Lechem Panim #214 “Paul’s Love For The Church” (Acts 20:13-16) Pastor Cameron Ury
Greetings! So good to have you with us today as we continue our study of the book of Acts together. In our passage today in Acts chapter 20 Paul has been traveling with a group of representatives of some of the gentile churches to bring a financial offering to the church in Jerusalem, which had a tremendous amount of need. And they have come to the city of Troas, where they end up staying for a week. And while there they take part in an evening worship service held in the upper room of a house. And all the believers are very eager to hear Paul and so he teaches them a very long while. And midnight comes and he’s still going strong. And a young man by the name of Eutychus was getting tired, and so he moved by an open window where he was hoping the fresh air would keep him awake. That didn’t work. He fell asleep anyway; and lo and behold he fell out of the window, fell three stories, and died. But Paul immediately runs out, throws himself upon the boy (just as Elijah and Elisha had also done to a couple of young men who had died during their ministries) and God brings Eutychus back to life. And afterwards they go right back into that upper room, have communion together and Paul resumes conversing with them a long while, until daybreak. Now at this point Paul and his party start to leave, first the rest of the party and then Paul. It says in…
Acts 20:13-16 (LSB)— 13 But we, going ahead to the ship, set sail for Assos, intending from there to take Paul on board; for so he had arranged it, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and came to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there, we arrived the following day opposite Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos; and the day following we came to Miletus. 16 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.
[The Perfect Pastor— {You know, I read some time ago about how now,} After hundreds of years the perfect pastor's been found. He is the church elder who'll please everyone.
1. He preaches exactly 20 minutes and then sits down.
2. He condemns sin, but never steps on anybody's toes.
3. He works from 8 in the morning to 10 at night, doing everything from preaching sermons to sweeping.
4. He makes $400 per week, gives $100 a week to the church, drives a late model car, buys lots of books, wears fine clothes, and has a nice family.
5. He always stands ready to contribute to every other good cause, too, and to help panhandlers who drop by the church on their way to somewhere.
6. He is 36 years old, and has been preaching 40 years.
7. He is tall on the short side, heavy-set in a thin sort of way, and handsome.
8. He has eyes of blue or brown, (to fit the occasion) and wears his hair parted in the middle - left side, dark and straight, right side, brown and wavy.
9. He has a burning desire to work with the youth, and spends all his time with the senior citizens.
10. He smiles all the time while keeping a straight face, because he has a keen sense of humor that finds him seriously dedicated.
11. He makes 15 calls a day on church members, spends all his time evangelizing non-members, and is always found in his study if he is needed.
Unfortunately he burnt himself out and died at the age of 32.]
Number One Quality— You know, if I was to ask you today what the most important qualities of a minister of God are, what would you say? You might say preaching and teaching, boldness, or godliness. You might say shepherding ability, wise oversight, or the ability to work with people. All of those are critical. But behind all those things (the driving force behind them) ought to be a passionate, burning love for the Lord, for the truth, and for the Church. Now we’re not talking about the building or the organization, but rather the people.
History’s Loving Pastors— One author I was reading said: [There have always been dedicated pastors who sacrificed in life and death for the church. It was love for the church that drove the busy Reformers Luther and Calvin to preach constantly to their flocks—not merely on Sundays, but throughout the week. Many Puritan pastors continued to preach the Word after being forbidden to do so by the authorities. They knew they risked being imprisoned (as was John Bunyan), but love for the church compelled them to take that risk. Love for the church consumed the godly nineteenth-century Scottish pastor Robert Murray McCheyne. Ill health could not deter him from his loving service, and, consequently, he died at a young age. It was his love for the church that motivated Charles Spurgeon to speak out against the modernism that was creeping into the evangelical church of his day. During the resulting “Down-Grade Controversy,” Spurgeon was sharply criticized for his stand. Some of those close to him deserted him. Yet he refused to back down, although the stress the controversy generated hastened his death. Church history is replete with examples of those who sacrificially loved the church.]
