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Scripture Reading: Acts 20:13-38
In this message we shall continue to consider Paul’s charge to the elders in Ephesus recorded in 20:13-38.
Verse 29 says, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” Here Paul indicates that wolves will come in from the outside to damage the flock, the church of God. In verse 29, Paul did not care for his own life, but he was very much concerned for the future of the church, which was a treasure to him as well as to God.
In verse 30 Paul goes on to say, “And from among you yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverted things to draw away the disciples after themselves.” The perverted ones among the believers in the church are always used by the Devil, who hates the church, to draw the sheep away to form another “flock.”
During our many years in the church life, we have experienced both the wolves and the perverted ones. The wolves come from outside the church, and the perverted ones rise up from inside the church.
When perverted ones rise up in the church, we may think that this indicates that we have not been careful in our work and that we have brought inside seed that has produced perverted ones. Many of us would think this way whenever we see perverted ones rising up. However, we may not have anything to do with the rising up of such ones. Consider Paul’s work in Ephesus. The church in Ephesus was raised up, established, and carried on by Paul’s ministry over a period of three years. To be sure, Paul did his work very carefully. Nevertheless, even Paul anticipated that certain ones would rise up to speak perverted things in order to draw away saints after themselves to form another “flock.”
One of the Lord’s parables in Matt. 13 speaks of the sowing of tares among the wheat (vv. 24-30, 36-43). I have studied this parable for years, trying to understand where the tares come from. Some might say that seeds producing tares are blown in by the wind. Although I do not know where the tares come from, I know that wherever the “wheat” is, there the “tares” will be also. This indicates that where the real believers are, there false believers will also be. This is unavoidable. It was unavoidable in Paul’s work, and it will be unavoidable in our work today.
After working in Ephesus for three years, Paul warned the elders of the church there that wolves would come in among them and that certain ones would rise up to speak perverted things. We have seen this take place both in the Far East and the West. We should not expect that there will be wheat without tares. It is possible that in any local church certain perverted ones may rise up. When some hear this, they may say, “Oh, please don’t predict such a thing. Among the brothers and sisters in our locality there will never be any perverted ones.” Nevertheless, we need to receive Paul’s word. Although he did not know who the perverted ones would be, he predicted their rising up.
According to Paul’s word in verse 30, the purpose of the perverted ones is to draw away the disciples after themselves. Their intention is to draw away the saints to form another “flock.” We have observed this over the years. We have seen that the intention of the perverted ones is to set apart a group of believers to become their following. Therefore, we should take heed to Paul’s word concerning wolves entering in from without and perverted ones rising up from within.
In verses 31 and 32 Paul continues, “Wherefore watch, remembering that for three years, night and day, I did not cease admonishing each one with tears. And now I commit 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 have been sanctified.” Here Paul commits the believers to God and to the word of His grace. Grace is the Triune God received and enjoyed by the believers. I believe that during the three years Paul was in Ephesus, he daily spoke the word of God’s grace to the saints.
We can testify that, by the Lord’s mercy, the word of God’s grace can be found in the Life-study Messages. Recently a young brother charged the young people in the Lord’s recovery to become constituted of all the riches of the Life-studies. I agree with this brother’s word. If the young people are constituted in this way, in the recovery there will be a great dispensational transfer. I would encourage the young people to take the time over the next several years to become constituted of all the Life-study Messages. If the young people are saturated with these messages in the coming years, saturated with the word concerning God’s New Testament economy, many will be useful in serving the Lord full time. They will be able to go to other cities and countries and convey to others God’s New Testament economy. This will cause the situation among today’s Christians to be transformed. In this way the riches in the Life-studies will become known to the entire Christian community. However, the main thing is that among us many living vessels are raised up and constituted of God’s New Testament economy.
We should not think that only the young people need to be constituted of the Life-study Messages. Even those who are much older still have the time to be constituted of these messages and then have years to serve the Lord by carrying out God’s New Testament economy throughout the earth.
In 20:32 we see the function of the word of God’s grace. First, this word is able to build up the saints. To build up the saints requires the growth in the divine life, and the growth in the divine life needs the nourishment of the divine element and the edification and equipment with the divine knowledge. All these can be afforded only by the word of God’s abundant grace, which is the Triune God Himself who went through all the processes of incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension and who has been given to the saints for their enjoyment.
