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Scripture Reading: Acts 20:13-38
In this message we shall begin to consider 20:13-38. In this portion of Acts Paul goes to Miletus and meets there with the elders of the church in Ephesus.
Verse 16 says, “For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he might not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying that if possible he might be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost.” Probably Paul wanted to be in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost in order to meet many people from different countries who came to Jerusalem on this day (cf. 2:1, 5).
From Miletus Paul “sent to Ephesus and called for the elders of the church” (v. 17). When they came to him, he said, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you all the time, serving the Lord as a slave with all humility and tears and trials which came upon me by the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and to teach you publicly and from house to house” (vv. 18-20). In verse 20 Paul says that he did not shrink from declaring to the saints in Ephesus anything that was profitable, and in verse 27 he says that he did not shrink from declaring to them all the counsel of God. These verses refer to Paul’s three years of teaching in Ephesus and indicate the extent of his teaching.
According to verse 20, Paul taught the saints in Ephesus both publicly and from house to house. This indicates that at Paul’s time there were home meetings. Not only did Paul teach publicly in a larger meeting place; he also taught from house to house. This indicates that the churches had small meetings in the homes as well as large meetings in a public place.
In 20:21 Paul continues, “Solemnly testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance unto God and faith in our Lord Jesus.” Once again, the word “testifying” is used. Testifying requires experiences of seeing, participating, and enjoying. It is different from mere teaching. Paul’s use of this word here indicates that he himself had experienced repentance unto God and faith in the Lord Jesus. Therefore, he could testify concerning what he had experienced. He did not merely preach and teach; he testified of what he had passed through in his experience of repentance and faith.
In verse 22 Paul goes on to say, “And now, behold, I am going bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what I will meet with there.” We have seen that Paul originally intended to go to Jerusalem through Syria from Achaia in Greece (19:21; 1 Cor. 16:3-7). Due to the Jews’ plot against him, he changed his route northward to Macedonia, and from there he returned to Jerusalem. Paul was aware of and suffering from the plots of the Jews (v. 19). This was possibly the cause of his being bound in spirit to go to Jerusalem. The spirit in verse 22 refers to Paul’s regenerated spirit, in which he served God. In his spirit, a spirit joined to the Lord the Spirit (1 Cor. 6:17), Paul sensed beforehand that something would happen to him in Jerusalem, and the Holy Spirit testified this to him (v. 23).
Paul knew that trouble was waiting for him. He realized this in his spirit. The Jews throughout the area around the Mediterranean Sea were plotting to seize him. Not only those in Jerusalem but also those in Asia and in Macedonia and Achaia were determined to apprehend him. It may have been that they all were working together and had a joint plot. Eventually, in his last visit to Jerusalem, Paul was caught by some Jews who had come to Jerusalem from Asia Minor.
Aware of the plot of the Jews, Paul, in a very real sense, had nowhere to go. If he went to Asia Minor, the Jews were there. If he went to Macedonia and Achaia, the Jews were there. If he went back to Judea, the Jews were there all the more. How, then, could he not be bound? Where was he to go? We need to understand Paul’s situation.
It was not by doing something wrong that Paul stirred up the opposition of the Jews. Rather, their opposition was stirred up by his being faithful to God’s New Testament economy; it was provoked by his obedience to the heavenly vision. Simply because Paul was faithful to the vision he had received from the Lord concerning God’s New Testament economy, there was opposition to him wherever he went.
Neither James nor Peter faced the kind of opposition Paul did. James was compromising, and Peter was somewhat weak. Actually, since Peter’s ministry began before Paul’s, he should have stirred up the opposition of the Jews. However, that was not the case with Peter. No doubt, Peter suffered. But his suffering came from the outsiders, whereas Paul’s suffering came from insiders as well as outsiders.
If we read carefully Galatians 2, we shall see that even James and Peter were both a cause of suffering to Paul. In writing the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul was frank. He told them that he had even rebuked Peter to his face. Peter would not have needed that rebuke if he had been faithful. If Peter had been faithful, he would have shared a great deal of Paul’s sufferings.
In saying this about Peter I am not belittling him. It was very difficult to stand against the heavy Judaic atmosphere in Jerusalem. As we shall see, when Paul went to Jerusalem for the last time, even he was subdued by the atmosphere there. Although he had written the books of Galatians and Romans, he still agreed to take part with those who had made a vow and agreed to go to the temple to be purified.
The atmosphere in Jerusalem was so heavy and strong that no one could withstand it. Both Peter and James were defeated by it. Peter was defeated by not doing anything about the situation, and James was defeated by compromising with the situation. As we shall see, in Acts 21 James said strongly to Paul that in Jerusalem there were many thousands among the Jews who believed and who were all zealous for the law (21:20). This indicates that those believers were strongly under the Judaic influence, mixing God’s New Testament economy with the Old Testament dispensation. If we consider this matter, we shall realize that Paul was in a very difficult situation.
Let us consider 20:22 again along with verse 23: “And now, behold, I am going bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing what I will meet with there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in city after city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.” Paul did not know what he would meet with in Jerusalem, but he knew one thing, that the Holy Spirit solemnly testified to him that bonds and afflictions awaited him. The Holy Spirit’s testifying was only a prophecy, a foretelling, not a charge. Hence, he should not have taken this as a command but as a warning. Although Paul did not know exactly what was awaiting in Jerusalem, he knew, through the warning of the Holy Spirit, that bonds and afflictions awaited him.
