49 "How the Church Moves Forward from Apostolic Ministry" Acts 20:13-38 | Sunday, May 24, 2026

And I'll invite you to take your Bibles

and we'll turn to Acts chapter number

20.

Acts chapter 20. And once you found your

Acts 20 · chapter mention

place there, if you'll stand once again

in honor of the reading of God's word,

Acts chapter 20. If you don't have a

Acts 20 · chapter mention

Bible this morning, feel free to use one

of the Bibles in the chair in front of

you. And if you don't have a Bible at

home, then I would invite you to take

that as a gift from us to you. We want

everybody to have a copy of God's word.

Acts chapter 20. And if you found your

Acts 20 · chapter mention

place there, if you'll stand in honor of

God's word, our text will be verses 13

through verse 38. And what we're

covering today is what many would

consider Paul's farewell speech to the

elders at Ephesus. We saw last week that

Paul made his way back through Macedonia

and toa before making a final stop in

Asia and heading on to Jerusalem. we

find that the spirit of God is leading

him to Jerusalem. And Paul doesn't know

what awaits him there, but he's almost

certain he will never see the Ephesian

elders again. And so that's what we're

looking at this morning. Let's begin

reading in the travel narrative

beginning in verse 13.

Luke has joined in the journey. That's

why we have this third person here. And

we went before to ship and sailed to

Asos there intending to take in Paul for

so had he appointed minding himself to

go a foot. And when he met with us at

Asos, we took him in and came to

Mileene. And we sailed thence and came

the next day over against Kios. And the

next day we arrived at Samos and terried

at Tragillium. And the next day we came

to Myitus. For Paul had determined to

sail by Ephesus because he would not

spend time in Asia, for he hasted, if it

were possible, for him to be at

Jerusalem the day of Pentecost. So, this

is cluing us in that he's on a race

against the clock. Uh, traveling by ship

is not fast, and it especially wasn't

fast back then. And he's trying to get

from Macedonia to Jerusalem in less than

30 days. And so he's got to get quickly.

So he passes by Ephesus where he spent

three years in ministry. But what we

find is he calls the Ephesian elders to

him in Myitus to deliver them one final

charge before he leaves. So verse 17

says, "And from Myus he sent to Ephesus

and called the elders of the church. And

when they were come to him, he said unto

them, "Ye know from the first day that I

came into Asia, after what manner I have

been with you at all seasons, serving

the Lord with all humility of mind, and

with many tears and temptations, which

befell me by the lying and weight of the

Jews, and how I kept back nothing that

was profitable unto you, but have showed

you and have taught you publicly ly and

from house to house testifying both to

the Jews and also to the Greeks

repentance toward God and faith toward

our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold, I

go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem,

not knowing the things that shall befall

me there, save that the Holy Ghost

witness in every city, saying that bonds

and afflictions abide me. But none of

these things move me, neither count I my

life dear unto myself, so that I might

finish my course with joy, and the

ministry which I have received of the

Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the

grace of God. And now, behold, I know

that ye all among whom I have gone

preaching the kingdom of God shall see

my face no more. Wherefore I take you to

record this day that I am pure from the

blood of all men. For I have not shunned

to declare unto you all the counsel of

God. Take heed therefore unto

yourselves, and to all the flock over

which the Holy Ghost hath made you

overseers to feed the church of God,

which he hath purchased with his own

blood. 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

and remember that by the space of three

years, I ceased not to warn everyone

night and day with tears. And now,

brethren, I commend you to God and to

the word of his grace, which is able to

build you up, and to give you an

inheritance among all them that are

sanctified.

I have coveted no man's silver or gold

or apparel. Yay, ye yourselves know that

these hands have ministered unto my

necessities, and to them that were with

me. I have showed you all things. How

that so laboring ye ought to support the

weak and to remember the words of the

Lord Jesus, how he said, "It is more

blessed to give than to receive." And

when he had thus spoken, he kneel down

and prayed with them all. And they all

wept sore and fell on Paul's neck and

kissed him, sorrowing most of all for

the words which he spake that they

should see his face no more. And they

accompanied him unto the ship. The title

of our message this morning is how the

church moves forward from apostolic

ministry.

how the church moves forward from

apostolic ministry. The emphasis that

you see is Paul saying, "Here's how I

have ministered, but now I'm departing."

