The Acts of the Apostles 83

Subtitle: Showdown in Jerusalem IV

Acts 22:22-23:5.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on October 6, 2024.

Last week, we stopped right as the crowd listening to Paul begins to riot again.  Paul is on the northwest side of the temple courtyard of the Gentiles and is standing on the steps that lead up to bridges, connecting to the Antonia Fortress.

The final straw is his depiction of the Lord telling him to leave Jerusalem because they wouldn’t listen.  Instead, Paul was to go to the Gentiles.  Regardless of whether or not they believed the Lord actually spoke to him, the message is that God’s grace would be taken from them and given to the Gentiles.  This ignited a new flurry of rioting.

Let’s pick it up there and look at our passage.

Paul is taken into the fortress (v. 22-29)

The Jews had been under the dominion of Gentile powers for a very long time, just over 600 years.  It started with Babylon, then Persia, then Greece, and finally the Romans.  There was a brief period of throwing off dominion under the Maccabees, but that was short-lived.

At the same time, they had a promise from the prophets of an Anointed King of the line of David that would set all things right in Israel and in the world.  The prophecies have a mixture of judgment and salvation that would go to the ends of the earth.

The unique position of having great things promised to you and yet enduring great persecution can breed bad things in your heart.  The average person would generally give up on such prophecies, or at least, treat them as never happening in your lifetime.  It can also create an overdeveloped sense of entitlement to being on top.  Yet, anger that it is not happening.  It can lead to an inability to see God’s love for those others, especially those who have dominion over you.  However, it also happened among themselves.  It can lead to having great zeal and passion, yet without the wisdom of God.  It can lead to a person becoming unable to hear and follow the Holy Spirit.

Do we have some of this in our hearts and denominations within Christianity?

This crowd is angered by the idea that they had crucified the Messiah and that Messiah would send grace away from them to the Gentiles.  We have to be careful as Christians that we don’t develop that same entitled attitude that ends up raging against the work of the Holy Spirit.

As Pentecostals, we can look back to the Roman Catholics and Eastern Orthodox splitting and see a lack of following the Spirit of God.  We can look back to the Protestants and the Roman Catholics and see it again.  We can even see it among Protestant groups that railed against Pentecostals.  Can we be doing it again among ourselves?  Are we filled with a sense that we are the ones on the cutting edge of God’s work, and yet stand in the way of the Spirit in the name of God?  Of course, we can!

At this point, the Roman commander has Paul brought into the fortress to the shouts of, “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live!”  It is not likely that the commander understood Paul’s speech, at least immediately.  But, he could read the reaction of the crowd, and it wasn’t good.

The commander then gives the order for Paul to be interrogated under scourging.  Paul has been beaten in the past.  He was beaten with rods in Philippi.  However, the scourge was basically what they did to Jesus.  It had metal and bone tied into a leather flail.  This would easily break the skin and even tear off chunks of muscle.  Scourging often left a man maimed for life, and could even lead to death.  At this point, the commander will be absent, as a centurion has Paul tied to what is probably a post.  The centurion will run the interrogation while soldiers do the whipping.

It is at this point that Paul reveals his Roman citizenship.  He warns the centurion that he is about to break the law.  Of course, he is talking about Roman law.  No Roman citizen could be bound, much less beaten without a proper trial.  This piece of information brings the proceedings to a screeching halt as the centurion makes sure that the commander is aware of the full weight of his command.  This leads to the commander coming in to question Paul himself.

It is not clear exactly why he makes the statement about having obtained his citizenship with a large sum of money.  He could be implying that anyone with money can obtain citizenship (though it was technically illegal.  Roman citizenship was not officially for sale.)   It may be a derisive statement that doesn’t see Paul as capable of having citizenship.  Yet, Paul answers that he has Roman citizenship by birth.

This brings up a question.  Is Paul’s motivation purely out of fear of scourging?  Is he trying to get out of pain and suffering?  He hadn’t brought this up in Philippi until after his beating (Acts 16).  Of course, there is no indication that Paul ever pressed charges against any of these breaches of Roman law.  I believe Paul’s statements stand for themselves.  He is ready to suffer here in Jerusalem.  It was the Spirit of God that had led him to come.  Thus, it is very likely that the Spirit of God is moving him to plead citizenship.

Since we are on the subject of governments and rights, let’s notice that Roman rights were given by law, and they could be taken away by a change in the law.  Whereas, in these United States of America, our history has always held that these are from God and unalienable (at least without breaking the law).

We Americans love to holler about our rights, but we haven’t thought this all the way through. 

If God has given us rights, then he has a purpose a good effect in mind.  If we exercise those rights, then we have a duty to work towards the good He intends.  Take rearing children for instance.  The government doesn’t give you the right to have children.  It is given to you by God.  However, if you exercise your right to have a child, then you have a duty to raise that child for the good thing that God desires out of it.  Essentially, you are to raise up godly offspring to be a source of God’s love and truth into the next generation.  Thus, there is a flip-side to the coin of rights and it is called Duty, or Responsibility.  Precious few Americans are screaming about their duties.

Yet, even duties are intended to lead to a good effect.  That good effect then brings joy both to the duty-bound person and the recipient of that duty.  When the good fruit comes, it is a time of rejoicing. 

We must keep our eyes on God’s good purpose and the joy it brings while we are doing the duties.  You could lose heart, but to do so would be to give up on the joy.

In fact, Paul purposefully chose to endure rods.  Why?  Well first of all because he knew that Jesus had given him the right to take a beating for the Gospel.  I am not being funny.  The elders of the city took a completely different view of Paul and his teachings when they realized that he could take them before Caesar and they would not fare well.  Paul was working and enduring much difficulty for the joy of souls being saved from darkness.

Paul faces the Sanhedrin before the commander (22:30-23:5)

At this point, the commander has Paul’s bonds loosed, though he is still in custody pending investigation.  He is not condemned yet, but there are charges against him.  What are these charges?  This is what the commander wants to find out.  Thus, the Jewish legal body, the Sanhedrin, is called to answer for the treatment of Paul, and so that they can clarify the charges.

