On Elders, Part One: Paul & the Ephesian Elders
Preaching through the book of the Acts of the Apostles, Joel & Jason have subtitled this series: Recovering the Biblical Model of Church Leadership. Several of the Sunday teaching times have been written up on this blog…and more are “in the hopper.”
We’ve come to Acts 20 for a discussion of the apostle’s teaching about Elders at just the time when we as a Body are considering who to add to our group of Elders. In Acts 20:17-32, the Apostle Paul is approaching his final trip to Jerusalem, and he’s anticipating that in Jerusalem he will be arrested & taken to Rome. As he passes near the city of Ephesus, he calls the church elders to come down to meet him at the shore of Miletus. These verses are his “farewell address” to the men who are now carrying the spiritual load for the church that Paul had started several years before.
There were several things that jumped out at me as Joel read this passage on Sunday. Paul starts by summarizing his past ministry in the church, a ministry that the elders themselves knew quite well. Check out verses 18-21. (How many church leaders do you know who would summarize their ministry like Paul?)
- “I was consistently a humble servant, despite fears & temptations & difficulties, in the midst of the Ephesian believers….I was faithful in my work from the first day until the last; I didn’t wimp out when the going got tough.” (my paraphrase)
- “I gave it my all…I held nothing back that would be profitable to the church people; I worked literally from house to house, working myself to the bone.” (my paraphrase)
- “I kept the message clear, a message of repentance & faith, focused upon the Lord Jesus; my message was given without prejudice, it was openly given to all people who would listen.” (my paraphrase)
In verses 22-23, Paul states flatly that he expects to suffer great hardship through arrest & imprisonment when he arrives in Jerusalem. Many folk have asked, “Then, you stupid idiot, why are you going to Jerusalem?!” There’s little doubt in my mind that the elders surrounding him on the shore of Miletus were asking this question silently in their minds. “Why take such a risk? That’s stupidity…to risk your life! If you play it smart, Paul, you’ll be able to continue your work for many more years….and we won’t have to part with you.”
He anticipates their question & shares with them the secret to his ministry:
“My life’s hardships don’t bother me in the least. In fact, the breath of life itself is not treasured by me. There is only one thing that is precious to me….that I be faithful to finish the work He’s given me, to finish it with joy, to continue to declare clearly the Gospel of the grace of God.”
Paul lived for the Gospel. It was the only thing that mattered to him. It drove him, empowering him to survive incredible hardships. (Read II Corinthians 1:8-10 and 11:23-33 for more details of these hardships.) It comforted him. It satisfied him. It anchored him. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was Life Itself to the Apostle. Everything else faded from importance….breath, comfort, reputation, security, health, convenience, relationships, respect, money. He would fight tooth & toenail to preserve and protect and advance the Gospel, but he willingly (even joyfully) let all other things be taken from him.
As he stands before these elders who love him, and whom he loves, he speaks plainly. “You will not see me again. So remember what I’m saying: I have been faithful to you in the only thing that matters. I have not skimped on the Gospel! And now I charge you, as elders, pay attention! As overseers, as guardians, as trustees of God’s church, you must do what I have done…you must teach the people the whole counsel of God, the whole Gospel..that precious Gospel that cost the very blood of the Son of God!”
Why was the Apostle Paul so urgent?? The church had been planted, it had grown, it now had good elders. Why such urgency? Isn’t this a little overly dramatic?
Perhaps more than any other human being, aside from the Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul seemed to understand the nature of Man. He knew the sin that is bound up in the heart of even the most well-meaning person. He had witnessed in others & in himself destructive actions that flowed from misguided hearts. He was not naive.
And he knew that the battle for the Gospel, its purity & its application to the heart of Man, would continue long after his death.
So he warned these elders in vs 28-31. “Watch out! Other men will come to the believers under your care. They will pervert the Gospel. They will dilute it. They will redirect people away from the Savior to themselves. They will be like wolves, entering the sheep pen quietly, discretely, while the sheep are resting, dozing or distracted. And then they will feast upon the sheep, killing the sheep spiritually while filling their own bellies, reveling in the joy of their power, lifting themselves up as conquerors & taking dominion over the sheep……so watch out!!! Stand guard!!! Be alert!!! Protect the Gospel, feed the sheep, warn of intruders. Become personally involved with the sheep, just as I did, even with tears & anxiety & heartache….”
