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As I close out the blogs for November, I want to bring you a report from S. E. Asia which spans ten years and more. We are truly grateful for what God has done.
“In addition to you praying and training us for 10 years, we see how our Lord was always with you and with us. When we met ten years ago, we embarked on this ministry which some pastors of denominations thought we could not continue for two or three years. They thought this for the following reasons:
But God has made this ministry grow for the past 10 years in His way because:
During these days we received a request from 4-6 pastors asking us to provide materials for them to review so plans can be made for training in their churches during 2025-2026.” We are humbled by this report! We take no credit to ourselves for what has been done in this country or any other. It is solely the work and grace of God!
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This morning as I completed reading Jeremiah, it led my mind to Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders. “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears” (Acts 20:29–31).
Paul was like Jeremiah who agonized over the rebellion of Israel. Paul agonized over the state of the Church. Having seen what the enemy had done in the Church since the Jerusalem Council, he was well-aware it could happen among the elders at Ephesus. To remain silent and fail to warn them would directly ignore his divine calling and his commitment to be faithful to God’s truth revealed in His Son. We should not deceive ourselves into thinking that because our churches are growing numerically, “programs” seem to be thriving, and bank accounts have a surplus, that we are immune from “fierce wolves…among [ourselves]… speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them,” and deceive ourselves that these cannot occur. How can we protect ourselves from such a travesty? Appeal to the Holy Spirit for a discerning mind and heart. Establish your thinking on a purely biblical foundation. Be accountable to those who speak the truth and will confront you when you deviate from the truth. Finally, deepen your love for the Lord and His glory – not yours! Those are the most uncomfortable words to hear. For most of us, we are not comfortable with examining ourselves, probably because we do not think we need to. Remember, Paul is addressing the “elders.” More than any other group of people in the church, elders, leaders, shepherds, and overseers must be willing to take inventory of their spiritual condition.
The health, growth, and propagation of the gospel depends on leaders being able to see their weaknesses, repent of them, openly admit of convictions before God (and the church if appropriate), seek forgiveness and promote healing by returning to the authority of Scripture and the Holy Spirit. This is why Paul makes a critical statement to them. “Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood” (Acts 20:28). There is direct accountability to the Holy Spirit who gave them the position of eldership. We must never feel or say that a church belongs to us!! Christ is the Head of His Church (Colossians 1:18) purchased the Church with His blood and must have the first place! If HE is recognized as Head, elders will be ready to examine whether their character is supporting and strengthening God’s work or detracting and weakening it. There comes a time in mentoring relationships that mentors need to be very straightforward about what is ahead. Roland Allen insisted that it was unhealthy for church planters to stay at churches they planted indefinitely. Paul would not do this. Establishing elders (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5) was necessary for the local church to mature and learn how to handle their own affairs without leaning on the mentor (church planter).
We have been working through Paul’s final words to the elders at Ephesus (Acts 20:17-38). In verse 24, Paul again made it abundantly clear that his life had no value to him apart from continuing to “testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” To make his point clear, he tells them that they will not see his face again. There is a finality to those words! Was there anything left for Paul to do at Ephesus or teaching with the elders? “I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God” (20:27). There are two sides to this statement. One is that Paul’s work at Ephesus was complete. He could not teach them any more doctrine than what he had taught them already. Paul never specialized in one area of doctrine. He wanted these elders to have a solid grip on the whole gospel. The other side of this is a more serious question; did they listen and put into practice what he taught them? Discipling (mentoring) is not ‘force-feeding’! Becoming a disciple means we take seriously what the mentor is teaching. Whether you are a mentor or disciple, please be alert to the principles in this chapter. They make the difference between a thriving church and a dying church. “And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. But I do not account my 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, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:22–24).
These three verse do not need any commentary from me. They are very challenging and make me ask, ‘am I holding anything back or allowing any other priority to get in the way of “testifying to the gospel of the grace of God”? For Paul, the possibility of suffering for the sake of Christ was “gain” “But whatever gain I had; I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:7–8). Are we holding anything back that might hinder others from receiving what is “profitable”? Do we want others to “gain Christ” even if it means suffering and loss on our part? Paul was very discriminating. I have listened to many preachers and pastors who talk about their sermon preparation and admit that they put little thought and prayer into the message they preach Sunday morning or midweek. I am not suggesting for a moment that the Spirit cannot give a spontaneous message that is filled with biblical truth and presented in power. That is much different from a ‘canned sermon’ or one pulled off the internet. We should always be “hearing what the Spirit says to the churches” (Revelation 2:7).
