Joshua 7, Jeremiah 33, Acts 20

Read Joshua 7, Jeremiah 33, and Acts 20.

This devotional is about Acts 20.

Paul had an interesting relationship with the church in Ephesus. Here in Acts 20:15, we learn that Paul had spent 3 years there earlier in his ministry. He also, of course, wrote the letter that we have in our Bibles called “Ephesians.” He warned, here in Acts 20:29-30 that false teachers would come to the church to “distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.” And, that’s what happened because in 1 Timothy we learn that Paul sent Timothy to Ephesus to confront the false teaching there and to install new elders. Notice this: this passage, Acts 20, tells us that the church in Ephesus had elders, because it talks about Paul instructing those elders in verses 17-38. But, by the end of Paul’s life, despite his warnings about false teachers and his instructions, false doctrine had so badly damaged the church that Timothy had to install new elders there.

For this devotional, though, I want to focus on the words of verses 17-21 here in Acts 20. They say, “17 From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. 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.”

With these words, Paul prefaced his message to the Ephesian elders. In this preface and through Paul’s example, we can learn some essential truths for serving the Lord properly:

1. First, Paul said, “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you….” This tells us that we need to live among God’s people in order to serve God’s people effectively. That seems pretty obvious, but today we have churches with “satellite campuses” as well as teaching through many forms of media. I know of a pastor who lives in Tennessee but “pastors” a church here in Michigan. Can anybody really know him? We can learn from men who write books, make videos, and so on but God gave us local pastors so we can see how to live out the Christian life, and whether or not they live out the Christian life.
2. Secondly, Paul said in verse 19 that he “served the Lord with great humility and with tears…” because of the opposition he faced. Godly leaders are humble people. They remember that they were saved by God’s power, not their own and that any work God does through them is by HIS power, not because of the man’s own talent and greatness. Also, this section indicates that a godly leader doesn’t cut and run just because things get hard.
3. Thirdly, his ministry is the teaching and application of God’s word. In verse 20 Paul said, “…I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you.” He goes on in the same verse to say that he delivered this message “publicly” but also in smaller settings, because he used the phrase “…house to house” in verse 20. Paul was a teacher; he did not minister by scrubbing toilets or baking muffins. There are roles in the church, such as deacons, who can serve in practical ways like this, but God’s primary calling for church leaders is to be men who deliver the Word. In our context, that’s in church on Sunday, yes, but also in small group settings, in counseling people with God’s word, and so on. Even these devotionals were something I started so that I could bring God’s word to you in the “house to house sense.”
4. Finally, good ministry seeks the salvation of people without prejudice. Verse 21 says, “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” This is where ministry starts–with the gospel of saving faith in Jesus Christ. Like Paul, we should take that message to everybody, not just people who have our skin color, our outlook on life, or whatever. Jesus saves all kinds of people; we should be looking for those he wants to save among all kinds of people without prejudice.

This is what I try to do in our church. This is what you should look for in a church’s leadership. If you are teaching in AWANA or children’s church, or whatever, seek to model these leadership traits and minister God’s word this way.