The first manifestation of the heart that God had formed in Paul is his humility (Acts 20: 18-19). We talk a lot about humility, but we do not know what it looks like because often that is a virtue that is not part of most of God's children. In fact, many claim to want that virtue, but resist when God wants to form it in them. Jesus spoke of the humble being blessed, happy, and blessed, also making use of other words. Jesus said in Matthew 5: 3, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."
Stuart Scott, a well-known and respected leader in this field, wrote a book called "From Pride to Humility" where he describes 24 characteristics of a humble heart. I want to mention five that give us an idea of how Paul ministered in the Ephesian church and other churches, and how Paul wanted these elders of the Ephesian church to minister in his absence.
Humility shows a tender, kind and patient heart. Therefore, humility is not easily irritated and is willing to wait for the other.
The humble person minimizes the sin of the other compared to his own sin. He sees that dealing with his own sin is more important than dealing with the other's sin.
The humble person is always looking for how to serve others until they become good caregivers. Paul tells the Thessalonians that when he was with them, he was like a mother who tenderly cares for his children.
The humble person is a good judge of what the other has to say. Consider what the other says as more important than what he has to say.
The humble person looks at the criticism of others as something good for his soul because he understands that, in criticizing the other, God is trying to teach him something (2 Samuel 16:10).
Paul tells the elders of Ephesus that he served with all humility and tears. He got involved with people in a person way; He was not a distant and insensitive pastor. In Pablo, tears were the external expression of different internal emotions. At times he admonished with tears in his eyes (Acts 20:31), not with anger in his eyes, but with tears. He was hurt by the sin of the other, even when that sin was against himself. Other times, his tears represented the hardness of the other's heart (Romans 9: 1-2). It is natural for the heart to judge, condemn, ignore the other; but it is not natural for him to cry for that other, much less when that other has been the cause of his wounds, as was the case with the Apostle Paul.
When Paul tells them how he served among them, the first thing he says to him is: "you know well." In this conversation Paul held with the elders of the Ephesian church, he appeals to themselves as witnesses of his journey: you are my witnesses of how I have been among you. "If we are not able to say this, there is something wrong with our ministries. Our sheep must be the first to witness well about our ministries. The Ephesian believers could testify that what Paul said in words, they had seen in practice. Then he tells him that they also knew that his way of ministering was like that from the first day I was in Asia, in Ephesus (Acts 20:18). How it started, that's how it ended.
The second characteristic of a heart molded by God is that, when it comes to teaching, advising, or admonishing, he is always thinking of the good of the other and not of his (Acts 20:20). Sometimes he preached for salvation; sometimes his teaching served as a confrontation; and sometimes his teaching was to comfort and encourage-all were useful. Paul had a balanced ministry; what he did not do was minister to profit (Acts 20:27). Twice Paul says I did not back down at the time of preaching; I did not let myself be frightened by the unbelievers or the sheep. This is possible when we are men and women of character and firm convictions.
All the counsel of God implies preaching the passages that bless us and those that condemn us; preach the passages that encourage us to follow and those that call us to stop; and preach the passages that console us and those that sadden us. Paul ministered to please God and not to please man. Paul also did not respect persons: he preached to Jews as to Gentiles (Acts 20: 20-21).
The third characteristic of a heart molded by God is that he trusts God regardless of the consequences (Acts 20: 22-23). Paul knew that when he arrived in Jerusalem he would go through great difficulties; the Spirit of God had revealed such a thing to him. Still, he went to Jerusalem. Paul was a man of faith and as such, he went to Jerusalem and there he was imprisoned, just as God warned him. Faith is a gift and at the same time it is a fruit of the Spirit; something that we need to cultivate. There are two things that fertilize our faith: knowing the character of God and living in dependence on the Spirit of God.
