How to Be a Healthy Church
Acts 20:28-38
Intro: How many here like to be healthy? Most of us do. We’re sick and tired of being sick and tired, and we like to feel that we’re running on all cylinders. Whether you’re a 2-stroke, 4-banger, slant-6, or a V-8, we all like to be at full power. Nobody likes to be sickly or weak, or rundown.
-Well, God wants His church to be healthy as well. There are a lot of things that go into the making of a healthy church. The biggest factor is that we recognize that Christ is the head of the church and that we all submit ourselves to Him.
-Now in our text, Paul is meeting with the leaders from the Ephesian church, and he is giving them what he believes are his last words to them. As it turns out, Paul is actually able to visit them again later, but he did not think he would ever see them again when he met with them in Acts 20.
-So Paul gives them his best advice on how to be a healthy church. I think it would benefit us to pay heed to these words of Paul and see how they might apply to our church as a whole, as well as to each of us as individuals.
Prop: If God’s people are growing in spiritual health, then His church will be a healthy church.
Interrogative: How then, can we keep growing in our spiritual health?
TS: Let’s look at a few sound words of advice from the Apostle Paul.
I. Watch Out! (Acts 20:28-31)
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, which he bought with his own blood. 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.
A. Watch yourselves- (leaders and followers) Leaders need to watch over one another. This is one reason there have been so many moral failures and scandals amongst pastors and other Christian leaders. Some leaders won’t let anyone close enough or give them permission to watch over them. Sometimes, everyone is just so busy with their own lives and pursuits that they don’t have the time or awareness to watch over anyone else – they have a hard enough time keeping themselves on track.
-Now, lest you think that this is only about Pastors or official leaders, let me say that we all need to watch ourselves. We are all leaders or influencers simply by reason of our faith. People will look at our lives and either take their cues from us as to what God is like. We must watch ourselves because others are watching us, and because it helps keep us right with God.
B. Watch over others (like shepherds watch over sheep) This has to do with people who are leaders within the church watching over the flock (and remember, every Christian is a leader in some way). As a parent, have you ever asked an older sibling to watch over a younger sibling? Sometimes it turns out badly, but it can help teach the older sibling to be responsible for someone other than himself or herself. And sometimes, the younger sibling watches over the older in that everything gets back to Mom and Dad. We are all accountable to each other and to God. So, we need to watch each other’s backs and help others see danger before it harms them. We need to keep encouraging one another so that we will all keep growing. You might say that encouragement is the sunshine that causes a garden to grow. All water and no sunshine makes for a dismal garden. We need to help provide the warmth and light of encouragement to one another as we watch over ourselves and those around us. Help meet needs, help encourage, help teach and train others. This really boils down to discipleship, fellowship, and ministry to one another. A 3rd thing to remember as we watch over ourselves & others…
C. Remember whose church it is – V.28 says that Jesus bought the church with His own blood. It belongs to Him! Jesus told Peter in Matt. 16 that He would build His church. He would not build it on Peter, but upon Peter’s confession that Jesus was the Messiah, the anointed One, the Son of the living God!
-Every believer you see around you in this community belongs to God. So think twice next time you get mad and say something bad about the Lord’s wife! We are all part of the Bride of Christ, from the youngest to the oldest. It is not so important that I get my way, but that Jesus has His way in His church. Ask the Lord, “How can I be a part of what You are doing in Your Church?” He will help you fit in right where He wants you – right where you belong.
-Well, not only does a healthy church watch over its family members, but the people of a healthy church work hard to provide what is needed.
II. Work Hard! (Acts 20:32-34)
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.
-Before we jump in and start talking about how hard we need to work, notice v.32. Paul commits these people to God and to the word of His grace. Why? Because His grace builds people up. No matter how hard we work and try to make things happen, at the end of the day, it is God’s grace that brings the results that we need. So, in the midst of our discussion about hard work, remember that only by His grace can we accomplish anything.
A. Work hard to avoid a covetous heart – I find that covetousness usually arises from desire, not from need. We see something someone else has, and we want it for ourselves. For most of us, it is not so much that we need it, but we sure do want it!
-I really didn’t think I had a problem in this area, but as I really thought about it, I’ve been guilty of coveting every now and then. Sometimes I look around at all of the nice pickups, and I say, “I want one of those.” Some people who drive them can’t afford them any more than I can, but they drive them anyway. I have to confess, sometimes I admire things that belong to others (motorcycles, 4-wheelers, houses, wealth, and other things). Now there is nothing wrong with admiring some of these things, as long as we do not become infatuated with them and wish that they were in our possession. If you have trouble being glad for someone else when they have something you like, then you might be getting real close to coveting their possessions.
