The Faithful Pastor (Acts 20:17-34)
I watched the election Tuesday night, like a lot of you, and was encouraged by some of the things that happened. I do think that one of the political parties was so extreme that it kept some very dangerous things at bay. And I think that’s worth being happy about.
But, at the same time, we must understand that we have more important work to do as a church. Before the election I spoke of the importance of what we do at home and in the church. These things are the priority.
The Church, it’s growth, it’s expansion into the darkness is the priority. I’ve repeatedly said that the Church in America seems to believe that our role in America is to get on the last plane leaving Saigon while society falls to pieces. We act as if we’re going to be taken up, everything else is going to burn, and that’s all that matters.
Whether an election has good results or bad results the Church has work to do. We have work to do.
With that in mind, I want to ask you a question.
If you knew that you would not be seeing your church family again, what would you say to them? If you knew death was coming for you, what would you say? What would you be thinking about?
That is the situation we find with Paul in at Ephesus. It is almost a last will of sorts. He has labored among God’s people here for a few years and he knows that he will not see them again. And he has a few things he wants to say before he goes.
This last speech from Paul given to the leaders of the Church at Ephesus is very informative for us today. In it we get a picture of pastoral ministry and the dangers that face a church.
I have chosen to move through the Book of Acts. I did so prayerfully. And we are nearing the end of the Book. I don’t know how many more sermons from Acts there will be before it is over. But we are entering the last phase of the Book of Acts. And as we enter this part of the Book of Acts, Paul gives us a picture of what it means to be a faithful pastor and to be a faithful church. Today we will focus on the what it means to be a faithful pastor.
After this Paul will go to Jerusalem, be arrested, and be moved a few times until he reaches Rome where the book ends with him under house arrest. And Paul somehow knew he would never see the Ephesians again. What would he say to them? The first part of this and the majority of the text is about how pastors should view the Church and conduct themselves. And that is what we will discuss today.
A sermon like this one is interesting for me to live through. I read the text prayerfully on Monday. I then read some commentaries over the text and look at any language issues that may pop up. I catalogue all of that and begin to chew on what it means. I jot down a few notes on how this text applies to me and the church. I try to think about how it will apply to us as a church. And I attempt to see how this applies to me as well. And give some thought to how well I am doing in these areas. That is my typical Monday, hours of thought go into the foundational meaning and application of the text for Sunday.
This one was strange for a few reasons, but the one I want to mention here is that I had to do a lot of thinking about myself this week because it is about what it means to be a faithful pastor.
You see, everyone has an idea in their mind about what is important for a pastor to do. And sometimes we can allow the expectations of others to shape our own expectations of ourselves. And sometimes it’s not even the expectations of others. Sometimes it’s our own misguided thoughts. So, when I work through a passage like this as part of the Book of Acts or really any other book of the Bible, I have to do a lot of thinking about what a pastor is supposed to do and be. And I have to do a self-assessment and see where I fall short. Then I deliver that to you.
I also think that it is important for the whole church to understand the role of a pastor in the life of a church. What is he supposed to be doing? How is he supposed to be behaving? Where are his priorities?
The faithful pastor counts God people as much more precious than his own life. And the faithful church must be on guard for people that are not this way.
The Faithful Pastor Receives His Ministry From The Lord
It is the Lord that sets the agenda of the pastor. Paul received this ministry from the Lord and. And his agenda was to preach and teach “the gospel of the grace of God”, “the whole counsel of God”, and to “admonish everyone with tears”. This is the agenda given to the pastor. And it was the agenda given to Paul in Ephesus.
This is the agenda, and if a person is going to be a pastor then they’d better be willing to pay the price to do this agenda. Paul himself said that he “did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable”. He faced opposition for his faithfulness and adherence to God’s Word time and time again. And it is a price that the faithful pastor needs to be willing to pay.
The very things that are profitable for God’s people to hear are not always enjoyable. The “whole counsel of God” is not always loved and enjoyed. And sometimes this brings with it hardships.
