18 And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. 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, which he obtained with his own blood. 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.’”
36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Paul’s farewell to the elders of the Ephesian church included parting instructions to lead the church well. He began with himself as an example. They had seen how he lived among them, serving the Lord with humility and sometimes suffering with tears and trials at the hands of the Jews who plotted against him. He held nothing back but taught them everything they needed (2 Tim 3:16-17) both publicly and within their homes (perhaps in home churches). His message had been to everyone, both Jew and Greek, that they turn from their unbelief and place their faith in Jesus Christ for their eternal salvation.
Paul explained that he was heading to Jerusalem, convicted to go by the Holy Spirit but unsure of what would happen to him. All he knew was that imprisonment and hardship awaited him as he’d been warned by the Holy Spirit, likely through believers with the gift of prophecy. Paul’s determination to go, in spite of the impending chains, shows the depth of his obedience. How did Paul do this? He didn’t count his life of any significance to himself (Luke 9:23) but was completely focused on finishing the course of ministry that he had been commissioned to do by Jesus. That was to preach the good news that everyone has access to God’s kingdom through His grace. Paul knew he wouldn’t see them again because his itinerary was on a course for Rome.
Paul was confident that he was innocent of the blood of all men. He had not shrunk back from declaring to everyone the full counsel of God. He had proclaimed the gospel to all and then taught those who had believed. Now he left the elders with a warning that they were to pay careful attention to themselves and to the churches they were leading. The Holy Spirit had appointed them as overseers of God’s church, which Jesus’ purchased with His blood. He warned them that false teachers would come in from the outside and others would rise up from within and both groups would not spare the church but seek to pull away their own followers. If they focussed on the full counsel of God that Paul had taught them, then they would not be led astray by these false teachers. Paul entrusted them to God and His word which would build them up and guarantee their inheritance along with all believers. Paul reminded them that he had not been driven by financial gain. He left an example of working hard to provide for his own needs as well as those who were unable to provide for themselves financially. Instead of living off others, he had contributed to the needs of others. This was motivated by the words of Jesus who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This is the only place where these words of Jesus are recorded but it is a truth that Jesus exemplified.
Then Paul knelt down and prayed with them all. And he would continue to pray for them (Eph 1:15-23, 3:14-21). They wept and embraced and were sad mostly because of what Paul had said would happen to him and that they wouldn’t see him again. Then they accompanied him to his ship.
How would you describe your life? Dead to self and completely obedient to God? Or dead in your relationship to God and living entirely for yourself? Most of us are somewhere in between. The question to answer today is which side of the spectrum are you, and which direction are you moving?
Major Stories of the Bible Reading Plan
Be Loyal to the Faith: 2 Timothy 1-2