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"But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I
might finish my course with joy, and (or even) the ministry which I revealed from the
Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God" (Acts 20: 24).
Here it is evident the Apostle looks forward to a new ministry. He stands as it were at
the beginning of a course, and prays that he may finish it.
#2.
(Concluded from page 175).
pp. 190 - END
In the last chapter of his last epistle (the dying words of the Apostle whose time for
departure was at hand) he could say, "I have finished my course." Repeatedly in this last
epistle (II Timothy) he refers to his chain, and once more he refers to himself as the
prisoner of the Lord (1: 8).
This ministry is set in contrast to that summarized in Acts 20: 21. There he had
testified repentance and faith, now he was to testify the gospel of the grace of God. This
gospel is directly connected with the prison ministry of the Apostle Paul who claims in
Eph. 3: to have received "the dispensation of the grace of God." This ministry Paul says
"he received of the Lord Jesus." Now, the time when he received it, and the fact that it
differed from his earlier ministry is explained in Acts 26: Most would turn to Acts 9:
to find the words of the Lord to Paul, but they are not fully recorded, they stop short at
the most important part, which omission is as much dispensational as the better known
example of the Lord's quotation of Isa. 61: 2. Not until "repentance" had been fully
preached could it be made known that God had provided against Israel's foreseen
unbelief and obstinacy. So it is that Paul the prisoner tells what Paul the free man could
not tell.