Bible Study: December 15, 2021

Okay, so you know we've been going, of course, through the book of Acts, and we've seen the progression as God began His church and how it progressed through the times in Jerusalem and then on through the Gentile areas we've been talking about. You know, the last few chapters we've talked about Corinth and we've talked about Ephesus, two of the, I guess we would call them very main churches in the New Testament times among the Gentile areas. And we've seen in the last couple of chapters how God works and how He progresses the church. Of course, as we've watched Paul in the Gentile areas, we've seen kind of the history and the routine as He goes into areas and preaches the Gospel that it's initially received and Jew and Gentile alike will accept the word, but then the Jews turn against Him. And so Paul, we've seen Him go through beatings, we've seen Him be stoned, we've seen Him in prison. And the last couple chapters in Corinth and in Ephesus, we've seen something different. We've seen the Roman state, if you will, and the governors or proconsuls or whatever you want to call them to those areas. You get to look at these religious uprisings and not allow them to happen. Remember in Corinth when Paul went to the Bema and they dragged him to the Bema because the Jews didn't like what he was talking about, that the proconsul there, Gallego, said he wasn't going to allow that to happen. He didn't allow Paul to speak and he said, we're not going to get involved in religious matters. And as we recall, when Paul looked at that, it was like he had to be very surprised. He was prepared to speak. He was prepared to talk about the gospel and everything, but he didn't have to do that. We saw the same thing happen the last time we were together in Ephesus. And you remember, that's where the Temple of Diana was. It was world-renowned for the Temple of Diana. One of those world-class structures, the history calls it one of the seven wonders of the world, because the Temple was so magnificently built. And the artisans, when they saw many Christians coming from even the pagan worshippers of Diana, that they were losing their business. And so they created an uproar in the city. They brought everyone to the town center. And you remember, as they would come there and they were even trying to get attention, they would just keep shouting for two hours, if you remember, praise to Diana, or craziest Diana. But the crowd finally calmed down, and the proconsul there, the city manager, if you want to call that, he said, it's not happening. This is against Roman rule. This is against Roman law. These riots cannot happen. And he dismissed the crowd, and they went away. So we see that, as God opens up the areas, that the law did work. The law did work for Paul as he was in those areas. Now we saw in both Corinth and Ephesus. He stayed a few years in both places. In Corinth, we saw something that we hadn't seen in the churches before. When the Jews began to talk against him, try to put him down, try to demean him, and revolted against the gospel, Paul moved out of the synagogue and they began meeting in the house next door, Jason's house, if you will. So we have a church, the Church of God, who was meeting apart from the Jews in their own place. The same thing happened in Ephesus. Paul was there for a few weeks. The Jews initially accepted. Then they decided to revolt against the message. Paul moved out to the school of Petranus, and there they met daily.

I want to go back and look at a couple things in Acts 19 because it's a notable chapter that we see a few of the things that we do today that developed here and comes from Acts 19. One of them is the anointed cloth. You remember the anointed cloth? It was a miracle that when someone was sick or when they had a demon that needed to be exercised from them, Paul could just anoint, put oil and pray over a cloth and send it to them. God would honor that, and the demon would be expelled or the illness would be healed. That was a miracle to the people. The people in Ephesus began to see that. They really began to trust in the name of Jesus Christ because here was something they had never seen before. Their great goddess, Diana, could never do any of those things. Their pagan gods could never do any of those things. Even though they relied on them, there was quite a market in Ephesus for books, the magic potions, if you will. If you look down, if your Bible is open in Acts 19, we talked about down in verse 19, 18 and 19 there, as people would see the demons being dismissed from people in the name of Jesus Christ, they believed, and they brought all their books. Kind of like we would look at some books today. They had these magic books. Remember these books where here's the incantation you can use, and this will get rid of the demon or the evil spirit that's bugging you. All these things, they had quite a market there for all these incantations, all these things you could do to have the evil spirits go away. None of them worked.

When they saw what Paul and the Church of God did, and that relying in the name of Jesus Christ, relying on God for healing, they all believed. They came and confessed, and they brought all these books, and they just threw them down there and burned them up because they were worthless. Of course, there's a lesson for us in that as well. Today, we have quite a market in there, and health books, and everything else that goes on. Some of them have very good information in there when it's what we need to do on a normal basis with diet and exercise. Some others will be a little bit off there, but too many of it in our society, we rely on too many things that are hocus-pocus, and other things. When we rely on God, we realize all those things could be thrown away and just rely on Him. That's what we saw in Acts 19. The Gospel spread pretty wide and far as a result of the work that was done in Ephesus. Before we get into chapter 20, where Paul will be moving out of Ephesus and completing the rest of his journey, I just want to have you recall, Ephesus, you remember, was in Asia as the Bible geography was back then. Today, of course, the modern city of Ephesus and the seven churches of Revelation are all in the nation of Turkey. As you'll recall, on Paul's first journey past Antioch of Thessidia, he came up and, remember in Acts 16, it says that the Holy Spirit, God did not allow him to go into Asia to preach the Gospel. So he passed right by Ephesus, he went right on up into Macedonia, and there he was in Philippi, and there he was in Thessalonica. He also tried to go into Bithynia, but God would not allow him to go into Bithynia either. So let me go ahead and throw up a map here. Throw up a map here. And, oops, we go back and do it the right way. It's been a while since I've done this. Here's a map that shows Paul's first of the journey that we're on. The blue line you see there is the journey that we're on right now. It starts off in Antioch over there on the east coast.

Okay, hold on just a minute. Let me admit this person. Okay, started off in Antioch. Now we're in Ephesus, and as we progress into Chapter 20, he'll go up into Macedonia, and then he'll make the return trip back, according to that purple line there, but I'll have a different map for that. But I want to draw your attention because you see the big word Asia there. That's modern-day Turkey today. And that's in Acts 16. Paul isn't permitted to go into Asia at that time. He passes by Ephesus, but on this journey, he is an Ephesus, and he stays there for a few years to develop that church. And there's a lot of people that we are introduced to. We're introduced to Paul, Apollos, and Priscilla, and Aquila. In Acts 20, we're going to see some more people. As Paul is developing the churches, there are people developing along with him who come with him, who become ministers and work in the churches that are developed as well. Now, this time in Acts 19, we read that from Ephesus, the word went out into all of Asia. Remember that? I know it's in chapter 19. It is in verse 10 of Acts 19. It says, And this continued for two years so that all who dwelt in Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus, both Jews and Greeks. And so this is kind of an aside, but let me pull up another map here and show you the churches that are in Asia, because they are the seven churches of Revelation. So when it says that the word went out from Ephesus to all of Asia, we see the seven churches that are mentioned in Revelation there. And you can see the old male route, if you will, and you have Ephesus, Myrna, Pergamos, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. And so you see the seven churches that are there, and you see that that word all spread as a result of Paul being there in Ephesus, because the word spread far and wide. And it was accompanied, as we talked about throughout Acts, by the works that God would allow them to have. The healings, the raising from the dead, the deliverance from trials and things like that, that accompanied the word so that they knew God was with them, and that this group of people is different than the religions of the world before this. Now those are the seven churches that are there, and you see down in the Mediterranean Sea there, the little isle of Patmos. Now, I know that someone knows who, what's the famous thing, who's the famous person that was on the Isle of Patmos? Anyone?

John? Yeah, the Apostle John, right? In Revelation, there's John. He's been exiled to the Isle of Patmos. And you can see it's right there in the vicinity of all those seven churches. It gives us an idea of where John was working and who, you know, where he was working with, and that's where he was. And here we have, at the end time prophecy, the Revelation, we see the message of the seven churches, and of course, you remember the attitudes and the sins of each one of those.

