Marks of a Godly Minister(20:13-27)

Acts 20:25And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.

Acts 20:13-17But going ahead to the ship, we set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for so he had arranged, intending himself to go by land. And when he met us at Assos, we took him on board and went to Mitylene. And sailing from there we came the following day opposite Chios; the next day we touched at Samos; and the day after that we went to Miletus. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus, so that he might not have to spend time in Asia, for he was hastening to be at Jerusalem, if possible, on the day of Pentecost. ..

Acts 20:13-17… Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him.

Matthew 24:4-5"Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ, ' and will deceive many…For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect--if that were possible.

Romans 16:17-18I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people

Acts 20:29-31I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard!

Acts 20:18And when they came to him, he said to them: "You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia

1 Timothy 1:15The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

Marks of a Genuine, Godly Minister

1. Leads By Example2. Models Humility3. Models Love4. Refuses to

Water-Down/Edit/Minimize God’s Word

Matthew 23:2-3"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. For they preach, but do not practice

Acts 20:19serving the Lord with all humility and with tears and with trials that happened to me through the plots of the Jews;

2 Corinthians 2:4-5My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

2 Corinthians 12:7So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited

2 Corinthians 2:4For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

John Newton“The Bible is the grand repository … It is the complete system of divine truth, to which nothing can be added, and from which nothing can be taken, with impunity. Every attempt to disguise or soften any branch of this truth, in order to accommodate it to the prevailing taste around us, either to avoid the displeasure, or to court the favour, of our fellow mortals, must be an affront to the majesty of God, and an act of treachery to men.”

Hebrews 5:12-13For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic principles of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food, for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child.

2 Timothy 4:1-4I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

GOD - He’s awesome!JESUS - See above…same personHOLY SPIRIT - See above…same personSALVATION - It’s awesome, includes the package deal off all three above, which are really one…but they are three…but one…uh…MANKIND - We suck (translation, we’re not awesome!)

On Theology…

END TIMES - It’s going to be awesome (and people who try to predict it are stupid!)CREATION - It was awesome, then mankind, who sucks, messed it up and have been doing so ever since. BUT…one day God is going to make it awesome again!SIN - People think it’s awesome, but it sucks…but God saves us from it, which is awesome!THE BIBLE - It is a story about a God who is awesome!

On Theology…

Ed Young – Fellowship Church (Grapevine, TX)

Maverick pastor gets crowds streaming into church after erecting a

stripper pole behind pulpit