Acts 20 • Jesus as Lord Deserves Our Loyalty

ByMelanie Newton Acts
Acts 20-Jesus as Lord Deserves Our Loyalty-Melanie Newton
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Who demands your loyalty? Who has the right to it? Do they receive it from you? How good are you at remaining loyal? Loyalty affects how you approach life—God’s way, the world’s way, or your own way. In the last article, we looked at how following Christ on adventure means we can live life in the extremes and still have joy. This is post #10 in the Radical Acts blog series. In this article, we will look at how following Christ on adventure will certainly test our loyalty.

Listen to this post as a similar podcast from our Radical Acts Bible Study covering the book of Acts in the New Testament. (11 lessons)

What Is Loyalty?

I am pretty confident that most of you reading this article belong to some kind of loyalty group or program. Right? If you are like me, you join the ones that have the best rewards, the best products, or may be the most convenient. But how loyal are you really to that company or product? Do you understand the meaning of loyalty?

The definition of loyalty: “the quality of devotion or attachment to somebody or something.”

Loyalty is both a feeling and an action. Some of us by nature tend to be loyal. Others are more skeptical, maybe preferring to be mavericks out on our own. Loyalty is tested every day in homes and businesses and human relationships across this planet.

Who demands your loyalty? Who has the right to it? Do they receive it from you? How good are you at remaining loyal?

Loyalty affects how you approach life—God’s way, the world’s way, or your own way.

An Example of Loyalty

I remember being struck by this “loyalty factor” as I watched The Count of Monte Cristo, (2002, starring Jim Caviezel). A man named Edman Dantes had been wrongly accused of a crime by a disloyal friend and imprisoned for 12 years. Escaping from this cruel captivity, he washes up on a beach occupied by smugglers. Those guys are about to execute a fellow smuggler named Jacabo who has been stealing from his mates (disloyalty). The smuggler captain gives Edman Dantes a choice: either fight Jacabo to the death or else be killed yourself. Dantes wrestles Jacabo to the ground and gives him a way to be set free. Jacabo declared to his deliverer, “I am your man forever.”

Think about it. Jacabo could have gotten up and gone his own way. Back to being a smuggler and a thief. He was set free from certain execution — in a way that was unexpected — by a man who did not have to do it!! Yet, Jacabo was stunned by Dantes’ grace towards him and grateful for it. That gratitude compelled him to make a choice of loyalty—to serve the one who had set him free. He did not know where that would take him. After all, Dantes washed up on the shore! But Jacabo chose to follow Edman Dantes by faith.

What Dantes did for Jacabo, Jesus did for us. (Also sweetly symbolic is that Caviezel played Jesus in The Passion of the Christ.) Jesus set us free from being a slave to sin and from our old ways of approaching life, offering something much better.

We cannot know all that is ahead for us, but we can choose to declare, “Jesus, I am YOUR woman.” By that, I am saying, “Jesus, You are my master. I choose to be loyal to You—today and every day.”

Understanding Loyalty

I did not understand what that meant when I was a young Christian. My eyes had just been opened to a life that was different than before. So, I made a life choice to seek God’s truth and to discern it from all the junk the world would throw at me. I wanted to know Jesus first. Everything else needed to match up to Jesus’ truth, or I wanted none of it. I do not want any other way of approaching life to sneak in and get in the way of my loyalty to Jesus. It has been many years of every day making the choice between two options. Do I really want to be Jesus’ woman completely? Or do I prefer to be part Jesus’ woman and the rest my own?

You have those same two options.

Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20 reveal what it is like to be loyal to Jesus. On his way to Jerusalem, he felt compelled to meet with them to say goodbye and to remind them of how he modeled serving Jesus. Then, he warned them about what would surely happen to distract them from their loyalty to Jesus in how to approach life.

From his words, I have learned 4 truths about loyalty to Jesus on our walk of faith.

Truth #1: Jesus as Lord deserves our loyalty.

Paul’s declaration

I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews. You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. 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, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me–the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace. (Acts 20:19-24, NIV)

In Acts 20:19-24, Paul referred to Jesus as “Lord” 3 times. Remember that the reference to “Lord” in the New Testament is referring to Jesus. The Greek word means master. Therefore, “Lord Jesus” means “master Jesus.” In his words, Paul declared that Jesus as his Lord deserved his loyalty. Considering what Jesus did for us, Jesus as Lord deserves our loyalty. Why is that?

Your declaration

The moment you trust in Jesus Christ as your savior, you get a new life fused together with His and a new identity. You are now said to be in Christ, a Child of God, one of God’s saints, totally accepted and loved by Him. You can never lose this new identity.