Paul is allowed to speak first, and he opens by declaring that he has “lived in all good conscience before God.”  This is not a statement of perfection, but of a lack of guile and intent to offend on his part.  Paul will later explain this in Acts 24:16.  “I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men.”  He doesn’t believe that he has done anything that he feels should offend them.

However, notice his point.  We shouldn’t purposefully offend people, but we should even more so not offend God.  Have you ever noticed that choosing to please God can tick some people off?  It is impossible to please all people while pleasing God.  Some of the things that I would have to do to keep from offending you may offend God.  In his conscience, Paul has worked through this and believes that he has done a good job.

The high priest is offended that Paul would present his claim this way.  Most likely, he believes that Paul of all people should know that his actions are offensive to them.  Does the high priest actually believe Paul brought a Gentile into the temple?  That is not clear.  Is he more concerned about Paul pushing Jesus, who was condemned to death as a heretic by the Sanhedrin?  Or, is he thinking about Paul stirring up trouble in the synagogues within Gentile lands?  Regardless, the high priest calls for Paul to be struck on the mouth, and he is.

Commanding Paul to be struck in the middle of his testimony, i.e., no trying of the facts that could lead to a true judgment, demonstrates just how comfortable this man has become with having power and abusing it.

What he has commanded is against the Law of God.  Deuteronomy 25:1-2 says, “If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows.”

There has been no presentation of evidence and dispute between the parties.  There has been no trying of the facts and judgment of the judges.  Paul has just opened his mouth to give testimony and he is struck.  Does not this kind of thuggery create the affect of squelching testimony?  It is not enough to demonstrate that you rightly have power or position (though that is questionable in this case).  One must also exercise the power of the position rightly, or justly, as God would have it done.

Of course, it would have been illegal for them to strike Paul as a Roman citizen, but he would have never held that over his own people.

Paul turns and rebukes the man who gave the command.  “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?”  This rebuke may have been led by the Holy Spirit, but it is also possible that Paul simply lost his temper.  Who could blame him?  Paul was not a perfect man like the Lord Jesus.  He may have spoken to soon out of anger.

It is interesting though that Paul’s declaration that “God will strike you…” did happen.  Ananias would later be assassinated by rebel Jews for working with Rome.

Why does Paul call him a whitewashed wall?  Jesus spoke of a whitewashed tomb in Matthew 23:7.  It looks clean and nice on the outside, but inside it is full of rot and corruption.  It is a picture of a man who uses the color of law and the color of morality externally to cover up their internal lawlessness and immorality.  This man purports to sit in the judgment seat of God, while breaking God’s command for there to be a trial of the facts first.  Intimidating a witness in the middle of their testimony is a age-old act of corruption.

Of course, they can’t see the irony.  A rebuke comes back to Paul that he is speaking ill of the high priest, contrary to the law.  There is an unequal weight and measure here, as they seem to have a big problem with verbal abuse, but none at all with physical abuse.

Yet, notice that Paul backs down and apologizes for his outburst.  Did he really not know that this was the high priest or did he lie when he said that he didn’t?  I don’t think that Paul is telling a lie.  In any address, a person is often looking to the larger group.  He could have easily not seen who gave the command.  Plus, it is clear from his letters that he does have eye-sight problems.  Between not expecting to be interrupted and poor eyesight, it is quite feasible, if not probable, that Paul did not know who had given the command.

It is also possible that Paul is making a back-handed point.  I didn’t know he was the high priest (stated) because a true high priest would never give an unlawful command (unstated).  At the least, we should recognize his heart.  He backs down and he apologizes.  He even quotes the passage that backs up the point of his enemies.

The wicked will always do wickedly.  Yet, the temptation is for us to respond in kind.  Paul isn’t this kind of man.  In the middle of this antichrist group, he models true repentance, acknowledging that he went too far.

Just as Paul’s accusers weren’t so kind and fair-minded, so our accusers may not be so kind.  No matter how well you do in trying to love others and not be an offense to them, many will be offended anyway.  We will be challenged to be about the purpose of God, rather than about our rights.  In fact, sometimes it is the very abuse of rights that opens people’s eyes to wickedness that is parading as righteous.

May God strengthen our hearts to stand with Him in this day, while being a light to all we come in contact with.

Showdown IV audio

The Acts of the Apostles 82

Subtitle: Showdown in Jerusalem III

Acts 22:1-21.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 29, 2024.

We pick up with the Apostle Paul at the temple compound in Jerusalem.  He has been arrested by the Roman commander and is on his way to the Antonia Fortress.  There were stairs on the northwest side of the courtyard outside of the temple proper.  These went up to a set of bridges that connected the Antonia Fortress to the roof of the porch that was on the perimeter of the courtyard.

Last week, we saw that Paul asked to speak to the crowd from the stairs.  This is where our scene opens.

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul addresses the crowd in the temple (v. 1-21)

Paul begins speaking to the crowd in Hebrew.  This gets their attention, and he is able to continue.  It is clear that Paul is doing all that he can to connect with them.  He is one of them.  Their language is his language.  He is not an outsider who does not care about the temple and Jewish matters.

However, forces have been operating through disgruntled countrymen to make Paul look like he is something other than them.  Paul has been presented as one who is trying to dismantle the Law of Moses and as one who isn’t worthy of respect and an honest hearing.

This is a common tactic of manipulation, whether from a spiritual source or a human one.  An individual or small group is isolated from the larger group and presented as defective and unworthy of respect.  This has always been a problem, but the advent of the theory of evolution has created a powerful tool of dehumanizing people.  Whether in regards to slavery or the lower class of the population, these people can be treated as subhuman because they are at a much lower level than others. 

Of course, this is all hogwash.  It is not our intelligence quotient, our genes, our skin color, or our money, that makes us worthy of respect when we speak.  Our worth is in the fact that we were all made as imagers of God.  Of course, we fall far short of that, but it can’t change the fact that this is what we are made for.  We are imagers of God.  It is this relationship to Him that gives each and every human worth.  This is what Paul is trying to counteract in this crowd.  They have been mentally prepped to resist him without an honest hearing.

