Study #64: Paul preached a final message of warning to the elders of his church at Ephesus (Acts 20:13

Study #64: Paul preached a final message of warning to the elders of his church at Ephesus (Acts 20:13 - 38)

All Bible quotations and the arrangement are found exclusively in the Kingdom Study Bible version, published by Jehovah Has Spoken Publishing Ministries.

It is published for free online at https://https://www.phibible.org/

Download a FREE PDF copy of the Kingdom Study Bible in English at this link:

https://www.phibible.org/files/English_PDF_Kingdom_Study_Bible.pdf

This PDF works best with Adobe Acrobat, which is free to download and use at this link:

https://get.adobe.com/reader/

It works well with your smartphone, but it also suitable for tablets or larger devices, such as your PC.

Use the hyperlinks to navigate quickly throughout the entire Bible and access the Table of Contents from almost every page.

Use the 300+ outlines to explore the themes of the Bible in ways that are impossible with other Bible versions.

Read the Preface to learn basic information about Golden Ratio design of the Bible.

Freely you have received; freely give! This PDF version has no copyright and is free to share and even print without limit. Please share with all of your friends, Christian or not Christian.

The Golden Ratio outline of Acts Chapter 2.3:

Acts, Chapter 2.3: The Gentiles of Ephesus violently opposed the efforts of Paul to teach the Word (18:23 - 20:38)

§Unique Introduction: Aquila, Priscilla, and Paul guided disciples of John the Baptist to a better understanding of the Gospel (18:23 - 19:7)

¶Opposite Aquila and Priscilla guided Apollos, a disciple of John the Baptist, to a better understanding of the Way of God (18:23 - 28)

¶Opposite Paul guided twelve disciples of John the Baptist to a better understanding of the Gospel, including baptism (19:1 - 7)

§Complement Body: The silversmiths in Ephesus instigated a riot against Paul and his preaching against idolatry (19:8 - 20:12)

¶Opposite Paul worked for two years to train his converts in Ephesus in the Word of God (19:8 - 12)

¶Opposite The failed exorcism by the sons of Sceva resulted in a great revival in Ephesus (19:13 - 20)

¶Complement While Paul was staying in Ephesus, the silversmiths instigated a riot against him (19:21 - 28)

¶Complement The mob of angry idolaters praised their idol Diana loudly and enthusiastically (19:29 - 20:1)

¶Unique Paul raised Eutychus from the dead while preaching in Troas in Asia Minor (20:2 - 12)

§Complement Conclusion: Paul preached a final message of warning to the elders of his church at Ephesus and said goodbye (20:13 - 38)

¶Complement In Miletus, Paul preached a message of warning to the elders of his church at Ephesus (20:13 - 31)

¶Complement Paul said goodbye to the elders of his church at Ephesus (20:32 - 38)

If you are unfamiliar with the design of the golden ratio in the Bible, please visit this page of my website:

https://www.phibible.org/info/GoldenRatioBibleStudies/EnglishIntroduction.html

We will finish our study of the Book of Acts, Chapter 2.3 with the two paragraphs of the Conclusion Section, both of which have the Golden Ratio design of “OO-CCU”; or two opposites, two complements, and one unique.

§Complement Conclusion: Paul preached a final message of warning to the elders of his church at Ephesus and said goodbye (Acts 20:13 - 38)

¶Complement In Miletus, Paul preached a message of warning to the elders of his church at Ephesus (Acts 20:13 - 31)

Opposite And we, having gone before by ship, sailed to Assos; there intending to take in Paul: for so had he appointed, minding himself to go on foot.

Opposite And when he met with us at Assos, we took him in, and came to Mitylene. And we sailed from there, and came the next day over against Chios; and the next day we crossed over to Samos, and stayed at Trogyllium; and the next day we came to Miletus: for Paul had determined to sail by Ephesus, because he would not spend the time in Asia: for he hurried, if it were possible for him, to be at Jerusalem the Day of Pentecost.

Complement And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the Assembly. And when they came to him, he said to them, “You know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons, serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews; and how I kept back nothing that was beneficial to you, but have shown you, and taught you publicly, and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Complement And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: except that the Holy Spirit witnesses in every city, saying that chains and afflictions await me. But none of these things move me; neither do I count my life dear to myself, so that I might finish my racecourse with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the Gospel of the grace of God.