Second, the word of God’s grace functions to give us “the inheritance among all those who have been sanctified.” The divine inheritance is the Triune God Himself with all that He has, all He has done, and all He will do for His redeemed people. This Triune God is embodied in the all-inclusive Christ (Col. 2:9), who is the portion allotted to the saints as their inheritance (Col. 1:12). The Holy Spirit, who has been given to the saints, is the foretaste, the pledge, and the guarantee of this divine inheritance (Rom. 8:23; Eph. 1:14), which we are sharing and enjoying today in God’s New Testament jubilee as the foretaste and will share and enjoy in full in the coming age and for eternity (1 Pet. 1:4).
Our eternal inheritance is related to the divine life which we received through regeneration and which we are experiencing and enjoying through our entire Christian life. “This inheritance is the full possession of that which was promised to Abraham and all believers (Gen. 12:3 see Gal. 3:6ff), an inheritance, as much higher than that which fell to the children of Israel in the possession of Canaan, as the sonship of the regenerate, who have already received the promise of the Spirit through faith as a pledge of their inheritance, is higher than the sonship of Israel: compare Gal. 3:18-29; 1 Cor. 6:9; Eph. 5:5; Heb. 9:15” (Wiesinger, quoted by Alford).
An inheritance is a proper and legal possession. It is not gained by our energy, ability, or deeds. On the contrary, it is granted to us by another in a way that is legitimate. We do not work for an inheritance; we receive it.
On the day we were regenerated, we were given the right to share an inheritance. This inheritance includes all the blessings related to eternal life. Daily we need to take possession of this inheritance and enjoy it. This inheritance is legal, proper, and legitimate, for Christ died to purchase it for us, paying the price of His precious blood. Daily we may participate in and enjoy the inheritance that is ours today and for eternity.
According to Paul’s word in Acts 20:32, the inheritance is among those who have been sanctified. To participate in God’s inheritance requires us to be sanctified, and to be sanctified requires the word of God’s grace. In John 17:17 the Lord Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.” To be sanctified (Eph. 5:26; 1 Thes. 5:23) is to be separated from the world and its occupation unto God and His purpose, not only positionally (Matt. 23:17, 19), but also dispositionally (Rom. 6:19, 22). God’s living word works in the believers to separate them from anything worldly. This is to be sanctified in God’s word as the truth, the reality.
In 20:33 and 34 Paul went on to say, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my needs and to those who are with me.” Paul worked with his hands at making tents (18:3) in order to support both himself and those who were with him. He worked in order to help his young co-workers. This indicates that Paul’s way was not that of today’s clergy who make a profession out of preaching.
Like Paul, we all should bear the New Testament economy wherever we may be. If the situation allows, we may spend our full time in the work of the ministry. Otherwise, we should do something to support ourselves and also to help others.
In 20:35 Paul said, “I have showed you all things, that toiling in this way we ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus which He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.” The Greek words rendered “the weak” may also be translated “the infirm,” referring to those who are weak physically (1 Cor. 11:30); hence, the poor ones.
In verse 35 Paul asked the elders to remember the word of the Lord Jesus: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” This word is not recorded in the Gospels; it must have been received by oral communication.
If we carefully read Paul’s word to the elders of the church in Ephesus, we shall see that Paul did not consider preaching a profession. Rather, Paul had a genuine burden to carry out God’s New Testament economy.
The situation on earth today needs a strong testimony, and a strong testimony requires much labor. Thus there is the great need for many to serve the Lord with their full time. But in order to labor for the Lord, you need to be fully constituted of the Word.
I would like to point out once again that the Lord’s recovery is not an ordinary Christian work. On the contrary, the recovery is the Lord’s up-to-date move for the carrying out of His New Testament economy, which has not been fully carried out in the past. As those who have heard His word concerning His New Testament economy, we should say to Him, “Lord, we are here for Your move on earth. We do not want to merely gain the knowledge of Bible teachings. We are willing to take up the burden to be constituted of all the New Testament teachings so that, like Paul, we may be vessels to carry out Your economy. We are even willing to labor full time.” If the situation requires that we work at a job to support ourselves and others, we should do so. Otherwise, we should be willing to devote all our time to the Lord’s ministry.