You are set free to live a radically different kind of life. And in that freedom, you have a choice, “Who are you going to serve with your life now?” God or yourself? That choice was ever before Paul as well. In his life and his words, he communicated to Jesus, “I am YOUR man forever.” Years ago, I made that choice when I said to Jesus, “I am YOUR woman forever. I serve you.”

But how do we do that with all the distractions around us. By that, I do not mean our families or jobs. Serving them well is serving Jesus loyally. I mean the distractions from all the other ways of approaching life. Think about some of those:

  • leaning on astrology or psychics
  • gaining power through money, self-promotion, and self-will
  • focusing on the right to pleasure yourself
  • claiming no absolute truth so you choose what works for you
  • demanding your American rights of equality.

All of those voices are calling out to us in this culture. How do we remain loyal to Jesus as our master and His way of approaching life?

Truth #2: Loyalty requires humility.

In Acts 20, Paul described what he did to remain loyal to Jesus.

I served the Lord with great humility and with tears, although I was severely tested by the plots of the Jews…However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.” (Acts 20:19, 23-24)

In this speech from Paul’s heart, he starts off with saying that he served the Lord with all humility. And he did not consider his life worth anything to himself but only to his Lord.

That word humility has intrigued me for some time now. I know it is the opposite of pride. But what does it really mean?

New Testament meaning of humility

In the New Testament, humility refers to how you think of yourself. It pictures a servant bowing before her master. The Greeks did not desire or reward humility so it was a rare word in that culture. The New Testament writers took the concept of humility and elevated it because it is so totally associated with Jesus and being with Him.

Jesus’ invitation to us in Matthew 11 says this,

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yokeon you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. (Matthew 11:28-29 NIV)

I love that. Jesus put two words together here to describe Himself. Gentle and humble. In Ephesians chapter 4, Paul put those same two words together to describe how we are to live.

I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle… (Ephesians 4:1-2 NIV)

I see a key to understanding humility in that word gentle.

Gentleness is the key to understanding humility

Gentleness in the Bible carries the idea of strength under control. Jesus had the infinite resources of God at His command yet chose not to use them at times to His advantage. When you hold a newborn baby, you have the strength to crush that child, but you choose not to do so. Your strength is under control. You could verbally slash someone to pieces whenever you get angry, but you choose not to do so. That is strength under control. Biblical gentleness—that strength under control—is a work of the Holy Spirit in someone’s life. It is the outworking of humility.

  • Humility is a decision you make in your mind. You choose humility before God by recognizing His authority over you. You know that you have made that decision when you are willing to trust in God’s goodness and accept His dealings with you as good without fighting Him on it. Then that choice is reflected in your gentle behavior towards others.
  • Humility is the opposite of self-assertiveness and self-interest. A poor me attitude is occupied with self, such as “I am a victim, I am worthless, or it is God’s fault I am like this.” Humility is not occupied with self at all. That is why Paul could say in Acts 20:24. “My life is worth nothing to me” only as it serves Jesus loyally “to complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me.” 
  • Humility is not renouncing that you can do some things well. It is recognizing that you do those things well because God gave you the genetics, the intelligence, and the opportunity to do so. And you give Him the credit for it.

In order to serve Jesus Christ loyally, we must do it with humility, declaring, “I am YOUR woman, Lord Jesus. How may I serve you today?” Loyalty requires humility. Humility leads to obedience.

Truth #3: Humility leads to obedience

What good is a servant who refuses to obey? Or what good is a servant who is out there trumpeting herself and her own will, and occasionally remembering to do what Jesus wants?

Obedience is the key to discernment

Look at what Paul said about himself.

You know that I have not hesitated to preach anything that would be helpful to you but have taught you publicly and from house to house. I have declared to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus. And now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there…if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me — the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 19:20-22, 24 NIV)

Paul had not hesitated to accomplish the task His master Jesus had given him. That is obedience. He said he was compelled by the Spirit. He heard His master’s voice calling to him. The Spirit warned him of prison and hardship. Yet, he chose not to back off but to continue to Jerusalem, knowing it was going to be hard, hard, hard. That is obedience.

I heard Bible teacher Chip Ingram say this about obedience:

God would rather I understand 2 verses that I obey immediately than 20 verses that I don’t. Obedience is the key to discernment. It’s not “capture and remember;” it’s “hear and obey.” (Chip Ingram, Dallas Theological Seminary Leader Board)

What do you think about that? Do you agree? I have often wondered what would happen in our small groups if we studied the same passage over and over until we all got it and applied it, then moved on!

We can have this desire for knowledge about the Bible. That is a good thing. But it is obedience to God’s will for us revealed in His Word that grows us to maturity. And we can know God’s will on a great many things. Ephesians 4:1 says God’s will is that we live a life worthy of our calling, and He clearly shows us what it looks like in Ephesians chapters 4, 5, and 6 plus many other places. Ephesians 4:2 tells us to start doing this with all humility and gentleness. Humility before God means I have already got that settled in my mind. Now, I can obey Him in the rest of what He desires for my life to please Him. But if I am honest, I must recognize the hindrances to my obedience.

