Act 20:31-35 | KingComments | STEP | Thus he has accounted for his motives and his ministry. Now he turns to the elders. He calls upon them to be attentive to their own spiritual mindset in the first place. Only when this is in order can they also be on guard for the flock to provide it with what is needed (cf. ). As said, Paul speaks to this group of elders as overseers. He also reminds them of the origin of their service. No one less than the Holy Spirit has given them that place in the church in Ephesus. There is no mention of any appointment of elders by the church or by any human institution. The Holy Spirit appoints them. If there is a human being involved, it is an apostle or his envoy. This is evident from the few times that there is talk about the appointment of elders ( ; ). Since there are no more apostles, the appointment by man ceases. As mentioned before, elders and bishops are names for the same person. In the church this has been handled differently. The Greek word for elder is presbuteros . That has been corrupted to our word ‘priest’. The Greek word for ‘bishop’ is episkopos . That is corrupted to our word ‘bishop’. Soon in the Christian church a distinction was made between the priest and the bishop. That distinction does not exist in the New Testament. It indicates the same person, but with a different accent. With the elder it is more about age, wisdom and life experience; with the overseer it is more about the task, the supervision of the flock. Elders or overseers perform their task in the local church. The local church is a miniature of the worldwide church. That whole church is the church of God. He has “purchased it with the blood of his own” ( , Darby Translation). It is the blood of Him Who is of Himself, i.e. of His Son. “The blood of his own” or “his own blood” is not the blood of God. That goes too far, Scripture does not speak that way anywhere. The blood is connected to the Lord Jesus, the Son of God Who became Man, to be able to give His blood as purchase price for the church. It is the church of God and not that of the elders or any other human being. It will happen unconsciously by some, but every pastor who speaks of ‘my church’ speaks pretentiously and steps into the rights of God. Only the Lord Jesus has the right to speak of “My church” ( ). No one has purchased that church; the Lord Jesus has done so. Therefore, it is wrong for a person to speak of ‘my church’ after all. Then Paul speaks about the very near future. He speaks about ‘after my departure’. In the first place he foresees that savage wolves (cf. ; ) will come in from outside to do their destructive work in the church. They can come in because the shepherds have not remained vigilant. We have an example of such people in John’s second letter, in which we also have the indication that such savage wolves should be denied entry ( ). Second, people will arise from among the church who distort the truth. They do this to make themselves the center instead of Christ. False teachers not only bring false doctrine, but also seek followers. They set themselves up as sect leaders. They are often more difficult to recognize than the savage wolves. In the third letter of John we have in the person of Diotrephes a telling and cautionary example of these dangers from within ( ). In connection with what is about to happen, Paul warns to be on the alert. He binds their own responsibility upon them. They must always remember what he has told them to keep them on the right path and also how he has done it. Incessantly, night and day (cf. ; ), he has been doing this, for three years. Each time tears appeared; thus he was moved by the fate of his beloved Ephesians. His message is soaked with tears. Such words do need to hit home in hearts in which true concern for the church is present.

‏ Acts 20:31-35

Warnings

Thus he has accounted for his motives and his ministry. Now he turns to the elders. He calls upon them to be attentive to their own spiritual mindset in the first place. Only when this is in order can they also be on guard for the flock to provide it with what is needed (cf. 1Tim 4:16). As said, Paul speaks to this group of elders as overseers. He also reminds them of the origin of their service. No one less than the Holy Spirit has given them that place in the church in Ephesus.

There is no mention of any appointment of elders by the church or by any human institution. The Holy Spirit appoints them. If there is a human being involved, it is an apostle or his envoy. This is evident from the few times that there is talk about the appointment of elders (Acts 14:23; Tit 1:5). Since there are no more apostles, the appointment by man ceases.

As mentioned before, elders and bishops are names for the same person. In the church this has been handled differently. The Greek word for elder is presbuteros. That has been corrupted to our word ‘priest’. The Greek word for ‘bishop’ is episkopos. That is corrupted to our word ‘bishop’. Soon in the Christian church a distinction was made between the priest and the bishop. That distinction does not exist in the New Testament. It indicates the same person, but with a different accent. With the elder it is more about age, wisdom and life experience; with the overseer it is more about the task, the supervision of the flock.

