In Acts 20, Paul meets the Ephesian elders at Miletus. Unlike the wealthy temple priests of Ephesus who built empires on people’s spiritual hunger, Paul stands before these leaders with empty pockets but a full heart. “These hands of mine have served my own needs,” he declares, laying out a radically different leadership model.
In Ephesus where religious leadership meant power, prestige, and profit, Paul deliberately chose a counter-cultural path. While the priests of Artemis built personal fortunes through spiritual manipulation, Paul worked as a tentmaker. While they extracted wealth from their followers, he poured out his life. And while they built monuments to their own glory, he built people.
This page from church history is a blueprint for authentic leadership today. Like Paul, your calling to lead might require you to shatter established patterns. The natural way of leadership in our world is still about position, power, promotion and personal gain. But Paul shows us that true transformation comes through sacrifice, service, and sincere investment in others.
Stop mimicking corrupt systems, even if they’re successful. The priests of Ephesus were wealthy and influential, but their impact was shallow. Paul’s example teaches us that lasting change isn’t through power plays and profit margins – it comes through authentic service and sacrificial love.
Real transformation begins when we stop copying corrupt systems and start creating new ones. Your leadership calling, like Paul’s mission, demands courage to be different. Where other leaders take, dare to be one who gives.