Thus, Paul continues down a line of demonstrating his genuine Jewishness.  He was born a Jew, though it wasn’t in Judea.  Yet, he was “brought up” in Jerusalem being trained by the famous Rabbi Gamaliel (grandson of Hillel the Elder).  That phrase, “brought up,” is a verb that includes one’s youth, though it isn’t specific.  In fact elsewhere, Paul refers to himself as a son of a Pharisee.  This was probably meant literally, i.e., his dad was of the sect of the Pharisees.  This would explain how Saul would have been sent to Jerusalem and accepted for training.  However, it is also possible that he meant it figuratively.  He was a product of the teaching of Gamaliel, and thus, a “son” (product/disciple) of a Pharisee.  Regardless, this would put Paul in a very small group that was held in great prestige by the common people of Jerusalem.

By the way, it was common for Jews who came from outside of Judea to be looked down upon by Jews inside of it, particularly those of Jerusalem.  However, Paul’s training would have offset that.

This naturally leads into his zeal for Israel.  This crowd is rioting against him because they are zealous for the temple and Jewish matters.  Paul shows them that he too was just like they are.

When a person think they have to do something in order to prove that they love God, then watch out.  The flesh can corrupt this motivation and lead people to do very ungodly things in His Name.

Still, Paul had persecuted those who followed “They Way” [of the Lord].  This referred both to the teachings and the people who believed them.  Paul had persecuted them to the point of death.  Remember, they were just trying to kill him.

In case they would question this (it has been 20+ years), he calls the high priest and the elders of Israel to witness.  His work and station was very high within Israel.  No one was more zealous for the Law of Moses than Saul of Tarsus in those days.

He mentions that his zeal was so great that he had obtained letters from the elders to go to Damascus and arrest any followers of The Way that he found there.

This is all important.  Paul is listing things that he knows to be a list of his shame.  However, this crowd would see them as a list of honor.  Paul is not boasting.  Rather, he is leading up to the unlikelihood of his conversion.

Paul was not a disciple of Jesus who was trying to find a way to make Jesus relevant after his death.  It has been posited that the disciples made up the story of the resurrection because they didn’t want to lose the social power that they had obtained among parts of society.  They didn’t want to go back to hard labor, but hoped to bilk dumb religious-types of their money.

Yet, Paul is a problem for such an argument.  Something huge had to happen to turn a man like Saul of Tarsus away from arresting Christians to be killed and towards promoting Jesus himself.  The previous explanation falls woefully short of people like Saul/Paul, and there were plenty others like him, not to mention Romans and Gentiles who would not be inclined to embrace Jewish fables.

People often ignore difficult parts of a data set in order to make their smug explanation “probable.”  However, if the resurrection of Jesus really did occur, then it would perfectly explain all of the data, whether a disciple of Jesus or a entrenched enemy like Saul of Tarsus, whether a Jew or a Gentile.

In verse 6, Paul shares his experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus.  It truly was extraordinary.  Even if you don’t believe it, the fact that it is Saul of Tarsus telling the story is itself extraordinary.

We often refer to this as the “conversion” of Saul.  However, the word conversion may overemphasize certain things in our minds today.  We can think that Saul used to be a Jew, but  now he has converted to Judaism.  I think that this is absolutely the wrong way to think about this.

Peter and John, Paul and Barnabas, were not creating a new religion.  The way of Jesus was not something that came out of left field, with no connection to what had gone on before.  The Jewish Scriptures are a treatise on the failure of humanity, Israel, to bring forth God’s salvation.  And yet, it points to a Promise from God that He would send an Anointed One, a Messiah, or Christ, who would raise up the fallen of Israel and of the Gentiles. 

The Way of Jesus was exactly what the Law and the Prophets said was coming.  He was the fulfillment of all that it pointed to.  There is nothing more natural than for a Jew, an Israelite, to embrace Messiah!  Paul wasn’t converted.  Rather, he was blinded so that he could see the truth.  Messiah had come, and they had crucified him.  Yet, even now, Messiah Jesus is offering grace to those who would simply believe in him and in the role that God the Father has given to him.

We might say that Jesus represented God “too well.”  As long as God stays in heaven, we can give lip-service to Him and pretend that we really like Him.  However, in Jesus, we are brought face to face with a man who perfectly represents that heart of the Father, but in human flesh.  When unyielding, absolutely blazing truth becomes a man, don’t expect him to live long.

Paul then describes the bright light that suddenly shone around him.  It caused him to fall to the ground.  God in His mercy confronts us in our sin.  Of course, not all have this experience, but they do have things that knock them off of their high horse and speaks to their heart and mind a message they have not been wanting to hear.

Jesus of Nazareth confronts Saul with the truth of his sin.  “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”  The only answer is that he thought he was serving God by doing it.  Yet, Saul was confronted with the truth that he was part of a long line of Israelites who had betrayed the God of Israel.  He was on the side of the forces of antichrist, instead of fighting the battles of the LORD.  Mercy!  Wouldn’t you want to know if you were fighting for the wrong side out of your own blindness?  This is the work of Jesus that his disciples are called to do.

The religious crowd would probably notice that Saul represents Jesus giving him a double salutation (Saul, Saul).  This was a common way of getting someone’s attention.  However, within the Old Testament it is used by God in very special places.  God speaks to “Abraham, Abraham,” as he is about to sacrifice Isaac.  We see it with Jacob, Moses, and Samuel.  Jesus himself employed this with Martha and Peter (“Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.”}.  You might do a study of addresses by God to people with a double salutation.  It is enlightening.

Regardless, Paul notes that the men saw the light (though it was particularly aimed at him).  However, they did not hear the words.  Christ was speaking to Saul in his heart and mind.  It was a message for him.  This was an event that was both natural (the light) and supernatural (the message).  Even the light has a supernatural source.

Paul then describes the Lord’s instructions to go into Damascus.  Of course being blind, he is helped into Damascus by his men.  Aren’t you glad that God knows how to get our attention?  He won’t force us to serve Him, but He will get our attention from time to time.