And there's some things that are going

to take place after I depart. And so,

here is my final charge to you. This

morning's message is going to have much

more of a doctrinal feel to it. And so,

I'm going to ask you to bear with me.

This is a unique text where an apostle

is speaking to pastors, preachers,

and so a lot of the first part is going

to effectively apply to ministers of the

gospel. But I want you to understand

that there's a great truth for every

church member as well that lies beneath

this text. And so let's pray and ask God

to help us grasp that.

Lord, ask for your help to communicate

your word carefully and clearly. And I

pray that all of our hearts would be

open this morning

to take in the clear truth of your word.

And I pray that you'd help us as a

church to adopt it, believe it, and

apply it to our lives personally, but

also corporately to our church that we

might go forward the way your church

always has. It's in Jesus name I ask.

Amen. May God bless his word. You can be

seated.

A transition of leadership

often leaves the future hanging in the

balance.

Whether it's the transition to a new

president, the retirement of a CEO, or

the firing of a coach, you just never

know how the new leader is going to

handle things going forward. This is

especially true when a great leader is

transitioning out. Will anyone be able

to fill their shoes? It can leave you

feeling concerned about how things will

move forward in the absence of this

great leader. And this can especially be

true when it comes to ministry.

that when a faithful pastor retires or

transitions to the mission field or

perhaps unexpectedly passes, it can

leave the church wondering where do we

go from here? What will happen to the

church going forward? How do we move

forward from such a great leader?

I can't imagine what it would have been

like for the elders of the church at

Ephesus

when they heard that they will never see

Paul's face again.

He's a great leader. But Paul was on a

race against the clock to get back to

Jerusalem by Pentecost.

But we gather from Paul's words here

that he was almost certain that he would

not return to Ephesus again.

So he calls the Ephesian elders to meet

him here at Myletus

and he reveals that they will not see

him again. We read that there were warm

embraces,

many tears shed and much sorrow felt

because of his coming absence.

This is a man who carried apostolic

authority.

a man who labored faithfully

in Ephesus for three years, teaching in

their homes, preaching in the public

square and in the school hall of

Tyrannis.

People throughout all Asia had heard the

word of God through Paul's mouth.

Churches were planted all throughout

this region. You might ask, how do you

replace that?

How do you fill those shoes? How will

anyone fill those shoes? And where do we

go from here? But as Paul gives this

farewell address to these elders, he

helps them understand how they

themselves must help the church move

forward after his departure.

But it's also important every now and

then to remember that Acts is written to

Theophilos,

a man in Rome who was relatively a new

believer

who is trying to assure him of the faith

that he had been taught.

And Theophilos is living near the end of

all apostolic ministry.

Many of the apostles have already been

martyed by this time. Many others will

soon follow as does Paul who is awaiting

execution in Rome at the time of Luke's

writing in Acts.

And so when you consider what's going on

here, Paul's final message to these

Ephesians elders will help reassure

Theophilos

that even in the absence of apostolic

ministry like Paul's, the church will go

forward. And you know what? It still has

unto this day. How is that possible?

How does the church move forward

following apostolic ministry?

Because what we believe, we see in the

scripture is that the apostilhip

was a temporary office held only by

those who walked with Jesus from the

time of his baptism through his

ascension. or in the unique case of Paul

saw Jesus risen again and was taught

directly by him for three years in

Arabia.

But nobody else serves as apostles.

Nobody else has the same weight or

authority to lay down the doctrinal

foundation of the church. And so once

they are off the scene, how does the

church move forward?

By following the same instruction that

Paul gave to these elders.

What we find in our text is that after

recounting his ministry in Asia and its

impending conclusion, Paul offers this

final word of exhortation

to these elders. And through his final

words to them, we learn how God designed

the church to move forward after the

departure of the apostles. And so let's

consider first of all that in verses 17-

21, Paul is recounting his own ministry

in Asia. And I want to point out two

specific ways that Paul ministered

throughout his time there. Number one is

that Paul ministered as a servant of the

Lord. If you look at verse 17, it says,

"And from Myitus, he sent to Ephesus and

called the elders of the church. And

when they were come to him, he said unto

them, "Ye know, from the first day that

I came into Asia, after what manner I

have been with you at all seasons, this

is how I've ministered among you from

the very beginning." And notice what he

says in verse 19, serving the Lord with

all humility of mind.

