All Of The Message

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" 'Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of everyone. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.' " —Acts 20:26-27

Bible Reading

ACTS 20:17-27

Devotional

When God says to a wicked person, "You will surely die," but God's prophet fails to pass that warning along to him or her, the prophet will be guilty. "Those wicked people will die for their sins, and I will hold you accountable for their blood." This is what God said in Ezekiel 3:18-21.

God loves sinners so much that he wants them to be converted. He does not want sinners to die.

Some ugly rumors say that God kills people by throwing them into hell. But the biblical truth is that people themselves are hell-bent and self-destructive. And God will do anything to prevent people from killing themselves. He even went so far as to send his own Son to his death in order to save those who hate God! Moreover, God has warned his people, his church, and their pastors that he will punish them if they don't get his message out to all runaway sheep.

The Christian church is not sufficiently aware of its responsibility. It does not remind itself often enough that God requires the blood of those who perish from those who fail to speak. New Testament messengers may not forget this Old Testament warning. Paul did not forget it.

"I am innocent of the blood of everyone," said Paul, "for I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God." By the "whole will of God," he means all of God's revelation. He has not watered down the truth, and he has not been one-sided. When we present half-truths, we aren't doing God any honor, and we aren't doing people a favor.

If you have a remedy against cancer while cancer patients are dying all around you, you are guilty of murder because you didn't help. It's no excuse to say that you were always kind to the dying. You did not show the one kindness that was really important. You withheld what could have saved them.

It is difficult and embarrassing to warn people of dangers they don't see. But it must be done. Those who despise the Son of God's love will perish.

REFLECTIONS

Review how your congregation attempts to reach out to nonbelievers in the community. Pray earnestly and regularly for God's blessing on these outreach efforts.

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I am reminded of how important it is for us to spread the true and full Gospel of God. We are reminded of this in these scriptures and I think the devotion above explains it greatly. "The Christian church is not sufficiently aware of its responsibility. It does not remind itself often enough that God requires the blood of those who perish from those who fail to speak." If you have noticed, a common theme in the blogs and in what I say after the devotions is to preach the Gospel. That we are no better than any person on this earth and that we all come from the same fallen state.

The difference between the body of Christ and the world is our Salvation. It doesn't mean that we're more special or deserved any sort of special treatment. We need to remember that and not take our Salvation for granted. Too often, the body of Christ - the Church, fails at spreading the Good News, fails at showing the love of Christ, fails at going out and preaching to the nations. Remember, I do not speak of things in a legalistic manner, I speak of them as what they are, God's given road for His children thats been laid out for us in the Word.

Something that I often take a lot of heat for is my strong desire for the people of God to grasp onto and understand the importance of sound doctrine. Too often I'm told that in the long run, its all about Love and we have to show love to those who are lost. That if we focus too much on "knowledge" then I'll discard love. But lets reread the scripture reading for today: " 'Therefore, I declare to you today that I am innocent of the blood of everyone. For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God.' " —Acts 20:26-27 Its not enough to just say "God loves you and sent His son to die for your sins." That is only PART of the Gospel, but we are called to give the full truth. We aren't doing God any favor by presenting half truths.

Now, don't get me wrong, I know that debates and conversation on theology and doctrine can sometimes seem or even sway to the side of just "head knowledge". But from my standpoint, as the body of Christ, we should discuss these things to encourage and build one another up in the Faith. To grow in areas we never knew needed growth. And I can't say that I'm not guilty for not preaching the whole truth in the past. I've done dis-service to God and for that I am guilty. But thank God I'm covered in grace and I am continually learning from my mistakes. There have been situations where I have not given the whole truth. Maybe it was out of fear or maybe it was out of ignorance. But I will press on and move forward in the grace I've graciously been given and hope to show that grace to those around me.

We need to remember as we walk in our lives as conduits to the work of our Lord, that we have been given life everlasting and we need to walk in that truth. We have been reminded to spread the Gospel to all and not leave out parts. To give the full counsel of God, not just part. Lets not take this lightly.

I didn't discuss how my congregation attempts to reach out to those in the community but I'll do so now. I just wanted to focus on the importance of knowing and stating the full truth of God. My congregation out here in Maryland is apart of the OPC. Orthodox Presbyterian Church. Its a small denomination with a huge focus on getting the truth out to the world. They are very big on church plants and making sure there are churches with sound teaching in all areas. The church that I attend personally does work out in the community. They do church services at Nursing Homes, they do work out in Ocean City in Maryland and New Jersey, and they also support missionaries in different countries. They also welcome any who are looking to come to the church and hear the good news that is preached every week from the pulpit. Just a little glimpse.

What about your congregation? I ask like I don't know what Crossweave does, which is the church a majority of those of you who read this, attend. But lay it out there, its encouraging to hear what other churches are doing around the world. Grace&Peace.