Acts 20:30

Sunday, 1 October 2023

“Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves. Acts 20:30

Paul just noted to the elders at Ephesus who are gathered with him in Miletus that after his departure savage wolves will come in among them, and they will not spare the flock. With that, he continues, saying, “Also from among yourselves.”

As a point concerning how the church is structured, Paul’s words show the ingenious nature of the New Testament church. There is no individual “church,” such as the Roman Catholics claim. Rather, there are believers who unite together who are the church.

Therefore, if a church departs from the faith, another can spring up that can go back to the foundation and hold fast to the integrity of Scripture. This is why instead of there being one letter to the churches in Revelation 2 & 3 there are 7.

Any church that claims to be the “true” church, which is as common as peanuts in peanut butter, is already either departing from or has departed from the model. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. There are overseers below Him who are expected to be faithful to the word He has given and to the flock entrusted to them.

However, as Paul notes, not only would wolves come from without, but even from among the ranks of a faithful church. Again, the words “from among yourselves” reveal this. Paul was standing there telling the church leaders this will be the case because he knew the inclinations of the human heart. There is the desire to control others always brewing within it. And so, he says, “men will rise up.”

Right out of a perfectly functioning flock, there are people who will sow discord. They will try to usurp authority, and they will try to remove surety of salvation from the hearts and minds of those they sit with each week. In doing so, they will then introduce various aberrant ideas about what God is like, what He expects of His people, and how He can be appeased.

Grace is not a consideration in their theology because grace removes all hope of their power and influence being wielded over others. Think of the Roman Catholic Church! They have innumerable doctrines that divert eyes and hearts away from Jesus, the very pinnacle of God’s grace to the people of the world.

Why do they do this? It is because, in so doing, they become the arbiters of what is and is not acceptable. If they are, the people are in bondage to them and will do anything in their means to secure salvation through them. It is a trap that innumerable souls are stuck in.

Grace cannot be earned. But expecting allegiance and money to be given to a church means that those individuals in the congregation are attempting to earn favor. Such evil overseers know this, and they have profited for millennia because of it.

And yet, Paul stood there with these men from Ephesus and warned them of exactly what is happening in churches all over the world to this day. And the way that it comes about is by such men rising up and “speaking perverse things.”

The word translated as perverse is diastrephó. It signifies through (dia) and to convert or change (strephó). The word then means distorting, perverting, and making something different or even the opposite of what it was.

These people will give perverse ideas about the nature of God. They will twist Scripture away from grace to works. They will deny the fully sufficient work of Christ. They will claim that grace means license, such as “I have been given grace, and so I can do whatever I want.” On and on, the things they come up with are perverse and corrupt. And the reason is for self-gain. As Paul says, they do it “to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

This is the crux of the matter. They will be able to wield power over those they control. They will have fame, ease, sexual gratification, or whatever other perverted thing that motivates them. And this is not limited to local churches. By establishing denominations, the level of power only increases, just as in government entities. Those at the top wield unbiblical authority over those they have never even met.

In and of itself, there is nothing wrong with denominations, but they eventually become self-feeding bodies that do not have the interests of the local churches in mind. It is an inevitable outcome of such structures.

Life application: How sad it is to look at once faithful churches and denominations where Paul’s words have been proven true. But the Bible warned of it. Therefore, the blame rests upon those who are unwilling to take to heart the words of Scripture and carefully follow what is provided there.

Is it possible that Hymenaeus and Philetus noted in 2 Timothy 2:17 were standing there with Paul as he spoke? Were they back in Ephesus waiting till he left for good so that they could work their evil?

Heretics promote self and they divide in order to conquer. John Lange notes exactly this when he says, “The note of heresy was that it was essentially self-asserting and schismatical.”

It is not only good, but proper to teach sound doctrine. If a church divides over such a thing, so be it. But it is not good when someone divides to promote self in the process. Watch out for such people and be on guard against those who would attempt to mar grace.

Lord God, our hearts are wicked, and our thoughts are corrupt. This is the natural state of humanity. Please help us to grow in the knowledge of Your word so that we can change this and become people with pure hearts and intentions. May we learn to place others ahead of ourselves and acknowledge our faults and failures as a part of who we are. You alone are to be exalted for the grace You have given us in the giving of Your Son. Amen.