But a faithful pastor is not just supposed to preach God’s Word when it is convenient for him to do so. He is not just to preach when it is easy for him. He is to preach when it might do him harm. He is to preach and declare God’s Word when it might cause people to turn their backs on him. He is to preach and declare God’s Word when he is certain it will get him into trouble.
His agenda is set by the Lord.
John Bunyan was a Puritan pastor in a Roman Catholic England that had him put in prison. The Roman Catholic monarchy fought against the Protestant Parliament which made for years of turmoil. When the Roman Catholics were in control the Protestant preachers went to prison, hid or became chaplains for Oliver Cromwell’s Parliamentary Army.
John Bunyan, who wrote “Pilgrim’s Progress” was sentenced to prison. All he had to do was promise not to preach and he could go free. His response to the judge,
“Sir, as to this matter, I am at a point with you; for if I am out of prison today, I will preach the gospel again tomorrow – by the help of God!”
The faithful pastor doesn’t decide what is best for God’s people. He doesn’t lick his finger and stick it into the wind and figure out what to do. He receives, from the Lord, His directives for ministry. And here are His directives for ministry.
Preach and teach the Word of God. Counsel God’s people in His Word. Admonish people in the Word.
The faithful pastor is going to need to know the Scriptures and preach the Scriptures. What is it that the pastor is supposed to declare, “the whole counsel of God”.
The faithful pastor is going to need to see the Scriptures as sufficient for the Christian life. And that is where he will live. That is where he will counsel from. That is where he will work from, live, and move.
We understand this, or at least did at some point in history. A pastor is called a minister for short. But what is it short for? He is a minister of God’s Word.
A pastor can move away from Scripture in two different ways. Either he can begin to discuss moral issues from non-scriptural sources, which often does happen. The pastor will stand behind the pulpit and give everyone a constant flow of his opinions on a matter, only using Scripture as it seems to bolster what he wanted to say.
This is very common in preaching today. And it also sneaks into sermons in ways that you might not realize. A pastor will stand behind a pulpit and give a sermon called “5 Steps To A Healthy Marriage” or something to that affect. But what they actually did was begin with 5 points and grab 5 Scriptures that bolster their sermon outline.
I don’t believe that a person must preach through books of the Bible to be faithful to God’s Word. But Scripture must give the direction. God’s Word must be the guide.
A faithful preacher is not a messenger of his own message, but a messenger from the Lord.
On a few occasions I have had people come to me and tell me that they didn’t think I should have preached on something I preached on. The first few times I was almost apologetic about it. But after some thought, it really occurred to me that I am not supposed to be apologetic. If I am correct in bringing forth God’s Word then I am supposed to lay it out there apply it to our lives and you are obligated to believe it and obey it.
If I am wrong, then you are to come to me and tell me that I was wrong in what I said and show me why I am wrong.
There is never supposed to be an instance where I declare God’s Word and then stand by while people are unrepentant. I am to deliver God’s Word to God’s people and apply God’s Word to God’s people in our times.
All of it. Not just part of it. All of it.
I’m not to pick and choose what I want to say or apply in our day. All of it, “the whole counsel of God”.
What happens when a church decides it will only talk about certain topics? What happens when a church decides it will not talk about certain topics? What happens when a pastor decides never to preach on topics that would make people angry?
What happens when a pastor doesn’t want to anger anyone and chooses not to talk about homosexuality or abortion? They don’t know about these things.
What happens when a pastor chooses not to talk about marriage and divorce? People don’t know how to live as married couples.
What happens when a pastor chooses not to talk about the nature and character of God? People don’t know how to rely on God because they don’t know who He is.
The Faithful Pastor Counts God’s Flock As Precious
What is the value of the Church? What is the value of the job that he has to do? What is the job that he has to do?
The pastor is given the task of caring “for the church of God, which He [Jesus] obtained with His own blood”.
I will state it this way. The people that Jesus obtained at the high price of His own blood are the very same people that I am supposed to devote my life to.
