David Bahn – Reflections

There have been times when I’ve seen others’ wealth and wondered what it would be like to drop $80,000 on a new car, $120,000 on a custom backyard pool, or even $50,000 on a vacation. And I have seen men wearing such well-tailored and fitting clothes and wished I could be so well dressed. I’m sure I’ve come close to coveting any of those items, but I certainly don’t live in that thought mode. And I realize there are many who would look at our lifestyle and have those same thoughts – minus a zero or two! 

I am intrigued that Paul mentions that he coveted on one’s silver or gold, or apparel. But I think it goes to the harsh realities he endured in his missionary journeys. Not only did they not have Holiday Inns or even Motel 6 in those days, the harsh weather environment and daily living challenges are unknown to us. I’m guessing he had cause to covet a dry and warm set of clothes when he was in the wet darkness of the Ephesian jail. And his consistent witness was that God supplied all his needs, not that he had such great resources – unlike the TV prosperity preachers of today.

It takes only a few minutes of TV sports to be bombarded with invitations to buy this, taste these, wear that. It’s as though Satan has elevated every temptation to covet to a worldly virtue. Whether it’s the financial advisors touted during golf tournaments, or the beer ads during basketball or baseball games, we’re urged to want it all, gain it all, and gloat about it all. You’ve arrived!

Jesus says, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (Luke 12:15). Covetousness is a black hole of desire. It is never satisfied. It never brings life. It self-implodes in its vain appetite. 

We might want a better car, a nicer home, or even a backyard pool. But we never need to seek these things at the expense of others, or let them get in the way of seeking God’s kingdom. A friend of mine decided several years ago to forego building a summer home in Colorado. They had all the money saved. They had the lot picked out and purchased. But they decided that if they built that place he wouldn’t be able to teach his Sunday School class; it would get in the way of his pursuit of God’s mission. 

May gold, silver or apparel never get in the way of my witness or God’s rule and reign in my life. 

This is the season of commendations. Valedictorian. Cum Laude. Summa Cum Laude. With Honors. With Distinction. President’s Award. Dean’s Certificate. Degrees. PhD’s. B.A.s. Masters…the list goes on and on. My hat’s off to those who work hard and receive these honors. They are certainly well deserved. The keys being worked hard and well deserved.

Compare that with Paul’s word here to the Ephesian elders. He commends them to God’s grace. “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,” he says.

Being commended to God is a good thing. Sure beats being commended to death or the devil. But maybe we take that too much for granted. For it is a blessing to be sure. But not everyone wants it. Many want anything but to be commended to God. They have no idea that without God they are lost and condemned, and commended to death and the devil.

Such is not Paul’s desire. He has in mind great blessings of God’s favor. Nor is it God’s desire to be commended to death and the devil. He sent his Son to save us from that fate, and then he sent his Holy Spirit to call us to faith and give us his gifts of grace. 

It is significant and important that Paul commends the Ephesian elders to God and to the word of his grace. This gift is not earned. It is a gift freely given. It builds us up and grants us an eternally rich and glorious inheritance. 

Paul’s words are appropriate for me today for any number of reasons. I am deeply thankful for his grace,. I need it constantly. And God’s supply is rich and deep. As Paul says in Romans 5: “Where sin abounds, grace abounds all the more.” That builds me up and keeps me going. As I un-retire again, serving Hope Lutheran Church in Friendswood, Texas, I need that up-building and strength, and the presence of God. I’ll take what Paul says to the Ephesian elders as my own and rejoice in the goodness and grace of God. 

Danger Will Robinson! Danger! Do you remember that? It’s from the TV show, Lost in Space. It was highly improbable and a bit ditzy, hardly worth watching in my humble opinion. But obviously I did watch it enough to remember that line. That may be more about the limited TV programming available to us at that time. You watched what was on. Not one of the 5,000 programs we have to choose from today. 

A few years ago, I went to an ordination service for a recent seminary graduate. The message was all about the challenges, difficulties, dangers, toils, and snares the young soon-to-be pastor would face. It was a long gloom and doom message of how he would need to correct, reprove, and admonish the people of his church. It was as though they were his enemies – hardly a respectful and collegial way of doing ministry!

There are times, however, that we must sound the warning. If I’m driving down the Interstate and mindlessly start to wander into the occupied lane next to me, it is very appropriate for my passenger to yell, “Look out!” And I mean, to yell it! If a child is about to pull a hot pan off the stove, someone better scream, “No!!!! Don’t do that!” And if a person is listening to the beguiling message of a false prophet I will sound the warning. 

In the earliest days of the Christian church there were many dangers within and without. The message of the Gospel of Jesus was very different from the then-common religious beliefs – pagan or Jewish. There was every danger of reverting to old ways of thinking and believing. Paul’s warnings were not over emphasized. 

We may have gone to the other extreme these days. I’m not certain I warn people as often as I should about the dangers lurking behind every social media post, every new expert, or commentary and conversation untethered from biblical truth. Paul warned the people so that they would be protected from falsehoods and deceptions that would have turned them away from Christ. We must heed the warnings that come our way which would alert us to anything that would turn us away from Christ.

How often have you said, “Take good care!” It’s a farewell greeting that I seldom think about in any serious manner. It’s almost like saying goodbye. But perhaps we should take it more seriously.

Years ago a family was on their way home from spring break in Florida. In a terrible accident everyone in their family van was killed except the teenaged son. 

