Acts 20
Notes
Transcript
These words are the last words of Paul to church leaders that are recorded. It is a critical message, a message that needs to be studied time and again by every church leader.
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.
The first duty is to guard, keep yourselves and the church. This is a strong charge.
Jesus Christ, Blood of: Jesus paid the supreme price for the church—His own blood. Note a most precious fact: Jesus’ blood is said to be the blood of God. As Man, the blood that ran through His veins was the blood of God; therefore, it was precious, full of all dignity and value and worth. This is a critical fact for the ministry.
⇒ The blood of Jesus—being of God—is most precious, the supreme and ultimate in value and worth.
The point is this: Jesus gave the blood of God, the supreme price, to purchase the church. For this reason, church leaders are to give their blood—to sacrifice everything, all they are and have—to make the supreme dedication to shepherd the church. The church is the most valuable and precious asset on earth.
1. The minister must look after his own life, his character and conduct, before he can look after the flock of God. He must “take heed” (prosechete), that is, give attention to, concentrate upon, focus upon, attend to, watch after, and guard his life. There are specific areas he must guard.
a. He must guard against false teaching.
b. He must guard against an unforgiving spirit.
c. He must guard against self-indulgence, drunkenness, and the possessions of this life.
d. He must guard against the fables, myths, speculations, ideas, and false doctrines of men as well as the genealogies (roots, heritage, ancestry—useless knowledge) of men.
e. He must watch and give himself to reading, exhortation and doctrine.
f. He must especially give himself to the doctrine (te didaskalia), the teaching of Scripture.
2. The minister must look after “all the flock.” There are three reasons stressed in Scripture.
a. Sheep can wander about and get lost.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
b. Sheep can be seized by the beasts (false teachers) of the world and within the church.
c. Sheep without a shepherd are in a pathetic condition.
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.
The second duty is to feed the church of God. The word “feed” is “to shepherd, to act as a shepherd”. Church leaders are to shepherd the church of God . There are four reasons why the church leader is to feed the church of God.
Paul said, “I know this,” that is, that false teachers will come in among believers. There is no question about the fact. The church must expect and be prepared for false teachers. (See outline and notes—Mt. 7:15–20 for more discussion.)
1. False teachers come from outside the church.
2. False teachers come from inside the church
3. False teachers pervert the truth. The term “perverse things” (diestrammena) means turned aside, twisted, distorted. What they teach has some truth and some error. They take the truth and pervert it, coming up with a twisted truth. They teach “perverse things” that are not of God, not of His Word or will. (See notes—Mt. 7:17; 7:18 for more discussion.)
4. False teachers “draw away” (tou apospain) disciples. The phrase means to separate, to drag and tear away. False teachers draw people away from the truth in three different ways.
1. The church must be fed because God has purchased the church and paid the supreme price for it with His own blood. Note three all-important points.
a. Jesus is unequivocally said to be God. He is the One who shed His blood to purchase the church. He is very God, very Man.
b. Jesus “purchased” (periepoiesato) the church. Therefore, it is His; He owns it and He has all say-so concerning everything about the church. As Purchaser, His Word about the care of His church is to be carried out explicitly, just as He dictates. There is to be no deviation whatsoever. Leaders are but overseers appointed by Him to shepherd His church as He says.
c. Jesus paid the supreme price for the church—His own blood.
2. The church must be fed because it is the duty of church leaders to feed it. Church leaders are called overseers (episkopous) or elders (Jewish name) or bishops (Greek name) or presbyter or episkopate (overseer). Note the terms are used interchangeably: elder (v. 17), bishop (v. 28), overseer or episkopate (v. 28), and shepherd (feed, v. 28). (
3. The church must be fed because false teachers will come in among believers and seduce them (see DEEPER STUDY # 2, False Teachers—Acts 20:29–30 for discussion).
4. The church must be fed because of Paul’s supreme example of faithfulness. Paul sets a dynamic example for all leaders of the church. He was a mere man as every leader is, yet he was able to please God immensely, able to feed the church exactly as God wished. He demonstrated perfectly that the man chosen by God to be an overseer can shepherd the church as it should be done (see note, pt. 1—Acts 14:14–18 for more discussion).
a. He “warned” (noutheton): admonished. The word means both to give advice and to warn.
b. He warned everyone, not neglecting any or favoring any. He gave attention to all, saw to it that they were fully fed and shepherded.
c. He warned day and night: every day, every night, all the time, constantly and consistently, never missing an opportunity.
d. He warned them “with tears,” full of compassion and concern, being touched by the misery and fate of the lost, the needs of the saved, and the glorious mercy of God.
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.
