No Other God

I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’
Acts 20:33-35

In Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders, we see our third area of emphasis in the role of a pastor. We have previously considered their responsibility to faithfully declare the fullness of the word of God, and then last time we saw the need of pastors to protect the flock from attack both from outside and inside the assembly. We finish this week with a call to pastors to serve the church above themselves. In short, shepherds feed sheep, protect sheep, and lay down their lives for the sheep. Paul’s constant practice was to put others ahead of himself, being driven by love for their souls and a desire to acknowledge in his actions the words of our Lord: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

One of the ways Paul’s giving heart was revealed was that he continued to work to provide for his natural needs while also ministering to the Ephesians. His ministry there was no small task because, by his own confession, “for three years [he] did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears”. (Act 18:31) Being a tentmaker by trade (18:3), Paul presumably continued in that profession while also laboring in constant care for their souls. His reason for such labor was so that he might not put any unnecessary weight upon them even as his example was to the Thessalonians in 2Th 3:8: “nor did we eat anyone’s bread free of charge, but worked with labor and toil night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you…”

The point here is not that pastors should always have a second job or that churches have no need to care for their pastors. Paul states very clearly in 1Co 9:6-14 that the church has a responsibility for those who minister the word of God to them because “the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should live from the gospel.” (v. 14) It is a great blessing if a church is able to free a man so that he is able to focus on prayer and study of the word without the burden of other employment. (Act 6:2) If a man is truly called of God to preach the gospel, then such freedom will only benefit the church because they will have fuller access to the gift God has provided through that individual; however, because of his servant’s heart, Paul’s practice over and over again was to work on the side as he preached the gospel (Act 18:3, 20:34, 1Co 9:12, 14-18, 1Th 2:9, 2Th 3:8). As he says in 1Co 9:19, “I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win the more”.  And so, he and his companions were committed to “endure all things lest we hinder the gospel of Christ”. (v. 12)

The sincerity of this love and service for the flock of God can be seen in the language the apostle uses as he compares himself to a parent caring for his children. As he wrote in 2Co 12:14-15: “…I will not be burdensome to you; for I do not seek yours, but you. For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for your souls; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved…” That final statement should be familiar to loving parents because we see that our children often don’t understand the sacrifices we make for them. Speaking from experience, it’s usually not until we leave home that we realize just how much our parents did for us. Paul ministered with this type of tireless, parental love and encouraged other pastors to do the same. He uses similar language in 1Th 2:7, 11 to convey that the gentleness of a mother and the instruction of a father were evident in his ministry: “But we were gentle among you, just as a nursing mother cherishes her own children…as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children…”

Such loving care for the flock will not go unnoticed by those unto whom we minister. The Ephesians knew the words Paul spoke concerning his love for them were true because their hearts were moved as he finished his discourse. When they heard they would not see him again, we read, “Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him…” (Act 20:37) He had served them with tears (v. 19, 31), and so they were brought to tears at his departure. May we endeavor to serve the souls around us in like manner. Men’s hearts will be affected by the witness of those who truly show, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

Jamie

9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.
1Ch 4:9-10

The point God impressed on me with this text is that you don’t have to live up to your name!  Jabez, the name his mother gave him, means “sorrowful”. His prayer to God was in essence, “Lord, don’t let that label define me.  Give me a new name!”  The glorious truth is that God is the only One Who can truly redefine you.  Some people feel trapped by their decisions, as if they can never escape their choices. Man has given them a name, branded them with an identity that seems to be for life.  Some struggle with certain sins. They’ve always had a temper, always struggled with lust or discontent. Whatever it is, they just accept that state as the norm, never expecting to be free. But Jabez cried out to the God of Whom it is said there is nothing too hard for Him!  He can take a people who are “children of wrath” and make them children of His eternal love!!

