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Main Idea
Imitate me as I imitate Christ – The Good Shepherd.
Maverick – Who hasn’t seen this movie? Wasn’t it great? I love the simplicity of the plot. Maverick had to return to Top Gun to train an elite squad of pilots to complete a seemingly impossible mission and come home safely. I also love one of the main turning points in the movie, which comes after all the pilots had failed to fly the mission simulations successfully. Either their pride got in the way, or their reservations held them back. The Commander fired Maverick and changed the mission parameters so that it could be done, but Maverick wouldn’t give up on them. He knew that the only way they could be successful was to see that it was possible, so against orders, Maverick boards a plane, flies the route himself, and does it flawlessly. Seeing him fly the course successfully gave them the confidence to do it themselves. This is precisely what Paul does for the elite squad of Ephesian Elders, metaphorically speaking.
Boss vs Leader – How many of you have seen this image before? This is how businesses try to describe authentic leadership. Real leaders lead from the front.
But today’s story goes well beyond a singular lesson in leadership; it provides many little mosaic tiles that come together to form the portrait of a steadfast, powerful Elder of God’s church.
In essence, we will visualize what Paul said previously to the Corinthian church: imitate me as I imitate Christ.
Let me also say that this was a very humbling week for me because this passage is a mirror for any church elder or pastor. I am literally preaching my job description today, which is a litmus test of my performance, success, or failure.
Outline
I – The leadership of Paul
II – The commissioning of the Elders
III – The selflessness of Paul
IV – The farewell from the Elders
I – The leadership of Paul
Miletus is about 30 miles south of Ephesus
Paul illustrates five mosaic tiles that form the portrait of an Elder.
1. Serve
2. Declare
3. Teach
4. Testify
5. Submit
Acts 20:17–27 ESV
Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
1 – Served
Who?
• The Lord (read all the actions for God)
How?
• With all humility (considered himself the least of all apostles, lived the truth that the first shall be last).
• With tears (his heart was not disconnected from his mind).
• With trials from the Jews
• Did not shrink back – persevered through adversity.
Tile 1 – An Elder is a humble, compassionate, steadfast servant of the Lord.
2 – Declared
• Anything that was profitable (how much unprofitable talk is in churches now?)
• The whole counsel of God (how much is lacking now?)
2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
Tile 2 – An Elder is a faithful teacher of scripture.
3 – Taught
• For three years
• Taught openly in public
• Taught privately in homes
Tile 3 – An Elder is an intentional Disciple-maker.
4 – Testified
To who?
Everyone. Jews and Greeks.
What?
• Repentance toward God (not man)
• Faith in Jesus Christ
• *all people come to Christ in the same way.
• Did not shrink back
Tile 4 – An Elder is a gospel proclaimer.
5 – Submitted
Paul submitted to a person and a thing.
1. To the Holy Spirit – was constricted by Him, who testified many times of Paul’s trials and imprisonment.
Constrained = deo, which means to be bound, hand and foot, like a prisoner. So, in reality, Paul is bound as a prisoner of the Spirit, not a prisoner of Rome. Paul is truly a prisoner of Christ Jesus, as he says in Philemon.
2. To the mission (v. 24) – All I want to do is run my race well and finish it well. In fact, I’ve done so to the degree that no one’s blood is on my hands.
Tile 5 – An Elder is submitted to the guidance of the Spirit and the urgency of their mission.
If all church leaders acted like this, we wouldn’t see the headlines we see in the news, would we? Sadly, there are bloody handprints on too many pulpits because the leaders are not submitted to the Spirit or the mission they were called to. The congregation is called to submit to the authority of the Elders. That’s on our membership application. But the congregation members aren’t the only ones called to submit. The Elders should earn their submission by submitting to God and their calling.
Amen, let’s pray! We could end it here and have much to think about, but Paul takes these five tiles and adds four more to complete the picture.
II – The commissioning of the Elders
Acts 20:28–32 ESV
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
The 3-fold title
1. Elder – presbyteros
2. Overseer – episkopos
3. Shepherd – poimaino (verb)
see also 1 Peter 5:1-2:
1 Peter 5:1–2 ESV
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
The charge = Understand – you were appointed by the Holy Spirit to care for the church of God purchased with His own blood.
Ephesians 1:7 ESV
In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
Each sheep under your care was paid with an incalculable price. That is how valuable they are. Know the worth of your flock. Understand the magnitude of your responsibility.
The responsibility
• Care for yourself
• Lead (do what I did these last three years. I showed you what’s possible).
• Feed (preach the whole counsel of God. Point them to the Bread of Life).
• Guide (as overseers, lead from the front).
• Protect (wolves from the outside and rebellious sheep on the inside).
These four tiles are placed undeniably in the form of a shepherd’s staff.
The commissioning
Commend you to (to entrust for safekeeping):
1. God
2. The word of His grace
2 Corinthians 3:3–6 ESV
And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
That will:
• build you up
• give you an inheritance among the sanctified
How many of you feel worn down right now? Who has been torn to the footings by life’s trials? Entrust yourself (as Paul did the Elders) to God for safekeeping and the word of His grace. These are the things that will build you up, strengthen you, cause you to soar on eagle’s wings, and establish your eternal inheritance among the saints. When you are beaten down, stop trying to perform under your own effort and remember that your sufficiency, power, strength, safekeeping, and life come from God.
That is the meat of the message today, but there are two more quick things Luke adds.
III – The selflessness of Paul
Acts 20:33–35 ESV
I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Burden-less
Paul worked to provide for himself.
Paul didn’t seek out anyone else’s provision.
This is Paul setting himself apart from the other greedy false teachers in the area.
Care for others
This was a demonstration of how to put others first.
How to help the weak.
How to obey Jesus by remembering His counsel – it’s better to give than to receive.
Acts—The Church Afire The Apostle’s Advice to Fellow Soldiers
In a nutshell, their ministry was to be one of giving. Paul gave himself to God and his people. He gave himself to the ministry of the Word. He gave himself with such intensity that he forgot himself. “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Tile 10 – An Elder is selfless.
And with that, it was time to leave.
IV- The farewell from the Elders
It is a beautiful picture of unity and living out the ‘one another’s’ of scripture.
Acts 20:36–38 ESV
And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Prayed together
Wept together
They embraced Paul
They stayed with Paul to the ship
Conclusion
So, what do we do with this? How do we apply this to our lives? Not all of us are Elders and church leaders. The majority of us are not. How, then, do we apply a passage that describes the character and role of an Elder?
The answer is: Pray for your leadership. Pray for the leadership of this church and pray for the leadership of all churches. Pray that we look like this portrait… that we imitate Paul as he imitates Christ… that we desire to complete the mission… that we leave the pulpit free of bloody handprints… that we lead with a harmonious heart and mind… that we become increasingly selfless as we serve the Lord by tending His sheep He purchased with His own blood.