The grand theater at the ancient Roman town of Ephesus, Turkey
I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable. . . .
I go bound in the spirit . . . I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself . . . I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God (Acts 20:20, 22, 24, 26-27).
In previous chapters, we have been considering Paul’s example as an able and faithful preacher of the Word of God. Thus far we have looked at the scope of his preaching and its focus and recurring themes. In this chapter, we will consider the courageous manner of his preaching and its fruit in his own conscience.
The Courageous Manner of Paul’s Preaching
Paul says several things to the Ephesian elders which indicate that he exercised great courage in the course of his ministry generally and in his preaching particularly. At 20:22-24, e.g., we read,
And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Spirit testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me. But I hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that I may accomplish my course, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.
Paul is on his way once more to Jerusalem, to a city where once he had needed to flee for his life. Under ordinary circumstances, the prospect of coming again to the place where his enemies were most numerous would have occasioned a certain level of anxiety. On this occasion, however, Paul not only suspects trouble in Jerusalem, but at every stop along the way the Spirit has conveyed to him the message that “bonds and afflictions” await him there. There is no doubt in his mind, whatever else may happen, that prison and “pressures” (qli,yeij) will be his portion if he continues to Jerusalem. And yet he goes forward. Not even fear for his life stops him. “I hold not my life,” he says, “as dear to myself.” This is but the latest example of the courage that Paul exhibited in the course of his ministry. Everywhere that he has gone, he has been opposed. Stonings, prison, perils of every kind have been his regular fare. And yet always he pressed forward, courageously serving his Master, preaching the message that his King commanded him to take to the nations.
We must not think, of course, that Paul’s courage came from a lack of fear, for he tells us differently. We know, e.g., that his presence in Corinth was “in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling” (1 Cor. 2:3), so much so that the Lord has to tell him to “stop fearing” (Acts 18:9). The key to his courage was not a lack of fear. In this aspect of serving Christ in a hostile world, Paul was a man of like passions with us.
To what then do we credit his bravery? Surely, in answer to prayer, his courage was the fruit of the Spirit’s gracious working in his soul. In the beginning of the work in Jerusalem, when the Sanhedrin ordered Peter and John “not to speak at all nor teach in the name of Jesus” (Acts 4:18), they prayed: “And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants to speak thy word with all boldness, while thou stretchest forth thy hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of thy holy Servant Jesus” (4:29-30). Luke continues, “And when they had prayed, the place was shaken wherein they were gathered together; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spake the word of God with boldness” (4:31). This doubtless was Paul’s experience also, in all those places where he was opposed by the world, the flesh, and the devil. He would have prayed often, “And now, Lord, look upon their threatenings: and grant unto thy servant to speak thy word with all boldness.”
In our text, however, Paul tells us of something else that moved him courageously forward in the face of every obstacle. He speaks of being “bound in the spirit” (20:22). There are various suggestions as to what these words mean; but I think that Paul is describing the compulsion that he felt in his soul to do what he later describes as “accomplishing his course, and the ministry which he received from the Lord Jesus” (20:24). Elsewhere he says, “If I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of; for necessity is laid upon me; for woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel” (1 Cor. 9:16). Paul was compelled in his spirit by a holy passion, by a conviction firmly rooted in his conscience that his Master’s business was more important than his own safety. And with that persuasion fixed deep in his soul, he pressed forward bravely, not regarding the fear of man as a thing which could be permitted to halt him in his course. His Master had given him a task, a ministry to accomplish—and no fear, no obstacle of any kind, must turn him from his duty.
And what was true of his ministry generally was particularly true of his preaching. Again, he says, “I shrank not from declaring unto you anything that was profitable . . . . I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God.” In both of these statements, he uses a word that reveals his state of mind as a preacher. Again, u`poste,llw was used of soldiers who “shrank” (drew back) from their duty from fear of personal suffering. By using this word, Paul is saying that from the first day he set foot in Asia, all the time that he went in and out among the Ephesians, at no time had he been a coward in his preaching. At no time had he retreated from his duty to God and his hearers out of fear of what would happen to him if he preached the whole counsel of God, i.e., everything needed for the profit of their souls. In other words, the fear of man did not determine the limits of what he said or the manner in which he said it. He did not determine the content or manner of his preaching by consulting the faces of his hearers, or by weighing the potential cost to himself. Instead, his only consideration was, “What is the business and will of my Master? What may I do for the good of men’s souls? How may I accomplish my course, and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God?”
