By Ife J. Ibitayo
For Part 1, “Like Father, Like Son”, click here. For Part 2, “Actions Speak Louder than Proverbs”, click here.
Final addresses carry a power few other speeches can. They answer the question, “If I never get the chance to see you again, what must I tell you?”
Vulnerability
In his final message to the leaders of the Ephesian church, Apostle Paul began, “’You know how I lived the whole time I was with you, from the first day I came into the province of Asia. I served the Lord with great humility and with tears and in the midst of severe testing by the plots of my Jewish opponents’” (Acts 20:18-19 NIV).
Firstly, Paul was vulnerable. His courageous leadership was unquestionable. He fought wild animals (1 Corinthians 15:32), braved shipwreck, and suffered beatings (2 Corinthians 11:25). Yet he also wasn’t afraid to put his heart on the line. He loved the members of the Christ’s body as his sons (1 Timothy 1:2), brothers (Philippians 1:12), and mothers (Romans 16:13), and he taught his followers to do the same.
Integrity
Then Paul went on to say, “‘And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there. I only know that in every city the Holy Spirit warns me that prison and hardships are facing me. However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace’” (Acts 20:22-24 NIV).
Paul is one of the few leaders in history who has lived in a manner worthy of his preaching. Jesus commanded that all who call themselves Christians should “deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him” (Matthew 16:24). The cross was an instrument of suffering and death, and Paul willingly accepted both in order to adorn the message he preached.
Industry
Paul concluded, “‘I have not coveted anyone’s silver or gold or clothing. You yourselves know that these hands of mine have supplied my own needs and the needs of my companions. In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive”’” (Acts 20:33-35 NIV).
All of us possess God-given visions on our lives. Very few of us realize them because we are not willing to put in the excruciating amount of hard work needed to achieve them. But Paul worked harder than any other apostle (1 Corinthians 5:10) ensuring that his message was above reproach.
Conclusion
When Apostle Paul finished his speech, “They all wept as they embraced him and kissed him. What grieved them most was his statement that they would never see his face again” (Acts 20:37-38a). When some leaders leave their office, their followers rejoice, but for others they weep bitterly. The difference is the legacy they leave behind. Apostle Paul left an incomparable legacy because of his open heart and calloused hands, and we have the opportunity to do the same.
“As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.”
(Ephesians 4:1 NIV)