Amazing Grace Christian Center

.... "Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak, and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.
(Habakkuk 2:2 & 3)

Our Vision

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.... "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Eph 2:4-7).

.... Amazing Grace Christian Center has been established by the Holy Spirit to advance the gospel of Jesus Christ through preaching and teaching the infallible word of God and demonstrating the reality of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ through practical, spirit-led living. Our goal is three-fold:

1) To persuade men and women of all races and nationalities that the answer to all of life’s challenges is found only in the shed blood of Jesus Christ (Eph 1:7; 2:4-7; 2:13-14; Col 1:20; Heb 9:14).

2) To "equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Eph 4:12). We believe that the purpose of the Body of Christ can only be achieved when the Body of Christ begins to thirst and hunger for righteousness, truth and holiness (Matthew 5:6; Eph 4:24).

3) To be a catalyst for change in the body of Christ by fostering unity among church leaders as the church prepares for the end-time harvest (John 13:35; Eph 4:13).

.... To fulfill our God-given vision, we will focus our teaching on five major areas:

1. Grace (Ephesians 2:4-7; Acts 4:33)
2. Salvation (Romans 10:8-10)
3. Spirit-led living (Romans 8:12-17)
4. Unity (Ephesians 4:9-16)
5. End-time harvest (Matthew 13:36-43)

Responsibility of Leadership

.... "I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding." (Jer 3:15). Our charge is to: "Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Tim 4:2). I commit myself, as pastor, to continual prayer and the Word of God, so that I will be strong and very courageous as I go in and out among the people of God.
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Responsibility of Congregation

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.... The congregation is responsible for praying for the leadership, committing to the church and supporting the work of the ministry. By being planted in this church, each individual will learn how to hear the voice of God, find their place in the body, and exercise their gifts and talents so that the body of Christ is built up.
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Together

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Together, we will grow in "the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ." (Eph 4:13). As we grow in grace and from glory to glory, we will affect change in our community, nation, and the world by presenting Jesus, the Risen Christ, to a hurting world.

Photo Gallery

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The New Heaven and the New Earth

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.... After the Great Day of the Lord and the final judgment, the Lord will wipe away every tear from our eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. And there shall be no more pain, for the former things will have passed away. (Revelation 21:4).

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.... And now the vision of mankind’s eternal destiny with God unfolds:

.... "Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, "Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God."
(Revelation 21:1-3)

.... Please notice that even now, the tabernacle of God is with man on the earth, rather than being in heaven, in the new city that descends from heaven: New Jerusalem. This is a city with twelve founda- tions, named for the twelve apostles, and twelve gates of pearl, named for the twelve tribes of Israel (from which we obtain the phrase ‘the pearly gates’). But the really important understanding is that the Lord God Almighty is there, and the Lamb, and their glory illuminates the city as a light (Revelation 21:22-23). And thus we shall ever be with the Lord.

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.... Furthermore, in this far distant glimpse into our future, it is interesting to note that nations will still exist on the earth:

.... "And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb's Book of Life."
(Revelation 21:24-27)

.... From the throne of God and of the Lamb flows a pure river, that those who wish may drink of the water of life freely (Revelation 21:6). On either side of the river grows the tree of life, bearing 12 types of fruit, each in its season. And the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations (Revelation 22:2).

.... "Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power."
(1 Corinthians 15:24)

.... In many ways, the last chapter of the last book of the Bible (the Book of Revelation) is a mirror image to the first chapter of the first book, Called the Book of Genesis. Throughout the toil of the ages, God has pursued the course that would restore His fellowship with mankind through Jesus Christ alone, that Jesus might be all in all, and that He may be glorified in His Son.

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Congratulations, you have now completed the Basic Discipleship Course! Please continue reading your Bible through the rest of the New Testament, then read the four gospels and the Book of Acts a second time. After that, please return to Genesis and read the entire Bible straight through.
.... Through this you will have the academic background you need to become a strong Christian, but your most important lessons will be learned in walking with Christ and applying the things you’ve learned. Through seeking Him and abiding in Him, as He changes your life into His image, may you bring forth fruit to eternal life, to His glory! Amen.

The Day of the Lord

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.... After the curtain is drawn on the Millennial reign of Christ, and the enemy is cast into the Lake of Fire, the time for the second resurrection will come. This is also known as the Resurrection of Condemnation: for the purpose of this event is to prepare the unsaved for eternal judgment:

.... "Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works."
(Revelation 20:11-13)

.... Jesus said that those who hear His word and believe in Him have everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but will pass from death into life (John 5:24). But the words and deeds of the saints, from their lifetime, will be used to form of testimony against those others in condemning them:

.... "The men of Nineveh will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and indeed a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the South will rise up in the judgment with this generation and condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and indeed a greater than Solomon is here."
(Matthew 12:41-42)

.... Every time we heard the word of Christ in our lives and humbled ourselves to believe Him, it not only served to justify ourselves but to condemn unbelievers by our own example. For if we could walk with Him humbly, despite our many weaknesses, by His Grace, then no one else can have an excuse for not doing the same:

.... "For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence."
(1 Corinthians 1:26-29)

.... In particular, God will be glorified through us in the ways we were conformed to Jesus’ image, for in exactly such ways His life shines through us the most: "that, as it is written: ‘He who glories, let him glory in the Lord." (1 Corinthians 1:31). He has been glorified in us through our obedience; and now He will be glorified in the lives of the unsaved as well -- but this time, through pronouncing judgment on them (Proverbs 16:4).

.... "Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire."
(Revelation 20:14-15)

.... With this event, the world as we have known it will pass away, and the new world will come. We will continue this discussion in our next, and final, posting.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: Philemon

The Millennial Reign

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.... When Jesus returns to the earth, He will initiate a series of judgments in the earth itself to prepare it for His thousand year reign:

.... ". . . and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed."
(2 Thessalonians 1:7-10)

.... The severerest possible judgment will fall on all those who outrightly troubled Christians (above), upon those who would have opposed the reign of Christ (Luke 9:27), and on those who knew Him, yet were disobedient. All these shall be cast into the everlasting fire (Matthew 25:41).

.... Nevertheless, the world will not end at this time. It is evident from the Scriptures that people and nations will remain on the earth even after Jesus returns and His reign begins. But who are these people, and what is their relationship to the kingdom?

.... We know, for example, that those who claimed to be Christians yet never really knew Him were left outside, so they will probably form a part of the nations that remain (Matthew 25:10-12). At least they were not disposed against Him. Apparently, unbelievers who were likewise unopposed to Him will remain in the earth as well. "For he who is not against us is on our side." (Mark 9:40).

.... "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while."
(Revelation 20:1-3)

.... During the thousand years reign, the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord as the waters cover the sea (Habakkuk 2:14). The nations, undeceived, will live in a time of abundance and harmony.

.... Also during the Millennium, the kingdom will be restored to Israel (Acts 1:6-7) and the saints will rule and reign with Christ as a royal priesthood (Revelation 20:6). As discussed in our previous two postings, some of the saints will be given authority over the earthly tribes or cities, or authority over kingdom tasks, during this extended time. The kingdom will have a capital or central place of government in the holy city of Jerusalem, the city of the great king. From there the saints will rule in Jesus’ presence, going out and coming in (John 10:9).

.... There is reason to believe that the financial empires, built by Christian stewards as discussed in one of our previous postings, will also remain in the world during this time, and will continue to grow. Through them, the wealth of the nations will be brought into Jerusalem:

.... "Therefore your gates shall be open continually; they shall not be shut day or night, that men may bring to you the wealth of the Gentiles, and their kings in procession."
(Isaiah 60:11)

.... However, the 1000 years of peace includes some perplexing questions. Many of the people of the nations are clearly unsaved (Revelation 20:7-9), and all of them have missed the first resurrection. So can they still be saved during this time? The answer is unknown, but a hint is given that, perhaps, at least some of them could still be saved (Revelation 21:24).

.... At the end of the thousand years, Satan will be released from his prison once again:

.... ". . . and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them."
(Revelation 20:8-9)

.... The Lord will defeat Satan in this rebellion, and Satan himself will be cast alive into the Lake of Fire (Revelation 20:10). The Lord’s triumph in defeating Satan will also bring the Millennial Reign to an end, and usher in the second resurrection, also known as the Resurrection of Condemnation. That will lead to the Great Day of the Lord, the Day of Judgment, which is also known as the Great White Throne Judgment -- and then to the second death in the Lake of Fire, where the disobedient and unrepentent souls of the ages join the devil in his eternal place of punishment.

.... We will discuss this further in our next posting.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: Titus 3

The Judgment of Ministers

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.... In our previous posting we discussed the judgment of Christian stewards, or market- place ministers, who handled kingdom resources including finances, and how they will be rewarded by the Lord. But of course, the most important type of stewardship is found within the ministry itself, since it effects the lives of other Christians:

.... "Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful."
(1 Corinthians 4:1-2)

.... Just as marketplace ministers settled their accounts with the Lord on the Day of His return, other types of ministers must give a special account of themselves on that day (1 Corinthians 3:13). Since all types of human ministry include some form of teaching, they will actually receive a stricter judgment than other Christians (James 3:1). This is because others may act on their counsel, advice or lessons in a way that brings either benefit or harm to them and to the kingdom as a whole, depending on how well the teacher was able to point them to Jesus (1 Corinthians 3:11).

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.... Therefore, when He returns, the Lord will review their teachings by fire to test their quality and determine their influence in building His kingdom. In explaining this concept, Paul speaks of his own teaching ministry as a premise, then speaks of the teaching ministries of others in a broader, following sense:

.... "According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire."
(1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

.... For ministers who serve the Lord well, having always pointed others to Him, a crown of righteousness will be awarded on that day:

.... "Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing."
(2 Timothy 4:8)

.... Furthermore, at least some of these ministers will be awarded kingdoms in the Millennial reign. This is similar to (and sometimes greater than) the rewards given to Christian stewards, which we discussed in our previous posting. For those faithful Stewards were given authority over cities; but at least in the case of apostles, an even higher reign is envisioned:

.... "But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials. And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."
(Luke 22:28-30)

.... Apostles, who helped bring the gospel to a nation originally, seem to reign over those same tribes or nations in the resurrection, at the national level. But what of prophets? What of evangelists, pastors and teachers, as well as every other form of ministry? And what about ordinary Christians who were not a part of the actual clergy?