For everyone in this room today, you need to understand this. The Bride of Christ is precious. How precious? Christ’s blood was poured out for her.
God the Son took on human flesh and dwelt among us. He lived, died, and rose from the grave to bring us to God. He purchased a people for Himself that He took out of bondage and death and made His people. Jesus, who purchased those people expects pastors to care for them today.
As a general rule for everyone here, don’t speak ill of the bride of Christ. Treat God’s people as precious. Cherish each other and the relationships you have together with one another.
Now, as it pertains to pastors, they are to count God’s flock as that precious. So, precious that Jesus obtained it with His own blood.
What is it that makes pastoral responsibility a high calling?
My first inclination is to say that it is the handling of God’s Word. But when I really think about it, that’s not the whole picture. That is only part of it.
I am supposed to care for those people for which Christ died. My handling of God’s Word has an end, it is the care of God’s people.
Think about it. God the Son came to Earth, lived and died for His sheep and then left them in the care of His under shepherds.
If a pastor doesn’t understand that, then he doesn’t understand the ministry. If he thinks that this is about him, then he doesn’t understand the ministry. It’s a calling from God to care for God’s people.
And this must flavor everything he does for the Church.
Why does he study the Word in preparation to preach a sermon? He does so in order to feed the flock of God that He purchased with His own blood.
Why does he read often in an attempt to better understand what the Scriptures teach? So that He can feed the flock of God that was purchased by the blood of Christ.
The Faithful Pastor Does Not Count His Own Life As Precious
Paul speaks of this in this text today when he said, “I do not account my own 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…”
The faithful pastor is not to be living for his self, but for others. He is to be living to fulfill the ministry that the Lord has given him. And he is to be living to care for God’s people.
It is not about the pastor. Church is not about the pastor. The work of the pastor is for the building up of the Church. The ministry of the Word is for feeding God’s people. A church is not about the pastor.
We miss this today. We miss this a lot.
We live in an age of celebrity. And this bled into the local church.
Pastors try to make a name for themselves. And the people within the church desire to be at a church where the pastor has some sort of celebrity status.
Churches now choose pastors with some sort of fame rather than choosing someone that’s faithful.
Pastors that achieved this celebrity status have rather famously fallen into sin and been removed from their church just to be hired by another church that desired celebrity status over long-term faithfulness.
And what happens? They succeed in getting people to come in the building. And they fail at biblical faithfulness.
We don’t just see this with churches. We see these celebrity thoughts about pastors even in the attitude that pastors have about themselves.
So, the temptation is to see yourself as needing to change things to get people in the door. It is to think that prioritize things that the Lord does not prioritize to get viewers, if you will. A pastor that drops from the ceiling in a Batman costume when a new Batman movie comes out is a pastor who is prioritizing this very thing.
But that is not the only temptation. It’s not.
Another temptation is to think that you need more money, or are worth more money.
I hate thinking and talking about finances. I am rather averse to the topic because I understand that this can be a temptation. So, I attempt to avoid it. But it can’t really be avoided.
It is something that must be thought about and discussed. Paul did not count himself so precious that he deserved everyone else’s stuff. In fact, here he says that his own hands ministered to his necessities. For a while, he worked to provide his own needs. And after that an offering came from other churches, he required nothing of the people he was working with (Acts 18:6). He had every right to require that of the people.
It was Paul himself that said,
“Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching. For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox when it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer deserves his wages.”” (1 Timothy 5:17-18 ESV)
But Paul here helps us to understand how the pastor should view himself. A pastor should not view their self, their own rights as precious to them. The faithful pastor should view the church that he is caring for as precious. He should view God’s people as precious. He should view the ministry of the Word as precious. He should view the lives of the people in His care as precious. But His own life should not be viewed as precious.
His life is in the faithful ministry of the Word for the sake of God’s people. Do I have to care about and think about money? Yes, I do. It must be something I consider as a husband and father, I need to provide for my family. And I don’t need to do so poorly. And this is a tough line to tow sometimes.
