Céline Dion’s song ‘Goodbye’s The Saddest Word’ speaks of the love between a daughter and her mother and looks ahead to the pain of separation which death brings:

‘Goodbye’s the saddest word I’ll ever hear.
Goodbye’s the last time I will hold you near.
Someday you’ll say that word and I will cry.
It’ll break my heart to hear you say goodbye.’

Those of us who have lost loved ones can identify with these lyrics and there is no doubt that separation of any kind can cause us deep anguish and grief. The leaders of the church at Ephesus experienced these feelings when Paul gave his farewell speech to them before moving on to other places (see Acts 20:37-38). Paul, on his way to Rome via Jerusalem, arrived at Miletus and asked them to come to him so that he could say goodbye. (Acts 20:13-38) In this speech, where we see Paul ‘vulnerable, meditative, steady in his faithful perseverance but with no hint of triumphalism’ (Tom Wright, ‘Acts For Everyone Pt 2, P 131), we get a glimpse not only into how Paul has lived as a leader among them for the past three years but into his heart for the church of God. He is at pains to remind them of his service and giving and to urge them to ‘keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.’ (Acts 20:28) He knows the opposition will come (even from within the church) and longs for their ongoing spiritual growth. (Acts 20:32) No wonder the Ephesian elders were sad at the thought of never seeing him again. Paul was their spiritual father and they had learned so much not only from his words but from his whole lifestyle among them over the past three years.

The word ‘goodbye’ is actually a contraction of the phrase ‘God be with you’, which used to be the more formal way of blessing someone as you left them. The French word ‘adieu’ still has that connotation (literally, ‘to God’) and other ways of saying goodbye (au revoir in French, auf wiedersehen in German) still contain elements of hope that the parting will be temporary (‘see you again’). For the Christian, even death is not the ultimate end, painful though that separation is, and we can be sure that we look ahead to a future without sorrow: ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.’ (Rev 21:4) Paul committed the Ephesians to God and to the word of His grace (Acts 20:32); when we do this in life, perhaps goodbye is no longer the saddest word but can also be a reminder that there is more to come.

Paul tells the Ephesian elders that it is ‘more blessed to give than to receive’ (Acts 20:35). This philosophy, which he directly ascribes to Jesus even though this is not a direct quotation from any of the four gospels, is definitely in line with Jesus’s teaching: ‘Freely you have received; freely give.’ (Matt 10:8) Paul goes on to develop this much more in his letter to the Corinthians, where he reminds us that God loves a cheerful giver and that those who sow generously will reap generously. (2 Cor 9:6-8)

The theme of giving runs throughout the whole Bible, and is even used to describe the advent of Jesus (see John 3:16). We forget this truth at our peril, becoming people who are miserly who find life difficult to manage (Haggai 2:15-19) unlike those whose generosity leads to prosperity (see Prov 11:25). We do not give simply to receive, however, but give as the overflow of forgiven hearts who have received so much from the Lord.

As we approach Christmas, our thoughts once again are turned to gifts and blessing, and it’s worth remembering this principle. As we seek to bless others in our local community and further afield (through our support of Bedline, Amshika and Innocent and through the Samaritan’s Purse Christmas appeal), we can know this truth in practice and teach this truth to our children. Giving is a great blessing, for it signifies the abundant provision of our God.

One of the first rules of first aid is to look after yourself. When you go on a first aid course, you are told, “A first aider can’t look after others to the best of their ability if they aren’t looking after themselves. First aid for the first aider is important and it’s something that is often overlooked as people prioritise the patient.” It’s a similar principle with fire rescue: ‘you should always be certain that you will not endanger yourself or others when attempting to put out a fire.’ This is not as selfish as it may sound; it’s simple common sense that you are no use to anyone else if you yourself are in danger or injured.

Paul makes a similar point when he addresses the Ephesian elders, teaching them how to act when he is no longer with them to guide and teach them. He says, ‘Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.’ (Acts 20:28) Ultimately, we must maintain our own spiritual wellbeing (as Paul wrote later to Timothy: ‘Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.’ 1 Tim 4:16) if we are to be of any use to others. It is only as the leaders themselves remain faithful to God that they can expect the church to do likewise. Leaders need to pray, seek God and spend time in His word if they are to be effective. Please pray for the leaders of churches to seek God first and to persevere in both living as children of light and believing truth so that they may be effective in their ministries.

If Paul’s warnings to the Ephesian elders fill us with disquiet (can we really be distracted from the path of truth so easily?), it is also worth noting that Paul speaks with confidence to these men, saying, ‘I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.’ (Acts 20:32) We do well take the warnings of Scripture seriously – that’s what they are there for, surely? – but we need not live cowed lives, fearful of everything, including our ‘accidental’ falling away from God.

