Caring for the Church
Notes
Transcript
Paul is in a hurry to get to Jerusalem. That’s almost exactly what we read in Acts 20:16. Paul’s doing what he can to make it to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost. If at all possible, and if the Lord wills, Paul will make the trip in time. On his way, he stops to say goodbye to his brothers in Christ:
13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. 15 The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. 16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
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From Passover to Pentecost is 50 days, 7 weeks separate the two holidays. I wonder if Paul was thinking he’d get tied up in Ephesus if he stopped there. And knowing his strong feelings and affection for the church and its members, he was wise to sail past Ephesus and call for the elders of the church to meet him in Miletus.
18 When they arrived, he said to them: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. 19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. 20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
22 “And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. 23 I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. 24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.
A Godly Example of Caring for the Church
A Godly Example of Caring for the Church
God has arranged things in such a way that we have examples to follow. The Lord gives us parents, older siblings, friends, church family who can serve as examples—people who are farther along than us, people we can follow along the path.
What the church in Ephesus needed, what the young believers in this part of the world need (and what God has provided for them) is a strong, Godly example of what it means to be a Christian, a follower of Jesus.
Paul’s life, by the grace of God, serves as an example to the Ephesians. He lived a life that honored the Lord the whole time he was with them. Paul considers his life, his ministry, his time with the Ephesian church as service to the Lord—I served the Lord, he says.
At the end of the day, this is what Paul’s ministry was—service to the Lord. No matter what a person does, it’s in service to someone or something. For Paul, and hopefully for us, our lives, our work, our parenting, our schooling, our community involvement is done—all of it—in service to the Lord.
Paul is serving the Lord by serving the church. Paul, here, recounts his ministry—how he cared for the church.
Paul serves humbly, with tears at times, and serves even through trials.
Paul served the Lord with a very real sense of his inadequacy, with tenderness, and with courage. Paul shows the Ephesians (and us) his serving the Lord in this way communicates his grasp of the gospel.
When we understand the gospel—the Good News about Jesus, grace applied to us while we were still sinners; enemies of God, yet Jesus died for us—when we understand this, it will humble us (we don’t deserve grace), it will make us tender (the Spirit makes us loving and gentle people) and it will give us courage (in Christ, we do not fear what man can do to us).
Paul’s ministry was service to the Lord and it was marked by preaching, teaching, and declaring.
Paul did not hesitate to preach.
I think if I got rocks thrown at me more than a few times, or kicked out of place after place, I might be a little weary. Not Paul. He just keeps preaching, sharing the news about Jesus.
He preaches and teaches. Publicly, from house to house, Paul teaches. He instructs (didasko), the picture being like a school teacher in front of a class, instructing didactically.
Sometimes you need a dialogue, a conversation, a back-and-forth. And sometimes, you need to hear from someone else, sharing what they know, imparting the knowledge they have. Paul does this, like a good teacher.
Paul preaches, teaches, and declares to both Jew and Greek.
He doesn’t discriminate. He’s declaring the whole counsel of God to all the people. He cares about the people the Lord cares about, and cares about them enough to share with and instruct and declare to them—whoever they are—the glories of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Here’s the supreme example of Paul caring for the church. What Paul declares is so important:
21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.
Paul declared to everyone what they must do to be saved. He didn’t shy away from it. He didn’t tell people: “Hey, find your own way. Follow your heart. You do you, man!”
To say anything less than “You must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus” would be un-Christian and uncaring.
To be Christian is to care about the souls of the people around us. To care about the souls of the people around us is to confront their sin, to tell them the path they are on will only lead them to hell.
We must tell people to repent, to turn to God who loves them and who will receive them with open arms—
The Prodigal God who waits for the lost son to return, who runs out to meet him, hugs him and kisses him, puts the best robe over his shoulders, his own ring on his finger, sandals on his feet, and then throws a party, fatted-calf and all, because that which was lost is now found.
We must tell people to have faith in Jesus Christ, not faith in themselves, not faith in their good works, not faith in their family or country of origin, not faith in their religiosity, not faith in their church attendance, not faith in their mistaken belief that they can do something to save themselves—
We must tell people to have faith in our Lord Jesus, the One who made Himself nothing and willingly became our substitute, dying our death, in order to make us friendly again (reconcile us) to God. It’s faith in Jesus and in Jesus alone that saves.
