Acts 20:17-38

Be still: God of love, would you pour your heart into mine, Amen

Read: Acts 20:17-38

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. (v28)

Encounter: Paul is soon to go on a missional journey and he knows he will likely not come back. So he shares some final words with the leaders of the church in Ephesus.

He warns the leaders to keep watch over themselves and others, because he knows that people will come in and try to manipulate the believers into following them to make themselves rich. 

We see great humility from Paul as he was an incredible leader who planted churches in many different places and exercised powerful ministry. He, however, did not boast about his accomplishments or try to make himself rich from it. He worked with his own hands and served faithfully because he knew that the church was precious to God. He considers the church to be purchased at a costless price: the blood of Jesus. 

Therefore, the church belongs to God, not to any one of us. God was the one who bought us; we belong to God. 

Apply: Sometimes we need to be reminded whose church it is. None of us own our churches, God is the one who owns the church. It can be tempting to use Christianity to make a name for ourselves or to make a living; to get what we can out of church and each other. But in God we see someone who lays down his life for his church. Let’s be reminded today that we belong to God’s church; not our own.

Devote: God thank you that you love us so much that you sent Jesus, please help us put down the things we need to put down, and to pick up what you call us to pick up.