In this passage, the Apostle Paul addresses the elders of the church at Ephesus, recounting his ministry and warning them of the future dangers of false teachers entering in from the outside (v .29) and those arising from within the church to cause divisions (v. 30) prior to bidding farewell to them.

The Apostle Paul was one of the greatest Christians of all time and he quite literally wrote the book on what it takes to be a pastor. He held nothing back. But here, as he bids them farewell, he warns them of the impending internal and external threats to the church after he departs. Sadly, this scenario has been repeated throughout the ages and still rings true in our time and even in our church.

I. First, the dangers coming into the church.

“For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock” (Acts 20:29; p. 1178).

Yes, this can refer to physical dangers to the flock as we have recently seen in the church shootings in Michigan and Kentucky. However, I believe this verse has more to do with the more subtle and insidious spiritual threats to the church that “creep in unaware.” Those of you who have been raised in our church and those who have been here a long time should at least be mentally aware of the external dangers. I am referring to the Decisionism which Dr. Hymers spoke so strongly against! You can visit any church, in any state, and you will see that the blight of Decisionism has infected that church. Recently, my family and I visited a Baptist church while we were on vacation. While doing an online search for Baptist churches in the area we were staying, we found that the one closest to us took pride in being an “open-minded church.” Of course, that is code for a liberal church, so we decided to drive an hour to attend another Baptist church that was at least Trinitarian. Despite what we read on the website about their core beliefs, I was not holding my breath that they were going to be orthodox. Just as Dr Hymers taught, a significant portion of the service was dedicated to what they called “worship,” which consisted of about half an hour of a worship team singing the choruses of three songs over and over again. A youth leader gave a brief message. Then the pastor gave an invitation. The gospel was never preached, yet the invitation was given! Inviting people to be saved. Saved from what? Then the pastor called for a young man from a visiting church to dismiss the service. The young man, who was from a Ukrainian church gave a decent message but it was still lacking substance. Sin, Blood, and Christ were all mentioned in passing, because according to him, Jesus died to give you hope and to take control of your life. There was no application of original sin and human depravity to the individual. Hell was not mentioned at all!

Why am I making such a big deal about this? It is because this is not an isolated incident. This is what’s being taught in churches throughout America and the world! William Booth was the founder of the Salvation Army as it once was. Toward the end of the 19th Century, he said,

“The chief danger that confronts the coming century will be religion without the Holy Ghost, Christianity without Christ, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration, politics without God, heaven without hell.”

Was Mr. Booth right? Absolutely! If not for the churches of his time already being infected with the blight of decisionism, I would have called him a prophet. Christianity without Christ. Forgiveness without repentance. Salvation without regeneration, and Heaven without Hell. This is a sad state of the churches today! Can our churches honestly say with the Apostle Paul that they have declared unto you all the counsel of God? How can they if they avoid offending people with sermons on sin, depravity and hell? Why do they not want to offend people? It is because they are afraid of losing money!

“For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows” (I Timothy 6:10; p. 1277).

We all have money. Some have more than others. But the verse didn’t say that money is the root of all evil. It is the love of money that is the root of all evil and yes, the verse does say that those that covet after money have erred from the faith! Don’t be mistaken. This is not exclusively a rich man’s problem. You can be poor and still lust after money! However, this is not how our church operates. God has always provided. We go as far as to announce, “don’t put any money in the plate.” So, we are not afraid of saying what needs to be said! There is none righteous, no, not one! The heart (your heart) is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked! God will be no means clear the guilty! These shall go away into everlasting punishment! For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The state of the churches have deteriorated far more since the time of William Booth. It is our duty to uphold the old evangelicalism! The preacher’s duty is not to avoid offending the people. He must not offend God! After all, that is one of the main signs of decisionism. It is centered on the feelings of men instead of the Word of God. The preacher must expound on what God says! To do this, he must declare all the counsel of God, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear (Acts 20:30, Ezekiel 2:5).

II. Second, the dangers from within the church.

“Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them” (Acts 20:30; p. 1178).

This is one of the banes of our own church. Throughout the decades, we have experienced multiple church splits that have crippled our church with two major splits occurring in 1990 and again, most recently starting in 2018. Each time, the split was led by one of the leaders of the church, who spoke perverse things to draw away disciples after them. Each time the leader left with their family, but after they left, they would then contact others in the church to pull them out also. Although I condemn this action with all my soul, I still believe that God was and still is in control. John said,

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us” (I John 2:19; p. 1322).

They left our church because they were not “of us.” Matthew Henry said of this verse,

“The purest churches may have their apostates and revolters; the apostolic doctrine did not convert all whom it convinced of its truth. They were not inwardly such as we are: But they were not of us; they had not from the heart obeyed the form of sound doctrine delivered to them; they were not of our union with Christ the head.” (Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, I John, Chapter 2)

We have learned from Dr Hymers and Dr Lin that the church must have God’s presence to have His blessings. To have God’s presence, the church must be holy, consecrated to God and separated from sin. Here we see the workings of God to keep His church holy. Prior to the most recent church split in 2018, there was a strong emphasis on holiness and revival. Many of the people resisted the Holy Spirit and refused to confess and forsake their sin. God will have his church to be holy. If this is not achieved through revival, it will be achieved through a church split. You say, “Well, I don’t want to have a church split. What can we do to prevent another split from happening?” On my end, it is my duty to declare unto you all the counsel of God. On your end, if you are still unconverted, you must make it your priority to trust Christ. If you are not converted, The Bible says,

“And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world” (I John 4:3; p. 1324).

If you remain unconverted, it is only a matter of time before you leave the church. Something will always come up to pull you out and it doesn’t matter how long you have been in the church, and it doesn’t matter if you are a baptized member. Even if you don’t leave, there was always be that separation that you are not “of us.” After I left the service at that church we visited while on vacation, I asked myself “Could someone be saved from that message?” Unfortunately, the answer was no! There was no gospel given. And even if it was given, there was no reason to trust Christ because sin was barely touched upon. Sin was used as a verb instead of a noun. Sin was something you did, and not who you are. You are fortunate enough to be in a church where the gospel is given repeatedly! Do not take it for granted! Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved. For those of you who are already saved and want to stop another church split, do what the Bible says!

“Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves” (James 1:22; p. 1307).

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple” (Psalm 119:130; p. 661).

“Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee” (Psalm 119:11; p. 658).

“Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (I Corinthians 1:10; p. 1212).

“Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you” (Hebrews 13:17; p. 1304).

May God help you all to do so. Amen.