During my sophomore year at Manhattan Christian College, Acts 20:24 was the theme verse. We had t-shirts and posters, chapel speakers, service projects based on this one verse:
24 However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Paul knows what’s facing him in Jerusalem will not be good. He’s gonna end up in prison and face other hardships along the way, BUT he cares more about the task Jesus has given him—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
Paul cares more about testifying to the gospel than he does his own life.
Paul is more concerned about making sure the church is cared for than he is about his own comfort and well-being.
Paul’s life is of least concern to him. He puts himself last. He has one aim: to glorify Jesus. He’ll strive to honor Jesus until he breathes his last. No matter what he might face, his concern is the church, his aim is finishing the race and completing the task given him.
The goal is not to live a long life, but to live a full life to the glory of God.
Jesus is supreme. The task he has given Paul (and us) is of the utmost importance.
Our situation is different from Paul’s. We’re not going to be arrested in Jerusalem and probably won’t face the hardships Paul faced. This is specific to Paul. But, as an example, these verses are helpful.
Our situation is different, but our task is the same: to care for the church in the same manner as Paul. He is a great example of caring for the church; he understands what is necessary. To care for the church, we must preach the gospel—testifying to the good news of God’s grace—until Christ returns or calls us home.
Paul is a courageous and caring example for the church and its leaders. Paul preached the whole counsel of God, even the unpopular parts, the sections that some find offensive.
As such, Paul’s conscience is clear. He’s consistent in his ministry and his care for the church.
Paul moves from recounting his ministry, his service to the Lord, to charging the Ephesian elders:
28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
Paul is speaking to the elders of the Ephesian church—not the oldest members, but the spiritual leaders of the church there. These men have to lead the way in caring for the church in Paul’s absence.
They are the men God has called, men appointed by the Holy Spirit, to care for and look after the church. It’s on them to lead the way in caring, to set the example for the church as a caring body.
The church as a whole must care for one another.
So Paul issues…
A Call to Care for the Church
A Call to Care for the Church
To care for the church, we have to first understand who and what the church is. Don’t worry, I’m not going to get into a long, drawn-out conversation about ecclesiology. I just want to draw our attention to what the text says about the church.
Notice, how the church is intimately tied to the Triune God. It’s a beautiful picture.
Paul reminds the elders that they have been made elders by the Holy Spirit—the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.
Next, Paul refers to the church as the church of God. You could rearrange the genitive there are say “God’s church.” It belongs to God. It belongs to God; not to me, not to you, not to anyone else. This is God’s church. It’s His. We are members of it, but we don’t possess it.
It’s God’s church, bought with His own blood. That is, Jesus died for the church—the people of God. Jesus shed His blood, not for a building or some programs, but for a people.
Whatever else you might think about your brother/sister in Christ, you better believe, before anything else, that Jesus died for him, for her. Jesus purchased them with His life. That makes the individual members and the collective church of immeasurable value.
The church is intimately tied to the Triune God—God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit are in control of the Church, every part of it. If the Three Persons of the Trinity are thus committed to the welfare of the people, should we not be also?
Any part of the church that doesn’t understand who they are, will falter in its operation. We need to understand that the Holy Spirit makes leaders. That God is in charge. That Jesus shed His own blood for the members of this body.
We might get on each other’s nerves from time to time, we might cause offense to one another, but if we don’t care for one another and love one another supremely, we’ve missed who we are—the church of God, bought by the blood of Jesus, indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
The Ephesian elders are told how to care for the church—to keep watch, to oversee, to shepherd. These all paint a picture of what an elder/pastor is supposed to do.
Why is this necessary? Why does the church need this kind of care?
Because savage wolves will come in and attack the church. They will distort the truth, drawing people away from the flock.
Without faithful, godly, strong, Spirit-appointed men to watch over the church, all sorts of heresy would find its way in. The elders of the church have to watch the teaching, the curriculum, the lyrics and source of the songs we sing, those who preach and teach, those who come here to speak at various gatherings.
We don’t just sing any ol’ song. We don’t let just anyone speak from this pulpit.
It’s some serious stuff. Paul warns: So be on your guard! What was true for the Ephesian church is certainly true today. We must be on guard. Our call is to care for the church, and we do so by guarding, overseeing, keeping a watch, shepherding the flock of God.