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.... The Scriptures do not contain enough information for us to know if all Christians will rule in the Millennium in such a way. But it is certain, at least, that all will rule and reign with Christ Himself in the sense of sharing in His exalted status, as kings and a royal priesthood within His kingdom, and upon the earth (Revelation 5:10).

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: Titus 2

The Judgment of Stewards

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.... When Jesus returns to the earth He will rule and reign for a thousand years. At the end of that period will come the second resurrection and the Day of the Lord, when the unsaved will be judged before Him (Romans 2:6; Matthew 12:36). But Christians stewards will play an important role in between, during the millennial reign itself, so a special judgment will be held for them for this purpose. Two parables explain this stewardship and special judgment at length (Matthew 25:14-30, Luke 19:12-27).
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.... In the begin of each of those parables, the Lord called certain of his servants who had already gained a degree of business savvy, and entrusted them with start-up capital. They were to use this money to do business for His kingdom until He returned (Luke 19:13). Thus, they would become ‘marketplace ministers’. They were to gain by trading until the day of His coming, when He would settle accounts with them.

.... "And so it was that when he returned, having received the kingdom, he then commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know how much every man had gained by trading. Then came the first, saying, 'Master, your mina has earned ten minas.' And he said to him, 'Well done, good servant; because you were faithful in a very little, have authority over ten cities.'
(Luke 19:15-17)

.... Let’s think about this arrangement and its practi- calities. The concept of making a profit includes an understanding that all of the expenses will be met along the way. Accordingly, God has ordained and financially blessed certain Christian businessmen who will raise financial empires, now in this world, to help fund the needs of His kingdom until the Day He returns. They are to be savvy enough to help with the kingdom's financial needs and yet, at the same time, increase their own business holdings more and more. As a basic mechanism for transferring these funds to the kingdom, a ratio of their profits such as tithing most naturally suggests itself (Deuteronomy 14:22).

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.... As seen in both of Jesus' parables, some stewards will do better than others. Those who behave wastefully will be punished. But those who do well will receive new charges in the millennial kingdom itself, in relation to the abilities they’ve shown. In the quotation above, one steward received authority over ten cities; in Matthew’s account they could received charge over various other affairs of the kingdom as well. But in regard to the Millennial kingdom, why would this be important to know?

.... "Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is."
(1 John 3:2)

.... At this point we must venture into some areas that are not clearly defined in the Scriptures, but let’s make the best case we can with some of the things that we do know. We know that presently, in this world, the nations, cities and regions are spiritually ruled by principalities and powers of a demonic nature. These demons are fallen angels. But throughout the thousand year reign, we know that these same demons will be bound and so their dominions, of necessity, will be vacated (Revelation 20:1-3).

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.... On the other hand, Jesus told us that in the resurrection, when we are glorified with Him, we will become equal to the angels (Luke 20:36). We will also be much wiser then, for we will be glorified in Him, and we will be able to represent Him truly.

.... It seems most likely, therefore, that these faithful Christian stewards, now glorified and obtaining Christ-like wisdom, will be appointed over cities in the spirit realm in a manner that replaces the fallen angels who will be bound during this same period (1 Corinthians 6:3). In other words, they may very well become the new ruling powers over earthly realms during the millennial reign.

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.... Although all Christians will rule and reign with Christ during this period in the general sense of sharing in His exalted status, this particular type of reign seems to be reserved for Christian stewards, including apostles and other ministers, on the basis of their proven faithfulness. Therefore, persons having this ministry must always seek to please the Lord in the financial and ministerial decisions they make. We will discuss the similar judgment for ministers in our next posting.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: Titus 1

The Judgment of the Saints - Part 2

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.... In our previous posting we saw that God would greatly prefer to handle the issues of ours sins through our own confession and repentance, now in this life time, and to grant forgiveness through the blood of Jesus. For once we die, or once Christ returns (whichever comes first), we will reach a cut-off point:

.... "It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."
(Hebrews 9:27)

.... Any sin that remained in our lives at that point will become an issue for judgment, as the Lord Jesus Christ judges the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom (2 Timothy 4:1).

.... As mentioned in our previous posting, the Lord will take into account the motives of our heart and our sincerity in seeking to please Him (1 Corinthians 4:5; 1 John 3:21). But conversely, if we know in ourselves that we were holding something back from Him, God knows it even more fully than we do; and because we did not deal with it beforehand, He will have to deal with it now (1 John 3:20). We will not come into condemnation, yet punishment may still follow:

.... "And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more."
(Luke 12:47-48)

.... In this passage, we see that ignorance is not a complete excuse for our sins. But neither is it a barrier to the Lord in forgiving them, while we are still alive and there is time to seek Him and to do something about it. Forgiveness in such ways is ours for the asking, and we may ask as often as necessary:

.... "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse me from secret faults. Keep back Your servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me. Then I shall be blameless, and I shall be innocent of great transgression."
(Psalm 19:12-13)

.... We must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for the deeds done in his body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. (2 Corinthians 5:10). This can entail loss, but actually it’s main purpose is to assign rewards:

.... "For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works."
(Matthew 16:27)

.... As such, our judgment will be very thorough, yet also very selective. For every idle word we speak, we must give an account on that Day (Matthew 12:36). Yet God will be merciful to our unrighteousness for Jesus’ sake, and our sins and lawless deeds will be remembered no more (Hebrew 8:12). Furthermore, by His blood, Jesus has washed clean every record in heaven that was against us, and granted us a clean slate (Colossians 2:14). So ideally, the good things from our lives will be the only things that remain for review:

.... "Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen!"
(Jude 1:24-25)

.... But what is the criteria for God's judgment? Remember that He has set His seal on Jesus alone, and Jesus Himself is our fruit to eternal life (John 6:27). So God is looking for something interpersonal. He wants to see the ways in which we died to ourselves to become Christlike, as the life of Jesus shined through us. He wants to see how we glorified Him in those ways, or rather, how He glorified Himself through us.

.... "that, as it is written, "He who glories, let him glory in the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 1:31)

.... Our fruitfulness will be most evident in the Christlike love we have shown for others:

.... "And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world."
(1 John 4:16-17)

.... ... and our fruit will remain most readily amongst our own Christian brethren, with whom we have labored in Christ to build up the body. Therefore let us resolve not to cast a stumbling block before each other, but to help each other with our eternity in view (Romans 14:10-13)

.... "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For you are our glory and joy."
(1Thessalonians 2:19-20)
.... "we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus."
(2 Corinthians 1:14)

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 4

The Judgment of the Saints - Part 1

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.... The Bible tells us in unmistakable terms that all men are sinners: "For there is not a just man on earth who does good and does not sin." (Ecclesiastes 7:20). But the Day of Judgment is not God’s preferred method for dealing with our sins. In the greatness of His love, God sent His only begotten Son into the world to offer His life as a ransom for us all, that our sins may be washed away by His blood (Revelation 1:5).

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.... After we become Christians, if we sin again, we must take the matter back to God with confession to seek forgiveness again, as at the beginning. And again, the blood of Christ will cleanse us:

.... "But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellow- ship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
(1 John 1:7-9)

.... And when God forgives our sin, the matter is disposed of forever:

.... "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more."
(Hebrews 8:12)

.... Jesus taught us to examine our hearts for sin, and to seek forgiveness, as often as we pray (Luke 11:2-4). His intention is that we keep very short accounts with God. And with a similar intention, Paul told us that we should constantly and honestly examine our motives (2 Corinthians 13:5).

.... God would greatly prefer to deal with our sins in this manner, so they are not even mentioned in the Day of the Judgment of Christ (Ezekiel 18:22). But if our hearts fret against Him and we refuse to judge ourselves, and continue to harbor some sort of sin or unforgiveness in our heart, He has another method for dealing with our sins, short of taking it to that day:

.... "For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened by the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world."
(1 Corinthians 11:31-32)

.... As a last-ditch effort, God may address our unrepentant sin by punishing us in this world and chastening us now – which, though certainly unpleasant, would be far better than allowing it to proceed to the Judgment Day, which may actually result in our condemnation!

.... Basically, He does this by allowing us to reap what we have sown in order to bring us to a true repentance. At the end of this process we’re going to repent anyway, so why would we be so stubborn and do this to ourselves? How much better to simply humble ourselves before Him in the first place?
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.... Ultimately, God’s intention is that we should arrive before Him, on the Day of His return, with a slate that is already as clean as possible. It is greatly to our advantage to be of the same mind and lend ourselves to this! But even so there is a human weakness which may prevent a perfect presentation:

.... "But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. For I know nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness and reveal the counsels of the hearts. Then each one's praise will come from God."
(1 Corinthians 4:3-5)

.... Paul told us to judge ourselves constantly (1 Corinthians 11:21-32), and for himself, in doing so, he believed himself to have a clean conscience before God (Acts 23:1). Nevertheless, he recognized his own limitations. God may very well know some things about him and he didn’t even know about himself, and God may yet find fault in those areas, so this process is not an absolute defense. But thanks be to God, that He takes into account our sincerity in trying:

.... "Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God."
(1 John 3:21)

.... We will continue this discussion in our next posting.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 3

The Resurrection of the Just

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. . . a.k.a. The First Resurrection

.... When Jesus returns to the earth, He will bring with Him those who had previously fallen asleep in Christ. Descending from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and the trumpet of God, He will gather together all who have made a covenant with Him through His death, burial and resurrection:

.... "The Mighty One, God the LORD, has spoken and called the earth from the rising of the sun to its going down. Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God will shine forth. Our God shall come, and shall not keep silent; a fire shall devour before Him, and it shall be very tempestuous all around Him. He shall call to the heavens from above, and to the earth, that He may judge His people: "Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice." Let the heavens declare His righteousness, for God Himself is Judge. Selah."
(Psalm 50:1-6)

.... In a previous posting we described how the dead in Christ have already received a prima facie judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Now those who are alive in Christ and remain will be joining them, beginning with a prima facie judgment of their own. Basically, this is to determine whether they were truly abiding in Him or not. For Jesus Himself spoke of this in a series of three stories, recorded in Matthew 25.

.... "Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom."
(Matthew 25:1)

.... In the first of these stories, the kingdom of heaven is likened to ten virgins. All ten were a part of the kingdom, but it turned out that only five of them really knew Him (v 12). Despite their religious intentions, a relationship was simply never formed with the other five, so they were left outside like the unbelievers. (Scriptures like Matthew 7:22-23 speak of those in the same category.)

