Home thoughts from abroad.wordpress.com

Acts 20: 20-21: Paul the teaching leader

“20 You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. 21 I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”NIV

We have already seen that Paul ‘walked the walk’; but he also ‘talked the talk.’ That’s a powerful combination. Someone said about Ronald Dunn, a great Bible teacher, that the tongue in his mouth and the tongue in his show were always going in the same direction. The same was true of Paul. Note a number of things:
➢ He was not governed by what was popular, but what was ‘’helpful’’ (20a);
➢ He was flexible in his approach (20b). He could readily adjust to the setting he found himself in. He was able to teach in public, like in the ‘’lecture hall of Tyrannus’’ (19:9) but also comfortable with discipling people in a home;
➢ He had no favourites – he preached the same gospel to all (21). He didn’t make the terms easier for fellow-Jews;
➢ Preaching Jesus was a greater priority to Paul than staying alive (24). Life was about Christ and death would be ‘’gain’’ (Philippians 1: 21);
➢ He held nothing back (26, 27). He had a clear conscience. He knew he had not omitted the more unpalatable truths – unpalatable to the natural mind that is (although even believers can be resistant to some Biblical teachings);
➢ He warned with clarity (29-31);
➢ He preached with passion (31b) – and he gave himself wholeheartedly to the task
➢ He believed in the power of the Word to do its own work (32). Even after Paul left them (25), and although they would never see him again, that Word would stay with them; it would be in them, doing its own mighty work: ‘’Now I’m turning you over to God, our marvellous God whose gracious Word can make you into what he wants you to be and give you everything you could possibly need in this community of holy friends.’’ The Message.

Acts 20:19-31: Paul, the passionate leader.

^“19 I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. ²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. ²² ‘And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. ²⁵ ‘Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  ²⁹ I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.” NIV UK

A story is told about a visitor to Robert Murray McCheyne’s church. He wanted to know the secret of McCheyne’s power. The person showing him round invited him to step into the pulpit. He said something like this: ‘Open the Bible; then look around at the congregation; now weep!’ There has been much talk in recent years about ‘emotional intelligence.’ The idea is that emotions communicate. They are catching; they are infectious. If someone is deeply committed to something, others will quite quickly see and feel it. Someone observed that you can smell commitment a mile off. Paul took his ministry seriously. He cared deeply for the churches. He exhibited a ‘blood earnestness.’ His tears were a mark of his intensity. Are not our all too dry eyes a rebuke to us?

Many years ago I was involved with a youth work, serving with others on a team. The young people turned up week after week in significant numbers. We loved them, although you will probably not be surprised to hear that they were regularly disruptive and unruly. One week, I was at a meeting in the home of one of the other leaders. He had tried to lead the study that night, and, on the face of it, it had not gone well. It wasn’t that my friend was ill-prepared. The youngsters were just intent on causing a bit of chaos that night. When they had gone home, he and I prayed together, and I still remember today his tears for them; they revealed the heart of this godly man, and the memory of it affects me still.

PRAYER: ‘Break my heart with what breaks yours.’

Acts 20:17-19, 28, 33-35: Paul – a leader who walked the walk.

¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: ‘You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents. ²⁰ You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. ²¹ I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. ²² ‘And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. ²³ I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. ²⁴ However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me – the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace. ²⁵ ‘Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. ²⁷ For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. ²⁸ Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,^[a] which he bought with his own blood.^{[b] 29} I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. ³⁰ Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. ³¹ So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.³² ‘Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. ³³ I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. ³⁴ You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. ³⁵ In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”’

‘’You know how I lived…’’ (18a) – this is the first thing Paul said to the Ephesians elders. He could appeal to his own life as an example. Here are a number of insights into Paul’s life:

• He was consistent: ‘’You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia’’ (18). One of the ways this consistency showed itself was in his response to trials. Paul did not have an easy life. He was ‘’severely tested’’ (19), but in everything he was a good example;
• He was a servant: ‘’I served the Lord…’’ (19a). One of Paul’s favourite descriptions of himself is that of a ‘’slave’’ (Greek: ‘doulos’). First and foremost he regarded himself as Christ’s slave, but he was also a lowly servant of the church;
• He was humble: ‘’I served the Lord with great humility…’’ He did not stand on his rights as an apostle but worked for a living;
• He was passionate: ‘’I served the Lord…with tears…’’ I will return to this thought tomorrow;
• He was hard working: (35a). It is a terrible thing for a servant of Christ to be lazy, or to have the reputation of being lazy;
• He was generous: (35b). He worked hard to help others and not just to supply his own needs. Paul quotes some words of Jesus we don’t recognise from the gospels, but they fit well with the Jesus of the gospels we have come to know: ‘’It is more blessed to give than to receive.’’ Paul did not fleece the sheep; he shepherded the flock

It’s interesting that the first thing Paul says about himself is: ‘’You know how I lived…’’ Then later, he says to the Ephesians elders: ‘’Keep watch over yourselves…’’ Yes, ‘’Keep watch over…the flock…’’ but first and foremost ‘’Keep watch over yourselves…’’ Self-leadership is important. Paul was also to say to Timothy: ‘’Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers’’ (1 Timothy 4:16). There’s a lot at stake in Christian ministry, and what does he mention first?

If there is a ‘credibility gap’ between our talk and our walk, our talk won’t count for very much.

PRAYER: I pray that the life I lead will commend the beauty of the gospel to others.

Acts 20: 13-19: Paul, the leader of leaders.

^“13 We went on ahead to the ship and sailed for Assos, where we were going to take Paul aboard. He had made this arrangement because he was going there on foot. ¹⁴ When he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene. ¹⁵ The next day we set sail from there and arrived off Chios. The day after that we crossed over to Samos, and on the following day arrived at Miletus. ¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, for he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.  ¹⁷ From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church. ¹⁸ When they arrived, he said to them: ‘You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. ¹⁹ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents.” NIV UK

During the next few days we are going to think about certain leadership qualities exemplified by the apostle Paul. These lessons will emerge from his farewell speech to the elders in Ephesus.

Note:

• Leaders need to be led. Ultimately, of course, they are to be led by Christ Himself; but the Lord has put different kinds of leaders into the church (Ephesians 4), and some of them He uses to shepherd the shepherds. Paul gathered the Ephesians elders together and gave them significant input. He said encouraging things to them; he also said some tough things. Elders in a local church must not stand still. They need teaching and training. They must be committed to being ‘lifelong learners.’ No-one knows it all; nobody has ‘arrived.’ There is not one leader who has gone beyond the need for challenge and rebuke. We need some straight talking into our lives; at times we need words that will act like a slap across the cheeks to wake us up;
• There are leaders of leaders. This was a part of Paul’s ministry. He didn’t oversee one congregation, but cared for many, in a roving role. He had a world-wide ministry, and carried a special apostolic responsibility for churches he had planted and elders he had appointed (2 Corinthians 11:28). Having recently attended the ‘Elim Leaders’ Summit’ in Harrogate, I can say I am truly grateful for those leaders with wider responsibilities who can speak powerfully into the lives of local church pastors;
• Leaders, make sure you get the input you need. Don’t mark time. Look to improve. Especially if the ‘dials’ are heading downward towards zero, look out for a ‘filling station’ and pull in. For me, this kind of ‘refuelling’ comes through attending conferences/seminars etc. I also get it by regularly listening to, or viewing, talks given in other places. They can be found freely on the web. In particular, I receive it through reading, and more reading. I identify with the evangelist Roger Carswell who once described how books had been among his ‘mentors.’ I believe C.S.Lewis said something like this, ‘There isn’t a book long enough, or a cup of tea big enough for me!’ I can see that. I also find it helpful to spend time with fellow-leaders in other churches. The simple sharing of thoughts, ideas, and sometimes burdens can be like a table spoon full of tonic – medicine for the weary.

So, Paul was a leader of leaders, and all leaders in Christ’s church need to be led.

First and foremost, Paul led by example, and we will pick up this thought next time.

PRAYER: We pray for our leaders. May they always feel their need to be led. We ask that you will generously provide them with refreshing input, that even as they give out they may also receive.