Paul then shares his experience in Damascus with the Jew Ananias.  Ananias had a good reputation among the Jews of Damascus.  He comes to Saul and somehow (by the Holy Spirit’s revelation) knows that he is blind.  Ananias tells Saul to receive his sight and he is able to see within one hour.  Thus, God was working directly with Saul and indirectly through this prophet.  However, Paul  shares the message that Ananias was told to give him. 

Saul had been chosen to “know God’s will,” “to see the Just One,” and to “hear the voice of his mouth.”  Each of these are fulfilled in Jesus.  God’s will is for all men everywhere to repent and believe upon the Lord Jesus Christ.  It is also His will that all men everywhere be presented with this most important truth.  Though Saul did not see the Just One (who is Jesus) when he was blinded, Saul would later have the Lord appear to him in visions.  Lastly, the experience outside of Damascus was not the last time that Saul would hear the voice of God’s mouth (who is Jesus).  Ultimately, Saul would be a witness of this to all men.

Of course, every Christian today needs to know God’s will, see the Just One, and hear the voice of his mouth.  We may not literally see Jesus.  However, our relationship with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit, as we grow in our discipleship, will help us to know what the Lord Jesus is saying to us.

Ananias tells Saul that he needs to rise up, be baptized, and wash away his sins while calling on the name of the Lord.

In verse 17, Paul shares his experience in Jerusalem after he had come back from Damascus.  He was in this very same temple when the Lord Jesus spoke to him in a trance.  “Trance” is a word that focuses on the state of a person’s mind.  In a trance, a person’s mind becomes more aware of the spirit realm and less of the natural realm around you.  The word “vision” is about the things a person sees in their mind.  Both of these terms go hand in hand.  The Apostle Peter in describing a previous experience (Acts 11:5) uses both words, “in a trance, I saw a vision.”

Paul had been in the temple with people praying and sacrifices going on around him, but in a moment, all of that receded and he saw Jesus speaking to him.  The message is that Paul should quickly leave because his testimony of Jesus would not be received.

It is interesting to hear Paul’s response to Jesus.  He appears to be making a case why he would be the best person to stay and preach to the people of Jerusalem.  He had been dead-set against following Jesus.  He had persecuted those who followed Jesus.  He had held the coats of those who killed Stephen.  Yet, Jesus rebuffs him with a simple, “Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles.”

Here, Paul is again.  Only this time, he is not departing quickly.  This time, he is standing and delivering an absolutely amazing testimony of how the grace of God through Jesus turned him around 180 degrees.   God’s mercy is giving him one last shot to stir their hearts to faith.

There are times when people need to hear a hard word.  It is generally a word that they have been running from for a long time.  Paul knew exactly what it was like to be blind and think that you are doing what is right, and yet, to be so wrong.  He knew what it was like to kick at those goads that God sends our way, in His mercy.  He could see himself in them.  To give up on them would be to give up on himself.  So, the love of God that had been birthed in Paul’s heart was now fixing itself on this angry crowd and loving them despite their actions.

We are called to people such as these, a people kicking against the goads of God’s grace, a people stubbornly persisting to follow blind guides.  However, sometimes, it is we who have the Gospel who are kicking against the goads.  We can become comfortable in a certain way of doing church, in a way of living, and in a way of being “Christian.”  We follow the tradition of how things are supposed to be done and pat ourselves on the back.  Meanwhile, the Holy Spirit is trying to get our attention to the tragedies all around us, people slipping into eternity without Jesus.  We can be standing in the way of God’s Spirit and declaring that we are doing what God wants.

We have to be careful.  We need to be a people who are not simply praying against things that hurt us.  “God, take it away!”  Maybe, just maybe, it is intended to get our attention.  Maybe, it is a goad from God to spiritually wake us up.  Maybe, He is using it to sober us up, or even raise us up from spiritual death.

Goads are things that should change our hearts.  They are spiritual and packed with the power of the Holy Spirit.  However, we can go right on by them.

You may be ministering to someone like this, and you just want to give up on them.  Notice that Paul isn’t giving up on his people, no matter how stubborn they are and no matter how unjust they act toward him.  He is telling them the  best thing they could ever hear.  “Let me tell you about Jesus!  He stopped me in my tracks, when I was planning to drag people off to their deaths.  I thought I was wonderful and that God would be proud.  But, Jesus loved me enough to stop me and call me to repentance and salvation!”  Now, that is Jesus!  That’s the Gospel!

Can you imagine God becoming tired of holding out His peace to this world?  Can you imagine God saying, “We don’t serve your kind here!”  No.  Jesus was the perfect picture of the Father.  What did he do?  He laid down his life in order to serve everyone.  Jesus has set the table with a plate just for you.  However, if you never sit down to eat the meal, it will not do you any good.  Thus, we can block the good that God is trying to give us.

Friend, if we are going to help people, then we need to quit kicking against the goads and start learning, so that we can help others.  May God help us to follow Jesus like Paul did.  He walked into difficulty out of faith that God was going to use it to save some!

Showdown III audio

The Acts of the Apostles 78

Subtitle: Farewell to the Ephesian Elders II

Acts 20:25-38.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on September 1, 2024.

We are picking up in the middle of Paul’s farewell to the elders of the Ephesian church while he is in Miletus.  These are clearly Paul’s last words to them.  He does not expect to come back.

In the previous verses, Paul has reminded them of the example of his life while he was among them.  He then spoke about his present example of steadfastly and boldly going towards persecution in Jerusalem.

At verse 25, Paul begins to speak to the future ahead of them in which he will no longer be with them or able to visit.  He isn’t dying, but the message that he is giving does have that feel to it.  In short, the Apostle Paul does not want to leave any important thing unsaid.  He does not expect to have another chance.

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul exhorts them about the future (v. 25-31)

Paul explains that he knows they will not see him again.  He then speaks about the nature of his leaving.  He has been faithful to preach the Kingdom of God to them.  This Kingdom has both present and future aspects to it.