The Bible says, “The fear of man bringeth a snare” (Prov. 29:25). When men are more afraid of their fellow men than of sinning against God, they neglect their duty and fall into the worst of sins. Numerous examples illustrate the truth of this proverb. Twice Abraham endangered his wife rather than face danger to himself (Gen. 12:11-13; 20:11; cf., 26:7). Aaron’s fear of the people led him to make them a golden calf (Exod. 32:21-23). Saul broke the Lord’s command in the matter of the spoils of Amalek “because,” he says, “I feared the people, and obeyed their voice” (1 Sam. 15:24). Peter’s fears caused him to deny Christ three times (Matt. 26:69-74). And in Galatia, Peter and Barnabas undermined the gospel by withdrawing from the Gentiles, “fearing them that were of the circumcision” (Gal. 2:11-13).
Preaching on this text before my own congregation, I confessed: “Each Lord’s Day, I must stand before you and mortify every fear that Satan may suggest to me. I must not fear your frowns. I must not fear your departure. I must not fear the loss of my living. I must not shrink back from declaring to you the whole counsel of God or anything profitable to your souls. Fear of you will be a snare to me, halting me in accomplishing my course, and the ministry that I have received from the Lord Jesus. I pray for boldness. I am bound in my spirit, compelled by a conviction that I must do my Master’s business at whatever cost to myself. I can do nothing else and still face my own conscience, much less face my Lord.” If you are a minister of the gospel, imitate Paul’s example in not fearing the faces of men, and take as your own your Lord’s promise to Joshua: “I will be with thee; I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. Be strong and of good courage; for thou shalt cause this people to inherit the land which I sware unto their fathers to give them” (Josh. 1:5-6).
Likewise, believer, the fear of man will stop you from accomplishing your course, and the ministry which you have received from the Lord Jesus. The Lord calls each of us to snatch brands from the burning; but we will not even reach out our hands if we are ruled by the fear of men. Fear of how we will be received will be a snare to us, leading us to abandon our duty. Fear of how our family or neighbors perceive us will cause us to hide or compromise the truth. Fear of what our witness will cost us will close our lips. I urge you to pray for boldness. The courage that you need is from the Spirit. Then, armed with courage from God, do not shrink back. Trust in the Lord who sends you forth. He will be with you. He will go before you. Say to him, “What time I am afraid, I will put my trust in thee. . . . In God have I put my trust, I will not be afraid; what can man do unto me?” (Psa. 56:3, 11).
The Fruit of Paul’s Preaching in his Own Conscience
Paul tells the Ephesian elders, “Therefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I shrank not from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God” (20:26-27). He is going forward to Jerusalem to “bonds and afflictions.” His opportunity to minister in Ephesus is over. “I know,” he says, “that ye all, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, shall see my face no more” (20:25). But there is no anxiety in these words–no fear that his work is not done or that he has been unfaithful in his ministry to them. No, he has testified to them “repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (20:21). He has “testified the gospel of the grace of God” (20:24). He has “preached the kingdom of God” (20:25). He has not withheld “anything that was profitable” (20:20). He has bravely preached to them “the whole counsel of God” (20:27). In a word, Paul’s conscience is clear concerning his ministry among them. If any perish, their blood is not on his hands. “I testify to you this day,” he says, “that I am pure from the blood of all men.” He had delivered his Master’s message. He had pleaded (even weeping) for their souls. He now goes to Jerusalem–to bonds and afflictions, and (for all he knows) to his grave, in peace, because his conscience is clear and his hands are clean.
What a wonderful companion a clear conscience must have been as Paul came to the day when he would write, “I am already being offered, and the time of my departure is come” (2 Tim. 4:6). My ministerial brethren, this is the kind of conscience each of us should labor diligently to acquire in this business of being stewards of the mysteries of God. Soon, before we realize that the years have passed, the time of our departure will come. Then we will take to our death beds. The day of our service will be over. Our part in the harvest will be done. Then we will stand before our Master to give account of our stewardship. Then our conscience will either condemn us for our fear of men and dereliction of duty or testify for us, “He is pure from the blood of all men.” What witness will your conscience bear on that day? May the Spirit grant you courage to go forth fearlessly with the gospel of the grace of God, in obedience to the command of your Lord. We are called to snatch men from the burning and to feed Christ’s sheep with the wholesome food of the whole counsel of God. Brethren, let men’s blood not be on our hands in that day. As John Dick says,
That minister alone can adopt the same [i.e., Paul’s] language, who is not accused by his conscience of having omitted any thing, which he might have done for the salvation of his people; who has not lulled them into security by his doctrine or his example, nor flattered them in sin, nor withheld necessary counsels and admonitions, how unwelcome soever they were likely to prove, nor ceased to urge and beseech them to mind “the things which belonged to their peace.”
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