“And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:25–27)
In a post I wrote on the 17th of November 2014, I was commenting on Acts 20:22–24, explaining how Paul was moved by that which has eternal value and little affected by that which moved the multitudes. I would like to continue from where I left off and consider the three following verses, namely, Acts 20: 25–27.
In this portion of Scripture Paul is proceeding with his address to the elders of the Church at Ephesus. He told them this would be the last time they would be meeting face to face. This actuality prompted Paul to bring something important to their attention, something related to his ministry:
Therefore, (i.e., since it is the last time we are going to meet) I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men” (Acts 20:26).
Two important questions
Now these words give rise to two important questions: How important is it to be innocent of the blood of all men? And: What did Paul do to obtain this innocence? I leave the first question to your discretion. As for the second, Paul gives us the answer in the following verse: “For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). But what does he mean by “I have not shunned” or “I have not shrunken”? The statement seems to indicate a daring achievement. It appears to be equivalent to: “I had the courage to do it”. It gives the impression that there were risks involved, perhaps the possibility of losses or deprivations. He speaks about it as one of his great accomplishments. But what is so hard about declaring the whole counsel of God, one may ask? Multitudes of preachers are doing it all over the world. Why does Paul make it appear so onerous?
A modest estimation
I don’t want to be offensive to anyone, but the possibility exists that there are far fewer preachers declaring the whole counsel of God than one may think. To say that such preachers are on the verge of extinction would be to flirt with exaggeration, yet it remains that to declare the whole counsel of God has always been very costly, and more so in an age of amplified moral decay. It is definitely a sure way to become not only unpopular, but also little desired. This should not surprise anyone. The testimony of the prophets, as well as the life of Jesus and of the apostles, exemplified this reality at the point of perfection.
A constant challenge
The major challenge for preachers is the fact that they must preach. Some preach once every other week, others every week, and some nearly every day or more. So when they finish preaching a message their mind is set on searching for another one. This is done in different ways; some pray and wait on God, others read the Scriptures, while the ‘avant-garde’ find inspiration in Time magazine or Newsweek. I will stick here to those whose honest objective is to preach from the Scripture. In the following paragraph I will illustrate the problem through a possible scenario. Although the scenario is fictitious, it points to a very concrete reality—a reality we cannot afford to ignore.
The scenario
Brother George Johnson, pastor of White Tabernacle, is searching for a new message. After reading his Bible for some time, a scripture strikes him. “Wonderful!” he exclaims, “This is perfect!”
As he goes on preparing the sermon he gradually realizes that the subject describes brother Denis to perfection. Soon enough it becomes obvious to him that if he were to preach this message nearly everyone in the congregation would conclude that brother Denis is being singled out and attacked publicly. How would his parents react? They have been faithful members of White Tabernacle for the last forty-three years. And how would his brothers and sisters take it? In addition, everyone knows that Denis is very popular in the church; not only are his friends many, but some of them are highly influential. “Well,” brother George mumbles while being alone in his office, “it might not be the best message after all.” Closing his notebook, he reopens his Bible and happily, faster than he thought, another text presents itself in a most peculiar fashion. Everything around it disappears and there the divine counsel stands. Overwhelmed in his spirit, brother George kneels and gives thanks to God for the provision. But again, under scrutiny, his memory revives and he recalls what happened to him twenty-two years earlier when he had expounded on this scripture—a scripture touching on what has been called, “a disturbing moral zone”. He was a novice at the time and had come very close to losing his job as a minister. It had been literally hell on earth for him, and this, for several weeks after the sermon was delivered. “Happily, I am wiser now,” he says in his heart, “and my grey beard bears witness that I am a man of experience.” The text was soon forsaken and the search ended when another scripture caught his attention. “Yes! This is it! This will edify everyone and promote unity, and it is in the Bible as much as these other scriptures.” A sigh is heard and the last bit of coffee swallowed.
The next Sunday, the message was preached and the offering was nearly a record. After the meeting, brother Denis, as his custom is, was entertaining a group of young sisters in the entrance of White Tabernacle amidst laugher and giggles. “See you next week,” pastor George told him. The following day, as the custom is, brother George was looking for the next message.
Three reasons
At this point you may ask: “Brother Simon, how do you know it’s like this?” I could answer this question by writing several pages, but I will summarize it by giving three reasons why I believe and know it’s the way it is in much of our evangelical milieu.
The first reason is that I am a preacher myself, and as such, I had to preach sermons that demanded more than my courage could handle. I would have preferred to be two meters underground than to preach these messages. I had to get on my knees and ask God for boldness and additional grace. I was put in a position where I was going to lose friendships, finances, and popularity. The risk of being ostracized was truly overwhelming. The temptation to present another message was lurking with majestic power. So I know through personal experience that to preach the whole counsel of God is costly. It is indeed a challenge to any preacher. No wonder Paul highlighted his accomplishment to the elders of the church at Ephesus.
Another reason why I know the tendency is becoming popular is related to certain experiences I have had as a preacher. For instance, it has occurred several times, and in different churches, that the pastor came to me after I had finished preaching, telling me something like: “Brother! This is precisely what the congregation needed to hear. I am so glad you preached about it because, due to peculiar circumstances, it has been impossible for me to do so, and surely it was called for.” I am not referring here to sermons about doctrinal issues unrelated to sin, but rather to messages denouncing amoral practices, and more so, practices often tolerated among modern evangelicals. Believe me! To expose such practices has never been easy. The author of Hebrews had to plead with the recipients of his letter, asking them not to be exasperated by what he had written:
And I appeal to you, brethren, bear with the word of exhortation, for I have written to you in few words” (Hebrews 13:22).
Unfortunately, this sort of bearing is little popular nowadays and most ministers are well aware of it. So we are walking on eggshells, tamed by the amoral avant-garde.
A third reason why I believe the whole counsel of God is not presented as often as we may think is because it has happened to me, after debating about a specific moral issue with a group of preachers, that I was told, “Conceding you are right, it must be understood that in our churches you cannot preach about it.” Such declarations, among others, assert in clear terms that some moral issues have become taboos in certain evangelical milieus and new ones are in the process of becoming so.
A rampant intimidation
We read in Philippians 1:14 how the local Christians were afraid to speak the word to unbelievers. But sadly enough, in our time of moral collapse, the decay is so nearly absolute that several churches have been influenced by it and preachers are afraid to declare the whole counsel of God to believers. This rampant intimidation has engendered silence and compromises and continues to do so, and there are little signs showing that a major change is underway. This is a heart-rending situation, and unfortunately, it is the situation we are facing today.
Brethren, I beseech you with a burdened heart, pray for preachers, and as you pray for them, don’t forget me.
May God help us all to stand for the unchangeable truths God stands for, and denounce sin as the faithful prophets and apostles did before us. This, and nothing less, is our lot on this side of eternity.
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