Yes, Christians are a family, and salvation is being brought into God’s family through Jesus.  However, the Kingdom references have deep roots into the Old Testament with the promised Anointed Son of David who would rule over God’s Kingdom.  Of course, Jesus is no normal king.  He is seated at the right hand of God the Father, having all authority and power over the heavens and the earth.  Paul had preached to them the open door for all to become citizens of this Kingdom of Messiah Jesus.  Those who enter the Kingdom of God receive the life of Christ flowing into and through them by the Holy Spirit.  Christians are to be a kind of preview of the future Kingdom Age when Jesus will return physically and rule from this earth.

Paul also speaks of being innocent of the blood of all men.  Essentially, he is saying that it will not be his fault if any of them fail to survive the judgment of Jesus at the end of their lives.  He had declared to them the whole counsel of God.  They were not missing any critical information for which they had to wait.  They had everything needed for living their lives in godliness, in short, how to please God.

They had heard the truth, and to hear the truth is to be responsible for it before God.  He was leaving and their eternity would be between them and God.

Of course, it had always been between them and God.  No one can repent for you and have faith in Jesus for you.  However, the Lord Jesus had sent Paul into the lives of these Ephesians (just as He sends you to others) to share the good news of salvation in him.  Thus, God can use Paul today to assist them, and then use others tomorrow.  Ultimately, our spiritual walk is dependent upon our relationship with Jesus. They will not be able to point to Paul and say that he had failed to warn them.

In verse 28, Paul exhorts them to pay attention to themselves and the flock of God that they were in.  Since Paul will no longer see them, the whole burden that Paul had helped them with was now coming upon them.  They would first need to pay close attention to their own lives so that they could then pay close attention to the flock of God in which they had been placed.  They would work together to care for the Ephesian believers.  Notice that this follows the pattern that Jesus gave in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7.  Before we make judgments in the lives of others, we must first exercise judgment in our own life.  Of course, we do not judge with our own thoughts, but by the truth of the Word and by the Spirit of God.  Those who live a life of watching over their own souls will be able to be a help to others in the same endeavor.

We should also see that Paul emphasizes how they had come to this authority of elder and watching over the flock.  It was the Holy Spirit that had made them “overseers,” which comes from the Greek word “episkopos.”  This is where we get the word Episcopal.  It is also the root for the English word “bishop.”  Episkopos was borrowed into Latin as episcopus.   Latin was spoken by Christians for over a thousand years before English became a thing.  It was common for the sound of /p/ to devolve into a /b/.  Thus, the sound would be more like ebiscopus.  English doesn’t use endings and the initial “e” was dropped creating the English word biscop, and then bishop. 

Episcopalians is a term used for a church that highlights the rule of bishops over the Church with one bishop over each church- as opposed to congregational, which believe that the people of the church are to rule themselves.  Another word used in this issue is the term presbyterian.  A presbyter is an elder.  This emphasizes the rule of elders over a church.

Regardless of all these different views on Church polity, the terms overseer (bishop) and shepherd (pastor) are not about a title.  Jesus didn’t die so that men could have titles of authority over one another.  These are functions that are intended to assist, to help, the body of Christ.  Their essential purpose is not about elevating one person over another, but about letting the Holy Spirit use us to come alongside of others in their relationship with the Lord Jesus.  We must not lose sight of this purpose.

An overseer is just another way of speaking about a shepherd, or pastor.  The Greek word has at its root the concept of one who feeds.  The pastor term essentially emphasizes assisting in the care of all that a sheep (believer) needs.  Of course, pastors must also recognize that they too are a sheep doing a work for the Good Shepherd, who is the true head of the Church.  The feeding here is spiritual nutrition, which we obtain from the Word of God.  Shepherds are to give the church words of care rather than control.  Wise sheep will learn to hear the voice of Christ through the care of godly overseers and shepherd.

I like to used Psalm 23 to see all the things that a sheep needs, and consequently, all the things that pastors are to focus their ministry upon.  Sheep need “green pastures,” which is the spiritual food of God’s Word.  Sheep also need “peaceful waters,” which is both the Word of God and the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  They also need protection in “the valley of the shadow of death.”  Pastors are only one of the ways that the rod and staff of Christ is used to comfort His people.  Lastly, we can see that the psalmist’s head is anointed with oil.  This can be about the blessing of the Holy Spirit, but with sheep, anointing had more to do with medical care, whether preventative or for healing after an injury.  Believers need help in healing from the wounds of life, and preventatively avoiding some wounds of life.

In verse 29, Paul points to two particular threats that these overseers and pastors should deal with.  The first has to do with “savage wolves” that will com from outside the church.  They are not Christians, though they may pretend such.  Even the metaphorical use of wolf harkens back to the beast kingdoms of Daniel, of which Rome represented one.  These wolves are merely little beastly chips off of the beast block.  These wolves only come for one thing.  They see the sheep as a meal.  Of course, this is not literal, but metaphorical.  They consume people spiritually for financial gain and for their own pride.  Their actions are as destructive as a wolf among sheep.  They destroy the believers by destroying their faith in Christ and robbing them of their eternal inheritance.

The second threat comes from perverse men that will rise up from within the church.  These are believers who have become twisted in their doctrine and thereby also in their actions.  They are on a journey of becoming less and less like the Lord Jesus, whom they claim to serve.  Now, all of us fall short of Jesus.  So, we should be careful in nitpicking each other’s lives in order to label them as perverse men.  Yet, people can become dangerously off course, whether through pride, or through wounds.

What do these perverse men see in the sheep?  We are told that they desire to draw the disciples away to themselves.  They are fixated on “their” ministry, their kingdom, and their glory.  They are too infatuated with being a leader of men rather than being a follower of Jesus.

We are to guard against and recognize the wolves who come in, and we are to guard against the twisting of doctrine and the twisting of living out godliness.  This is actually the duty of all Christians who claim to love the Lord who bought them with His blood.  However, those in leadership bear a greater responsibility, a more severe judgment if they fail to pay attention.  Paul mentions that this was so important to him that he had warned them night and day with tears when he was with them. 