All of which we can find in the church today. In fact, when we read of those churches in Revelation 2 and 3, we might see some of ourselves in those. God cautions us to be aware of those sins and to repent and overcome them. But here's the area that we are in, and we can see the widespread results of what Paul, of what Paul is doing and the effect that it has had, you know, extending even into the book of Revelation. So with that in mind, we're not going to talk about those seven churches tonight, but I thought you'd be interested in the geographies as we're right here in Ephesus, and that's the first listed church of the seven churches in Revelation.

Well, let me pause for a moment. Are there any questions, anything at all before we get into chapter 20? Okay, if not, then let's go ahead and begin. As we left chapter 19, we had this uproar at Ephesus. Verse 40 there, you know, the city manager, whatever his title is there, says, this is against Roman law, go home. And so the uproar among the Ephesus there dies down.

Chapter 20, verse 1, Paul is then ready to leave. It says, after the uproar had ceased, Paul called the disciples to himself, embraced them, and departed to go to Macedonia. So let me pull up one more map just to, again, I don't know, I find these maps quite interesting when we're going through these books, but here's the map of—I did it again. Hold on just a minute. Here's the map of where we'll be headed tonight, right? We're in—you see Miletus there? This is Paul's return trip.

Miletus is just south of Ephesus. That's where Paul is right now. He's going to leave Ephesus, go north up to Macedonia, and you remember the churches that are up in Macedonia, Philippi and Thessalonica. And Thessalonica, you will recall, it's the persecuted church. It's the one that the Jews just hounded Paul, and they persecuted the people there. And we even looked into the book of those two epistles to the Thessalonians and saw this was a church that was afflicted, and it was a constant thing with them, with the Jews in that area. Paul had, you know, quite an affinity for the people there and what they were going through.

So it says in chapter 20 verse 1—I'm going to leave that up for just a second here—that he went to Macedonia, and he went over to that region. So he went up to Philippi, he went into Thessalonica, and he encouraged them, it says, with many words. And they would need the encouragement. They were going through a lot. They were going through a lot of problems, a lot of affliction, and Paul was encouraged by the fact that they stuck with the truth.

They didn't allow the pain. They didn't allow the animosity of the Jews to drive them away from the truth. A very important thing, you know, the Thessalonicans, Thessalonians, you remember the Pauli, but said, you are quite an example. We don't even have to say anything but your name, and people realize the faith that you have in the face of everything that you're going through. So he goes up to Macedonia, he visits the churches there, and he encourages them, and then he comes down to Greece.

Greece, of course, is down there where you see Corinth and Athens, and he's going to stay there for a while for three months. And he would be working, of course, with the churches there. Now while he was there, the Jews did what the Jews typically did as the gospel came and as Paul came around to visit the churches.

When the Jews plotted against him, as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return to Macedonia. So what Paul's plan was, as you look at this map here, he's in Corinth, and what he had planned to do was sail from Corinth all the way over to Antioch in Syria. That's the Antioch all the way over on the east side. That was what the plan was, go back to Antioch. And then as we get come into chapter end of chapter 20 and chapter 21, his plan was to go down to Jerusalem and spend the Day of Pentecost with the people in Jerusalem.

That was his plan, but that wasn't what God's plan was. So that would have been an easy way to go back, if you will, or a straightforward way to go back. But God's plan is that Paul is going to come right back around and adjust the way that he was. As you see the red arrows there to come over to Philippi, over to Troas, down to Miletus, and then over to Tyre, and down to Jerusalem from there. And so he stayed there for three months, and when the Jews platted against him in verse 3, it says, as he was about to sail to Syria, he decided to return through Macedonia.

So he goes back up to Thessalonica and back up to Philippi. And look at the people that are with him. You know, as he came into Corinth, he had Timothy and he had Silas. Timothy is still there. Silas is, you know, still in the church. He's still doing, you know, he's still doing. But there's other people that have been developed as a result of Paul's journey that are traveling with him now that we'll meet later on in the New Testament.

And I'm not going to take the time tonight to show you every place that these people that are listed in verse 4 are. So Silpater of Berea accompanied him to Asia. Now they're going to come back down through the area of Ephesus. Also, Aristarchus and Secundus of the Thessalonians. Gaius of Derbe. We've talked to them before in a prior chapter.

Timothy, we know who Timothy is. Tychicus, and Trophimus of Asia. Tychicus, you know, Paul in Ephesians 6 refers to him as a friend and a loyal minister of Jesus Christ. So these are people that are traveling with Paul that he sees and that he's developing. They're going to be serving the churches there in Asia and the places that they come from. And they're with him. It says then that these men left. These men left and went ahead to Troas. You see Troas off to the southeast of Philippi up there. These men going ahead waited for us at Troas.

Now when we see us, now we see we, we know that Luke is now in the party. Luke is recording the book of Acts. He's there. He's there with Paul. And so this is now firsthand writings, if you will, of what he encountered because he was right there with Paul. Those men waited for us at Troas, he said, but we sailed away from Philippi. But we sailed away from Philippi after the days of Unleavened Bread and the five days joined them at Troas where we stayed seven days. So that's a notable verse because some people will, you know, say, well, the New Testament church never really kept the Holy Days. Or if it was the New Testament church, it was just the church of Jerusalem that kept it. It was the Jews just hanging on to their old traditions and things like that. This verse shows here somewhere between 23 and 27 years after Jesus Christ was resurrected, after he ascended into heaven, after the church had been in existence all that time. But here it was Paul keeping the days of Unleavened Bread with the Gentiles in Philippi. So anyone who says, you know, that the Holy Days were done away with Jesus Christ and the New Testament church didn't keep them. This verse proves, yes, to the Gentiles, Paul was there and they were keeping the days of Unleavened Bread there at Philippi. And he's going to be going to the Pentecost.

So the Pentecost we know was kept in the New Testament as well. So the Gentiles there would have known exactly where he was going. Troas, what went on in Troas with the people there, they would have been keeping the days of Unleavened Bread just like Paul was. All the Gentile churches kept the days of Unleavened Bread. They're part of God's truth, part of what God's church does, whether it's Jew or Gentile or any other religion keeps the word of God. Okay, let me pull the map down then. Okay, verse seven. Verse seven is an interesting verse because it's another account here that some of the churches of the world will say, well, this shows that Paul was worshiping on Sunday. This shows that Paul was worshiping on Sunday and church was being held on Sunday. This shows these set of verses that they were taking to communion on a weekly basis. And that's not at all what verses seven to twelve says here. So let's look at that. I'll read through verse seven. Then we'll come back and look at some of the words that are there in verse seven. It says, on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight. So, you know, that's a pretty long day. Paul's there in the morning. And then he's going to break bread. When we read break bread in the Bible, it's not communion. It's not the Lord's Supper. It's not Passover. It's the same breaking bread that we read about in Acts 2 when we were talking about the church in Jerusalem. As the people came out of Judaism and into, and they believed Jesus Christ, they were in that community, if you will, that they wanted to be together. They had a fellowship with one another, and they broke bread together. It simply means that they shared meals together. You know, it's a very healthy thing for everyone to do. It was just one of the things they did. That's all that that verse means. You can look it up, and there's no way, unless you want to, you know, misread the Bible and be misleading to think that that has anything to do with the Passover sacraments at all.

In Matthew 7, you'll notice in your Bible the word day is in italics. Almost all the time when you see a word in italics, we've talked about it isn't in the original translation. So the word day is not in the original Greek. It's been added by the translators as they tried to make what sense they had of this verse. But the original would read, When the disciples came together and break bread. So when we think of the first of the week, or when God thinks of the first of the week, when does the first of the week begin? When do God's days begin? Do they begin Saturday night after sunset? Absolutely, yeah.