.... At the end of the same chapter, Jesus gave another story to describe the next step in this prima facie judgment. It is the familiar story of the sheep and the goats (Matthew 25:31-46). Once again, the story envisions those who were still alive at His coming. They had made it this far because they did develop a relationship with Him. But Jesus now applies a ‘litmus test’ to see if they were sincere or disobedient in terms of fruitfulness in their relationship.

.... As we read this passage, we find that the ‘litmus test’ was as simple as giving someone a glass of water in the name of a disciple (Matthew 10:42); but for all of that simplicity, a great multitude could never, even once in their entire lives, claim to have passed this test of sincerity. They were totally unfruitful. So in the end, it was an acid test after all:

.... "And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
(Matthew 25:46)

.... And it is in this sense that Paul would later speak, in telling us that Jesus would return:

.... ". . . in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power."
(2 Thessalonians 1:8-9)

.... And therefore, Peter also speaks of those same persons:

.... "For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb: "A dog returns to his own vomit," and, "a sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire."
(2 Peter 2:20-22)

.... Sandwiched between those two stories, in Matthew 25, is another instructive story of judgment pertaining to Christian stewards. This has a special bearing on the millennial reign so we will discuss it further in another posting. But we will also give further discussion to the judgments of the saints in the postings that follow.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 2

The Second Coming of Christ

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.... Before Jesus ascended to the Father, He promised to return to the earth one day and receive us to Himself:

.... "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
(John 14:3)

.... When He returns, He will come without warning as a thief in the night (1 Thessa- lonians 5:2). He will come walking across the sky with clouds, and every eye shall see Him (Revelation 1:7). He will shine like the lightning coming out of the east into the west (Luke 17:24), bringing with Him those who sleep in Christ, as the Resurrection of the Just begins to unfold. And those of us who are alive and remain on the earth will be caught up together with Him in the air:

.... "Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed– in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
(1 Corinthians 15:51-52)

.... "For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord."
(1Thessalonians 4:14-17)

.... The event described in this passage is sometimes referred to as the rapture, although the phrase itself does not appear in the Bible. 'Rapture' means to ‘catch away’, and it is true that we will be caught up into the clouds to be with Jesus when He returns. But it also leads to the common assumption that, when He returns, He will be taking us away to heaven.

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.... Certainly, if we were to die in Christ today, we would go to Paradise, which seems to be part of heaven (Luke 23:43). We discussed this in further detail in a previous posting. But in this passage, Jesus is coming to the earth from heaven, and for the next 1,000 years He intends to rule and reign on the earth.

.... "Then the seventh angel sounded: And there were loud voices in heaven, saying, "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever!"
(Revelation 11:15)

.... This will initiate a special period known in Scripture as the thousand years reign, or millennial reign; and we, as Christians, shall reign along with Jesus. For He has "made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth." (Revelation 5:10).

.... "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with Him a thousand years."
(Revelation 20:6)

.... Coincidental with His coming (and preceding the millennial reign itself) will be the first resurrection, which is also called the Resurrection of the Just (Luke 14:14). And once again, at this point (and as discussed in a previous posting), a prima facie case will be made for every person who is still alive at His coming, to determine if they will make it in this resurrection or not. We will discuss that further in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: 2 Timothy 1

The Resurrection of Jesus

2008-11-15T11:54:00.000-06:00

.... When Jesus died and rose again, He became the firstborn from the dead. In almost every way, we will follow His pattern in our own resurrection so let’s discuss this as a model (1 Corinthians 15:20). It is of primary importantance to understand that His resurrection was not merely spiritual in nature but extended to His whole being, to include His soul and body as well:

.... "Therefore My heart is glad, and My glory rejoices; My flesh also will rest in hope. For You will not leave My soul in Sheol, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption."
(Psalm 16:9-10)

.... This is important because some of the modern cults teach against the bodily resurrection of Christ. They believe His resurrection was merely spiritual in nature, so it follows that our own resurrection would be merely spiritual as well. But let’s see how Jesus Himself would answer them:

.... ‘So the Jews answered and said to Him, "What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?" Jesus answered and said to them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." . . . But He was speaking of the temple of His body.’
(John 2:18-21)
.... "Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have."
(Luke 24:39)

.... After His resurrection, the apostles were able to touch Jesus, hold Him with their hands, and eat and drink in His presence (1 John 1:1). And when they did so, they were touching a living promise that we, too, would be raised from the dead one day.

.... Still, there is one area of difference between the bodily resurrection of Christ and our own, which stems from a unique quality of Jesus. We saw in Psalm 16:10 (which is quoted above) that when Jesus died His body did not suffer corruption -- whereas our own mortal bodies, following death, will begin to do so. His body, before and after, was the same. But what about our own?

.... Let’s borrow another concept from Jesus to explain this:

.... "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain."
(John 12:24)

.... In this passage, Jesus spoke of His own death and resurrection to come. In a similar way, when we die, our mortal remains will be ‘sown’ into the earth, like a type of seed:

.... "And what you sow, you do not sow that body that shall be, but mere grain-- perhaps wheat or some other grain. But God gives it a body as He pleases, and to each seed its own body."
(1 Corinthians 15:37-38)

.... So our bodies become like seeds that fall into the ground, die, and begin to decay. Yet in some essential way, from that same, original essence, springs forth a new, resurrected body on the Day that Jesus returns:

.... "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and He shall stand at last on the earth; And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, that in my flesh I shall see God, Whom I shall see for myself, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!"
(Job 19:25-2)

.... Paul tells us, in fact, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God. So even those of us who remain alive at His coming will be changed in this essential way:

.... ". . . . in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: "Death is swallowed up in victory."’
(1 Corinthians 15:52-54)

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 6

The Dead in Christ

2008-11-08T11:40:00.000-06:00

.... When Jesus left this world and returned to the Father, He issued an invitation and a promise to us all:

.... "If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor."
(John 12:26)

.... "In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also."
(John 14:2-3)

.... Therefore when we reach the end of our mortal lives and pass from this world to the next, the most important thing to understand is that we will follow once more in Jesus' footsteps, and in a fuller sense come into the presence of the Father and of Jesus Himself:

.... "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live on in the flesh, this will mean fruit from my labor; yet what I shall choose I cannot tell. For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better."
(Philippians 1:21-23)

.... "We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord."
(2 Corinthians 5:8)

.... Those who are dead in Christ have really only died to this world – which is considered a benefit and a blessing in itself (Job 3:18-19; Isaiah 57:1-2). In the sense that really matters, in which they are one spirit with Jesus (1 Corinthians 6:17), they have not truly died at all, but have passed from death into the truer, fuller life. Therefore in the sense of this world, they are usually not referred to as being ‘dead’ but as being ‘asleep’ in Christ (John 11:11-14; Acts 7:60; 1 Corinthians 15:6,18).
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.... In other words, in this sense, ‘asleep’ simply means that they are at rest from the labors of this world. Let’s follow the life of Jesus again in order to demonstrate this point:

.... "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep."
(1 Corinthians 15:20)

.... We know that during the three days of His death, Jesus was very active in the heart of the earth, among the dead. He certainly was not asleep in this way! (Genesis 3:15) We also saw, from the story of the rich man and Lazarus, that everyone else in that realm was active and aware. They still had compassion and feelings (Luke 16:26), they could feel pain or comfort (as appropriate), they’ve all kept their memories, and they've all kept up with the latest news, apparently brought to them by the new arrivals (v 29). They cared about the loved ones they left behind, and their families still mattered to them (vs 25-28). Even in Hades itself, emotions such as love endured: "for love is as strong as death . . . many waters cannot quench love, nor can the floods drown it." (Song 8:6-7).

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.... Furthermore, the people in this realm were aware of the concept of justice and of judgment to come (Luke 16:25). The same thing would be seen at a later time, in the revelation of the souls of the martyrs, who were under the altar:

.... ‘And they cried with a loud voice, saying, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?"’
(Revelation 6:10)

.... In this passage we also see that they were aware of the passing of time, as they waited for the day of His glory and the resurrection of the dead.
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.... The dead in Christ are presently in a place of rest and repose, called Paradise, and in this place they never express regrets, doubts or apprehensions over themselves nor worry about their own future. But they do care about the ones they’ve left behind, in the hope that they will one day join them. Likewise for ourselves, on this side of death, we can have no greater comfort than to know that a departed loved one has gone to this place to be with the Lord, and that we will one day see them again.

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.... But Paradise, in itself, is still a holding place. This situation will change again on the great resurrection day, which we will discuss in our future postings.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 5

Hades and Paradise

2008-11-01T11:19:00.000-05:00

.... More than any other posting in this basic discipleship course, this one will abound in deep sayings and their obscure implications. For in it, we will use a time line to explore the realm of the dead and the changes that took place in this realm following the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.

.... We have already described the original state of the dead, as shown by Jesus through the story of the rich man and Lazarus. This overall realm was called 'Sheol', and it was located in the heart of the earth (Matthew 12:40; Ephesians 4:9). Sheol was divided into two compartments: Hades, which was a place of torment; and Paradise, which was a place of rest and comfort; and between those two realms a great, impassible gulf was fixed. We also addressed the fact that Jesus, in His death, spent time in both of these realms. So in proving these points, let’s beging by considering the overall realm itself:

.... Jesus was known to be in the heart of the earth for three days (Matthew 12:40; Ephesians 4:9). During those same three days, we know He was in both Hades and Paradise (Acts 2:27; Luke 23:42-43, both quoted below). Therefore, we can be sure that both Hades and Paradise were in the heart of the earth. The term 'Paradise' seems to be synonymous with the term that Jesus had used in referring to "Abraham’s bosom" (Luke 16:22).

.... "For You will not leave My soul in Hades, nor will You allow Your Holy One to see corruption" . . . this he spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption."

