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. I coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel. You yourselves know that these hands ministered to my necessities and to those who were with me. In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. And there was much weeping on the part of all; they embraced Paul and kissed him, being sorrowful most of all because of the word he had spoken, that they would not see his face again. And they accompanied him to the ship.
Comment: After years of great commitment and considerable suffering and persecution, Paul is to change from being an itinerant evangelist and church planter to becoming a prisoner facing eventual martyrdom. It was a very emotional time as shown by all the weeping, embracing, kissing that went on. I would just pick out a couple of phrases which Paul uses – they are key concepts for us to grasp and make part of our own thinking and action.
- ‘I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God‘. A gospel worker has the responsibility to expound the word of God , but if done faithfully the hearer becomes responsible for his/her own response to God’s message. “The whole counsel of God means that it is not enough to only present the aspects of God which are comforting (eg loving and forgiving) but the whole counsel of God! Present Him as He has shown Himself!
- ‘fierce wolves will come in among you‘ – The devil is defeated by Christ but he still seeks to destroy the work of God. So the Church of the Living God is still to be an army not a social club.
- ‘by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.‘ We are not saved by our works but we definitely are saved to work! To work for the Glory of God as we spread the whole of Counsel of God in word and action.
Prayer: May I not grow weary in well-doing!
As I read it! 