Paul gathers the Ephesian elders and tells them what's coming. He knows he's going to Jerusalem and tribulation awaits him. He knows he might not see them again. And instead of coddling them or minimizing the difficulty, he lays out the spiritual work ahead of them clearly. Guard the flock. Keep watch. Know that savage wolves will come.
I'm a youth pastor preparing to leave my church. I'm being called to seminary, and I'm terrified I'm abandoning my students. But reading Paul's address to the Ephesian elders, I see something different. He doesn't stay because they need him. He leaves because the gospel needs him elsewhere. And he prepares the leaders to continue the work. His love isn't clingy. It's generative.
Paul doesn't promise them ease. He doesn't say, 'Continue my work and it will be smooth.' He says, 'Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, for I know that after my departure grievous wolves will come.' He's honest about what's ahead. But he's also confident that they can handle it because they have the Holy Spirit and they've been trained. That's the kind of leaving I want to do. Not abandonment, but multiplication. Not fear-based staying, but faith-based sending.
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