Past ministry in Ephesus (v 18-21)

The structure of Paul’s message to the Ephesian elders is as follows: (1) Past ministry in Ephesus (v18-21). (2) Current plan to visit Jerusalem (v 22-24). (3) Future responsibilities of the elders of the Ephesian church. (4) Closing words. Here, we will focus on (1) Past ministry in Ephesus (v 18-21). “And when they came to him, he said to them, ‘You yourselves know, from the first day that I set foot in Asia, how I was with you the whole time.’” Paul is reflecting on his nearly three years of ministry in Ephesus. (1) Paul is concerned that critics might emerge to challenge him. For this reason, he reminds the elders of how he lived among them. (2) Paul never did anything in secret. His message and conduct were known to everyone. By setting an example himself, he encouraged others to live faithfully to the Lord (ref. 1 Thess. 2:4-7). “Serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and trials which came upon me through the plots of the Jews; how I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was beneficial, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1) The first characteristic of Paul’s ministry is humility. He exemplified complete humility (ref. Eph. 4:1-3). (2) The second characteristic is tears (sorrow). Paul experienced much sorrow (ref. 2 Cor. 2:4). (3) The third characteristic is persecution from those who opposed the gospel (ref. Acts 19:9). (4) The fourth characteristic is faithful proclamation of the gospel. (a) Paul taught everything that was beneficial to his audience (ref. Rom. 1:16). (b) He seized every opportunity and taught in every place. The phrase “from house to house” likely refers to study meetings in house churches. The elders who came to Miletus were probably the leaders of these house churches. (c) Paul preached the same gospel to both Jews and Gentiles. (d) He taught about “repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus.” Salvation is about returning to God the Father through Jesus Christ (ref. Rom. 10:9–10). Let us learn from Paul’s leadership. Keywords such as humility, tears, persecution, and faithful proclamation of the gospel are essential for us to keep in mind.