Acts 20:7-38
Saturday, 15 October 2022
“For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” -Acts 20:27
From Genesis to Revelation there is one story of the redemption of God, saving a people for Himself for His own glory (Ephesians 1:5-6; 12;14). He purposes that we come to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13), so that through us His Kingdom will expand on the earth for His will to be done.
Christ gave us a commandment to preach the gospel(Matt.28:19,20). Once we come to see the Gospel in all the Scriptures we are to preach the gospel with the whole counsel of God, the whole will of God, the whole word of God, which is preaching Jesus Christ crucified (1 Cor. 2:2). This is what Apostle Paul did as he reiterated in the key verse above. Do we shrink from doing this when given an opportunity? Do we water down the word of God because we think they might consider it all foolishness (1 Cor.2:14)? Are we afraid that we will be mocked? See what Paul says in Vs.24: “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Apostle Paul was so concerned for the saints at Ephesus that he called the elders to come to him at Miletus, so that He could warn them of what would happen in the coming years and how to keep themselves and the flock that God had given them by protecting them from false teachers, who he compared to savage wolves (Vs 28-30). How much more should we be careful to speak the word of His grace to all, by walking worthy of the Lord (Vs. 35). In verses 7-12 you read about the time and length of Paul’s exhortation to the people at Troas. There was a sense of urgency in him for he knew that he had limited time to preach the pure word of God. Even when a young boy who was hearing his message fell down due to deep sleep and died he spent only a little time with him to revive him and went back to breaking bread and teaching until daybreak. Do we have this sense of urgency to reach the gospel to the lost? Or are we waiting for someone else to do it? Are we exhorting each other to walk right or are we just letting ourselves and them drift being afraid that offense will be taken?
There will be opposition and offense taken when we strongly emphasize the uniqueness and universality of Christ’s redeeming action and also His teachings. There is no way we can give a watered down version of salvation for there is no other name under which man is saved. “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Jesus Himself said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” (John 14:6)
For those of us who have accepted Jesus as Lord and Saviour, let us reveal Him to the lost and lonely as the Saviour of the whole world through the pure word of God and through our acts of obedience by subjecting ourselves to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
Think on: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile.” -Romans 1:16
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