Acts 20:26-32 says,
"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. Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."
Fierce wolves will always try to attack the church, and the most savage and dangerous of these will be FROM WITHIN, meaning that they will seem like, and call themselves fellow believers, but will have a completely different agenda. They will twist the truth and seek to move disciples away from the truth into a plausible yet destructive version. Is this happening today? Have you seen it? Where will you continue to see it? Every time you hear a phrase: “I know the Bible says ________, but since we are called to love, I now believe _________,” this is evidence of savagery in our midst. What's the antidote? Take another look at the passage above from Acts 20 before you continue.
- Declare the whole counsel of Scripture (v. 27) – we are not to shrink away from any difficult, seemingly offensive, or seemingly incongruent passages of Scripture. We are to declare both God’s love and wrath, Him grace and justice, His mercy and holiness.
- Be aware of ourselves and God’s flock (v. 28) – We are to understand that those who teach are also sheep, prone to wander and error, and must be sure they do not move toward either. We must be aware at the deception out in the world and walk with constant vigilance in God’s Word.
- Care for God’s church, both by nourishment and protection (v. 28) – We must remember the war is raging around us, that there is no let up, and must seek to care by equipping, confronting, nourishing, declaring, and teaching God’s Word.
The above is excerpted from a sermon entitled "Real Knowledge in Confusing Times, from one of our summer preaching series. You can read or listen to the whole message here!
