To start with a truism, the apostle Paul was a man on a mission. He had no time to lose. We’ve seen him at Ephesus and he decides to leave not because of the threats of physical violence he had but because his message can no longer get a good hearing. We saw him in Acts 19 carrying out a SWOT analysis on his work there and deciding to go to Jerusalem. Summing up the Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of the situation, he concludes it’s time to move on.

In Chapter 20 he helps the leaders still in Ephesus to do their own SWOT analysis. He is very eager to see the leaders again but he’s more eager still to get to Jerusalem. There’s a slight delay with his boat and he’s afraid to miss the sailing if he goes to Ephesus so he sends for them to come to him. It’s a matter of thirty miles – it’s as if he’s had three years in Raglan and he’s in the departure lounge at Rhoose airport going to the next placement and there’s an indefinite delay so he sends for the deacons to do this SWOT analysis.

But this is a bit more solemn than that. This is the end of Paul’s church planting activity in the East. After Jerusalem he knows he’s going west in every sense of the term. So this takes on the nature of a last will and testament to his eastern churches.  And one thing that leaps to our attention once again is the similarities with the ministry of Jesus. One of the things Luke loves to do is to bring out parallels between the life of Paul and that of Jesus. He does this not to suggest that Paul is a saviour in the way that Jesus is. Not at all! Instead, Paul is the ideal follower of Jesus. The disciple who shows what discipleship is all about.

So, you remember that when Paul came to Ephesus, the disciples of John the Baptist greeted him and it was a new beginning for Christianity as they came to Christ. Well, this is Passover time. There is a breaking of bread. There is even a death and resurrection as Eutychus falls out of the window but is restored to life. And now there is a solemn farewell. A Great Commission if you like.  

18-21 These verses tell us what Paul saw as his main activity. His purpose in life. In Philippians we learn that his main goal was to press on to know Christ and the power of his resurrection. That was his inner compulsion. These verses show how that was worked out in everyday life. He got emotional. He was systematic. He got on a soapbox. He nattered over a cup of tea. He seized opportunities. He didn’t try to flee from threats but faced them. And in all this he was trying to lay a solid foundation in human lives. There’s a strong word in the Greek which is thematic for this little passage – diamarturomai. What Paul was doing according to verse 21 was to make a really, really solemn declaration about the way into God’s kingdom. And to make that the foundation.

22-24 And he’s invincible in making this really solemn declaration. Now it sometimes happens that an irresistible force meets an immovable object. Boycott denounces Kevin Pietersen; Kevin Pietersen makes 158 and wins the Ashes; but Boycott still has to be right; and so you get a self-justification in the sports pages.

And so, just as Paul uses the word diamaruromai, the Holy Spirit uses this word diamarturomai as well. The Spirit makes a really solemn declaration through the authentic Christian prophets in every city he goes to that he’s going to be imprisoned and suffer bigtime. Now because, prophecy needs to be interpreted and applied people are saying, ‘You’ll be imprisoned and suffer, therefore don’t go.’ But Paul has a bigger compulsion on his life than personal comfort. Do you? For Paul, even these threats are opportunities. Even in prison he’s saying, ‘Fantastic, the guards are hearing the gospel. Fantastic, I can describe the Christian virtues as being like the Roman soldier’s armour. Fantastic, I can show that true discipleship is to take up your cross and follow Jesus through death to resurrection.’ The ultimate value for Paul is not worldly security but diamarturomai – to make the really, really solemn declaration. What is your ultimate value?

25-31 These people are described as presbyteroi and episcopoi. These are the words that give us priest and bishop. But there are big problems about reading back modern titles of any kind. Even elder. These are simply people that Paul left in charge at Ephesus when he moved on. And just as you mustn’t imagine robes and chasubles, dalmatics, pyx and pax you mustn’t even imagine Raglan Baptist Church. You must imagine from house to house and the lecture hall of Tyrannus. What is empahsised is not position but function. And in this passage they are guardians and shepherds. Paul knows that when he goes false teachers are going to break in from the outside. He knows that some even of the people he’s talking to right there in the departure lounge will whip off the sheepskin and reveal claws and teeth and begin to tear up the fellowship.

Now fortunately, we haven’t got to imagine what problems were ahead.

1 Timothy 4:1-5. A wrong asceticism. ‘Look at me, I don’t . . .’ 2 Tim 2:18. Anything goes. ‘Look at me I do . . .’ 2 Tim 3:1-9 – a very graphic passage.

2 Timothy 1:15 tells us there was just a turning away from Paul on the part of everyone in Asia. If you want to know what type of forms that took then you need to look at 2 Corinthians. They simply watched Paul suffering and they said well there can’t be much in what he says if he keeps on suffering all the time. And Paul says the hyper-apostles were saying ‘Look at us, we always succeed and we always prosper. This is how it’s done, follow us. Paul’s a little, bald, ugly man and what’s more he can’t preach.’ And all Paul can say, is well, I’m a prisoner in Christ’s victory procession. And I bear in my body the marks of Christ. You pays your money and you takes your choice as to what you think true discipleship looks like.’

Revelation tells us they were going be so stolid in their defence against the false teachers that they were going  to lose their first love for the Lord and become hard hearted towards Jesus. You can do that, you can be sound on doctrine but have no love – and Paul himself tells us we’ve got nothing if we have no love.

But fortunately a gentleman called Ignatius in the early second century tells us they managed to take notice of the warning and get their first love back. 

31 – Just as Paul did they’ve got to be alert making sure Christ keeps the upper hand.

32-35. Paul declares his hand: he lays his three kings on the table

32 Even when Paul is gone, God is still there and capable of bringing them through.

33+34 He leaves Ephesus a disinterested man. An uncorrupted man. There’s great satisfaction in having done the job and no one can say he was a wage slave or a clockwatcher. He develops that elsewhere.

35 He’s left an example of care and compassion. Rather than domination and powermania.

And then he plays four aces in one go – a word of Jesus that isn’t in the gospels! You thought it was all in the gospels? It isn’t! Paul tells us that Jesus said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’

36 to the end. A lyrical epilogue to the whole Ephesian ministry. To all of Paul’s work in the Eastern Mediterranean.  This is Mozart’s ‘Cosi Fan Tutte.’ It’s bitter sweet. Mozart is full of irony because the lovers are testing one another; and there’s an ambivalent puppet master singing bass. And the music conveys it all: an emotional parting but a wolf in sheep’s clothing crooning along.