Acts 20:19, commentary and pictures

Paul was giving the elders his true farewell account of how he had ministered among the Ephesians from the first day he came into Asia through that whole season of incessant labor as it concluded. Serving with all humility of mind meant pushing the gospel forward with untiring zeal while guarding a church yet young in the faith and carrying a heavy burden for all the churches amid continual opposition, serving with many tears meant teaching, instructing, and warning publicly and from house to house with inward grief, and the trials by the lying in wait of the Jews meant plots against his life, mob attacks, insults, and abuse to undo his work. That humble, suffering service was joined to keeping back nothing profitable, testifying to Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith toward Christ, declaring all the counsel of God so as to be pure from the blood of all men, and charging overseers to feed the flock purchased with His own blood. Going from house to house with what is profitable, together with public teaching, is therefore worthy apostolic work not beneath any minister, and preaching in the house of God alone cannot accomplish what requires becoming acquainted with families in their homes with helpful, encouraging words and thorough personal labor. The same pattern calls all who work for God to serve in humility, which means loving God, trusting wholly in Christ's merits rather than self, and living out pure unselfish principles that bless and win souls, even though such faithfulness may bring many tears, severe trials, and conflict in which Satan can distress but cannot force the will to sin.

Paul's Suffering Witness in Ephesus

Paul's farewell to the elders was a true account of his manner of ministry from the first day he came into Asia, at all seasons, among the Ephesians as that season of incessant labor concluded. It was home missionary work in which he taught the Scriptures publicly and from house to house while at the same time laboring with his hands as a tentmaker for his support, an example of self-supporting missionary work carried forward in humble dependence on God. That humble, suffering service stood together with keeping back nothing profitable but showing and teaching publicly and from house to house.

Serving the Lord with all humility of mind meant battling against opposition while pushing forward the gospel work with untiring zeal. It meant guarding the interests of a church yet young in the faith and bearing upon the soul a heavy burden for all the churches through a season of incessant labor, of many trials, and of deep anguish. It was carried out with deep concern, earnest effort, thorough devoted labor, and patient endurance.

Serving with many tears meant inward grief and hardship from opposition joined to teaching the people. It meant instructing and warning them both in public and from house to house with tears.

The temptations and trials that befell him by the lying in wait of the Jews meant continual opposition in which the Jews lost no opportunity to stir up the popular feeling against him. They included plots against his life for his preaching, mob attacks, insults, and abuse in efforts to undo his work.

That humble, suffering service was joined to testifying both to Jews and Greeks repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ. His manner of teaching was to call attention to the broken law and show where hearers were guilty, instructing them as a schoolmaster instructs scholars and showing them the way back to loyalty to God. He did not shun to declare all the counsel of God, so that he could take record that he was pure from the blood of all men, and he charged overseers to feed the flock of God purchased with His own blood.

Apostolic Pattern for Gospel Labor

Going from house to house to teach what is profitable, together with public teaching, is apostolic work. Even the eloquent Paul, to whom God revealed Himself in a wonderful manner, did this humble, tearful, tried work under trials from Jews lying in wait, so carrying truth to the people as canvassers do is worthy work not beneath a minister and does not belittle him. His humble, difficult service from his first days in Asia included going from house to house, and ministers who canvass obtain a varied experience and do the very work Paul did, which is most precious ministry.

Preaching sermons in the house of God alone cannot accomplish the work essential for the well-being of God's people. Ministers must faithfully follow Paul's home missionary pattern from the first day he came into Asia, serving the Lord with full humility and tears amid trials from Jewish plots, by going from house to house and becoming acquainted with the different families in the church, whether converted or still without God and without hope. They must follow public discourses with thorough, devoted, well-directed personal labor, visiting people in their homes and speaking helpful, encouraging words that will be far more effective than preaching alone, with deep concern and earnest effort both publicly and from house to house, teaching what was profitable and urging turning to God and trust in Jesus.

At the same time Paul labored with his hands as a tentmaker for his support, working day and night so as not to be chargeable for support or burden his brethren, at times suffering hunger himself to relieve the necessities of others and to support his fellow workers. This proves manual toil in honorable labor is not shameful, fearful, degrading, or inconsistent with true greatness and elevation of human and Christian character, does not necessarily lessen influence or make one coarse, rough, and uncourteous, and took nothing from the force of his appeals. His service is an example of self-supporting missionary work in which workers teach the gospel while working to meet their own needs, moving forward humbly dependent on God.

Acts 20:17-35 outlines the character and duty of a faithful, all-round minister and Christian gentleman of the highest type who did his duty. That standard is learning the meekness and lowliness of Christ and following His example, examining oneself instead of taking ease and comfort, sitting at ease, and merely copying another minister when responsibilities are not half understood. It is preaching the truth as it is in Jesus, testifying repentance toward God and faith toward the Lord Jesus Christ and not shunning to declare all the counsel of God so as to be pure from the blood of all men, speaking not as pleasing men but God, and rightly dividing the Word of truth, yet ministers are not required to copy Paul in every detail.

Preaching from the desk is futile unless supported out of the desk by actual contact with people, coming into close sympathy with them in order to help them and warn every man so each may be presented perfect in Christ. A minister who claims to be God's servant but follows his own inclination, neglects visiting, lets helpers do the visiting while he remains apart, or shuns solemn but disagreeable duty violates the verse in sore neglect. Such slack, half-hearted work wastes time, injures the work of saving souls, causes the minister's spirituality to decline, and forfeits a means of grace, while faithful personal labor with deep concern, earnest effort, and patient endurance under trial blesses others and keeps the worker acceptable to God.

Humble Faithfulness Amid Opposition

What Paul describes is not his alone but the pattern for all who follow Jesus and work actively for God by exposing Satan's deceptions and presenting Christ to others. Such service is done with humility and may bring many tears and temptations. It can involve severe trials, conflict, and attacks from the enemy as it did for Paul.

In that conflict Satan can distress and cause agony, but he cannot force the will, control it, or make a person sin. Resisting him leaves the soul undefiled. Christ endured temptation, resisted every temptation and won, and His victories and the strength He gives to those who seek it make it possible for His followers to overcome.

Serving with all humility of mind means loving God and being thoroughly converted. Through His grace it means trusting wholly in Christ's spotless merits rather than in self. It means imitating Christ with pure, unselfish principles, purposes, words, and deeds that display truth, goodness, usefulness, and His righteousness to all, holding His holy ambition to make the world better for having lived in it rather than counting pretense and show as greatness, and bringing solid good sense into practical life to bless, purify, and sanctify every action. Such persons become effective agencies through whom God can win precious souls.

That humility calls ministers, physicians, and all the Lord's servants to walk humbly in thought, word, and action, without grieving the Saviour or misrepresenting His character. It calls them to remain steadfast and not submit to human ruling power. It calls them not to let feelings rule but to work unselfishly to save souls while trusting Jesus to guide and direct their work. Those of discernment and keen foresight who direct soul-saving work are to exercise good judgment in employing only persons of this humble character.

The verse comes as the loving voice of God from His Word to be taken home to the heart and carried out in life. In this way hearers become not only Bible readers but Bible believers and doers, and become far better than they are.