Acts 20: 7-12: On the first day of the week…

“On the first day of the week we came together to break bread. Paul spoke to the people and, because he intended to leave the next day, kept on talking until midnight. ⁸ There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting. ⁹ Seated in a window was a young man named Eutychus, who was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. When he was sound asleep, he fell to the ground from the third storey and was picked up dead. ¹⁰ Paul went down, threw himself on the young man and put his arms round him. ‘Don’t be alarmed,’ he said. ‘He’s alive!’ ¹¹ Then he went upstairs again and broke bread and ate. After talking until daylight, he left. ¹² The people took the young man home alive and were greatly comforted.”NIV UK

From early on in the life of the church, Christians began to worship on ‘’the first day of the week’’ (7), the day Jesus rose from the dead. This is the first mention in the New Testament of God’s people holding services on a Sunday (rather than a Saturday, the Jewish sacred day). This short story, resonant with eye-witness detail, gives a vivid insight into one such gathering of believers at Troas. I don’t imagine that every ‘primitive’ congregation was identical. There would no doubt be differences of style and culture from region to region, and from place to place. However, I do believe that the foundational characteristics recorded in (2:42-47) would be found everywhere. Here at Troas there was a major emphasis on the spoken word, and the breaking of bread (7, 11). They were not in a hurry. They gave leisurely time to the sharing of a fellowship meal, which embraced what we might call communion. David Pawson was surely correct when he observed that in the church now we have ‘too many meetings and not enough meeting.’

In this short story it appears that the Christians were meeting during the evening. Sunday would be a normal working day in the Roman Empire, and so God’s people would have to come together early (before work), or late (afterwards), and perhaps both. Here an evening meeting is described, and in this particular instance it stretched on through the night. There is also the indicator that young people were present in this lengthy gathering

No mention is made of music. Of course, there are indicators in other parts of the New Testament that hymn singing was part of the early worship of the church (e.g.1 Corinthians 14:26), but perhaps it didn’t figure as much as it does now. Speaking personally, I love music and I like to sing. But in the Western church we are in serious danger of worshipping ‘worship’ (i.e. What we call ‘worship’) and magnifying music and musicians out of all proportion. It seems to be generally agreed today that in order to be successful you need to have a band with a contemporary sound. That may indeed be one way to gather a crowd, but filling a hall is not the same thing as building up a church. Have we lost our confidence in the Word of God, simply and clearly preached in the power of the Spirit, to do its mighty work? Proportionally, music seems to play a much bigger part in today’s church than in the early church, and maybe we should question this trend?

It was a miracle that Eutychus lived following his fall. I love the understatement in (12): ‘’And they took the youth away alive, and were not a little comforted.’’

Preacher, take heart. Even the apostle Paul had someone nod off in a sermon!

PRAYER: Lord God, help us not to lose sight of the essentials of church life, and may we never feel that we have to entertain in order to draw people.

Acts 20:1-6: Be an encourager.

“When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. ² He travelled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement to the people, and finally arrived in Greece, ³ where he stayed three months. Because some Jews had plotted against him just as he was about to sail for Syria, he decided to go back through Macedonia. ⁴ He was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy also, and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. ⁵ These men went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. ⁶ But we sailed from Philippi after the Festival of Unleavened Bread, and five days later joined the others at Troas, where we stayed seven days.” NIV UK

Do you know what strikes me about these verses? It’s the thought that, after all he had been through, you would imagine that Paul himself needed encouragement. Yet he just got on with encouraging others. He lived an unselfish life of exemplary Christian service. He didn’t look to get, but always to give. He was a true leader; a great man. As a ‘branch’ rooted in Christ, the ‘Vine’, the ‘fruit’ he grew was a tasty Christ-likeness. Paul could be other-person focussed because he was in Jesus, and Jesus was in him.

Here’s a thought: if you want to be encouraged, be an encourager. Paul didn’t encourage out of self-centred motives, and neither should we. Nevertheless it is true, that as you seek to lift up others, you yourself will be lifted up. Don’t ask me how it works, but it clearly does. If you endeavour to be an encourager, you yourself will be encouraged.

