Acts 20:25-31

²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. ²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

Watchman

In Ezekiel 33:7-9, ⁷ “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. ⁸ When I say to the wicked, ‘You wicked person, you will surely die,’ and you do not speak out to dissuade them from their ways, that wicked person will die for their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. ⁹ But if you do warn the wicked person to turn from their ways and they do not do so, they will die for their sin, though you yourself will be saved.

Every preacher should be aware of the consequences whether to warn or not to warn. Paul who was a former Pharisee surely took a serious consideration of what the Lord told Ezekiel. Paul was called to preach the gospel of Christ to the Gentiles. He did not mind those who were offended by His preaching. He never compromised his message. He was not afraid of the oppositions to the gospel.

²⁵ “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 

Paul was persecuted everywhere he preached. Religious leader were insulted and offended by his preaching but he never wavered. He experienced the abundance of God’s grace. He testified that God’s grace was sufficient for him.

As he bade goodbye to the elders of the Ephesian church, he told them with confidence that he did what God has commanded him to do. He preached the gospel and the will of God with determination. And he charged the Ephesian elders to be more responsible shepherds of the church of the Lord.

1.  Shepherds

²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Paul admonished the elders of the Ephesian church to keep watch, not negligent.

They can be careless or inattentive of their duty. Paul told them to keep watch of themselves first and not to compromise their responsibility as elders of the church.

The Holy Spirit assigned them as elders of the church. Therefore, they are accountable to God. Responsible or negligent, they will reap the consequences.

As shepherds of the church, Paul reminded them of their responsibility to provide for the spiritual needs of the church. Elders are called to take care of the sheep and not to scatter or divide. Pray that the Lord would raise elders from our ranks who have sincere care for the church and not absentee Christians.

The church leaders who drafted the church Constitution and By-Laws sought the guidance of God. Some of the qualifications of elders written in the church’s Constitution and By-laws were taken from 1 Timothy 3:1-5, ¹ Here is a trustworthy saying: Whoever aspires to be an overseer desires a noble task. ² Now the overseer is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, ³ not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. ⁴ He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect. ⁵ (If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?)

Keep praying that church members would not compromise but be more responsible to discern and choose God-called leaders. Pray also that elected leaders would keep watch over their spiritual lives and the spiritual needs of the church.

Paul reminded the elders of the Ephesian church to keep watch of themselves, to be shepherds of the church, and be watchful of savage wolves.

2.  Savages

 ²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.

It is no secret. This spring, weeds sprout everywhere even in the field of the wheat. Similarly, counterfeit Christians will arise to distort the gospel of truth or to disperse genuine disciples. Can you identify the genuine and counterfeit believer?

During election of church leaders, not a few are confused when choosing leaders. Many Bible believing church have leadership problems because they elect popular individuals who are not called by God instead of God-called leaders.

The church in Ephesus was not spared of savage wolves even after Paul warned them of a possibility. The church in Ephesus mentioned in Revelation has also encountered the problem of savage wolves or false apostles.

In Revelation 2:1-2, ¹ “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. ² I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false.

Genuine believers like the church in Ephesus attract false apostles and false preachers. Christian churches these days are not exempted from savage wolves.

As individual believer, how would you respond when this kind of challenges occur in our church? Christians can be misguided in choosing leaders.

When Prophet Samuel was about to anoint the next king of Israel, he was on the verge of anointing the wrong person. He was thinking of anointing the oldest, the strongest, and the experienced soldier but the Lord told him in 1 Samuel 16:7, ⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

If Prophet Samuel was tempted to choose the older and more experienced, we are not better that Samuel. We can be disillusioned to choose older and more experienced individuals. Be prayerful and not be a victim of electing counterfeit believers, and not decide based on appearance, experience, or training.

In Ephesians 6:18, ¹⁸ And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Actually, what we practice in church can be applied in our private lives. Be prayerful. Pray for discernment for you to decide according to the will of God.

Humans are inclined to choose leaders according to appearance, experience, or trainings. We are also tempted to decide irresponsibly. Be prayerful in electing church leaders. Age doesn’t matter to God. Experience or training doesn’t matter to God. God looks at the heart of believers. You might be the next leader of the church.

King David was the youngest, and he had no experience in war but God made him to be a great warrior. He never lost in war.

Like King David, God-called leaders are prayerful believers.

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