See, Paul was not a king over a

congregation,

but a humble servant under a great

master in Jesus Christ. Though Paul was

given a significant platform, he

realized that he had not been given that

pla he had been given that platform for

one reason and one only and that is to

manage what God had placed in his hands,

the gospel of Jesus Christ to magnify

the Lord's glory. That was what Paul was

given to do. Paul not only served though

with humility of mind, but you notice it

also says there in verse uh number 18 or

verse 19 that he served with many tears.

Many tears. See, Paul poured his life

into people. He loved people. He cared

deeply for everyone in every church. And

the Ephesian elders had an had been

upclose witnesses to the countless tears

that Paul had shed for the people of

Ephesus. He said, 'You know these

things. You've seen it with your own

eyes. But then notice also it says that

he served with temptations which befell

me by the lying in weight or the plots

of the Jews.

He had been through many times of

testing,

times of trials, times of tribulation

and persecution. And yet he continued to

labor faithfully. He was hunted down

from city to city. But yet what we find

is that none of the things that Paul

faced deterred him because he had

committed his life to serving Christ.

Number one, he was a servant of the

Lord. But then I want you to notice

secondly that Paul ministered as a

faithful preacher. Not only a humble

servant, but a faithful preacher. Would

you look at verse 20? He says, "And how

I kept back nothing that was profitable

unto you, but have showed you and have

taught you publicly and from house to

house, testifying both to the Jews and

also to the Greeks, repentance toward

God and faith toward our Lord Jesus

Christ." Paul had faithfully preached

the gospel. But his ministry did not end

only when they were converted to Jesus

Christ because he said that you know I

kept back nothing that was profitable

for you or as Paul says in verse 27 I

have not shunned to declare unto you all

the counsel of God. Paul faithfully

proclaimed God's word. See, it was Paul

who wrote to Timothy who was serving in

Ephesus at the time that all scripture

is given by inspiration of God and is

profitable for doctrine for reprove for

correction for instruction in

righteousness. And so Paul was not only

a humble servant, he was a faithful

preacher.

And Paul's ministry is a model to be

emulated by every minister of the

gospel.

See, Paul's ministry wasn't about

shares, likes, or subscriptions.

It wasn't about charging tickets to hear

his sermons. And so, I would ask, why in

the world should it be that way for us

today?

May God deliver us from preachers who

charge people to hear them speak?

May he may he deliver us from those who

use God's people to build their brands

because none of that was what Paul did.

ministers of the gospel rather should be

nothing more and nothing less than

humble servants and faithful preachers.

That's what we must be.

See church, you don't need to hear hobby

horses and personal preferences or

constant political pandering. Rathering

what God's people need is a faithful,

steady diet of God's holy and inspired

word. pastors who do not hold back

anything that God says just because it

may not be politically correct or

culturally acceptable. You need to hear

everything that God says. You need all

of it just as the Ephesians did. Paul is

setting up his own ministry here as an

apostolic example of how elders in

Ephesus and across all generations

should strive to minister even to this

day. But now Paul is going to explain

that this church will be without this

apostolic ministry. This ministry that

had benefited them so immensely, they'll

be without it. If you look at verse 22,

look what he says. And now, behold, I go

bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not

knowing the things that shall befall me

there, save the Holy Ghost witnessed in

every city, saying that bonds and

afflictions abide me.

He says, "Everywhere I go," we're going

to see this in chapter 21, that he's

going to go to one city and they're

going to say, "Don't go to Jerusalem,

Paul." And then he's going to go to

another city and a prophet is going to

say, "You're going to be bound at

Jerusalem." This is what he's talking

about. everywhere he goes, the Holy

Spirit is testifying to this fact. If he

goes to Jerusalem, then chains and

afflictions await him. But notice Paul's

response in verse 24. But none of these

things move me, neither count I my life

dear unto myself. How could Paul say

that? How could he go through all these

afflictions? How could he endure the

imprisonments and the beatings and the

stonings that he had endured? Well, look

what he says. So that I might finish my

course with joy and the ministry which I

have received of the Lord Jesus to

testify of the gospel of the grace of

God. Paul understood this is my mission.

If we went all the way back to Acts

chapter nine when Paul was first

converted, do you remember what happened

there?