Just yesterday, after we got home from Friendswood, we learned of a 9000 gallon fuel spill on one of the routes we might have taken on our way home. Fortunately we had chosen a different way home.

Later today I’ll head back down to Friendswood, as our daughter-in-law and our four grandchildren head toward our home. Our paths will not likely cross, but we both need God’s protection in our travels. There are grave dangers out there! Speeding cars racing each other on the highway. Tailgaters. Road ragers. Or careless drivers changing lanes without looking. Take good care, is more than a throwaway thought. It needs to be said sincerely and heeded carefully.

As Paul leaves the Ephesian elders, he offers a similar encouragement, “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.” 

He says that because as overseers (pastors or bishops) they are a high profile target for Satan. If he can discredit them, he has won a major victory. Imagine how disappointed the people of their congregations would feel if they discovered their shepherd had fallen prey to Satan’s wiles. 

Paul also urges them to take good care of themselves, so that they can serve their people well. An elder, bishop, pastor, overseer (we use these terms interchangeably) needs to be healthy – spiritually, emotionally, and physically – in order to care for his flock. 

Our church leadership has Worker Care in view as a part of our ongoing awareness. We gather in circuit “winkels” (the word is German for corner). When we get in the corner with other pastors we are to encourage each other and help each other stay true to our task as pastors. We have a Care and Coaching group for pastors, church workers, and their spouses in our Texas District to help them navigate some of the challenges they face from time to time. Just the other day I met with three other pastors to talk about the way forward as one of them will soon be re-retiring and the congregation he is serving will be entering the call process. We do these things so we can take care of the flock which the Holy Spirit has made us overseers.

It is good for pastors to be reminded, as it is also for you, dear reader, to take good care of yourself so you can offer care, kindness, grace, and mercy to those in your life for whom you have care. Be it a husband, wife, child, grandchild, or friend. Take good care so you can give good care to those in your life who need your care. 

Where would you go if you knew only that afflictions and imprisonment awaits you? Better yet, would you go any place where you knew these awaited you? Thankfully, most of us don’t have to make that decision. We go here and there with little danger of imprisonment or afflictions apart from traffic jams or flight delays. 

Paul is heading for Jerusalem in spite of the fact that these things await him there. Perhaps he is resolved to go there because he had learned what God had told Ananias, “I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name” (Acts 9:15). He is committed to go where God is leading him because he is deeply aware of God’s grace and truth found in Jesus, and found only in Jesus. He has been set apart by the Holy Spirit for this work. He is committed to declaring to the people everything that was profitable for their salvation. And he will face these trials by the strength that comes only from God.

As he leaves the Ephesian elders he reminds them of their solemn responsibility to feed the flock of God, and take to heart their responsibility for them. The Holy Spirit had made them overseers (pastors) of these gatherings, and Paul reminded them that these precious people were purchased by the blood of Jesus. The Ephesian elders were in places of great privilege and responsibility – as is true of all pastors.

We who serve God’s people do well to remember that they are precious to God, bought with the precious blood of Jesus, and worth whatever burden we must bear in order to serve them well. That’s true no matter where we go and whether that path takes us to green pastures and still waters, or through the valley of the shadow of death. Thankfully God is with us through the journey wherever we go. 

Diane and I have been traveling a lot these past three years since my retirement from full time ministry. Some of the travel has been for mission work in Tanzania. In fact, if you count hours in transit that might make up for 25% or more of our travels. Other trips, however, have been more for pleasure or family. Christmas in Germany with family, Mother’s Day in Florida with family, and travel with family to Florida all rank high on the list. 

Paul was quite a traveler as well – although I don’t think any of his travels were for pleasure, or even family. The book of Acts highlights three missionary journeys of Paul as well as his trip to Rome which was a different sort of missionary journey. It was to be in chains, and would include storms at sea, shipwreck, and a final voyage toward Rome. Once there he taught and wrote under house arrest. 

I mention all this because of Luke’s recap of Paul’s travels from Assos to Miletus as he was heading toward Jerusalem. But Luke isn’t offering a travelogue with all these stopping points. He’s offering a missiologue. There is a bigger story here than hard-to-pronounce name places. The bigger story is that God is moving Paul from place to place as he spreads the gospel message. Paul is not just visiting. He’s teaching, sharing, proclaiming, and witnessing to the gospel of the grace of God.

This gospel is the good news of God’s redemption of a fallen and lost world through Jesus’ suffering and death. It’s the good news of this redemption’s gifts of life and salvation for all people. It’s the good news that God wants all people to be saved and will not wait idly by for people to come to him and seek his mercy. He sends people to tell the good news. He comes to them – not only in Jesus, which is essential and of primary importance – but also in Paul and others who bring this gospel of the grace of God to people where they are. 

This gospel has come to you. That message of forgiveness, grace, salvation, and eternal hope has been brought to you and me. Those who brought it to us likely didn’t have to endure the hardships of Paul or travel miles to do so. It likely came to you by means of people who were right where you were. Maybe you and I are right where someone else is who needs to hear this gospel of the grace of God as well. 

Some say the chief sin is pride. I’d say the chief sin is faithlessness. That may boil down to pride, but it may also go toward fear, ignorance, envy, or the cares of the world. I think I’m in good company here. Jesus speaks of the message of God’s reign and rule being consumed by the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches choking out the faith that God’s word engenders (Cf. Matthew 13:22).

Martin Luther says, “When our Lord and master Jesus Christ said, “Repent,” repent

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.