Acts 20:28

Paul charges the elders to guard themselves and the flock the Spirit made them overseers of, the church God purchased with His own blood. It is a foundational text on pastoral duty and the price of redemption.

Cross-references · 40

• 1 Pet 5:2–3Be shepherds of God’s flock that is among you, watching over them not out of compulsion, but because it is God’s will; not out of greed, but out of eagerness;
• 1 Tim 4:16Pay close attention to your life and to your teaching. Persevere in these things, for by so doing you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
• 1 Pet 1:18–19For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life you inherited from your forefathers,
• Isa 40:11He tends His flock like a shepherd; He gathers the lambs in His arms and carries them close to His heart. He gently leads the nursing ewes.
• 1 Tim 3:2An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
• Acts 13:2While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
• Jer 3:15Then I will give you shepherds after My own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
• 1 Cor 10:32Do not become a stumbling block, whether to Jews or Greeks or the church of God—
• Heb 13:17Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch over your souls as those who must give an account. To this end, allow them to lead with joy and not with grief, for that would be of no advantage to you.
• Ps 78:70–72He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
• Eph 1:7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace
• Luke 12:32Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.
• John 21:15–17When they had finished eating, Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus replied, “Feed My lambs.”
• Phil 1:1Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, To all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons:
• 1 Tim 5:17Elders who lead effectively are worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.
• 1 Tim 3:5For if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how can he care for the church of God?
• Ezek 34:31‘You are My flock, the sheep of My pasture, My people, and I am your God,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
• Eph 1:14who is the pledge of our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession, to the praise of His glory.
• Gal 1:13For you have heard of my former way of life in Judaism, how severely I persecuted the church of God and tried to destroy it.
• Mic 7:14Shepherd with Your staff Your people, the flock of Your inheritance. They live alone in a woodland, surrounded by pastures. Let them graze in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
• 1 Tim 4:14Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given you through the prophecy spoken over you at the laying on of the hands of the elders.
• Rev 5:9And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
• Acts 20:17From Miletus, Paul sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church.
• Isa 53:10–12Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush Him and to cause Him to suffer; and when His soul is made a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand.
• 1 Pet 2:25For “you were like sheep going astray,” but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.
• 1 Cor 15:9For I am the least of the apostles and am unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
• 1 Cor 12:8–11To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by the same Spirit,
• Mic 5:4He will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD His God. And they will dwell securely, for then His greatness will extend to the ends of the earth.
• 1 Cor 1:2To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours:
• Song 1:7–8Tell me, O one I love, where do you pasture your sheep? Where do you rest them at midday? Why should I be like a veiled woman beside the flocks of your companions?
• Luke 21:34But watch yourselves, or your hearts will be weighed down by dissipation, drunkenness, and the worries of life—and that day will spring upon you suddenly like a snare.
• Ezek 34:3You eat the fat, wear the wool, and butcher the fattened sheep, but you do not feed the flock.
• Col 4:17Tell Archippus: “See to it that you complete the ministry you have received in the Lord.”
• Titus 1:7As God’s steward, an overseer must be above reproach—not self-absorbed, not quick-tempered, not given to drunkenness, not violent, not greedy for money.
• 1 Pet 2:9But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
• Acts 14:23Paul and Barnabas appointed elders for them in each church, praying and fasting as they entrusted them to the Lord, in whom they had believed.
• 1 Cor 12:28–31And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, and those with gifts of healing, helping, administration, and various tongues.
• 1 Tim 3:15–16in case I am delayed, so that you will know how each one must conduct himself in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
• 1 Cor 9:26–27Therefore I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight like I am beating the air.
• 1 Cor 11:22Don’t you have your own homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you for this? No, I will not!

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.