In verse 24 Paul continues, “But I consider my life of no account as if it were precious to myself, in order that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus to solemnly testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Paul’s word here is related to the Lord’s New Testament move in propagating the resurrected Christ through the gospel.
In 20:24 the Greek word rendered “life” also means soul. Paul’s word in this verse implies that he sensed that he would be martyred.
Verse 25 continues, “And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more.” This verse indicates that in Ephesus Paul proclaimed the kingdom of God. We have seen that the kingdom of God is the main subject of the apostles’ preaching in Acts (1:3; 8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 28:23, 31). This is not a material kingdom visible to human sight, but a kingdom of the divine life.
In 20:25 Paul tells the elders of the church in Ephesus that they will see his face no more. This indicates that Paul realized beforehand that he would be martyred.
Acts 20:26 and 27 say, “Wherefore I testify to you on this day, that I am clean from the blood of all men; for I did not shrink from declaring to you all the counsel of God.” Literally, the Greek word translated “on this day” means “on today’s day,” a very forceful expression. Paul’s word in verse 27 about not shrinking from declaring all the counsel of God indicates that he carried on a great work in Ephesus. Here we have an indication of the scope of Paul’s teaching to the dear saints in Ephesus.
Paul’s word in 20:28 is very important: “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among whom the Holy Spirit has placed you as overseers, to shepherd the church of God, which He obtained through His own blood.” As in 1 Peter 5:2, the Greek word for “flock” literally means “little flock.” This flock is little in number (Luke 12:32) compared with the world. It is a little herb for the supply of life, not a big tree for birds to lodge in (Matt. 13:31-32 and notes), not a huge religion like Christendom.
In 20:28 Paul tells the elders of the church in Ephesus that the Holy Spirit had placed them among the flock as overseers. It was the apostles who appointed the elders in every church (14:23). But here Paul, the leading one, who did the appointing says that the Holy Spirit did it. This indicates that the Holy Spirit was one with the apostles in their appointing the elders and that the apostles had done it according to the leading of the Holy Spirit.
From Paul’s word concerning the Holy Spirit placing overseers among the flock we see that the existence of the churches is altogether due to the Holy Spirit, not due to the apostles. Although the apostles had appointed the elders, here Paul says that this was the work of the Holy Spirit. This reveals that a church comes into existence only through the work of the Holy Spirit. In other words, the work of the apostles concerning the churches should be absolutely the work of the Holy Spirit. Because the Holy Spirit establishes the elders, it is the Holy Spirit who establishes the churches.
The overseers in verse 28 are the elders in verse 17. This proves that overseers and elders are synonymous terms denoting the same persons. To make an overseer a bishop of a district to rule over the elders of various localities in that district is grossly erroneous. This is what Ignatius taught. His erroneous teaching gave the ground to rank and brought in hierarchy.
The Greek word for “overseer” is episkopos, from epi, meaning over, and skopos, meaning seer; hence, overseer (bishop, from Latin episcopus). An overseer (1 Tim. 3:2) in a local church is an elder. The two titles refer to the same person: elder, denoting a person of maturity; overseer, denoting the function of an elder. It was Ignatius in the second century who taught that an overseer, a bishop, is higher than an elder. From this erroneous teaching came the hierarchy of bishops, archbishops, cardinals, and the pope. This teaching is also the source of the Episcopal system of ecclesiastical government. Both the hierarchy and the system are abominable in the sight of God.
In Acts 20:28 Paul speaks of the elders shepherding the flock. The main responsibility of the elders as overseers is not to rule over the flock but to shepherd the flock, to take all-inclusive tender care of the flock, the church of God. The elders are not placed in the church by the Holy Spirit as rulers but as shepherds. Shepherding the flock of God requires suffering for the Body of Christ as Christ did (Col. 1:24). This kind of shepherding with suffering will be rewarded with the unfading crown of glory (1 Pet. 5:4).
According to 1 Peter 5:1-3, the elders are not to lord it over the flock; that is, they are not to exercise lordship over the ruled (Matt. 20:25). Among the believers, besides Christ there should be no other lord; all should be servants, even slaves (Matt. 20:26-27; 23:10-11). The elders in the church can take only the leadership (not the lordship), which all the believers should honor and follow (1 Thes. 5:12; 1 Tim. 5:17).
In Acts 20:28 Paul says that the church of God has been obtained “through His own blood.” This indicates the precious love of God for the church and the preciousness, the exceeding worth of the church in the eyes of God. Here the apostle does not touch the divine life and nature of the church as in Ephesians 5:23-32, but the value of the church as a treasure to God, a treasure which He acquired with His own precious blood. Paul expected that the elders as overseers would also treasure the church as God did.
Both the Holy Spirit and God’s own blood are divine provisions for the church He treasures. The Holy Spirit denotes God’s Person, and His own blood, God’s work. God’s redemptive work acquired the church; now God’s Person, the all-inclusive life-giving Spirit (1 Cor. 15:45), cares for the church through the overseers.
God’s own blood is the blood of Jesus Christ (1 John 1:7). This also implies that the Lord Jesus is God. In the following message we shall consider in more detail the meaning of God’s obtaining the church through His own blood.
