Acts 20:1-38
Paul continues his journeys to visit the believers where he has already been. He has several traveling companions and just continues to faithfully invest his life in the people around him. There are several incidents and special messages along the way from which we can learn.
PAUL RETURNS TO STRENGTHEN THE SAINTS: I think that it is interesting that Paul makes it a priority to establish the churches in the cities where he has already been. I think that Paul's hearts desire was to take the Gospel to other places like Spain, but he realized the importance of making sure that the churches he had already started were able to mover forward before he moved on. This is wise stewardship and an important lesson for all of us learn. We must disciple those we bring to Christ so that they will be able to carry on the work of the ministry after we are gone. Otherwise missionary efforts will be constantly directed and the same places over and over again and true multiplication will never occur. It is important that we not simply "follow our hearts" but that we are wise in the way we do the work of the ministry.
PAUL REVIVES A SLEEPING SAINT: As Paul was preaching past midnight, a man sitting in a window fell asleep and dropped from the third floor to his death. Paul revives him and they they all go back upstairs where Paul preaches for another several hours until the sun comes up. I cannot bring myself to criticize the young man who fell asleep, but I am greatly challenged by Paul's passion for preaching and even more impressed with the audience's desire to listen. We complain when the pastor goes past noon after speaking for a half an hour. These people had a true hunger for God's Word and sat listening to it all night long. May we work and listen with this same diligence.
PAUL RECALLS HIS SERVICE TO SAINTS: As Paul returns from his travels, he stops close to Ephesus and meets with the church leadership where he had served for three years. He reminds them that he had faithfully taught them the full council of God both in public as well as from house to house. He affirms that he had taken advantage of every opportunity and that he had ministered in their midst with hardship and tears but that he had always been faithful to God and His Word. I wonder if we would be able to say the same thing about our faithfulness in service to the Lord. Paul was faithful to teach all that he knew from the Word and he did it in every way he knew how. He did not avoid the difficult passages or the unpopular teaching but courageously proclaimed the truth without regard for his own safety or caring about his popularity. He also did not limit his ministry to be a public ministry to the masses but was willing to teach individuals in their own homes. There is a place for the public ministry of the Word but there is also an important place for the private ministry of the Word. The wise minister will keep them in balance.
PAUL REMINDS OF SUFFERING FROM FALSE SAINTS: Paul knows that there will be those who come behind him that will try to distract and destroy the church. They came in the name of Christ, but they are not truly concerned about the glory of God. They will promote human effort, the centrality of man and their own agenda. They are much more concerned about building their own "kingdoms" than they are about building the kingdom of God. They ignore or distort the Word of God and they are motivated by power over men, the praise of men and profit extracted from men. The problem is that they do all of this in the same of Christ, pretending to be godly leaders. The fact that we are attacked by the world should come as little or no surprise, but by far the most dangerous influence over the church often come from within or from those who claim to be members of the body of Christ. We must be firmly grounded in the Word of God and well aware of the ways of God so that we can recognize these false teachers and avoid their traps.
PAUL RETURNS TO STRENGTHEN THE SAINTS: I think that it is interesting that Paul makes it a priority to establish the churches in the cities where he has already been. I think that Paul's hearts desire was to take the Gospel to other places like Spain, but he realized the importance of making sure that the churches he had already started were able to mover forward before he moved on. This is wise stewardship and an important lesson for all of us learn. We must disciple those we bring to Christ so that they will be able to carry on the work of the ministry after we are gone. Otherwise missionary efforts will be constantly directed and the same places over and over again and true multiplication will never occur. It is important that we not simply "follow our hearts" but that we are wise in the way we do the work of the ministry.
PAUL REVIVES A SLEEPING SAINT: As Paul was preaching past midnight, a man sitting in a window fell asleep and dropped from the third floor to his death. Paul revives him and they they all go back upstairs where Paul preaches for another several hours until the sun comes up. I cannot bring myself to criticize the young man who fell asleep, but I am greatly challenged by Paul's passion for preaching and even more impressed with the audience's desire to listen. We complain when the pastor goes past noon after speaking for a half an hour. These people had a true hunger for God's Word and sat listening to it all night long. May we work and listen with this same diligence.
PAUL RECALLS HIS SERVICE TO SAINTS: As Paul returns from his travels, he stops close to Ephesus and meets with the church leadership where he had served for three years. He reminds them that he had faithfully taught them the full council of God both in public as well as from house to house. He affirms that he had taken advantage of every opportunity and that he had ministered in their midst with hardship and tears but that he had always been faithful to God and His Word. I wonder if we would be able to say the same thing about our faithfulness in service to the Lord. Paul was faithful to teach all that he knew from the Word and he did it in every way he knew how. He did not avoid the difficult passages or the unpopular teaching but courageously proclaimed the truth without regard for his own safety or caring about his popularity. He also did not limit his ministry to be a public ministry to the masses but was willing to teach individuals in their own homes. There is a place for the public ministry of the Word but there is also an important place for the private ministry of the Word. The wise minister will keep them in balance.
PAUL REMINDS OF SUFFERING FROM FALSE SAINTS: Paul knows that there will be those who come behind him that will try to distract and destroy the church. They came in the name of Christ, but they are not truly concerned about the glory of God. They will promote human effort, the centrality of man and their own agenda. They are much more concerned about building their own "kingdoms" than they are about building the kingdom of God. They ignore or distort the Word of God and they are motivated by power over men, the praise of men and profit extracted from men. The problem is that they do all of this in the same of Christ, pretending to be godly leaders. The fact that we are attacked by the world should come as little or no surprise, but by far the most dangerous influence over the church often come from within or from those who claim to be members of the body of Christ. We must be firmly grounded in the Word of God and well aware of the ways of God so that we can recognize these false teachers and avoid their traps.
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