So the Sabbath, God measures days from sunset to sunset. And so we have at the end of the seventh day Sabbath, when sunset ends the Sabbath, the first of the week begins. So what we have here, and it makes sense here, when you look at it, Paul would have been keeping the Sabbath day with the people here in this area. And when we have services in the afternoon, and we have a potluck afterwards, especially in the winter, it will extend into dark, into the nighttime. The first of the week begins at sunset.

And so here they were. In our modern day, no one would say they were having Sabbath services. Then they got together, and they came together to break bread. They were going to have a meal together. Here was Paul. He wasn't going to be staying there long. He planned to leave the next day. So they wanted to spend some time with him that evening before he left for where he was going. So they were there. They broke bread.

And he was ready to leave the next day. And he continued his message until midnight. That all makes sense. If we were to do that, and your minister, or if I was to keep you here tonight...

This is the past! Brother Shambi! It's really sad that the Protestants use it, because you don't use lumps in the morning. That's exactly right. You know, it's like... Verse 8 tells exactly that it's the nighttime. It kind of answers it for us. But, you know, they're looking for any way to prove their point, if you will. So that's what's going on there that night. And Paul just keeps talking and talking.

Well, he's having a good time. People are very interested in what he has to say. They're learning. And it's a night that just goes on and on and on, if you will, verse 8. As Xavier pointed out, there's lamps. There's lamps in the upper room where they were gathered together.

And then you have this unfortunate incident. You have something that could happen to any of us. And then you have this scene where, you know, with Paul that evening, it's like, okay, as midnight comes around, you can hardly keep your eyes open. And here's this young man who, you know, when he's resurrected, he'll see his name in the Bible, and it'll be an interesting thing for him. But it's a lesson for all of us in a window. He's had a certain young man named Euticus who was sinking into a deep sleep. And Paul could see him where he would have, you know, I probably thought he was there not being washed, but a deep sleep was coming upon him.

He was overcome by sleep. And as Paul continued speaking, he fell down from the third story and was taken up dead. You can imagine, you know, what the people thought when that happened. I mean, kind of like, you know, picture yourself at a football game in a stadium and someone falls off of the upper deck.

And they fall down and you know, you know, they're dead. I mean, that's a long way to fall. And so it's kind of an alarming thing that happens. Paul, Paul, you know, the Bible doesn't tell us that he was dead, but it sure infers that he's dead. He was taken up dead, it says, not them thinking that he was dead. And then Paul does something, you know, that I think is instructive to us in how Paul thinks and what the Holy Spirit led him to do.

Paul went down and says, Paul fell on him and embracing him said, don't trouble yourselves, his life is in him. So the strong inference here is that he was dead, but Paul goes down, lays, you know, falls on the man, embraces him, and says, you know, don't worry about it. He's alive. Now, what's interesting about that is, as you kind of paint the picture in your mind of what Paul is doing, no Paul, no Paul, he knew the Bible very well.

You know, he looked at he knew the instances of what God had done before. And there is that place in 1st King 17, if we want to go back there for a second, keep your hand there in Acts 20. We see that in a similar situation. You know, the widow's son, a widow's son dies, and Elijah takes the same posture that Paul does here in Acts 20, as God brings this young man back to life in 1st King 17.

And we'll pick it up in verse 20 here. You know, the son dies. Elijah is, you know, upset. Of course, the mom is upset. In verse 20 it says, you know, Elijah cried out to the eternal and said, Oh, Lord, my God, have you also brought tragedy on the widow with whom I lodge by killing her son? And he stretched himself out on the child three times and cried out to the Lord and said, Lord, my God, I pray, let this child's soul come back to him.

And so we have Elijah, you know, spreading himself out over this child, embracing him, praying God, give him life back. And God does. Now Paul, you know, Paul knows the Bible well. And Paul, of course, was led by the Holy Spirit. None of us would doubt that in any way, shape, or form.

So when this happens, it's interesting that Paul took that position. It was like, that's what we'll do. I'm going to embrace. I'm going to lay down on the young man. I'm going to embrace him. I'm going to ask God to give his life back. And Paul has absolute faith that God's going to do it. He does exactly what a prior, you know, experience and example in the Bible is. And I think it, you know, to me, and I don't think I'm adding anything to the Bible, but I think it shows us what the Holy Spirit can do in these areas where we have emergencies and things come upon us that we don't expect.

Paul had no idea that this young man was going to fall and that he was going to die in front of everyone there. But he immediately was led by the Holy Spirit. Remember the Holy Spirit, God says it'll lead you into understanding, it'll teach you the truth, it'll bring to remembrance the things that you have been taught. And so in this case, it appears that, you know, God did bring to remembrance to Paul, you know, this is what you need to do.

This is what you need to do. I'm going to bring the man back to life. And it was a tremendous witness to everyone that was there that day. Remember one of the things that we talk about in Acts with the church, you know, we sing that song, so you therefore into all the world. And the last words that that him are by those signs which follow them.

And those signs which follow them, those works that accompany the apostles and the people who are going into these areas and preaching the truth of God. God is there with them. And he shows by his power. I'm with, I'm with these people. I'm this. These are my, these are my people. This is my truth. This is the power that I have. And here it is, you know, to this group that's gathered there now at midnight, you know, being with Paul all day. They have this miracle here that that occurs for them. Turns out it's very, very comforting to them, right?

Okay, verse 11. Verse 11, when he had come up and speaking of Paul and Paul came up, he broke bread and he ate. Now that would have been at midnight. So, you know, eating again here. And he talked a long while, even till daybreak.

I mean, so for the rest of the night, people just stayed there with Paul and he spoke all that time. And they, you know, they were interested in what he had to say. He was teaching them truth. They wanted to hear what you're saying. He was leaving the next day and he stayed with them right until the time that it was for him to leave.

You know, good for them. They showed him the respect, you know, that he should have. Yet they wanted to learn. They wanted to learn and that's why they stayed and they were very interested in everything that Paul had to say. And they clung on his words and were willing to give all that time to give up their comfort to stay there until they break. And so then Paul left. Verse 12, it says, they brought the young man in alive and they were not a little comfort.

You know, you can imagine what it would be like. Here it is. This young man is like, they were comforted. God is with us. This man is an example here to us that God is here with us. You know, we had that same comfort when we hear God's word, when we're into his word, when we can, we, you know, God's Holy Spirit is in us to help us understand the things that we, you know, he helps us to be motivated in what we need to do and how, you know, how to do it, if you will, that we need to be closer and closer to him.

It's a comfort to us. In this case, this young man showed them God is with us. Look, God never leaves her forsakes. He brought this young man back to life. And they were comforted by that and they knew they were in the church of God. It's a tremendous, tremendous comfort to be in the church of God.

Well, you know, Paul's ready to leave. I guess he, you know, we would think that perhaps that Paul would forward the ship to... Hello? Okay, I thought I lost you guys. Okay, my screen just went off for a second. Okay. You would think after Paul has spoken all day, really, spoken all night, goes to a ship where they're going to sail off to Asos, that he would just be totally exhausted. So here on the ship, he's going to, you know, take a rest as they travel over to Asos. But Paul doesn't do that, we find in 1st 13. It says, we... this would be Luke and the other people with Paul there... We went ahead to the ship and sailed to Asos. They're intending to take Paul on board. For so he had given orders and sending himself to go on foot. So he leaves... let me pull that map back up again so you can kind of see the geography we're talking about. So there you have Asos right up under under Troas. And it's about a 20 mile journey, they say, from Troas to Asos. And the commentaries or the Bible atlases would say that it would have taken about half... it's about the half the distance to go on land from between Troas and Asos, than it is by sea because of all the little inlets. And so Paul decides, I'm not going to take the boat, I'm just going to walk from Troas to Asos. Why? The Bible does not say. And maybe he met some people along the way, but here he is, he's been up all night. And rather than going on the boat, there's a reason, you know, that we don't know that he decides he's going to walk to Asos and meet the rest of the people there. Is there a comment? Okay. So now we have the group back together again. We went ahead to the ship and sailed to Asos. There in... Oh, okay, I read that. And when he met us at Asos, we took him on board and came to... Oh, I should have left the map on, sorry, let... This is kind of the travelogue right here. This is giving... This is kind of showing you the route that they took, the detail that we have here. Where was I? Verse 14. When he met us at Asos, we took him on board and came to Mydalee. You see that down there under Asos. And we sailed from there, and the next day we came opposite Chios. On the map there, it's K-I-O-S instead of C-H-I-O-S.

