An Urgent Word to Church Leadership

We come to the end of Paul's third and final missionary journey. As he stays in Miletus, awaiting his departure to Jerusalem, we calls the leadership in the church at Ephesus and gives them an urgent charge for life going forward without him.

A CHRONICLE OF EARTHLY MINISTRY (VV. 18B–27)
• The nature of his ministry: "I lived among you...serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials" (vv. 18., 19)
• The content of his ministry: "I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you in public and from house to house" (v. 20)
o Declaring/teaching what? "To testify to the gospel of the grace of God" (v. 24); "proclaiming the kingdom" (v. 25); "I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God" (v. 27) è "repentance towards God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (v. 21)
• The method of his ministry: "teaching you in public and from house to house" (vv. 21)
• The scope of his ministry: "testifying to both Jews and Greeks" (v. 21)
• The end of his ministry: "I am going to Jerusalem" (v. 22)

A CHARGE TO PRESBYTERS (VV. 28–31)
• "called the elders"
o "elder" is a "presbyter" (presbutéros) — this is the office
o "overseer" is a "bishop" (epískopos) — this is the duty
o "to care for" has the root for "shepherd" (poimén) — this is the attitude
• "Pay careful attention" o "to yourselves"
o "to all the flock"
Ø Pasture
Ø Protect • "Be alert"

A COMMENDATION TO GOD (VV. 32–35)
• "I commend you to the word of his grace"
o "which is able to build you up"
o "and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified"