<p>20:31 <em>Therefore be alert-</em> The apostasy which on one hand was predicted by the Spirit did not inevitably have to happen. The elders were being charged to stop it happening. It's rather like the statement that in 40 days, Nineveh would be destroyed. Although there were no conditions attached to the message, like much Old Testament prophecy, it was not a foregone conclusion. There were other possible futures which obedience could elicit and actualize. His prophecy, certain of fulfilment as it sounded, didn&rsquo;t &lsquo;have&rsquo; to come true. Likewise the Lord categorically foretold Peter&rsquo;s denials; and yet tells him therefore to watch, and not fall into the temptation that was looming. Peter didn&rsquo;t <em>have</em> to fulfil the prophecy, and the Lord encouraged him to leave it as an unfulfilled, conditional prophecy. He warns him to pray &ldquo;lest ye enter into temptation&rdquo; (Mk. 14:38)- even though He had prophesied that Peter <em>would</em> fail under temptation.</p><p><em>And remember that for three years</em>- This means that right from the beginning of Paul's preaching in the area, he had warned them that the whole thing was very prone to fall apart because of the wolves he could foresee entering the new flock. To warn new converts of this kind of thing always seems an anti-climax, a possible discouragement to them after the joy of conversion. But Paul's aim was not merely baptism but for converts to get to the Kingdom of God, and so he saw the need to warn them right away of the difficulties ahead.</p><p><em>I did not cease to warn every one</em>- The Greek definitely means 'each of you', rather than a more general 'everyone', which would have been expressed quite differently in Greek. He presumably was referring to the assembled elders.</p><p><em>Night and day with tears</em>- For literally three years, to each and every one of the assembled brethren? This sounds to me like a Semitic exaggeration, and is probably not to be read literally. But Paul's tears at the prospect of anyone turning away... are a great challenge. It's all too easy to shrug off the apostasy of others from the way as being their fault. But Paul had a clear sense of the future they would miss and the judgment to come. He wept for even the possibility of it happening to his beloved converts. Truly Paul served his Lord with many tears (:19); and 2 Cor. 2:4 pictures Paul weeping over his parchment and ink as he wrote to Corinth. The Biblical record contains a large number of references to the frequent tears of God&rsquo;s people, both in bleeding hearts for other people, and in recognition of their own sin. And as we have seen, these things are related. Consider:<br />- &nbsp; &ldquo;My eye pours out tears to God&rdquo; i.e. in repentance? (Job 16:20)<br />- &nbsp; Isaiah drenches Moab with tears (Is. 16:9)<br />- &nbsp; Jeremiah is a fountain of tears for his people (Jer. 9:1; Lam. 2:8)<br />- &nbsp; David&rsquo;s eyes shed streams of tears for his sins (Ps. 119:136; 6:6; 42:3)<br />- &nbsp; Jesus wept over Jerusalem (Mt. 23:37)<br />- &nbsp; Blessed are those who weep (Lk. 6:21)<br />- &nbsp; Mary washed the Lord&rsquo;s feet with her tears (Lk. 7:36-50)<br />- &nbsp; Paul wept for the Ephesians daily (Acts 20:19,31).<br />We have to ask whether there are any tears, indeed any true emotion, in our walk with our Lord. Those who go through life with dry eyes are surely to be pitied. Surely, in the light of the above testimony, we are merely hiding behind a smokescreen if we excuse ourselves by thinking that we&rsquo;re not the emotional type.&nbsp; Nobody can truly go through life humming to themselves &ldquo;I am a rock, I am an island&hellip; and an island never cries&rdquo;. The very emotional centre of our lives must be touched. The tragedy of our sin, the urgency of the world&rsquo;s salvation, the amazing potential provided and secured in the cross of Christ&hellip; surely we cannot be passive to these things. We live in a world where emotion and passion are decreasing. Being politically correct, looking right to others&hellip; these things are becoming of paramount importance in all levels of society. The passionless, postmodernist life can&rsquo;t be for us, who have been moved and touched at our very core by the work and call and love of Christ to us. For us there must still be what Walter Brueggemann called &ldquo;the gift of amazement&rdquo;, that ability to feel and say &ldquo;Wow&rdquo; to God&rsquo;s grace and plan of salvation for us.</p>