The following day, we arrived at Samos, and we stayed at Trojilion, and the next day we came to Miletus. So you see Miletus down there on the border in the area of Asia. Miletus is just south of Ephesus. Of course, there's a large church in Ephesus. Paul has spent a lot of time there. The people in Ephesus would have loved to have seen him, and Paul would have loved to be there. Except Paul decides not to stop in Ephesus. He decides to stop a little bit south of Ephesus, and it tells us the reason why in verse 16. Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so they wouldn't have to spend time in Asia. Now, it's not that he didn't want to see the people there. He loved the people. Everywhere Paul went, I mean, he absolutely loved the people of God. They were his family. He prayed for them. He sacrificed for them. He was willing to give his life for them. He loved them, but he had a timetable, too. He wanted to be in Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost. So we know from the days of Unleavened Bread, it's just the seven Sabbaths until the Day of Pentecost. So he had a long journey to go, and his route had been altered. He was going to sail back across the Mediterranean Sea, but now he's doing this land journey, if you will, all the way back. So he's on a timetable. It's important for him to be in Jerusalem for the Day of Pentecost, and he knows if he goes to Ephesus, he's going to stay there, he's going to talk to people, he's going to be there for months and months, probably, and he's not going to be able to get to Jerusalem on the timetable that he wants to be there for the Day of Pentecost. So he decides to go to Miletus instead. He wants to see the people that are there. That's not the problem, but again, bear in mind where he's going. And when he's there in Miletus, in verse 17, he's sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church.

You know, this is not something unusual. The church does that today. The church does that today as the church does that today as well. I mean, we will have regional conferences, you know, and all the elders will go up to Atlanta, for instance, in our region, or wherever the areas in your city that they usually meet. He wanted to get together and he wanted to talk to the people who are shepherding the churches there. He has some information for them. And some interesting information, as you will, because here again, remember, he hadn't planned to come back through Miletus. He had planned to sail right over to Antioch and then straight down to Jerusalem. But God altered his plan, and now he's back over here in Miletus.

And we see some things that God intended for Paul to say, some things that are actually quite sobering as you read through this. As God revealed to Paul that this was going to be the last time he would see, you know, these elders in Ephesus. And he had some parting words that he wanted to say. You know, one thing we learn about God and that certainly Paul learned about God is that all things are done decently and in order. You know, he tells us that whatever, you know, back in Amos, he says, he always lets his prophets know what is going to happen so that we're prepared for what is going to happen.

There are no huge, huge surprises. We don't always know what prophecy how it's going to unfold, but we're aware of what is coming down the pike. And so in this case, when we look at where Paul is going to do and talk about the elders there, we see God has allowed him to say, this is the last time you're going to see these men alive.

You need to give them some parting words, give them the encouragement, give them instructions so the church continues to grow in this area. The gospel continues to go out. And this is the way we do that. Paul has some quite interesting words to say to them, things to remind them of, and to point out to them the example that he said that they need to follow. Of course, when Paul points out to them that they need to follow his example, he's pointing that out to us as well.

We need to follow the example that Paul said as he followed Jesus Christ. Let's look at some of the things that he said there. In verse 18, it says, When the elders came to him, he said to them, You know, from the first day that I came to Asia, in what manner I always lived among you, serving the Lord with all humility, with many tears and trials, which happened to me by the plotting of the Jews.

And we've talked about all those. I mean, everything that Paul went through as he worked with the various areas, we've read that in 2 Corinthians, beaten, stoned, thrown in jail, hated, the Jews just tried to discredit him. None of us can imagine what life would be like, the life that Paul lived, but he was willing to do it all, just to serve God.

He did it because he loved God, he did it because he loved the people, and he wanted the Word of God to go forth. And that's what he's telling him. You know how things were with me. You know what I did, the example that I set before you. I didn't do anything to glorify myself. I didn't do anything to solve myself. I was just here to serve you. You know, as past Abbeth, we talked a little bit about Agape and the churches that I am.

And Paul's a very good example of Agape, you know, love. He, it was never about him. It was always about what God wanted, and he was willing to go through anything because he loved God. And he was willing to do anything for the people because he loved them.

He loved the people. God loved the people, and Paul was willing to do whatever it took to serve them in any way he can. And that's when he's reminding the elders, look and see how I served the people. Look and see how I served God. And that's, you know, that's an important example, you know, for them, certainly an important example for us to see as well.

He says, see how I, you know, kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you and taught you publicly and from house to house. You know, I, he would, he went around like we would do, talking to people in homes. The church met in various homes so he would teach the church of God, but he was also aware and preached the gospel publicly so that the community, you know, one of the things we see in the cities that Paul went into, they learned the Word of God.

Everyone, you know, wanted the Word of God, not everyone wanted to believe that Jesus Christ was the Savior, but they all knew if he came widespread as God opened up the cities and they understood this is Jesus Christ you've been witness to. You know, it's one of the things in our local communities that, you know, we have a responsibility, by the way we live and the examples that we set of the way of God. We saw that in Acts 2 of the churches, the church there in Jerusalem, what a fine example that they set for the people around them, even though most of the Jews in Jerusalem didn't want Jesus Christ, they didn't want that knowledge, they didn't want to acknowledge Him as Savior, they still were impressed by how the people were of one accord in one place, they were orderly, they were, and they loved each other.

It was a fine witness to them, the same type of witness we should be, you know, giving of the work of God. And today God hasn't opened it up yet that, you know, that all the city knows the truth of God. In His time, God will. And before the return of Jesus Christ, people will understand, or at least they will be witness to, the Word of God when God determines that time.

They'll know who Jesus Christ is, they'll know what the kingdom of God is, they'll know that Jesus Christ is planning to return, they'll understand that the churches of the world that claim to teach Jesus Christ don't teach Jesus Christ, they teach a gospel that's foreign to Jesus Christ and just use His name on top of what their will is and their religion.

But they'll understand those things. Not everyone will agree, not everyone will be called, not everyone will come into the church. But the world will know, the world will know. And certainly as we get into the time of the tribulation of the two witnesses, the whole world will know the truth of God. Just like the churches here in these local communities as we go through the Gentile areas, they know. And the word will spread.

And people will have an opportunity to make the choice that they have as God opens their minds. But here Paul is reminding them of how he behaved because he was a tremendous, tremendous example. He says, I came among you and I served the Lord with humility. I was there.

I suffered with you. I suffered for you. I did everything for you and I did everything that God asked me to do. It was never about me. It was always about you and what God wanted. And he says, I kept back nothing that was helpful, but I proclaimed it to you. We're going to get to that in a few verses here and what Paul is talking about there. And he says, I did it publicly and from house to house, verse 21, testifying to Jews and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

The same gospel, right? The same gospel to the Jews, the same gospel to the Gentiles. No difference. Just like we preach the same gospel today to the Jews, to the Jews, the Christians, whoever is in the world, it is exactly the same gospel.

Turn from your ways, turn to Jesus Christ. Repent and believe the gospel. Understand who Jesus Christ is. Understand that he is the only way to salvation. This is the way to eternal life. There is no choice but to obey and yield to him and to repent and turn from your ways to his. The same gospel that Paul preached, the same gospel that Jesus Christ preached, John the Baptist preached, the Apostles preached, we preached today. Paul was preaching the same thing to the Gentiles and to the Jews back in that time. And then he says...