The Lord told Ananas that he was going

to show Paul how many things he must

suffer for Christ's name. That he would

be Christ's witness to testify of him

before kings and the Jews and the

Gentiles. And thus far, he has preached

faithfully among the Jews. He has

preached faithfully among the Gentiles.

And the rest of Acts is going to focus

on him testifying of Christ before kings

and governors and officials which will

lead him all the way to Caesar's prison

where he testifies of Christ there.

See, Paul says, "None of these things

move me. I want to finish my course with

joy."

And it was Paul who wrote from prison in

Rome his final letter to young Timothy

who was ministering right here in

Ephesus at the time. And he said,"I have

fought a good fight. I have finished my

course. I have kept the faith." Paul was

committed to finish his course. And you

get this sense from right here that he

knows that time is coming soon. But

certainly here in Asia.

But when Paul comes to the end of his

ministry in Asia, check out the

confidence that he has. It says in verse

number 25, "And now, behold, I know that

ye all among whom I have gone preaching

the kingdom of God shall see my face no

more. Wherefore I take you to record

this day, that I am pure from the blood

of all men, for I have not shunned to

declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Paul draws from a picture given in the

prophecy of Ezekiel called a watchman

where he God told Ezekiel that I have

set you a watchman over the children of

Israel and he said that I am sending you

to warn the people of judgment and if

you warn them of judgment and they

reject it they will die in their sin but

you will be clean of their blood. But he

said, "If you fail to warn them, they

will die for their sin, but I will

require their blood at your hand."

That's the image that Paul is drawing

from here. He's telling these Ephesian

elders, "I have served my ministry in

Asia as a faithful watchman. I have not

shunned. I have not shrunk back. I have

not deterred from sharing with you all

the council of God, from testifying of

Jesus to the Jews and the Greeks. I have

preached the gospel so completely that I

can say on the record this day, I am

pure from the blood of all men.

Paul says, I have fulfilled my mission.

I have completed my course there. I have

done what Christ has called me to do,

and now you will see my face no more.

Every minister of the gospel should

strive to end their ministry being able

to say what Paul has said here. I have

finished my course. I am clean and pure

of the blood of all men. Let me just say

to you that this is deeply convicting

for any pastor or preacher of the gospel

to ask this question of myself. Am I

pure from the blood of all men?

Have I so completely and wholly preached

the gospel in this city that I could

arrive at the end of my ministry and say

I am pure of their blood. I preached, I

warned, I faithfully labored and they

rejected it and it's not on me. See, it

can be deeply convicting because here's

what I believe that if every pastor

would take an honest assessment of their

life and their ministry from this

viewpoint, asking this question, I don't

think we would even have time for all

the online chatter and all the endless

debates that pastors engage in today.

We've got enough work to do in our

cities that desperately need Jesus

Christ to get caught up in all of the

foolishness that is out there. We have

to ask ourselves, am I pure of the blood

of all men? And if the answer is no,

then I need to keep my head down and

stick to the work here. It's what

pastors must do. I appreciate you a

moment for allowing me to preach to

myself today

because I need this,

but also perhaps to others who may one

day be called to preach, called to

pastor, called to missions. It is a

serious task that requires serious

devotion. If we are to finish as Paul

finished,

Paul has recounted his ministry in Asia.

He's revealed his departure from Asia.

Now, the last question to remain is

this. How does this church go forward

from Paul's apostolic ministry?

Now that he's departing,

how will this church continue on?

And what happens here in verses 28

through the end of the chapter is that

Paul gives these elders a final

exhortation for them to lead the church

forward.

Now, let me first deal with what elders

really are. I would love to dive more

deeply into this and if you'll come back

to life connection tonight, we're going

to spend a little bit more time on this

because it's important, but I'll suffice

it for now to just say that elders are a

group of spiritgifted god orained men

who oversee the care of the church.

What you find in scripture is that the

term elder is very closely related to

bishop or pastor which means uh which

which leads many people to conclude that

these are talking about different

functions of the same office the office

of a pastor. And so that's what you

ought to have in mind with this word

elder. But elder has a specific

connotation to it that it is somebody

who is respected and regarded to oversee

to administrate to preside over the

congregation.

Now let's consider scripture for a

moment because this may be new to some

as it has been to me as I've come

through Acts.

