Yvon Chouinard, the American rock climber who founded the outdoor clothing company Patagonia in 1973, became a very successful businessman. In 2022, Chouinard did something that shocked the global business community, he gave away his entire $3 billion company. He didn't sell it to pocket the cash, and he didn't pass it down to his children to secure a family dynasty. Instead, he transferred 100% of the company's voting stock and future profits to a specially designed trust and non-profit organisation dedicated entirely to environmental causes. He went from being a multi-billionaire on paper to owning practically nothing overnight. When asked why, his philosophy was simple: he didn't want to be a businessman anymore, and he cared far more about saving the planet than holding onto personal wealth.
If a man can willingly surrender a multi-billion-dollar empire for an earthly cause, it forces us to ask an even deeper question about our spiritual lives. What happens when someone is so captivated, so utterly consumed by the love of Jesus Christ, that they are willing to give up everything they have for him?
Today, we are looking at what it means to be committed to Jesus Christ. We aren't talking about a casual, Sunday-morning devotion or giving God our leftover time and energy. We are talking about the radical, beautiful, and sometimes shocking reality of a life that says,
‘Jesus, everything I have—my career, my resources, my reputation, and my future, these belongs completely to You.’
Paul had been establishing churches in Ephesus for 3 years. The church leaders, the elders, would have known him well. He is now on a journey to Jerusalem and is unsure what the future holds but this is his last chance to encourage the elders and through them the house churches. Ephesus was a major city, a financial centre. Do you remember the concern that Demetrius had? He was a leading silversmith in Ephesus, with a very successful business making silver statue of Artemis, the Greek name for Diana. He led the charge against Paul because the success of the gospel was undermining their financial rewards (Acts 19:23-41). The Temple of Diana doubled up as a leading bank that was called ‘The Bank of Asia’.
1. The commitment of the elders
Paul arranges to meet with the elders of the churches in Ephesus at Miletus, a port 30 miles south of Ephesus. The whole process, sending the message and the elders arriving either by boat or road would have taken roughly 2 to 4 days. That must demonstrate the love those elders had, and they would probably include some in the finance sector, both for Paul and for the advance of the gospel.
God knows, just as we do today that elders set the tone of a church, by their example, their priorities and by what thy teach. Paul wants to inspire the elders so they can be reminded what they have been chosen for and to be models to the Christians in their groups.
Paul’s example
He reminds them what their priority must be by summing up his own ministry whilst he was living in Ephesus:
“. . . my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.” Acts 20:24
He speaks like this because he longs for other Christians to learn from him. To be witnesses for Christ is the normal Christian life. He wrote to the Corinthians:
“Run in such a way as to get the prize. . . I do not run like a man running aimlessly.” 1 Corinthians 9:24 - 26
He wrote to the Colossians to explain what the ambition of all Christians should be:
“He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me.” Colossians 1:28-29
For him Jesus means everything and he longs that all Christians should come to understand this too. The task of each one of us is
‘the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace’ Acts 20:24.
What a wonderful thing it must be to be able to look back at your ministry and be able to say:
“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
He was able to say:
“Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.” Acts 20:26-27
Churches always follow the example of their leaders. If leaders do not have an obvious passion to testify about Jesus, the church will seldom follow. I wonder how the Ephesian elders felt as they listened to Paul.
Can you see some details Paul gives about the example church elders should be setting? Being a Christian is hard work, we have a passion to explain to people how they can become right with God. Note what this involves. Preaching involves much preparation if it is to be done well and effective ministry always involves visiting people in their homes and sharing there what God teaches. This is not just visiting the lonely church members, we must be visiting and befriending people of all races and religions. We all need to repent and serve the King
“You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in and have faith in our Lord Jesus.” Acts 20:20-21
Good relationships in ministry are vital and this often means using our homes. Do you remember when Apollos, that learned Jew came to Ephesus Priscilla and Aquilla realised that he hadn’t’t understood everything properly. What did they do?
“He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately.” Acts 18:26
John Batchelor, until recently an elder here in Christchurch, used to frequently remind us of a verse from Proverbs:
“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.” Proverbs 27:23
This does not mean known about them but know them intimately.
