The greatest danger facing modern assemblies is a lack of concern for true spirituality, giving emphasis to form over substance.
Paul’s charge to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20:28-38 contains words of warning. There were perils that the elders needed to be aware of and to which they had to respond. In particular, there were three dangers facing the assembly: the danger from without, the danger from among, and the danger from within.
The Danger from Without
Paul, by the Spirit, says he knows “savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.” For the assembly in Ephesus this was a solemn and relevant warning. There were Judaizers traveling around posing as apostles. Their goal was to destroy the liberty the believers enjoyed in Christ and bring them under bondage to the Law. The false teachers had no concern for the flock and would thus destroy the assembly. This type of attack is not so great a danger today, as there are few “wolves” at the door of any assembly seeking to destroy the testimony.
The Danger from Among
The second danger related to people in fellowship and perhaps those already in leadership. There was the problem of a person pushing his own agenda and seeking a following. Sometimes individuals will grab an issue and promote it for their own interest. In these cases, the view is validated and enhanced if others can be convinced to adopt the same stand. This type of scenario has certainly happened in the past and remains a possibility in the present.
The Danger from Within
However, most assemblies that decline or disappear do so neither as a result of wolves coming in among the flock, nor as a result of men who destroy the work by a particular point of view. Most assemblies that decline and disappear do so as a result of erosion over time, a gradual slide down the slope to extinction. The leadership, and indeed the whole fellowship, fail to take heed to Paul’s third warning: the danger within. That is, believers fail to maintain spiritual realities and thus the testimony is affected, and the assembly declines in influence, perhaps fading away entirely.
Acts 20:28 says, “Take heed to yourselves and to all the flock.” Verse 31 reads, “Watch and remember.” The greatest danger facing modern assemblies is a lack of concern for true spirituality, giving emphasis to form over substance. There are seven thoughts in Acts 20:31-38. In order to give emphasis, we will present them as negatives. These are the dangers from within that can destroy an individual’s effectiveness and an assembly’s testimony.
1. Carelessness (v.31). There is the danger of taking things for granted, when complacency displaces watchfulness. We can become careless in devotion or reverence and lose sight of what is important. We grow to care less about the assembly and the gathering together of God’s people. It is “the little foxes that spoil the vines.” A careless attitude may seem insignificant at the start, but there will come a time of reaping the results. The cure is to watch and remember, not allowing important matters to slip.
2. Shallowness (v.32). There is also the danger of letting the priority of God’s Word slip. It is God’s Word that is “able to build you up.” But the opposite is also true: without quality time in the Word, one will fall. It is the Word in the heart that is the safeguard against sin and the sword that is to be used against Satan. In a world where there is so much truth on the bookshelf, many believers are malnourished when it comes to the solid meat of God’s Word. Time, effort, and energy cure shallowness. God’s Word must be appreciated, then it must be appropriated, and finally it must be applied.
3. Covetousness (v.33). The lure of things is pervasive in our materialistic world. There is constant appeal to the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. It becomes easy to believe that the blessing of God in this age is visible by prosperity. All of us can justify every purchase, but individuals know when there is covetousness in the heart. When desire rules a life, then that expression of covetousness is classified as idolatry. The cure for covetousness is contentment.
4. Laziness (v.34). This is an age of leisure in the Western world. There are more days off than at any time in history, and there are more leisure activities available than ever before. It is so much easier to relax at home than to get involved in serious study or in assembly life and outreach. The cure is to develop a passion for eternal things, to redeem the time, and to be occupied in the service of the Lord.
5. Selfishness (v.35). With limited resources, Paul worked not only for his own support but for those who were with him as well. Beyond this he also found the wherewithal to provide for others who were in need. Though Christians generally give far beyond the levels of the unsaved, there is still great wealth and expenditure on what most of the world would view as luxuries. The cure is to forget about self and get lost in the service of others. To be “rich in good works” and to “meet urgent needs” that others face.
6. Prayerlessness (v.36). The attendance at most assembly prayer meetings is a testament to the lack of interest in prayer. Prayer is ,without a doubt, the most difficult exercise in the Christian life but also the most vital. Programming and organizing have taken the place of praying and agonizing. The prayer meeting is acknowledged to be the powerhouse of the assembly but is virtually ignored by the majority. The cure starts with time at home developing the discipline of prayer, a living dependence on the resources that flow from the Father through the Lord Jesus.
7. Lovelessness (vv.37-38). The death knell for any assembly is a lack of love. When tradition and formalism become more important than people, the work is in trouble. The proof of discipleship is that there is love for one another (Jn. 13:34). The world too often sees conflict and dissension when it needs to see a loving community in action. The cure is found in obedience to the Word, “love one another.” Love is a choice that flows out from God’s love working in us. Love must be seen to be real; it is made visible through sacrifice, service, and supplication for others.
Take Heed
Though elders, and indeed the whole assembly, must be aware of the dangers from without and possible dangers among, most of all each of us must “take heed to yourselves.” There must be constant watchfulness and remembrance of the warnings Paul gave to the Ephesians. Assembly life involves work, effort, and energy. Consider Paul’s commitment to the assembly as expressed in Acts 20:18-27. He was fully devoted to the furtherance of the work by sharing the gospel and building up the saints. The seven negatives listed above were absent from the life of Paul. The question for us, both individually and corporately, is how many of these are visible in my life or that of the assembly? If these things continue in the leadership or in the assembly, there will be a dim future for the work. It is unlikely that the assembly will rise above the spiritual level of the leadership. So it is thus incumbent that those in leadership “take heed to themselves and to all the flock among which the Holy Spirit made you overseers to shepherd the church of God.”
In all of their watch care, elders must not neglect to watch themselves.