St Theodore's

Wattle Park

     
 

  Sermon of the Week

Look up the passage

  23/4/06  
  The Ephesus Code for Proclaiming Our Saviour
by Tim Johnson
Acts 20:19-31

     

  Introduction
  What should ministry at St Theo's look like? What should we expect of our ministry team? What are the principles that should guide us as we minister to each other?
  Today we are starting a series based on our prayer journal 'The Ephesus Code.' It's been exciting looking at the amazing gospel growth that occurred at Ephesus through the gospel preaching and powerful work of the Holy Spirit. But, as a church that is eager to grow and reach out with the gospel, we want to ask ourselves, 'How should we shape our ministry to do the same thing?
  Today's passage is very helpful for giving us some principles for doing this. It's an address by Paul to the elders, the church leaders, at Ephesus so at its most basic level it contains instructions for those leading the church. But we know that the biblical view of ministry is not restricted to 'professionals' and 'leaders.' Every member is called on to exercise their gifts and so these principles are important for each of us. As we look at how Paul ministered and what he told the church leaders to do, I want us to ask 'Does our ministry team do this?', 'Does our church do this?', 'Do I do this?'
  Background - vv.13-17
  First, some background. This speech occurs near the end of Paul's third missionary journey. A map is helpful. Paul & his companions, including Luke who's writing this, have been ministering in Troas. Now, as we read in verses 13-17, they do what was typical of sailing in the Aegean, each day they would use the coastal winds and then each night they would stop into a port. First at Assos, where they collect Paul, who's walked the 20 miles across land rather than sailing that stretch, then at Mitylene, Chios, Samos and Miletus. Paul's been collecting money to support the poor in Jerusalem, and he's eager to get there as quickly as possible.
  So as much as he wants to stop at Ephesus, where he has spent 3 years before, he bypasses it and at the port of Miletus, 30 miles south of Ephesus, he sends word to the elders of the church to come to meet him. This speech to the Ephesian elders is the only speech to a Christian audience in the book of Acts. And it provides a helpful outline of what gospel ministry should look like.
  Ministry by example - vv.18-19, 33-35
  It is notable that the speech starts and ends by speaking about Paul's example. I don't think that this in any accident. Ministry must always involve godly example. It starts with it, it ends with it, and it pervades every aspect in between. So in v.18, Paul can confidently say, 'Look at my life!'
  "You yourselves know how I lived among you the entire time from the first day that I set foot in Asia,19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears.
  Paul's ministry was not domineering but marked by humility; serving the people of Ephesus like his Lord Jesus served.
  Paul's ministry was involved too. He is not some itinerant who dropped into town and stood aloof from the people. His ministry involved tears for the people! He was passionately involved in their lives and struggles. And as we read on in v.18, it involved personal suffering too: 'enduring the trials that came to me through the plots of the Jews.' The gospel message was not popular and Paul was opposed. By Jews who did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. And, as we read in Acts 19, by silversmiths who didn't like the fact that their idol sales had dropped because people were turning from idols to worship God!
  If we jump down to v.33, we see that Paul's ministry example includes right use of money. He doesn't covet what other people have. And he even refuses money he is entitled to, instead working to support himself and his companions. This combination is a difficult aspect of ministry work. I can attest to that personally. I made a decision to work in ministry some years ago and I accepted with that decision the financial implications knowing what we would not have much money. At last year's synod Bishop Paul White estimated that the cost of theological education was in excess of $200,000 with lost income and fees etc.
  But at one level making that decision is easy. The trick is, in the day to day grind, not coveting what others have. When I look at what my school mates and uni mates are doing, not being tempted to want what they have is a great struggle. Of course this is not an issue just for those in full time paid ministry. All Christians are called on to be generous, to be sacrificial in our giving. And that is a struggle! It's a double struggle. It's a struggle to do it - to give sacrificially to promote the gospel. Then having done it, it is a struggle not to covet what others have! We need to pray for our Christian leaders and for ourselves, that we would follow Paul's example in generosity. And that having done it we would not covet what others have.
  So Christian ministry involves our example, our lives; it starts with it, ends with it, and pervades all in between. We need to live out the Christian life amongst those we minister to.
  Ministry by faithful teaching - vv.20-21
  Christian ministry also necessarily involves faithful teaching. Look at vv.20-21. Paul's teaching ministry is all encompassing. He doesn't shrink back, hesitate, or hold back telling them anything which might help them live for God.
  He proclaims the message, in preaching. He teaches the messages, perhaps in smaller discussions. He does it publicly. He does it privately; as he goes house to house. He speaks to Jews. He speaks to Greeks. And what is his message on every occasion? He speaks about repentance towards God, that is, people turning away from sin and back to God. And he speaks about faith toward Jesus; encouraging people to put their whole trust in Christ.
  Is that what ministry at St Theo's looks like? Is all that we do marked by the gospel of repentance and faith? Is it proclaimed on Sundays. Is it taught in bible study groups, youth group, Sunday School etc. When you visit each other in your homes or you gather together, do you open the Scriptures and discuss the implications? Is our proclamation of the gospel for people of all nations? Do you see how all encompassing this is? It is one thing to have faithful teaching at our corporate Sunday meetings. But the model here is for Scripture soaked ministry - at every opportunity the message of repentance and faith must have central place.
  We need to be constantly assessing ourselves to ensure that this is true.
  Sadly, in the history of the church, there has a tendency to lose biblical ministry. And it often creeps in at the edges - "We don't need to use the bible in our home groups" - and works its way to the center. But no, our model is Scripture soaked ministry - don't settle for anything less than that
  Ministry as obedience to God - vv.22-27
