Testifying To The Gospel Of Grace

Acts 20:17-26

Spurgeon said of this passage......... “He looked upon himself “as put in trust with the gospel;” and he resolved to be faithful though it should cost him his life. He says he “desired to fulfil the ministry which he had received of the Lord Jesus Christ.” Before his mind’s eye he saw the Saviour taking into his pierced hands the priceless casket which contains the celestial jewel of the grace of God, and saying to him—“I have redeemed thee with my blood, and I have called thee by my name, and now I commit this precious thing into thy hands, that thou mayest take care of it, and guard it even with thy heart’s blood. I commission thee to go everywhere in my place and stead, and to make known to every people under heaven the gospel of the grace of God.” All believers occupy a somewhat similar place. We are none of us called to the apostleship, and we may not all have been called to the public preaching of the word of God; but we are all charged to be valiant for the truth upon the earth, and to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Oh, to do this in the spirit of the apostle of the Gentiles! As believers, we are all called to some form of ministry; and this ought to make our life a race, and cause us to regard ourselves as the guardians of the gospel, even as he that bears the colours of a regiment regards himself as bound to sacrifice everything for their preservation.”

This is a Gospel of Grace, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that all the apostles and many after them were willing to surrender their lives for!

Leonard Ravenhill said that this was bloody, gory, Gospel, another preacher spoke of the sting of the story! It is not news that will satisfy the itching ears of the flesh, but will indeed fill the longing of the soul and spirit of man!

Paul makes that clear at the beginning of verse 24......”neither do I count my life dear unto myself”.......

In comparison to the Gospel and the truth IT beholds/reveals, the value of your earthly life or anybody else’s is nothing! Paul is stating a fact there....it is plain reality!

The value of the soul is far more important.....the only value earthly life has is what you decide to do about the Person and Work of Jesus Christ while you are down here.....

That is the only earthly decision that matters!

As I read this I got to thinking about what Paul is telling the elders at Ephesus.....he is headed for Jerusalem, where he knew there was “Jews” waiting for him to do him harm because of the Gospel.

However, it was a race to Paul, a race to finish, nothing was going to impede his finishing what he was called to do........

It is was just that pressing, everything was riding on him getting to Jerusalem and sharing the Gospel.....he would eventually go to Rome as a prisoner (on purpose) to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ and there die for the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ!

Back to what I was thinking, if it was that important to Paul then, it should be that important to us now!

Is this the race we are running? Or have signed for another race?

I go back to what Spurgeon said..... “.....As believers, we are all called to some form of ministry; and this ought to make our life a race, and cause us to regard ourselves as the guardians of the gospel, even as he that bears the colours of a regiment regards himself as bound to sacrifice everything for their preservation.”

I love the quote from a soldier in WWI called the “The Soldiers Pledge”....

“Martin Treptow—who left his job in a small town barbershop in 1917 to go to France with the famed Rainbow Division. There, on the western front, he was killed trying to carry a message between battalions under heavy artillery fire. We are told that on his body was found a diary. On the flyleaf under the heading, "My Pledge," he had written these words:

“America must win this war. Therefore, I will work, I will save, I will sacrifice, I will endure, I will fight cheerfully and do my utmost, as if the issue of the whole struggle depended on me alone.”

That is what the apostle Paul is telling the elders and us as well! I believe that Spurgeon rightly said that all Christians are guardians of the Gospel!

Now, that brings me to the next point and I am working backwards....back to verse 21.......This Gospel of Jesus Christ calls for repentance.......there is no doubt in this, no questioning of this, it is what is necessary to receive Grace and Forgiveness!

Repentance is what Jesus calls for right of the gate of His earthly ministry....Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

No clearer call than that......however it seems that the world has always rejected this truth and reacted harshly or abrasive to this call to repent!

“Are you saying we are wicked and wrong?” Yes!!!

How does that go over? Not real good at times!

People tell you that you are not to judge, seeming to quote Matthew 7:1...........but they do not understand because their hearts are hardened to the worldly life and they do not want you meddling!

Paul tells them that he was pure of all men’s blood.......this is speaking of Ezek. 33 Look with me at Ezekiel 33:1-6......

It is difficult in today’s time to share the True Gospel, it seems that everyone has their own version of religion or even so-called Christianity.........and when the call for repentance comes it is offensive and judgmental........

However, I read a great quote the other day from a preacher........ “Christians have nothing to be smug about; we are not righteous people trying to correct the unrighteous. As one preacher said, ‘Evangelism is just one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread’ The chief difference between the believer and the unbeliever is forgiveness”

This spoke to me, in that we spend so much time planning and organizing how we are to minister and it is just as simple as this....

Added together with the “watchmen” in Ezekiel 33 we know the truth of the matter and we hold in our hearts and minds the only way of salvation, we know it because salvation was granted to us by the Grace of God through Jesus Christ not of ourselves lest any man should boast!

Going back to Paul, he did not count his life dear to himself.....

He spoke some that he was not worthy to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, that he was the chief sinner......

It seems that was the fuel that fired his spirit to count all things as dung that he may win Christ.....

Ephesians 6:19-20 “And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, For which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

2 Corinthians 5:19-20 “To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

We are ambassadors for Christ, because we are forgiven and we know what lies ahead for those that are forgiven and are not, that is all the more reason to join the race of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!