Let me look ahead here for a moment. I see something I want to talk about, but I'll wait until I get down here a few more verses. In C, he says in verse 22, Now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying, The chains and tribulations await me. So Paul is saying, Here I am. If you look up the Greek word that's translated by there, it is exactly what it means. It can also mean that you have an obligation to do it.

You know, Paul was willing to do whatever God asked him to do. He was willing to go wherever God asked him to go. And here he says, I'm bound. God is leading me. The Holy Spirit is leading me. It's been impressed on me. I have to go to Jerusalem. I wanted to be in Jerusalem for Pentecost. And yet, you know, he's been being warned by people, don't go to Jerusalem.

You're not going to be well received there. The Jews aren't going to like you in Jerusalem. They'll be waiting for you to come. You may be bound to change. You may be tortured. You may be tormented. You may be all those things. So they love Paul. They say, No, Paul, don't go down there. Don't put yourself in that position.

I mean, the same thing you and I would do. We would not want someone to go into a situation like that. And so Paul doesn't let that determine. Again, remember Paul loves God so much that it isn't going to be pain. Pain never was a reason. Fear was never a reason. For Paul not to do what God would ask him to do.

Pain, and as we love God more, as we develop that agape that God wants us to have, as we practice it, and as that's developed in us through God's Holy Spirit, remember agape is a fruit of the Spirit. Fear would not keep us from being where God wants us to be. Pain, or the prospect of pain, wouldn't keep us from being where God wants us to be. It didn't deter Paul, and humanly, as people said, Paul, this is the wrong place to go.

It was like, I love God more than I fear, than I fear fear or I fear pain. I love God more, and so if God wants me there, I'm going to go. First John 4.18, when it says, perfect love casts out fear, Paul had some of that. I don't know that his love was perfect, right? His agape was perfect. But he didn't let any of those human things or discomforts deter him from what God's will is. Again, a tremendous example for us. And he's showing that to the elders that are there gathered within of Miletus, and he says, you know, I'm going to Jerusalem. People tell me, don't go there. I'm going anyway.

He's telling them, you need to become like this. Jesus Christ is the absolute perfect, the epitome of the example of agape. He did what God wanted to do. None of us today would be able to do what Jesus Christ did and go through the misery and the torture that he did to die for people that simply weren't worthy of his death.

None of us are worthy of his death, but he was willing to do it because he loved us and he loved God more than nothing. No amount of pain, no amount of humiliation, no amount of discomfort was going to deter him from doing what God preferred him to do.

And we have to grow into that as well, that no matter what God asks, what he prefers, we would come to the point that our love for him would supersede any fear that we have or anything we do. One of the things we live in a society now where fear is being promulgated around through fear, we've got a new variant now that you can watch the media and all the fear factor is back again.

This and that, whatever, how contagious it is, etc. All designed to instill fear in the people. Very useful tool. It should never deter us from being where God wants us to be, when God wants us to be. We should never let fear be the thing. And this is just a little thing compared to what is going to be coming up eventually. So we need to be prepared and take the opportunities God gives us to choose to do the things that prefer him, even when we don't necessarily want to.

Or society might be speaking to us. Be afraid. Be afraid. Stay away from people and whatever. Take the opportunities to build the agape. Someone had a comment, I think. Okay. I guess not. Remember, you can speak up anytime you want. Okay, so 24. Is that where we are? Look at my notes here. Make sure I'm not missing something here. Yeah, verse 24. Well, you know, he says what I've just been talking about. I should have waited to 24 to read it. 24, he goes, But none of these things move me.

I don't care. I don't care what awaits me in Jerusalem. But none of these things move me. Nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Amen. Absolutely. And here's Paul. He's using something that he uses in his other epistles as well. He's painting the picture for them.

God has called us. We're running this race and our job is to finish the race. And what Paul's focus is, I'm going to finish the race God has me on. Whenever that race ends, God is the one who knows when that race is finished. I'm going to run it. I'm going to run it. I'm going to run it well. I'm going to run it until God determines that I'm done. Now we can keep our fingers there in Acts 20 because back in St. Good Timothy, Paul uses the same analogy as he's writing to Timothy later.

It's a very good analogy for us too because the life that we live now, we are running a race that God has put us in. Different races with different things that he wants to develop in us as we go through the race. But in 2 Timothy 4, we have the same analogy. And verse 7, He uses the same analogy when he's talking to Timothy. Timothy is an Ephesus at the time he's writing this. He says, I have fought the good fight.

I've finished the race. I've kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will give to me on that day, and not to me only, but also to all who have loved his appearing. And that word, love, there is agape, of course. All those who have loved his appearing and look forward to his coming and did what God preferred and commanded throughout the entire process. He also talks about it in 1 Corinthians 9. Verse 23. Verse 23. Verse 23 says, this I do. He's talking about how he has been with the people, how he works with them, understands them, so that he can lead them to Jesus Christ.

Verse 23, I do this for the gospel's sake, that I may be partaker of it with you. Don't you know that those who run into race all run, but one receives the prize. Run in such a way that you may obtain. Everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. They do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. So he draws the thing there. Look at the dedication, look at the commitment, look at the preparation, look at the training that those who run the races, they're doing it just so that they have the trophy, the ribbon, the medal, whatever it is at the end of the race.

They're doing all that and sacrificing so much just to get that medal that they can wear around their neck. How much more important is the race, Paul is saying, that you and I are? How much greater is what God has in store for us if we continue in that race, if we continue to follow Him, go through the training that He has put us in, accept it, embrace it, live it, do the true thing that we talked about, you know, on this past Sabbath.

Do all those things that God asked us to do to run that race, run that race in the way that He wants us to so that when He returns, when Christ returns, we're there with Him. So Paul is saying here, as he's working with the Ephesian elders, if we go back to the Acts 20 here.

Acts 20. We read verse 24. Hello? 24. We're in 24? Yeah, okay. I'm going to read verse 25. Okay, well, I may just read 24 again. He says, So that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I receive from the Lord Jesus to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, and I'm sure He shocks him when He says this, will see my face no more.

And when he set out on this journey, he didn't expect that it was going to be the last one, but somehow God has allowed him to know you're going to Jerusalem and you won't see these people anymore, Paul. This is your last time in Ephesus and with the elders here. Teach them, train them, encourage them, set them on the path that they need to go so that they complete the work that needs to be done in this area.

So he tells them, you know, I'm not going to see you. I'm not going to see you anymore. I preached the kingdom of God among you. And this is the last time I'm going to see you. Well, all of a sudden, well, everything that Paul has been saying to them, of course, they've been taking to heart.

They listened to every word that he had to say. But now it takes on even greater importance since they're not going to see him again. They love Paul. They're aware. They're aware of the sacrifices that he's made for them. They're aware of how he's worked for them and the things that he's gone through. And he's there to teach them and remind them that these things, as they go through, you know, the rest of their lives and working with the churches in Asia and the other churches that they would go back to in Thessalonica and Corinth and the other places, that they would continue to be a minister in the way that Paul was a minister.

Remember that Paul was trained directly by Jesus Christ. So he was a shepherd in the way that God wanted to be a shepherd. Let me see a hand. Does someone want to make a comment? Okay. Okay. So he says, you know, he takes a turn then when he says, you know, you'll see my face no more.

And then he says something interesting in verse 26. He says, Now no one, you know, no one had ever accused or even, you know, thought of Paul taking the life of any man. Right? He was not one who was prone to that. That hasn't come up in anything that we said at all. But he goes, I testify that I'm innocent of the blood of all men. And he explains what that means. He doesn't mean, you know, someone has accused me of this or whatever.

