ACTS 20:22

Paul was speaking to the leaders of the church in Ephesus and he said to them in Acts 20:22-24, “And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Paul said, “I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem.” Paul had long ago learned the secret of serving God: being led by the Spirit. “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are the sons of God.” One of the important factors in being led by the Spirit is that you are willing to go God’s way instead of your own way. Some people miss out on being led by the Spirit because of their self-will. That does not mean that you will no longer have a will of your own. You can still have a strong will and be led by God’s Spirit as long as your will is under God’s control. Paul had a strong will, but that strong will was directed towards the things that God wanted him to do. Paul was fortunate enough to know for sure what God wanted him to do, and Paul went towards that goal no matter what obstacles or sufferings that he had to face. He did not lose sight of the goal of spreading the gospel to the regions beyond. He steadfastly went towards his goal. What goals do you have in the service of Christ?

From the things that Paul said in verse 24, there were three things about Paul that kept him on the path to accomplish his goal and his calling. He said, 1. But none of these things move me. 2. Neither count I my life dear unto myself. 3. That I might finish my course. The first thing that Paul said was, “None of these things move me.” One of the purposes of the forces of darkness when they come against your life is to move you out of the way that God has set for you. Jesus said, “Straight is the way, and narrow is the gate that leads unto life.” If you are going to stay on that straight and narrow way that God has for you, then you must have that same kind of determination that Paul had to not be moved from the way or from the course that God have put you on. It says in First Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord.” It says in Ephesians 6:11, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

Paul would not be moved. He also said, “Neither count I my life dear unto myself.” If you are going to do what God wants you to do, then you must have that attitude. Following Jesus means that you give up your life in order to live the life that He wants you to have. Jesus said, “He that saves his life shall lose it, but he that loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s the same shall save it.” God might call you to do something that is dangerous or life-threatening like He did with Paul. Or God might call you to do something that the people of the world would consider to be the throwing away of a life. God might call you to give up something that you really wanted to do before you started following Jesus. You will miss out on the best that God has for you unless you can say what Paul said, “Neither count I my life dear unto myself.” Of course, we understand why Paul or any believer would say such a thing. Jesus went to the cross of Calvary for us, so that we could enjoy heaven forever. Don’t we owe Jesus our lives in return?

Paul said, “That I might finish my course with joy.” Paul knew that there was a purpose to his life, and that it was extremely important that he fulfill that purpose. Yes, Paul was saved and he knew that he would go to heaven because of the grace of God through Christ Jesus. Salvation is by grace and not by works. Paul wrote in Second Timothy 1:12, “For I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.” That is the most important thing of all: the destiny of your soul. Jesus said, “What shall it profit a man should he gain the whole world, but lose his own soul?” Hopefully you are saved because you have repented of your sins and turned to Jesus. If you have been saved, the most important thing of all has happened to you. But now you must become concerned about the second most important thing of all: the critical importance of fulfilling the purpose for which God has placed you upon His green earth. Paul said, “That I might finish my course with joy.” There are a lot of people who start something, but not near as many who finish. That is why there are more freshmen in college than there are seniors. That is the way that life is, and that is the way that the spiritual battle of life is too.

Paul started out being the apostle, the missionary, the preacher, and the teacher of the Gentiles; but he knew that it was critically important that he finish the course that God had called him to. We know the end of the story for the Apostle Paul. At the end of his life Paul said in Second Timothy 4:6-8, “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” Paul finished his course, and now the question that you must answer about your life is this: will you finish your course that God has given you or wants to give you?

We see from these verses in Second Timothy one of the reasons that Paul knew it was so important that he finish his course. He said, “Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness.” Paul is taking about his reward. He spoke of a crown. Because he finished his course, he knew that he would receive a crown. A crown is a symbol of authority. The rewards that believers will be given in heaven to a great degree have to do with the power and the authority that will be given to each believer; and that will be based upon what each believer accomplished in this life in being faithful to the ministry that Jesus gave to each of them. In Mark 10:37 James and John asked Jesus, “Grant unto us that we may sit, one on thy right hand, and the other on thy left hand, in thy glory?” They were asking for a place of position and authority in heaven. A crown is a symbol of position and authority. Part of the answer that Jesus gave to them is in Mark 10:40. Jesus said, “But to sit on my right hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared.”

Rewards of power and authority will be given in heaven. Do not miss your reward. Just as there will be degrees of punishment in hell, there will be degrees of reward in heaven. First Corinthians 3:11-14 says, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; Every man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.”