-Someone said that it is not coveting as long as we do not wish to dispossess the other person. So their remedy is to wish that the other person had 2 of those things and that they had one. I’m not sure about that. The main thing is that we do not get so caught up with the desire to acquire that we miss God’s purposes for our lives.
-So, how do we work hard to avoid a covetous heart? One way is to simply learn contentment. Contentment comes from trusting God. Paul told the Philippians, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength” (Philippians 4:11-13). King David knew this contentment: He wrote, “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want” or lack. He gives me everything I need. Everything I have belongs to Him and He will provide all that I need. Well, what else should we work hard at?
B. Work hard to provide for self & family (1 Timothy 5:8 If anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.) God provides, but we have a part too. Paul did not just sit around saying, “God will provide.” No, he worked hard to earn a living for himself and for others. In fact, there were times when Paul may have wanted to devote all his time and energy into ministry, but he still worked on the side. He could have received donations, and as he points out in 1 Cor., he even had a Biblical basis to receive wages for preaching the gospel. However, he chose to be entirely self-supporting so that the gospel would have maximum impact. Most of the other apostles did accept the generosity from other Christians. However, Paul rarely did – perhaps only from the Philippian Christians.
-The point here is that there is nothing wrong with working hard on a job to support yourself and your family – as long as that job does not keep us from doing what God has called us to do. That job should have what I’ll call “ministry compatibility.” If not, I suspect God may have another job in mind for you – although a transition may not be possible overnight. We see evidence of another benefit of working hard on a job.
C. Work hard to support the ministry - Paul took care of his own needs, but he also supplied the needs of his ministry team. There were other times when Paul actually raised funds from churches to help the church at Jerusalem, which was in great need. It is biblical to support the work of the Lord in tithes and offerings. Certainly, as a good steward, you should be aware of how that money is used. But never stop honoring God with what He has blessed you with. If your church was being irresponsible with money, I’d encourage you to talk to the leadership and do what you can to help correct the problem. If there is no accountability or guidelines and the leadership refuses to be good stewards, then I think you should still find a way to honor the Lord with your finances. We’ll talk about some ways to do that in a moment. I do believe that it is God’s plan for believers to give to their local church, especially when those resources are being used to reach people and bring them closer to God.
-TS: Our final point shows us one way the Lord’s money should be used.
III. Be Generous (Acts 20:35-38)
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.’" 36 When he had said this, he knelt down with all of them and prayed. 37 They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. 38 What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again. Then they accompanied him to the ship.
-Paul led by example in his hard work and generosity. We already see how he worked to help cover his companions. He also worked so he could give to the poor.
-I would encourage you to support some of the valid ministries that are helping needy people. Give toward disaster relief. Convoy of Hope is one of the best programs I’ve seen that provides emergency assistance to disaster areas. It is an A/G program, but I believe it is one of the best benevolence programs you can support. Only 4% of its budget goes for administrative costs and general expenses. Another portion goes toward further fundraising efforts. But the vast majority of the funds goes directly to the need in the way of food, clothing, shelter, medical supplies, etc. We can find many ways to help provide food, clothing, and shelter for those who cannot provide it for themselves.
-God loves generosity. Why? Because it reflects His own heart and nature. Stinginess is completely out of step with God’s character. God so loved that He gave…. No strings attached. He just gives and gives. He loves and keeps on loving, wanting only the best for each precious human life that He has created.
-As we seek to be good stewards, let’s not think that God is impressed by how tight-fisted we are. When we stand before God, He will be much more impressed by what we gave than by what we accumulated or held onto. Yes, stewardship includes making sure there is a good return on our investments. However, that return may not always be known until this life is over and God says, “Well done, good and faithful servant. You were faithful and generous with the worldly wealth I gave you. Now you can enjoy the true riches that last forever.
Conclusion: As we seek to be a growing and healthy church that helps people find God and live a better life, let’s remember these parting words that Paul gave to the Ephesian elders. Watch over God’s people – including yourself. Watching out for one another will make us a closer family where everyone is cared for. Work hard to avoid covetousness or greed and to provide for yourself and others. Be generous by helping those who cannot seem to help themselves. Live with an open hand of generosity. These things will make a healthy church that cares about people. It will be a church with integrity and open arms to those in need. We don’t want to be a church that is just trying to get something from people. We want to be a church that gives people a taste of what heaven will be like – joy, celebration, worship, love, acceptance, peace, contentment, and so much more.
-If you are lacking in any of these areas, just remember that the resources of heaven are available to you. If you need more compassion in your heart that will help you watch over others, God will give you that. If you need a greater work ethic, God can help you find the commitment and desire to work hard and see good results. If you tend to be a little tight-fisted when it comes to helping those in need, God is more than willing to make your heart more life His – generous and gracious to those in need.
-Let’s pray and ask Him to continue His work in us, making us more like Him.
