Act 20:21-38  Of Your Own Selves Shall Men Arise Speaking Perverse Things

[Study Aired July 30, 2023]

Act 20:21  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.
Act 20:22  And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
Act 20:23  Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
Act 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Act 20:25  And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.
Act 20:26  Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.
Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
Act 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.
Act 20:33  I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
Act 20:34  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.
Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Act 20:36  And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
Act 20:37  And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,
Act 20:38  Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.

Our last study ended with Paul summoning the Ephesian elders to meet him in Miletus, a city about 30 miles (48.28 kilometers) south of Ephesus. This is all part of his third and final missionary journey, and Paul was intent on being at Jerusalem for Pentecost. He didn’t have time to spend with all those in Ephesus with whom he had already spent three years and had made many friends. He apparently felt it would not be proper to go there and not spend more time than he had with all those friends.

Instead, he made a stop at Miletus, a city south of Ephesus, and he had obviously sent someone, perhaps it was Timothy or Silas, to summon the elders of Ephesus to meet him there. Here are the last verses of last week’s study:

Act 20:17  And from Miletus he sent to Ephesus, and called the elders of the church.
Act 20:18  And when they were come to him, he said unto them, Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,
Act 20:19  Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and temptations, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews:
Act 20:20  And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house,

The Lord had given Paul so much to share with the churches he had raised up, and now he had a special sobering message for these Ephesian elders, and he felt obliged to preface that message with a reminder of how closely they had gotten to know each other. Paul, who was inspired by the holy spirit, tells us that we should all get to “know them which labor among you.”

1Th 5:12  And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;
1Th 5:13  And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

Know whether your minister is telling you the Truth. Be a ‘Berean’, and read your own Bible, and do your own studies. If we study to show ourselves approved, then we will be given by the holy spirit the discernment whether our minister is ministering out of a spirit of love and concern for the Lord’s flock, with the fear of God, or if he is doing so for “filthy lucre.” “Know them which labor among you”, and if they are of the proper spirit, then “esteem them highly in love, for their work’s sake.” You all know that not one of your teachers has ever, in all the years we have been together, asked any of you for one red cent in remuneration for all the hours of service they have spent ministering to the Lord’s flock.

Paul had spent more time in Ephesus than in any other city, and these elders all knew that he was indeed of a humble mind, and that he had shed ‘many tears as he endured many trials from “the Jews”, the established church of that day which was constantly attempting to destroy him and his message. These Ephesian elders knew that Paul had freely taught them everything the Lord had given him. They also knew he had never asked any of them for a single penny because they all knew Paul trembled at these words of our Lord:

Mat 10:8  Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Act 20:21  Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Greek word twice translated as ‘toward’ is G1519 ‘ice’, and it is far more commonly translated ‘into’. This is a typical example:

Gal 4:6  And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into [G1519: ‘ice’] your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Gal 4:7  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Our repentance places us ‘into God’, and our gift of faith (Eph 2:8) places us ‘into Christ’ fulfilling these words of our Lord:

Joh 14:20  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

If Christ is ‘in His Father’ and we are ‘in Christ’, where does that place us but right there with Christ ‘in His Father’!

Act 20:22  And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there:
Act 20:23  Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.

We are not given the details, but Paul informs us that long before he met the Jewish prophet, Agabus, in Caesarea, in “the house of Philip the evangelist”, he had already been informed “in every city” by “the holy ghost… that bonds and afflictions” were waiting for Paul when he got to Jerusalem.

Act 21:10  And as we tarried there [in Philip’s house in Caesarea] many days, there came down from Judaea a certain prophet, named Agabus.
Act 21:11  And when he was come unto us, he took Paul’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.

That story of the prophecy of Agabus will be in next week’s study. At this time at Miletus, Paul was already aware of what Agabus would later prophesy.

