25 “And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again. 26 I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it’s not my fault,[b] 27 for I didn’t shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know.
-Acts 20:25-27 (NLT)
We talked yesterday about the faith that Paul had, and the burden he had to fulfill the calling of God on his life. Today, he takes it one step further. Paul takes his calling seriously, he wants to win as many for Christ as he can. His calling is still evident today, as we read and study the words of his letters.
Look at these words from Ezekiel 3:17-19, perhaps this is why Paul takes his calling so seriously. 17 “Son of man, I have appointed you as a watchman for Israel. Whenever you receive a message from me, warn people immediately. 18 If I warn the wicked, saying, ‘You are under the penalty of death,’ but you fail to deliver the warning, they will die in their sins. And I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 19 If you warn them and they refuse to repent and keep on sinning, they will die in their sins. But you will have saved yourself because you obeyed me." The Lord God was telling the prophet Ezekiel that he was to guard Israel, that was the job of the watchman. He was to send out the messages of God. Failure to do so, and the people died in their sin without warning, Ezekiel was held responsible. However, if Ezekiel warned people of their sin, and they continued in those sins, Ezekiel was not responsible. Paul felt the same calling. I believe that we are all responsible for not sharing the love of God to others.
Paul said in Acts 20:25, "And now I know that none of you to whom I have preached the Kingdom will ever see me again." Paul was taking to the Elders of the church at Ephesus. It was his "farewell" speech. He taught them the Word of God, he set up the church, and now he was turning it over to those in charge. Verse 26-27 says, "I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, it's not my fault, for I didn't shrink from declaring all that God wants you to know." Paul is reminding them that he shared all things that God wants them to know. I believe that he is referencing those passages from Ezekiel 3 that I wrote about earlier.
Friends, can you honestly say that you have shared the message of God with those around you? There are many people whom I have contact with each day that I have failed to mention the words of God to. I'm sure if you're honest, some will come to mind as well. What are you going to do? Commit today to sharing the Word of God with all those around you. Think About It.
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