The third duty is to live for God and for God’s Word. The “Word of God’s grace” is the Word of God’s favor, of His glorious salvation in its fullness, of His truth, of His will. Therefore, the “Word of God’s grace” is His revealed Word, both the Living Word (Christ Himself) and the written Word (the Holy Bible). Now note the point: the church leader is to be commended (paratithemai) to God’s Word; that is, he is to place, commit, entrust, fix, lay, and deposit his life with God and His Word. Very simply, the church leader is to totally entrust his life to God and His Word, laying himself completely upon both. There are two reasons for trusting God and His Word so completely.
1. God and His Word will build up and edify the believer.
2. God and His Word will give an inheritance to believers. The inheritance (kleronomian) is both …
• present, in the here and now.
• future, in the new heavens and earth.
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.’ ”
The fourth duty is to labor and give, not coveting worldly wealth. Note two striking points.
1. Paul did not covet worldly wealth. He did not covet silver or gold or clothing. In the ancient world rich clothing was a sign of wealth. Many in the church had plenty and some were rich. They had …
• money
• property
• stylish clothes
• transportation
But Paul did not covet what they had. His mind and thoughts were not focused upon worldly things. Money, property, clothing, and the latest in transportation held no appeal for him. He craved something far more important:
⇒ the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.
⇒ meeting the desperate needs of the world.
⇒ delivering men out of the slavery of sin.
⇒ sharing the gospel of life everlasting.
Thought 1. The ministers and teachers of the gospel must be totally committed to sharing the gospel. And total commitment involves not only verbal preaching and teaching, but the spread of the gospel through the financial support of others. (See outline and notes—Mt. 19:16–22; 19:23–26 for more discussion. These two passages need to be studied and applied by every believer, but especially by ministers and teachers of the gospel.
2. Paul labored at secular work. He was a craftsman, a tentmaker (see note—Acts 18:3). There are at least five reasons why Paul labored at secular work.
a. To meet his own necessities (v. 34).
b. To help fellow ministers serving with him (v. 34).
c. To support the weak (v. 35).
d. To be more like Jesus (v. 35). This is a saying of Jesus that is not recorded in the gospels, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Jesus of course gave to the ultimate …
• coveting nothing of this world
• giving all He had to others
• sacrificing His own life for others
Paul sought to be like His Lord, to be conformed to His image. For that reason, Paul labored at secular work when needed.
e. Not to be chargeable to the believers nor to the churches. This reason is not mentioned in this passage, but it is in several others (2 Cor. 11:9; 1 Th. 2:9; 2 Th. 3:8). Paul meant at least two things by not being “chargeable” to any man, and these two things are powerful lessons for modern ministers of the gospel.
First, some unbelievers, and most unfortunately some carnal believers, were accusing Paul …
• of “coveting” a living from the churches
• of seeking comfort and ease at the expense of believers and the churches
• of receiving the offerings and stealing from them (2 Cor. 1:17–18; 8:20–22. See note, pt. 2—2 Cor. 12:13–18.)
By working at secular work and not accepting money from the churches, Paul was able to combat these charges and prove they were lies. Note: he also had representatives appointed by the churches to carry the church offerings to Jerusalem (see note—Acts 20:4–6).
Second, Paul wanted to be free and independent of the churches and believers. He did not want the congregation to feel as though he was their man, that he had to do their bidding. He wanted no restraint and no pressure put upon his right to move about and minister and preach the gospel as he sensed the need.
⇒ He did not want any temptation whatsoever, any sense that he must cater to the desires and whims and fancies of the congregation, not unless they were truly of God.
Thought 1. Note four very significant points.
1) Paul received financial support from some churches. He did not always labor at secular work, not in every situation. He saw the value in being completely free from the burden of financial worries so that he could devote full time to the ministry.
2) The minister of the gospel has the right to receive his living from the churches. In fact, Christ taught that the minister was definitely to be supported by the church.
3) There are great benefits in following Paul’s example when practical. Being financially free to minister as God directs without the influence of carnal prejudices and fancies would provide some clear advantages as pointed out above. However, every minister must always remember: there are some in every true church who walk ever so closely with the Lord, and have been doing so for years. God has given His vision for their church and their community to them. They have lacked only one thing—a Spirit-filled minister to help them. The minister needs to listen to these dear believers, even if he is self-supporting.
4) Every minister should be laboring so he can support the weak (v. 35). No matter where his income is coming from, he is to set the example for all others in giving to meet the needs of the desperate.
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.
The conclusion of Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesian elders is a touching scene, the kind of affection being expressed that every minister and teacher of the gospel would covet. Note: Paul was so gripped with emotion he fell to his knees and began to pray for these dear men of God. (The scene was most unusual, for it was the custom of Jews to stand when praying in public.)
The elders …
• wept deeply
• fell on Paul’s neck, embracing and kissing him repeatedly (Greek)
• were gripped with sorrow
• accompanied him to the ship
LEADERSHIP MINISTRIES WORLDWIDE: The Acts of the Apostles, The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN : Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 2003
