Anglican Devotional 3 October 2022 – Faith Of Our Fathers: Living Still

TOPIC: Faith Of Our Fathers: Living Still

READ: Acts 20:28-38 (NKJV)

28. “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
29. “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.
30. “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.
31. “Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.
32. “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
33. “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel.
34. “Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me.
35. “I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “
36. And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
37. Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul’s neck and kissed him,
38. sorrowing most of all for the words which he spoke, that they would see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship.

THE MESSAGE:

Today’s passage is the continuation of Paul’s admonition to the Ephesian elders. Paul, in his exhortations to the elders in the Church, opened their eyes to the spiritual alertness to what would befall the Church after his departure. To mention but few are:
(i) The elders should thoroughly watch over their members against savage wolves, even among the so-called preachers of the Gospel, who have the intention of snatching away their members to establish their own churches (verses 28-30).
(ii) The elders should learn contentment in ministry so that they would not over-burden the church with their needs (verses 31-34).
(iii) They should also support the weak and the less-privileged in the Church through alms-giving (verse 35). After Paul’s exhortations, he prayed with them as they all burst into tears while accompanying him to the ship (verses 36-38).

Today, we commemorate the good works of the first African Bishop in Nigeria, Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther (Apostle Paul of his time). He was once a slave and later became a rugged preacher of the Gospel at home and abroad. His contributions to the Gospel of Christ cannot be underrated till date. He translated the Holy Bible and Hymns to some of Nigerian languages. What a living faith! Christians and Church fathers are enjoined to emulate the admonition of Paul to the Ephesian elders. By so doing, we are setting aglow the faith of our fathers.

PRAYER: Almighty God, give us grace to keep the faith which our Church heroes taught us and follow in their footstep, through Jesus Christ our Lord.