Act 20:24  But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Consider what Paul had already endured long before this his last trip up to Jerusalem:

2Co 11:23  Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
2Co 11:24  Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
2Co 11:25  Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
2Co 11:26  In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
2Co 11:27  In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
2Co 11:28  Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

God can arrange events which bring us to the point of not being suicidal, but very much looking forward to the next eon and having a great willingness to “be absent from the [physical] body” knowing that the next conscious moment will be in the presence of the Lord in a spiritually glorified immortal body, absent all the ‘stripes, prisons, deaths, beatings with rods, being stoned, suffering shipwreck, spending long hours in the deep, always on a journey, in perils of water, of robbers, by our own countrymen, and by the heathen, always having to be on our guard against those who would love to destroy us and our message of the True Christ.

Act 20:25  And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more.

Those in Ephesus, against whom Paul later warned Timothy to beware, were not yet known when Paul was given this revelation that he would see their faces no more. Therefore this was a shocking and sad moment for everyone, including any future adversaries like Phygellus, Hermogenes, Alexander the coppersmith and Hymenaeus and Philetus, all of whom became lying false prophets right there in Ephesus, who withstood Paul’s words and did him “much evil”:

1Ti 1:19  Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
1Ti 1:20  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.

2Ti 1:15  This thou knowest, that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me; of whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes.
2Ti 2:16  But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.
2Ti 2:17  And their word will eat as doth a canker: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus;
2Ti 2:18  Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.

2Ti 4:9  Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me:
2Ti 4:10  For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
2Ti 4:11  Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.
2Ti 4:12  And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus.
2Ti 4:13  The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
2Ti 4:14  Alexander the coppersmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works:
2Ti 4:15  Of whom be thou ware also; for he hath greatly withstood our words.
2Ti 4:16  At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge. [“Father forgive them for they know not what they do” (Luk 23:34)]
2Ti 4:17  Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me, and strengthened me; that by me the preaching might be fully known, and that all the Gentiles might hear: and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion [the adversary].
2Ti 4:18  And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Act 20:26  Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men.
Act 20:27  For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Notice how Paul frames the spiritual state of anyone who hides his talent in the ground and fails to “declare unto you all the counsel of God.” He frames it as, “I am pure from the blood of all men, because I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” When we fail as the shepherds of the Lord’s flock to declare His counsel in all things, we are guilty of the blood of those we are given to feed and nourish and guard against all the wiles of the devil. Their blood is on our hands as Ezekiel tells us:

Eze 33:4  Then whosoever heareth the sound of the trumpet, and taketh not warning; if the sword come, and take him away, his blood shall be upon his own head.
Eze 33:5  He heard the sound of the trumpet, and took not warning; his blood shall be upon him. But he that taketh warning shall deliver his soul.
Eze 33:6  But if the watchman see the sword come, and blow not the trumpet, and the people be not warned; if the sword come, and take any person from among them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at the watchman’s hand.
Eze 33:7  So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me.

This is the “blood of any man” to which Paul refers. Paul was diligent in warning every man to be a good watchman and to sound the trumpet when he sees the enemy approaching and false doctrines beginning to creep into the Lord’s flock.

Here in Acts 20 Paul is sounding the trumpet in the ears of these Ephesian elders, and in doing so, he is also sounding the trumpet in the ears of all who are given ears capable of hearing what the spirit says to the churches:

Rev 2:7  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.

Rev 2:11  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death.

Rev 2:17  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it.

Rev 2:26  And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations:
Rev 2:27  And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father.
Rev 2:28  And I will give him the morning star.
Rev 2:29  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:5  He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Rev 3:6  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:11  Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Rev 3:12  Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God: and I will write upon him my new name.
Rev 3:13  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

Rev 3:21  To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
Rev 3:22  He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.

As the Lord Himself declares, it is “few” indeed who are given eyes that see and ears that hear the Lord’s trumpet:

Mat 13:16  But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
Mat 13:17  For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.

Mat 22:11  And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12  And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13  Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14  For many are called, but few are chosen.

This feast is not some future event because no one is accidentally raised up in the first resurrection without a wedding garment. This parable applies to “grievous wolves” bringing damnable heresies into the Lord’s flock in this age.