But here's what we've seen

in the in the church at Jerusalem.

You had the twel apostles,

but then you also had a group of elders

that led over the church there. And then

when Paul goes to Galatia and finishes

his ministry there on his first

missionary journey, it says that he

ordained them elders plural in every

church singular.

And then what we find is when he writes

to Titus, he tells Titus, I left you in

Cree to ordain elders plural in every

city singular.

And evidently what we have in Ephesus is

the exact same pattern. If you look back

at verse 17, notice what it says. And

from Myitus, he sent to Ephesus and

called the elders plural of the church

singular.

And so what this shows us

is that whenever Paul planted a church,

he did not leave the church under the

care of a single pastor, but under the

care of multiple elders as they're

called here.

Why is that?

Well, the apostles were very uniquely

gifted for a unique ministry in a unique

time. They were given the exclusive

authority to lay the doctrinal

foundation of the church. But the

responsibility to carry on that

doctrinal foundation was not placed in

the hands of one individual but in the

hands of multiple spiritgifted God

called and ordained men. It was left in

the hands of multiple.

And so it required multiple men with

pastoral gifts to teach, to preach, and

to guard the apostolic foundation and

the care for the church. That's who

these elders are. They are men who are

pastors called and gifted, working

together to care for the church at

Ephesus.

But now notice the responsibility or the

charge that Paul gives to the Ephesian

elders beginning in verse 28. Watch what

he says. Take heed therefore unto

yourselves.

The first responsibility of these elders

is to care spiritually for one another.

For one another. The more that we hear

of pastoral scandals,

abuse, and a lack of accountability,

the more that I see the wisdom of God in

scripture for for a plurality of

pastoral leadership.

Because pastors are not perfect men.

We have the same fallen tendencies,

the same tendencies toward greed, the

same tendencies toward lust, the same

tendencies toward pride, the same

tendencies toward theft. There we are

made up of the same things as all of you

in the seats. And if you know that you

have personal struggles within, you

probably ought to assume that pastors

have personal struggles within as well.

And let me just ask, how hypocritical is

it for a pastor to preach from the

pulpit that you need accountability

while himself has none whatsoever?

How hypocritical is that?

Notice the first responsibilities of

these elders is to take heed to

themselves.

See, he's calling them to hold each

other accountable

spiritually, morally, doctrally,

pastorally. They actually pastor and

shepherd one another first.

Can't you see the value in that?

Think about it. One pastor is less

likely to lead a church astray doctrally

if he is consulting with other pastors

connected directly to the church.

One pastor is less likely to become

spiritually abusive when he knows he is

not the sole authority in that church.

One pastor is less susceptible to

unchecked pride and lust and greed as

elders meet together regularly to check

in on one another spiritually. That is

what Paul is calling these elders to do

for one another in this church.

Paul recognized

that before these elders could properly

care for the spiritual well-being of the

church, they needed to properly care for

the spiritual well-being of one another.

And only then

could they take heed to the flock.

That's number two. He says, "Take heed

therefore unto yourselves and to all the

flock over which the Holy Ghost hath

made you overseers." Let me just point

this out that for someone to become an

elder, they do not appoint themselves.

Nor does the church just randomly

appoint whoever they feel like would be

best for that. We notice it says the

Holy Spirit appointed them elders.

The Holy Spirit is the one gifting them

to preach and to teach and to lead and

administrate. The Holy Spirit is the one

placing them over a congregation. No man

takes this position for himself. It must

be received by the appointment of the

Holy Spirit. Well, then what do they do?

Well, it says that he appointed them to

be overseers.

Now, what exactly does that mean?

It's a word that means protectors,

guardians, so to speak.

See, elders are not to be authoritarian

monarchs over the church, but to be

spiritual protectors, guardians, or

supervisors

of the church. They are not inventors of

new doctrines but keepers of old

doctrines.

They oversee or guard the church. But

then notice also it says there in verse

uh 28 to all the flock over which the

Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to

feed the church of God. Now, this

certainly includes the preaching and

teaching and disciplehip through God's

word that pastors are responsible to

oversee the the spiritual word intake of

the believers. But the word feed itself

doesn't just literally mean to give food

to someone. It's the word to shepherd.

