The Whole Counsel of God

“And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again. Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God. 

“Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. 

“And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” (Acts 20:25-32 ESV)

The apostle Paul addressed these words to the elders of the church in Ephesus. The conversation is recorded for us in the book of Acts 20:17-38. But in this part of the conversation he focused his thoughts on the knowledge that his life on this earth was soon to be short lived, and so he knew that he would never see these people again. For he had enemies among the Jews who wanted him dead because he did not shrink from declaring to all people the whole counsel of God (the gospel of Christ).

Then he left them with some parting remarks and godly counsel and encouragement, most of which applies to all of us who are followers of Christ, whether or not we are in positions of authority over anyone. For all of us are to encourage, exhort, teach, admonish, instruct, counsel, build up, and warn one another with regard to the teachings of the Scriptures, and concerning God’s divine will and purpose for us who profess faith in Jesus Christ, and pertaining to false teachers and false doctrines, too. 

We are all to do the work of the ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all come to spiritual maturity in our walks of faith and obedience to our Lord. And we all are to speak the truth in love to one another so that none of us are led astray by men (or women) in their human cunning, craftiness, and deceitful scheming which is leading so many people to believe that they can have faith in Jesus Christ, and have heaven guaranteed them when they die, but while they still walk in sin and disobedience to God.

And we are to exhort (with a holy urging) one another EVERY DAY so that none of us may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. And we are to stir up one another to love and good works, which are the works which God prepared in advance that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:11-14). And we are to meet together with one another for the purpose that we, the body of Christ, might encourage one another in our walks of faith and in obedience to our Lord – any day, anytime, anywhere.

And if one of our fellow believers in Christ gets caught up in sin once again, we who are walking by faith in our Lord in holiness and in obedience to our Lord’s commands should restore this person back to a right relationship with Jesus Christ. And this is like a doctor resetting a bone that is out of joint, so this may be a painful process. And we are to do this in a spirit of gentleness (meekness), which is reserved strength, but not weakness. For Jesus was meek, but he certainly was not weak, and he spoke the truth in love.

[Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31; Galatians 6:1; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:1-16; Ephesians 5:15-21; Philippians 2:1-8; Colossians 3:16; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:13; Hebrews 10:23-25; James 5:19-20]

So, it isn’t just the job of the overseers (pastors, elders, deacons) to care for the church, the body of believers in Jesus Christ who have been crucified with Christ in death to sin and who have been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, no longer to live as slaves to sin, but as slaves to God and to his righteousness. We are instructed in the Scriptures that this is the responsibility of each one of us to help one another in times of need, and to help one another to walk in faithful obedience to God, and no longer in sin.

For we have many of these “fierce wolves” (in sheep’s clothing) presently among us who are deceiving the minds and hearts of people by the masses who profess faith in Jesus Christ. And we have professing Christians among us, too, who are speaking twisted things to draw away the disciples after them. For so many of these people are teaching an altered gospel to make it more attractive and acceptable to human flesh, and they are not teaching that we must deny self, die daily to sin, and follow Jesus in obedience.

For they call that “works salvation” or “lordship salvation,” even though it is the salvation message that Jesus Christ taught and that his NT apostles taught, if read and understood in the full context of what they taught. For many people are speaking lies about Jesus and the apostles, putting actions and words into their lives that did not happen, and for the full purpose to deceive and to lead the masses away from pure devotion and obedience to the Lord. And they do this by teaching the Scriptures out of context.

So, we who are following Jesus with our lives need to be alert, aware, and discerning about these matters of deception and false teachers and false teachings. And we must be diligent in examining what we hear and read, or even what we think we see, against the Scriptures (IN CONTEXT), and against the divine will and character of God, and in prayer, seeking God’s face for truth and for him to expose to us any lies of the enemy that we are presently believing that we need to cast off so we can believe the truth.

And Paul, when he told the elders that he was commending them to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build us up and to give us the inheritance among all those who are sanctified, he wasn’t talking about the cheapened form of God’s grace that so many are now passing off as true grace. For God’s grace, which is bringing us salvation (a salvation that won’t be complete until Jesus returns and he takes us to be with him for eternity), is training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives while we await his return (Titus 2:11-14).

And this message of grace also teaches us that if we claim to be in fellowship with God, but while we still deliberately and habitually sin against our Lord, that we are liars. And if we say that we know God, but we do not walk (in conduct, in practice) in obedience to his commands (New Covenant), we are liars. For if sin is what we practice, we will die in our sins. We will not inherit eternal life with God. It is only those who practice obedience to the Lord and the forsaking of sins and walks of righteousness who have eternal life.

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Acts 26:18; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 1 Co 10:1-22; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-24; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:1-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; 1 Pet 2:24; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Heb 10:23-31; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

Nothing Can Separate Us  

An Original Work / March 28, 2013

Based off Romans 8:28-39

Nothing can separate us 

From Christ’s love now within us:

Not trouble, hardship, nor famine,

Nor danger, nor sword.

No, in all of these things

We are more than conquerors!

For your sake we face hardship.

We are sheep to be slaughtered.

I am convinced that death, 

Nor life, nor anything else

Will separate us from 

The love of God now in Christ.

What, then, shall we say to this?

God for us: who against us?

He who did not spare His Son

But gave Him for us all – 

How will He not, with Him,

Graciously give us all things?

Who brings a charge against us?

God justifies His chosen.

Who is He that condemns?

Christ Jesus, died, rose again.

He’s at the right hand of God,

Interceding for us.

https://vimeo.com/117314000