Eph 2:1-5​
1 And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, 2 in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, 3 among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),

I love the “But God” phrase in v. 4. As bad as our previous state was, God is greater!  Where sin did abound, grace did much more abound! (Rom 5:20) Maybe you’re like that woman at the well…she’s already had five husbands and now is living with a man, thinking she can never be anything more.  She’ll never know true, enduring love.  But the Lord can make you a new creation!  He can show you love you’ve never known. He will be your Husband, unite Himself eternally with you, and you’ll never lack love again!  Just listen to how He would rename Jerusalem after she had been branded “forsaken” and “desolate”:

Isa 62:4-5
4 You shall no longer be termed Forsaken, nor shall your land any more be termed Desolate; but you shall be called Hephzibah [or “my delight is in her”], and your land Beulah [or “married”]; for the Lord delights in you, and your land shall be married.
5 For as a young man marries a virgin, so shall your sons marry you; and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you.

The reality is that your name isn’t really the issue. You’re looking at the wrong name.  Look to the Lord Jesus Who has been given a “name which is above every name”! (Php 2:9) He is able to handle any and every chain that binds you. Christ can set you free!  Just consider what He did in these lives:

• Rahab the harlot became Rahab the ancestor of Christ! (Mat 1:5)
• Ruth the Moabitess (Moabites were forbidden from the congregation of Israel per Deu 23:3) also is listed in Christ’s ancestry! (Mat 1:5)
• Matthew the publican became Matthew the disciple of Christ!
• The demoniac filled with a legion of demons became the preacher who told all ten of the cities of Decapolis what great things God had done for him! (Luk 8:26-39)
• The woman recognized as she who sinned much was instead described by Christ as she who loved much! (Luk 7:37, 39, 47-50)
• Blind Bartimaeus cried out to God incessantly and became seeing Bartimaeus! (Mar 10:46-52)
• Lazarus who died became Lazarus who is alive!

We could go on and on.  As the Scripture tells us, “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”. (2Co 5:17) I pray this truth will encourage your hearts today.  Our God is able!

Jamie

For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch…
Act 20:29-31

We saw last week how Paul instructed the Ephesian elders to follow his example in caring for men’s souls by giving them the whole counsel of God. Their first responsibility as shepherds of the Lord’s flock was to feed the sheep (v. 28) by providing for them “the pure milk of the word, that [they] may grow thereby”. (1Pe 2:2) It is really this ability which distinguishes pastors from other leaders in the church. When Paul set forth the two primary church offices of bishops (the same role as elders or pastors – Tit 1:5-7, Eph 4:11) and deacons in 1Ti 3, it was being “able to teach” that set the elders apart from the deacons. (v. 2) If a man drops the ball on this point by failing to give the fullness of the word of God to the people, then he has denied the gift God has provided “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Eph 4:12) and has become a hindrance to that assembly rather than a help.

However, moving on to our text for today, we see that teaching is not the only responsibility of an elder any more than a shepherd’s only job is to lead the sheep to green pasture. Just as the shepherd also has to protect the flock from predators, the elders of a church must watch over and protect the assembly from those who would use and abuse them. To properly watch for these souls, we must understand two crucial points: 1) Enemies WILL come against the church and 2) they will attack from outside as well as within.

The first phrase in our verses today conveys the certainty of point one. Paul says, “For I know this…” in Act 20:29. In other words, without a doubt, these attacks WILL come! A man is signing up for battle when he assumes the role of a pastor, and if he will faithfully shepherd the flock of God, he must be willing to give himself for the protection of the church. A man who runs away when trouble comes is simply a hireling and not a shepherd at all. Jesus describes such a man in Joh 10:12-13: “But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling flees because he is a hireling and does not care about the sheep.” Why does he flee? The answer is simple. Such a man was only in it for what he could get out of it–money, esteem, etc. He didn’t really care for the flock! He was not drawn to the ministry out of a sincere love for God and His people. If he had truly loved the Lord, then he would have remained faithful to the souls entrusted to his care when difficulty arose. Remember what Peter needed to do to prove his love for the Lord? ” ‘Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me?’ He said to Him, ‘Yes, Lord; You know that I love You.’ He said to him, ‘Tend My sheep.’ ” (Joh 21:6)

