Chapter 19 Miletus

Humility, Tears and Trials

One of the most prosperous cities on the Aegean Sea was the port city of Miletus, founded in the 7th Century BC at the mouth of the Meander River which runs through the Hierapolis/Laodicea/Colossae region.

Paul went by land to Assos, where he had arranged for us to join him, while we traveled by ship. ¹⁴ He joined us there, and we sailed together to Mitylene. ¹⁵ The next day we sailed past the island of Kios. The following day we crossed to the island of Samos, and a day later we arrived at Miletus.

 

 

 Riding through the Cotton Fields SW Turkey enroute to Miletus

 

 

Sunflower Farms SW Turkey near Miletus

 

 

Miletus Theater Entrance

 

Miletus Theater

 

 

Ample seating at the Miletus Theater

 

 

Our team soaking in the local culture

 

 

Apollo Temple Ruins

 

 

Miletus Harbor - now 13 miles from the sea

 

Miletus Harbor Monument

This is the traditional location of the meeting between Paul and his Ephesian friends

 

¹⁶ Paul had decided to sail on past Ephesus, for he didn’t want to spend any more time in the province of Asia. He was hurrying to get to Jerusalem, if possible, in time for the Festival of Pentecost. ¹⁷ But when we landed at Miletus, he sent a message to the elders of the church at Ephesus, asking them to come and meet him.

It is 50 miles from Ephesus to Miletus

¹⁸ When they arrived he declared, “You know that from the day I set foot in the province of Asia until now ¹⁹ I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears. I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews. ²⁰ I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes. ²¹ I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

 After spending three years in Ephesus, Paul had a personal connection with the Ephesian disciples. He lived a transparent open life with them and had great affection for them. During his three years there he made many disciples. Their relationship was so important that they walked 50 miles (at least three days) to visit him for a few hours.

There are many modern formulas for discipleship. Some involve heavy-handed authoritarian oversight of new converts, while others focus on simply numbers of personal commitments to Christ. These programs often set aside time in the week for ‘disciple-making activities’ that will bring people into the church in a focused, systematic manner.  Building the Kingdom becomes a ‘program’ that if we put in our time, and follow the formula, that will bring great numbers into our local churches.

This style of discipleship often has leadership that focuses on public performances on Sunday and Wednesday, with hesitation to allow personal openness and accountability. There is a tendency for the leaders to keep their distance from their disciples, not allowing transparency and real-life situations to be experienced. This style often includes levels of personal control of many aspects of the ministry.

Paul’s experience in Ephesus as well as Thessaloniki and Corinth suggest another manner: Relational Discipleship.

We see Relational Discipleship in the life of Jesus, and in the lives of the brothers and sisters of the Early Church.  Jesus lived with his 12 intimate friends, sharing daily meals with them, walking long distances, experiencing the rejection of the religious crowd along with the admiration of the people who were being touched. Jesus had strong emotional connections with the 12 along with many others. He was emotionally connected to them. One example is with his friends May, Martha and Lazarus., and his visit to Bethany after Lazarus' death.

 

¹⁷ So when Jesus came, He found that he had already been in the tomb four days. ¹⁸ Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, about two miles off; ¹⁹ and many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary, to console them concerning their brother. ²⁰  Martha therefore, when she heard that Jesus was coming, went to meet Him, but Mary stayed at the house.

 ²¹ Martha then said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. ²² Even now I know that whatever You ask of God, God will give You.”

²³ Jesus *said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

²⁴ Martha *said to Him, “I know that he will rise again in the resurrection on the last day.”

 ²⁵ Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies, ²⁶ and everyone who lives and believes in Me will never die. Do you believe this?”

²⁷ She *said to Him, “Yes, Lord; I have believed that You are  the Christ, the Son of God, even  He who comes into the world.”

²⁸ When she had said this, she went away and called Mary her sister, saying secretly, “The Teacher is here and is calling for you.” ²⁹ And when she heard it, she got up quickly and was coming to Him.

 ³⁰ Now Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still in the place where Martha met Him. ³¹  Then the Jews who were with her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep there.

³² Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

 ³³ When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in spirit and  was troubled, ³⁴ and said, “Where have you laid him?”

They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.”

³⁵ Jesus wept.

 ³⁶ So the Jews were saying, “See how He loved him!” ³⁷ But some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of the blind man, have kept this man also from dying?”