As Paul is giving his final exhortation to the Ephesian elders, he reminds them that he “did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable and teaching you in public and from house to house” (Acts 20:20). The word “profitable” means it was for their spiritual advantage. What Paul taught was thoughtfully prepared so the elders would gain in spiritual wisdom and grace no matter what the setting was. It did not matter whether Paul was teaching “in public or from house to house,” the standard was the same. It had to be for their building up and strengthening their faith. This raises the question with any of us who preach or teach in any capacity, how much prayerful time do we put into preparation? Do we think about the needs of those we are addressing? Are we using words that convey a correct understanding of the truth? Do we express humility in our speech and seeking to draw individuals into a dialog (not lecture). Discussion always helps the teacher know whether those receiving the message are hearing correctly. As I wrote the blog yesterday, my thoughts turned to a similar time when Paul left Troas and ended up on the island of Miletus. From there “he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him”(Acts 20:16). He was intentional about this meeting. Paul pulled them away from their normal setting in Ephesus so they could concentrate on his final words to them before heading to Jerusalem.
He begins by reminding them of the way he taught them in Ephesus. Paul modeled “serving with humility…tears and with trials” (20:19). In the many years of ministry and working with others in ministry, I have rarely seen this characteristic in a pastor, minister, or missionary. When I have seen it, there is no question about its genuineness. It flows from a heart that has spent time alone with the Lord, learning how He thinks about His people. Why is this largely missing today? We all remember the testing Jesus put Peter through in John 21:15-19. Have we forgotten Jesus’ final words to Peter at the end of that exam? He said to Peter, “Follow Me”(21:19). “Serving with humility and tears” is never learned in a seminar classroom. It is learned at the feet of Jesus, getting close enough that you hear His heart for His Church, His Bride. Have you been there? In just a few days, Randy will head back to S. E. Asia to spend about ten days with our partner in Myanmar. The Lord has given our dear Brother a unique responsibility to oversee 20 Bible Schools in this country. He has arranged for 50 to 60 leaders from these schools to meet in view of being taught from God’s Word through our training materials. They want the Spirit to empower them through the Word for greater and more effective ministry.
This is happening in a place where the country is being torn apart by war, persecution, and general unrest and uncertainty. With a focus on getting leadership anchored in God’s Word, there is no limit to what God will and can do through hearts that are fully devoted to Him. Their energies are not consumed with unrest but riveted on what God wants to do through them. No time is wasted on trivial pursuits or things that do not have eternal value. What would God do right here on home turf if we adopted the same attitude? It is not for us to figure out all the details or know exactly how God is going to work. Our responsibility is to have a passion for the gospel and the spread of His Word. He will make the Word multiply as we are submitted to Him. “So, the word of the Lord continued to increase and prevail mightily” (Acts 19:20). No program, no human planning, BUT GOD! I want to broaden our look at “sound doctrine” beyond what Paul said to Timothy. When teachers stray away from “the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ,” more problems occur besides false teaching. Consider these verses:
“I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive” (Romans 16:17–18). It is characteristic of most false teachers that they are charismatic, articulate, and persuasive. Those who are immature in the faith lack discernment and follow what sounds good. The contrast to immaturity is “that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. “Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,” (Ephesians 4:14-15). Is your time in the Word of God developing maturity so you can discern between right doctrine and deception? We have been looking at the development of a young leader like Timothy. Paul left him in Ephesus to pastor that church after about four years of mentoring. This shows how Paul trusted the development of God’s work in Timothy. But that did not mean Paul no longer had any say in his ‘continuing spiritual development.’ The Church in general still faced challenges of maintaining the pure gospel of grace. For that reason, Paul writes the following words of warning.
“As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (1 Timothy 1:3–4). Notice that the different “doctrine” is based in man’s ideas, fantasies, and “speculations,” not in faith anchored in God/ The next quote is longer but contains the same serious warning. “Teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing” (6:2b–4a). In these verses the standard to judge what someone is teaching is “the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ.” These words promote “godliness” in those who teach them. Any other standard will allow some deviation from the gospel of grace. Do you have a discerning ear? |
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