7 And on the first day of the week, when we were assembled together to break bread [the Lord's Supper], Paul discoursed with them, intending to leave the next morning; and he kept on with his message until midnight.

8 Now there were numerous lights in the upper room where we were assembled,

9 And there was a young man named Eutychus sitting in the window. He was borne down with deep sleep as Paul kept on talking still longer, and [finally] completely overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and was picked up dead.

10 But Paul went down and bent over him and embraced him, saying, Make no ado; his life is within him.

11 When Paul had gone back upstairs and had broken bread and eaten [with them], and after he had talked confidentially and communed with them for a considerable time � until daybreak [in fact] � he departed.

12 They took the youth home alive, and were not a little comforted and cheered and refreshed and encouraged.

13 But going on ahead to the ship, the rest of us set sail for Assos, intending to take Paul aboard there, for that was what he had directed, intending himself to go by land [on foot].

14 So when he met us at Assos, we took him aboard and sailed on to Mitylene.

15 And sailing from there, we arrived the day after at a point opposite Chios; the following day we struck across to Samos, and the next day we arrived at Miletus.

16 For Paul had determined to sail on past Ephesus, lest he might have to spend time [unnecessarily] in [the province of] Asia; for he was hastening on so that he might reach Jerusalem, if at all possible, by the day of Pentecost.

17 However, from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and summoned the elders of the church [to come to him there].

18 And when they arrived he said to them: You yourselves are well acquainted with my manner of living among you from the first day that I set foot in [the province of] Asia, and how I continued afterward,

19 Serving the Lord with all humility in tears and in the midst of adversity (affliction and trials) which befell me, due to the plots of the Jews [against me];

20 How I did not shrink from telling you anything that was for your benefit and teaching you in public meetings and from house to house,

21 But constantly and earnestly I bore testimony both to Jews and Greeks, urging them to turn in repentance [that is due] to God and to have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ [that is due Him].

22 And now, you see, I am going to Jerusalem, bound by the [Holy] Spirit and obligated and compelled by the [convictions of my own] spirit, not knowing what will befall me there �

23 Except that the Holy Spirit clearly and emphatically affirms to me in city after city that imprisonment and suffering await me.

24 But none of these things move me; neither do I esteem my life dear to myself, if only I may finish my course with joy and the ministry which I have obtained from [which was entrusted to me by] the Lord Jesus, faithfully to attest to the good news (Gospel) of God's grace (His unmerited favor, spiritual blessing, and mercy).

25 And now, observe, I perceive that all of you, among whom I have gone in and out proclaiming the kingdom, will see my face no more.

26 Therefore I testify and protest to you on this [our parting] day that I am clean and innocent and not responsible for the blood of any of you.

27 For I never shrank or kept back or fell short from declaring to you the whole purpose and plan and counsel of God.

28 Take care and be on guard for yourselves and the whole flock over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you bishops and guardians, to shepherd (tend and feed and guide) the church of the Lord or of God which He obtained for Himself [buying it and saving it for Himself] with His own blood.

29 I know that after I am gone, ferocious wolves will get in among you, not sparing the flock;

30 Even from among your own selves men will come to the front who, by saying perverse (distorted and corrupt) things, will endeavor to draw away the disciples after them [to their own party].

31 Therefore be always alert and on your guard, being mindful that for three years I never stopped night or day seriously to admonish and advise and exhort you one by one with tears.

32 And now [brethren], I commit you to God [I deposit you in His charge, entrusting you to His protection and care]. And I commend you to the Word of His grace [to the commands and counsels and promises of His unmerited favor]. It is able to build you up and to give you [your rightful] inheritance among all God's set-apart ones (those consecrated, purified, and transformed of soul).

33 I coveted no man's silver or gold or [costly] garments.

34 You yourselves know personally that these hands ministered to my own needs and those [of the persons] who were with me.

35 In everything I have pointed out to you [by example] that, by working diligently in this manner, we ought to assist the weak, being mindful of the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, It is more blessed (makes one happier and more to be envied) to give than to receive.

36 Having spoken thus, he knelt down with them all and prayed.

37 And they all wept freely and threw their arms around Paul's neck and kissed him fervently and repeatedly,

38 Being especially distressed and sorrowful because he had stated that they were about to see his face no more. And they accompanied him to the ship. AMP

Revelation 2:2

2 I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who call [themselves] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars. AMP

Such "wolves" are still around today, prowling among the flocks with doctrines that are subtly yet fundamentally skewed from the truth. Certainly there are many godly, Christ-centered, biblical teachers and preachers who lead congregations, preach on radio or television, have thriving audiocassette ministries, or write books. But there are also "wolves" who do these same things. Every Christian must be on guard against deceptive doctrine. The words of every preacher, teacher, and author � including the words in the book you are holding in your hands � must be subjected to the pure light of God's Word.

When you do this some people will say you are being judgmental. Yet the Scriptures command us to judge what is right � and what is not right. "Test everything," says 1 Thessalonians 5:21. "Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil." Similarly, in Revelation 2:2, the Lord commends and approves the Ephesian Christians for testing and judging what is right and what is wrong.

1 Thessalonians 5:21

21 But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast. AMP

Revelation 2:2

2 "I know all the things you do. I have seen your hard work and your patient endurance. I know you don't tolerate evil people. You have examined the claims of those who say they are apostles but are not. You have discovered they are liars. NLT


Third, the Lord commends the Ephesian Christians because they have "persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary." The Ephesians were not quitters, even when the going got tough. Up to this point in the letter, the Ephesian church is getting an A+ grade. But the other shoe is about to drop.



It's the old "good news, bad news" story. In verse 4, our Lord uses that fateful word yet. He commends the Ephesians for A, B, and C � yet there's the matter of D.
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2:4-6 "Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place. But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate."
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Now we learn there is serious trouble in the Ephesian church. Yes, there is much to applaud about this church � yet there is also something tragically wrong. "You have forsaken your first love," says the Lord.
So serious is this situation that the Lord says, in effect, "If you don't fix this problem, I'll have to remove your lampstand." This doesn't mean that individual members of the church will lose their salvation or lose the grace