Paul Ministers at Ephesus

Servant Leadership

Before we jump into scripture tonight, we need to come into agreeance with the Holy Spirit, Christ Jesus, and the Living Word of God. Many of us have heard the term disciple and servant leader. A disciple is a student. We are coming under the discipline of the teachings of Christ and obedience to God through the Holy Spirit. A servant leader is one who demonstrates the active will of God in his or her life through a heart for service, an active prayer life, and obedience unto the LORD. The “leader” part of that requires each of us to allow Him to lead our hearts, minds, and actions as we lead others to the cross. We should welcome the scrutiny of others in our lives. If we are living “blameless” in the biblical sense, there is nothing to hide therefore we should invite full inspection of our lives by others. Here is a verse that we should do our best to commit to memory. Our ancient brother Peter says this:

1 Peter 3:15–16 NLT

15 Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. 16 But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.

This means keeping Christ as the Lord, the head of our lives. Giving Him full authority. As we minister to others, we must be gentle and respectful, like Jesus. Sometimes we need to shut-up and listen without interjecting our opinion, like Jesus. Peter is telling us, from his own experience, that when the pride, the ego, opinions, and the excuses fall away, we have a clear conscience knowing that what we said, how we said it, and how we acted were led by our Lord, Jesus Christ.

We see this with Paul. Many Jews, Gentiles, and some Romans tried to dig up dirt on Paul after his conversion. There was nothing that they could pin on him outside of sharing the good news of the Kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

Let’s return to Ephesus with Paul tonight.

Acts 19:8 NLT

8 Then Paul went to the synagogue and preached boldly for the next three months, arguing persuasively about the Kingdom of God.

Go Paul! He made it three months in the synagogue at Ephesus. This is the longest Paul has made it without getting thrown in jail. Remember, Paul told theses Jews and Gentile proselytes that He would return, God willing, He was able to return and welcomed back into the synagogue.

We see that Paul continues to argue persuasively for the Kingdom of God. The word argue is not used the same way that we use it today. The Greek word is dialegomai, meaning to discuss, to talk, to reason, and to have a dialogue with someone. We see that Paul reasoned for the Kingdom of God. When we talk about the Kingdom of God, what exactly are we talking about? Paul is talking about Jesus Christ. Luke draws on what Paul wrote to the church at Corinth. The very foundation of our faith.

1 Corinthians 15:3–4 NLT

3 I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said. 4 He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

The New Testament was coming into existence as this was occuring. Meaning that the NT was being written in real time, divinely inspired by God through the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures that Paul is talking about came from what we call the Old Testament today and probably included the following:

Christ was crucified and died for our sins (Isaiah 53: 1-10)

Christ was Resurrected (Isaiah 53:11-12 Psalm 16:10)

Acts 19:9 NLT

9 But some became stubborn, rejecting his message and publicly speaking against the Way. So Paul left the synagogue and took the believers with him. Then he held daily discussions at the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

Recall from the previous verse that Paul spent every sabbath for three months teaching in the Synagogue. Not all people, but some had hardened hearts against the message, against the way, against Jesus Christ. This is a crucial point for today’s disciple and minister of the Word.

Perseverance. Paul did not stop teaching or sharing the Truth because of human stubbornness or hardened hearts. Paul, better than anybody, knew the ill effects that false teachings and misguided understandings have on people. Many of those who came to believe had hearts hardened against the Word, stubborn mindsets and behaviors that followed the pattern of religion or the world.

I would suggest that any honest believer today would admit to struggling in heart and mind with God at some point. Get a group of believers together today. We all agree on the love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ. Start talking about hot button issues of the day, and watch how misguided understandings of the scriptures and opinions begin to replace the truth.

Let me share some hard truth. Our job description does not include blasting people or alienating people who have different or false beliefs. Our job is to share the hope of Jesus Christ. Every effort is made to share the truth in love. I was the guy with a hardened heart, standing in the back of the church, laughing at believers, mocking believers, and making fun of the Christian faith. Was I, was my soul worth the effort, the time, the mercy, and the grace? Jesus thinks I am worth it. Jesus thinks your worth it. Jesus thinks that all people are worth it.

Paul left the Synagogue, but he remained local. He did not stop teaching. The Jewish believers went with him to continue sharing the good news of Jesus Christ. Their “church building” was a lecture hall that they rented from Tyrannus. It is believed by the way that my favorite Biblical couple, Priscilla and Aquila, paid Tyrannus for the use of the lecture hall so that Paul could continue teaching in Ephesus. This allowed Paul to go from teaching weekly, to teaching daily!

Acts 19:10 NLT

10 This went on for the next two years, so that people throughout the province of Asia—both Jews and Greeks—heard the word of the Lord.

Okay, ready! Two years in Ephesus! Why is that exciting? This is a perfect picture of what today's church is to look like and how it should function.

Ephesus was a major hub for commerce. The church was open to all people, all cultures, of all backgrounds and worldviews. Complete open door policy. It was not about the numbers or membership. It was about sharing the message with those who had an ear to hear. Paul would never see most of the people visiting the church again. It did not matter if it were one person or a thousand. The Message of Christ remained consistent. That is what matters brothers and sisters. How did the message spread? Because of this mindset. The Gospel was carried around the known world due to the obedience of men and women remaining obedient to Christ. True servant leaders. Serve God, serve others, and lead under the direction of the Holy Spirit.

Most of us have heard of Billy Graham. I have often wondered “Who were his mentors?” “Who were his mentors mentors?” Most of us have no idea who mentored Billy. What I am saying is that you have the God given, Holy Spirit led opportunity to touch someone with the Gospel message and you have no idea how that will manifest in the persons life. We are not all called to be Billy Graham’s, but we are all called to the hope and Glory of Christ in sharing His Good news. That sharing could be with the next Billy Graham.

Acts 19:11 NLT

11 God gave Paul the power to perform unusual miracles.

We are going to leave it here tonight. I am going to ask that you finish reading Acts 19:11-20 this week. As you read, there are a few things you should bear in mind. Some questions you can ask yourself.

How did God give Paul the power to perform unusual miracles? (Hint: The Holy Spirit).

Read Mark 5:28-30. Healing went out from Jesus. This healing came from who? (Hint: The Holy Spirit).

Are you open and willing to allow the Holy Spirit to work through you however Jesus may desire?

God bless you tonight. Please pray with me.