When the apostle Paul was ready to make his trip from Assos to Jerusalem, and being in a hurry to get to Jerusalem by the day of Pentecost, he sent word to the elders of the church at Ephesus to meet him at Miletus. At Miletus he said to them, “Ye know, from the first day that I came into Asia, after what manner I have been with you at all seasons,…And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shewed you, and have taught you publickly, and from house to house, Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Acts 20:18-21.)
He further said, “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.” (Acts 20:26-27.)
It is possible for a person to preach the truth but not preach all the truth. But Paul was not that sort of preacher. He let the elders of the church at Ephesus know that the reason he was pure from the blood of all men was that he had not shunned to declare unto them all the counsel of God.
For almost 50 years I have preached and held meetings in 17 of our states and Canada. With but few exceptions, I have found elders of the church eager to have all the counsel of God preached. But there have been a few exceptions.
Upon one occasion, when I was called to hold a meeting, after the first service on Sunday morning, I was told not to preach anything in the meeting that would condemn anyone who believed a different doctrine. I kindly, but emphatically, informed them that I was going to preach the truth of God, regardless of who might be in the audience, and that if they did not want that kind of preaching they would have to get another preacher. Some might say that I rebelled against the elders; but if I had compromised the truth, I would have been guilty of the blood of those who might not have known the truth. Nothing further was said to me about what I should or should not preach, and we had a good meeting.
At another place I learned after I arrived that the elders were having preachers from various denominations in the city to take part in their public worship and were dismissing their worship at times on Sunday evening to attend denominational meetings. I rebuked those elders before the whole congregation, and the practice was stopped. I could have preached the truth in either instance without condemning them; but in doing so, I would have shunned to declare all the counsel of God.
Paul said for the elders of the church at Ephesus to, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (Acts 20:28.) First, elders are to take heed unto themselves; i.e., they must walk according to the doctrine of Christ themselves. Then, they have the great responsibility of watching over the church and feeding the church over which the Holy Spirit made them overseers. As long as they take heed unto themselves and follow the teaching of Christ, they should be supported by every child of God in the congregation in their work. When we consider the exceedingly great price God paid for the church, we will understand that we cannot be frivolous in our work for the church, whether we are elders or not.
But Paul also warned elders, saying, “For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.” (Acts 20:29-31.) Paul was speaking directly to the elders. “Of your own selves” refers to the elders. From them, he said, men would arise, teaching perverse things to draw away disciples after them. This is a definite warning to the church today that elders are not infallible. From elders have arisen men to teach perverse things just as from preachers men have arisen, teaching perverse things. But the fact that some elders and preachers disregard the doctrine of Christ does not mean that all elders and all preachers will do so.
It is being said that I have always admonished churches to follow the elders. That statement is partly true, but not wholly true. I have always warned churches that from the eldership false teachers could arise, and I have given examples of such having happened. I have had debates with hobbyists who were led away by elders of the church, and I always rebuked those elders severely. I can go back through my writings for a period of twenty years and cite my admonitions to come out from those elders who taught error. Recently, I rebuked an elder in St. Louis through the Informer, calling his name. Loyal elders in loyal churches have supported me in my efforts to combat false teaching, and I am thankful to God for their support
If, as some say, we must always follow elders, regardless of whether they are right or not, we could not speak against any false teaching in any church which has elders; for instance, we could not have rebelled against putting instrumental music in the worship for the churches that did that had elders. But, “We ought to obey God rather than men.” (Acts 5:29.)
W. L. Totty
THE INFORMER
Vol. 26 No. 11
February 4, 1973