20 how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house, 21 testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 20:20–21, NKJV)
The gospel has the power to save souls and change lives because it is the word of God (Rom. 1:16; 1 Thess. 2:13). Therefore, Paul did not hold back from teaching what would benefit his audiences, whether publicly or privately. In today’s passage, he summarized the powerful effect of the gospel. The gospel commands and produces repentance toward God (Acts 17:30). When received, it changes how we think and how we act toward God. Sin invariably corrupts our understanding of the true God (cf. Rom. 1:18-25). The gospel produces a change of how we think toward God, and consequently, toward sin (Acts 2:37-38). Like Paul, teaching the gospel means addressing how sin distorts our hearts toward God. The gospel equips us to have “faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” once we change our hearts toward God. The gospel teaches us to submit to the authority of Jesus because He is Lord (our Master, Ruler). The gospel teaches us Jesus is Christ (God’s anointed prophet, priest, and king), the Savior of the world. Any message that lessens the authority and the honor of the Lord Jesus Christ is not the gospel (Gal. 1:6-10). Let us not shrink back from teaching the gospel. It changes hearts and lives when fully proclaimed and fully received (Lk. 8:15).
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