The Whole Counsel of God

   'For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God..' (Acts 20:27, NKJV)

   These words were spoken by the Apostle Paul to the elders of the church at Ephesus when he was returning to Jerusalem, where it was prophesied he would be taken prisoner. This speech was a final address of sorts. He said to them, 'And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more' (Acts 20:25, NKJV). Paul was concerned that the Ephesian church must be prepared to weather all the trials and challenges of the future, and so it needed to be established in all of God's truth and have the courage and endurance to remain true to it.

  Some time ago I was asked to lead a Bible-study at my home-church. At the time I was reading Acts and I came across this passage. I use a study-Bible for my daily readings and there was a passage written by one of the editors regarding this point. It emphasized the need for pastors to cover in time a wide array of topics from the Bible. This really struck me and I decided to make the point that it is also incumbent on all believers to address our blind-spots. For example, in Britain talking about money is often awkward, so we mind not tackle it so often in our private study.

 Below is a non-exhaustive list of topics for study. This is offered merely as a way of drawing attention to things one might have overlooked and is not suggested as a stringent programme to be slavishly followed.

-God's character
-the Trinity
-salvation
-the work of the Holy Spirit
-the gifts of the Holy Spirit
-the fruit of the Holy Spirit
-prophecy
-the Second Coming
-money
-Biblical history
-Old Testament types of Christ
-the Church
-the Kingdom of Heaven
-parables
-prayer
-legalism
-deliverance & demons
-healing
-repentance and confession
-marriage & family
-sexual ethics
-evangelism & outreach
-idolatry
-other religions

  I would like to end by saying we should all seek God's will and prompting in this. If He puts it on your heart to explore some part of His Word, follow Him.

God bless.