Paul chose to walk from Troas to Assos, a distance of about twenty miles. Why? For one thing, it enabled him to stay longer with the saints in Troas, while he sent Luke and the party on ahead (Acts 20:13). It would take the ship at least a day to sail from Troas to Assos, and Paul could probably walk it in ten hours or less. Also, Paul probably wanted time alone to commune with the Lord about his trip to Jerusalem. The apostle must have sensed already that difficult days lay ahead of him. He may also have been pondering the message he would give to the Ephesian elders. Finally, the exercise was certainly beneficial! Even inspired apostles need to care for their bodies. I personally would prefer walking to sailing!
There were fifty days between Passover (Acts 20:6) and Pentecost (Acts 20:16), and Paul’s trip from Philippi to Troas had already consumed twelve of them (Acts 20:6). It took another four days to get to Miletus, so Paul decided not to go to Ephesus lest he lose any more valuable time. Instead, he invited the leaders of the Ephesian church to travel about thirty miles and meet him at Miletus, where the ship was waiting to unload cargo and take on more. Paul was not one to waste time or to lose opportunities.
In the book of Acts, Luke reports eight messages given by the apostle Paul to various people: a Jewish synagogue congregation (Acts 13:14–43), Gentiles (Acts 14:14–18; 17:22–34), church leaders (Acts 20:17–38), a Jewish mob (Acts 22:1–21), the Jewish council (Acts 23:1–10), and various government officials (Acts 24:10–21; 26:1–32). His address to the Ephesian elders is unique in that it reveals Paul the pastor rather than Paul the evangelist or Paul the defender of the faith. The message enables us to get a glimpse of how Paul ministered in Ephesus for three years.
The word elder is presbutos in the Greek (“presbyter”) and refers to a mature person who has been selected to serve in office (Acts 14:23). These same people are called “overseers” in Acts 20:28, which is episkopos or “bishop.” They were chosen to “feed the church” (Acts 20:28), which means “to shepherd.” Paul called the local church “a flock” (Acts 20:28–29), so these men were also pastors. (The word pastor means “shepherd.”) Thus in the New Testament churches, the three titles elder, bishop, and pastor were synonymous. The qualifications for this office are given in 1 Timothy 3:1–7 and Titus 1:5–9.
There were three parts to Paul’s farewell message. First he reviewed the past (Acts 20:18–21); then he discussed the present (Acts 20:22–27); and finally, he spoke about the future (Acts 20:28–35). In the first part, he emphasized his faithfulness to the Lord and to the church as he ministered for three years in Ephesus. The second section reveals Paul’s personal feelings in view of both the past and the future. In the third part, he warned them of the dangers that the churches faced.
A review of the past (vv. 18–21). Paul was not one to work into his ministry gradually like a diplomat feeling his way. “From the first day” he gave himself unsparingly to the work of the Lord in Ephesus, for Paul was an ambassador and not a diplomat.
The motive for Paul’s ministry is found in the phrase “serving the Lord” (Acts 20:19). He was not interested in making money (Acts 20:33) or in enjoying an easy life (Acts 20:34–35), for he was the bondslave of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:24; Rom. 1:1). Paul was careful to let people know that his motives for ministry were spiritual and not selfish (1 Thess. 2:1–13).
The manner of his ministry was exemplary (Acts 20:18–19). He lived a consistent life that anybody could inspect, for he had nothing to hide. He served in humility and not as a “religious celebrity” demanding that others serve him. But his humility was not a sign of weakness, for he had the courage to face trials and dangers without quitting. Paul was not ashamed to admit to his friends that there had also been times of tears (see also Acts 20:31, 37; Rom. 9:1–2; 2 Cor. 2:4; Phil. 3:18).
The message of his ministry (Acts 20:20–21) was also widely known, because he announced it and taught it publicly (Acts 19:9) as well as in the various house churches of the fellowship. He told sinners to repent of their sins and believe in Jesus Christ. This message was “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24), and it is the only message that can save the sinner (1 Cor. 15:1–8; Gal. 1:6–12).
Furthermore, Paul reminded them that, in his ministry, he had not held back anything that was profitable to them. He declared to them “all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). His was a balanced message that included the doctrines and duties, as well as the privileges and responsibilities, that belonged to the Christian life. In his preaching, he neither compromised nor went to extremes, but kept things in balance. Paul also kept his outlook and congregation balanced, witnessing both to Jews and to Gentiles.
A testimony of the present (vv. 22–27). The phrase “And now, behold” shifts the emphasis from the past to the present as Paul opens his heart and tells his friends just how he feels. He did not hide from them the fact that he was bound in his spirit (Acts 19:21) to go to Jerusalem, even though he knew that danger and possible death awaited him there. The Holy Spirit had witnessed this message to him in city after city. A lesser man would have found some way to escape, but not Paul. He was too gripped by his calling and his devotion to Jesus Christ to look for some safe and easy way out. In his testimony, Paul used six graphic pictures of his ministry to explain why he would not quit but would go to Jerusalem to die for Jesus Christ if necessary. Paul could say, “None of these things move me!” because he knew what he was as a minister of Jesus Christ.
Paul saw himself as an accountant (Acts 20:24) who had examined his assets and liabilities and decided to put Jesus Christ ahead of everything else. He had faced this kind of reckoning early in his ministry and had willingly made the spiritual the number one priority in his life (Phil. 3:1–11).
He also saw himself as a runner who wanted to finish his course in joyful victory (Phil. 3:12–14; 2 Tim. 4:8). The three phrases “my life, my course, the ministry” are the key. Paul realized that his life was God’s gift to him, and that God had a special plan for his life that would be fulfilled in his ministry. Paul was devoted to a great Person (“serving the Lord”) and motivated by a great purpose, the building of the church.