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

The man without a wedding garment in our Lord’s parable of the wedding feast is those “of [our] own selves”, those of our own fellowship whose pride will not permit them to go before the counselors within the church of God and follow that counsel. We have witnessed men without wedding garments feasting with us time and again.

Jude speaks of this same spirit in the man at the wedding feast without a wedding garment:

Jud 1:12  These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Jud 1:13  Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.

A ‘wedding garment’ signifies ‘the righteousness of saints’:

Rev 19:8  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

‘The righteousness of saints’ is the love and fear of God, which is unwavering obedience to His commandments:

1Jn 5:1  Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him.

If we say we love God while we hate our brother, we are liars. The love of God, the fear of God, and the faith of Jesus are all interconnected and inseparable:

1Jn 4:20  If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

John repeats this thought while instructing us how we can discern whether our brother really does love us and whether we truly love out brother:

1Jn 5:2  By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments [Do the things He tells us to do (Luk 6:46)].
1Jn 5:3  For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.

Luk 6:46  And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?

If we claim to know Christ but we do not do the things He tells us to do, we are fooling only ourselves:

1Jn 2:4  He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

Paul continues his admonition to the elders of Ephesus and to each of us:

Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Paul knew that the history of all the trials and rebellions of ancient Israel signified the trials and rebellions which would come upon the New Testament church. Both epistles to the Corinthians were written from Macedonia and before Paul spent three years in Ephesus, and this is what we find concerning Paul’s experience with false apostles who were already seducing the Lord’s flock at Corinth:

2Co 11:3  But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
2Co 11:4  For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
2Co 11:5  For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

2Co 11:12  But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
2Co 11:13  For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
2Co 11:14  And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
2Co 11:15  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

Obviously, this admonition to these Ephesian elders to ‘take heed to themselves and to the flock because of grievous wolves of their own selves arising to draw away disciples after themselves’ was born out of Paul’s struggles against false apostles, in Corinth, and is not peculiar just to the elders of Ephesus. This is something the adversary has been doing since before the days all the 400 prophets of Ahab were sent a lying spirit from the Lord, and it continues until this very day.

I love this story of the prophecy of Micaiah to King Ahab and his “four hundred” lying false prophets, because it reveals that business in the spiritual realm is carried on just like the natural realm. The only difference is that in the realm of the spirit, everyone knows God is sovereign.

1Ki 22:6  Then the king of Israel gathered the prophets together, about four hundred men, and said unto them, Shall I go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall I forbear? And they said, Go up; for the Lord shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
1Ki 22:7  And Jehoshaphat said, Is there not here a prophet of the LORD besides, that we might enquire of him?
1Ki 22:8  And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth not prophesy good concerning me, but evil. And Jehoshaphat said, Let not the king say so.
1Ki 22:9  Then the king of Israel called an officer, and said, Hasten hither Micaiah the son of Imlah.
1Ki 22:10  And the king of Israel and Jehoshaphat the king of Judah sat each on his throne, having put on their robes, in a void place in the entrance of the gate of Samaria; and all the prophets prophesied before them.
1Ki 22:11  And Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah made him horns of iron: and he said, Thus saith the LORD, With these shalt thou push the Syrians, until thou have consumed them.
1Ki 22:12  And all the prophets prophesied so, saying, Go up to Ramothgilead, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the king’s hand.
1Ki 22:13  And the messenger that was gone to call Micaiah spake unto him, saying, Behold now, the words of the prophets declare good unto the king with one mouth: let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and speak that which is good.
1Ki 22:14  And Micaiah said, As the LORD liveth, what the LORD saith unto me, that will I speak.
1Ki 22:15  So he came to the king. And the king said unto him, Micaiah, shall we go against Ramothgilead to battle, or shall we forbear? And he answered him, Go, and prosper: for the LORD shall deliver it into the hand of the king.
1Ki 22:16  And the king said unto him, How many times shall I adjure thee that thou tell me nothing but that which is true in the name of the LORD?
1Ki 22:17  And he said, I saw all Israel scattered upon the hills, as sheep that have not a shepherd: and the LORD said, These have no master: let them return every man to his house in peace.
1Ki 22:18  And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, Did I not tell thee that he would prophesy no good concerning me, but evil?
1Ki 22:19  And he [Micaiah] said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
1Ki 22:20  And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramothgilead? And one said on this manner, and another said on that manner.
1Ki 22:21  And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade him.
1Ki 22:22  And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so.
1Ki 22:23  Now therefore, behold, the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning thee.
1Ki 22:24  But Zedekiah the son of Chenaanah went near, and smote Micaiah on the cheek, and said, Which way went the Spirit of the LORD from me to speak unto thee?
1Ki 22:25  And Micaiah said, Behold, thou shalt see in that day, when thou shalt go into an inner chamber to hide thyself.
1Ki 22:26  And the king of Israel said, Take Micaiah, and carry him back unto Amon the governor of the city, and to Joash the king’s son;
1Ki 22:27  And say, Thus saith the king, Put this fellow in the prison, and feed him with bread of affliction and with water of affliction, until I come in peace.
1Ki 22:28  And Micaiah said, If thou return at all in peace, the LORD hath not spoken by me. And he said, Hearken, O people, every one of you.