There are people who want to do the church harm. There is teaching that is contrary to Biblical faith—online, on TV, on the radio, in books and magazines masquerading as “Christian”.
We care for you and care for one another by looking out for that stuff.
You might like that book or sermon by Adam Hamilton at Church of the Resurrection, but he denies the historical, orthodox Christian faith at several points, denying on a base level the infallibility and sufficiency of Scripture.
T.D. Jakes might seem like a Christian, but he’s actually a modalist. He doesn’t believe the Trinity is three distinct persons in one. That’s a serious problem; in fact, it’s heresy.
You might like Hillsong or Bethel music, but in their belief and practice they have drifted miles offshore from Biblical truth—they teach a prosperity gospel, they hold a supernatural school of ministry and believe they can raise the dead, they have an entirely false understanding of who Jesus is.
We MUST care for the church by caring what she sees and hears, what she is taught, what she sings, what she believes. We must keep watch and be on guard for distortions of truth and gospel.
No parent would let their children take a nap in the middle of the highway, so the leaders of Christ’s Church won’t let Jesus’ people wander into danger. We fight for and watch over the people of God, caring for them in word and in deed.
It’s the Word of God, the message of God’s grace that is able to build up believers, teaching them the gospel of salvation by grace, and assuring them of their eternal inheritance.
The message of grace grants believers a share in the heavenly inheritance. The power of the gospel saves the lost and builds up believers.
God’s promises, God’s presence, God’s powerful gospel bring the church much needed comfort and assurance.
God cares for His people, through His Word, by His Spirit—and calls us to care for one another.
Paul continues:
33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
A Godly Example of Caring for the Church (Continued)
A Godly Example of Caring for the Church (Continued)
Paul circles back around to his example. He didn’t covet. He supplied himself. He worked hard. He helped the weak. He was a good and godly example to the Ephesians and to all those he ministered to.
Paul uses his “last words” to the Ephesian elders to focus them on what it means to care for the church. Paul quotes Jesus Himself saying, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Caring for the church is about giving, not receiving. This seems like a no-brainer, but then we hear people say often, “I just don’t get anything out of church.” “It doesn’t do anything for me.”
It’s not what you can get; it’s what you can give.
Many of you have poured yourselves out for the church. I look out every week and see so many incredible people who have given decades and decades of service, time, and talents to this local church.
It’s humbling and moving to think about your selfless giving. Your lives teach an important lesson, the very truth Jesus spoke: “It’s more blessed to give than to receive.”
We are to be givers, not takers. We care for one another by following the example of Jesus, who gave Himself away, laying down His life for sinners.
36 When Paul had finished speaking, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
There’s so much love expressed here, so much care for one another. They pray and weep, hug and kiss. This was pre-Covid, when that was allowed. They will miss one another as they part, and they go with Paul as far as they can.
If Paul was our only example of caring for the church, it’d be enough. The Lord, in His goodness, preserved for us Paul’s example and his charge to the church.
But Paul’s not our only example. We have many examples right here among us—people who love and teach and correct and serve.
We have been equipped to care for one another, and we must.
After my Junior year of college, I had to complete an internship at a church under a seasoned minister. I did the 10-week, mostly unpaid internship, and struggled with the thought of serving the church long-term. I saw so much ugliness and bitterness, gossip and in-fighting. Church politics and power plays got old, real fast. I became pretty discouraged and disenfranchised with the church as a whole.
I was driving around the little town of Overbrook, listening to some music, a new CD had arrived (CD stands for compact disc; it’s how we used to listen to music). Derek Webb came out with a solo album and the lyrics of one of his songs hit me right in the chest. He sang from God’s point of view: “You cannot care for ME with no regard for her; if you love ME you will love the Church.”
Ooof. That one stung. It was much needed conviction. If I claimed to love God, I couldn’t hate the church or avoid the church or be a lone-ranger Christian. “If you love ME you will love the church.”
What’s more, Christ Jesus died for the church—that’s how much He cares for His bride. If we love Jesus, we, too, will care for the church. These relationships go hand-in-hand.
Let us preach the gospel, the need for repentance and turning to God.
Let us point people to Him.
Let us look out for God’s church, caring for her well.
Let us focus more on giving than on receiving.
Let us—each one—give our lives for the sake of the gospel!