It's literally to do everything that a

shepherd does. Yes, he leads them to

green pastures where they can feast. And

he leads them to still waters where they

can drink. But you know what else he

does? He leads them through the

wilderness. He binds up their wounds

when they are injured. He seeks after

the one who has strayed and brings them

back into the fold. This word

encompasses everything that a shepherd

does. That is what they are supposed to

be.

Shepherds.

Elders don't just lead with a staff, a

rod, or a loud voice, but also with a

tender touch, a gentle love, with kind

words. They functionally care for the

flock.

Why does God see fit to appoint multiple

men to care for his flock? Well, it's

quite simple. If you look at the end of

verse 28, look what it says. to feed the

church of God which he hath purchased

with his own blood.

This flock is blood bought by God

through Jesus Christ.

You, my friend, were purchased out of

the slave market of sin and out of

bondage to hell to be freed from it all.

Forgiven, released of your charges, and

accepted into God's people, brought into

God's fold. That is a price that only

Jesus Christ could pay through his death

on the cross of Calvary.

You know what that means? The church

belongs to God.

I'm very careful to not say this is my

church.

When I go and talk about our church,

that's how I say it is our church. Why?

Because I'm one of you. And this we all

belong to God. This is not my church.

This is God's church. He purchased you

with his blood. Jesus was God manifest

in the flesh. His body was broken and

his blood was poured at the foot of the

cross to pay for your sin. It was his

blood that delivered you. It was his

blood that saved you. So, let me just

ask, how can a pastor claim a church to

be his own when he paid nothing for it?

Paid nothing for it. The church is

God's.

Therefore,

the pastor's gifts,

the pastor's authority,

the pastor's strength is not to be used

to manipulate or to control the

congregation, but rather to fend off the

wolves,

to fight the wolves. Look at verse 31 or

verse 32. Verse 30, no, verse, verse 29.

There it is. Goodness. Look at what Paul

says. For I know this,

that after my departing shall grievous

or vicious wolves enter in among you,

not sparing the flock. There going to be

some who walk through the doors of the

church and sit in your midst and make

themselves comfortable and yet destroy

your life. Whether it's by provoking you

back into old habits of sin or my mind

goes to the church in Revelation that

had that woman named Jezebel there who

is causing the people in the church to

commit fornication with her. That's what

we're talking about. They're going to be

vicious wolves that want to enter a

congregation and they will not spare.

They will not care for the flock. But

then notice also this ominous warning in

verse 30. also of your own selves shall

men arise speaking perverse things to

draw away disciples after them.

Not all of the danger for God's flock is

outside the walls of the church.

He says, "There will be men who rise up

from yourselves,

perhaps even amongst your elders, who

will begin to twist truth and reshape

doctrine and draw disciples away from

Christ unto themselves."

That's the danger.

So in verse 31, Paul says, "Therefore,

watch,

be on guard,

keep, protect the flock of God that he

purchased with his blood." That means

that a pastor is to be gentle with the

flock. He's to be loving and caring with

the flock. Perhaps even as Paul goes on

to say there in verse 31, he says,

"Remember that for the space of three

years, I warned you with tears."

He was gentle with those elders. He was

gentle with that church. He warned him

out of a heart full of love, out of a

heart full of passion and compassion for

them. Uh concerned about the wolves that

would enter, concerned about the wolves

that would rise from within. And he

said, "For three years, I warned you

about this with tears." a pastor and an

elder is to love his congregation.

He is not to use his rod of authority to

strike the sheep, but to fight the

wolves.

And that means that any pastor that's

going to be worth anything is going to

be willing to stand up and confront

false doctrine in the church. He's going

to be willing to stand up and confront

sin in your life. to confront young

single ladies. That man who comes into

the church and he plays a slick look and

he acts like he's a Christian, but he's

trying to tempt you into sin. It's a

pastor's calling to help protect you and

to use the rod to guard you from that

man. Same thing for our young single men

as well.

If a pastor is going to be the kind of

man that God wants him to be, he's got

to be gentle toward the sheep, but

ferocious toward the wolves.

Even if it means, unfortunately, at

times asking people not to come back

because of division,

because of sin, or because of

destructive doctrine. Paul calls them,

"Watch.

I know that when I depart, the wolves

will come in. Guard, protect them. And

so Paul tells these elders, you need to

take heed to yourselves. You need to

take heed to the flock. You need to fend

off the wolves. But now notice, he says,

you need to depend on God's grace. If

you look at verse 32, he says, "And now,

brethren, I commend you to God.