It is indeed “good and pleasant for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psa 133:1), but it is better to be separated from one’s brothers by the Truth than to be united in a lie.

We will all do well to ‘hearken’ to the inspired words of the apostle Paul concerning how the Lord will try our faith in every generation. I will repeat:

Act 20:28  Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
Act 20:29  For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
Act 20:30  Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
Act 20:31  Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.

Act 20:32  And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified.

“To give” is in the aorist tense because in this age we possess only the downpayment of our inheritance, but the words ”are sanctified” are in the perfect tense, because in Christ we presently ‘are sanctified’ by His atonement. Our ultimate inheritance, referred to by the spirit as “the redemption of the purchased possession” is yet future “among all them which are sanctified.”

Eph 1:13  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
Eph 1:14  Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Act 20:33  I have coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel.
Act 20:34  Yea, ye yourselves know, that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me.

While preparing for the future is a Biblical principle, no true minister of the gospel preaches the gospel for personal gain. Any minister in whom Christ dwells is vigilant for the souls of the Lord’s flock because he knows he must give an accounting for whether he sounded the trumpet when he saw the grievous wolves approaching. Paul has set us a good example of how we, too, must never give an inch to the “false apostles… the grievous wolves” who are constantly attempting to seduce the Lord’s flock to “draw away disciples” after themselves.

Act 20:35  I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
Act 20:36  And when he had thus spoken, he kneeled down, and prayed with them all.
Act 20:37  And they all wept sore, and fell on Paul’s neck, and kissed him,
Act 20:38  Sorrowing most of all for the words which he spake, that they should see his face no more. And they accompanied him unto the ship.

Being warned of coming trials does not make those trials any less painful and disappointing, but it should help prepare us and inspire us to ask the Lord to help us to take oil with our lamps so we can trim our lamps and be prepared for our Lord at His appearing:

Mat 25:3  [The virgins] that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:
Mat 25:4  But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

Ti 4:5  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

2Ti 4:6  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.
2Ti 4:7  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Ti 4:8  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

Because of a few recent trials within the body of Christ, our time today and next week also, will be spent on admonishing us on how to behave ourselves in the house of God.

Today we will discuss the necessity of witnessing by twos, and next week, Lord willing, we will discuss the need to receive and bear with the weak in faith among us.

The Lord has made it clear that there is at this time a great need to give His body some direction from His Word concerning how we, as His body composed of two sexes, ought to behave ourselves in His house, to paraphrase Paul’s instructions to Timothy:

1Ti 3:14  These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
1Ti 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

If we are not told how to behave ourselves in the house of God, then we simply don’t know, and it is very easy to assume we know more than we do. That is a common misconception about both ourselves individually and about others within this body of believers.