Wow! What serious words. Imagine what the elders were thinking. Their hearts full of grief at leaving Paul, and now their hearts full of fear about incoming wolves. Where were these wolfish men that were coming, intent on destroying the Gospel in their fellowship? How could they guard the flock as Paul was commanding them?
Paul himself has the answer in vs 32….God Himself would do this work through the elders, and He would do the work through the Word, through grace…building them stronger & stronger, and establishing their destiny as His sons, with all the rights of inheritance.
I’m sure that this confidence of Paul in the ability of God to do His work through these elders, just as He had done His work thru Paul, had a calming effect upon the elders. It put things in perspective. The purity of the Gospel in the beginning was real. The danger of wolfish men was real. But the faithfulness of God to continue the work was also real. (The only thing lacking was the willingness of the elders to do their responsibility, to do their work as guardians.)
If I had been Paul, I think I would have stopped with this comforting reminder of God’s faithfulness.
But Paul had one last word. It relates to money, of all things! “I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or belongings. You yourselves know that I have worked with my own hands to take care of my needs..and also of the needs of those travelling with me. I have set an example for you. Follow my example. Work yourselves for your own needs, and also for the needs of others who are weaker than you. Remember not only my example, but also the clear words of Jesus, our Lord. He said ‘The one who gives is more blessed than the one who receives.’”
Paul’s parting words were about money in the life of the minister. In today’s world of ministers becoming career-focused, or making a buck off the sheep, or turning the Lord’s work into business…have we torn this page from the Bible? This meeting with the elders of Ephesus is up close & personal. Paul said “there was no covetousness in me while ministering to you”… none of that hidden, discrete, dignified, rationalized envy of other people’s money & possessions.
Covetousness is a quiet sin; it cannot be measured. It is very deceptive. But actions can be measured; actions are open & public. When Paul was working day & night, everyone could see how he labored, how he disciplined himself, how he lacked covetousness. In II Thessalonians 3:6-10 and in I Corinthians 8-9 Paul discussed thoroughly about the spiritual value of self-supported ministers. Yes, they have a “right” to financial support … but when do those following Christ claim their ‘rights’? No, it’s better to follow the example of Christ in Philippians chapter 2….He had all the rights of the God-head, but He set them aside to become our Savior. And Paul says very plainly & repeatedly: “Do as I have done. Follow my example. Do not seek money! Do this for the sake of the Gospel.”
We are allowed to see the Apostle in all his humanness. Like other humans doing ministry in the church of the Lord Jesus, he was tempted to indulge himself, to seek comfort, to rationalize short-cuts, to allow ‘worship’ of himself as leader, to become prideful & smug in wisdom & ability. He knew, as often we do not like to accept, that the inner core of Man is rotten unto Death. And we must constantly push ourselves to not allow even a small wedge of Self to enter the Lord’s ministry.
Paul pushed himself in diet, in salary, in simple lifestyle, in clarity of teaching, in integrity, in unpretentious ministry. He pushed himself to minister without prejudice; the dress, the wealth, the background, the connections, the sex, the ethnicity of people was utterly irrelevant. The Gospel was for all people. Paul disciplined himself for purity & simplicity in order to keep that Gospel pure (both in delivery & in message).
On the shoreline of Miletus, the elders of the Lord’s church in Ephesus said ‘goodbye’ to their spiritual father; for the last time, they hugged the one who had willingly suffered so much to bring them the Gospel. And as the ministry baton was passed to them as guardians, the words of Paul bore into their hearts & minds.
“Don’t covet. Don’t put a monetary price tag on your ministry. Work yourself ‘to death’ to keep your ministry pure. Sacrifice everything in your life for the Life of the Gospel. Watch out for wolves. Follow my example. Be a servant, even when the going gets tough. Keep the Gospel pure, undiluted, unpolluted, simple, clear….and give it to all people without prejudice.”
Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders are words that are directly applicable to the elders of Bethel Hill Baptist Church.
May God help us not to tear out pages of the Scriptures to suit our culture, our tradition or our personal preference.
Let us, like the Ephesian believers, pursue the whole counsel of God…..even down to the matter of elders.