I'm sure that the criticism from the crowd had resulted in an emotion of fear or discouragement for many of the disciples in Ephesus. The first verse of Acts 20 actually concludes the previous chapter following the riot in Ephesus. Note what Paul does: "When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, said good-bye ..." Paul did not wait for the disciples to come to him; rather, he sent for them. He knew that they would be needing words of encouragement, particularly since he had to be on his way completing his mission. As Paul completes his tour in Macedonia and other parts of Greece, he prepares to head to Jerusalem. The passage tells us that he was in a hurry to get to Jerusalem. Nonetheless, he was still mindful of the disciples in Ephesus. He calls for the elders of Ephesus to join him.
Discouragement can be a powerful emotion -- a feeling of despair. Paul begins in verse 17 with a testimony of how he lived among them. He mentions that he communicated to both Jews and Greeks equally. In other words, they should consider themselves equals in the cause of Christ. Later, in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul reinforces this with the importance of unity (Ephesians 4) "so that the body of Christ may be bult 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." Paul does not shy away from the impending hardship, however; he continues his testimony with these words, "I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me -- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace." He references that he will never see them again. This was a tough good-bye to those whom he had grown close to.
He encourages them with these words. "Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers." With the memory of the riots fresh in their mind, Paul tells them that more will come, "I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock." The unfortunate thing is that sometimes this comes from within: "Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them." This concern is likely the reason his letter to them talked about being "one in Christ" (Ephesians 2) and the unity of the church (Ephesians 4). Paul tells them to "be on guard!" This soldier metaphor is also reinforced in his letter to them in the closing chapter of Ephesians, where Paul challenges them to "put on the full armor of God."
The point of this story is to reinforce the importance of encouragement. Life can be tough. Living for God will result in challenges both from within and from without. Paul sent for the disciples of the church in Ephesus to encourage them face to face and later sends them a letter reinforcing the encouragement. He closes this meeting with these words "I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up …" They prayed together. In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul includes a powerful prayer -- one of the most encouraging in all of scripture:
"Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."Encourage one another! We all need it.
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