Paul said that he wanted to finish his course “with joy.” There is joy in serving Jesus. Joy that never will depart. Sin results in sadness. Goodness and holiness result in happiness. Jesus said to His disciples, “My joy I give unto you.” Do not listen to the lies of the world. If you go the ways of the world, it will end in gall and wormwood. But if you serve the Lord faithfully, it will result in joy and happiness that nothing can take away. When Paul said, “That I might finish my course with joy,” perhaps he was talking about the joy he knew that he would have should he get to the judgment and hear these from the Savior Jesus Christ, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

The course that Paul was hoping and desiring to finish was the ministry that Jesus had called him to. Paul described that ministry in Acts 20:24. He said, “And the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” It is interesting to note what Paul said was his ministry that he received of the Lord Jesus. He did not say that it was to be a missionary. He did not say that it was to be an apostle. And he did not say that it was to be a teacher. He said that his ministry was to be a testimony. That is what it is all about. The whole world lieth in wickedness, and does not know Jesus the Savior. If you know Jesus the Savior, then you have a testimony to give. Are you giving that testimony? Basically Paul was saying that if he continued to be a testimony in this world, then he was fulfilling the ministry and the calling that Jesus had given to him. Do not let anything steal your testimony. Do not let anything rob you of your testimony. There are certain things that will destroy or harm your testimony in a community. Ask God for wisdom and grace to avoid those sins at all cost. One of the most valuable things that God has given to you to guard for His name is your testimony of Christ and what He has done for you.

Paul said concerning his testimony that he testified “the gospel of the grace of God.” The good news is the fact that God has grace to offer to sinners. Christ receiveth sinful men, even me with all my sin. If you are a sinner, then there is good news for you. There is a solution to your sin problem. You do not have to go all the way to the judgment guilty of your sins. You can be completely forgiven and cleansed of all of your sins because of Jesus. Instead of being alienated from God forever, you can be accepted fully and freely into the family of God through the grace that is in Christ Jesus. Each false religion in the world is a religion of works, telling the falsehood that man can work his way to heaven. But anyone who tries will fail, because “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” The good news is that even though you cannot earn your way to God or merit His favor, still you can be forgiven by His grace. This is the age of grace. Paul was saved by the grace of God through Christ. Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! Remember that to be a testimony the way that Paul was, you must not emphasize the good works of man; instead you talk about the grace of God through Christ Jesus.

Paul said to the leaders of the church of Ephesus in Acts 20:25-27, “And now, behold, I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” In the previous verse Paul said that he testified of the grace of God. Now he says that he preached the kingdom of God. Of course, most people’s lives are caught up in some way in the kingdoms of this world. All of those kingdoms are temporary and will pass away. Jesus said that His kingdom is not of this world. It is much more important to learn how to survive and prosper as a citizen of God’s kingdom. That is what people need to learn about the most, and that is what Paul taught about. Paul did not teach people how to make more money or have a better retirement. He taught them how to live by faith, how to walk in fellowship with Christ, and how to be led by the Spirit.

As a teacher and as a preacher Paul taught the things of God to the believers of Ephesus. He taught the Word of God to them, what Paul termed here “all the counsel of God.” We live in a time when people think they need counsel and therapy and advice on how to conduct their lives and straighten out their problems. But there is no better counsel than what you can get from God. Paul knew that and that is why he taught it. The purpose of the Bible is so that believers will know all the things that God wants them to know. Second Timothy 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

It is a great responsibility to be called to be a preacher. The pastor will be held responsible to the Lord for everything that the congregation hears. Paul said that he gave the believers in Ephesus “all the counsel of God.” There are preachers who give out the denominational dogma that they learned in seminary. Maybe they do not give out all the counsel of God from the Word of God because they never learned it themselves. But they will give an account one day of what they gave to their congregations. If they are neglectful in this one area of giving out all the counsel of God, it will be shown that unlike the Apostle Paul, they are guilty of the blood of others. Because of not having all the counsel of God, there will be Christians who will go the wrong way, who will lose their testimonies, who will be weak in faith instead of strong, who will fall into false doctrine, and will suffer terrible consequences of doing what they ought not to have done. These things will happen to some of them because they did not hear all the counsel of God from the one who was responsible to give it to them.

Hopefully you know the counsel of God regarding salvation. If not, today you can turn from your sins and turn to Jesus to be saved.

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