Questions for Acts 20:1-38

Key verses 20:28

BE SHEPHERDS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD

1. After Paul left Ephesus, what regions did he visit, and what kind of ministry work did he focus on during his travels (20:1-6)? What significant event occurred while Paul was preaching in Troas (7-12)? Reflect on Paul’s passion for spreading the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit in his ministry.
2. Trace Paul's journey from Troas to Miletus (13-16). Why did Paul send to Ephesus for the elders of the church (17-21)? Why do you think Paul was so determined to go to Jerusalem, even at the risk of his life (22-27)? Reflect on Paul's life as a pastor and a missionary.
3. What did Paul ask the elders of Ephesus to do (28-31)? What does it mean to be shepherds of the church of God? Why did Paul commit them to God and to the word of His grace (32)?
4. What example did Paul set regarding finances (33-35)? How do you describe the emotions and significance of the final farewell between Paul and the elders (36-38)? What lessons does this passage offer for us and our faith community today?

Acts 2024 Juan Seo (Sep 29, 2024)

BE SHEPHERDS OF THE CHURCH OF GOD

Acts 20:1-38

Key Verse 20:28

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.

Today's message is about the ministry of Apostle Paul during his third missionary journey. Look at the map. Paul set out from Syrian Antioch and traveled throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia (18:23). Then, he took the road through the interior and arrived in Ephesus (19:1). After ministering in Ephesus for about two and a half years, Paul set out for Macedonia and arrived in Greece (1-2). There, he ministered for three months, but when a plot by the Jews arose, he decided to return to Macedonia instead of going to Syria (3). Paul sent his companions ahead to Troas, and five days later, he joined them (6).

Troas is where Paul saw the vision of a man from Macedonia during his second missionary journey. After the vision, Paul and his companions immediately left Troas for Macedonia. During his third missionary journey, when traveling from Ephesus to Greece, Paul once again sailed from Troas. And Paul visited Troas for the third time on his way to Jerusalem. This time, Paul stayed there for seven days, preaching the gospel of Jesus. On the first day of the week, the believers gathered to break bread (7a). ‘The first day of the week’ refers to Sunday, and ‘to break bread’ refers to ‘the Lord's Supper,’ which shows that the early church gathered on Sundays to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus and to worship God.

Since Paul was planning to leave Troas the next day, he kept on talking until midnight to teach the disciples as much as possible about the gospel of Jesus Christ. On Sundays, the early church believers gathered around dinnertime. Before their meal, they would listen to the word of God and share bread. Then, they would pray for one another and eat the prepared food together. This was called Agape, the love feast. Typically, after the meal, everyone would return home, but that day, Paul gave a special lecture. Therefore, Sunday worship service, which started around 5 or 6 p.m., continued until midnight.

Could you endure a long Sunday service that lasts more than six hours? Some might complain, saying, "It’s too late now. We must go home, sleep, and prepare for work tomorrow.” Others might watch the clock, wondering when the service will end. I agree that it's important to manage time well and not let the service go on too long. Nowadays, we try to start the service on time at 11:00 a.m. and finish by around 12:30 p.m. I also try to finish my message within 35 minutes, but since the passages of the book of Acts are long, I ask for your understanding when the messages run longer. What is impressive is that the believers in Troas had their Sunday worship service for over six hours, particularly listening to Paul's lecture for more than four hours. Though physically tired, they eagerly longed for God's word and listened until midnight. To be more precise, Paul taught until daylight the next day, meaning they stayed up all night to hear God's word. This shows how fervent and desperate the early church believers were in their desire for the word of God. I pray that we may have such a deep spiritual desire that we would be willing to stay up all night listening to the word of God.

But then, an unexpected incident occurred. There was a young man named Eutychus. He was likely a slave, as many early church believers were at the time. He had probably worked hard all day serving his master, and by the evening, he must have been physically exhausted. While he may have wanted to return to his home to rest and sleep, his thirst for God's word led him to the house church to hear Paul's lecture. The air in the room, filled with many oil lamps, was likely stuffy, and his tired body began to succumb to drowsiness. He probably sat by the window to shake off his sleepiness and breathe in some fresh air, but he couldn't fight off the fatigue and eventually fell into a deep sleep. Tragically, he fell from the window to the ground, three stories below. He was picked up dead. This was a truly heartbreaking event. How shocked the believers there must have been! That worship service could have ended as a disaster. Paul immediately went down, threw himself on the young man, and put his arms around him. He prayed for him, and then a miracle happened—Eutychus regained consciousness and opened his eyes. Paul said, "Don’t be alarmed. He’s alive!" After this, Paul went back upstairs, broke bread, and ate. The believers, who had been filled with sorrow at Eutychus's death, were greatly comforted and once again filled with joy at his miraculous resurrection. Paul continued talking until daylight, and then he left.

Why did Luke record this event in such detail? Was it to warn us that falling asleep during a worship service could lead to death? No! Luke recorded this incident to show the spiritual thirst and longing of the believers in Troas for God's word. Many among us come to Sunday worship with the same spiritual hunger. How tiring is the life of a full-time worker? On top of that, you have to take care of children, cook, and clean. These days, our church has more gatherings. Msn. Enoch Seo has been doing so much to improve our church building, and his coworkers asked him if he's working two jobs now. Students are also very busy. The new semester has started, and there's a lot to study. As exams approach, they become anxious due to time constraints. Yet, coming to church for Sunday worship in the midst of all this tiredness and busyness is truly precious. I deeply respect you for coming to worship, even though you could rest at home. Just by coming to church, you've made a great effort. So, if you're physically tired, it’s okay to sleep during the service. Don't struggle too much to stay awake—just rest. In fact, if someone falls asleep during my message, half the responsibility lies with me!