I trust you. My work is done here. My

course is complete here. I will probably

never see you again. I'm entrusting you

into God's hands." I imagine that these

men felt incompetent.

I imagine that these men felt like the

shoes of the apostolic ministry of Paul

were far greater than he would ever be

able to fill. And yet Paul, you know

what he does? He reminds them that I'm

placing you in the hands of God

Almighty.

and to the word of his grace. He says

here, "And that grace which is able to

build you up and to give you an

inheritance among them that are

sanctified." See, Paul is telling them

that the same grace that saved their

souls and secured their eternal

inheritance is able to build them up to

shore up their weaknesses to strengthen

them when they don't feel bold enough.

that the grace of God is able to work

abundantly in their life to prepare them

to fulfill their calling. And so I want

to say that pastors today also must not

depend on themselves but on the grace of

almighty God wholly and completely on

him. You know what that looks like? It

means that pastors need to pray far more

than they preach.

The Bible says that the tongue

is deceitful.

that the tongue is a world of iniquity,

that it is a a fire that sets on fire

the course of hell. The tongue is a

dangerous thing. And the the elders of

the church are the ones who are going to

speak the most. And yet the idea that

you get here is that they need to be the

ones who pray the most

lest they say foolish things.

Pastors need to seek God's face more

than they seek men's applause.

We must fully grasp how needy we are of

God's grace.

But then finally,

Paul says that elders must model

generosity.

Model generosity.

Look at verse 31. He says, "I have

coveted no man's silver or gold or

peril."

You know that this was not about money,

was not about riches, it was not about

fine clothing. In fact, in verse 34, he

says, "Yay, ye yourselves know that with

these hands that that these hands have

ministered unto my necessities and to

them that were with me." You know what

Paul's getting at there? You saw me

making tents in the marketplace

to meet my needs and Timothy's and

Titus's and Aristoarkuses and Gayes.

Anybody who traveled with me, I worked

hard. I toiled. I labored with my hands

to meet our needs. What he's doing is

this. He's absolving himself of being in

it for the money.

And therefore, in verse 35, he says

this. I have showed you all things. How

that so laboring or laboring in this way

ye ought to support the weak and to

remember the words of the Lord Jesus.

How he said it is more blessed to give

than to receive.

Now I don't think that Paul is placing a

direct command that every pastor must be

bivocational

work a secular job and work in the

church because there are other places

where Paul says that those who live or

who preach the gospel should also live

of the gospel. He often commends

churches for caring for his own needs.

But I think that what Paul is doing is

he is issuing a stern warning here to

these elders. Don't let ministry become

about money.

Give more than you receive.

Just as Jesus said,

model

generosity.

Unfortunately,

too many self-aclaimed pastors

have profited extravagantly at the

expense of tender, hardworking sheep.

You know what Jesus calls them?

Hierirlings.

They don't own the sheep. They don't

care for the sheep. They're simply hired

by money to shepherd this flock

temporarily. And therefore, when the

money is gone or when things get hard,

they book it and they leave the flock

uncared for and untended to.

May God deliver all pastors from the

greedy pursuit of wealth. And may we

rather be more willing to give than we

are to receive.

Paul exhorts these elders to carry on

after his departure, by taking heed to

themselves and to the church by fending

off the wolves, by depending on God's

grace, by modeling generosity

to other believers.

I think we could summarize Luke's and

Paul's point this way.

The church moves forward after apostolic

departure

through the shephering care of faithful

elders.

The shephering care of faithful elders.

Now, here's where the rubber meets the

road for you today.

I just spent 45 minutes preaching to

myself,

but also showing you the kind of pastor

you need that in case you leave this

church for a job or for college or

whatever it might be, you know the kind

of pastors to look for and the kind of

pastors to watch out for.

But here's where it really meets your

life today.

To receive the care you need to move

forward as a Christian,

you must place yourself under the

shephering care of the faithful elders

that God provides in your life.

See, it's good to come to church,

but until you become a committed member

and place yourself under the care of

pastoral leadership,

you will be like a lone sheep wandering

in the dark of night all by yourself,

susceptible to sin,

prone to spiritual injury and

potentially attacks of the wolves.