Paul was faithful to the Ephesian elders by not only making it clear that attacks would come but by also making sure they were aware that the assailant would not always be external to the congregation. At times, the problem would arise from within! Many today will get worked up over a discussion on “the Antichrist”, but they fail to grasp what the apostle John warned of in his day, namely that “even now many antichrists have come”! (1Jo 2:18) From where do these blasphemers and enemies of the church originate? “They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.” (v. 19) These group of rebels will be comprised of people who were trained within the church, so those in leadership must be on guard against any dissension among the ranks!

I recently taught a series of messages on church discipline, but as I poured over the passages related to this topic, I realized I had very little personal experience in the matter. In my 40+ years of church attendance, I had never once witnessed a church excommunicating someone. And yet, the word of God is clear that we must at times deal severely with sin in the church lest the whole group be adversely affected by it. Such was the case in 1Co 5. A sin worthy of church discipline had been committed (see v. 11 for a list of such sins), and not dealing with this matter was like adding a little leaven to lump of dough. (v. 6-8) The whole lump was affected, i.e. the entire assembly was being infected by this sin! Paul’s instruction was simple concerning the man involved in this adultery: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” (1Co 5:4-5) It was best for the man in the sin and the church as a whole to “put away from yourselves the evil person”. (v. 13) Some people may find such an action to be harsh, but when the Corinthians obeyed the Lord’s command by the apostle in this first letter, Paul was able to encourage them in his second letter to forgive the man and welcome him back into fellowship because he had repented of his sin! (2Co 2:4-11)

Dear soul, if you are one who God has called to feed His flock, attend to that calling faithfully so that God might be honored and that His sheep may prosper in Him. Don’t just give your time–give yourself for His glory and their good! Brethren, if you are blessed to have shepherds in your congregation that care for you in this fashion, thank God for such individuals! Pray for them and encourage them because their responsibility is great. “And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.” (1Th 5:12-13) Watch alongside them, “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled”. (Heb 12:15)

Jamie

 

Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.
Acts 20:26-27

What did Paul mean when he said he was “innocent of the blood of all men”? Given the verse about declaring “the whole counsel of God” which followed Paul’s statement, it’s clear that the innocence to which he was referring was along the lines of that which the Lord spoke to Ezekiel in Eze 3:17-21. In this chapter, the Lord warned His prophet concerning an act against men in which God would hold Ezekiel accountable for their blood. God’s word to His prophet was:

“Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; therefore hear a word from My mouth, and give them warning from Me: 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You shall surely die,’ and you give him no warning, nor speak to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life, that same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood I will require at your hand. 19 Yet, if you warn the wicked, and he does not turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul. 20 Again, when a righteous man turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I lay a stumbling block before him, he shall die; because you did not give him warning, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. 21 Nevertheless if you warn the righteous man that the righteous should not sin, and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; also you will have delivered your soul.”

The lesson is simple. If Ezekiel did not give the warning concerning the consequences of sin to those over which God had given him charge , God would hold the prophet personally responsible for their souls. What a powerful and fearful thought! How many preachers today realize that truth?!! I believe seminary enrollment would go WAY down if the attendees understood that being a pastor is not just another career choice. It’s far too serious to simply list it among other options! To preach the word should be accompanied by a call of God to such service. Notice in the passage in Ezekiel, he didn’t decide to be a watchman over Israel. “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel.” God appointed him to that role!