Unique And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the Kingdom of God, shall see my face no more; therefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all: for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock (over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers), to shepherd the Assembly of God, which he has purchased with his own blood: for this I know, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Comments: Paul was traveling by ship back to Jerusalem, to be there by the day of Pentecost. He was accompanied by Luke and his team of missionary workers.

He made a stopover in the port of Miletus on the coast of Asia Minor (today’s Turkey), which was south of Ephesus.

The Golden Ratio design of this paragraph is like this:

The first two subparagraphs oppose each other in their themes:

OPPOSITE: Paul walked on foot to Assos.

OPPOSITE: Paul rode on a ship from Assos to Miletus.

Then, in the final three subparagraphs, the message of Paul to his elders was very simple:

COMPLEMENT: I have been faithful to the Lord in communicating to you the core message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

COMPLEMENT: I am going bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, being determined to testify the Gospel of the grace of God, no matter what happens to me

UNIQUE: I won’t be seeing you anymore; therefore beware of false prophets, grevious wolves, who will rise up to attempt to divide and destroy your church.

So the Golden Ratio design of these subparagraphs is “OO-CCU”; and the last paragraph has the same design. There is a natural division between the opposites and the complementary: Paul is traveling (OO), Paul is preaching (CCU); but they all belong together in the same group. Regardless of whether the design is “UCC-OO” or “OO-CCU”, or whether the content is subparagraphs, paragraphs, chapters, books, or volumes, the design works the same way every time.

This is powerful proof of the inspiration of the Scriptures, because the Apostles and Prophets were not aware of this design when they wrote it; and yet, it is there! So it must have come from the Holy Spirit, who inspired the Word of God; Amen!

2 Peter 1:20-21: “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture comes of one’s own interpretation: for the prophecy came at no time by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Now in the last subparagraph, we find a very powerful text that will teach us the meaning of the words “elder”, “overseer/bishop”, and “pastor/shepherd”.

As you may know, many denominations and church groups use these titles in different ways. Some use the term “elder” or “elders” to describe the leader of the church and his assistants. Some use “Bishop” as the leader of the church; some use “pastor” as the leader of the church; so which is the correct term?

The word “elder” comes from the Greek word “presbuteros”, which means an older man.

The word “overseer” comes from the Greek word “episkopos”, which means “a superintendent, an overseer”.

The word “pastor” comes from the Greek word “poimén”; in this passage, the words “to shepherd” comes from a similar word “poimainó”, which means to act as a shepherd.

Now let’s look closer at this passage to see how these terms are referring to the very same position in the churches:

Paul spoke to ELDERS: “Therefore take heed to yourselves, and to all the flock (over which the Holy Spirit has made you OVERSEERS), to SHEPHERD the Assembly of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.”

Notice that the “elders of the Assembly” were also “overseers” and “shepherds”. In other words, the terms are describing the very same men! Overseers (bishops) = elders = pastors.

Baptists prefer the term “pastors”; Presbyterians prefer the term “elder” (which comes from “presbuteros”); Episcopalians and other denominations that came out of Rome like the term “episkopos”; and “Bishop”. But the reality is that there is no difference between these offices in the Bible!

All of the elders of the assembly in Ephesus were “bishops”, episkopos/overseers, and pastors! There was not one “bishop”, and many elders underneath him; no, all were “bishops”, elders, and pastors at the same time. This is the true Scriptural design of the office of the leader of a local church or assembly.

The pastor is simultaneously an overseer of the assembly: he is in charge; he supervises the church activities.

The pastor is also an “elder”; that is to say, he is a mature believer (not a new believer I Timothy 3:6); and often an older man, but not necessarily.

The pastor is also a shepherd of the flock of the sheep of the members of his church: he is responsible to guide them in all matters of faith and doctrine, and to be faithful to the chief Shepherd, Jesus Christ, who called him into the ministry, I Peter 5:1-4.

A pastor may have one or more assistant pastors (or elders), who teach Sunday school, pastor the teenagers, lead the choir, lead the church members in singing hymns, lead the soul winning outreach of the church, lead the bus ministry, and so on.

The deacons are a separate office in the local church, with special responsibilities detailed in I Timothy 3:8-13 and Acts 6:1-6.

