Paul Describes The Personal Pattern and Full Depths Of His Ministry to the Ephesians (18-21).
We may ask, why did Paul spend so much time in this speech talking about himself? Some have suggested that he was necessarily combating criticism. But a careful consideration of the speech opens us up to another suggestion, and that is that it was carefully worded so as to be an object lesson to the elders as to how they too should go about their ministry. He could have given a lecture on, ‘how to be a good elder'. And they might have taken down notes and gone away and studied it, or lost the notes. But it would have been very formal. But these men all loved Paul. And as he described the kind of ministry that he had conducted they would all have been nodding their agreement. And they would all be becoming enthused with what sort of people they now ought to be. Here was an example to follow. Indeed he points out at the end that that is precisely what he wants them to do, he wants them to follow his example (Acts 20:35). Seen in this light his message gains new meaning. He is saying, ‘go and do likewise'.
‘And when they were come to him, he said to them, “You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was with you all the time, serving the Lord with all lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews, how I shrank not from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and to Greeks repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” '
We have in these words an overall picture of the dedication with which Paul sought to serve the churches, especially in Ephesus, and what his main message was, ‘repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ'. He had wanted them to ‘change their mind and heart and will' (repent) so as to see God in a new way as the One, living, invisible, transcendent, holy God Who was Lord over heaven and earth (Acts 13:15-17; Acts 17:24-29), having a change of heart and mind from their old ideas and ways (compare Jeremiah 26:3; Hosea 6:1-3). He had wanted them to ‘turn to God from idols' (1 Thessalonians 1:9). And he had wanted them to recognise in Jesus the One Who was both Lord and Messiah (Acts 2:36), their divine Saviour, and to put their trust in Him. To any Gentile the idea of Lordship as associated with God would regularly indicate a Saviour.
Note his dedication and constancy:
o ‘From the first day that I set foot in Asia' - He had wasted no time in delay. He had set to work as soon as he arrived so that not a minute should be lost.
o ‘I was with you all the time' - nothing else was allowed to hinder his dedication or prevent him giving fully of himself. His whole time was devoted to helping them and doing God's will.
o ‘Serving the Lord' - his whole aim was to give himself continually to the service of the Lord in every way possible. This is a typical Pauline phrase and the idea occurs regularly in his letters. Compare Romans 12:11; and see also 1 Corinthians 7:22; Ephesians 6:7; Colossians 3:24; 1 Thessalonians 1:9; 2 Timothy 2:24.
o ‘With all lowliness of mind' - he served in meekness and humility and without seeking to lord it over them or gain any credit or honour for himself. He did not seek to think of himself above what he ought to think. He remembered that he was their servant, for Jesus' sake. This phrase is another typical Paulinism (Philippians 2:3; Colossians 3:12).
o ‘With tears, and with trials' - in His service he boldly faced suffering, persecution, unpopularity and the fierce hatred of men, together with disappointments and heartaches, not as one who was unfeeling, but as one whose heart was burdened down by love.
o ‘I shrank not from declaring to you anything that was profitable' - he did not court popularity, but presented every aspect of the truth that he felt would assist them to know Christ and walk with Him truly, even when he knew that they might not like it. His one concern was whether it might be helpful to them.
o ‘Teaching you publicly, and from house to house' - he took every opportunity for service, both in the synagogues and the meeting house and the marketplace and by going to smaller gatherings held in different houses, and even possibly chatting from door to door.
We only have to consider each of these statements to recognise that here indeed was a lecture on ‘How to be a good elder'. When we read it we must not just say, what a wonderful man Paul was. We must say, ‘Is my life like this. Am I too following in his steps?' (Philippians 3:17). The same was true for the Ephesian elders.