Hard Work

At the end of his third missionary journey, while Paul was en route to Jerusalem, he stopped in the port of Miletus where he met with the elders of the church in Ephesus. Paul had lived in Ephesus for three years, debating in the synagogue, lecturing in the hall of Tyrannus, casting out demons, and healing the sick (Acts 19:1-20:1). In Acts 20, Paul’s tearful farewell to the Ephesian elders is recorded. He knows that suffering is before him and that they will never see each other again. He exhorts them to keep watch and presents himself as an example to follow.

Read Acts 20:28-35 and then consider the following:

1. At the end of Paul’s farewell message, Paul calls the elders to watch over themselves and the church, like shepherds protecting the flock from dangerous wolves. What dangers was he most concerned about? What does this exhortation reveal about the ministry environment in Ephesus?
2. In Acts 19:9, we learn that Paul taught daily at the hall of Tyrannus. Some manuscripts add, ‘from the fifth hour to the tenth’ (that is, from 11 am to 4 pm), which means that Paul worked at his trade in the mornings and then gave public lectures in the afternoons. According to Acts 20:31-35, why did Paul work so hard?
3. Paul reminded the elders that he supported himself and his team by working as a tentmaker. What was his attitude towards money and work?
4. The philosophical elite despised manual labor, yet Paul emphasized his role as an artisan (see also 1 Cor 4:12, 1 Thes. 2:9, 2 Thes. 3:7-8). Why was this important? How does his example provide a model for the global church today?