But I want you to know that God loves

you so much that he not only paid

redemption's price for you,

but he provides you with ongoing

shephering care.

He gives you a church family,

a flock to belong to, and shepherds

under the leadership of Christ to care

for your spiritual well-being.

Right now, we're a pretty small church,

but as we grow, it might behoove us to

bring on another spiritgifted,

god-called churchappointed

elder or pastor. Why? Well, let me just

identify here first. I need that

that that in my own life, I need someone

who is gifted and called to check my

pride, to check my leadership uh uh

style, my doctrine, to care for my soul

spiritually. Your pastor needs that,

too. And that and whoever that is would

need the same thing from me. That's what

we see here, don't we? I'm not making

this up. I mean, this is new for me. I

come from a background that is pretty

much like there's one pastor. But you

know what also happens is in some of the

circles that surround what I grew up in,

there was a lot of spiritual abuse, a

lot of overstepping, a lot of

mistreatment, a lot of authoritarian

dictatorial leadership. And I think it's

because for some reason uh and we'll

talk about this tonight if you come back

to life connection but somewhere along

the line in about the second or third

century the bishops started rising to

the top and it gave way to the

oppressive Catholic system that needed

to be reformed during the Protestant

Reformation.

And yet some of us have hung on to that

rather than embracing what's clearly

brought about in scripture.

Churches need not one but many gifted

called men to serve together. First to

take heed to themselves

but then also to take heed to the flock.

As a church grows, it becomes too big

for one man. Nor was it designed by God

to be a one-man show.

No, we see God designed his church to

move forward under the shephering care

of faithful elders. And only when we

follow God's design

can we truly become everything he wants

us to be.

But of course, we also know this to be

true that sometimes

shepherds

fail.

And sometimes it doesn't matter what

kind of system you have. Sometimes you

could have a whole entire group of

elders that are corrupt as can be.

Sometimes they can all be in it together

trying to milk money from the church

or being spiritually abusive to people

or dishonest.

In my life, I've experienced some men

that I heralded very much so.

men I loved, followed, emulated,

that failed majorly and tragically.

And that hurts.

But it's in those times that I'm

thankful that like we read from David at

the start of the service, I could say,

"The Lord is my shepherd.

I shall not want."

Church, because I'm a fallen man, there

are going to be times I'm going to leave

you lacking.

But Jesus never does.

And there may be some pastors in your

past that have left you lacking,

but Jesus never does.

And I encourage you, as David did, to

say, "The Lord is my shepherd."

Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. I

lay down my life for the sheep."

church, Christ alone laid down his life

for you and that makes him infinitely

worthy of your trust.

But I also say to you today that if

you're not a Christian,

Jesus laid down his life for you.

He gave his body on that cross and

poured out his blood as an atoning

sacrifice for all of your sins, for all

of time. If you'll believe on him today

and call on him as your savior, he'll

forgive your sin. He'll secure for you

an eternal inheritance. He will become

your shepherd that you can depend on,

though countless others have failed you.

And he will lead you all the way to

God's throne where tears are wiped away

and nobody ever fails you again. and

suffering and pain and sickness and

sorrow is a thing of the past. Would you

trust in him today? Dear heavenly

father,

we thank you for your abundant wisdom

and grace.

Sometimes we think we know it all and we

think we know what's best only for your

word

to show us I tell you what's best.

And Lord, I take this message to my own

heart

that I need to be careful that I am

being the kind of pastor that you have

called me to be

in shephering your people,

in fending off wolves,

in the spiritual care of my own soul.

I'm sure thankful that I've got some

faithful pastors in my life, a faithful

father as well who speak into my life

and that I can talk to about doctrinal

things and moral and spiritual things.

I'm so thankful for that. And I pray

that you would help me first to heed

your word today.

But I also pray for those maybe who've

been coming to our church for a long

time, but have yet to join, have yet to

really place them under the care you've

so graciously provided. I pray that you

would speak to their hearts and solidify

in their minds that Boulder Valley

Baptist Church is the church that you

have provided

to give that family feel and that

pastoral shephering care in their lives.

And I pray that they would make the

decision to join. I pray for those who

don't know Christ as their savior that

they would believe and call on him

today. That they would experience the

enduring faithful care of the good

shepherd Jesus Christ. Please bless in

our time of response. I ask in Jesus

name. Amen.