“...Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” (1)
Paul is addressing Elders from Ephesus. His words are an attribution of farewell. The man is perceiving he will never see Ephesus again. Paul confidently comforts them, “I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.” Two times he confesses to these Ephesian Elders of his tears in prayer for the Church of Ephesus (2). In this one finds two primary motivations behind Paul’s evangelistic endeavors: First, why did Paul have tears; and, what does Paul mean, “innocent of the blood of all?”
WHY TEARS?
The Apostle Paul was a man of great anguish. His life was true to the prophetic word Jesus gave him at his new birth (3). Paul is often immortalized as a sort of “Super-Christian,” because he was a mere man possessed by the Holy Spirit; the same Spirit that raised Christ Jesus from the dead, the same Spirit that dwells in us whom are His (4). It is easy to see why such thoughts exist. Truth be told, he was a frail man, trapped in a body of death (5), longing to be with Christ. You and I are not too unlike this man. Paul’s tears were twofold, as such be ours!
I. Prayer
Paul was fanatical about prayer (6). Like Jesus, Paul was a man whom prayed fervently. Both his unceasing anguish and his deep joy formed from the same place, prayer. Is it any wonder that our hearts are often cold, fearful and dead! Paul’s missional madness was formed and birthed in the place of prayer. His theological convictions were rooted and grounded in the fertile soils of devotional life in God! Paul was not an angry zealot forcing his opinionated religion down throats. He was a man broken, tenderized and nourished by the very Word of God through prayer, fasting and continual relationship with the indwelling Holy Spirit. We too must purposefully enter into Paul’s devotional model, God’s model, if we wish to know the depths of Christ love.
II. Evangelistic Sufferings
I believe one of the saddest truths today is that many American Christian’s have made “Evangelism” a dirty word. Paul was a man dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel. America has a great historical heritage in Christianity, forged by preachers, evangelist, missionaries, Pastors, and so on; men and women whom were not satisfied primarily with preaching to the reached. The Student Volunteer Movement, a missional advancement which saw 20,000+ people give their lives to unreached people groups, was made possible by those whom, like Paul, gave themselves to the obedient call of God given to us by the Word; and the Spirit. It is no different in our day and cultural context. The biblical formula has not changed. The type of perseverance Paul endured (7), was wrought in love for his kinsman; namely, his passion for their salvation (8).
Paul’s tenacious evangelistic lifestyle is a direct reflection of his tearful prayers. Paul knew the man Christ Jesus. He had a resolve “to know the widths, lengths, depths and heights of the love of Christ that surpasses all knowledge” (9). Knowing the man Christ Jesus is the foundational cornerstone for a life of holy, joyful suffering. Because Paul knew Christ, he could say enthusiastically, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (10).
WHAT DOES PAUL MEAN, “INNOCENT OF THE BLOOD OF ALL?”
Where does Paul get this idea that he is “innocent of the blood of all?” Where does he get the idea that bloody hands and evangelism are connected? And, if his concerns are true, how must we respond.
Paul’s conviction can best be referenced by the Lord’s words to the Prophet Ezekiel. God explicitly warns Ezekiel that a failure to communicate the judgments of God will result in judgment upon his own head (11). There is a divine element which demands those saved, to help save. I do not believe Paul himself lived primarily with this kind of debt hanging over his head, but I do believe it was part of it, and its understanding was foundational in his parting words to the Church of Ephesus.
Furthermore, Paul was not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ (12). Paul knew that his suffering was in context to his calling, but he remained unashamed because he “knew whom he believed” (13). Social fears and social embarrassment had no hold on the man. The affections and mercies of God inclined Paul to serve gladly as a bondservant of Christ.
CONCLUSION
Paul, undoubtedly, was operating as Watchman for the Lord. He was no coward. He gave freely his life and body to the work of salvation in Christ Jesus. We must throw off our cowardice. Our modern social status is a shallow thing to waste eternity for. Oh the shock multitudes of men and women will experience when God reveals to them that their cowardice in evangelism has eternal significance and consequence (14). Paul, with tears of love and concern for the salvation of man, made himself “innocent of the blood of all,” by becoming a vessel of amplification for the the mercy of God to all. The modern, narcissistic worldly culture, in all its hell deserving ways, heaps blood on our hands. We must, like Paul and Ezekiel, take up the role of the watchmen, and offer deliverance and mercy by going.
CITATIONS
1. Acts 20:26
2. Acts 20:19; 20:31
3. Acts 9:16
4. Romans 8:11
5. Romans 7:24
6. Romans 1:10; 10:1; 12:12; 15:30; 2 Corinthians 1:11; Ephesians 1:16-19; 3:14-21; 6:18; Philippians 1:4; 1:9; 1:19; 4:6; Colossians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:2; 1 Timothy 2:1; 4:5; 2 Timothy 1:3
7. 2 Corinthians 11:22-33
8. Romans 9:3; 10:1
9. Ephesians 3:18-19
10. Ephesians 8:18
11. Ezekiel 3:17-18; 33:6
12. Romans 1:16
13. 2 Timothy 1:11:12
14. Revelation 21:8
All scripture quotations were cited as follows:
ESV Holy Bible. The Value Thinline Edition ed. Wheaton: Crossway Bibles, 2001. Print.