Therefore watch

“Therefore watch, and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” - Act 20v31

It would be to great to think that everything was going to be rosy in the garden for the church. From the very start men like Paul were aware that Trouble (notice the capital “T” again) was ahead.

As he addressed the elders at Ephesus he echoed words that would have been familiar to those who heard had heard the accounts of Jesus in the garden when He told the disciples to “watch and pray.” Paul, as he was preparing to leave Ephesus reminded the men to ‘watch.”

There were tow specific groups that Paul warned about. First were the ravenous wolves from the outside who would try to come in and destroy the church. That warning has proven itself valid throughout history and it is clear that we too need to be watching for those wolves which still wander about today.

However, there is a more insidious danger to watch for. Paul said “Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves” Tragically, even the church itself is not immune from attacks within.

How do we balance love and trust with the warning to watch? Simple enough – “Trust but verify.” That may sound cruel and untrusting at first, but a well-intentioned brother in Christ may start out with the right motivation and end up doing exactly what Paul talks about.

Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus to watch. I think that is a warning all of us can take and heed. Trust…but verify.