You may not be an official overseer in your church, but when you spend time in the Word of God, and spend time talking with God in prayer, then the Holy Spirit will cause you to see any dangers that come into your life, and into your local church.

Notice that these break down into external and internal threats.  This isn’t just true of the church as a group.  It is also true of us as an individual.  What am I watching out for as I pay close attention to my own life?  I am looking for those ways that the devil brings from the outside into my heart, i.e., temptations from situations and people, but I am also looking for those internal threats that come from my own heart and mind.  Arrogance, pride, lusts, and desires, if not pruned, will grow a thicket of weeds within even the best of overseers, thus destroying their souls.  Be watchful over your life and take possession of your soul by faith in Christ.

Paul entrusts them to God (v. 32-38)

Verse 32 begins with the conclusion to this farewell.  He was a spiritual father to this church and these men.  He had founded it, and he was a vital part of its spiritual success.  However, all spiritual parents, just as natural parents, will hit points along the road when we must entrust our kids to their Heavenly Father.  Of course, they are always in His care, but this is about ways in which we are bowing out of their life.

This happens when they reach maturity and move out into life on their own.  You may still have influence through letters, emails, phone calls, etc.  But, they are no longer in your house as little kids.  The relationship changes.  This is also true as one approaches death.  A parent knows that they will no longer be able to do anything after death.  This one that I have cared for throughout all of their (spiritual) life is now cast upon the Lord.   At particular stages of their life, God used you for their good and in different ways.  Now you are bowing out of that role.   Of course, God can use others, but there is also the fact that children grow up to become parents themselves.  Spiritual maturity comes through the tough decisions where we step up in Christ in ways that others stepped up for us.

In verse 32, Paul also points out that God and His Word can build them up.  God through His Holy Spirit, with His Holy Word, and in the community of holy believers builds us up.  This is the same language of Ephesians 4:13, where we are being built up in order to be more like Christ.  This is both individually and corporately.  A spiritual building must have a good spiritual foundation, and that foundation is Jesus.  God has started this building when we put our faith in Jesus, and He will finish this building when we are resurrected and stand in His presence.

Part of our discipleship is learning to cooperate with this work of God among those who have been sanctified, i.e., set apart for God’s holy purpose, of being conformed into the image of Jesus.

Paul refers to an inheritance that is ours in Christ.  This inheritance is definitely an eternal inheritance as an adult son of God.  In this sense, we inherit all things with Christ! 

Yet, this inheritance does have some downpayments within this life.  We inherit a place among God’s people, shining the light of Jesus to the world around us.  We inherit the glory of being a witness of Jesus to a lost and dying world.  We inherit the joy of being used of God to bring some to salvation, and to be persecuted as he was by others.  We are entering into our eternal inheritance even now in our mortal flesh.

Through a series of statements, Paul emphasizes that they follow his example of using strength to care for the weak.  The weak in this context is the Ephesians themselves.  When Paul was among them, he did not have them financially care for him.  Instead, he worked in his tent-making trade in order to supply his needs and the needs of the men with him.  He also did this with the Corinthian church.  In fact, he pointed out to them that other churches sent him money while he was in Corinth so that he could continue to minister to them.

Instead of despising those who are financially weak, or spiritually weak, etc., Paul used his strengths to cover for their weakness, and to help them to become stronger.  He even taught them to care for the Judean church when they were hurting from famine.  Here is the thing.  If we do not use our strengths to help the weak, then we will begin to become weak ourselves.  We will begin to become twisted and not like our Lord.  Jesus laid his life down for us while we were yet sinners (very weak).

Paul wasn’t trying to make money (silver or gold) from them, nor was he looking to have nice clothes.  He was not ministering for material gain.  Instead, he modeled the words of the Lord Jesus.  “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

In many places, Jesus challenged his followers to be givers.  The sermon on the mount speaks to this and the blessing that comes from it.  However, these words are not recorded in the Gospels in this form.  Is this a mistaken quote by Paul?

I believe that this falls into the category that the Apostle John identified in John 21:25.  Jesus said many things and they were not all recorded in the Gospels.  Also, Paul had several visions where the Lord Jesus spoke directly to him.  These are the words of Christ, even if you cannot find them in the Gospels.

There are a lot of people ministering today under the banner of Jesus Christ who pride themselves in their clothing, in the expensive vehicles they drive, as if these are proof that they are a great apostle.  Jesus’ proof of His Apostleship was dying on the cross for us.  The Apostle Paul followed in the footsteps of his Lord.  He wasn’t looking to get anything in the flesh.  He was among them to give.  This is the true mark of an apostle.

Finished with his message, Paul prays with the elders.  He is doing more than setting an example here.  He knows that they will need God’s help to succeed in all that he has put in front of them.  He wants them to overcome, and thus, he prays for them God’s help.  God is ultimately our source and the only way that we will overcome this world by faith.

We then have a great show of emotion in tears and kissing.  This is not a lack of faith, but a recognition of the will of God.  Sometimes God’s will takes away from us.  We are never happy about the leaving of a loved one, nor their death.  Even if they are in a better place, such as heaven, we miss having their fellowship and strength in our lives.  It is only right to grieve the passing of a godly person.

However, this is a godly sorrow and godly tears.  It is full of thanksgiving and gratitude to God for His many gifts into our lives.  In fact, Jesus himself was full acquainted with tears and sorrow.  He wept over Jerusalem and its coming betrayal of him.  Serving Jesus will have times of laughter and times of tears.  In all of it, we have the assurance that God the Father is working all things to the good. 

The scene ends with them seeing Paul and company off at the ship, which is a metaphor for many things in life.  Yet, the God of all comfort stays with them, even as He goes with Paul.  Let us hold fast to this wonderful truth!

Farewell II audio

The Acts of the Apostles 77

Subtitle: Farewell to the Ephesian Elders I

Acts 20:13-24.  This sermon was preached by Pastor Marty Bonner on August 25, 2024.

Paul is on a ship traveling from Macedonia to Jerusalem by ship along the coast.  It is on this trip that Luke gives us several fore-warnings that Paul is to be taken prisoner at Jerusalem.  Of course, this should be expected at some point because of what the Lord tells Ananias about Paul in Acts 9:16.  “I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.”

