Jump Start # 1493

Acts 20:29 “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock”

  Last night I took a journey down memory lane. I was reading a notebook of my sermons that I had written 18 years ago. Back then, I wrote out all of my sermons on yellow pads. A lot of hours went into writing those sermons. I wonder if they did any good. I hope so. I ran across a sermon based upon our verse today.

The background of our verse is a meeting between the elders at Ephesus and Paul. This was to be their last time together. Paul was on his way to Jerusalem and danger awaited him there. The Ephesian church was troubled. Later when Paul writes Timothy, the young preacher who is at Ephesus, there is a battle going on with false teachers. By the time Revelation is penned, those Ephesians had left their first love.

Here are a few thoughts:

1. Churches have problems from within. So often in prayers we hear one thanking the Lord that we are allowed to worship freely and without trouble from the world. Those are needed and great prayers. But here, in this passage, the coming danger was from within. Unsettled souls, folks who are not content with the Biblical pattern, those who are being tugged by error, those who do not have the heart of Jesus all present potential problems. Churches that have divided in the past did so because of internal turmoil. Internal issues are often the greatest threats that a church faces. This is why solid and steady teaching is a must. Folks must understand God’s way and His will. Teach, teach and teach. Paul’s words to the young preacher was, “Preach the word.” Our passage tells us that the coming Ephesian trouble would arise from “wolves…among you.” Jesus spoke of such wolves. They disguise themselves as sheep, but they are not. Their intent is selfish. They do much harm to the flock. Sometimes a church is torn to pieces because the shepherds were too slow to catch the trouble and even slower in dealing with it. Time works in the favor of error. More time to spread rumors. More time to discourage the members. More time to sow the seeds of wrong. What may have started with one or two families, quickly spreads to 50% of the congregation. Talk turns to dividing. The work comes to a sudden stop. Members turn against each other. People are more interested in who is on which side, than hearing what the Lord says.  Paul is warning them. Trouble is coming. It’s coming from within.

2. Elders need instructing as do the rest of us. Paul’s words were to the shepherds at Ephesus. They were not beyond learning, growing and needing instructing themselves. A growing church has growing elders. Learning, sharing, studying are essential for shepherds to keep up and keep informed. The elders need to understand what is affecting the church. They need to know how to stay the course. They need to be solid in their convictions. There is much that shepherds can learn.

3. Paul recognized that he was going to depart. He said, “after my departure.” To Timothy, Paul said, “The time of my departure has come.” The word depart means “exit.” It was time for Paul to exit this world. Paul knew that he wasn’t going to be around. Paul understood that he would die. Some folks don’t seem to get this. They live and act as if they are going to be here forever. They are not. They have no exit plans. The wise Christian will. First, there are the physical and material plans such as having life insurance and a will and letting your family know where your important papers are. Second, the wise Christian will work on leaving spiritual footprints that others can follow. How will you be remembered? What will your family think was important in your life? Paul was teaching the Ephesian elders because he knew he wasn’t going to be around much longer. We leave footprints for others to follow. This is especially true spiritually. Sometimes preachers and elders don’t think about that. Someday there will be another preacher sitting in my office. That will happen, unless the Lord comes. My work, my relationship with the church, my attitudes can make it easier or harder for the one that comes after me. Young preachers need to see this. Moving every time something doesn’t go your way, makes a congregation not trust younger preachers. They get the impression that they won’t be here long and they will keep their distance. Preachers that are demanding and high maintenance can ruin things for the preachers who will follow them. We must see beyond ourselves. We are leaving footprints. We can make things better and easier for others or we can make it harder for them.

Paul saw coming changes to the Ephesian church. What he saw wasn’t going to be good. They were sailing into some serious storms. Paul was trying to help them steer clear of those things. Churches, like people change. Some for the better and others for the worse. Attitudes, seriousness about God and an understanding of what we are about all have a place in mapping out our future. Those that stick their heads in the sand and believe that nothing could happen here will be amazed when it does. I have driven by some of the houses I once lived in. They look different. Different colors. Trees cut down. Just not the same as I left it. The same happens when one visits congregations that they were a part of in the past. Things change. New faces. Familiar faces gone. Sometimes the change is good. The group is growing, friendly and strong. Other times, it’s a sad picture. The church seems to be on life-support. People are bailing out.

What we do is not just for us. I think that is something Paul was stressing. We turn the keys over to someone else. How are we going to leave it? We need to teach those who follow us. We need to do all we can to make things smooth and right. We need to hold to God’s unchanging hand.

There is a song that begins, “Troublesome times are here…” That may be true, but Jesus is here as well.

Paul has given us much to think about.

Roger