What are some hindrances to our obedience?

One hindrance to obedience is a lack of understanding of God’s commands.

A friend shared with me how her husband used to think all God’s commands to us were so He could keep us under His thumb. Then, that man became a father. He soon realized those biblical commands and guidelines are boundaries for us to be able to enjoy a satisfying and abundant life. Boundaries that he sets for his children are for their protection and good. He understands God’s boundaries better now.

Another hindrance is selectively choosing what we will obey.

That leads us to being what the Bible describes as gullible women.

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. (2 Timothy 3:6-7)

Gullible women. Other translations say “weak-willed women.” Either way, they are always learning but never able to recognize truth for what it really is.

I see weak-willed as meaning undisciplined. It is like a child who wants everything, even stuff that the parent says is not good. So the child refuses to trust the parent and obey. They are really weak-willed to do the right thing. For women, this would be choosing to take your own way for approaching life in spite of instruction or warnings that it will be destructive. What is missing here? Humility. It is like declaring, “I am part Jesus’ woman because I am saved and going to heaven when I die. But the rest of me is my own!”

Ignoring the ugliness of our sin also hinders obedience.

What happened to Jesus before and during His crucifixion is a picture of the ugliness of sin that He took upon Himself on that cross. Has anything in recent headlines just made you sick? Any time you choose not to obey God’s word on some issue such as lying, envy, complaining, immorality, it is as ugly in God’s sight as that heinous crime.

Do you believe your lack of respect for your spouse, if you are married, is as ugly as that worse thing? Or your cruel words when angry? Or your constant worry? Or living with a man who is not your husband? Maybe they do not have the same consequences, but they are just as ugly. Obedience is necessary to remain loyal to Jesus and not get carried away by sin and all those other ways of approaching life.

Humility is the decision you have already made in your mind that you are not God, that Jesus is your master, and you serve Him through obedience to Him. To be loyal to Jesus as our master, our lives must be characterized by humility and obedience.

The rewards of being loyal to Jesus are immense and incomparable to anything the world can offer you. One of those rewards is protection.

Truth #4: Obedience offers protection

What do I mean by saying obedience offers protection? We have an example from Paul’s final words to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20.

Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. … I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them. So be on your guard! (Acts 20:28-31 NIV)

Wolves in sheep's clothing representing false teachers

Obedience is necessary to protect yourself from those who distort the truth and draw you away from Jesus and His way of approaching life. Paul warned his friends about what would surely happen to distract them from their loyalty to Jesus in how to approach life.

Let me say this, though. Even the best teachers are not infallible. Most are 80-90% right in what they teach and would love to know where they are wrong so they can change it. That includes me. Always check what you read and hear with what God’s Word says.

But Paul is not talking about honest teachers who are sometimes wrong. Visualize what Paul is saying. Savage wolves will attack from outside. You can easily recognize and hopefully repel them. But savage wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing will also attack from within the flock. Those are harder to detect.

The key is to humble yourself before Jesus as your master and choose to obey His commands revealed to you in the Bible. Then, you will be able to recognize truth from error. You will be able to recognize anything that is distorted. But when you resist the discipline that comes from obedience, you are vulnerable to embracing whatever new heresy comes along as a fad. And you cannot recognize the truth when you see it.

Distorted truth takes many forms and requires a lot more time to explore than we have here. Check out the Healthy Living blog series. It covers common examples of distorted truth in our culture. Beware of anything that promotes disobedience to God’s commands and robs you from experiencing the joy and benefits of loyalty to Jesus.

Loyalty to Jesus Is Part of the Adventure with Him

Loyalty affects how you approach life—Jesus’ way or all those other options out there that offer nothing lasting.

  • Jesus as Lord deserves our loyalty.
  • Loyalty requires humility.
  • Humility leads to obedience.
  • Obedience offers protection from being sucked into every repackaged lie that surfaces in the culture.

Loyalty to Jesus is an essential part of the adventure with Him. His transforming power fills our hearts with more and more love for Jesus so that we want to stay loyal to Him. We stay loyal because we know there is no one or nothing out there that can satisfy our hearts like He does.

Have you already made that decision to say, “Lord Jesus, I am YOUR woman every day?” If not, will you do that today?

Our next article will look at how to experience God’s goodness on our adventure with Jesus even in the most difficult and painful times.

Let Jesus satisfy your heart with His Spirit’s transforming power. And say yes to a life of adventure with Him!

All of the above information is covered in the Radical Acts Bible Study of the book of Acts.

AI was not used to generate this post.

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