I’ve known pastors that work another job to make ends meet for their family. They see their family on Sunday and little else. His family often ends up broken and hating the ministry because of it.
I’ve known others that get paid not to do anything. I’d hate to be him on Judgment Day.
It matters. It’s a difficult situation to wade through. But the attitude of the pastor is to understand that his life, his worth, the preciousness of his own life is not what matters. The ministry of the Word is precious. God’s people are incredibly precious. And he does not count his own well-being as precious.
The Faithful Pastor Protects God’s People
Paul gave a staunch warning in our text today. He told these pastors of the church at Ephesus that “fierce wolves” would come to destroy the flock. These people would speak “twisted things to draw away the disciples”.
In every generation this has been the case. This has happened repeatedly throughout history. There will always be wolves to deal with. People sneak in and want to damage God’s people. And these people generally look like good people. But Satan is always at work attempting to destroy God’s people.
Pastoral ministry is not supposed to be all smiles and kindness. Sometimes people need to be escorted out the door. Sometimes sin is to be confronted. Sometimes those people that would destroy God’s people are to be dealt with.
Rather famously, John Calvin said this about pastors.
“The pastor ought to have two voices: one, for gathering the sheep; and another, for warding off and driving away wolves and thieves.”
There are some things that we simply cannot allow in our presence, and we cannot play with. And false teaching is one of those things.
Here Paul is speaking of people that come to take advantage of God’s people, whether it be people that are teaching falsely or people trying to get money out of God’s people.
And, when we read the rest of the New Testament, we see that there was good reason to give the warning.
The first book that I preached when I came to Victory Baptist Church was 1 John. It was written because of heresies that circulated in Asia Minor, which is here in Ephesus. Other books tell a similar story. Galatians had already been written by Paul a few years earlier, and in it he dealt with wolves that had preached that circumcision was to be added to faith. We see instructions to Timothy concerning false teachers. This is found throughout the New Testament because it was a plague on the Church then and it is a plague on the church today.
Today we find teachers on the internet everywhere that wish to tell you that they are the source of some new knowledge. They understand things better than people have for thousands of years. They got a degree at a Bible College and suddenly they know all there is to know about Christianity. And somehow, everyone before them has been wrong.
And the people fall for it.
False teaching and false teachers are and always have been a plague on God’s people. And the pastor must confront these things. Care for God’s people is not just about preaching and teaching the Word, but it’s also about guarding the hearts of God’s people.
The shepherd carried a rod and staff. The rod was a solid wood club. It could be used to keep predators away, bludgeon predators, or to scare sheep that might wander off. The staff was most often used to keep sheep on the path.
The faithful shepherd must understand that he is to care for God’s people as well as ward off enemies that would devour God’s people.
Conclusion
What is the response a pastor expects of a congregation after a sermon about pastors? That’s really what makes a sermon like this one difficult to deliver. But I think there are some answers.
You should understand that a pastor is a minister of the Word. Know that this is his role and that is one he is supposed to live up to. He’d better know the Scriptures and how they apply to your life. But knowledge is not the end of this. This is supposed to be for the benefit of the Church. This is not to terminate on the pastor, it is to radiate outward to your benefit. It’s not about the pastor, it’s about the Church.
And so, how do you apply this? Simply put, treat your pastor that way.
Hold me accountable to be this! I am not supposed to wander from this. It would be dangerous to my soul to allow me to stay from this.
Do you have a major conundrum in your life that is just bogging you down? There is someone in this church that has been placed here to help in these matters. Don’t try to go it alone.
Prepare your hearts for hearing and applying the sermons to your life. Pray for me that I will be faithful in proclaiming God’ Word. Pray for yourself, that you will hear it and apply it to your life well.
And leave here fed declaring the Word of the Lord to the world. Go and share the gospel you hear today to a lost and dying world that needs to hear it.
These things were so important, that it was the last thing Paul said to the Church at Ephesus. And these are things we need to be doing in our church today.
R. Dwain Minor