Back in Acts 19:21, we were told that “Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, ‘After I have been there, I must also see Rome.’”  Added to this resolve that Paul has to go to Jerusalem, will be this farewell speech to the Ephesian elders.  Paul spells out that persecution and tribulations await him in Jerusalem.  Thus, he may never make it back to see them.

There is a time for farewells.  Even when they are for God’s purpose, they are never easy.  Realizing that you may not see loved ones again has a sobering effect, and leads people to focus on what is important to say and do.  We don’t always know when our last time with someone will be, and so wisdom teaches us to treat every interaction with others as extremely important.  We should be better at not leaving things unsaid until it is too late.  Farewells happen for a variety of reasons, but the Christian never needs to fear them.  God will never separate from us all.

Let’s look at our passage.

Paul travels from Troas to Miletus (v. 13-16)

These first four verses simply lay out Paul’s itinerary from Troas to a town called Miletus.  If you look at a map from the first century of the coastal area of Asia Minor, you will see that their ship travels along the coast and inside of the shelter of various islands.  Miletus was a town on the southwest coast of the province of Asia.

We are also told that Paul is hurrying to get to Jerusalem by the feast of Pentecost.  Previously he had left Philippi after the feasts of Passover and Unleavened bread.  There are 50 days between those spring feasts and Pentecost.  Paul had used 12 days getting to Troas and staying there for 7 days.  Thus, he only had 38 days left when he left Troas.  This leads to Paul calling for the Ephesian Elders to come to him at Miletus, so that he can say goodbye.

Paul exhorts the elders of Ephesus (v. 17-24)

When they had gathered, Paul addresses them by first reminding them of his past example before them, especially “what manner I always lived among you.”  Paul did not act in a variety of ways, as if he was not sure about the Lord Jesus Christ.  He did not have a compartmentalized life, nor was he manic in his devotion to Christ.  He was an example of faithfulness to the Lord Jesus in his manner of living.  He lived the way that Christ had commanded his disciples to do.  His manner always pointed back to Jesus. 

Now, it is one thing to be faithful.  Some people are faithfully selfish.  But, it is quite another thing to be faithful in the good thing of living out the commands of Jesus.

Paul had not come to Ephesus to increase his ministry, to make it global.  He was not trying to increase the number of churches sending money to him every month.  In fact, the Holy Spirit had forbade Paul to go into that area when he first tried to go there.  He went around the area and only came back when the Holy Spirit gave him leave to do so.  Paul wants these elders to remember that all that he did  was about doing the work of Christ, in the way that Christ desired.  He honored Jesus in everything.

In verse 19, he fleshes out what that example was exactly.  He had been among them as a servant of the Lord Jesus.  We are not called to serve our own interests, but to serve the interests of Jesus. When we serve others for the purpose of Christ, it makes us better husbands, wives, sons, daughters, church members, employers, employees, and every relationship.

Paul particularly served Christ with all humility.  This word emphasizes an attitude of mind that then impacts the way one lives among others.  He was lowly of mind.  This doesn’t mean that Paul saw himself as the worst worm in the room, but that he knew how badly he had messed up in his own flesh.  He knew how much he needed Jesus every hour and every day.  Jesus had saved him from the grotesque depths of sinfulness.  Jesus had then given him a job.  Paul did not see himself as the great apostles, but as a person who owed Christ everything.  He would faithfully complete the task that Jesus had given him because Jesus was worthy of Paul’s whole life.

Paul was not ministering for reputation or material gain.  He was seeking the approval of Christ.  To serve Jesus is to serve others.  Like Christ going to the cross, the apostle Paul suffered things so that others could receive a good hearing of the Gospel.  Yes, there will be a day of judgment for all people, but until then, our job is to serve people with the good news of Jesus.

Paul also served the Lord Jesus with many tears and trials.  These trials are various in nature.  There were trials of difficult travels and the dangers that went with that.  There was the trial of facing wicked people with ulterior motives.  There were arrests, imprisonments, beatings, public shame, and shipwrecks.  Each one of these tested Paul’s endurance.  “Will you keep going now?  Or, will you now quit.”

These difficulties not only tested Paul’s endurance, but they also brought tears to the apostle.  Yes, he knew they were tests, but that doesn’t make it any easier when someone you have ministered to begins to persecute you.  Imagine Jesus Christ looking over Jerusalem and weeping because he knew that they would ultimately reject him.  The question that is asked in these times is this.  Are  you going to remain faithful to the hard work that God has given you to do? 

That same question should be answered every day, even if you aren’t the apostle Paul.  Grandparents and parents have to answer that question.  Believers in a local church have to answer that question.  Christians who are to be the light of their culture and generation have to answer this question.  All of the difficulties that you face in following Christ are testing you.  Yet, your tears are precious to the Lord.  Just as he knows the number of hairs on your head, he knows the number of tears that you have shed.

Thus, we see Jesus asking his disciples in John 6:67, “Do you also want to go away?”  Yet, Peter answers that this world had nothing for them.  The world was empty, but Jesus was full of life.  They would carry the burden of the heavy things, the burden of sorrowful things, in order to remain with the one who was life itself. 

Thus, our tests and trials bond us to the Lord Jesus.  He too shed tears.  When you feel like quitting, let the fact that the Lord didn’t quit on you give you strength to continue on.  Turn to him in prayer and ask for strength to crucify your fleshly desire to avoid suffering, and then strength to carry out God’s will.

The response of our flesh, whether tears or fears, is generally not a chosen thing.  Like a gag-reflex, it comes rushing to the surface in the moment.  Yet, we can then take those emotions and those fears and put them at the feet of Jesus, on the altar.  “Lord, I am going to keep serving you even though this difficulty is in my way.”

All of us need to get to the broken place where it is tough to follow Jesus, and yet, we know that this world has nothing for us.  Each test is a way for us to say to the Lord, “Even this, I will go through for your sake, in order to remain faithful to the work that you have given me to do!”