During the English Civil War, Richard Baxter served as an army chaplain in the parliamentary forces under Oliver Cromwell. He later famously pastored the town of Kidderminster (from 1641 to 1660), where he revolutionised pastoral care through intense, active home visitation. Alongside his assistant, Baxter systematically visited all 800 families (over 2,000 individuals) in his parish at least once a year. They spent about an hour with each family, discussing their faith, conducting personal catechism, and praying together. He documented his intensely active, relational methods in his 1656 book classic, ‘The Reformed Pastor’. In this context, "reformed" did not just mean Calvinist theology; it meant a pastor whose life and ministry were continually "re-formed" or renewed toward the care of souls. Baxter famously valued personal engagement alongside preaching, once stating that he could often accomplish more in 30 minutes of one-on-one conversation than in 10 years of preaching. He is also widely remembered for his passionate preaching style, aiming to preach "as a dying man to dying men.
Similarly the Revd Philip Hacking built up Christchurch Fulwood by having a simple routine. He spent his morning studying and preparing talks. He spent the afternoon visiting people in their homes, focusing especially on new visitors to the church and fringe people.
The church today
There have been several studies on the state of Christians in Protestant churches. The data reveals a fascinating "Confidence Crisis" in the pews - where Christians feel highly confident in their theology, but completely paralysed in their practice. In one study 80% of churchgoers firmly believe they have a personal responsibility to share their faith. Yet, in the exact same sample, 61% admitted they had not told a single person how to become a Christian in the previous six months. Evangelical culture has successfully taught people that evangelism is right, but we haven't taught them how to make it real. It reveals a gap between intellectual conviction and daily practice. This is clearly not a new problem. James, the brother of Jesus wrote:
“Be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.” James 1:22
The modern church has accidentally turned evangelism into a professionalized spectator sport. A 25-year tracking study by the Barna Group found a massive shift in how Christians view ownership of the Gospel. In 1993, only 10% of Christians believed that "converting people to Christianity is the job of the local church" rather than the job of the individual Christian. By 2018, that number nearly tripled to 29%.
You can see the problem. Christians are increasingly outsourcing the Great Commission to the church staff, the Sunday service team, or youth pastors. The mentality has shifted from ‘I am a witness’ to ‘I pay the church authorities to witness for me.’ This is so different to what the apostles taught. There is no them and us, ordained and lay people. The role of the elders is to train the rest of the church how to be ministers of the gospel:
“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12
So every Christian should be asking themselves:
“Am I being trained to be a minister, to share the gospel about Jesus with others?”
2. The commitment to Word Ministry
When Paul first arrived in Ephesus everybody knew right from the beginning, what he was trying to do,:
“You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord . . .” Acts 20:18
Everyone could see that Jesus was the purpose of his life. You can imagine Paul going up to people and asking politely,
“Excuse me sir, do you know all about the Lord Jesus, who he is and what he came to do?”
He was passionate about Jesus and he longed that the elders of Ephesus should be on fire for Christ in the same way. Isn’t it attractive to see people openly committed to Jesus.
South Africa's first black rugby captain Siya Kolisi displayed the word ‘Jesus’ and Christian crosses on his wrist tape that could be clearly seen when he lifted the Rugby World Cup trophies in both 2019 and 2023. In 2015 his life had been in a mess when he confronted Christ. He said:
“My sin was exposed. He told me I needed to stop drinking.”
“I decided to lose my life and end it in Christ, for the Word of God is for all of life.”
Paul realised that what people needed was not just social care and friendship but to hear the Word of God. Twice he says ‘I did not shrink back”, notice what he did shrink back from:
“ . . . how I did not shrink back from declaring anything that was helpful to you as I taught you publicly and from house to house . . .” Acts 20:20
“For I did not shrink back from declaring to you the whole will [or counsel of God.” Acts 20:27
He was obviously tempted like many of us are not to make talking about Jesus and the gospel as a priority. He was tempted to have other priorities but he refused to budge fro living for Christ.
He did not just teach the easy bits of the Bible. This is why here in Christchurch we teach through books of the Bible, explaining the hard bits as well as the parts we like. This is called ‘Expository’ preaching. Like Paul we believe what Jesus and his apostles taught, that the Scriptures are ‘the very words of God’ (Romans 3:2).
