Acts 20:29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.
Last words are important. The last words a loved one speaks can be very powerful, life transforming. When we say goodbye to someone because we are moving, and probably won’t return, those words mean more than when you leave for a two week vacation. Even in the age of social media connections, face to face goodbyes can be very meaningful.
But goodbyes can also be very difficult, emotional experiences. Many people try to avoid dealing with the messy emotions, choosing to instead make light of the departures. But I think this is a big mistake. Emotions make life filled with flavors that cerebral type people just don’t get.
In our text, Paul is bidding his farewells to a group of people into whom Paul has poured his life for the sake of the Gospel. He wants to finish his life well, which means he must continue to follow the call to share the Gospel in other places. He could have chosen to stay where much spiritual fruit had been harvested, but he instead moves out of his comfort into the mouth of a lion.
But Paul is not the only one facing opposition in the future. Paul warns these dear brothers and sisters in Christ that they too have some rough waters ahead. Dangerous times are fast approaching.
Paul uses the imagery of sheepherding to make his point. The leaders are the shepherds, the followers are the sheep. They have been charged with leading well, doing their best for the flock. And part of that includes being watchful of dangers that could threaten the flock’s wellbeing.
And Paul sees the threat of wolves coming for the flock. These are the worst kind of wolves; they come from within. They have been present, looked like sheep, and have hidden in plain sight.
Of course Paul is talking about some false teachers who will come and do their best to lead people away from the Truth. Just like wolves, they come to devour and scatter. Their goal is the destruction of the original flock and the creation of a new flock with themselves serving as the new shepherds.
And this danger is not simply a danger that existed back then. It still exists today. I see the divisions over politics and pandemics dividing congregations and peoples. There are those who are purposefully sowing seeds of divisiveness in order to divide and conquer Christians.
But we must not be led astray by these forces. We know better. We have been warned. We don’t have to succumb to their schemes.
But it requires of us that we be awake and alert to the dangers. We must be in the Word and sensitive to the moving of the Spirit in order to detect the dangers in time to prepare others and ourselves from being deceived. We must sound the alarm at the right moment so as to have the maximum affect.
This means we must make sure we are not sounding the alarm continuously, or people will become tone-deaf. We must save the alarms for alarm-worthy occasions. Not all occasions are of equal status. Some require a gentle reminder and some are five alarm spiritual dangers.
Paul had confidence in this community of believers, and yet he still warned them. There was a real danger, even though they had the presence of the LORD to sustain them.
We who are in Christ, we have the ability to withstand any onslaught that might come our direction. Even the subtle strategies of Satan need not take us by surprise. We are aware of His tactics and we stand strong in Christ. We don’t need to fail.
The Arnold Journey 