Acts 20:25-35
English
Standard Version (ESV)
25 And now, behold, I know that none of
you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face
again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am
innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from
declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 Pay careful
attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made
you overseers, to care for the church of God,[a] which he obtained with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after my
departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and
from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away
the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering
that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with
tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his
grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all
those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one's silver or gold
or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered
to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all
things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak
and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more
blessed to give than to receive.’”
To me this passage is much like a dad
passing the torch on to his children. He
assures them all that he has done everything to bring to them the Words of
God. Much like a dad saying, “I have
raised you in the way that you should go and now it is time for you to begin
that journey on your own.” Paul was
pushing them out of the nest and the proceeds to give them instructions on what
might come to pass.
Notice in verse 28 he summons them to
pay attention to themselves first. I
believe it is so easy for a pastor or a church leader to stop and point their
finger at everyone else when the finger should be pointing at them. If they become so distracted by the
happenings of the church and forget about the Word of God. These distraction and unnecessary drama
cause them to not be able to care for the flock as God intended. He urges them to “take care of the
church”. A pastor needs to care for his
flock. If he does not have the
compassion to care for people then maybe the pastorate is not truly his
calling. Jesus shed His blood for the
people of the church, now go out there and care for them for the sake of the
cross of Jesus Christ.
If we are not careful in our churches
today we find that the wolves that Paul warns of are here and prevalent in the Church.
We have many false religions that have their roots in Christianity yet
have somehow twisted the truth to be more about false prophets than of the One
True God. It seems like our society is
becoming more and more a “me” society.
We care about no one but well-bing that we do about our relationship
with God. People tend to make God who
they want Him to be without considering who He really is. They take the Word of God and throw it out
rather than picking it up and reading it.
They seek God through falsehood rather than through the truth. Paul saw this coming and he warned the Church
to be aware of those who come in and destroy.
Get them out, let God’s word stand firm.
Paul took nothing from the church and
he is telling them to follow his example.
He did not do any of his work for the gain of society status or wealth but
rather for the furtherance of the Kingdom of God. More than likely we could probably all think
of those in leadership who do not ask for money but rather serve knowing God
will provide for their needs. Yet there
are some who look only at the money and do not consider the riches of God’s
word. How many television preachers do
you see and hear who give great messages followed by urging you to support
their ministry? This type of ministry
has turned people away from the Gospel and has given them a negative view about
the blood of Christ. He is reminding the leaders that he did not ask for
“things” and neither should they. Let us not water down the Gospel in order to
make a few dollars rather let’s expand the Gospel message to those who could
not afford to go to church otherwise.
As you seek Him today, examine your own
lives. Has it brought glory to God or
has it made a lot of money?
Seeking Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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