A pastor once noticed a woman sitting in the front row kept dozing off during a Sunday service. He tried to ignore it, but she was sitting right in front, nodding and even snoring at times, making it impossible to overlook. So, the pastor finally spoke to her son sitting beside her, saying, "Hey, wake up your mom." Do you know what the boy responded to? He said, "Pastor, you put her to sleep, so why are you asking me to wake her up?" When people fall asleep during a sermon, part of the responsibility lies with the preacher. So, I have no right to criticize anyone who nods off during my messages. However, I find some comfort in the fact that even during the sermon of a great preacher like the Apostle Paul, someone still fell asleep! So, it’s understandable if people doze off during a sermon from someone like me.

But there are some who start nodding off even before the message begins. As soon as the representative prayer finishes, their eyes already look glazed over. Then, they fall asleep the moment the message starts. I understand that some people work on Saturday nights, and it makes sense that they might feel tired. But there are others who stay up late on Saturday nights partying or playing video games, getting very little sleep, and then come to Sunday worship exhausted. They may not be fully prepared to meet Jesus and worship God on Sunday. I encourage everyone to start preparing for Sunday worship on Saturday evening. Rest well Saturday night, so that you can come to church refreshed on Sunday morning, in good physical and spiritual condition, ready to praise and worship God.

After spending seven days in Troas, Paul and his mission team sailed to Assos and Mitylene. From there, they continued to Chios and Samos before finally arriving at Miletus. Miletus was close to Ephesus, and while Paul wanted to visit Ephesus, he decided to pass by because he had plans to arrive in Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost. Instead, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. The journey from Ephesus to Miletus was about a two-day walk. The Ephesian elders hurried to Miletus to meet Paul, and when they arrived, Paul delivered his farewell message to them. He believed they would never see his face again (38). This farewell message can be summarized with two important themes: one is Paul’s life as a shepherd and missionary, and the other is his exhortation to the elders of Ephesus.

First, Paul’s life as a shepherd and missionary (18-27, 33-35).

Paul’s life as a shepherd is well expressed in verses 18-19. Let’s read it together: “You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.” There are three important virtues we must have when serving Jesus: humility, love, and faith. What is humility? Humility is acknowledging our sinfulness and coming to Jesus just as we are, accepting that Jesus died for our sins. It is recognizing our weaknesses and depending on God. In relationships with others, humility is "valuing others above ourselves" (Phil 2:3). Paul served the Lord "with great humility," coming before God in prayer and fully depending on Him.

The next virtue is love. Paul "served the Lord with tears." Why did Paul shed tears? Verse 31 says, “Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” Paul shed many tears for the believers in Ephesus. He wept over their sins and cried as he helped them back to Jesus. He loved Jesus and the church of God, and he shed tears for the believers.

The third virtue is faith. Paul faced much persecution and suffering while serving Jesus, but he overcame "severe testing" with faith and perseverance. Serving Jesus as a shepherd is not easy. To serve Jesus, we must overcome all hardships with faith and endurance.

As a missionary, Paul had not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to them. He taught them publicly and from house to house. He boldly proclaimed that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. Furthermore, he was determined to go to Jerusalem at the risk of his life. Paul fully dedicated his life to finishing the race of faith and completing the task—the task of testifying to the good news of God's grace. He was compelled by the Spirit to make this commitment. While serving Jesus, he did not covet anyone's silver, gold, or clothing. To avoid burdening other believers, he used his own hands to supply his own needs and the needs of his companions. He always focused on helping the weak and those in need. He emphasized, "It is more blessed to give than to receive" (35).

The life of Apostle Paul as a shepherd and missionary is a great example for us. How was Paul able to live such a life? It was because he lived learning from and following Jesus. Paul told his disciples, "Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1). He gave his all to follow Jesus. He said, "I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead." (Phil 3:10-11) I pray that we can do our best to follow the example of Jesus and the example of Paul.

Second, Paul's exhortation to the Ephesian elders (28-32).

Elders refer to the leaders of the church. Their role is to oversee the church of God, the community of believers. Then, what exhortation did Paul give to the Ephesian elders in his farewell message? Let’s read verse 28 together: “Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Church leaders must first keep watch over themselves. Only by watching over themselves can they properly watch over God’s flock. Satan constantly devises schemes and temptations to attack the leaders. Therefore, we must always pray for our church leaders. I humbly ask that you also pray for me.

Church leaders must also keep watch over the flock of God. Paul commands the Ephesian elders, “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” The phrase “Be shepherds of the church of God” means faithfully providing spiritual nourishment, which is the word of God, to the community of the church that Jesus purchased with his own blood. 1 Peter 5:2-3 teaches the attitude a shepherd should have: “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them—not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not pursuing dishonest gain, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock.” This passage outlines both what a shepherd should not do and what they should do. A shepherd should not watch over the flock out of obligation, should not pursue dishonest gain, and should not lord over those entrusted to them. Instead, a shepherd should willingly watch over the flock, be eager to serve, and be an example to the flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated the perfect example as the Good Shepherd. “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11). Jesus loved God's flock so much that He gave His life for them. The command to “Be shepherds of God’s flock” means to love the community of God and each individual believer just as Jesus loved His sheep.

Are you a leader of God’s church? Do you desire to become a shepherd of Jesus’ flock? Do you want to follow Jesus as His disciple? If so, we must listen to God’s word: “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” And we must live in obedience to this word. Please pray for me to become a good shepherd of God’s flock. Let us also pray that we can become good shepherds for the sheep Jesus bought with His blood, feeding them with God’s word and guiding them to the truth. Amen.