Take Heed

Introduction

Paul now continues to instruct the leaders from the church at Ephesus helping to prepare them for their future ministry in Ephesus.

Particularly here he warns of future abuse in the church from without and within. He reminds them of their responsibility to to guard, protect and defend those underneath their care.

It is apparent that this is something that is deeply concerning to the apostle as shown by his tear-filled warning.

What dangers is Paul speaking of here and how do we see the very things that Paul warned us against unfolding today?

Paul begins with by instructing these church leaders to:

Take Heed (Vs. 28)

He begins first with an exhortation that they should take heed unto themselves. It is often the case that ministry leaders can be so caught up in caring for others that they neglect their own spiritual condition

If we are to be successful in ministry we must take heed to ourselves and make certain that we are cultivating our relationship with the Lord and continuing to invest in our own spiritual growth, for we shall never be able to take others further than we have come ourselves in our walk with the Lord.

We can never afford to neglect our own spiritual growth for this is the catalyst for investing in the spiritual growth of others.

Airplane Emergency- put you own oxygen mask of prior to helping someone else with theirs.

Only then can we move to the next responsibility that Paul mentions to take heed to the flock under their leadership. This once again reminds us of the sphere of influence that God has given each of us be it our home, our workplace, our Sunday School Class, or our van route.

Just as these elders had been tasked with the care of the church at Ephesus so are we tasked with the care of those under our influence. As a pastor I have a responsibility to make certain that the flock is cared for and is fed regularly.

As he reminds them of this responsibility, it is also his hope to remind them of the gravity of their position by mention of the price that was paid to purchase those under our care.

The feeding is accomplished through the faithful delivery of the Word of God to them for this is our spiritual meat. I must preach and teach the scriptures if the flock that God has placed underneath my care is to be healthy and nourished.

Consider those under your leadership and influence. Are you faithfully feeding them the Word of God to assure their proper nourishment? Are you keeping a watchful eye upon them to make sure their weaknesses and diseases are being addressed?

Jesus Christ has shed his own precious blood for those under our care, let us never neglect to care for them!

Paul then speaks to them regarding:

Danger From Without (Vs. 29)

Paul knew that the enemy of the church would certainly not allow the church to continue unmolested. He expected attacks from outside the church in the days ahead.

Paul warned of what he referred to as grievous wolves who would come and seek to harm and destroy the flock.

Paul’s words here are reminiscent of the Lord’s words in Matthew 7:15- false teachers

There will always be a threat to the church from without. Satan will always strive to draw us away from right doctrine.

We must be always on guard against false teachers who would cause us to depart from the faith. As a pastor I have a duty to protect the church from false teachers that would set forth doctrines or principals contrary to the plain teaching of scripture.

This is I must be very selective regarding who teaches and preaches in the church.

We have greater access today to preaching and teaching than we have ever had before. Though this can be a tremendous blessing it can also present a significant danger if we begin to listen to teachers or preachers who are promoting false doctrine.

Steven Anderson- huge following on YouTube but is espousing doctrines and teachings contrary to scripture and has drawn many away from the truth.

We guard against these wolves from without by always testing their teaching and preaching by the scriptures. I John 4:1- try the spirits. Matthew 7:16-20- know them by their fruits

One great test is to examine the fruit of a teacher of preacher’s ministry. This should provide wonderful evidence to the validity of their message.

Paul knew that after he had departed from them there would be others who would come professing to be from God and professing to bring a message from God.

We all have a responsibility to keep those under our influence safe from false teachers. We must carefully guard them from error and those who promote it.

Paul also wanted them to be aware of the:

Danger From Within (Vs. 30)

It is sad but true that often the greatest danger does not come from outside the church but instead from within.

There are many instance we could recount today of a leader within the church causing division and drawing men away to follow them.

How many church splits have happened for this very reason.

When someone begins to put themselves forward as one who should be followed, we must always be cautious of them lest they lead us away from the truth.

In most instances it is pride and a desire for power and influence that lead men or women to sow division and lead others astray.

Paul was bold to declare the names of those who had departed from the faith and who were leading others astray. I Timothy 1:20, II Timothy 1:15, and II Timothy 2:17.

Paul was intent on guarding the church from those who had once been among them but who now had went astray and would seek to lead others astray.

The warning is two-fold, let us never lead others astray and let us never follow those who would rise up and strive to lead us astray.

How many churches have been destroyed by just his sort of activity!

II Corinthians 3:4-7- let us never be so intent on following any man that we fail to follow Christ.

There are far too many “Christian” leaders who are intent on building a large following rather than leading men and women to follow Christ.

A Leader’s Response (Vs. 31-32)

The Christian leader must watch for the souls of those under our care. (Hebrews 13:17)

The Christian leader must never forget that there is an ever present danger. We cannot afford to grow complacent with regard to protecting the flock from the dangers that would bring their destruction.

Ultimately Paul knew that he could not protect the Ephesian church from every danger that they would face and he knew that even these elders could not guard them from every foe.

The ultimate solution is that we should do all that we can to warn and guard those under our care while recognizing that we must also commend them to God and trust them ultimately to His care.

As a pastor I will try my best to guard you from false teacher from outside of the church. I will also do my best to protect you from those who might rise up from within the church.

All the while I know that it is yet likely that you will come into contact with those who promote error and those who teach falsehood. When I have done what I can I must commend you to God, trusting that as you study His word and yield to His spirit, you will be able to remain steadfast in the faith.

God is more than able to build you up (Colossians 2:7- rooted and built up in him) so that you will not be deceived by false teachers and you will be able to discern truth from error.

Conclusion

There are many vital lessons to be learned from this portion of scripture.

We ought to pray for those who lead that God would grant them the wisdom and discernment necessary to protect the flock from the wolves without and the dangers within.

We ought to seek counsel and direction from those whom God has called to lead so that we might avoid error and false teaching.

If we are in a leadership role we must recognize our responsibility to feed, protect and guard those under our care.