He's talking about spiritual lives here. And he says that in verse 27. He says, For I am not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. I haven't shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. It's an interesting thing for Paul to say as he talks about that, because what he's saying is, and he said it before, back earlier in the chapter, he said, I haven't withheld anything from you. I've told you the good.

I've told you the bad. You know what the prophecies say are going to happen to you, that there's going to be tribulations, that there's going to be persecution. You've seen what I've gone through and been willing to go through for you. You know the words of Jesus Christ. I have preached them to you. He has talked to people, he has told them, you know, when they have done well, he has challenged them on other things that they haven't done so well.

He was one who always taught people what the Word of God was. He wasn't worried about offending them in that way. And, well, I can't tell them this because they'll be offended, even though they might have been sinning. Now, we have the example of 1 Corinthians 5, or that whole book, or the whole epistle of 1 Corinthians, where Paul was correcting that church.

And he kind of worries about it, if you remember, right? He says, I don't know how you're going to accept this, but I'm going to tell you what God's will for you is. I'm going to tell you how God would handle these things. And you, church and Corinth, this is what you need to do. This is what you need to do with the man in 1 Corinthians 5. This is how you need to handle people that are, you know, taking others to court. All these things that we read about in 1 Corinthians. He always gave what the truth of God was because he knew that people needed to know the truth because we have to live by the truth.

Again, if we keep our finger there in Acts 20, let's go back to Ephesians, not Ephesians, Ezekiel 33. Now, there's a concept there that we would be well, you know, to keep in mind because from time to time in the church, it's necessary for us, for you, for me, for all of us to, you know, be made aware of when we are maybe not doing things in the way that God would have it to be said.

We all would like to hear and have nothing but paths on the backs. You're doing well. It's okay. No, no, no one is doing anything wrong. God is happy with you. Even though when we compare to what we do, to what the Bible says, it's like we're not doing things exactly the way God said. We're not paying attention to who we're doing and how we're living our lives to be in compliance with God's will. You know, when I read the thing last week about Agape is doing what God prefers.

God makes it pretty clear, in most cases, what he prefers is just that we love him enough to do it. And so in Ezekiel 33, we have the concept of the watchroom. You know, it's a physical thing in ancient Israel, but what Paul is likening that here, and I'm sure as he's talking to the elders gathered there at my latest, he's telling them, you know, you need to be a watchman for Israel. You need to be an overseer of their souls. When you see something that's going wrong, you need to let them know about it. You need to be the one keeping him on the path toward the kingdom of God.

Don't just let them think that everything is okay because you're afraid you're going to hurt their feelings, you're afraid they're going to get mad. Tell them the truth. Let's read through the first eight or nine verses here of Ezekiel 33 because we see there's a responsibility for the watchman, a responsibility for the shepherd, a responsibility also for the membership because God holds us all accountable.

We're all accountable for what we know, and we have to understand that and accept the way God has set it up. It says in verse 2 of chapter 33, So we're talking physical dangers here, but there are spiritual dangers for all of us as well. Some of those are the apathy, the lethargy, sin, of course, wrong attitudes, the attitudes of rebellion, the submitting to God, submitting that God would have us do with each other. Those type of things that can keep us that God wants us to be aware of. And when we see those dangers, there can come a time that we say, you know what, we need to watch it. What's going on? There's a danger here. I'm going to blow the trumpet and say this is what needs to happen. What God says, that's the job of the watchman. He has to do what God has asked him to do. If the people listen to that trumpet and take heed, good for them. But if they listen to the trumpet, then they don't take the heed. They just go on their merry way and think there's no danger here, whatever. I'm just going to go on. And then he says, if the sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head. God sent a warning, but they just ignored it. They just went on their own way and had their own preferences and just did what they thought that they should do. They didn't pay attention. And he explains it in verse 5. He heard the sound of the trumpet, but he didn't take warning. His blood shall be upon himself. But he who takes warning will save his life. And he says, if the Lord is in the spiritual context, if we take warning, from God's word, from the messages that we hear, if someone talks to us about something, it's all designed that we will be in the kingdom that we will have eternal life. No one's looking to offend anyone. No one's looking to hurt anyone's feelings. Just, we need to be on the path. That's what we are all here for, to be in the kingdom of God from time to time. And to stay on that path that God has put us all on. Verse 6, if the watchman sees the sword coming, if he sees these things happening and doesn't blow the trumpet, and the people are not warned, and the sword comes and takes any person from among them, he's taken away in his iniquity. But his blood I will require at the watchman's hand. So, Paul is saying, I'm not guilty of the blood of any man. I've told you. I've sounded the warnings. You know the truth of God. I haven't withfold anything back from you. I've told you the truth. I've told you what God's will is. We've talked about the scriptures. We looked into the word of truth, and this is what God says to do. It's up to us whether we do it. No one can make us do it. It's what's in our heart. God says, if you listen, save your life. If the warning isn't sounded, if the Bible isn't taught, if the truth isn't taught, if these things aren't brought to our awareness, then the problem and the guilt is on our shoulders. The ministry or others who may see things that are happening, but just let it to continue and never bring it to anyone's attention.

Paul is letting the elders know in Acts 20 that you need to continue to do the same things. Before we go back to Acts 20, let's take a few chapters and a few books back in Isaiah.

It's not always easy to tell someone or to talk about what things are. You never know how people are going to take it. It's always, as I said a number of times in sermons, when people just acknowledge and they turn to God, it's a beautiful thing to see that attitude in them. Others will try to justify and reason, and as if someone has the right to say, well, okay, God says this, but if you want to do that, that's okay. Basically, we have to just accept what God says. He has the authority to do it, and we just need to yield to it. Back in Isaiah 30, we live in a time here that God describes a time where people just want to hear smooth things.

All our society is that way. No one can say anything to offend anyone. You can't really say what's right and wrong. Otherwise, you get in trouble. You hate this person if you say that they're living in sin or a sinful life. The whole thing of society is it's all designed to stop the Word of God and to stop the morality and the truth of the Bible.

In Isaiah 30, verse 8, God aspires, Isaiah writes, He says, Now go, write it before them on a tablet, noted on a scroll, that it may be for time to come forever and ever. This is a rebellious people, lying children, children who will not hear the law of God. We kind of live in that society, that type of world today. People don't want to hear what truth is. They want their own truth. They want to make their own truth. They want to set their own morality. They want to do exactly what Adam and Eve chose, right? I'm going to set the law. I'm going to set morality. Forget God. We're going to do it our way. Children who will not hear the law of the Lord, who say to the seers, don't see, who say to the prophets, don't prophesy to us, write things. Speak to us smooth things. Prophesy deceits. Just make us feel good about ourselves. Tell us it's okay. All we have to do is this, as long as we show up, even part of the time of the Sabbath day, God is happy with us. Well, if anyone tells you that, it's not what the Word of God says. There's a whole lot more to living God's way of life than just showing up even every Sabbath. It's a whole heart, mind, and soul calling that God has given us. He expects us to be living these things, incorporating them into our lives, transforming our minds to be what He has to say. But, you know, we all want to just hear smooth things. Everything is okay. Everything is good. You're doing okay. Don't worry about anything. That's exactly the opposite of what a watchman of God would do.

Speak to us smooth things. Prophesy the seats. Get out of the way. Turn aside from the path. Cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us. I don't want to hear those words. I'll obey everything, but that part of the Bible, I don't want to hear. I don't want to hear that. Therefore, thus says the Holy One of Israel.

Because you despise, and we despise something when we don't pay attention to it, right? We don't want to hear. Because you despise this word, and because you trust in oppression and perversity and rely on them. Therefore, this iniquity will be to you like a breach ready to fall, a bulge in a high wall, whose breaking comes suddenly in an instant. And He shall break it like the breaking of the potter's vessel, which is broken in pieces.

