THE LIVING CHURCH
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PAUL LEAVES Ephesus and journeys with his companions to Troas. The movement now from place to place is swift in the narrative until Paul reaches Jerusalem.
Chapter 20 commences with Paul saying farewell to the believers in Ephesus and in other places as he journeys. We are told one thing concerning his ministry as he said his goodbyes. We are told he carried out a ministry of encouragement. We are told this twice, first in verse 1 and again in verse 2. Christians in those days had no easy time. The Jews opposed them and the Gentiles despised them. They often suffered persecution, an example of which we read in the last chapter. The Christian life is a warfare. Paul speaks in his Ephesian letter of our having to wrestle against principalities and powers. By this he meant the spiritual forces of evil, Satan and his fellow evil spirits, who are active in the world, specially through human beings. He spoke of the fiery darts of the evil one. We have to contend with temptation and rejection. We have to face difficulties and discouragements. We can say with the apostle that these sufferings are not to be compared with the glory which is to come in heaven, nor with the glory of fellowship with Jesus in this life, yet we can't deny that the Christian life is often not easy.
In the light of this we need encouragement. Encouragement is strengthening and supporting. Encouragement helps us to hold fast and to go on, and to commit ourselves even more to Jesus. Encouragement lifts us up and helps us to go on when things are particularly difficult. Let us follow Paul's example and be encouragers and give encouragement. Let us seek to strengthen our fellow believers and not undermine them or seek to be always criticising. It is surprising how much blessing there is in such a ministry of encouragement. The one who encourages is the one who finds he or she is being encouraged and supported by others. Similarly it is often true that the one who is always correcting and criticising often find themselves lonely.
The incident concerning the young man Eutychus is both interesting and heart warming. No doubt it is the fact he was raised from the dead that first gets our interest. God does step into our lives in this sort of miraculous way from time to time, and this brings great comfort as it did to the church in Troas (v.12). We may say to ourselves that we would like this sort of thing to be happening more often or all the time. I think then we would set our hearts too much on this life. God's promise in Christ is mainly centred upon the life to come when we shall be returned to the original purpose of God's life for us, and although we have tremendous joys in Christ here in this life, it is still the life to come which is our glory.
I am comforted by the fact that another person does not always find it easy to stay awake in church. Eutychus was tired and fell asleep while Paul was speaking. He did not mean to be rude, or inattentive. He wanted to hear what Paul had to say. But the heat of the room and being tired made him fall asleep. God is not angry when this happens. If he were then he would not have given power to Paul and raise Eutychus from the dead.
Lastly I am challenged by the heartfelt deep desire in the church of the New Testament to grow and learn in their faith. How many of us would spend all night to buy up the opportunity to learn the truth of God when it was available. These believers knew that Paul was passing through, and perhaps they would never see him again. So they were only too eager to spend this last night with him hearing him speak the word of God. Time is so short. How we need to spend more time in learning and hearing the word of God.
I am also challenged that Paul was willing to give up his sleep, which no doubt he needed very much in order to instruct these believers. I covet such devotion to the Lord, not only for myself but for the church in general. May the Lord revive us as he did the New Testament church.