THE LIVING CHURCH
Meditations in the Acts of the Apostles
Acts 20:13-21

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THE PACE of the narrative concerning Paul's journey back to Jerusalem for the last time indicates how urgently Paul felt he needed to reach Jerusalem, though it is hard from the story to understand the reason for this urgency. Paul does not feel he can give time for a stop of at Ephesus to see the church there again, but his pastor's heart makes him desire to give one last charge to them, and so he asks the elders of the church to meet him at Miletus. It is this charge we begin to study in this section.

Paul begins with a recollection of his ministry in Ephesus and how he conducted himself in that ministry. Paul is concerned to recall to the elders things in that ministry that he felt important. In this we have a wonderful example for all who seek to serve Christ.

Paul served the Lord in Ephesus with humility and in tears (v.19). There is no substitute for humility in the servant of Christ. Pride is a destructive sin. It is unattractive and turns people away from the Gospel. Further the servant of Christ has no room for pride. We owe all to the Lord. He has loved us and saved us at the price of his precious blood. He keeps us and enables us by his gracious power. All that we are that is good, and all that we are able to achieve in witness and service, is because of his grace which he gives us. We have no room to glory in ourselves. Neither have we any right to feel ourselves above others or more important than others. We may be ministering to others but we are not better than they. We are sinners like them, saved by grace and not of our own deserving. We share only what has been given us by Christ, so his is all the glory.

Then there is tears in the ministry. Paul suffered tears because of the plots of the Jews against him. The servant of the Lord will suffer tears. Even if we do not suffer persecution like Paul, there is the way people treat us, taking our love and caring for granted and giving us no time to ourselves. There is the way people do not understand us, and criticise. There is the way people demand love and will judge us when we fall short of their expectations, and much more. All this the one who ministers in Christ's name has to accept in humble love, soak it up and not retaliate or complain. There will be real tears in the ministry of Christ, but we are experiencing no more and in fact far less than Jesus bore for us. We can only love others as Christ has loved us.

Then Paul reminds the elders of his faithfulness in ministry to them. He proclaimed the whole council of God. He tells the elders that he withheld nothing from them that would be helpful. In others words he taught them all that God had taught him by the Spirit. The minister does not know what people need, so he or she must teach all of the Word of God as far as this is possible. Further because we do not know what people need, we must always come from the presence of the Lord to give people what the Lord has told us from his Word for each occasion. Also we must not hold anything back that he has told us, either because we want to save it for another time, or because we feel the message might be unpalatable or unacceptable.

Paul also took every opportunity to speak to the people. We read in verse 20 that he spoke publicly and from house to house. He used every opportunity. In ministry we must take up every opportunity to share God's Word. When we speak publicly we would not dream of not sharing God's Word. In the same way when we visit people privately we must do the same, and not be afraid to do so.

Chiefly Paul pressed on all the need for repentance and faith. He exhorted people to turn to God. It is the greatest sin of all to leave God out of our lives, and it is our greatest loss if we do so. Life in its fulness and in its full blessing is found only in God and in living for Him. We must seek God, and when we do we can only come with sorrow for leaving him out of our lives, and in sorrow for falling short of his glory. So we must turn to God in repentance. With repentance is faith in Jesus. It is through Jesus and his work for us that we obtain mercy and forgiveness. He has suffered death for our sins. He has suffered in our place to bring us to God. He was made sin for us that we might be the righteousness of God in him. We have access to God and God's love through faith in Jesus, and trusting in his death for us.

Let us all, ministers and all believing people, come to God in repentance and faith, and be always speaking of Jesus. Ministry is to preach the Gospel of Jesus the Saviour. How this ministry needs to be revived in our day