Protecting the Church Community

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Start with Application Testimony

[Give people an opportunity to share how they applied what we learned last week]

Last week’s question: How will you stretch yourself this week, in speaking the truth of God?

INTRO

Paul is on his third missionary journey through the northern Mediterranean

As part of it, he spent between 2-3 years in Ephesus growing a thriving church community

Now Paul is giving a final speech to the leaders of the Ephesian church

We are spending three lessons looking at three points Paul teaches them in this passage

2 weeks ago we looked at the first point: We must live a life that blesses others and advances the Gospel

Last week we looked at a second point: We must say what people need to hear

Today we look at a third point: We each have a responsibility to protect the church community

READ

Question to consider as we read:

Who do we need to be on guard against?

Acts 20:17–38 CSB

17 Now from Miletus, he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church. 18 When they came to him, he said to them, “You know, from the first day I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, 19 serving the Lord with all humility, with tears, and during the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews. 20 You know that I did not hesitate to proclaim anything to you that was profitable and to teach you publicly and from house to house. 21 I testified to both Jews and Greeks about repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus. 22 “And now I am on my way to Jerusalem, compelled by the Spirit, not knowing what I will encounter there, 23 except that in every town the Holy Spirit warns me that chains and afflictions are waiting for me. 24 But I consider my life of no value to myself; my purpose is to finish my course and the ministry I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of God’s grace. 25 “And now I know that none of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will ever see me again. 26 Therefore I declare to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you, 27 because I did not avoid declaring to you the whole plan of God. 28 Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them. 31 Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears. 32 “And now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that I worked with my own hands to support myself and those who are with me. 35 In every way I’ve shown you that it is necessary to help the weak by laboring like this and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, because he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” 36 After he said this, he knelt down and prayed with all of them. 37 There were many tears shed by everyone. They embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 grieving most of all over his statement that they would never see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.

EXAMINE

What are the key points in this passage?

#1 | We have a great responsibility toward one another

The Lord has entrusted us with something that is precious to Him: the Church

Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood.”

The health and unity of the church is a responsibility we all share

Consider Ephesians 4:1–3 “...walk worthy of the calling you have received, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 making every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.”

This is not just the responsibility of leaders - it’s the responsibility of the whole church

Ephesians 4:15–16 “...speaking the truth in love, let us grow in every way into him who is the head—Christ. 16 From him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building itself up in love by the proper working of each individual part.”

#2 | We must stay alert and proactive in defending the unity and health of the Church

This requires passion and consistency

Acts 20:31 “Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for three years I never stopped warning each one of you with tears.”

The enemy doesn’t take “days off” and we can’t be caught sleeping

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober-minded, be alert. Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.”

The enemy of our souls is always looking for those who have let their guard down

We stay on guard by staying together

2 Corinthians 2:10–11 “Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.”

One of the most practical ways to stay on alert and on guard against Satan is to practice forgiveness - refusing to be at odds with brothers and sisters in the Church

#3 | We guard the Church by keeping ourselves in check

We guard others by humbling our egos and desires

Acts 20:29–30 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Men will rise up even from your own number and distort the truth to lure the disciples into following them.”

There is more church harm done from the inside than from the outside, because of failures to guard against our own selfish and sinful desires

Therefore when we practice humility and faithfulness to God, we are protecting the Church from us

We guard others by disciplining ourselves

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 “Don’t you know that the runners in a stadium all race, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way to win the prize. 25 Now everyone who competes exercises self-control in everything. They do it to receive a perishable crown, but we an imperishable crown. 26 So I do not run like one who runs aimlessly or box like one beating the air. 27 Instead, I discipline my body and bring it under strict control, so that after preaching to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

Paul understood that it was possible for him to do many good things for Jesus, and still fail and finish poorly

Consider the sobering warning from Jesus in Matthew 7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

We guard others by keeping the focus on Jesus

1 Corinthians 3:4 “4 For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?” (3:21–23) “So let no one boast in human leaders, for everything is yours—22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or things present or things to come—everything is yours, 23 and you belong to Christ, and Christ belongs to God.” (4:6) “Now, brothers and sisters, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying: “Nothing beyond what is written.” The purpose is that none of you will be arrogant, favoring one person over another.”

We are all capable of failing, but Jesus is not

Therefore we must encourage others to anchor to Christ, not us, not their friends, not their pastor, not even the church itself

APPLY

Explore and apply the passage with these questions:

[Allow the conversation to go where people take it - we want people to feel the liberty to explore the topics of the passage that stand out to them. Select the questions from below that you think are right for the conversation, or add your own. Questions should be focused, yet open-ended. Wherever the conversation goes, help your group “land the plane” on the core idea of the lesson when you wrap up.]

What did this lesson make you think about, that you haven’t thought about before?

If you aren’t in church leadership (pastors, elders, church council), how can you contribute to guarding the church?

Have you ever thought about your responsibility to guard the church from your own self? What are some practical ways that we can all learn to do that?

Where we want to “land the plane”

As members of the Body of Christ, we share in the responsibility to nourish and protect it. We must also remember, that the most likely danger comes from within ourselves - our own ego and sinful desires. So by humbling ourselves and living in obedience to Jesus, we not only promote our own health, but the health of the whole church community.

Application question for the Week

[Encourage people to provide an answer now, if they are able - to provide an opportunity for accountability and praise reports the following week.]

What will you do this week, to take more responsibility for the overall health of the church community?

REFLECT

Prayer Points for Today

Ask the Lord to show each of us the role we play in the health and flourishing of the church, and the opportunity each of us have to contribute.