(Acts 2:27,31)

.... Now let's discuss the part about Jesus being in Hades. To understand this point we must grasp the premise of the passage above. Basically, Peter is telling us that Jesus was in Hades, but that He wasn’t left there. And actually, the Old Testament prophecy foretold this event in rather graphic detail (Psalm 88). But we also know that Jesus was only there for a short period of time. In fact, before that very day was over, Jesus had crossed over into Paradise:

.... "Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom." And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."
(Luke 23:42-43)

.... In His triumph in Hades, Jesus defeating the devil and bruised his head, as foretold in the very first prophecy that envisioned Him (Genesis 3:15). He also set free the prisoners from this terrible realm, if they believed in the gospel which He proclaimed to them (Isaiah 42:7; 49:8-9; Zechariah 9:11). Just as the Psalmist foretold:

.... "He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces. Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He has broken the gates of bronze, and cut the bars of iron in two."
(Psalm 107:14-16)

.... In Hades, the triumph of Christ became a one-time event for the sake of those from the ages that had preceded Him. But since that time, the situation in Hades has returned to it’s original state and purpose, as a holding realm of torment in the center of the earth. For the testimony of Christ has now been fulfilled, so there will be no further opportunities for those who have died and went to Hades in the days following the cross:

.... "If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, 'They hated Me without a cause.'"
(John 15:22-25)

.... Paradise was a compartment within Sheol, in the bowels of the earth, and other passages lend support to this concept. We know that Jesus came to Paradise on the same day that He died (Luke 23:43), but He also stated very specifically that He had not yet ascended to heaven during this time. Therefore, Paradise could not yet have been synonymous with heaven (John 20:17). But this would change. Through His ascension, Jesus would raise the entire realm of Paradise into a newer, glorified position in the heavenlies:

.... "You have ascended on high, you have led captivity captive; you have received gifts among men, even from the rebellious, that the LORD God might dwell there."
(Psalm 68:18)

.... The relocation of Paradise would exalt it into a compartment of heaven, rather than a compartment of the earth, that we might dwell in the presence of the Lord Himself (and not just in the bosom of Abraham). To prove this, please consider this passage from Paul and how he considers them synonymous:

.... "I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-- whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows-- such a one was caught up to the third heaven . . . how he was caught up into Paradise . . ."
(2 Corinthians 12:2-4)

.... Those who die in Christ today are still removed to Paradise, though Paradise itself has now been exalted into the Lord’s presence. There, with their future assured, they await the final judgment and reward of their deeds on that Day when Jesus returns. For further information, please see the notes in the ‘comments’ section.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 4

The Faith of Abraham

2008-10-25T10:59:00.000-05:00

.... The gospel is the power of God to salvation for those who believe, and that there is no back door, short cut, or exception by which anyone else can be saved (Romans 1:16). So then, how would this effect the multitudes who died before Jesus was even born? For themselves, this matter is already resolved and they now understand it perfectly, but for the rest of us the answer is steeped in mystery. Yet the Apostle Peter would provide some clues:

.... "For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit, by whom also He went and preached to the spirits in prison, who formerly were disobedient, when once the Divine longsuffering waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was being prepared, in which a few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water."
(1 Peter 3:18-20)
.... "For this reason the gospel was preached also to those who are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit."
(1 Peter 4:6)

.... As discussed in our previous posting, in the three days after Jesus had died, He was among the dead in the heart of the earth. Peter is telling us that during this same time, He was preaching the gospel to them. So they did have their chance to hear the gospel and believe – even those who were rebellious, when mankind was at it’s worst in the days of Noah.

.... For some additional insight, let's return to the story of the rich man and Lazarus. Abraham told the rich man that the living should look, not to the dead, but to the law of Moses and the testimony of the prophets (Isaiah 8:19-20; Luke 16:29). But let's remember that when Abraham himself lived and died, neither Moses nor the prophets had yet been born! So how could it be that Abraham, in this passage, was aware of them, knew their testimony, and was familiar with the things they wrote?

.... It can only mean that when the prophets themselves died, they brought their testimony with them into the next world (Revelation 22:9). In the same passage, as the rich man spoke to Abraham, we saw communication between the two realms, making it possible for an exchange of information to occur, pertaining to the world they'd left behind. And for centuries, the meaning of passages such as this one would have interested them greatly:

.... "Do not rejoice over me, my enemy; when I fall, I will arise; when I sit in darkness, the LORD will be a light to me. I will bear the indignation of the LORD, because I have sinned against Him, until He pleads my case and executes justice for me. He will bring me forth to the light; I will see His righteousness."
(Micah 7:8-9)

.... For a fuller understanding on what occurred with the coming of Jesus into the realm of the dead, click here. For a fuller understanding of the sort of prophecies in which the dead placed their hopes, click here. But this still leaves us with the question of the prima facie judgment in the day before the cross, which would have decided whether their destination was to Hades or to Paradise.

.... The key to this understanding seems to be found in the person of Abraham, and what he represents. Indeed, it is for this purpose that Jesus portrayed him in such a prominent role. Why not choose Moses, Noah, or Adam for this role, instead? Because Abraham was the prime example of a man of faith, and so he was called the ‘father’ of all who believe (Romans 11:4-5).

.... In his lifetime, Abraham settled it in his heart that he would fully trust God, even though He did not yet have the specifics of the gospel -- and in this sense his heart was fully prepared for the gospel when it came (Galatians 3:8; 1 Peter 4:6). This faith offered a prima facie reason for showing that he would believe the gospel when it was fully revealed to him, and so he was chosen for Paradise. For "the Lord knows those who are His" and He becomes a stronghold for them in their day of trouble (Nahum 1:7).

.... Conversely, it was said of those who died and were sent to Hades:

.... "Because they rebelled against the words of God, and despised the counsel of the Most High, Therefore He brought down their heart with labor; they fell down, and there was none to help."
(Psalms 107:11-12)

.... During their lifetime, faith was lacking on their part -- but they certainly had enough time and incentive to re-think this! When Jesus was born, Abraham saw His day and rejoiced in it (John 8:56); thus anticipation of His coming to the next world to deliver them must have grown by leaps and bounds as well. So when Jesus did come and preach to them, and they believed, their faith in the gospel was complete. We will continue this discussion in the next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 3

The Prima Facie Case

2008-10-18T10:42:00.000-05:00

.... In our previous posting we quoted the story of the rich man and Lazarus, found in Luke 16:19-31. This story is an actual, true account and not simply a parable, so it shows a literal picture of the realm of the dead prior to the resurrection of Christ, which would later change things.

.... "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented’."
(Luke 16:25)

.... To the thoughtful mind, a basic question must present itself at this point. In this story, the Day of Judgment had not yet come, nor would it come for many centuries – yet already the eternal destiny of each person had been decided. So how could this be? Let’s use the New Testament to explain the criteria for a prima facie case, and then, in our next posting, we'll work backward to the time before Jesus came, in order to answer the same question from an Old Testament perspective.

.... "For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again."
(2 Corinthians 5:14-15)

.... Through His death on the cross, Jesus has already paid the full price for all of our sins – for everyone’s sins – even for those who will never believe in Him nor repent. Thus, the primary form of each person's debt before God has changed, making our sins a secondary issue that has been entirely swallowed up into that much broader and more fundamental issue:

.... According to 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (quoted above), we are now indebted to God, not for our sins, but for the life of God's Son. We are indebted to Him life for life, and now He is calling on us to commit our lives to Him. This may only be done through believing in the gospel of Christ and abiding in Him; and this committment, in and of itself, becomes the basis for our prima facie judgment. It is the all-inclusive question that will always decide our eternal destiny correctly, and the question of our individual conduct is secondary, to be further considered at a later, appointed time:

.... "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."
(John 3:18)

.... But what about the people who died before Jesus came, like the rich man and Lazarus? In the same story Jesus quoted Abraham as saying, ‘Let them listen to Moses and the prophets’ but some of them had died long before God spoke to those men, or even to Abraham himself!

.... For those of us who were born after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, this can be a very academic question. But for those who lived before the cross, it was the question of the ages! We will continue this discussion in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 2

The Original State of the Dead

2008-10-12T10:28:00.000-05:00

.... Understanding the state of the dead is more complex than it may seem, because the death and resurrection of Jesus has changed things, His second coming will change them again, and the Day of Judgment will change them yet again. The best way to offer an adequate background is to follow the question chronologically, keeping Jesus Himself in view as the key to a proper understanding at each point. With that in mind, let’s start with the original state of the dead, as expressed by Jesus Himself:

.... "There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores
.... "So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.
.... "Then he cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.'
.... "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.'
.... "Then he said, 'I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.'
.... "Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.'
.... "And he said, 'No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.'
.... "But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.'"

(Luke 16:19-31)

.... We should begin by noting that this story is not a parable, but an actual account. As such, it provides an actual glimpse of the world beyond, in the days before Jesus’ death and resurrection. This, then, is the original state of the dead.
.... The overall realm of the dead was called Sheol, and it was located in the heart of the earth. During the three days that Jesus was dead, He Himself was in this realm:

.... "For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
(Matthew 12:40)

.... "Jesus said to her, "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.'"
(John 20:17)

.... As we saw in the story of the rich man and Lazarus, Sheol was divided into two compartments. One of them, called Hades, was and remains a place of torment and flames. It is also known as the waterless pit (Zechariah 9:11; Luke 16:23-24). Those who are interred there were called ‘prisoners’ in the Old Testament.

.... The other realm is called ‘Abraham’s bosom’, and it is almost certainly the same thing as ‘Paradise’ (Luke 23:43). Paradise, in contrast to Hades, was a place of great comfort and rest. And between the two realms a great gulf was fixed so that no one could pass from one realm to the other.

.... During His three days of death, Jesus would spend time in both realms (Acts 2:27; Luke 23:43). We will continue this discussion in future postings, to show how His death and resurrection changed this basic situation.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Timothy 1

The Resurrection and the Life

2008-10-04T00:42:00.002-05:00

.... In order to begin a proper discussion on the resurrection from the dead and eternal judgment, it is helpful to begin with a discussion on life itself, then on death, and of what transpires for the Christian in each case. Let us begin with a discussion on life, especially in relation to Jesus' own life:

.... Before we heard the gospel and believed, we were alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that was in us, because of the hardness of our hearts (Ephesians 4:18). But when we heard of Jesus and believed on Him, all of that changed, for He told us, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me." (John 14:6).

.... Jesus did not say that He would ‘give’ us the life, but rather that He is the life-- and He said this again in John 11:25. As such, there is an actual exchange of life between ourselves and the Lord:

.... "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."
(Galatians 2:20)

.... In this quotation, it has been plainly stated that in Christ we no longer live; and therefore it is has been said of our own lives:

.... "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory."
(Colossians 3:3-4)

.... And thus Jesus said to us again:

.... "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live."
(John 11:25)

.... The life of Jesus, who overcame death itself, is the life that animates us even now, through abiding in Him and He is us. So even when our earthly body dies, the part of our life that is bound in Christ remains alive, just as He Himself is alive forever more. We have passed from death into life, for He is our life. And in like manner, when He appears again, we will appear with Him in glory. For He said not, "I will resurrect everybody," but rather, "I am the resurrection."