  Thirdly, ministry is marked by obedience to God. Look at vv.22-27. Do you see how Paul describes his mission to Jerusalem? He is captive to the Holy Spirit. He knows that Jerusalem is where God is calling him to go and he is constrained, bound, to obey that call, even though he doesn't know what he is in for. Well that's not entirely true is it? He knows something of what he is in for; v.23 - The Holy Spirit has testified to him that he can expect imprisonment and persecution. That's amazing isn't it? If God had said to me, 'I want you to do your student placement at Wattle Park where you'll imprisoned and persecuted', I'm not sure that I'd have taken the placement! By the way, God didn't say that to me and I have been neither imprisoned or persecuted while here; yet! But, you see, Paul is absolutely obedient to God even if it will involve suffering
  And the reason for this is given in v.24. 'But I do not count my life of any value to myself if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the good news of God's grace.' Paul counts his life as nothing, he is single minded in wanted to proclaim the gospel
  It strikes me that he has taken seriously the command of Jesus to all believers. "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will save it. (Luke 9:23-24).
  Do we take this command as seriously in our ministry? Are we willing to count our lives as nothing in order to proclaim the message of God's grace? Perhaps we might not have to physically suffer for the gospel but it might involve putting our reputation on the line. Do we hold back from sharing the gospel with people, at work, at school, at uni, in the local area, because we are worried what people will think of us? Are we willing to count our lives as nothing? Are we willing to count our reputation as nothing? For the sake of the gospel of grace?
  There is a real challenge for each of us here, because ministry involves obedience to God whatever the cost.
  Verses 25-27 are a good test for us: 25 "And now I know that none of you, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will ever see my face again. 26 Therefore I declare to you this day that I am not responsible for the blood of any of you, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.' How many of us can be as confident as Paul? He can say that he has thoroughly warned people and given them the gospel. Therefore he has fulfilled his responsibility and people have been given an adequate opportunity to respond. That is a helpful reminder about our responsibility in ministry and evangelism. It is not our job to convert people - only God by his Spirit can do that. It is our job to declare the whole purpose of God to people and call on them to respond. That is our responsibility and if we have done that then we have been faithful regardless of how they have responded.
  Ministry by opposing false teaching - vv.28-32
  Fourthly, ministry involves opposing false teaching. Verse 28 'Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with the blood of his own Son.' Did you notice that ordering? Step 1 - keep watch over yourselves. Christian leaders need to firstly watch their own lives and doctrines. They need to be careful that they have the right ideas about God, ideas that are founded firmly on the Scriptures. Step 2 - keep watch over all the flock. Christians leaders then have a responsibility to care for the church. This image of shepherding the flock is incredibly powerful. Christian leaders have a responsibility to feed the church and make sure that they are well cared for. But they also have the responsibility to protect the church from false teachers who would destroy their faith by teaching doctrines at odds with the bible.
  This is serious stuff. In v.29 these false teachers are described as savage wolves! Never let anyone tell you that false teaching, unbiblical teaching, doesn't matter. No, as Paul says, it is like letting a wolf less amongst a pack of sheep!
  What's more, these false teachers can even come from inside the church. V.30 warns against those inside the church who distort the truth. False teaching doesn't involve out and out lies. We wouldn't be tricked by that. It involves subtle word plays and shaping of the truth, setting aside aspects of the gospel and overemphasizing other parts. And we need to be alert to that sort of counterfeit gospel. How do we do that?
  At Belgrave Heights convention last weekend, Chris Chia gave an excellent illustration of this. At the Australian mint there are people employed to detect counterfeit bank notes. How do they do that? They study, and study, and study what the real thing looks like. Because the better they knew the real bank note, the more readily will they detect subtle changes to it. So too with the gospel! Our Christian leaders and we ourselves need to know the gospel of grace. We need to study, and study, and study what the real thing looks like so that when a counterfeit gospel comes along we will readily detect the subtle changes.
  If that sounds like hard work, look back at v.28. Did you notice how Christian leaders and the church are described? Christian leaders are appointed by the Holy Spirit to shepherd the church of God which was obtained with the blood of his Son. The Holy Spirit, God, the Son. That sounds Trinitarian to me! It's meant to emphasize how important the church is! It belongs to God. It was bought with Jesus' blood. It has Spirit appointed leaders. The importance of the church to God highlights the need for us to be diligent. We need to be diligent in praying for our leaders in their responsibility. We need to be diligent in knowing the gospel and detecting errors. We need to be diligent in our ministry to one another as God's church. That is what Paul did in Ephesus: v.31 - for three years he warned them night and day with tears. And now as he moves on he commits them - v.32 - to God and to his message of grace, knowing that this gospel message is able to build them up and to give them an inheritance, a sure hope of eternity spent with God. So too we must commit ourselves, each other, and our church to God and to his gospel of grace. That must be our foundation, and we must never move away from it.
  Ministry in Community - vv.36-38
  And so in verses 36-38, Paul farewells the Ephesian elders. They pray together. And then, you can feel the emotion dripping off these verses, there are tears and grief, there are hugs and kisses and they say their final earthly farewell. It is a moving and inspiring picture of what ministry in community looks like. When we share our lives together, base our ministry on the teachings of Scripture, unite in obedience to God even to the point of suffering, and stand together against false teaching then our church community will necessarily have this closeness, this love for one another, united in the gospel of grace. Is that the sort of ministry and community that you want St Theo's to be? Then let's pray for it, work at it, and entrust ourselves to God and his message of grace.

 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 
  
 
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