place where Christianity would need no further correction, but instead to uncover the doctrines and practices which are taught in the Bible and to urge all those Christians who came after them to keep on doing the work of recovering and reasserting those old truths and commands.

This, it seems to me, is what Paul was telling the Ephesian elders to do in Acts 20 – always be reforming. Don’t be satisfied with the status quo… don’t let your guard down against the inevitable challenge of lethargy and inaction against those assaults which will most certainly come… sometimes even from among your own number. Instead, keep a close watch on yourself… keep a close watch on the sheep God has placed under your care… and shepherd them according to Scripture… teaching and correcting and edifying them… until that day when Christ finally brings us to glory… when no more reforming will be necessary.

May God help us all to strive for and expect this sort of ministry… and may God help us (as a church) to benefit greatly from our efforts.

Endnotes

[1] See this helpful article I wrote which breaks down all the uses of the various pastoral labels in the New Testament. https://marcminter.com/2019/10/23/pastors-and-elders/

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Calvin, John. Commentary upon the Acts of the Apostles. Edited by Henry Beveridge. Translated by Christopher Fetherstone. Vol. 2. 2 vols. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation, 1995.

Peterson, David. The Acts of the Apostles. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI; Nottingham, England: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company; Apollos, 2009.

Polhill, John B. Acts. Vol. 26. The New American Commentary. Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1992.

Sproul, R. C., ed. The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version. 2015 Edition. Orlando, FL: Reformation Trust, 2015.

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009.

The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1984.