Paul's Farewell, Pt 2: Admonition

In this second message on Paul’s speech to the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:17-35), the apostle warns the elders to take careful heed to their own personal walk with Christ. This is important because the Holy Spirit has appointed them to oversee His flock—His body, the church purchased by His blood. The elders are to care for the flock—to feed, keep, lead, protect, guard, and rule.

This oversight is important because, as Paul understood from experience, vicious wolves would seek to attack, not sparing the flock. They would come as trained teachers from without or arise as influential voices from with, speaking twisted words—heresy. Heresy can be false doctrine, but it is more likely to be truth that fails to lead to exalting Christ. In other words, the teaching may focus on the teacher or the teaching, and it may be about Jesus, but it does not lead to Jesus as its end. Jesus is everything.

The elders listened to Paul and heeded his warning to guard the flock, but they failed to keep their own hearts close to Jesus. See Revelation 2:1-7.