³⁸ So Jesus, again being deeply moved within, came to the tomb.

Now it was a cave, and a stone was lying against it. ³⁹ Jesus *said, “Remove the stone.” Martha, the sister of the deceased, *said to Him, “Lord, by this time there will be a stench, for he has been dead four days.”

⁴⁰ Jesus *said to her, “Did I not say to you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?” ⁴¹ So they removed the stone.

Then Jesus raised His eyes, and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² I knew that You always hear Me; but because of the people standing around I said it, so that they may believe that You sent Me.” ⁴³ When He had said these things, He cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth.” ⁴⁴ The man who had died came forth, bound hand and foot with wrappings, and his face was wrapped around with a cloth. Jesus *said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go.” John 11:17-44

Deeply Moved: embrimáomai; to roar, storm with anger; to be enraged, indignant, to express indignation against someone. Also spoken of any agitation of the mind as grief, to be greatly moved or agitated

Wept: dakrúō; To shed tears, weep.  A distinction must be drawn between dakrúō and klaíō. Unfortunately, dakrúō is translated "wept" in John 11:35, whereas it should be translated, "He shed a tear" or "tears". The verb weep as a loud expression of grief is klaíō, and is man's reaction toward. Man's reaction toward death in weeping, wailing, loudly crying. When the Lord, however, stood before the tomb of Lazarus, He simply shed a tear as if to say to those around Him that He was Master of the situation, even if that situation was death.

Jesus was moved with deep emotion at the death of his friend Lazarus. He shed tears at the effect his death had on his sisters and other friends while roaring with anger at death itself.

Jesus spoke the truth to Martha, and to Mary he stood and shared her grief, with tears.

Like Jesus, Paul spent many hours with his disciples, where very naturally teaching and modelling the Christian life took place. We see this in his time in Thessaloniki:

 

Thessaloniki Agora

 

⁷ As apostles of Christ we certainly had a right to make some demands of you, but instead we were like children among you. Or we were like a mother feeding and caring for her own children.

 ⁸ We loved you so much that we shared with you not only God’s Good News but our own lives, too.
⁹ Don’t you remember, dear brothers and sisters, how hard we worked among you? Night and day we toiled to earn a living so that we would not be a burden to any of you as we preached God’s Good News to you.

 ¹⁰ You yourselves are our witnesses—and so is God—that we were devout and honest and faultless toward all of you believers.

¹¹ And you know that we treated each of you as a father treats his own children.

¹² We pleaded with you, encouraged you, and urged you to live your lives in a way that God would consider worthy. For he called you to share in his Kingdom and glory.    1 Thessalonians 2:7-12

 

 Thessaloniki Cardo

 

Many lessons are naturally taught in relational discipleship, and practical skills are acquired in a very personal manner.

When I was in flight training in the Navy, one valuable skill that we had to acquire was flying in formation with other airplanes, similar to what you see in a Blue Angels airshow.

 

 

 My first attempt at flying six feet from the wingtip of the lead aircraft resulted in wild, dangerous gyrations, until my instructor in the back seat of the T-2 Buckeye took over and showed me how it was done– with gentle movements of the stick and throttle.

 Then he told me to place my right hand on the stick and left hand on the throttle so that I could feel his smooth movements. Soon he told me that I was to control the jet, with his hands monitoring my movements.  After many minutes of this, he told me look back in the mirrors.  I did, and to my surprise, he was holding his hands high over his head, off the controls.  I had been was flying six feet from the lead aircraft all by myself!

When I began flying the A-6 Intruder, one of the most important skills that I had to acquire was dive bombing.

We went to El Centro California for an extended time with our instructors, where we flew two flights a day, practicing 40 degree dives that started at 10,000 feet above the target, at 250 knots, accelerating to 500 knots and releasing the practice bomb at 5000 feet. It was an exhilarating experience to hurl yourself at the ground while focusing on dive angle, airspeed and altitude finally getting to that place in the sky where you could hit the red button on the control stick which released the bomb, all in about 5-7 seconds. Developing the skill to fly the Intruder in those parameters required much practice but I learned more about the techniques of this skill through my discussions with my instructors at dinner and over a few beverages at the Officer’s Club at the end of the day.

