Acts 20:1-38

From the First Day

Ministry is a pathway to maturity. Mentorship is a pathway to maturity. Discipleship, according to Jesus, is the combination of ministry and mentorship. He trains and sens.

What have you done since the first day?

The first day you met your best friend.

The first day you met your spouse.

The first day in your new job.

The first day in your new school.

The first day you met your daughter, your son.

What have you done since the first day?

Paul’s first day in Ephesus was sometime in 54 A.D. After that, he went to Macedonia around 55 A.D. He spent about two years there. From the first day until the last, he invested his life into the people.

What have you done with your life? How have you invested your life?

I’m going to show you three examples of how Paul invested his life:

He took people along.

He met with people.

He led them.

This isn’t the only model, but it is what Luke shows us. We should take note. Paul shows us how to take people along in ministry. He shows us the importance of meeting together. He shows us the importance of strong leadership. It results in raising up disciples and establishing a healthy church.

What are you doing from the first day?

Let’s look at how Paul took people along for ministry:

Acts 20:1–6 CSB

1 After the uproar was over, Paul sent for the disciples, encouraged them, and after saying farewell, departed to go to Macedonia. 2 And when he had passed through those areas and offered them many words of encouragement, he came to Greece 3 and stayed three months. The Jews plotted against him when he was about to set sail for Syria, and so he decided to go back through Macedonia. 4 He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 These men went on ahead and waited for us in Troas, 6 but we sailed away from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread. In five days we reached them at Troas, where we spent seven days.

Let’s look at how Paul met with people to teach/train them:

Acts 20:7–12 CSB

7 On the first day of the week, we assembled to break bread. Paul spoke to them, and since he was about to depart the next day, he kept on talking until midnight. 8 There were many lamps in the room upstairs where we were assembled, 9 and a young man named Eutychus was sitting on a window sill and sank into a deep sleep as Paul kept on talking. When he was overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead. 10 But Paul went down, bent over him, embraced him, and said, “Don’t be alarmed, because he’s alive.” 11 After going upstairs, breaking the bread, and eating, Paul talked a long time until dawn. Then he left. 12 They brought the boy home alive and were greatly comforted.

Let’s look at how Paul led people in ministry:

Acts 20:13–16 CSB

13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul on board, because these were his instructions, since he himself was going by land. 14 When he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went on to Mitylene. 15 Sailing from there, the next day we arrived off Chios. The following day we crossed over to Samos, and the day after, we came to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, for the day of Pentecost.

Before we read Paul’s message to the elders from Ephesus, let’s ask a few questions:

Do you pray for the people God has put you around?

Do you take people along to do ministry with you?

Do you meet with people to invest in them?

Do you provide leadership for people around you?

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.

Elders and Overseers: Acts 20:17 and Acts 20:28

At WBC, we call Elders and Overseers: Pastors. The terms are interchangeable, basically three cohesive roles in one title. The elders from Ephesus were also overseers who shepherded (or, pastored) the church.

We have time. I’ve heard people say our culture is over, hopefully Jesus will just come back. Take a look back at what Nick said last week:

“Do we believe God can and will defeat the evils of today, false religions, political division, immorality, idolatry, violence? Do we believe God can draw those who don’t believe in Jesus to himself?”

Now, check out what Paul says:

“be on the alert”

He doesn’t say “wolves” won’t come at you. He doesn’t say “men” won’t rise up against you. Instead, Paul says to go back into Ephesus, the city that chants: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”

Equipped disciples don’t fear culture, they transform it.

They have been doing ministry with you in the midst of darkness.

They have sat with you and learned from you.

They have been led by you to remain strong and be on guard in the middle of the wolves.

Fear drives us to escape darkness. Fear drives us away from the wolves.

People who haven’t done ministry in the darkness talk bad about people in the darkness.

Don’t be afraid, the Lord is with you in the darkness.

Parents:

Your kids aren’t going to be strong in the midst of wolves and an evil culture by never taking them into the midst of the darkness. That’s like a basketball player who learns everything about the game without every playing a game being thrown into the nba championship and expecting them to win. Knowledge of the game doesn’t mean you can win. We have to invest, by taking them with us, sitting with them to train, and leading them to go!

Friends:

2. Many of your friends face the world in their jobs, families, and when they are alone to act or think. How are you actively investing in them?

Spouses:

I want to be in a place where I can say: “I am innocent of the blood of all of you.”

You might say: well isn’t this only for elders? Yes and no. Elders are shepherds, leading the church to follow the way of Jesus who:

1. took people along for ministry

2. met with them to train them

3. led them to go

Here’s your gospel response this morning:

Take someone with you on a ministry opportunity in the next two weeks.

Invest through a group.

Prayerfully lead others.