Undiluted

Undiluted

"For I didn't shrink from declaring to you
all that God wants you to know."
Acts 20:27

On one of our many trips to Vermont when we lived on the East Coast, I still remember trying out "Genuine Vermont Maple Syrup". Expecting it to be similar to my Log Cabin Maple Syrup back home, I poured it on as usual only to be shocked at the first helping of blueberry pancakes. This was the real thing, undiluted, super sweet, unlike anything I had tasted.

We get so used to the products we enjoy being diluted, that the real thing becomes too much to take. And maple syrup isn't the only example. Orange, apple and other juices have only a small percentage of the real thing. And drinking whole milk tastes so thick after getting used to half percent that I can't drink it anymore let alone put it on a bowl of Frosted Flakes in the morning. And when the extra ice in my Diet Coke melts, the pop gets so diluted that you can't always tell what it was to start with.

Paul, in his parting words to the elders of the Ephesian church, was speaking of his ministry among them when he said "I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will of God". He was establishing his faithfulness to them as a minister of the gospel in that he didn't hold anything back, didn't water down the Word, and certainly didn't dilute the message the Lord had called him to deliver. It may taste a little strong at first and even be a little offensive, but we need the whole truth of God's Word if we are to stand strong during the days we are living in. We need to hear about holiness and purity and the need to be separated from the world and unto God, without it being diluted with excuses the Lord won't accept.

Faithfulness in devotions, giving and church attendance - "Pastor, please don't dilute it and don't hold back, speak the truth to us!!" Patience, persistence, passion, and prayer - we need Pauls who won't shrink back, won't be afraid to say the unpopular but necessary things we need to hear.

Jesus said "you will know the truth and the truth will set you free". To steal a phrase "the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth" is desperately needed in our generation.

Let's not settle for diluted when it comes to the things of God!

God Bless,
Pastor Joe
Gateway Church