A Faithful Minister

Sunday Service

A Faithful Minister

Acts 20:24

THEME: Paul was not one to tell others to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself. Very often he used his own example to inspire others toward godliness and faithfulness. In this text, Paul provided a stirring example of a sold-out, steadfast, single-minded servant of Christ who was willing to sacrifice everything for the sake of the gospel. His desire was to motivate the elders of the church in Ephesus to remain faithful in the ministry which had been entrusted to them by the Lord Jesus. Paul was on the final leg of his Third Missionary Journey and to save time and stay on schedule, he had invited the Ephesian elders to come see him in Miletus. They quickly responded to his invitation and were the blessed recipients of one of the greatest discourses on the subject of church leadership or pastoral ministry ever recorded in God’s Word. The main theme of this famous farewell address is “be thankful” which is expressed and exemplified most clearly in v. 24. In this verse, we see THREE MARKS of a faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

1. SOLD-OUT

2. STEADFAST

3. SINGLE-MINDED

Thank God that He always remains faithful to you even when you aren’t faithful to Him (cf. 2 Timothy 2:13). Ask Him to forgive you for the ways you have been unfaithful to Him. Ask Him to grant you the grace to stay faithful to the end just like Paul (cf. 2 Timothy 4:6-8) and to stay singularly focused on savoring the gospel in your own life and sharing it with others.