Acts 20

Bible Passage:  Acts 20

Reading many of the previous blog postings and comments on Acts of the Apostles, I see a great focus on evangelism.  And this is right because that is what the Church is supposed to be… a place where God’s truth and news of Salvation is to be preached from Jerusalem, all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

Preaching the Word is God’s will for us.  Caring for our fellow members is also God’s will for us.  And there are many more things that we ought to do as fellow members in the one household God.

The question often lies in whether we are faithful enough, obedient enough, persistent enough and loving enough to continue to do these works all the days of our lives.

In today’s passage, we read about Paul’s farewell to the elders of Ephesus.  He knew he will never see them again and there are lots of things I can learn from his attitude in his service to God.  I wanna grow up to be like Paul…. and I know I have a long long way to getting there.

Is Your Life An Example For Others To Follow?

I cannot think of anyone now who will be able to do what Paul did… to present himself as an example for the believers to follow.

Paul cited his willingness to suffer for the gospel in an attempt to encourage the elders to be faithful to their task.  This was a common theme with Paul (cf. 2 Cor 4:8-12; Gal 6:17; Eph 4:1).  Similar encourage comes from Hebrews:

For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.

Hebrews 12:3 (emphasis mine)

We have Jesus as our example too.  We are to imitate Paul as he imitated Christ.

And if we have good examples to follow, we too can become better Christian.

And better yet still…. if we are ourselves good examples for others to follow.

Very often, we find it difficult to motivate one another to serve others, let alone, suffer for Christ.  Reading today’s passage gave me 2 areas to think about:

1. When we recognize the greatnest of Christ sacrifice and cause, it can inspire us and fire us up to be willing to take on sufferings.The heart of service is not lacking in church.  Or how else can you explain the several members who cook our Sabbath love lunches week in week out for us?  Or those who keep the gardens trimmed and neat?  Or bible racks neatly arranged each week?However, as in many things, there is a need for much more.

   There are weaker members to visit.  There are old members to care for.  There are sick members to comfort.  There are lonely members to talk to.  There are rubbish bags to be thrown, dishes to be washed, floors to be mopped.  There are … When I started thinking about areas of service which I have fallen short of… I must admit it is quite shameful when I considered what Christ has done for me.

   So let the actions of Jesus – who motivated Paul – similarly motivate us today in our service to Him and His Church.

2. Leaders can motivate others by their example of sacrificial service, by not working for personal gain or security.Paul was the obvious leader and teacher in those times.  And yet, the way he behaved and served, you would have thought that he was, in today’s eyes, the man servant of the household.But you find that Paul did not encourage by mere words alone.  He lived it… every day of his life

   So when he said,
   
   Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

   Phil 2:3-5

   You believe him and are encouraged because you see him doing exactly what he told you to do.  And hopefully you will be motivated along with him.

   All of us are leaders in one way or another.  As parents, we are leaders of our own family. As teachers, we are leaders of our children that we teach in school or in church.  As RE teachers, we are leaders of souls entrusted upon us.  As ministers, we are leaders of the flock of the Lord.  Amongt friends, we are also called to sharpen one another and build up one another.  We are all leaders.

   Let us be a leader like Paul – in words and action.

So let us at the start of a new year (albiet the Chinese New Year) – continually commit one another to God’s grace, reminding each other of His faithfulness.