Elders or overseers perform their task in the local church. The local church is a miniature of the worldwide church. That whole church is the church of God. He has “purchased it with the blood of his own” (Acts 20:28, Darby Translation). It is the blood of Him Who is of Himself, i.e. of His Son. “The blood of his own” or “his own blood” is not the blood of God. That goes too far, Scripture does not speak that way anywhere. The blood is connected to the Lord Jesus, the Son of God Who became Man, to be able to give His blood as purchase price for the church.

It is the church of God and not that of the elders or any other human being. It will happen unconsciously by some, but every pastor who speaks of ‘my church’ speaks pretentiously and steps into the rights of God. Only the Lord Jesus has the right to speak of “My church” (Mt 16:18). No one has purchased that church; the Lord Jesus has done so. Therefore, it is wrong for a person to speak of ‘my church’ after all.

Then Paul speaks about the very near future. He speaks about ‘after my departure’. In the first place he foresees that savage wolves (cf. Mt 7:15; Jn 10:12) will come in from outside to do their destructive work in the church. They can come in because the shepherds have not remained vigilant. We have an example of such people in John’s second letter, in which we also have the indication that such savage wolves should be denied entry (2Jn 1:10-11).

Second, people will arise from among the church who distort the truth. They do this to make themselves the center instead of Christ. False teachers not only bring false doctrine, but also seek followers. They set themselves up as sect leaders. They are often more difficult to recognize than the savage wolves. In the third letter of John we have in the person of Diotrephes a telling and cautionary example of these dangers from within (3Jn 1:9-10).

In connection with what is about to happen, Paul warns to be on the alert. He binds their own responsibility upon them. They must always remember what he has told them to keep them on the right path and also how he has done it. Incessantly, night and day (cf. Gen 31:38-40; 1Sam 25:16), he has been doing this, for three years. Each time tears appeared; thus he was moved by the fate of his beloved Ephesians. His message is soaked with tears. Such words do need to hit home in hearts in which true concern for the church is present.

God and the Word of His Grace

Paul has spoken about his service, both in terms of his mind and behavior and in terms of its contents. He also reminded them of their responsibility in view of the upcoming developments. Now he commends them to God and to His grace as expressed in His Word. Paul and the other apostles have not placed their authority in hands of men. There is no apostolic succession whatsoever. What remains when the apostles disappear is God and the word of His grace.

The Word has always remained. From that source the believer can draw in all times the strength to know God’s thoughts about the Lord Jesus and to live to His honor. But also the attacks have remained that are aimed that the people of God will not draw their strength from that Word. Attempts are being made to add new revelations to the Word, both in the form of traditions and in the form of people who say that God has shown them certain things. In the history of the church, traditions have soon determined the explanation. Today, the authority of the Word is challenged and criticized.

All these attacks can only be turned down if we give the Word its full authority over our life and if we are aware that the grace of God wants to help us in this. Then the Word not only offers protection, but also builds up, establishes and comforts us and encourages us and brings us into the inheritance. We already have a share in the inheritance of the saints in the light (Col 1:12) and we will actually participate when we reign with Christ (Eph 1:10-14).

“Among all those who are sanctified” means in the midst of all the saints, together with them. Those who are sanctified are a group of people set apart by God to possess this inheritance together. To belong to those who are sanctified is a great privilege and solely due to God and the word of His grace.

Paul Again Points to His Example

Paul left not only his teachings with them, but also his example. Doctrine and practice belong together. Passing on the doctrine must go hand in hand with setting a good example. For some Christian leaders, money is the driving force of their work. They see religion as a source of income (1Tim 6:5). This was not the case with Paul. He wanted to be completely independent of them. He also did not feel too good to just work with his hands. He showed the elders his furrowed, callous hands. By doing so he had not only worked for himself, but also for those who were with him.

What an unbridled dedication this man showed and all that for the benefit of others. He especially cared about the fate of the poor. We should not take advantage of the weak, but rather dedicate ourselves to them. How easily we only want to dedicate ourselves to people we enjoy ourselves or because of the advantage it gives us. Then we do not resemble the Lord Jesus. That is exactly what Paul wanted and that is what he presents to the elders and to us.

To underline the importance of working like this, Paul quotes a word that the Lord Jesus spoke. If we read the Gospels, we will not encounter that statement. But does this statement not show the whole tenor of the Lord’s life and does it not correspond to the teaching He has given about ‘giving’ (Lk 14:14)?