Paul also mentions that he had proclaimed to them everything that would be helpful, or beneficial, to them.  They were not in need of something better from some charlatan that would come along later.  There were many itinerant teachers looking for itching ears in those days.  We can become weary of doing the good thing that God gives us to do.  Then, we become susceptible to the misdirection of the enemy of our souls, the devil.  He will seek to pull you off the course that Christ has given you to walk.

Paul had given the Ephesian Christians everything they needed for life and godliness, to live a life that was faithful to the Lord Jesus Christ.  In verse 21, Paul explains the greatest good thing that he had given them.  The most beneficial thing we can gain from the Scriptures is the call to have repentance towards God and to have faith towards Jesus.  Many of the Jews had given up on waiting for Messiah.  Repentance called them to turn back to Yahweh with a whole heart and believe upon Jesus whom He had sent.

Of course, not everything we say or do is beneficial to one another.  May we become quick to change course, quick to repent, quick to forgive one another, so that the Lord will be pleased with this assembly.  If you think you are missing something, the truth is that you are only missing it because you haven’t opened up your Bible and taken it seriously.

In verses 22 to 24, Paul speaks to them about his present example to them.  He is a man who is “bound in the Spirit.”  Through prayer and communion with Christ, through the help of the Holy Spirit, Paul has committed himself, tied himself, to a difficult work that Christ wanted him to do.  We too often give up on difficult works that Christ has for us to do because we don’t spend the time in prayer to gain his vision for it, and then commit ourselves to it in faith.

God will not force you to do anything.  He wants you to catch His vision and volunteer for it, to say Yes to it.  Prayer is that place where His burden switches to ours, where His vision becomes ours.  Part of you may be saying that you can’t do it.  Yes, in your flesh, you can’t do it.  However, in Christ, you can do all things because Christ will strengthen you (Philippians 4:13).

Paul doesn’t know exactly what awaits him, but he does know that it will be difficult.   Verses 22 and 23 tell us that the Spirit of God testified in every city where Paul was going that trials and tribulations awaited him.  Notice first that it is the Spirit who was testifying.  This happened in Paul’s personal times of prayer, but it also happened through others such as prophets within the church gatherings.  We will see an example of this in Acts 21.

This raises the question.  If God warns us about persecutions ahead, does it mean that He wants us to avoid them?  Perhaps, there are times when this is so.  However, Paul knew he needed to march into those trials, at least this time.  Such a resolve can only be determined in prayer before God, seeking His will.

Luke has not described these warnings “in every city.”  However, this helps us to understand why Paul would preach past midnight and into the rise of morning.  He knew that he would most likely not be coming back.

What would you do if you were continually told by the Spirit, and by other people, that the path ahead was full of tribulations?  In general, Jesus has told us exactly this.  In 2 Timothy 3:12, we are told that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.”  Are we blessed in these United States of America, or are we spoiled?

Sometimes God warns us of pain ahead because He wants to know if we are ready to be like Jesus.  He is preparing us and testing us to see if we will keep going out of love and devotion to Him.

In verse 24, Paul states that this revelation of the Spirit doesn’t move him.  He doesn’t mean emotionally.  He is talking about the path, or course, that he is on in going to Jerusalem to suffer.  Paul is doing something difficult for the lord, and it would be easy to stop, turn back, and to avoid it.  However, none of these things have changed Paul’s mind and his resolve to go to Jerusalem.

Do you realize that the devil often uses resistance and difficulty to get us discouraged from God’s path for us?  He is doing all he can to change your mind, as he did with Eve in the Garden.  He was successful to get her off of the course that God had given to her, at least for a little while.  You can choose to follow Jesus at a point in time, but you will need to keep choosing Jesus over the top of difficulties in order to actually do it.

In fact, Paul states that he doesn’t count his life as precious to himself.  It is not that our lives are not precious, but that they are precious to God and for His purposes.  If God asks me to suffer, even as a martyr, then it has great value to Him.  However, I will have to lay my life down to do it.  My life cannot mean more to me than glorifying the Savior who died for me.  This is one of the major sins of life.  We take our lives that are precious to God, and made for His purposes, and we ignore Him.  We take what was intended for holy purposes and use them for common purposes, and sometimes even for profane purposes.

Paul is reiterating what Jesus was talking about in Luke 14:26-27.  “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.  And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.” 

Why do people not pick up crosses to follow Jesus?  Sometimes it is because we are afraid of losing relationships with the people and things around us.  We can refuse to carry a cross in trying to keep from hurting our family, but the best thing you can do for your family is to carry the cross that God gives you.  You will do the most damage to them by refusing to pick it up.

It is not that He wants us to hate anyone, even ourselves.  Rather, when it comes to choosing between Jesus, his work, and my selfish desires, we would choose him every time!  If my life is to end early in Jerusalem or Rome, then so be it.  Jesus is worthy of such a sacrifice of love!

Paul refers to the path ahead as a “race” in the NKJV.  It is probably better thought of as a course, a particular path that he must travel full of hardships and obstacles.  A person is not given all the details of their personal course, but we can walk forward in faith by His daily help.  He leads, corrects, comforts, encourages, and does many other things to help us along our course.

Paul knew that he had a duty to walk out this course before him.  Yet, all duties can be done as a mere hardship that a person resents, but does anyways.  Duty can be a drudgery, and all parents know this.  There is something powerful in learning that there are duties that we should do in this Christian walk.  Duties that are for Christ and towards other people.  Yet, it is even better to find the joy that God has for you in doing them.  Paul doesn’t just want to finish his chores.  He wants to do them with joy!  Why did Jesus go to the cross?  Not just because he had a duty to do it.  He did so for the joy that was awaiting him on the other side, relationship with the Father and those who would believe upon Jesus for eternity!

Wrestling in prayer, the Holy Spirit will help you to find the joy of fighting the devil and being used of God to impact the lives of others eternally.  To be in the presence of God is peace eternally, but we can tap into that peace even today.  In the midst of the trial, the joy of the Lord can fill your heart and strengthen you far more than the knowledge of any duty can.  May the Lord help us to serve Him with all our hearts!

Farewell I audio