Renewing Your Mind About Leadership

Acts 20:28-38. 28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. 29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 32 And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified. 33 I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. 34 You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. 35 In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ 36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, 38 being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship. (ESV)

The crucial component in any organization, institution, or business is its leadership. Good leadership can lift an organization to the heights of success, whereas poor leadership can plunge it into the depths of ruin. Not surprisingly, a vast amount of material is available for those wishing to sharpen their leadership skills. Leadership is treated as an essential element because it is. God is even more concerned about leadership in His kingdom. The Bible, both in its teaching and the examples it presents, speaks about leadership.

The pastoral epistles set forth the high standards for leaders in the church (1 Tim. 3:1–13; Titus 1:5–9). All of those requirements are summarized in the requirement that a leader be “above reproach” (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6). The standards are high because the re sponsibility is great. Before giving them the priorities for leading the church, Paul laid a foundation by summarizing his own ministry at Ephesus. Yet, he opened on a sad note, informing them in Acts 20:25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming/preaching the kingdom, will see my face again. The term kingdom encompasses God’s rule in the sphere of salvation(cf. Acts 28:31). Proclaiming/preaching the kingdom meant proclaiming the gospel, the good news that sinners in the realm of Satan, death, and destruction (“the kingdom of darkness”) could enter the realm of salvation, life, and glory (“the kingdom of God’s Son”). Paul preached this gospel thoroughly and clearly, as he indicated in verses 20 and 27. He had served with them for three years, and his work with them was done. Having been taught and discipled by the apostle, they were ready to minister on their own. These elders were given a charge to take up the very work that the apostle had begun. They were being given a glimpse of life without apostolic support, the “normal” life of the church from day to day in the years ahead. Central to the church’s survival was the role that these elders would play. (Thomas, D. W. H. (2011). Acts (R. D. Phillips, P. G. Ryken, & D. M. Doriani, Eds.; p. 575). P&R Publishing.)

• This is a sad time for me because today my 4.5 years with you is coming to an end. I leave knowing that God in your midst and His hand upon you for the future.

Because Paul thoroughly fulfilled his obligation to teach, he could testify to them in verse 26, that he was innocent of the blood of all of you—both Jews and Gentiles. He had not only taught the church but also evangelized the lost. He had not been unfaithful in any aspect of ministry. We see Paul toward the end of his ministry among these people looking back and pointing out, not in any boastful manner but rather in an honest way, what he considered to have been the important features of his work, those blessed by God and for which he praised God (Boice, J. M. (1997). Acts: an expositional commentary (p. 344). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)

• I leave you today not because of personal failure, but because I believe that I have fulfilled what God has called me to do here and He is calling me to minister another group of His flock