A Strong Charge to Ministers After three years of ministry in Asia, Paul made plans to leave that region. Before he left, he called the elders from the church in Ephesus to meet with him and spoke very important words to them about their stewardship. Here is part of what he said to them, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood." Acts 20:28 Paul’s words to these ministers are “loaded.” Here are two things that are very important in his words: 1] “Take heed to yourselves” — One would think that in an extended charge about being good ministers, the instructions would focus on doing good ministry. But Paul’s FIRST words to these spiritual leaders were, “Pay attention to yourselves!” Interestingly, he said the same thing to Timothy in one of his letters. He told him, “Take heed unto yourself, and unto doctrine.” First and Foremost, spiritual leaders should pay attention to and be good stewards over Their Own Lives; making sure that they are in good order: that their relationship with God is rich, that their motives for ministry are pure, that they are sound in doctrine, that they are fit for service, that they are healthy in their own lives, and that they are reaching a high level of skillfulness in their ministry work. 2] “...the church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood.” Notice that Paul didn’t say, “Enjoy pastoring your church,” or, “Take good care of your people,” or even, “Feed your flock well.” No, Paul very purposely put these ministers on notice about WHO they were to care for. He didn’t want them to ever forget WHO they served and WHOSE they served. He reminded them, “You are overseeing God’s Church!” And he emphasized the gravity of their work and the value of God’s people by adding, “which He has purchased with His own blood.” It was as if Paul was telling these spiritual leaders, “Don’t EVER forget WHO you are watching over! These are God’s people! He shed His blood for them! He purchased them with the life of His Son! Don’t EVER, EVER mistreat God’s people!! If Ministers heeded nothing more from Scripture than these two Simple but Profound things that Paul said to the elders from Ephesus, it would radically alter their ministries and ensure that God’s people were not only never abused or misused, but that they were always very well cared for!!
Posted on: Fri, 02 Aug 2013 16:20:40 +0000