Over the years I have heard time and again from many of you listening to me today, how when you first came into our fellowship you felt so spiritually immature that you feared to ask a question or make a comment for fear of exposing your lack of spiritual maturity. But after a short while, and maybe after your first conference, you quickly learned that there is no one who is not struggling against his flesh and that we are all experiencing the same “one event” of being judged in this age through fiery trials in our daily lives of fighting against our fleshly old man.

Ecc 9:2  All things come alike to all: there is one event to the righteous, and to the wicked; to the good and to the clean, and to the unclean; to him that sacrificeth, and to him that sacrificeth not: as is the good, so is the sinner; and he that sweareth, as he that feareth an oath.

We want to think the very best about each other, and that is a good Biblical frame of mind based upon these verses of scripture:

Mat 7:1  Judge not, that ye be not judged.
Mat 7:2  For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again.
Mat 7:3  And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:4  Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Mat 7:5  Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Php 4:8  Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

So while we should think the best of each other, we must not make the mistake many make in twisting Mat 7:1 and Php 4:8 into saying that we must never make judgments, and that we are not even to judge those who are within “His body, which is the church” (Col 1:27). The exact opposite is true of us if we are Christ’s, and the proof is right here in Matthew 7:

Mat 7:15  Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Mat 7:16  Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

‘Knowing them by their fruits” takes very vigilant judgment, and according to Christ’s apostles, we as His children are actually instructed to “judge all things”:

1Co 2:14  But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
1Co 2:15  But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.
1Co 2:16  For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.

We are to have the mind of Christ and discern between the things of the flesh and the things of the spirit. “He that is spiritual judges all things…” and that is what we are doing here today.

We must be able to properly discern whether our thoughts and our actions will lead us into temptation, because we are told not to tempt the Lord, and we are specifically instructed to petition our heavenly Father, “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for the ages…”

Mat 4:7  Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

Mat 6:13  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

That is my own prayer for myself and for all of us who are “the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the Truth”. We, as the flesh and bones of Jesus Christ, are warned to “abstain from all appearances of evil”, and while we have great liberty in Christ, we are warned:

Gal 5:13  For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

By “occasion to the flesh” Paul makes it clear that he is referring to preemptively “cutting off [all] occasion” and that we are to “give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully” about this body of Christ:

2Co 11:12  But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

1Ti 5:14  I will therefore that the younger women marry, bear children, guide the house, give none occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

When Paul says “… they may be found even as we”, what he is saying is that if you and I are claiming to preach his gospel, then we had better be found living as he lives, which is as Christ lived His life, in total dedication to pleasing His Father and not His flesh.

1Jn 2:10  He that loveth his brother abideth in the light, and there is none occasion of stumbling in him.

It is very easy and very natural for us, knowing there is neither male nor female in Christ and that we are all one in Him, to let our liberty in Christ become an occasion to our flesh, and we will then find ourselves in a position of “giv[ing] occasion to the adversary to speak reproachfully”  of us.

If a couple of singles, of the opposite sex, are spending extended periods of time together, be it live and in person, or even if it is by e-mail, face time or Skype, that couple must be careful and vigilant against letting themselves get in a position, whether physically, alive and in person, or mentally via electronic media, to do anything which would give the adversary an occasion to speak reproachfully against Christ and His body.

Married men speaking with other married women, or single women, must be very careful and vigilant to say and do nothing that would give the adversary an occasion to speak reproachfully against Christ and His body.

Single men speaking to married women within the body of Christ must be very careful and very vigilant against spending extended periods of time, alive and in person or via the phone or e-mail or any electronic media, doing or saying anything that could give the adversary an occasion to speak reproachfully against Christ and His body which is the church.