.... Abiding in Christ, by the exchange of life between us during our pilgrimage on the earth, is the very heart of our understanding of the resurrection. Our lives continue in His service until the day, should Jesus tarry, when we are gathered into His presence through the mortality of our bodies, or sooner if He comes back to this world to gather us to Himself. But even if we die before He comes, we will not really died in the sense that matters:

.... "Most assuredly, I say to you, if anyone keeps My word he shall never see death."
(John 8:51)
and again,

.... "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life."
(John 5:24 KJV)

.... By the grace of God, Jesus has already tasted death for each one of us (Hebrews 2:9). Through His death He has destroyed him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and He has released all believers from the fear of death that had daunted us throughout our lifetimes (vs 13-15).

.... So if we have passed from death into life, then what does it mean when mortality takes us away from this world? What happens to us now, and where do we go? And how will the resurrection and eternal judgment effect us? These questions are more complex than our traditional understandings have allowed, and may only be resolved through looking to Christ Himself as our pattern. These are the questions we will answer as this module continues.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3

Agreement vs. Submission

2008-09-27T01:36:00.005-05:00

.... Throughout the latter part of this module, we’ve discussed the role of authority in church leadership. A leaders' true authority pertains to the practical tasks that accompany his calling (Mark 13:34), yet they do not have an authority over other Christians. For that type of interpersonal authority has been reserved for Jesus Christ alone:

.... "Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand."
(2 Corinthians 1:24)

.... Nevertheless, in carrying out their tasks, Christian leaders will constantly run into interpersonal considerations. They are servants to other Christians and must constantly interact with them (Mark 10:42-43). Since they do not have an actual authority over them in doing so, God places an emphasis on our own submission instead. This was discussed at length in an earlier posting.

.... . . . But what happens when we basically disagree with our Christian leaders? That’s the rub, isn’t it? So let’s fairly consider the leader’s perspective as well:

.... "Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you."
(Hebrews 13:17)

.... Let’s say that you disagree with something your leader wants to do. Ask yourself, 'What is the actual nature of this disagreement?' Do you think he’s making an unbiblical decision? That’s one thing. If he really is making it a choice between submitting to him and submitting to the Lord, of course you must take your stand for God; and if that is the case, and you’re mature enough in the Lord to make such a stand, you must also be mature enough to hope the best for this leader, trust that at least his intentions are good, and pray, pray, pray for him!

.... "Pray for us; for we are confident that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to live honorably."
(Hebrews 13:18)

.... But on the other hand, what if your disagreement is only a matter of preferences? That is something else entirely. Let's say that the leader wants to buy blue carpet for the sanctuary but you prefer red. There is no issue of right or wrong between blue and red; no truth is at stake, for it is merely a matter of subjective preference. So for love’s sake you should be willing to yield to your leader and be supportive of his wishes. And this is what the Lord Himself would tell you:

.... "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace."
(James 3:17-18)

.... Or what if your disagreement is based on an organizational matter? Let’s say you’re part of an evangelism team and the leader wants to reach out to an apartment complex. But you want to go and reach out to a nursing home. Both, of course, are good things to do, but you disagree on the final choice. This is where submission plays an important role:

.... Submission is not the same thing as agreement. You can disagree, and still submit. Basically, submission means to get 'under' (sub) someone else’s mission; and remember that the leader has an actual calling from God to lead in the way that he does. Do you have the same calling in this particular decision? If you think that you do, then you should go to the nursing home on your own. But if not, you should be submissive and let the leader lead in the role where God has placed him. Remember that leaders have to give an account to God to a degree that followers don’t, and for this same reason God is far more likely to direct the group through the leaders than through any of its other members.

.... Finally, remember the underlying theme of leadership in this module. God promotes on the basis of proven faithfulness. One day, you may be the one who is leading -- but this will not occur unless you first prove yourself in following. So be submissive in such ways, even if you disagree on the particulars, and treat these leaders as you would want others to treat you if you were the leader. Because one day, for good or for ill, you shall reap what you have sown in this regard.

You have now completed the Ministry Module. To proceed to the next module, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2

The Rock of the Church

2008-09-20T01:20:00.000-05:00

.... The ministry of Jesus was well underway, and people were beginning to speculate about who He was. The Scriptures foretold that Elijah would return, and might this be him? They had also been promised that another prophet like Moses would arise (Malachi 4:5; Deuteronomy 18:15-19). Or could this be Jeremiah, or one of the other old prophets? Or maybe it was John the Baptist, if he had risen from the dead?

.
.... The truth could only be fully known to men through the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 12:3), and the first to receive this spiritual revelation of truth, and to voice it, was Simon Peter:

.... ‘When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
(Matthew 16:13-19)

.... But when Jesus said that He would build His church ‘on this rock’, what exactly did He mean? As some of you may know, the name ‘Peter’ literally means ‘rock’, so could that be what He meant? After all we’ve discussed in our previous postings, has Jesus just delegated the leadership of the church to Peter?
.

.... To answer this question, let’s return to the original Greek wording for an important distinction. When Jesus speaks of the ‘rock’ on which the church is built, the underlying Greek word is ‘Petra’, which means a huge cliff or a bedrock, like the Rock of Gibraltar. But the Greek word that is translated ‘Peter’ is a different word, ‘Petros’, which means a little rock or a throwing stone, like a piece from the big rock. So Jesus is telling us that Peter is associated with the big rock in some smaller way, but they are not one and the same.

.... So then, if Peter is only a little rock, who or what is the big rock, on which the church is built?

.... "Whoever comes to Me . . . is like a man . . . who . . . laid the foundation on the rock (Petra) ."
(Luke 6:47-48)

.... In other words, Jesus Himself is the Christ and He is the true rock of the church (Petra); and because Peter had just just confessed Jesus and believed in Him, we might say he had just gotten ‘a piece of the rock’ (Petros) -- to use the old ad line.

.
.... Or perhaps we could explain this easier by paraphrasing Augustine. Just as Jesus is called the ‘Christ’ (which means the ‘anointed one’) and we are called ‘Christians’ (which means ‘little anointed ones’) and thus we are named for Him, our faith in Jesus is called the ‘Petra’, the bedrock of the church, and those who believe in Him become the ‘Petros’, the little pieces of the rock (see 1 Peter 2:4-5). By confessing His belief in Jesus, Peter had become a part of the church. So the church was not built on Peter, but Peter was built on the church, in the same sense that believing in Jesus is the bedrock of our own acceptance into the church.

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.... Immediately after Peter’s confession, Jesus completed the whole, crucial thought by sharing the gospel with the apostles, and the role that His blood would play in our salvation:

.... "From that time Jesus began to show to His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day."
(Matthew 16:21; see 1 Corinthians 15:1-5)

.... Therefore we might say that Peter, both hearing the gospel and giving the word of his testimony about Christ, would overcome the evil one, as shall everyone who follows the example first shown in him:

.... "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death."
(Revelation 12:11)

.... For a further discussion on this issue, and how it compares with the claims of the Catholic church, please continue reading in the 'comments' section.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 2 Thessalonians 1

The Moses Model

2008-09-13T01:11:00.000-05:00

.... When we hear modern teachings on the ‘authority’ of Christian leaders, we are almost sure to hear the story of Moses presented as a proof text, for he was never to be challenged in his leadership and those who spoke against him incurred God’s wrath. In point of fact, they usually thought he was taking too much on himself, and they wanted to take some of his authority away from him, by taking it to themselves:

Aaron and Miriam:
.. "So they said, "Has the LORD indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?" And the LORD heard it."
(Numbers 12:2)
.
Korah, Dathan and Abiram:
.. "They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, "You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the congregation of the LORD?"
(Numbers 16:3)

.... In response to their murmuring, God’s judgment fell: Aaron and Miriam were rebuked, and Miriam was struck with leprosy; Korah and the Levites were consumed with fire, and the earth opened up to swallow Dathan, Abiram and their faction – imagery that clearly suggests they were sent to hell (Numbers 12:10; 16:28-35). Thus we, too, must submit to church leaders wholly and without question, or we will bring similar judgments on ourselves.

.
.... But if modern church leaders reflect the same authority, to whom do they, themselves, answer, and how? Actually, the answer is in the very same passages though not as they've intended.

.... The problem with their analogy is that Moses is being viewed as an archetype for church leadership, which greatly understates the true perspective. For in God’s own mind, Moses was intended to foreshadow something far greater than this:

.... 'I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him. And it shall be that whoever will not hear My words, which He speaks in My name, I will require it of him.’
(Deuteronomy 18:18-19)

.... This prophet, who would be like Moses, would be Jesus Himself (Acts 3:20-23). So the true analogy of Moses is that he represented the absolute leadership of Jesus Christ in the church. The other people in the analogy represent the church, and – can it possibly escape our notice? Those who were resisting ‘Christ’, and who wanted to take his authority for themselves, were the other ‘church leaders' of their day!

.... Aaron was the high priest and Miriam was a leading minister among the women; Korah was the head of one of the families of the Levites, which was the priestly tribe; Dathan and Abiram were heads over the Reubenites, the oldest tribe, who thought the priesthood should have been shared with them.

.
.... Therefore, the true analogy is these passages is that of church leaders who have become self-willed and rebellious against the absolute authority of Jesus Himself in the church, and who covet His place because they seek a bigger role for themselves. And because of this, they will incur a stricter judgment:

.... "Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever."
(Jude 11-13)

.... Furthermore, on the day after Korah’s rebellion, the people who had followed his leadership example and ‘submitted’ to him, rather than clinging to Moses himself (to Christ); brought a similar judgment on themselves. So blind submission to the ‘church leaders’ was not enough to offer them a 'safety net' and to justify their actions!

.... "Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly, and by smooth words and flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple."
(Romans 16:17-18)

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 5

Abuse and Recourse

2008-09-06T00:56:00.000-05:00

.... In some parts of the church today, unscriptural teachings on ‘authority’ have produced a Christian caste system with an ‘elite’ class of Christian leaders at the top. They are elite in the sense that (according to themselves,) the rest of us are not allowed to question their actions nor defend ourselves from unnecessary abuse from them. We are simply to be submissive anyway.

