READ AHEAD: Acts 20:13-38
As you prepare for this coming Sunday, read the above Acts passage ahead of time as your homework. In this narrative, you will find that the Apostle Paul gets very personal. It reads like a love letter written from someone on a distant battlefield, writing heartfelt words home to loved ones. You see here how much Paul had poured his soul into these people and how much love he had for the people in the churches—the Ekklesias. Paul and others had planted these churches in cities around the Mediterranean world. They were family. But more than this, their work as a Body of Christ was critically important in the grand plan of God. These churches must be guided, guarded, protected, and even corrected.
Why was such strong language used? Why does his heart go out so strongly to them? Why does he write with “tears in his eyes” and strong embraces (Acts 20:36-37)? It’s because of the eternal consequences of the work of this Ekklesia— the Body of Christ placed in this world which is so desperately in need of the Savior.
This Sunday we are going to address the critical role of the leaders in the Church, as well as the critical role of every member to live out certain key words, like:
- Truth
- Purity
- Clarity
- Unity
The wolves are on the prowl and are attacking from every side they can (Acts 20:29).
Remember: “We are the Body of Christ and each one is a member of it.” (1 Corinthians 12:27)
See you Sunday morning at 10 a.m.!