Paul’s Love Expressed— But standing over and above them all (without doubt) was the Apostle Paul. You cannot read anything he ever wrote to any church (even his letters of rebuke) and not sense the overwhelming love that he felt for those persons who were under his care. And I mean you read some of the things that he wrote and the language is almost like that between a husband and a wife; or a mother and her nursing child. I mean, [To the Philippians he wrote:
I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always offering prayer with joy in my every prayer for you all, in view of your participation in the gospel from the first day until now. For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. For it is only right for me to feel this way about you all, because I have you in my heart. (Phil. 1:3–7)
“You are our letter, “he told the Corinthians, “written in our hearts” (2 Cor. 3:2). He also wrote to them, “You are in our hearts to die together and to live together” (2 Cor. 7:3). In 1 Thessalonians 2:7–8, Paul expressed his intimate love for the Thessalonian church: We proved to be gentle among you, as a nursing mother tenderly cares for her own children. Having thus a fond affection for you, we were well-pleased to impart to you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives, because you had become very dear to us.]
In Deed & Truth— But Paul [did not merely “love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth” (1 John 3:18). Jesus said in John 15:13, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.”]
Laying Down Your Life— Now of course Paul did end up dying for the Church. But you know, I’ve always found Jesus’ choice of wording in that verse very interesting. He doesn’t say, “Greater love has no one than this, that one die for his friends.” Now of course that is part of what He meant, because keep in mind He was preparing His disciples in order that they might understand His atoning work on the cross. But over the years I have come to believe that Jesus meant more than just dying for people (though that alone is a very big deal). But no, He says “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.” It’s one thing to die for someone and quite another to live for them and then die for them. I know that I would die for either of my kids (or my wife) in a heartbeat. But I do find it a struggle to live for them; to give of my time, my ears, my heart. But you know I think that is what Jesus (and Paul) did so well. They (in every sense of the word) laid down their lives for their people because they loved them.
Love Demonstrated— You know, when we think of the passages in scripture on love, one of the first ones we think about is that written by Paul in 1 Corinthians 13, which has become known as the great love chapter of scripture. And you know (when it comes to the verbal description of what love is) it probably is. But one commentator I read pointed out that this chapter (Acts 20) is just as much a love chapter as 1 Corinthians 13. The word “love” isn’t mentioned once; no, Paul just lives it out in some amazing ways, pouring out all his time and energy into serving and meeting the needs of the Church. So you might say that 1 Corinthians 13 is Pauls description of love. Acts 20 is his demonstration of that love. And you need both.
Love is a verb— I am reminded of that old DC Talk song where they remind us that “love is a verb”; or that song by Michael W. Smith in which he says “love isn’t love until you give it away.” Love is more than emotion; it is making a conscious effort to live sacrificially for those you claim to love.
The Disintegrated Aqueduct— [Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, tells about the Roman aqueduct at Segovia, in his native Spain. It was built in 109 A.D. For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow. Then came another generation, a recent one, who said, "This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor."
They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient bricks and mortar a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. The sun beating on the dry mortar caused it to crumble. The bricks and stone sagged and threatened to fall. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated.] How sad this is. But it can also be true of the Christian. When we cease to live outwardly in holy, self-giving, sacrificial love, our Christianity (no matter how solid our belief may be) will begin to disintegrate. This is why Paul writes in Galatians 6:10…
Galatians 6:10 (ESV)— 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.
“when we have opportunity”— Now notice how it doesn’t say “when we have opportunity”, but “as we have opportunity”. It is now that we have [opportunity. This Gr. word refers to a distinct, fixed time period, rather than occasional moments. Paul’s point is that the believer’s entire life provides the unique privilege by which he can serve others in Christ’s name. especially… the household of faith. Our love for fellow Christians is the primary test of our love for God (see notes on John 13: 34, 35; Rom. 12: 10– 13; 1 John 4: 21).]
Let’s Recognize— And so this week, recognize the opportunities that God has given you to do good in the lives of other people (and especially the Church). Seize those opportunities. And in blessing, may you also be blessed. Let’s do so. Amen.
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