Acts 20:17-24

                                                             Acts 20:17-24

Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.  And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

As Paul bids farewell to the elders of Ephesus, we gain some insight into the way Paul did ministry.  We have seen this played out over and over again throughout his ministry, but his testimony here demonstrates in a capsulated form what ministry is all about and how he went about doing the work of the ministry.

MINISTRY MARKED BY PERSISTENCE: Paul’s ministry in Ephesus was marked by tears and trial.  He spent over two years in this city, the longest of any city.  His ministry there was extremely fruitful and impacted the entire region.  However, it was not an easy time.  From the first day of his arrival until the last day of his time there, he was going about the work of the ministry.  The dedication and commitment he showed in the face of physical danger and emotional exhaustion are examples for all of us.  Paul was a Jew by birth and culture.  It is not easy to have your own people plotting against you and calling you a heretic.  One of the most important things to do in ministry is to stick to it.  

MINISTRY MARKED BY PRCLAIMATION: What is clearly evident about Paul’s ministry is that it was all about proclaiming the Word of God.  He did this both publicly and privately.  No matter the context, Paul was all about preaching the Gospel and teaching the Scriptures to all people.  It didn’t matter if they were Jew or Gentiles, his focus was on the content of his message.  The basic content of the Gospel is repentance toward God and faith in Jesus.  Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin that will always walk hand in hand.  True repentance will always lead to faith in Christ alone for salvation.  True faith will always lead to repentance of sin.  This is the message of salvation we must constantly proclaim wherever we are. 

MINISTRY MARKED BY PERSECUTION: Paul says goodbye to these precious people and makes it clear that He is aware that he will face continued persecution in this new phase of his ministry.  The Holy Spirit had assured him of this truth.  However, this did not discourage him from continuing to minister faithfully, it was simply a demonstration of Paul’s commitment and desire to face these persecutions and afflictions in a way that furthered the kingdom of God.  The glory of God and the advancement of the Gospel were far more precious to Paul than his own life.  This is the attitude we must constantly demonstrate.

APPLICATION: The ministry of proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus is worthy of our persistence and facing any amount of persecution to accomplish.  Perhaps not all of us will have the privilege of preaching the Word of God in public, but the private or house to house ministry is all of our responsibility.  As we proclaim the Gospel, both repentance and faith should be included in our message.

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