The Whole Counsel Of God

 

Last post, we looked at a way to keep ourselves fed on the Word of God. In today's post, let's focus on what our clergy (Overseers) are teaching the average Christian. The phrase, “the whole counsel of God,” is found in Acts 20:27, “For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.”

If you're like me, it brought up a whole bunch of questions. What does that even mean? Is my clergy preaching and teaching me the whole counsel of God? Are they leaving anything out? Who decides what and how the average Christian gets taught on any given Sunday? Picture this: any given Sunday, the vast majority of Christian churches worldwide listen to their clergy teach them a segmented clip from scripture. The book and chapter it was extracted from are usually referenced at the beginning of the teaching, so the congregation can find it if they want to follow along. The segment of scripture presented is out of context from the scriptures before it and after it. Oftentimes, the clergy will quote supporting scripture from other books to strengthen the point of their message. I have witnessed clergy preaching and teaching passages of scripture, which, when read in context to the rest of the scripture surrounding it, did not mean what they said they meant when they taught it. Is that your church? Does the referenced scripture you are being taught actually mean what your clergy says it means? Is it wrong to teach this way? No, it's the way they were taught to teach. It's a style that is prevalent in most Western Christian churches. And before you get your hackles up, let me hasten to add that most of the time, the clergy are genuinely trying to do the right thing. However, some churches do deceive (more on that in a future post). 

There is an interesting article I ran across concerning this very topic. The website is gotquestions.org, the link is here (https://www.gotquestions.org/whole-counsel-of-God.html). I encourage you to read it. I will be extrapolating some of the text from this article to illustrate my point.

So, what's missing? The lack of knowledge is a big one; in some seminaries, prophecy is not even taught to new clergy.  In some instances, it's the lack of courage to teach the word boldly. In general, Clergy is often hesitant to teach specific topics in scripture because they fear losing their congregation, funding, or their position as head of their church. Denominational bias is also an issue. These denominations don't even believe in certain passages of scripture; they minimize or even eliminate these passages from their "interpretations" of the Bible to reduce their potential impact on their congregations. Finally, it's you and me. Sadly, there are some Christians who don't want to hear the WHOLE counsel of God!  These Christians do not want to be held accountable (to you, to their church, and surely not to God). Just tell them the good parts: "I am loved," and "I'm going to heaven." That's it. They don't want to hear about the confession of sin, lifestyle changes, repentance, humility, or serving God. These Christians will not attend a church that teaches the whole counsel of God.

So, sounds pretty bleak, doesn't it? Yes, it does, and no, it doesn't. There is a minority of Christian churches out there that DO teach the whole counsel of God. But you have to go hunt for them.  Some can be found on the internet. Search, check it out. If it doesn't answer your questions, move on. Consider this: The Bible is sixty-six books written by forty-five authors, across 1500 years. It is the inspired AUTHORITATIVE Word of God! The Bible was not created in a vacuum. Each book, chapter, and verse fits into a cohesive tapestry designed by God to show us His character, His nature, and His path to our salvation. While the Bible was not necessarily written to us. It is written for us. I left Catholicism because they could not and would not answer my questions. I found my answers in Evangelicalism. I will direct you to my pastor for almost forty years, Pastor Robert Furrow, Calvary Tucson (https://calvarytucson.com/). This is not to convert you or entice you to change your church. It is an example of what the whole counsel of God teaching looks like. Book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse.  In context, even the hard verses. Even the ones that generate controversy.  Pay attention to what he teaches in scripture and how he teaches it. Then ask yourself the question, "Am I getting that kind of counsel from my church?" Lastly, and most importantly, the choice of where you go to church and who you listen to is always and will be forever yours. As always, ask God where He wants you to be. He'll put you there if you let Him. Until next time.

Walk in the guidance of the Lord.

G