Paul had the same appointment by God. He distinguished himself from the false apostles seeking to lead the Galatian church astray because God had called him as a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ: “But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles…” (Gal 1:15-16) The apostle didn’t sign up for this service. He was drafted! When God stopped him in his tracks on the Damascus road, the Lord instructed him to, “Arise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do”. (Act 22:10)

Knowing God called him to this task, Paul therefore understood the weight of his responsibility. He, along with every pastor, was called to, “watch out for your souls, as those who must give account“. (Heb 13:17) He knew he would have to answer to God for the souls entrusted to his care! And so, Paul performed faithfully what everyone called to preach the word of God should do: “I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God“. He held nothing back, but gave out all God gave him to say. This statement must be the goal of every pastor. Our desire should be the good of the souls to whom we’re appointed to minister. Financial success isn’t the issue. Church growth isn’t what matters. The point is to faithfully declare the word of God whether men are added to the congregation or not. Noah was faithful as “a preacher of righteousness,” yet only eight souls boarded the ark. (2Pe 2:5) He would have been branded a failure by many today, but he was diligent in declaring what God had given him to say and do. God was so pleased with his effort that He listed him among the shining examples of faith in Heb 11! (v. 7)

Lest we lay such responsibility only on the preacher, we need to understand that there are souls which the Lord has entrusted to each believer’s care. As parents, certainly our children fall in that category for we are responsible to “Train up a child in the way he should go…” (Pro 22:6) and to “bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord”. (Eph 6:4) We husbands are called to love our wives “as Christ also loved the church,” which includes cleansing them “with the washing of water by the word”. (Eph 5:25-26) This responsibility may extend to a co-worker God has put on our hearts or the cashier for whom He has given us a burden because when He saved us and put His Spirit within us, the result was that we would be “witnesses to [Him]…to the end of the earth”. (Act 1:8) May we be as careful as the apostle was to give these souls everything that God gives us to say on His behalf so that we might likewise be “innocent of the blood of all men”!

Jamie

And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Acts 20:22-24

When my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer many years ago (by God’s mercy, nearly ten to be precise!), I was introduced to 5k races.  Such races are frequently held to raise money for various breast cancer organizations.  I had never run in races, but I was young and in shape.  How hard could it be?!!  When the thirteen-year-old son of some friends of ours ate me for lunch in my first race, I knew I wasn’t in as good of a shape as I thought!  One thing I learned early in my racing experience was that you had to pace yourself.  Too often, I would start off great, but the runners I would pass at the beginning of the race would end up passing me while I was walking and out of breath near the end.  To do well in the race, you had to understand what would be required of you and be conscious of the difficulty ahead.  That’s what Paul understood in our text above.  He was therefore well prepared for what was in store, and rather than the approaching suffering dissuading him, it made him all the more determined to run his race to the end that he might finish it with joy, affirming “none of these things move me”!

The difficulty Paul would face in Jerusalem as he followed the Lord is not unique to the apostle.  Contrary to what many preachers may say today, it is the common experience of all believers.  This teaching is so very necessary in our churches!  It was the burden of the apostle as he returned to the cities where he had previously ministered in Act 14:22.  The central theme of his message as he sought to strengthen and encourage them was, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.”  Too many preachers don’t understand the benefit of such instruction and wonder how it could possibly be encouraging.  Quite simply, it encourages because it is true!  Remember, “the truth shall make you free”. (Joh 8:32) The truth doesn’t bind us; it delivers us!  Imagine the discouragement when all men are told is that everything will be smooth sailing if they follow the Lord yet the reality turns out to be quite different.

When we understand what is required as we run this race, we will be well-prepared for the endurance that is needed.  Rather than deceive and hide the hard facts, we should faithfully declare that trials undoubtedly await the Christian, but the greater truth is that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us”! (Rom 8:18) Yes, as the Lord said, “In the world you will have tribulation,” but we have much reason for rejoicing.  Why?  Because He continues on to say, “I have overcome the world”! (Joh 16:33) Though there is difficulty and trial in this life, in Him we are more than conquerors. (Rom 8:37) So, hang on dear soul, and be ready for the wind and the waves.  Just remember, the Lord walked on them, and with one statement, He made them still!  As 2Ti 2:12 reminds us, “If we endure, we shall also reign with Him,” so may our resolve be that of Moses: “choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt; for he looked to the reward.” (Heb 11:25-26)

Jamie