.
.... For example, based on the example of Hannah and Eli (1 Samuel 1:12-17), one author considers it ‘brazen’ to disagree with a pastor who may falsely insult us! (Yes, we’re the brazen ones for disagreeing, not the pastor for speaking slanderously!) Yet he neglects the fact that Hannah, in a respectful way, did exactly that and disagreed with him, and that we are commanded to do the same:

.... "And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will."
(2 Timothy 2:24-26)

.... The same author claims, in regard to lawless ministers (Matthew 7:22-23), that we may still "access God through them." How revealing this statement is! For setting aside all necessity of serving God in truth, an outright mediation is envisioned, even in submittion to lawlessness!

.
.... Jesus would say to us all that those very same ministers never knew Him (Matthew 7:23). Far from offering us a 'safety net' through our submission, these ministers are blind leaders of the blind so that both will fall into the ditch (Luke 6:39). Forgive the pun, but that’s what comes from blind submission, especially in abusive situations.
.

.... The same author went on to claim: "God did not limit our submission to authorities to the times when we see their wisdom, agree with them, or like what they tell us. He just said ‘Obey!’" (no Scripture cited). This, too, carries the very dangerous seeds of mediation, blind submission and even usurpation. The entire argument is fraught with complications.
.

.... Contrary to the author’s claim, Christians are required to hear God for themselves and to be accountable to His leading (1 Kings 13:14-22; John 10:27,5). Nor does God purposely keep us in the dark for the sake of bolstering leadership’s authority, as the author has claimed (see James 1:5). That is simply gnostic. And it illustrates the sort of blind submission that Paul would decry:

.... "For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. To our shame, I say that we were too weak for that!"
(2 Corinthians 11:19-21)

.... Some Corinthian Christians believed that it was godly to suffer abuse willingly, and that only weak Christians would attempt to defend themselves in such situations. But in this passage Paul is chiding them, and deriding them as the true weaklings because they would tolerate such things.

.
.... Abuse is sometimes inescapable in life, and God does honor us when we face it patiently. But He also gives us a mouth and wisdom which none of our adversaries can gainsay nor resist, which means that His heart is with us in speaking the truth in each matter. In meekness He allows us to instruct those who are in opposition, if perhaps He may grant them repentance to the truth – and this includes abusive Christian leaders. The key to this is in our trust in God and our respectful attitude, not necessarily in our silence.

.
.... The same author claims (very brazenly) that objecting to abuse from Christian leaders is simply ‘avenging ourselves’. But by any objective standard, there is a difference between avenging and defending, as long as we do so Scripturally (Acts 28:19).

.... "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that 'by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.' And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector."
(Matthew 18:15-17)

.... Christian leaders, like all other Christians, are subject to a process of discipline when it is necessary, as described above. In relation to erring leaders, Paul picks up the same process at mid-point by instructing Timothy: "Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses." (1 Timothy 5:19). Basically, he is telling Timothy to insure that the previous steps were accomplished before taking things to the next step, which is to bring the matter before the whole church:

.... "Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear. I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality."
(1 Timothy 5:20-21)

.... In other words Paul is charging Timothy not to treat leaders as an elite class in any way. They are to be shown neither partiality nor prejudice in church discipline, but they are subject to the same standard as anyone else – give me no arguments, no excuses – you had better observe this truly, do it rightly, and do it no matter what! We will continue this discussion in our next posting.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 4

Abusive Authority

2008-08-31T00:42:00.000-05:00

.... Jesus told us that all authority is given to Him in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18), and because this is true we must always act in His name, for we have no authority of our own (Colossians 3:17). Like the Holy Spirit Himself, Christian leaders are simply to ‘come along side’ of other Christians with the intention of pointing them directly to Jesus (John 15:26; 16:13; 1 Timothy 2:5). Through this the Lord’s authority is represented but it is never delegated.

.... "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren. Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
(Matthew 23:8-12)

.... In this passage, Jesus is speaking about religious titles such as Rabbi, Father or Teacher. But the real point is that those who were claiming such titles were making themselves mediators between God and men. In effect, they were claiming that He had delegated His authority to them and that we must now ‘access God’ through them (see 2 Corinthians 1:24).

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.... In fact, certain Christian leaders of today are quick to add even more: "We cannot separate our submission to God’s inherent authority from our submission to His delegated authority." In other words they are claiming that obeying God means obeying them, without recourse, for the two are inseparable. And they claim this even remains true when they have really twisted it! "Just because it has been twisted by man does not mean it was not authored by God."

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.... Such a statement is arrogant, self-serving, reckless and irresponsible to the point of being dangerous. Should we really accept man’s ‘twisting’ of the Scriptures while telling ourselves that God has ordained it this way, and that He would actually be displeased to have it otherwise? Unfortunately, a lazy, religious part of man would love to have it exactly so, to which Jesus would answer:

.... "Full well you reject the commandment of God that you may keep your tradition."
(Mark 7:9)

.... Let’s build a scenario to address the underlying conflict more pointedly, then relate it to Jesus Himself. A Christian leader tells a young lad to do something that is unscriptural. The lad points out his error by quoting the Scripture itself, but the leaders insists. How is this conflict resolved? Is authority found in the Word of God, or in the person of the Christian leader? Let’s see how the answer is modeled in Jesus Himself:

.... "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."
(John 12:49)

.... In this example Jesus, the speaker, claims no authority of His own, but points beyond Himself to the Word of His Holy Father. And after His resurrection, when all authority really was given to Him (Matthew 28:18), the Holy Spirit did the same by quoting the words of Christ in order to point us back to Him (John 14:26; 16:13-14).

.
.... Therefore we must do the same, resorting to His word in pointing back to Him, if His authority is to be properly represented among men. As such we entirely disagree with the foolish notion that Christians are "on a collision course with the very one they call ‘Lord’" by holding Christian leaders accountable to the Scriptures, and acting accordingly! On the contrary, Jesus would say:

.... ‘Why do you call me ‘Lord’ and do not do the things I say?"
(Luke 6:46)

.... Or as the apostles would say,

.... "Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge."
(Acts 4:19)

.... The main point of our disagreement is that under a situation of abuse, Christians would be stripped of legitimate recourse. Hopefully, that would be an extreme possibility and not the norm, but blind power of this nature will, in itself, always lend itself to such abuse. As Lord John Acton would say, "Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely" and historically speaking, the church has always lapsed into great abuse when the power of leadership was magnified -- and especially when it had gone unchallenged. And as we have noted above, there is a religious part of Christians that loves to tolerate this, and would seldom seek to free themselves from it:

.... "The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?"
(Jeremiah 5:31; see also 2 Corinthians 11:22-21)

.... We will continue this discussion in our next posting.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 3

Authority Teachings

2008-08-23T00:32:00.000-05:00

.... In our previous posting we discussed the subtle, self-serving ambition that rose in the hearts of some Jewish leaders pertaining to their leadership roles, and how the same ambition would later take form in the hearts of some Christian leaders. The ‘ministry machine’ was an enticing organization and they wanted to control it for themselves, even if they had to push Jesus out of the picture in order to do so (Matthew 21:38).

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.... Even while Jesus walked with the apostles, the same issue had surfaced secretly and repeatedly in their hearts. They knew that Jesus would be gone one day, so they constantly argued about which of them would be the greatness (Luke 9:46; Mark 10:37; Luke 22:24). But Jesus overheard them and answered their ambitions by saying:

.... "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you . . ."
(Matthew 20:25-26)

.... Jesus would grant authority of that nature to no one, for He alone is the head over all things to the church (Ephesians 1:22). Yet many Christian leaders today, even in Protestant churches, believe they have received an actual authority over other believers. Their arguments are rather heavy-handed to say the least. In fact, they are often prefaced with subtle accusations of rebellion for anyone who would dare to disagree with them (comparing them to Cain, for example); and if anyone would even keep an open mind on the subject, they are belittled in advance as ‘deceived’, acting ‘contemptuously’, being motivated by ‘self will’, perhaps even ‘betraying a complete loss of the fear of God’.
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.... If these statements mean we must be under authority to God Himself, then they are true. But that is not the application those ministers intend. Their constant context is an authority which they believe has been ‘delegated’ to Christians leaders -- most particularly, to themselves.

.... In a recent book on this subject, the author misapplied 1 Samuel 10:25 by recalling that "Samuel explained to the people the behavior of royalty and wrote it in a book." He then stated that his goal in writing his own book was similar, meaning that he intended to explain the scope of authority that God had delegated to Christian ministers. But in that passage, Samuel was actually warning the people about royalty because it was a form of rejecting God’s own authority:

.... "And the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them . . . however, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them."
(1 Samuel 8:7-9)

.... And the concen that the Lord had expressed to Samuel is similar to our own concern:

.... "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men."
(1 Corinthians 7:23)

.... So then, what is the ‘Scriptural basis’ that is used for teaching their model of church leadership? Among those who advocate such teachings, Romans 13:1-2 will usually be quoted for the purpose: "There is no authority except from God."
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.... But in reality, this argument merely assumes what it really need to prove. In other words, it must first be shown that such an authority was given to those ministers, and only then could that verse could be rightly applied to them. On the contrary, that passage speaks of secular authorities such as governments, employers, teachers and even parents, and we have already established that Jesus made a vital distinction in that regard. He plainly stated that church leadership was not to operate in such ways, but rather, that they should become servants, just as He Himself had come as a servant to God and to men (see Matthew 20:25-26, quoted above).

.... "And even now the ax is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire."
(Matthew 3:10)

.... By going to the premise of this argument in this way, we are laying the ax to the root of the trees and their argument is entirely defeated, for it is impossible to draw a true conclusion from a faulty premise. Nevertheless, for purposes of our own information, in our next postings we’ll examine their beliefs further in order to show that their position, even if it did have a premise, would still be abusive.

To proceed to the next lesson, click here

Daily Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2

The Laborers in the Vineyard

2008-08-16T00:23:00.000-05:00

.... In the days of Jesus, every great household had servants who worked for the family. They were appointed over the daily tasks of the family holdings. With this in mind, Jesus likened the religious leaders to servants in His Father's household, though He Himself was the Son and heir of His Father’s house (Luke 20:9,19; John 3:35; Hebrews 3:5-6).