In the process of imparting to us these instructions concerning how we ought to behave ourselves in the house of God, it is essential to point out that we, as “the church of the living God [really are] the pillar and ground of the Truth”, if indeed the King of His Kingdom, that is Christ Himself, is living His life within us. If indeed He is doing so, then we will not be seeking to please our flesh, and we will instead will be seeking to know and do “the things of the spirit”:

Rom 8:5  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.
Rom 8:6  For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Rom 8:7  Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.
Rom 8:8  So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.
Rom 8:9  But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Rom 8:10  And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Rom 8:11  But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

This is how it is possible for the spirit to give life to our mortal bodies while at the same time making us “dead because of sin”:

Col 1:27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

1Jn 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

That statement, “…as He is, so are we in this world”, should provoke us to inquire diligently concerning how Christ is in this world as it relates to us. He is very clear in letting us know how He feels toward us as His bride and His wife:

Exo 20:5  Thou shalt not bow down thyself to [other gods], nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

Exo 34:14  For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God:

Deu 4:24  For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.

Deu 5:9  Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me,

Deu 6:15  (For the LORD thy God is a jealous God among you) lest the anger of the LORD thy God be kindled against thee, and destroy thee from off the face of the earth.

And what is the mind of God as expressed in the New Covenant?

2Co 11:2  For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

Now if we are “as He is… in this world” (1Jo 4:17), then we, too, will be jealous of our spouse both physically and spiritually. We will not be spending more time with others than with our spiritual or physical spouse.  Notice proper jealousy is called “godly jealousy” because it is “godly” jealousy”! That means that we should be guarding jealously the relationship we have with our physical spouse just like we ought to be guarding our relationship with our spiritual spouse, our “one husband” Christ.

We know that the things of the spirit are understood by the things that are made.

Rom 1:20  For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:

With that perspective, none of us will spend more time with anyone more than we do with our own “first love”. Obviously we would all want our physical spouse to put us before anyone else in this world. Christ certainly did so:

Mat 14:23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

Mar 6:46  And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.

Luk 6:12  And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

Joh 6:15  When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.

“He was there alone” does not mean that His Father was not there. What it does mean is that Christ was “there alone” with His Head, His Husband, His Father:

1Co 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God. [This is the fruit which we will reap by putting both our physical and our spiritual spouse first as Christ set us the example:

Joh 8:28  Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.

Joh 7:17  If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

In other words, if we “tremble at His Word, then we will know His doctrine and whether it is the doctrine of God or the doctrine of men.

Isa 66:5  Hear the word of the LORD, ye that tremble at his word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name’s sake, said, Let the LORD be glorified: but he shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed.

Isa 66:2  For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the LORD: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.

There is much more to His doctrine, and there is much more to His Word, but the following verses are His doctrine and His Words concerning how we are to behave ourselves in the house of God as it relates to the two sexes:

Mar 6:7  And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;

Luk 10:1  After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come.

Why did our Lord send His apostles and the seventy out to be His witnesses by twos? Would they not have been capable of covering more territory and reaching twice as many people if they had gone out as individuals? They might well have been capable of doing so, but there is a principle at work which is far more important than simply covering the most territory and reaching more people, and this is that principle:

1Th 5:22  Abstain from all appearance of evil.

How important is it that we obey and live by that principle? To see just how important it is that we abstain from all appearance of evil, we will take a look at how this world treated our Lord whose we are. If the world was looking to condemn our Lord, how much more will they seek an occasion against those who are his disciples?

Christ said this about all those in whom He dwells:

Mat 10:21  And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.
Mat 10:22  And ye shall be hated of all men for my name’s sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

Mat 10:24  The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.
Mat 10:25  It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

Luk 6:40  The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

Mat 25:40  And the King [Christ] shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

This world falsely accused our Lord of being disobedient to and blaspheming His Father. How much more are they seeking an occasion to condemn Him through condemning His body?

If Christ identifies so closely with us, then it is imperative that we represent just exactly who He is. If we do not represent Him as He is, then we are not His representatives. These are His words in answer to Saul of Tarsus, who later became the apostle Paul, when Saul was persecuting and stoning all he could locate who claimed to be Christ’s representatives:

Act 22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I [Saul of Tarsus/Paul the apostle] made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.
Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.