There are some Christians who get tired of hearing God’s word. They stop reading the Bible for themselves and are casual about coming to hear the Scriptures taught. Remember Eutychus earlier in this chapter. He fell asleep when God’s word was being taught and he died. What a warning! We must make it a priority to listen to and follow what God teaches in his Word, otherwise we too are at risk of dying spiritually (Acts 20:7-12).
Living as a Biblical elder like this is not easy. Elders must see themselves not as managers but as pastors. Life changes need to be made as there are new priorities. Paul reminds us that building up a church is a great priority and well worth while. The desire for an easy successful life is something that is within us all, whereas to make living for Christ as the priority of life is costly and will not be easy. Why do we keep going, why do we spend hours preparing talks and Bible studies when it is hard to keep going? We do this in order that we can keep speaking attractively to people about Jesus, to warm him to them.
You might ask this question of any athlete. Why do they train so hard? It is so that they will win the prize.
Paul does compare the dedication Christian’s have to be more effective for Christ to athletic training in 1 Corinthians 9:24–27, urging all believers, not just elders, to run with purpose and discipline. Paul notes that while many runners compete in a stadium race, only one wins the prize. He encourages Christians to live and run in a way that secures the ultimate spiritual victory. So competitors undergo rigorous, self-controlled training routines. Yet athletes train hard for just a temporary crown, such as a wreath of leaves or a medal, that fades away, but believers strive for an eternal, imperishable reward. Paul states he does not run aimlessly or shadow-box; instead, he strictly disciplines his body to remain faithful and avoid disqualification from his ministry. No pain, no gain. Paul is telling these elders, “It is not easy living for Jesus, there will be wounds.”
Matthew Perry the ‘Friends’ actor who tragically died three years ago wrote in his memoir. ‘Friends, Lovers and the big terrible Thing’:
“Do you know what Peter asks of everyone who tries to get into heaven? Peter says, ‘Don’t you have any scars?’ When most of us respond proudly, ‘No, I don’t.’ Peter says, ‘Why not? Was there nothing worth fighting for?”
Many of us speak proudly of word ministry but where it comes to having to make choices, what matters most to us becomes evident. But not for Paul. He knew what was of real value, what was worth living for and he kept on teaching about Jesus:
v. 19 “ I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing.”
v. 21 “I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus.”
v. 24. “However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me - the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.”
v. 25 “Now I know that none of you among whom I have gone about preaching the kingdom will ever see me again. Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of any of you.”
Paul is making it clear to these church elders not just what the Lord Jesus means to him but what he longs should be the way they think too and that they will help pass on this way of thinking clearly to others. What the Lord wants is for news about him to spread through all the world. This is the message of the whole of the book of Acts. Our message remains the same, it is the gospel about the grace of God. Word ministry is the foundation of the church.
‘Saving Private Ryan’ is a classic war film. Captain Miller is sent on a mission to save Private Ryan: his three older brothers had already been killed in the 2nd World War. In doing so the Captain is fatally wounded. As he dies on that bridge he says to Private Ryan, ‘Earn this, earn this.’ In fact his salvation was pure grace, the Captain had died that he could live. He couldn’t earn his salvation but he could live in the light of it.
Decades later Ryan, by now an old man, visits Captain Miller’s grave with his family. Full of emotion he says to the gravestone:
“Every day I think about what you said to me on that bridge. I have tried to live my best life, the best that I could. I hope it was enough. I hope that at least in your eyes I have earned what you have done for me.”
Ryan’s wife walks over and he says to her:
“Tell me that I have lived a good life. Tell me that I’m a good man.”
We also have been saved because of the great love of Jesus for us. We cannot earn our salvation but we can live as Paul is asking in this passage, that we now live in a way to please our Saviour. Aren’t we all waiting to hear Jesus say to us:
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matthew 25:23
BVP
Interested readers may like to read further about what Paul said to the elders of Ephesus. This can be found on this website at
https://www.bvpalmer.com/acts-1/acts-2028-38?rq=Acts%2020
This article has been posted on the website www.bvpalmer.com where there are many other helpful articles and videos.
Christchurch Baldock is a Bible teaching, gospel centred, local church. More details can be found on its website. It meets every Sunday morning at 10.30 am in Knights Templar School, Baldock
Bernard can be contacted at berniepalmer1@sky.com