So beware of groups who want to create false and artificial offices in their church such as “Bishop”, who will typically be a supervisor of pastors in many churches. This is a false office, and should not exist, because it is not Biblical.

The only church that is biblical is a local church that has no superior except Jesus Christ! The pastor answers only to Jesus and the Word of God. Churches that claim to be “national” or “regional” or even “universal” are not biblical churches. You cannot find that kind of church in the Bible.

Also beware of groups who claim that the only correct term is “elder”; this is false, since pastor and elder are the same office, as this scripture shows clearly.

Some might say, “This is how the church has evolved over the years.” That is true; it has evolved, or rather “devolved”, because the “church” has failed to follow Jesus Christ and the Apostles faithfully! It has become a false religion, and is no longer a biblical church.

Baptists correctly understand that pastor is probably the best term, as it means a shepherd or guide of his flock; this includes the job description of overseer. Elder does not include the meaning of overseer, so “pastor” is the most inclusive of the three terms.

But if a church wants to use “elder”, it doesn’t really matter, because it is used often in the letters of the Apostles, although I prefer “pastor”.

Typically, churches that use the term “Bishop” are part of the mainline denominations like Presbyterian, Methodist, or Episcopalian, which also means that they are not following the Bible either, because they came out of the Roman Catholic religion.

And a church that uses the term “elder” is probably an “Evangelical” type of church, which is usually weak in their Biblical theology as well. Evangelical or community churches try to be all things to all people and have little loyalty to the Scriptures. Mormons also use the term “elder”, but Mormons are part of an evil cult that has little in common with the Bible.

Fundemental Baptists will almost always use the term “pastor”, because they want to be biblical.

¶Complement Paul said goodbye to the elders of his church at Ephesus (20:32 - 38)

Opposite And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the Word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

Opposite I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. Indeed, you yourselves know, that these hands have ministered to my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shown you all things, how that so laboring you should support the weak, and remember the words of the Lord Jesus: how he said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

Complement And when he had spoken this, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.

Complement And they all wept much; and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him, sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more.

Unique And they accompanied him to the ship.

Comments: Would to God that we had more pastors like Paul who did not covet silver and gold! Many charismatic preachers are millionaires, or even billionaires, like the false prophet Kenneth Copeland. They covet private jet airplanes and mansions for themselves, but do little or nothing to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost.

My advice to you is to stay away from this kind of church, and look for an Independent, Fundamental, Baptist church in your area to attend and support. If you need help to find a good church in your area, please contact me through Facebook or “editor@phibible.org”, and I will be glad to help you.

Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life: no man comes to the Father, but by me.”

If you want to go to Heaven, you must go through Jesus Christ, or you won’t make it!

You cannot be a child of God until you have been born again; and you cannot be born again until you have repented of your sins and asked Jesus Christ to come into your life to become your Savior. This is done by your prayer of faith in the Finished Work of Christ on the cross, and not by the water of baptism or by church membership or by your good works.

Ephesians 2:8-9: “For by grace you have been permanently saved through faith; and that faith is not out of yourselves: it is the gift of God; not of our own works, lest Quoteman should boast”

Romans 10:8-13: “But what does it say? “The Word is near you, even in your mouth, and in your heart”; that is to say, the Word of faith (which we preach), that if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved: for with the heart man believes into righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made into salvation: for the Scripture says, “Whosoever believes on him shall not be ashamed.” For there is no difference between the Jew and the Gentile: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him: for [it is written], “whosoever shall call upon the Name of the Lord shall be saved.”

If you want to be saved, and become free from the devil, here is how you do it: if you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross for your sins, and that He rose from the dead on the third day, you may pray this prayer to receive Him as your Savior and be saved:

“Lord Jesus, I know that I have sinned against YOU. I am no good, and you are righteous! You are my only hope for salvation! I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, you were buried, and you rose again from the dead on the third day. I want you to come into my life and be my Lord and Savior. Please come into my heart right now. Forgive me for all my sins, and save my soul. In the mighty Name of Jesus, I pray, Amen!”

If you have turned from your sins and accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and only Savior from sin, please message me through Facebook and let me know that you have done that, so that I can pray for you and rejoice with you in what God has done in your life. Amen.