He shall not spare, so there shall not be found among its fragments a shard to take fire from the hearth or to take water from the cistern. For those who pay attention, those who listen to God, those who are continually living in a state of repentance, in a state of truthing, as we talked about last Sabbath.

You know, there'll be a where. God makes the promise in Amos 3-9 or something like that, where He says, I won't do anything unless I first warn the prophets what is going to happen. He doesn't tell us the details of what's going to happen, but we know from afar, we know what the outcome is going to be. You know, Jesus Christ gave us prophecies. We know what will happen. We don't know the detail. We don't know exactly the time, much of the time when we're in the situation or past that we look back and we see how prophecy has been fulfilled.

But God lets us know where we're going, and He lets us know what we need to have. Those people will not be taken by surprise, Paul tells us, in 2 Thessalonians, when all these things come about in the world. Because they will have had their ears tuned. They will be paying attention to God.

They will be doing the things that God said. It will be the ones who just want to hear the smooth things. When they hear something that doesn't fit with what they want, they just kind of set it aside, don't pay attention to it, get on with their life and think everything is okay.

When all that happens, it'll be like, how did this happen? How did this suddenly, did society fall around us? How suddenly did I find myself in this situation that I didn't want to be in? So God does warn us, and that's what Paul is saying here in Acts 20, as he reminds the people, reminds these shepherds, pay attention. Pay attention to what's going on. Shepherds the flock, and Ephesus, and the other ones in Asia, and the other churches of everyone he's talking to there, shepherd them the way that I did.

In 1 Corinthians 11, verse 1, Paul says, imitate me as I imitate Christ. Paul really was. Paul really did live his life in concert with Jesus Christ. He says that he was trained by Jesus Christ, he was mentored by Jesus Christ, God led him, or Jesus Christ led him. And Paul did everything that he said. I mean, you really look at Paul and how he sacrificed his life for the gospel, for the gospel, and for the work of God.

He is a tremendous example. We would all do very well to follow his example, and of course Jesus Christ's example, you know? And look and see who is following God. That's what God would want us to do. We all need to be setting those examples and be an encouragement to each other that we're following the Word of God and following the truth.

Okay. 28. Go back to Acts 20 here. I'm looking at my time here. I don't know that we're going to get as far as I did this afternoon, but that'll be okay. We can pick it up next week. I'll stop here by 8 30. I'm not going to keep you to midnight like Paul did, okay? Verse 28. Therefore, he says, Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he purchased with his own blood. What an enormous responsibility, you know, to shepherd God's people.

Paul, or not Paul, Peter in 1 Peter 5, uses the same analogy in the in a shepherd, which is a well-known, you know, profession back in the days of the Old Testament here. People understood the shepherds and the care that they gave to the sheep. Paul, you know, Paul says this in 1 Peter 5. Paul, did I say Paul?

Peter. Peter says this in 1 Peter 5, verse 1. Paul says, The elders who are among you, I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed, shepherd the flock of God, which is among you, serving his overseers. Don't do it by compulsion, but doing willingly. Now it's a calling.

Don't do it as a job. This is my job. I've got to do it. I don't really want to do it. I'd rather be doing something else with my life. Do it because God calls you and you're doing his will. Do it the way Paul did. He was doing God's will. He never felt like he had to do it. He didn't wake up every morning and think, I hate what I have to do. I don't want to go talk to the people. I don't want to go out and speak in the marketplace. I don't want to do any of those things. He did God's will always. And that's what Peter is saying here.

Serving his overseers, not by compulsion, but willingly. Not for dishonest gain, but eagerly. I'm going to go on in Acts 20. Paul is going to remind them that I didn't do anything for you. I wasn't coveting anyone's money. I never tried to be a burden to anyone.

We know that he said that in several cases in the epistles that he wrote there. He would work. He would preach the gospel and he would just go out and work. He was a tent maker. He would do that job. He would do whatever he needed to do because he didn't want to be a burden to anyone. He didn't want anyone to say, look, look what I did. Paul was making something off of me. That isn't what it was about. So he says, don't do it for dishonest gain, but eagerly. Not as being lords over those entrusted to you, but be examples.

Be examples to the flock. Paul did that very well. Peter would have done that very well. Jesus Christ did that very well. He was an example. He wasn't looking to see what he could get out of man. He wasn't looking to be rich or bad. He was just there to serve. That's what God wants. That's what Peter, not Peter, Paul, is saying to the elders who are gathered here in Miletus.

Brother Shaney. I know time is kind of tight. Verse 3, this translation says, not as exercise and lordship over your possessions, but by being examples. We see that in society. You are a possession. Over those entrusted to you. That one says, over possessions, like, so you don't need to be a writer. God's church. Exactly. So that's actually a very good gap. That's very good.

Pastor Shaney. Yes, sir. Yeah. Hi. Nice to see you again. Good to see you. Yeah, thanks. When Paul was going through the route, you showed us on the maps and he had people with him, right? You know, they were dedicated. I just wondered, did they go with him to Ephesus 2 when he was talking to the elders? You know, did they go with him to Ephesus when he was talking to the elders, you think? Or is it the Bible? It doesn't really say, does it? No, he didn't go back to Ephesus, right? He's in Miletus with the elders right now. So he didn't go back to Ephesus at that time. Oh, he didn't actually go back to Ephesus. No, he remembered he bypassed Ephesus because he didn't want to get caught up there and this going to Jerusalem by Pentecost. So, yeah, but there were elders from Ephesus there. Oh, yes, there were elders from Ephesus. Yes. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Thank you for clearing that up. Thank you. Yeah.

Yeah, that is. And as we go on here in chapter 20, he'll talk about how he's been laboring there with him for three years and how he's told them all these things. He's reminding them again, as he's leaving them, and they're not going to see him anymore. So these words are going to stick in their heads, right? And he says something I always, you know, in verses 29 to 31, and I've often said that there's signs of the Church of God, you know, that are there that we see in the book of Acts.

And this is one of them. This is one of them that we read here in 29 to 31. Now, Satan is always going to attack the Church of God. However he can take someone out of the Church, he will. It can be by outside forces, as Paul talks about in 29, or it can be by someone from the inside luring people away. So always something that we need to be, you know, very cautious of. In verse 29, he says, you know, he says something that I'm sure they took quite notice of. He says, I know, for I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

Now, people will come in, they will bring in heresy. You know, Peter talks about that. In 2 Peter, Jude talks about it in his one chapter, Epistle, false preachers will come. And they'll sound very convincing. You know, they'll have the cunning words, they'll have the clever words. They may be even accompanied by a few signs that they do, as Christ says later on, you know, later on, as we get closer to the return of Jesus Christ.

He says, don't be deceived by any of them. No, the truth. Don't be, no, they will come in and they will do whatever. And Satan will do whatever he can to attract us and pull us away from his church. Now, back in the days of Paul and Peter and the New Testament church here, it would be people that were coming in that would bring false doctrine to them. You know, I don't think today any of us are going into another church and listening to what they have to say. But we're in danger of the doing the same thing, right?

Because we do have, we do have internet, we do have TV, and we can invite savage wolves into our homes if we don't watch what we're doing. Right? And I know some do that. We have to be aware, you know, we have to be aware, follow the truth. Don't let, don't let savage wolves come in and take you away from the truth.

Now, I saw some lights go on. Are there some comments? Okay. I was just going to say that some brethren were up all night listening to Paul, you know, and exhorting them. Their heads are sealed, right? But in spite of that, you still got to remind each other all the time, you know, to stick with it. You know, don't take any for granted at all. You know, and don't take, you know, Paul says take heed for those who stand, lest they fall, right?

If we just kind of become lax, we can fall prey to some, to some doctrine or some theory or some little idea that we have that can take us right out to, you know, whatever, whatever can happen. But you know, I think, you know what, we know, we know where truth is. We know what the true, we know what the Church of God teaches its truth. Everything we teach should come from the Bible. We should know what the Bible is. We should, we should be living it. We should be applying it. We should be thinking about it. We should be reading it.