In this instance Christ tells Saul of Tarsus that in persecuting His disciples Saul is persecuting “Jesus of Nazareth” Himself”.

Finally we are made to know in no uncertain terms that we are to understand that “as He is so are we in this world”:

1Jn 4:16  And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

What an incredible thing to say about us as His witnesses! ‘As he is so are we in this world’. Christ is the light of this world, and He says we are, too:

Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Now look at just how vigilantly the apostle Paul sought to avoid giving any occasion to the adversary to reproach the church, which is His body:

2Co 8:18  And we have sent with him the brother, whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the churches;
2Co 8:19  And not that only, but who was also chosen of the churches to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord, and declaration of your ready mind:
2Co 8:20  Avoiding this, that no man should blame us in this abundance which is administered by us:
2Co 8:21  Providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

Yes, we have great liberty in Christ, but let none of us ever use that liberty for an occasion to the flesh or even to give the adversary an occasion to reproach His body, which is the church.

In concluding this study, I want to again cut off any occasion to speak evil of the Lord’s body. There will very likely be those who will hear or read this admonition to abstain from all appearance of evil, and will twist what I have said into “Mike said that there should be no communication between the sexes within the body of Christ” when that is not what I have said here at all! What I have pointed out to all of us is that Christ sent out His disciples and His apostles by twos so no one could ever say anything evil against those disciples and apostles. What I have shown you is that Paul did not presume upon the faith of the churches in His honesty. Rather, he solicited another man, whom they all trusted, to go with him up to Jerusalem with the gift the churches were sending to aid their fellow Christians. What I have said is that we must be very careful to maintain good works and to abstain from all appearances of evil.

I will however confess that I have said in the past that singles should marry only in the Lord, and that is true:

1Co 7:39  The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. 

I have also said that “only in the Lord” means only in the body, which again, is true as far as marriage is concerned. But as all of us demonstrate, there is a time when we are being dragged to the body of Christ, but are not yet part of that body, and it is essential that someone in the body of Christ confirm to us what the holy spirit has already begun revealing. At that point we must admit that singles within the Lord’s body can and have been those instruments of confirmation as our dear Tony and Gale, as well as my son Austin and his wife, Kat, demonstrate. The Lord dragged our sisters to their prospective husbands, and they patiently but firmly witnessed of the mind of Christ to their future spouses before they knew these ladies would become their wives.

What we have been lacking is the utilization of our “older women” in mentoring and teaching the younger women, as we have been instructed:

Tit 2:3  The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
Tit 2:4  That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
Tit 2:5  To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Nothing would be more helpful to “the young women” than the admonitions that can and should be flowing to them from their elders of the same sex, and these verses instruct us. Lord willing we will from this day forward, implement these Godly instructions when the Lord sends us a potential spouse for any of our young men, whom the Lord Himself has placed within our fellowship.

Next week, if the Lord wills, we will see that when we do fall and come short of the glory of God, when we do offend our brother and we are reconciled to our brother, that we must not expect full restitution immediately when that brother wants to be reconciled but does not have the means at that moment to make full restitution for the trespass and the debt owed.

Mat 6:12  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

The latter half of Matthew 18 and Romans 15:1 will be the opening and substantiating verses for an admonition against the spirit which would have us to demand of our brother, “Pay me now [or go to prison]”, when that brother has, in reality, offended us merely a fraction of what we have offended our Lord.

Here are those sections of scripture:

Mat 18:21  Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times?
Mat 18:22  Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.
Mat 18:23  Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants.
Mat 18:24  And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents.
Mat 18:25  But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.
Mat 18:26  The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:27  Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
Mat 18:28  But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest.
Mat 18:29  And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
Mat 18:30  And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt.
Mat 18:31  So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done.
Mat 18:32  Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me:
Mat 18:33  Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
Mat 18:34  And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
Mat 18:35  So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Rom 15:1  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.

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