The Heart of Paul

Acts 20:16-38

For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus so that he would not have to spend time in Asia; for he was hurrying to be in Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.  From Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. And when they had come to him, he said to them, "You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time, serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. "And now, behold, bound by the Spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.  "But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.  "And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face.  "Therefore, I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men.  "For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.  "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. "I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.  "Therefore be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years I did not cease to admonish each one with tears.  "And now I commend 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 are sanctified.  "I have coveted no one's silver or gold or clothes.  "You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my own needs and to the men who were with me.  "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"  When he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.  And they began to weep aloud and embraced Paul, and repeatedly kissed him, grieving especially over the word which he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they were accompanying him to the ship.

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This passage of Scripture is deeply profound and it provides for us a beautiful glimpse into the heart of this faithful apostle. As I've pondered these words this week, I've gleaned so much from Luke's recounting of Paul's exhortation to the Ephesian elders.

There is no doubt that Paul labored tirelessly for the cause of Christ. He was relentless in his pursuit of seeing to it that believers knew and understood who they were before a just and holy God, but also to know who they were in the righteousness of Christ (Rom 3, Eph 1, 2). He longed for converts to apprehend and cling to sound doctrine, as he of course knew (and penned) that all Scripture was inspired by God and profitable for training in righteousness. (2 Tim 3:16). Paul repeatedly warned of false teachers, wolves in sheep’s clothing, who would attempt to promote a false gospel - then and now. He instructed Christians to rebuke, not embrace them and to be sound in doctrine, enabling them to be discerning. 

He was not ashamed of the gospel of Christ and called believers not to be as well (Rom 1:16; 2 Tim 1:8, 2:15). During his life, Paul suffered immeasurably for the propagation of the gospel of grace and the exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ (Phil 3:8; 1 Thess 2:2). And not only that, Paul was going to be shown that he would suffer - But the Lord said to him (Ananias), "Go, for he (Paul) is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name's sake." (Acts 9:15-16) Paul was beaten, imprisoned and eventually beheaded for furthering the gospel. But he considered it all loss in exchange for knowing Christ - "More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ" (Phil 3:8).

All of this is astounding to me. What an example for the rest of us who name the Name of Christ. Paul was bold yet humble. He recognized his sin and shortcomings, but he understood his righteousness IN Christ. He considered himself chief among sinners, yet he knew he was also among the called of God. I look at my own life and realize I can certainly learn a thing or two from Paul – as well I should since his writings comprise nearly 40% of the New Testament as the inspired Word of God.  Paul's writings are indeed for my own exhortation, education, edification and encouragement [alliteration not intended;)] . I pray that by the power of the Holy Spirit I will attend to and obey God’s Word as Paul has so clearly instructed.  This little blogpost is by no means an exhaustive account of the life of Paul and all he accomplished for Christ's sake.  I'm certainly no scholar, only someone who has been pondering Paul this week and coming to truly appreciate his life's journey and his great example.  I pray that God would grant me some of the wisdom of Paul, a portion of his boldness in proclaiming the gospel, a measure of his humility and even (a few) opportunites to share in his suffering, so that I will live more purposely and faithfully a life that is Christ-centered in everything I do.  May it please the Lord to do so.

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For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher. For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until that day. Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.  2 Tim 1:7-14