This week I begin a series of three farewell messages before I move to another circuit. This one is for my Byfleet church.
Here we have a story about a church leader saying goodbye to a church he loves. Therefore you can see why I picked it for today.
I want to make it clear that I am not taking it any deeper than that. I am not comparing myself to the Apostle Paul. I am not expecting to go to prison when we move to Liphook. And I am not saying we shall never meet again.
And to reassure one person who saw this passage in this week: no, I am not expecting you all to kiss me before I go! For the ‘brotherly kiss’ of the New Testament, think something of the way the French greet one another. We are not in France.
No: let’s just keep this story on the simple level: a church leader saying goodbye to a church he loves. Just like Debbie and I are today.
And within that, some of the things Paul says to the Ephesian elders are things I would urge you to remember, too.
Just to keep you going in my absence, I have six things to share! But don’t worry, this isn’t a double-length sermon! I’ll keep each point brief.
Firstly: keep to the basics (verses 18-21)
Paul says he has kept to what is helpful to preach and that he has preached repentance and faith in Christ to both Jews and Greeks. While I don’t doubt he brought his great learning to bear on his treatment of the Scriptures, it’s clear he didn’t share the minutiae of some obscure PhD thesis (or the ancient equivalent). He kept things at the basic level.
It doesn’t matter how experienced we are as Christians, we often need to return to the basics rather than think we are above such things. Repentance and faith in Christ are not one-off decisions at the beginning of our Christian pilgrimage, they are lifelong practices. I suspect that the closer we get to Christ, the more we shall realise what needs changing in our lives.
It’s rather like something a wonderful Local Preacher in my home circuit used to say. “Have you been converted? I’ve been converted many times.”
Never think you are above such things. Let the Scriptures and the preaching of the Word keep bringing you back to the basics of Christian faith and living.
My home circuit once had an exhibition of resources for churches to share. My father promoted a Christian basics Bible study course. One sniffy lay leader at another church looked down his nose at it and declared, “We don’t need that stuff. We’re beyond that.” Please never take that man’s attitude.
Secondly: keep following (verses 22-24)
Paul knew he had to move on elsewhere. The Ephesians knew they had to stay put. Debbie and I know we have to move on, and most of you expect you are called to stay put.
Although the basics God calls us all to are the same, the details can be different. Be sure you know where and how God is calling you to follow him. Are you open to new ways and new surprises? Might he be moving you on? Could he be showing you something new in the place where you are?
Sometimes the basic message is to ‘Go’, as in the Great Commission of Jesus in Matthew 28. On other occasions, the command is to stay where we were when God first called us, as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7.
Just remember, the core message of Jesus was ‘Follow me.’ Following him involves both what we do and where we do it. Could he be calling anyone here to something new or somewhere new?
What matters is that like Paul we aim to finish the task of testimony that Jesus has given us. What might that involve for you or for me?
Thirdly: keep watching (verses 25-31)
Paul calls the Ephesian elders to keep watch over the flock in place of him, who has done that by ‘proclaim[ing] … the whole will of God’ (verse 27).
That, he says, is how shepherds watch over the flock of God. They proclaim the whole will of God, because the ‘savage wolves’ (verse 29) who will come after the flock are men who ‘will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them’ (verse 30).
So be on your guard. If anyone comes along, be they a preacher, a member of the congregation, or a friend, and urges you to do or believe something that you know is contrary to the teachings of Holy Scripture, then watch out. If you hear the seductive claims that you should follow the spirit of the age rather than the ancient wisdom handed down to us, then beware. This is how wolves snatch the sheep from the flock of God.
If they won’t accept correction, then complain to the Superintendent. Even if they are sincere rather than malicious, you still need to take action. Sincerity is not enough. I remember the story of an inquest after someone died on a hospital operating table. The anaesthetist had mistakenly administered the wrong anaesthetic, and this killed the patient. The coroner addressed the anaesthetist and said, “I have no doubt you sincerely thought you were giving the correct drug, but you were sincerely wrong, and it cost a life.”
It doesn’t matter whether someone is malicious or sincerely wrong, if they are trying to lead people down an unscriptural path they will take sheep from the flock. Keep watching.
Fourthly: keep giving (verses 32-35)
On the surface, here’s one way in which Paul practised ministry differently from us. He still engaged in his profession of tent-making, and used it to finance his ministry, which must therefore inevitably have been a part-time affair. In fact, he says he financed not only his own ministry but that of his companions, too. This model exists in Scripture alongside ones that are closer to our practice of setting ministers aside full-time.
But the point here is that we give in order to help the weak, because it is more blessed to give than to receive.
So I’m not talking about regular church weekly or monthly giving here. I’m asking that we continue to give in order to serve and bless the poor.
For example, here’s one thing I wish I’d thought of at the time. We’ve had the food bank running here for a few years now, and it’s wonderful that people from the village make contributions in the box at the Co-Op. It’s encouraging that people deposit gifts for it in the box in our foyer. It’s lovely when a local business or other organisation donates to us.
But why on earth did I not think of suggesting that we had a regular time when we as a congregation specifically gave to the food bank, more than the annual donations at harvest festival? I do know that individuals from the church family have given to it, and done so generously, but I should have thought of some way of building a rhythm of such giving into the life of the church.
We need to keep giving not just for the maintenance of the church, but so that we can bless the poor.
Fifthly: keep praying (verse 36)
Paul and the elders kneel together before he goes and he prays for them.
Here’s a thought for you: many of you will know that what I am paid is called a stipend, not a salary. Now stipend is not a religious word for a salary, it has a distinctive meaning. Whereas a salary is supposed to be a fair recompense for the job undertaken, a stipend is a living allowance. It is meant to be enough for someone to live on without being in need. The idea is that I am set free to pray. That I may prayerfully determine my priorities. That I may pray for my churches and my members. If the stipend were taken seriously, then prayer would be at the heart of what ministers do.
But we also need you to pray for us. I have been blessed over the years to have four people who have prayed daily for me. Three of them are now dead. There may be others praying for me that I don’t know about.
Prayer is not a mechanical thing that ‘works’, like pushing a button – and that’s why I don’t like the expression ‘Prayer works.’ Prayer is an expression of our relationship with our heavenly Father, and at its heart that’s what the Christian faith is – a relationship with God.
So the reason to keep praying is because it’s a fundamental expression of our faith. Prayer is not just a list of requests, although it includes that. It is time with our heavenly Father, mediated by Jesus and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Nurturing the relationship is as vital as filling up your car.
Sixthly and finally: keep loving (verses 37-38)
The weeping, kissing, and embracing tell us something about the strength of the love between Paul and the Ephesian elders.
Without love we are nothing. A church can have a mission statement but without love it is nothing. A church can have generous giving but without love it is nothing. A church can have wonderful building facilities but without love it is nothing. A church can have amazing worship music but without love it is nothing. A church can have exciting youth work but without love it is nothing.
Prioritise love for God and one another. When love grows cold, make sure you warm it up. When you fall out with one another, find ways to reconcile. When different personalities don’t understand each other, make sure you think the best of one another.
And I say this to you not because I believe love is absent here, but because it is present and you can build on it. I could think of many examples over the eight years I have been your minister, not least the way you have embraced your brothers and sisters when they have been bereaved. But one example is special to me, and that is the way you have taken my wife Debbie to your hearts.
It’s not start loving but keep loving. Not only will you make your church leaders happy, there will be joy in heaven as the Almighty and the heavenly host behold you.
Big Circumstance 