Acts 20:17–38

 Acts 20:17–38 

In Paul’s farewell address to the Ephesian elders, we have a treasure trove of practical ministry teaching and examples. It is a less theological talk and more of a reminder of how the ministry is to be done. Paul also includes some dire warnings. There are three quick pictures of practical ministry toward which we will offer a glance. This is not a complete study of Paul’s approach to ministry but only the beginning point.

In verse 20 Paul mentions that he taught publicly and from house to house. In-home teaching is all but lost in many churches. There are some ministers who have never seen the inside of a member’s house except for those of their personal friends. We have emphasized the public gathering side of church life to the exclusion of being in and teaching in homes. There is a depth that can happen in homes that will never be replicated in a public worship setting.

The great heartbreak of this passage is not the Holy Spirit warning about Paul’s upcoming hardship. Rather the coming of savage wolves. These wolves will come from both within and without. Of these two dangers, the first is the more destructive. Often the two attacks are in one person; beware the ready-made leader who shows up and is ready to start leading. The main job of the elders of the church is to shepherd. Shepherding is a difficult task. Less than the best men will fail, and even the best men face a very painful and difficult task. Ephesus was the center of a long-standing teaching point for Paul, and this church had an effect on the whole of Asia. In the letters to the churches in Revelation, we see how these churches have been compromised, with some nearly being lost to the influence of false teachers.

Finally, Paul describes his own compensation plan for ministry. Paul worked a secular job to pay for the upkeep of his team and himself. He described it as working “hard” in verse 35. The word ‘hard’ is from two words: the first is ‘exhausting labor and the second is ‘depleted. Currently pastors have a reputation or stereotype of being lazy and not working hard. That is at times false and unfair, but at times it is an accurate description. But that would never apply to Paul and almost never, by the way, to a bi-vocational minister like Paul. The dance of ministerial compensation is the most intricate and complicated of all the dances.

“Lord, help me lead or follow faithfully.  Protect your church from those who would do her harm. AMEN.