‘Oh, master grant that I may never seek

So much to be consoled as to console

To be understood as to understand

To be loved as to love with all my soul’ (From ‘Make me a channel of your peace’ by Jon Cohen).

It is also true that there can be great encouragement in being part of a team. No doubt Paul found encouragement from those who ‘’accompanied’’ him (4, 5), even as he gave out to others.

PRAYER: Help me Lord to live an outward-looking life, always seeking out someone to encourage for your Name’s sake; never failing to see that you are my

Acts 19:23-41: I predict a riot.

“23 About that time there arose a great disturbance about the Way. 24 A silversmith named Demetrius, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there. 25 He called them together, along with the workers in related trades, and said: “You know, my friends, that we receive a good income from this business. 26 And you see and hear how this fellow Paul has convinced and led astray large numbers of people here in Ephesus and in practically the whole province of Asia. He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all. 27 There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name, but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited; and the goddess herself, who is worshiped throughout the province of Asia and the world, will be robbed of her divine majesty.” 28 When they heard this, they were furious and began shouting: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 29 Soon the whole city was in an uproar. The people seized Gaius and Aristarchus, Paul’s traveling companions from Macedonia, and all of them rushed into the theater together. 30 Paul wanted to appear before the crowd, but the disciples would not let him. 31 Even some of the officials of the province, friends of Paul, sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theater. 32 The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. 33 The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front, and they shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people. 34 But when they realized he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” 35 The city clerk quieted the crowd and said: “Fellow Ephesians, doesn’t all the world know that the city of Ephesus is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis and of her image, which fell from heaven? 36 Therefore, since these facts are undeniable, you ought to calm down and not do anything rash. 37 You have brought these men here, though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess. 38 If, then, Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody, the courts are open and there are proconsuls. They can press charges. 39 If there is anything further you want to bring up, it must be settled in a legal assembly. 40 As it is, we are in danger of being charged with rioting because of what happened today. In that case we would not be able to account for this commotion, since there is no reason for it.” 41 After he had said this, he dismissed the assembly.”NIV UK

We have noted previously that Christians will feel the heat when vested financial interests are hit by the preaching of the gospel (24, 25). Touch drug dealers and sex traders in the pocket and, well, I predict a riot. If they are paying, they’ll want to make you pay. Someone once observed that when you throw a stone at a pack of dogs you can tell which one you’ve hit. It’s the one that yelps. It’s not all that difficult to incite a mob, and in any such crowd there will be people who have no idea why they are there (32). Nevertheless, most will be delighted to be in the thick of the action, and will relish the prospect of aggro.

Demetrius seemed to be totally oblivious regarding the folly of his words: ‘’He says that man-made gods are no gods at all’’ (26b). I mean, is it not laugh out loud funny?! It is ludicrous that the crowd wanted to defend the honour of their ‘man-made’ goddess. However, Demetrius had swayed them: ‘’And there is danger…that she may even be deposed from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship’’ (27b). I recall vivid Old Testament passages which poke fun at idolatry and idolaters. Demetrius was poking fun at himself – unwittingly of course.
F.B.Meyer makes an important point about Paul’s evident courage (30,31):
‘He probably refers to this incident when he says that he fought with wild beasts at Ephesus, 1 Cor.15:32. But he could have done no good in the face of such a turmoil. Be valorous, Christian soldiers, but be discreet! Do not throw yourself from the mountain brow unless God clearly calls for it. It is well to bear this scene in mind when the apostle tells of a ‘’peace that passeth understanding’’ which stands sentry over heart and mind. His was not the sequestered life of a religious recluse; he was continually battling his way through a stormy sea. But it is in the floods of great waters that we learn what our Lord can be.’ ‘Devotional Commentary’,p.496.

