TAKE HEED…UNTO YOURSELVES

This verse is taken from:
Acts 20. 17-28
Thought of the day for:
10 July 2021

Paul called the elders of the church at Ephesus to meet him as he journeyed on to Jerusalem. They are also described as ‘overseers’, or ‘bishops’, vv. 17 and 28; cf. Titus 1. 5; 1 Pet. 5. 1, 2. There was a plurality of elders at Ephesus. Who had made them elders? The Holy Spirit, v. 28. Note that here the personality and the deity of the Holy Spirit are implied; cf. 5. 32; 8. 39; 13. 2,4. The church recognised them by the character they bore, 1 Tim. 3. 7; Titus 1. 5-7, and by the work they did, John 21. 15ff; Heb. 13. 17;

1 Pet. 5. 2, 3. They did a shepherd’s work because they had a shepherd’s character.

What was their first responsibility? ‘Take heed therefore unto yourselves’, v. 28; cf. 1 Tim. 4. 16. Note the order: yourselves first, then the flock. It is possible that even an elder may fall. One who has known the Lord for many years may yet be ensnared by the enemy, and therefore there is a need to be careful of one’s own walk. There is the constant need of keeping close to the Lord. Whatever may be our responsibility in the assembly, the first of all duties is to take heed to ourselves. There can be nothing more dangerous than activity about others when we are careless as to our own spiritual welfare. We need to keep our experience of God warm and deep if we are to be of any use in our local assembly. There is a great need to keep close to the Lord and to walk daily with Him.

Then these brethren were to take heed ‘to the flock’. This was the sphere of their responsibility. They were in and part of the flock of God like any other saint; they were not ‘lords over God’s heritage’, 1 Pet. 5. 3. Yet their responsibility was to ‘rule’, 1 Tim. 5. 17,‘to take the lead among the saints’, JND. Indeed, they were to be men who ruled, or managed, their own families well, otherwise there would be no confidence in them that they could manage the affairs of the flock of God. Why were they to take heed? See 1 Pet. 5. 8. Furthermore, there were many adversaries. John speaks of antichrists, 1 John 2. 18, false apostles, Rev. 2. 2, and false prophets, 1 John 4. 1; Paul of false evangelists, Gal. 1. 7;

2 Cor. 11. 4, and false brethren, Gal. 2. 4; Peter of false teachers, 2 Pet. 2. 1. No room for complacency!

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