Paul’s third picture is that of the steward, for his ministry was something that he had “received of the Lord.” The steward owns little or nothing, but he possesses all things. His sole purpose is to serve his master and please him. “Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful” (1 Cor. 4: nkjv). The steward must one day give an account of his ministry, and Paul was ready for that day.
The next picture is that of the witness, “testifying of the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24; and note v. 21). The word means “to solemnly give witness,” and it reminds us of the seriousness of the message and of the ministry. As we share the gospel with others, it is a matter of life or death (2 Cor. 2:15–16). Paul was a faithful witness both in the life that he lived (Acts 20:18) and the message that he preached.
Picture number five is the herald (Acts 20:25). The word preaching means “to declare a message as the herald of the king.” The witness tells what has happened to him, but the herald tells what the king tells him to declare. He is a man commissioned and sent with a message, and he must not change that message in any way. And since he is sent by the king, the people who listen had better be careful how they treat both the messenger and the message.
The final picture, and perhaps the most dramatic, is that of the watchman (Acts 20:26). As in Acts 18:6, this is a reference to the “watchman on the walls” in Ezekiel 3:17–21; 33:1–9. What a serious calling it was to be a watchman! He had to stay awake and alert, ready to sound the alarm if he saw danger approaching. He had to be faithful, not fearful, because the safety of many people rested with him. Paul had been a faithful watchman (Acts 20:31), for he had declared to sinners and saints all the counsel of God. Unfortunately, we have today many unfaithful watchmen who think only of themselves (Isa. 56:10–13).
A group of servicemen asked their new chaplain if he believed in a real hell for lost sinners, and he smiled and told them that he did not. “Then you are wasting your time,” the men replied. “If there is no hell, we don’t need you; and if there is a hell, you are leading us astray. Either way, we’re better off without you!”
A warning about the future (vv. 28–38). Paul brought his farewell message to a close by warning the leaders of the dangers they had to recognize and deal with if they were to protect and lead the church. Never underestimate the great importance of the church. The church is important to God the Father because His name is on it—“the church of God.” It is important to the Son because He shed His blood for it, and it is important to the Holy Spirit because He is calling and equipping people to minister to the church. It is a serious thing to be a spiritual leader in the church of the living God.
To begin with, there are dangers around us, “wolves” that want to ravage the flock (Acts 20:29). Paul was referring to false teachers, the counterfeits who exploit the church for personal gain (Matt. 7:15–23; 10:16; Luke 10:3; 2 Peter 2:1–3). How important it is that believers know the Word of God and be able to detect and defeat these religious racketeers.
But there are also dangers among us (Acts 20:30), because of people within the church who are ambitious for position and power. Church history, ancient and modern, is filled with accounts of people like Diotrephes who love to have preeminence (3 John 9–11). It is shocking to realize that more than one false prophet got his or her start within the Christian church family! Read 1 John 2:18–19 and take heed.
There are also dangers within us (Acts 20:31–35), and this seems to be where Paul put the greatest emphasis. “Take heed, therefore, unto yourselves” (Acts 20:28). He names five sins that are especially destructive to the life and ministry of spiritual leaders in the church.
The first is carelessness (Acts 20:31), failing to stay alert and forgetting the price that others have paid so that we might have God’s truth. “Watch and remember!” are words we had better heed. It is so easy for us today to forget the toil and tears of those who labored before us (Heb. 13:7). Paul’s warning and weeping should be constant reminders to us to take our spiritual responsibilities seriously.
The second sin is shallowness (Acts 20:32). We cannot build the church unless God is building our lives daily. There is a balance here between prayer (“I commend you to God”) and the Word of God (“the word of his grace”), because these two must always work together (1 Sam. 12:23; John 15:7; Acts 6:4). The Word of God alone is able to edify and enrich us, and the spiritual leader must spend time daily in the Word of God and prayer. Covetousness is the third sin we must avoid (Acts 20:33). It means a consuming and controlling desire for what others have and for more of what we ourselves already have. “Thou shalt not covet” is the last of the Ten Commandments, but if we do covet, we will end up breaking all the other nine! Those who covet will steal, lie, and murder to get what they want, and even dishonor their own parents. Covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5). In the qualifications for an elder, it is expressly stated that he must not be guilty of the sin of covetousness (1 Tim. 3:3).
Paul also mentioned laziness (Acts 20:34). Paul earned his own way as a tentmaker, even though he could have used his apostolic authority to demand support and thereby have an easier life. It is not wrong for Christian workers to receive salaries, for “the laborer is worthy of his hire” (Luke 10:7; 1 Tim. 5:18). But they should be certain that they are really earning those salaries! (Read Prov. 24:30–34.)
Finally, Paul warned about selfishness (Acts 20:35). True ministry means giving, not getting; it means following the example of the Lord Jesus Christ. Dr. Earl V. Pierce used to call this “the supreme beatitude” because, unlike the other beatitudes, it tells us how to be more blessed! These words of Jesus are not found anywhere in the Gospels, but they were a part of the oral tradition, and Paul memorized them.
This beatitude does not suggest that people who receive are “less blessed” than people who give. (The beggar in Acts 3 would argue about that!) It could be paraphrased, “It’s better to share with others than to keep what you have and collect more.” In other words, the blessing does not come in accumulating wealth, but in sharing it. After all, Jesus became poor that we might become rich (2 Cor. 8:9). One of the best commentaries on this statement is Luke 12:16–31.
Paul closed this memorable occasion by kneeling down and praying for his friends, and then they all wept together. It is a difficult thing to say good-bye, especially when you know you will not see your friends again in this life. But we have the blessed assurance that we will one day see our Christian friends and loved ones in heaven, when Jesus Christ returns (1 Thess. 4:13–18).
Meanwhile, there is a job to be done—so, let’s do it!