Wolves on the Prowl

         It is interesting to note the many times the Bible speaks of believers as "sheep."  Farmers and shepherds like to keep track of their animals.  I worked on a small farm of about 200 acres which had about sixteen head of cattle.  They were not prize animals in that they were a mixture of Guernsey and Jersey cattle.  They produced a fair amount of milk but that was not the main goal of that farm.  Still, we protected the herd.  It was a continual job just keeping fences up in all of the fields where the cattle would go.  Lanes and gates were continually being repaired after the large animals would lean on them to always get the grass on the other side.  Still, you wanted to protect them from wandering off or being chased by some dog or stepping in a ground hog hole.   Acts 20:29 says, "For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock."
         Paul is saying good bye to the Ephesian church and goes over many things one of which includes the safety of the flock.  The flock are the Ephesian believers.  He looks at them as a shepherd would look at his sheep.  Sheep wander off and sheep get chased and sometimes killed by wolves or even other more dangerous animals.  If you have an animal and it is attacked, you do what you can to help defend that animal.  Paul is saying that these people of the Ephesian church are going to be attacked from what he calls, grievous wolves.  They are going to attack the believers and they had better take guard now.  We know what happened to the Ephesian church and the warning came true because the Ephesian believers "left their first love."    They probably didn't see that coming.  Who would have thought that their love for the Lord Jesus Christ would begin to cool.  They knew doctrine but their faith had grown cold.  The doctrines of the grievous wolves gradually come in and probably where you wouldn't think they would come.  We often joke about when Satan fell, he fell into the nursery or the music department of the church.  We say that because difficulties often raise up in one of those departments while we are preaching the gospel, people being saved, growth is taking place and then suddenly there are problems that demand your attention and messes to clean up.  Any Christian worker can use the words of this verse to the group he is leaving.  He can warn them of impending trouble because that is the way Satan works.  It is as if when you are walking out the door, Satan has already put his plan into motion and here come the wolves.  Today is no different that it was in the day of the Apostle Paul.  If anything, the condition of the church today is much worse than it was many years ago.  The grievous wolves have arrived and are gnawing away at the very structure of the church.  We can praise God however, that God is far greater than he who is in the world.