Acts 19:11-22 no other name

“11 God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12 so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them. 13 Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. 17 When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor. 18 Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done. 19 A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. When they calculated the value of the scrolls, the total came to fifty thousand drachmas.[a] 20 In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power. 21 After all this had happened, Paul decided[b] to go to Jerusalem, passing through Macedonia and Achaia. “After I have been there,” he said, “I must visit Rome also.” 22 He sent two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, to Macedonia, while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer”. NIV

It is a fact that when God is powerfully at work, you can expect the devil to turn up in the same neighbourhood, causing mischief. ‘Revivals’ have often been accompanied by works of the flesh and manifestations of the demonic. At such a time, great discernment is needed. Counterfeits may be expected.The enemy loves to ‘piggy-back’ onto a move of God. ‘The devil is a great imitator, but in this case, his attempt was a humiliating failure.’ Warren W. Wiersbe: ‘With the Word’, p.721.
Christianity is not about nice, neat, polite church services. It involves frighteningly great power at work: ‘’God did extraordinary miracles through Paul…’ (11). However, in the wake of this, there were problems to be faced (13-15). The demons turned up to the party, uninvited.
Nevertheless, what the devil meant for harm, God used for good (17-20). Someone once observed that fighting God (or attempting to) is like playing chess against a grand master. He will even use your moves against Him to defeat you.
(By the way, ‘’Fifty thousand drachmas’’ was a huge amount, and shows how deeply enmeshed in occult practices the Ephesians were. The drachma was a silver coin representing the average wage for a day. As someone pointed out, this represents over 135 years’ wages.)
I find the words attributed to an ‘’evil spirit’’ (15) to be quite remarkable: ‘’Jesus I know…’’ He could also say that he knew ‘’about’’ Paul, but Jesus he knew.
‘Jesus the Name high over all, in hell or earth or sky;
Angels and men before it fall, and devils fear and fly.’
‘’You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder’’ (James 2:19).
There is a major emphasis in this passage on the Name of Jesus and its superiority over every other name; its power over every other authority.
‘’…there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved’’ (4:12b).
PRAYER: Lord, I pray that your Name will be ‘held in high honour’ in my community.

Acts 19:1-12: God’s timing.

“While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples ² and asked them, ‘Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?’         They answered, ‘No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.’  ³ So Paul asked, ‘Then what baptism did you receive?’  ‘John’s baptism,’ they replied.  ⁴ Paul said, ‘John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.’ ⁵ On hearing this, they were baptised in the name of the Lord Jesus. ⁶ When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues^[b] and prophesied. ⁷ There were about twelve men in all.  ⁸ Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God. ⁹ But some of them became obstinate; they refused to believe and publicly maligned the Way. So Paul left them. He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus. ¹⁰ This went on for two years, so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.  ¹¹ God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, ¹² so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were ill, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.” NIV UK

Previously, Paul and his companions had found the door into Asia ‘closed’. Now it was wide open (10), and the apostle had the most remarkable success there, as he based himself in the strategic city of Ephesus.

However, success in God’s work is not divorced from hard work. The only place where laziness comes before success is in the dictionary! It is likely that Tyrannus taught only in the mornings, since the custom in Ephesus was to have a siesta during the hot afternoons. Paul probably made tents in the mornings, to earn his living, and taught in the afternoons, rather than sleeping. During this time the churches in Colossae and Laodicea were also founded (Colossians 2:1; 4:13). It’s been suggested that all seven churches mentioned in the book of Revelation may have been founded at this time.

‘It was wise on Paul’s part to remove the disciples and his work to their own premises, which soon became famous throughout the city and indeed throughout the adjacent country. People who had come in to worship at the shrine of Diana gave themselves to Christ, and the Christian faith became disseminated through the province, Ephesus itself being mightily moved.’ F.B. Meyer: ‘Devotional Commentary’, pp.495/496.

It’s possible to feel frustrated and perplexed when certain things don’t work out – I mean those times when you strongly sense that God wants you to do something, but you find your road mysteriously blocked. Recognise that God’s delays are not necessarily His denials, and if you want to walk in His will, you must also be prepared to move in His timing. You will not be disappointed, and hindsight will likely show you how right it was to wait.

PRAYER: Lord you know I’m keen to serve you. There is so much I want to do. Please grant me the patience that waits for you. I acknowledge that your will is best; your timing is perfect.