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"Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God."
(Acts 20:26-27)
Paul said he did not keep back but declared the whole counsel of God. Paul preached Christ and what it means to follow Christ. Can you imagine some of the bold preaching of Paul as he called the Ephesians to follow hard after Christ? Our lives should be different, and when people see us, they should see a clear and moral difference in the people of God! Paul did what he told Timothy to do: he preached Christ in season and out of season, when they wanted to hear it and when they did not want to hear, when he felt like it and when he did not feel like it (2 Timothy 4:2).
When Pastor Jim Cymbala spoke to our group of pastors in New York, he boldly challenged us to preach the truth. One of the primary points Pastor Jim stressed to us pastors is the importance of preaching the Bible. He admonished us to preach both from the heart and the head. He said, "When we preach with our hearts, we reach people's hearts; when we preach with our head, we reach people's heads. So, we need to preach with both." He strongly warned against the danger of what he called "a numbers game". He gave an example (and even said the pastor's name!) about how the one thing this pastor wants to make sure of is that the vibe of the service makes a person want to come back next week. But Pastor Cymbala asked, "What if the man died on Wednesday and never heard the Gospel?" He said, "We have to exalt Christ and preach the Gospel."
Jesus and Paul modeled for all pastors of every generation how best to communicate the good news. They both spoke the truth in love. John 1:14 says Jesus was full of grace and truth. In Ephesians 4:15, the Apostle Paul wrote, "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ." Telling people what they need to hear but do not want to hear will always be a major tension Bible preachers experience. The temptation will be strong to soften or water down the hard truths of the Word of God, but we simply cannot do that. Our aim is to please God and faithfully obey the mandate of Scripture. Paul commanded Timothy (and I believe, commands every faithful pastor in each generation): "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching" (2 Timothy 4:2).
I sincerely hope that my family, the churches I have served, and the students I have taught will be able to say of me, "Brother Danny did not hold back the truth; he preached the whole counsel of God and spoke the truth with much grace."
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