Think back on how you have acquired a skill or knowledge. It’s a process that here on Earth usually involves four steps, in this order:

1)      I do it;

2)      I do it with you;

3)      You do it with me;

4)      You do it.

 This is the basic process where you personally pass on skill to another person through a working relationship. My experience learning to fly in formation followed these basic steps.  My pastor on Maui, Craig Englert, first verbally articulated this process to me in 1982, after he had taught me this process through his actions.  Craig is the master of relational discipleship.

 He first invited me to a Bible study. When he discovered that I played tennis, he invited me to play a few sets with him. Soon we were playing weekly- a routine that lasted for over a decade. We began having breakfast after our matches, and he invited me over to have dinner with his family.

 Once he discovered that I could play guitar, he asked me to help him lead worship at our Wednesday night study at Diane Daniels’ home..  After a few weeks, he asked me to pick out the songs and he would help me.  Finally one night he announced that now I would lead worship myself.  The four step process was complete!

Since I was enrolled in Craig’s Discipleship class with two others, He then asked me to help him teach the Bible study by reading some of Scripture and making a few observations. A few weeks later he asked me to prepare the lesson and teach it. Two weeks later he gave me the same assignment. It was a short time later that Craig told me that he was starting another Bible study and I was now the leader of this one. All through this time I had grown to consider him one of my dear friends.

 

Michael & Craig

Mt Arbel Israel 2006

 

Paul spent three years in relational discipleship with his friends in Ephesus and developed deep friendships with many.  You don’t walk 50 miles just to see just anybody.  As he spoke, he reminded them how he had made disciples among them during this time.

¹⁹ I have done the Lord’s work humbly and with many tears.

Paul never lorded his authority over his friends in Ephesus. He developed deep feeling for them and shared in their sufferings.

 

I have endured the trials that came to me from the plots of the Jews.

Paul knew that there would be opposition from the religious Jews who rejected the message of the Gospel, and accepted it as part of the assignment. He was willing to risk beating, imprisonment, slander and death if necessary. We all have endured opposition and hardships in our ministry for the Lord.

 

 One day of hardship on the Coco River, 1986

 ²⁰ I never shrank back from telling you what you needed to hear, either publicly or in your homes.

Paul didn’t hold back in telling the truth in his public teaching or privately in their homes. He was bold in his declarations to them. He spoke truth to them with love. Like Jesus did with Martha and Mary, sometime you speak Biblical truth to the situation, and other times you listen and share their emotions. 

 

 ²¹ I have had one message for Jews and Greeks alike—the necessity of repenting from sin and turning to God, and of having faith in our Lord Jesus.

Paul focused on the essential message of the Gospel: repentance, experiencing God, walking in obedience to the Scriptures and the leading of the Holy Spirit.

²² “And now I am bound by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem. I don’t know what awaits me, ²³ except that the Holy Spirit tells me in city after city that jail and suffering lie ahead. ²⁴ But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News about the wonderful grace of God.
²⁵ “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. ²⁶ I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault, ²⁷ for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.

Principle: Determination is an essential element of effective ministry.

 

 

A now a message to those who shepherd God’s People:

²⁸ “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as leaders. ²⁹ I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. ³¹ Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.
³² “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.
³³ “I have never coveted anyone’s silver or gold or fine clothes. ³⁴ You know that these hands of mine have worked to supply my own needs and even the needs of those who were with me. ³⁵ And I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

 We all have been given disciples if we choose to accept them. Look around you to see whom the Lord has brought into your circle. Paul shows us that we are to give specific care to our disciples.

1)      Discipline our own lives so that we don’t stray off the path. Exhort our disciples to do the same.

2)      Be active in teaching your disciples, praying with them, listening to them with empathy and understanding.

3)      Beware of cultural Christianity that will bring un-biblical concepts into the Christian community. Speak out actively when you encounter false teaching, especially among your own disciples!

4)      Be vigilant in the care of those God has entrusted you.

5)      Trust in God’s plan for your disciples. Remember:

¹⁸ And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

6)      Be known as a giver rather than a consumer.

 ³⁶ When he had finished speaking, he knelt and prayed with them. ³⁷ They all cried as they embraced and kissed him good-bye. ³⁸ They were sad most of all because he had said that they would never see him again. Then they escorted him down to the ship. Acts 20:13-38

 Great affection. Intimate Fellowship. Effective Discipleship.

 

 

The entrance to the theater at Miletus