Paul’s warnings are always balanced with hope and grace. Here, he commits or commends the leaders of the Ephesian church to God and to the word of His grace. Like the writer to the Hebrews (who says, ‘we are convinced of better things in your case’ Heb 6:9), he writes with assurance (being confident that God who started His work in the Philippians will bring it to completion, for example – Phil 1:6). He says to Timothy, ‘Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus’ (1 Tim 3:13), and because we are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8-9), we can have hope, even in the darkest of circumstances. ‘He gives us more grace,’ James reminds us (James 4:6); we are never left to keep ourselves, but can always be confident that God ‘is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy.’ (Jude 1:24)

Heresy is a belief or doctrine that is contrary to orthodox doctrine. It’s a danger to every church, because God’s truth is absolute; Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:6) and we need to hold on to truth to know freedom. (John 8:32)

Heresy does not always look evil, however. It can often appear innocent and even have some basis in truth. Paul, when warning the Ephesian elders about this, said that ‘even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.’ (Acts 20:30) Heresy arises from a distortion of truth, a twisting out of shape, rather like the strange mirrors in the Hall of Mirrors at fairgrounds which make us look tall and thin or small and fat, twisting our bodies into shapes that do not actually reflect reality. Often distortion of truth appears attractive and not a lie: exaggeration is itself a distortion of truth and is not necessarily harmful. But we must be careful with truth and be aware that a distortion of this can easily lead so far away from right belief that we end up a long way from our desired destination.

Paul has already dealt with various distortions of truth, such as the need for circumcision as a necessary part of salvation. In our own day, those who emphasise the love of God without also understanding the justice of God can distort the truth into teaching universalism, that all people will be saved regardless of faith in Jesus Christ. We need wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit so that we are guardians of truth and are not led astray from God’s paths by hollow and deceptive philosophy which may sound plausible, but which is actually a distortion of the truth.

We must, however, also be on the alert for ‘wolves’, those who, however plausible and pleasing they may sound, actually do untold harm to the flock of Christ; Jesus Himself warned about ‘wolves in sheep’s clothing’ (Matt 7:15). A shepherd’s task in the natural was to feed the sheep (by leading them to good pasture) and to protect them (from the wolves which were their chief enemy.) Spiritually speaking, pastors need to feed the sheep (by teaching the truth of God’s word) and to protect them (by warning of error.) In this way we are kept, nurtured and protected.

The role of shepherds and sheep is a recurring one in Scripture. Many of God’s people were shepherds (Moses, Jacob, David), and the relationship between the two is often used metaphorically to describe God and His people (see Ps 100:3, Ps 23, John 10.) The prophets use this metaphor to describe the relationship between Israel and its leaders (see Ezekiel 34) and in the New Testament, we see the word ‘shepherd’ (or ‘pastor’) being used to describe a leader in the church (Eph 4:11, Acts 20:28).

So familiar are we with this metaphor that we often fail to pause and reflect on it. Many of us have little idea what being a shepherd is really like these days and have a very idealised view of it based on cartoons and cuddly toys sold in North Yorkshire. John Stott reminds us that ‘sheep are not at all the clean and cuddly creatures they may appear. In fact, they are dirty, subject to unpleasant pests, and regularly need to be dipped in strong chemicals to rid them of lice, ticks and worms. They are also unintelligent, wayward and obstinate.’ (John Stott, ‘Acts’, P 329) Paul reminded the Ephesians elders also of the dangers facing sheep (namely, wolves), which provided an added hazard to the shepherd’s tasks.

People are rather like sheep (including having a tendency to go their own way, as Is 53:6 reminds us), and we have an enemy who seeks to lead us astray by all manner of means, including (as Jesus reminded us in Matt 7:15) dressing as sheep. Paul warns the Ephesian elders about this, saying, ‘Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.’ (Acts 20:28) It is interesting to note that the call to leaders to both feed the flock and protect them from error comes in the context of a reminder that the church belongs to God. He has bought it by the blood of Christ and the Holy Spirit is the one who is overseeing its daily life. This puts things into perspective, keeps leaders humble (it’s God’s church, not ours!) and inspires us to faithfulness, for however wayward and obstinate the sheep may seem at times, they are ‘the flock of God the Father, purchased by the precious blood of God the Son, and supervised by overseers appointed by God the Holy Spirit.’ (ibid.) Paul’s reminder to the elders rings out to all church leaders today. We have a ‘double duty: to feed the sheep (by teaching the truth) and to protect them from wolves (by warning of error.)’ (ibid., P 328)