But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. 14 And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. 15 And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. 16 For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost.
17 Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them:
“You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, 19 serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews; 20 how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house, 21 testifying both to Jews and to Greeks of repentance toward God and of faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. 22 And now, behold, I am going to Jerusalem, constrained by the Spirit, not knowing what will happen to me there, 23 except that the Holy Spirit testifies to me in every city that imprisonment and afflictions await me. 24 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. 25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. 26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 28 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.
One of my greatest discoveries in ministry was that there are people who want to contribute to the ministry of the church. For some reason, I had bought into the idea that people were doing me a favor by attending worship, and giving their offerings. That’s a rather crude way of thinking and describing my mentality. But it actually boiled down to the idea that people are to come to church to pray and pay. How wrong I was!
But it was even worse than that. For I had been taught that the people in the church needed to be reproved and corrected, rather than being encouraged and celebrated. Perhaps, to be honest, I should say that I caught that idea and mentality from my professors. I don’t think many of them actually taught that to me. Although some actually did.
My early experience proved that to be the case. A difficult experience in a church I served in my early years of ministry pitted me against (!) some of the members, and they against me. That’s no way to serve or be served. When the body attacks itself it’s called an autoimmune disease. Very destructive. Hurtful for pastor and people. Not to mention undercutting the mission.
I’m thankful I learned that people actually want to be involved in the ministries of the church. Some people want to serve. They want to make a difference. They want to help the church succeed. They want to make a difference. At St. John, (the church I formerly served as senior pastor and where we are now members) there are as many as 100 people each Sunday who serve in the various ministries of the church.
When Luke speaks of Paul going on ahead without the rest of the group, and then joining them later at Assos, he is giving us a picture of how the mission of God best proceeds. Paul will not only meet up with Luke and the others, he will pour out his heart to the Ephesian elders. God never intended that mission and ministry would be a solo performance. Jesus’ modeled that in his earthly ministry. We are now his body on earth to carry on his mission. Thankfully we do not have to do that alone.
This is the Holy Spirit at work in the lives of God’s people. It brings Jesus glory. And it brings people to Jesus.
David Bahn - Reflections 
Leave a comment