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).
c. Encouragement is something sorely lacking in churches today.
d. We live in a world that is filled with discouragement, especially for believers.
e. Our society does everything within their power to put us down and criticize us for our beliefs.
f. Once people know you are a Christian, they will begin looking for something to criticize us for or a chance to judge us because we made a mistake.
g. Isn’t it funny that people judge Christians for being judgmental, but in their criticism of us they do the same thing.
h. The point is there is so much discouragement in our world, and we need to be agents of encouragement.
i. Pick up your cell phone and text someone and encouragement (just for the record, you can call people on the phone too).
j. If you see someone who hasn’t been to church for a while, send them a message and let them know they’re missed and make sure they’re okay.
k. As a Pastor, that is part of my calling, but as Christian, being an encourager is a part of everyone’s calling.
l. As much as I try, I can’t encourage everyone. I need your help. So, encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today.
Transition: Pastor’s must also be…
II. Above Reproach (2b-6).
A. Several Men Were Traveling with Him
1. After leaving Macedonia, Luke tells us that Paul went down to Greece. In v. 3 it says, “Then he traveled down to Greece, 3 where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia.”
a. While Paul was in Greece he wrote his second letter to the Corinthians, which was a follow up letter to the one he wrote while still in Ephesus.
b. It was during this time that Paul probably retraced his steps, visiting some of the churches he had started during his second missionary journey, and then on to Greece.
c. Another thing that Paul did during this time was he wrote his letter to the Romans.
d. It was Paul’s desire to visit Rome in person, but that would have to wait for another time.
e. However, he made effective use of the time because his letter to the Romans was his theological masterpiece on the meaning of faith, salvation, and the meaning of the church universal.
f. While he was preparing to go back to Syria, he found out that there was a plot among the Jews to kill him.
g. So, God took him another route back through Macedonia.
2. It’s somewhat humorous that when God prevents us from doing something we want to do, then he shows us the benefit of doing what he wants us to do.
a. Paul wanted to go to Rome, but God told him “Not yet” because he had other things for him to do.
b. If he had gone to Rome when he wanted to go, he would have missed the opportunity to write some valuable portions of the NT, and he may have been killed much earlier.
c. Church, we need to remember that God answers our prayers in one of three ways: yes, no, and be patient! It’s that last one that bothers us the most.
d. However, we need to remember that God’s perfect timing is much better than our imperfect timing.
e. God knows the roadmap ahead of us, and we need to trust his perfect timing and will.
f. “For that is what God is like. He is our God forever and ever, and he will guide us until we die” (Ps 48:14).
3. Paul not only followed the Spirit’s leading in his journeys, but he also showed great wisdom in those with whom he surrounded himself. In vv. 4-5 it says, “Several men were traveling with him. They were Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea; Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica; Gaius from Derbe; Timothy; and Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia. 5 They went on ahead and waited for us at Troas.”
a. Unlike other lists of Paul’s companions, this is one is pretty detailed.
b. The reasoning behind it is that all of these men where from Gentile churches who had contributed to the offering taken up for the Jerusalem church.
c. This shows us two things. First, it shows the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem that these Gentiles were truly their brothers and sisters in Christ, who had contributed their finances to help them in their need. It added a personal touch that would strengthen the unity of the Church.
d. Second, it shows accountability. Since all their churches had contributed to the collection of funds, they could guarantee that the money went for what it was intended.
e. It’s always a good practice to be above board with financial matters.
B. Live in Such a Way
1. Illustration: A friend told Plato of a terrible charge that had been leveled against the famous philosopher. Knowing it was not true, his friend said, "What are we going to do?" Plato replied, "We must simply live in such a way that all people will know it is false." Paul said that an elder is to be above reproach (1 Timothy 3:2). He told all Christians to abstain from every appearance of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22).
2. As true disciples of Jesus, we want to live such good lives that we give no one an excuse to not follow him too.
a. “We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.” (2 Cor. 6:3).
b. Pastor’s need to live their lives in such a way that people will want to follow our Lord.
c. We need to live our lives, as Jesus did, in a way that we give glory to our Father in heaven.
d. As the old saying goes, “we need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk.”
e. However, we are not the only ones in the church that need to live that way.
f. We all need to live in a way that people say about us, “I don’t know what’s different about that person, but I want to be just like them.”
g. As Francis of Assisi said, “Preach the Gospel everywhere you go, and if you must, use words.”
Conclusion
1. A Pastor’s heart is one that…
a. Encourages others daily
b. Lives above reproach
2. What’s the point preacher? A Pastor’s heart is one that cares about his flock in such a way that they want to follow Jesus the same way they do.
