Mission Statement

How many times over the course of my life as a Christian have I shrunk from saying or teaching what the Bible clearly says about an issue? How often, even with Christians that I thought may not want to be corrected or to hear what I had to say, have I let a sin go? I hear others – even Christians – take the Lord’s name in vain. Sometimes I ask, “Did you mean to say that?” Sometimes I ignore it. When am I right and when am I wrong?

In Acts 20: 17-38 Paul is speaking to the elders from Ephesus for the last time. He tells them that he had not hesitated (NIV) or shrunk (ESV) from preaching to them all that would be helpful. He says that he declared to both Jews and Greeks that they were to turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. A little later, in verse 27, he again says that he did not shrink from proclaiming the whole counsel of God to them.

Jesus said that man should not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4). Did you catch that, every word that proceeds from the mouth of God? We are not to pick and choose which ones we’ll adhere to and which ones we’ll simply ignore because we don’t like them. Timothy reiterated the point in 2 Timothy 3:16-17. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” It takes every word of God to completely train us in righteousness.

SO why do we fail to admonish each other and teach the full counsel of God as Paul was so diligent about doing? He even taught others (and us) to do it.

The answer is the fear of man. Couch it how you will the bottom line is that we don’t want to ruffle anyone’s feathers. We’d rather see someone out of the grace of God and be in his or her grace than confront them with their sin so that they will be competent and trained in righteousness. This is a pride, pure and simple pride. We would rather have someone like us than be in God’s grace. How is He glorified in that?

Because Paul had not hesitated to teach the whole counsel of God he was confident that he was “innocent of the blood of all men.” (Acts 20:26) He knew that no one would be in hell because he had failed to speak the truth to them about Jesus. Can you and I say the same thing with the same confidence?

As Christians what we have to decide is are we going to live for God’s glory or our own. How will you and I prepare our hearts so that we know and can speak the full counsel of God for His glory and the good of others?