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.... Throughout history and the scriptures many of those servants, such as Moses, served with absolute devotion and faithfulness in the Lord’s house (Hebrews 3:5). But over time, a subtle corruption occured in the hearts of others, and would begin to fester. "The master has been gone for a long time" they began to think, and they turned covetous eyes upon the master's property to claim it for their own. And, as often as they did happen to hear from the master, they began to rebuff Him:

.... "Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.'
(Matthew 21:33-38)

.... It was evident to everyone who heard this parable that Jesus was talking about the chief priests, Pharisees and scribes (Matthew 21:45; Luke 20:19). They had labored in the Lord's vineyard for so long that they felt they had come to own it by now, and that it was all about them; it was about the 'ministry machine', and they wanted to be the ones who controlled it. So of course, Jesus was someone they would want to resist, push out of the picture and eventually kill.

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.... After the ascension of Jesus, this cycle would begin again within the church itself. Most of those who followed Him in the beginning were entirely sincere, and labored in His vineyard faithfully. But over time, the same covetous desire would fester in the hearts of some other Christian leaders. Their attitude changed as they sought to establish themselves through the church; it was all about them and the new ministry machine. And in each generation that has followed, within this segment of the church, new leaders would arise who would learn their ways and become even worse than the ones who were before them:

.... "They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children. They have forsaken the right way and gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness . . ."
(2 Peter 2:14-15)

.... "But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived."
(2 Timothy 3:13)

....Especially, many churches would develop their own traditions on ‘authority’ at the expense of the true authority of Jesus Himself (Mark 7:13). When presenting themselves in this way, these Christian leaders impose themselves as mediators between ourselves and the Lord, which intrudes into the very Lordship of Christ. And thus they may cause a separation between us and Him:

.... "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus."
(1 Timothy 2:5)

.... Any person familiar with the Catholic leadership model will recognize the application of these remarks, yet the Catholics are by no means alone in this. In many segments of the Protestant church itself, another tradition on authority has evolved and is gaining acceptance – and it is very close to the historic Catholic model. For it envisions the authority of Christian leaders over individual Christians and requires their unquestioned obedience . . . even to the point of issuing thinly veiled threats to achieve this end.
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.... This new ‘orthodoxy’ has found such ready acceptance in some modern churches that it can now be difficult to even address the subject fairly. Any person voicing an honest disagreement will instantly be labeled a rebel, though that may not be their intention at all. I must therefore ask for patient consideration, which I hope will also will bring some liberating truths as this discussion continues in the following postings.

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Daily Bible Reading: 1 Thessalonians 1

Authority vs. Submission

2008-08-09T00:10:00.000-05:00

.... For the previous three postings we’ve discussed how all authority belongs to Jesus alone, and how He never delegates authority over Christians to their church leaders (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 5:23). So then, how would we describe the relationship between the average Christian and the leaders who are called to serve them? Their true relationship is based on the Christian's submission rather than the leader's authority. And the underlying difference between the two models is stark:
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.... Authority, in it’s most basic form, is designed to impose obedience. It is a coercive mechanism that operates by the threat of force, and will punish by force if neccesary. Submission, on the other hand, is a bond of good will that is freely given; it is derived from humility, honor, trust and respect toward another person who may or may not be superior to them. As such, submission can be mutual, so that human authority need never enter the picture at all:

.... "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for ‘God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble’."
(1 Peter 5:5)
and again,
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.... ". . . submitting to one another in the fear of God."
(Ephesians 5:21)

.... For this submission to be complete, we should understand a little more about why it is deserved. Christian leaders are said to rule over us, not by authority, as lords over us, but by their own Christ-like example in the fear of God:

.... "The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed: Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock; and when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that does not fade away. Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble."
(1 Peter 5:1-5)

.... For example, let’s say that a younger person is behaving in a disorderly way. The Christian leader would approach them with humility to speak about it. "It is to your Master, Jesus, that you must stand or fall; but based on how your conduct is viewed by His word, I must tell you that right now your standing is not good before Him." (Romans 14:4). Furthermore he might tell him:

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.... "The Lord commands us to ‘Exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today".’ and that is what I am doing. It is my duty to the Lord, and also to you if I really do care about you." (Hebrews 3:13). "See, just as I’ve submitted myself to the Lord to do His will, I plead with you to do the same and submit yourself to Him, that you may be blameless before Him." In this way the Christian leader both comes alongside him on behalf of the Lord (rather than coming in between them,) and he leads by his own example.

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.... This concludes our discussion of proper leadership; but in order to address the whole scope of the situation more fully we will begin, in the next posting, to discuss some different forms of leadership abuse.

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Daily Bible Reading: Colossians 4

Authority in the Church

2008-08-02T23:45:00.012-05:00

.... In our previous posting we described Jesus as the head over all things to the church. As such He, Personally, is the Head of every man and He delegates this interpersonal authority to no other Christian leader (Matthew 28:18). This is important to know because a misunderstanding of that nature would introduce a forbidden mediator to our walk with God (see 1 Timothy 2:5).

.... "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you . . ."
(Matthew 20:25-26)

.... Nevertheless, Jesus did speak of a certain authority that church leaders would be given. Though having no authority over other persons (an interpersonal authority such as His own), they would receive an authority associated with their calling, by which to accomplish certain duties or tasks. This is something we might refer to as a 'functional' authority:

.... "[the kingdom of God] is like a man going to a far country, who left his house and gave authority to his servants, and to each his work ..."
(Mark 13:34)

.... For example, Christian leaders have been commanded to: "Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching." (2 Timothy 4:2). Or again they have been commanded:

.... "Speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine . . . speak these things, exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you."
(Titus 2:1-15)

.... Basically, here is the understanding that will emerge. True Christian leaders are called to their office, so of course they must perform their duties with authority – that by virtue of authority they may act – and by this same virtue they are entitled to receive payment for their work (1 Timothy 5:7,18). But none of this gives them an actual authority over other persons. No interpersonal authority will appear at all unless, and until, Jesus Himself is truly represented through a sound, scriptural presentation, that He may Personally emerge in this role. Therefore sound doctrine, as a sound presentation of the Lord's own counsel, is the context for authority as it emerges in each of the verses mentioned above.

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.... This brings us to the classic argument between Catholics and Protestants. Where does final authority lie, in the church or in the Bible? Neither. All authority has been given to Christ Himself in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18) and the proper perspective is that the church should be telling us what the Bible has to say about the Lord. True authority appears when Jesus Himself is made known and His own, personal leadership is manifested, while Christian leaders are simply messengers and hopefully good examples who always points us beyond themselves and back to Jesus directly (Romans 14:4). In this sense, even ‘the lad who pushes the plow,’ is speaking with authority if he is applying God’s word properly – for Jesus is the Word of God and He is truly represented when the Word is rightly applied (John 1:1).

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.... Thus the true-hearted concept of always pointing to Jesus and deferring to His own authority must always remain foremost in the heart of Christian leaders (Romans 14:4), just as the Holy Spirit Himself 'comes along side' of us to always point us back to Jesus, rather than speaking of His own authority (John 16:13-14). We will continue this discussion in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: Colossians 3

The Leadership Model

2008-07-26T18:06:00.000-05:00

.... In our previous posting we established that all authority has been given to Jesus Himself, both in heaven and on earth (Matthew 28:18). This especially means that Jesus is "head over all things to the church", which is the body of all believers, and that "the head of every man is Christ" (Ephesians 1:22; 1 Corinthians 11:3).

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.... Based on each of these quotations, we will notice that Jesus Himself is directly over every man without anyone else being in between us. In other words there are no mediators in the arrangement, not even Christian leaders. For no one can exercise authority over another Christian but Jesus Himself:

.... "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you . . ."
(Matthew 20:25-26)

.... Jesus made this statement to the apostles themselves, for even they would have no authority at all over other Christians (1 Peter 5:1-4). If this is so, then how does authority in church leadership work? Let’s take our cue from the Holy Spirit in His own, perfect ministry:

.... "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you."
(John 16:13-14)

.... The Holy Spirit is called the ‘helper’ (Gr: parakletos), which literally means ‘one who is called along side’ (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). For even the Holy Spirit will not attempt to come between ourselves and Jesus, as if the Lord's authority was delegated to Him or He had an authority of His own over us; but rather, He will always come along side of us to point us to Jesus, who alone has authority over our lives. Furthermore, He will only minister to us of the things that belong to Christ, who alone is our source (John 16:14).

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.... This offers a perfect model for Christian leaders, too. They must recognize that the Lord has given them no dominion over another man’s faith, for each of us must stand before God personally to give an account for their lives (2 Corinthians 1:24).

.... "Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand."
(Romans 14:4)

.... And like the Holy Spirit again, the true Christian minister will come along side of other Christians, without trying to insert himself in between them and God, to point them to God directly. When this is done, these ministers present the Lord’s authority to us, but it was never delegated to them at any point along the way. We will continue this discussion in the following lessons.

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Daily Bible Reading: Colossians 2

The Authority of Christ

2008-07-19T17:53:00.000-05:00

.... Before leaving the earth, and before sending His apostles into all the world, Jesus carefully explained the true perspective on authority:

.... "And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore . . ."
(Matthew 28:18-19)

.... Here is the simple perspective from which the entire subject of authority must be understood. Since all authority has been given to Christ, there is no authority anywhere else, not even in the apostles, and He is sending them out with this very understanding. In fact, it is because they have no authority of their own that they must act in His name, as representing Him:

.... "So when Peter saw it, he responded to the people: "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? . . . His name, through faith in His name, has made this man strong, whom you see and know. Yes, the faith which comes through Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of you all."
(Acts 3:12-16)

.... Through His name, the authority of Jesus is represented but it is never delegated -- and this is a very important distinction. It is especially true in ministry since this was the context for His remarks. Because if Jesus had actually delegated His authority to any Christian leader in any way, He would, by that same action, have turned that leader into a mediator between man and God, and abdicated His own place and purpose:

.... "For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus."
(1 Timothy 2:5)

.... Jesus is the only mediator between us and God because He alone can be. A mediator is a person who will ‘go between’ two other parties to make peace between them. The mediator must also act as a guarantee for both parties (Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). Jesus is absolutely unique in this role because He is fully Divine, able to fully represent God toward us and to act for Him (Colossians 2:9), and at the same time He is also fully human, which makes Him the perfect bridge in representing us back to God.