We should be understanding it. We should be talking about it. So that when those times of deception comes, we know where the voice of the shepherd is, right? We know where Christ's voice is. We can discern the spirits and see that isn't what God would have us do. God gives us what his truth is, you know, so these savage wolves that are out there shouldn't touch any of the people of God. If we are really learning and if we are really studying, if we are really living the way our lives, the way God would have us live it.

That's a danger. That's a danger that's there. I would think most of us would be able to stand up against this. Where the Church of God has run into some problems over the years is in verse 30. He says, also from among yourselves men will rise up. Speaking perverse, and that really is a better translation, is misleading, right? Not perverse things, but misleading things. Speaking misleading things. Why? To draw away the disciples after themselves. You look at the Church of God, even in Paul's days, when you look at his epistles to Timothy, he'll name a few people there that did Paul wrong.

That they had a doctrine and they took some people with them. It's all about themselves. My idea, I want to have people following me, etc., etc., etc. We've seen that happen in the Church of God today.

When splits happen in the Church of God, it's not a sign that it's not the Church of God. It's a very sign that it is the Church of God, because Paul said this was going to happen. We have to be very close to God, very aware of what's going on, but there will be some, Paul said, that will be in there who will find an idea, find something that they want to hang their head on. They're very important because they have this great understanding of whatever, and they'll talk among people and try to gather someone to them to take people out of the Church. Paul said, be aware of it. It happened in his day. It's happened down through the Church, through the ages. We just need to be aware of it. We need to be standing on God's truth and know where the truth is. Always what you're hearing, take it back to the Bible. Check the attitude. Check the Spirit. Make sure it's the Spirit of God that's leading you and who you're listening to and not their own thing. So, you know, we read, and the people of Ephesus, you know, are there, they're listening to these things, and it's going to happen. It's going to happen to them. He says, So from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking misleading things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, he said, watch, pay attention to what's going on. And remember that for three years, I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears. I kept talking about it. I kept warning you, don't forget when it comes up, understand that this is there. It's God giving the words to this church. They're not going to see Paul anymore. He's giving them the final words that he's going to be giving them before he has on the Jerusalem and then ultimately to where he was going to, where his life was going to end. Let me see. Let's get down to family way out here. Let me do a few more verses and then we'll pick it up. Yeah, well, we can get we can get through that. I don't think I have to expound a lot on this. And in verse 32, he says, So now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. So, you know, he winds up, I'm leaving you to God. You're in God's hands. Follow him. He has called you for a reason. He will build you up. He will edify you. He will grow. He will develop you. He will bring you. He will bring you to the stature of the fullness of Jesus Christ if you let him. And if you continue with him and and do what he says, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified, of course, sanctified, being set apart. You know, those of us who God has called, who we've responded to his call, we've been repented, we've been baptized, we've received his Holy Spirit, God sees us as children. And in Romans 8 it tells us we are joined heirs with Christ. That's what Paul is talking about here, able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

And he repeats to them, you know, he says, I haven't, I'm not the guilty of the blood of any man and you know what, I haven't coveted anyone's silver or gold or apparel. It meant nothing to me. That isn't why I came to you. That isn't why I preached the truth. I wasn't looking for anything from you. I simply was here to do God's will and to give you the gift of God's, you know, to impart to you understanding as God's Spirit, you know, let him.

And he says in verse 34, yes, you yourselves know that these hands are provided for my necessities and for those who are with me. You can mark down there a couple of verses in Thessalonians where Paul talks about that. First Thessalonians 2.9, second Thessalonians 3 verses 7 to 9. Also in 2 Corinthians 9, he talks about, you know, he talks about that the God loves a cheerful giver.

He also talks about, he also talks about the value of work. He talks about doing, you know, doing work, doing work just like Paul. Paul set the example there.

He wasn't afraid of work. He wasn't afraid of doing the things that he needed to have. So I've shown you in every way by laboring like this that you must support the week. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus that he said, it is more blessed to give than to receive. Now those are words that God gave him directly.

We don't see that quote anywhere in the Bible exactly with Jesus Christ saying that, but it's something that God imparted to Paul there. And it is an example of a copy. Paul was, you know, there are givers in the world and there are getters in the world.

Those who have been at church a long time. You remember there's a way of give and a way of get. Paul was certainly living the way of give, just like Jesus Christ lived the way of get or give. Sorry about that. As opposed to living the way of get, Paul, there was nothing about get that was part of Paul. He was there to give. He was there to give the truth to the people. And when he had said these things, this beautiful picture here, he knelt down with the elders that were there, including the elders from Ephesus, right, and prayed with them all.

And they wept freely and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrowing, most of all, for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship. Okay, so I kind of rushed through the last few verses there.

You can spend some time looking at those, but here we wrap it up. Now, Paul is, you know, his work with the Ephesian church is done. He's left them a good message. God has finished the process there with him. Now we'll pick it up next week with where Paul goes from there. So let me leave it at that and entertain any questions or comments or anything that anyone wants to talk about. Mr. Shaby. Yes, sir. Paul. Do you have any more updates or news about the tornado torn up areas?

Oh, no, you know, no, I sent that around the last information that I had I did email back and forth with Doug Colison today, who's the pastor down there because we have offers of things that could be sent out there. He said that there was one family that was most affected, but they had plenty of things. The churches there were getting them water and food and stuff like that. But they were being well taken care of. But he said everyone was okay. And if anyone wanted to donate, you know, you can donate to Good Works where we have the disaster fund, but there will be funds going from Good Works, from the home office to help the people with rebuilding and temporary housing, things like that.

But there's just a few families that were directly affected. Okay. Okay. Okay, everyone. Let me let me sign off here. It's exactly 829 so one minute early. That reminds you in Jacksonville churches at one o'clock at Camp Chawenwa this week, right, we got Sabbath School 11 him saying at noon. Sabbath services at one in Orlando Sabbath services are at 130 so I will look forward to seeing some of you this week in Sabbath services and the rest. Yeah, we will look forward to seeing you next.

Next Wednesday, right, if not before then so. Mr. Shave, you think Thomas had a comment he wanted to give Thomas. Yeah, I was just, I was kind of curious, do you think that all felt like, like something was going to happen to him. I think that God gave him, yeah, I think Paul knew, I think God gave him the knowledge that something was going to happen to him, and he and he knew that he wasn't going to be back that way again so however long that would be, thank God and press that upon him. Remember it didn't scare Paul. He wasn't, you know, he wasn't worried about it.

He was worried about finishing the race that the way that God wanted him to finish it so yes I do think for him to say. Um, the answer is in verse 23. Apparently, a bunch of people were inspired before the one in twenty one comes literally finds it. Yep, but she was that in this case he wasn't he couldn't flee. If he had fled he would have been like, don't know. But because in this case he was he was being told by inspired people, and even probably personally, in another sense, if it was just you know something bad over there, he would have attempted that in this case he wasn't.

Yep. And not only that, to go along with that, remember in the next chapter, Agabus comes down and takes his belt from him and wraps his hands on around his own hands and says the man who owns his belt basically is going to be bound in the same manner. So kind of confirmed also what Paul already knew. Yep, yep, yep. He knew God, you know, God loves God lets us know and remember God brought Paul back around this way that he didn't plan on coming. So we know that, you know, he knew the reason that God brought him back that way as he was meeting with the elders here.

So, now, again, in Acts 20, we see some things. We're going to see some things in Acts 21, too. Each one of these chapters tells us something about ourselves and the church today as well, if we look at it, if we look at it with wide open eyes. So, okay. Okay, everyone, let me say, let me say good night. Thank you for being here. Have a good rest of the week. Thank you. Thank you. Good night. Good night. Good night.