A Pastor's Heart Series

A Pastor’s Heart

Text: Acts 20:1-7

Introduction

1. Illustration: When I was in Bible college, one of my professors showed me great honor by telling me, “Mark, you are an unusual combination of the head of a scholar and the heart of a pastor.”

2. At times in my ministry, I have struggled with that combination within me. Often, I’ve had to ask the question, “which part of me wins?”

3. At times, the scholar in me goes crazy! Like when people say to me, “well, we’re all God’s children,” when I know the Bible says differently (see Jn. 1:12).

4. But I have learned over the years that my heart always beats my head. In other words, my Pastor’s heart always wins.

5. Now, I believe Paul also had that struggle, because he too was the combination of a scholar’s head and a Pastor’s heart. But Scripture is clear, his heart always won!

6. The principles within our text today are not just for Pastor’s, but they are also for all believers.

7. Read Acts 20:1-6

Transition: Inside the Pastor’s heart is a…

I. Heart of Encouragement (1-2a).

A. Paul Sent for the Believer’s and Encouraged Them

1. In the previous chapter, we learned about the riot that took place in Ephesus concerning the silver smith’s complaint about losing business because people were becoming Christians and no longer purchased the idols they were making.

2. Now in chapter 20 we see that this problem came to a close, and Paul decided to move on. In vv. 1-2 Luke tells us, “When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said good-bye and left for Macedonia. 2 While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through.”

a. Now that the riot in Ephesus was over, Paul was ready to move on to the rest of his journey.

b. However, before he did, he made sure that he got to say goodbye to his Christian brothers and sisters in Ephesus.

c. Before he left, Paul did something he was very good at, he encouraged them.

d. The Greek word translated encouraged in English means to “give comfort to another person, to urge a person toward action or a new thought pattern, or to cheer them up.”

e. Paul did that everywhere he went. In fact, the word “encourage” is a major theme in this chapter.

f. Paul encouraged people in three ways: 1) with his presence, 2) with his words, and 3) through his actions.

g. Paul stopped at every place along the way that he had planted a new church and spent time with the people there, encouraging them by being with them.

h. He also encouraged them by preaching and teaching the Word to them, thus helping them become stronger Christians.

i. He also encouraged them with his acts of kindness and generosity.

j. When Paul left Ephesus, he went on to Macedonia and did the same thing, he encouraged them.

B. Encourage One Another Daily

1. Illustration: "One hot day, Herman Trueblood, all clean and cooled off by a nice swim in the ocean, saw a sweating man and his two sons trying on a hot day to push a disabled car up an incline. Two voices started yelling at each other inside him. One said, "There is an opportunity for service; you ought to help them push." The other voice protested, "Now that is none of your business. You will get yourself all hot and dirty. Let them handle their own affair."

a. He finally yielded to his better impulse. He put his shoulder to the task. The car moved and kept moving. A simple thing then happened which Trueblood never forgot.

b. The father stuck out his dirty hand, and Trueblood stuck out his... The father said, "I am very glad that you came along. You had just enough strength, added to ours, to make the thing go."

c. Trueblood later reflected, "Years have passed since that hot day, but I can still hear that man saying, "You had just enough strength, added to ours, to make the thing go."

d. There are many thousands of people struggling to get some heavy load over the hill, and I probably have 'just enough strength, added to theirs, to make the thing go.

2. When it comes to encouraging others, we all need to have a Pastor’s heart.

a. “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Heb. 3:13, NIV).

b. “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25).