Concerning God’s New Testament economy, the need on earth today is very great. The need is much greater now than in the past centuries when missionaries went forth to preach the gospel and teach the Bible, to a large extent in a superficial way. A superficial preaching of the gospel and teaching of the Bible will never carry out God’s New Testament economy. Such preaching and teaching cannot afford God a way to carry out His eternal plan.
Because the Lord has enlightened us concerning His economy and has even burdened us and commissioned us to carry it out we all need to consider this seriously. We should not say to ourselves, “I have been visiting different denominations and groups, but none of them can satisfy me. Now I feel that the churches in the Lord’s recovery are quite good, and I am satisfied simply to enjoy the church life here.” This attitude is altogether not adequate. All the saints in the recovery need to be built up in the burden of the New Testament economy.
When some saints hear about the need to be burdened for the carrying out of God’s New Testament economy, they may feel that they are not talented or gifted and therefore cannot do very much. However, if the saints are serious with the Lord and become saturated with the riches of God’s economy, especially as conveyed in the Life-study Messages, they will be able to care for a number of others among their relatives, neighbors, friends, colleagues, and schoolmates. At least, we all are able to take care of ten other people, not preaching a shallow, superficial gospel or presenting a common teaching, but ministering the deeper truths of the New Testament economy. If we are saturated with God’s economy, whenever we speak concerning it, the truth will flow out. Furthermore, the people will be able to understand what we are saying. If all the saints in the Lord’s recovery take care of ministering the truths of God’s New Testament economy to ten others, there will be an excellent outcome for the Lord’s interest. Others will be constituted of the truth through us, and they in turn will pass this truth on to others. This will result in a marvelous multiplication.
We need to realize that in every nation people are seeking the truth. They may be evil and worldly, but they still desire the truth. They want to know the real meaning of human life. Therefore, we all need to take up the burden to spread the truth concerning God’s New Testament economy. In carrying out this burden, we should not follow the trend of today’s Christianity. Instead, we should follow the pattern of the apostle Paul presented in Acts. For the sake of the Lord’s propagation, let us all become saturated with God’s economy and then help others to be saturated with it.
I encourage the young people to set aside two years after graduating from college to be full time for the Lord. I suggest that these full time young people spend half a day to make a thorough study of the New Testament with the help of the Recovery Version, the footnotes, and the Life-study Messages. In this way, whether or not they continue to serve full time after the two years, they will be fully saturated with and established in the truth of God’s New Testament economy. In addition to their study in the morning, these full time ones may use the remainder of the time to preach the gospel and contact people. I encourage the young people to consider this matter seriously.
We in the Lord’s recovery are not here to be common members of a church doing an ordinary Christian work. Like Paul, our work should revolutionize the situation on earth. Paul is an excellent pattern for us today. He not only carried out the burden of God’s New Testament economy; he also labored with his hands making tents in order to support himself and help others. If we also are faithful to work for the Lord’s purpose, He will take care of our living. Then we shall be able to support many full-time workers not only in this country but in many others countries. For example, if ten saints are faithful in rendering financial support to one full-time worker, out of a thousand saints one hundred will be able to go full time. This is especially true in the United States where, according to the Lord’s sovereignty, the economy is very strong.
Those who are burdened to go forth to labor full time in carrying out God’s New Testament economy should not go out empty-handed. Rather, they must go out with the full knowledge of the truth, at least the full knowledge of the New Testament. We thank the Lord for opening up the New Testament to us. I believe that in the years to come the saints will see more riches in the Word. May all the saints in the Lord’s recovery be saturated with the riches of God’s economy and then dig deeper into the Word to find more riches.
As we go forth bearing the burden of God’s economy, we should not care about the opposition. Often those who are building a highway encounter opposition. Nevertheless, they proceed to clear away the obstacles and fill in the gaps so that a highway can be built. Let us go forth with such a spirit to carry out God’s New Testament economy, presenting the teachings concerning God’s economy to the needy ones. Many, when they hear of this, will be convinced and receive it. Others may oppose. However, instead of arguing, simply present the truth to them. Although they may reject the truth again and again, eventually the Lord will gain them through our faithfulness.
Let us all be filled with the riches of God’s New Testament economy and then carry out the burden for God’s economy positively and aggressively. We all can become aggressive if we are filled and saturated. I hope that in the coming years there will be a great increase for the Lord’s propagation. May there be a real stirring up throughout the earth!
