Show a good example in everything!

[Acts 20:35]

Aegis Fernando said this about ‘Ministry led by Jesus - looking, becoming like, and showing’: ‘When I started my ministry, I traveled to several villages in Sri Lanka with the elderly evangelist Samuel Mendis. I learned a lot from him about how to preach the gospel to the poor. Once, we spent a night in a school classroom. We put together two or three wooden chairs and slept on them. When I woke up early in the morning, he was already awake, kneeling and praying. That sight was deeply engraved in my heart. Leaders should show a good example in front of people. Even when I was young, I learned from the elders praying. Parents should also show the essence of a life of faith to their children. Only then will the children come to know God and live a life obedient to Him’ (Internet). When reflecting on your life of faith, has anyone's exemplary life of faith influenced or is influencing you? What can you tell your children or spiritual successors to learn from you?

In today's passage, Acts 20:35, Paul, during his farewell sermon to the elders of the Ephesian church, admonishes them, saying, "In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak." Let's draw a few lessons from Paul's example.

First, we must work hard to help the weak.

Look at Acts 20:35: "In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak." Elders can commit five sins:

The first sin is indifference.

Look at Acts 20:31: "Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears." Paul's pastoral example is being watchful, protecting the flock from harm. His pastoral example is diligence in staying awake; it is diligence to admonish everyone with tears, a manifestation of true love for the sheep (Park). Paul, not to commit the sin of indifference, exhorts the elders of the Ephesian church to be vigilant, remembering his vigilance in caring for the spiritual well-being of the Ephesian flock and the tears shed by Paul for each person.

The second sin is shallowness.

Look at Acts 20:32 - "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." Paul believed that only God's word of grace could firmly establish God's people. Therefore, during his farewell sermon to the elders, he requested them to be built up in the firmness of God's word of grace (v. 32). However, the problem arises when elders fail to be firmly grounded in God's word of grace, hindering the church from being firmly established. In other words, the church may not be firmly established due to the shallowness of faith. We must remember that God, by establishing us, will firmly establish the church. Especially if elders are not firmly grounded in God's word, the church cannot be firmly established.

The third sin is covetousness.

Look at Acts 20:33 - "I coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel." Covetousness is a desire to possess what others have, driven by an insatiable longing. Paul confessed that he did not covet anything while serving the saints in the Ephesian church. However, he knew that among the elders of the Ephesian church, there would arise those who would speak perverse things (v. 30) and also be covetous of things like silver, gold, and apparel. Therefore, he urged the elders to imitate his example and avoid coveting. The Tenth Commandment says, "You shall not covet your neighbor's house." Violating this commandment leads to breaking the other nine commandments. The covetous person may steal, lie, commit murder, and even dishonor parents to fulfill their covetous desires. Covetousness is idolatry (Eph. 5:5; Col. 3:5).

The fourth sin is laziness.

Look at Acts 20:34 - "You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me." Although Paul, as an apostle, had the right to receive material support from the church, he worked as a tentmaker to support himself. Moreover, he provided for the needs of his fellow workers with his own hands, diligently working to earn his living.

The fifth and last sin that elders can easily fall into is selfishness.

Look at Acts 20:35 - "In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" Despite being an obligation for elders to help the weak within the church, Paul warns them not to forget this duty and indulge in selfish desires that only satisfy their own needs.

Paul's example is his labor in helping the weak. He says, "You know the things I have shown you" (v. 34), meaning that the Ephesian elders personally knew that Paul had served his needs and those who were with him. If we rephrase verse 34, it could be translated as, ‘You personally know that these hands served my necessities and those who were with me’ (Yoo). In other words, Paul had a genuine concern for the Ephesian believers, worked diligently, did not covet anything, and exerted effort not only for his needs but also for the needs of others.

We are called to help the weak. The Bible emphasizes this truth. In 1 Thessalonians 5:14, the Bible says, "... encourage the fainthearted, help the weak ...." Additionally, Romans 14:1 advises, "As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions." Paul's example demonstrated tears of compassion (v. 31), grounding in God's word of grace (v. 32), abandoning covetousness (v. 33), diligence (v. 34), and living a sacrificial life (v. 35).

Second, we must remember the words of the Lord.

Look at Acts 20:35: "In all things, I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" The Ephesian church faced two dangers:

The first danger was the "savage wolves."

Look at Acts 20:29: "I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock." This first danger was an external threat approaching the church. When Paul mentions "savage wolves," he does not explicitly identify whom he is referring to, but it could likely imply hostile Jewish leaders and their followers who would harm the church (Yoo). Paul prophesies that after he leaves, meaning after his death, these "savage wolves" would infiltrate from outside the church, disguising themselves as gentle sheep, but ultimately showing indifference to the flock. Furthermore, because they lack the Spirit of Christ, they would oppose and harm the Spirit-filled believers, as Paul warns the Ephesian elders.

The second danger was false teachers or heretics arising from among the flock.

Look at Acts 20:30 - "And from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them." Here, "from among your own selves" refers to those within the ranks of the Ephesian elders who would teach distorted doctrines (Yoo). Those Ephesian elders who were listening to Paul's farewell sermon would have been shocked. Paul's words indicated that among the established elders, there would be individuals teaching distorted doctrines that deviated from the faith Paul had taught during his three years in Ephesus. The goal of these heretical teachers was to lead believers away from the path of following the Lord. What was Paul's strategy?

The church leaders, the elders, needed to stay vigilant by remembering Paul's teachings.

Look at Acts 20:31: "Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish everyone with tears." Paul's strategy was for the elders to stay vigilant by remembering the teachings he had imparted over the past three years, admonishing everyone with tears. The elders, being leaders of the church, needed to remain alert and remember Paul's teachings, allowing them to be prepared for any issues that might arise due to heretical teachings.

The church leaders, the elders, needed to be established by the grace of God's Word.

Look at Acts 20:32: "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." Here, the word of God's grace refers to the message containing or related to God's grace. This gracious message has the power not only to build up the Ephesian elders sufficiently but also to empower them to participate in the eschatological inheritance alongside the already sanctified saints. Therefore, Paul encouraged the Ephesian elders, stating that if they firmly held onto this message, regardless of their faith level, the risk of leading the flock astray onto a false path would be minimized.

One day, a mother brought her son to visit Gandhi. She said, ‘Teacher, my child has eaten too many sweets, and his teeth are all decayed. No matter how much I tell Tyler not to eat sweets, he doesn't listen. My son always listens well to your words, so please say something to him.’ Surprisingly, Gandhi said, ‘Come back after a month, and I will tell him then.’ The mother found it strange but waited for a month before returning to Gandhi. ‘Wait for one more month,’ Gandhi said. ‘Do I have to wait another month?’ the mother asked. ‘Well, wait for just one more month,’ Gandhi replied. The mother couldn't understand, but she patiently waited and returned after a month. ‘Young man, from now on, don't eat sweets,’ Gandhi said. ‘Yes, I will never eat sweets again,’ the boy replied. The boy's mother asked Gandhi, ‘Teacher, why did it take two months for you to say a word?’ Gandhi replied, ‘Actually, I also loved sweets too much, and I was eating them. How could I tell the child not to eat sweets when I myself took two months to quit sweets?’ The best education is setting an example through sacrifice. Education is an endless process of sacrifice (Internet).

Wishing to become an example in helping the weak,

James Kim shares

(Hoping that all of us stand firm in God's gracious words).