Acts 20:17-38 – Paul’s Message to the Ephesian Elders
“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.”

In his frank talk to the Ephesian elders, Paul emphasized how he had taken every opportunity to communicate what he called “…the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27, NKJV). In several different ways, Paul reminded these men that he had taken pains…great pains…to communicate the entirety of the purpose, plan, and will of God to the believers in Ephesus.

In turning the minds of these elders back to the time he had spent with them, Paul reminded them that he had “…kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you…” (Acts 20:20). He had held nothing back…nothing. Everything helpful had been passed along, hurtful though it might be. This echoes Paul’s statement in Romans 15:19 that “…in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God…from Jerusalem and round about to Illyricum I have fully preached the gospel of Christ.” Fully preached, he said. He had fully and completely proclaimed the whole truth, all of the teaching.

Further, Paul said that he communicated this message “…publicly and from house to house” (Acts 20:20). In other words, in a variety of venues, not just limited to one certain place. Paul was practicing the advice he would later give to Timothy – “Be ready in season and out of season.” In the assembly of believers and in the public places of discourse, Paul had taught and preached “…the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and…the doctrine which accords with godliness.” (2 Timothy 6:3). In private homes, Paul had reached out to fathers and mothers, to boys and girls, around the dinner table, in front of the fire in the evening, when they sat by the way…taking advantage of every opportunity impart the whole counsel of God.

Paul summarized this message as “…repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21). In other words, along with proclaiming the truths about the death and resurrection of the Jesus Christ (the gospel), Paul went on to urge his listeners to act upon these truths by repenting of their sin and by placing their whole trust for salvation and sanctification in Jesus Christ, looking to the only one who could keep them from stumbling and present them faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy (Jude 1:24).

Paul used the word “testifying” (Acts 20:21) to describe the way in which he communicated. This word means “to attest to, or to protest earnestly”. This shows the urgency that motivated him and this word communicated this urgency to his listeners.

That Paul considered the communication of the whole counsel of God as a matter of utmost importance and seriousness can be seen in how he introduced this idea. He said, “I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men” (Acts 20:26). He is saying, in effect, that the Lord Jesus Christ had made him a watchman with a solemn duty to share the whole of God’s counsel and teaching. He is asserting that he had faithfully discharged his duty to warn all men, he had kept the trust he had been given. Paul is saying that any ruin or destruction, any want of knowledge, on the part of the believers in Ephesus could not be laid at his door. He carried the same burden upon his heart as the prophet Ezekiel, who had said that the blood of the one that dies by the sword of the enemy is to be required at the hand of the unfaithful watchman who did not give warning (Ezekiel 33:6). Implicit in what he said is that he was calling these elders in Ephesus to account as those who now knew the whole counsel of God and were responsible to live and teach it as well.

Paul then He said that he had “…not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God” (Acts 20:27). He had not withheld anything; he had not kept anything secret, he had not cowered or shrunk away from making every effort to have the whole thing out in the open. He had not sacrificed truth for some illusory unity. He had not bowed to inner or outer pressure to water down the truth for the sake of reducing persecution or misunderstanding.

These words fairly shout that Paul was not seeking to communicate some limited set of “essential truths” that all believers could find agreement with. No, Paul was communicating a full-orbed message that impacted all aspects of human existence; a message that took every thought into the captivity of Jesus Christ, a meta-narrative of vast proportions. His letters reflect this wide ranging message as he lays out in bold detail both orthodoxy and orthopraxy – right doctrine and right practice – right living flowing out of right thinking.

The reason Paul brought all this up was his certainty that some of these very men would depart from this teaching and become savage wolves, ripping and tearing at the flock; some would rise up and teach perverse doctrines, creating divisions in the church and leading men astray, getting glory for themselves (Acts 20:29-30). After perhaps shocking them with this, he again reminded them the of the urgency and seriousness which had characterized his efforts. He said that he “…did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:31). I wonder how the church would respond to such intense teaching today? Would they marginalize Paul as too radical or too emotional?

Paul then commended these men to the only things that would enable them to stand, “…to God, and to the word of his grace…” (Acts 20:32). In other words, to the one true almighty God who sees and who cares, and to the emphatic words uttered by that God, which words contained life and his gift of grace in His son, Jesus Christ.

Paul then makes another assertion about his own life and example. He said, “I have coveted no one’s silver or gold or apparel” (Acts 20:33). He again put these men on notice that they not only had been adequately taught, but they had also seen this teaching lived out in front of them, this teaching of cleanness, righteousness, and holiness (Acts 20:34-35).

What are we to make of all this? It seems fairly obvious here that a lot of effort had been poured into teaching the believers in Ephesus. When we look at ourselves and our society, can we safely conclude that that there is no longer be a need for this constant preaching and teaching? I think not. Paul’s message gives us a glimpse into an aspect of the life of the early church that we would do well to consider and emulate. Paul’s intent here seems to be expressed in what he told both Timothy and Titus regarding the need to equip others live out and constantly teach this whole counsel of God – “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” (2 Timothy 2:2); “…holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and to convince those who contradict.” (Titus 1:9).

In fact, Paul warned these men to “…take heed to yourselves and to all the flock....” After taking heed, what were they to do? Paul tells them. He says that the Holy Spirit had made them “…overseers….” The Spirit had given them a responsibility. They were to “…take heed…to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” (Acts 20: 28). That shepherding, according to Paul’s example, included making provision for good food and clean water – in other words sound doctrine, the whole counsel of God.

The KJV translates this word “shepherd” as “feed”, as does the Bishop’s Bible and the Geneva Bible. The NASB uses “shepherd.” The ESV uses “tend.” Jesus used the same word in John 21:16 when, after grieving Peter by questioning him about the extent of his love, he commanded Peter to “…feed my sheep.” The Greek word means “to feed, to tend a flock, keep sheep”. What this feeding, this tending, this shepherding entails is part of what I want to explore.

The record of the rest of the New Testament, which I will look at in the future development of this study, is clear that there was a tremendous amount of verbal and written teaching going on in the early church. The record shows that this teaching was communicated and was to be communicated by apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers; by elders, by mature men and women, by mothers and fathers, by brothers and sisters. Actually, I believe it can safely be said that there is much more teaching than any one man by himself can possibly do in any one assembly of believers.

Filed under: Acts, Teaching in the Church