Leaving It All on the Floor
Basketball players often speak of "leaving it all on the floor." It's the idea of expending every bit of effort and energy during competition. You finish the contest fully spent. Win or lose, you have absolutely no regrets about your performance. There was nothing more you could have done. You have left it all on the floor.
That's what Paul did in Ephesus. That's what he describes here in his pep talk to the church's elders.
Like so many folks who contact friends during a layover at the airport, the apostle has called the church leaders from just up the road for a brief moment of encouragement. He sailing back to Jerusalem with famine relief for the church there. There's no time to waste if he hopes to get back by Pentecost. But during his layover in Miletus, he takes the opportunity to speak into their lives one more time.
Paul knows "imprisonment and afflictions" are a lock once he returns to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22-23). God's Spirit has made that abundantly clear to him. With that in mind, he tells his Ephesian friends, "And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again" (v25). He's sure that they won't meet again on this side of heaven. The apostle is certain of not only of doing hard time in a Roman prison but also his death for preaching Christ. He is saying his final goodbye to the people he's invested three years of his life (Acts 20:31, 38).
First of all, this is a reminder that just because we are followers of Jesus it hurts to say goodbye. When we invest in the lives of others and build deep relationships, it makes it very difficult to move on. Both Paul and the Ephesian elders ached at the thought of never seeing each other again. Yet they both knew that their lives were in the hands of a loving God. He was in control.
Second, Paul most likely had an opportunity to see his friends in Ephesus again. There is every indication that was released from his eventual imprisonment that we read at the end of Acts. The charges don't warrant a life sentence or execution. And don't forget that he would write his letter to the Ephesians during his first prison bid.
The man from Tarsus tells the elders, "Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all of you" (v26). The original grammar actually indicates that he is "innocent of the blood of all." There is no second person pronoun. He is NOT saying that he bears no responsibility for Stephen's murder or those he persecuted before his conversion. He has found forgiveness in Christ for that heinous crime. He is also NOT saying that he shared Jesus with every single person he came in contact with.
What he is saying is that he is certain that no one can find fault in his message. Just like God's charge to Ezekiel, Paul made sure he left it all on the floor (Ezek 33:7-9). Paige Patterson says that he preaches each sermon as if it is his last. He makes sure his listeners hear the Gospel of grace and have a chance to turn to Jesus. Apparently the Apostle Paul did the same. He knows that anyone who heard his teaching would have no doubt of God's offer of salvation.
Am I clear about this when I teach or write? Can I make the same claim of being "innocent of the blood of all of you?" Am I leaving it all on the floor for those who live in a lost and dying world?
Paul goes on to say, "For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God" (v27). The Greek grammar here is powerful. The use of a double negative in the original language emphasizes his point. He did not in any way cower from preaching the truth. The verb here is hupostello. It's the same word he used earlier when he reminded them that he "did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable" during his Ephesian stay. The verb carries the idea of hiding behind or under something. Paul was not shy in what he taught. He taught with both grace and truth. He was tender when it was appropriate. He was tough when he needed to be.
The apostle recalls how he taught them "the whole counsel of God." The word for counsel is boule. It means an inward thought process that leads to a decision. The term can be translated purpose, plan, motive, counsel or decision. It is often used to describe the complete scriptural witness (i.e. the whole Bible). But let's face it, Paul is talking at a time before the canon of Scripture is complete.
The term "the whole counsel of God" is probably best understood as the revealed purpose or plan of God. Some contemporary scholars call this the Meta-Narrative. This is the Big Story of the Bible. Our loving Creator is working to save His creatures and creation from their own willful rebellion through His Son Jesus. His gracious move of salvation in Christ goes out to the entire world, both Jew and Gentile. And eventually Jesus is coming back again to renew all of creation. That's the Big Story of the Bible. That's a snapshot of "the whole counsel of God."
Paul didn't just dive into a verse here or there and prooftext. He taught "the whole counsel of God." He left it all on the floor. And we should do the same.
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