A Church’s Inheritance
Acts 20:25-35
Acts 20:25-35 New International Version
25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. 26 Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. 27 For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God. 28 Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God,[a] which he bought with his own blood.[b] 29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. 30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. 31 So be on your guard! Remember that for three years I never stopped warning each of you night and day with tears.
32 “Now I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. 34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. 35 In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
*Acts 20:25. καὶ νῦν, see on Acts 20:22.—οἶδα: no infallible presentiment or prophetic inspiration, but a personal conviction based on human probabilities, which was overruled by subsequent events.
- Paul, at that time, was both the most loved and hated man (outside of the Jew’s distaste for Caesar) in all of Asia Minor and the Ancient Near East.
- The people of Ephesus go meet Paul. Why? Well, it would cause a riot! Acts 19:23-32
- Paul planted a church and did not receive on cent from the church for doing it. (Acts 20:33-35.
- What SHOULD be the focus of work of the church? (Verse 35)
- What did the church do after Paul left? Revelation 2:1-5
- Repent and Inherit. Revelation 2:7