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.... In the quotation above, we saw that it is the Man Jesus Christ who mediates for us, because He alone is able to relate to us and represent us to God in a way that guarantees us to Him. This is the only basis by which peace is made with God, to whom we must all give an account. But it is also our cause for hope and confidence:

.... "Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
(Hebrews 4:14-16)

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Daily Bible Reading: Colossians 1

Servanthood and Example

2008-07-12T17:45:00.001-05:00

.... In every form of ministry, a true Christian must live up the meaning of the word ‘minister’, which means to be a ‘servant’. He must always be willing to give of himself more and more freely – just as Jesus did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). It is through such sacrificial service that God promotes us, just as He promoted Jesus Himself as our supreme example:

.... "Behold! My Servant whom I uphold, My Elect One in whom My soul delights! I have put My Spirit upon Him; He will bring forth justice to the Gentiles."
(Isaiah 42:1)

.... Maintaining a servant's attitude is important for a minister because it leads to fruitfulness when properly applied and to a large area of temptation when it is not. And unfortunately, some modern ministers have missed the mark completely. Their errors have ranged from subtle abuse to outright usurpation.

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.... As a mild example of abuse in some circles of the church, a pastor might take someone under their wing to ‘disciple’ them as a future leader. But in truth, this will mean little more than turning them into an unpaid servant. "Here’s the keys; go and wash my car." might be their idea of 'training' them – or some other absurd, self-serving exercise that is supposed to teach them a "servant’s heart".

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.... Where then, may we ask, is the same heart in the person who is supposed to be leading them by example? For remember that Jesus Himself is their own example, and He did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life for many (Matthew 20:28; 1 Peter 5:1-3). So their attitude and approach is entirely backward, inappropriate and wrong:

.... "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
(Philippians 2:3-6)

.... In order to address this type of situation and to understand the whole concept of ministry more clearly (in both its proper and improper applications), we must now advance to the subject of authority. We will continue this discussion in our next postings.

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Daily Bible Reading: Philippians 4

The Teacher’s Task

2008-07-05T17:35:00.000-05:00

.... As discussed in our previous posting, the gift of a teacher underlies each of the other major ministries: the apostle, prophet, evangelist or pastor. Some Christians are also dedicated teachers, without those higher functions. But no matter who is teaching, Jesus Himself must be the constant lesson and object for our growth; for we are not just ‘growing up’ as Christians, we are becoming Christ-like, so that He may be glorified in our lives (John 6:27).

.... "A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher."
(Luke 6:40)

.... Therefore the effectiveness of the teacher is measured, not by their skills of presentation, but by their results. When the students grow into Jesus’ image, and when they are equipped to minister, it is the true mark of the teacher’s progress as well:

.... "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?"
(1 Thessalonian 2:19)

.... This speaks very clearly to the teacher’s motivation. They are servants to the Lord first of all, and then to the students as such, and should never be concerned with seeking a name for themselves (2 Corinthians 4:5). If they do well in their task, they look forward to a great reward from the Lord (Daniel 12:2-3). But in a reciprocal sense they are also given a warning:

.... "My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment."
(James 3:1)

.... God has a much stricter judgment in mind for teachers because others may act on their advice or counsel. If their advice is good and the teacher succeeds in pointing them to Jesus, the listeners will benefit in bringing forth fruit to eternal life. And the teacher, too, will receive a reward for speaking faithfully (Daniel 12:3).

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.... But if, on the other hand, their advice is bad, they may become a stum- bling block and must share the responsibility for their student’s sins. They may even be considered an accessory, to share in their punishment. And this is especially true when they are vouching for someone else by putting them into the ministry:

.... "Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure."
(1 Timothy 5:22)

.... This is quite a responsibility for any teacher to bear! (Isaiah 3:12-15; Jeremiah 27:15; James 3:1-2; 2 John 11 KJV). Therefore, they must always do their best to represent the Lord’s counsel honestly, letting God be true and showing every man as a liar, as it is written: ‘That you may be justified in your words, and may overcome when you are judged.’ (Romans 3:4).
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.... As teachers, we can do nothing against the truth, only for the truth; and that is the standard we must uphold in the lessons that follow, as we discuss the temptations and snares of the ministry.

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Daily Bible Reading: Philippians 3

Teachers: The Gift Beneath

2008-06-28T17:22:00.000-05:00

.... Through the ministries of an apostle, evangelist, prophet, or pastor, we always see the underlying presence of a teaching ministry as well, but Christians can also become a teacher without holding those higher offices. So let’s take some time to isolate the role of a teacher, the last of the major ministries, and to discuss its supporting role for all of the others. And let’s begin by putting this ministry in it's proper perspective:

.... "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ."
(Matthew 23:10)

.... As such, a Christian teacher must clearly understand his subordination to the Lord Himself, who is always the true teacher through the Holy Spirit. His role is more like a student teacher or perhaps a spokesman. Nor is he neccesarily the only spokesman in the class; he is simply the leading voice of the overall presentation and the leader of the group (1 Corinthians 14:26). When an actual discussion ensues, he becomes the coordinator and sometimes the judge of the overall teaching that emerges.
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.... This brings us to the teacher’s presentation. Unlike the pastor who gives a sermon, which is essentially a one-way communication, the teacher may have enough leeway to encourage discussion or other forms of group participation:

.... "How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification."
(1 Corinthians 14:26)

.... If an open discussion format is used, it places a unique series of burdens on the teacher. First, through prayer and Scriptural research, he must thoroughly acquaint himself in advance with the subject that is to be discussed. He must then guide an open discussion, even to the point of fielding questions from an open body of students – all the while keeping his heart and mind in tune with the Lord, who is the true teacher, to answer and present each of these points as he feels the Lord is bidding Him.

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.... It is in their basic role as a teacher that apostles, pastors, etc., will best equip the students, drawing them into conversations that will help them grapple with issues and explore them, come to terms with what they mean, and strive to apply them properly. This will train them to think for themselves and, because it is a live discussion, it will eventually train them to minister their understanding to others. But as we have mentioned, the open discussion puts yet another burden on the teacher:
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.... The teacher must insure the Scriptural integrity of everything that is taught in the class, so he must also respond to any inaccuracies that are presented in the discussion. If he remains silent to an incorrect point that a student makes, it may be viewed as tacit agreement, so this is where teaching requires a special apritude. Most of us find it unpleasant to contradict another speaker so the teacher must speak the truth in love, always pointing to Jesus in his answer, or allow the other students in the class to do so (if they are mature enough to do it in love):

.... "but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head-- Christ– from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love."
(Ephesians 4:15-16)

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Daily Bible Reading: Philippians 2

The Ministry of a Pastor

2008-06-20T17:08:00.000-05:00

.... Now let’s talk about the most common of the major ministries, which is the ministry of a pastor. The word ‘pastor’ means ‘shepherd’, and this helps us understand their duties. They are to both nurture and guard a congregation of believers as a shepherd would tend to a flock that the Lord has entrusted to him. And in their nurturing, they must always focus on Jesus to represent Him through the good counsel they give:

.... "And I will give you shepherds according to My heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding."
(Jeremiah 3:15)

.... After an apostle has established a church and then passed from the scene, pastors will normally arise to provide leadership in their place. With an attitude that is similar to an apostle, they are to be shrewd and ready to make the most of every opportunity. They are to gather in souls whenever possible, like an evangelist, and they will have the primary responsibility for training new Christians.

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.... Within a local church gathering, the pastor coordinates all other ministries and insures they are all of the same heart and mind. He counsels and guides them, and coordinates their efforts. But He also receives ministry from them, such as flowing in a time of worship that others might lead, or in receiving prophecy that has been duly judged:

.... "Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good."
(1 Thessalonians 5:19-21)

.... Pastors also serves as an overseer and coordinator for the disciplinary process of the church -- though the actual responsibility belongs to the elders of that church, and may be initiated by any individual Christian as the need may arise (1 Corinthians 14:40; Acts 20:17,28; Matthew 18:15-19).

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.... Yet for all of this, the pastor is not the head of that church! Only Jesus Himself may serve in this role – so the true-hearted pastor must strive to know the Lord’s mind in every matter (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18). Taking everything together, he is a thoughtful, nurturing counselor and coordinator to Christians, in the midst of everything that the Lord Himself is doing in the local church, to help each of those persons do their share in serving the Lord and fillfilling their own calling (Ephesians 4:15-16).

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.... Pastors also serve as an example of Christ-like character, which the Lord will naturally wish to promote within that church. As such, they are promoted to their office on the basis of proven faithfulness, beginning in their own home:

.... "This is a faithful saying: If a man desires the position of a bishop, he desires a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, of good behavior, hospitable, able to teach; not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but gentle, not quarrelsome, not covetous; one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?); not a novice, lest being puffed up with pride he fall into the same condemnation as the devil. Moreover he must have a good testimony among those who are outside, lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil."
(1 Timothy 3:1-7)

.... "For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict."
(Titus 1:7-9)

.... Based on the examle of Aquila and Priscilla, husbands and their wives may also serve together as a pastoral team (1 Corinthians 16:19).

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Daily Bible Reading: Philippians 1

From Deacons to Evangelists

2008-06-14T16:58:00.000-05:00

.... God requires each of us to prove faithful in lesser things before we are given greater ones. In our previous postings we’ve looked at the succession from a teacher, who has the ability to understand and explain things to others, to the ministry of a prophet, where the same underlying ability finds deeper, stronger and more spiritually lively applications. Then finally, in some cases, the very same person will advance to become an apostle, where responsibilities grow and where those same underlying qualities shine more strongly still, as the proven maturity of his own life makes him more and more a living example of the godly character of Christ, whom he portrays to others.

.... But now let’s use the same concept to examine another type of underlying ability: a very practical and sincere care for the welfare of others. As maturity and proven character develop in this way, a new path of promotion will follow. Let's examine this through the example of Philip the deacon.

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.... In Acts 6:1-7, a dispute had risen within the church because the widows of the Hellenists (the Greek speaking believers) were being neglected in the daily distribution of material needs. Therefore, the first deacons of the church were appointed to take charge over this type of ministry.

.... The term ‘deacon’ means ‘servant’. These men were chosen on the basis of a proven faithfulness and a blameless life, as evidenced by the purity of their beliefs and their own family leadership:

.... "Likewise deacons must be reverent, not double-tongued, not given to much wine, not greedy for money, holding the mystery of the faith with a pure conscience. But let these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons, being found blameless. Likewise their wives must be reverent, not slanderers, temperate, faithful in all things. Let deacons be the husbands of one wife, ruling their children and their own houses well."
(1 Timothy 3:8-12)

.... Deacons are actually part of a larger ministry called ‘helps’, which comes from the word Greek word for ‘relief’. The ministry of helps may include ushers, greeters, nursery workers, or many other areas in which a helpful Christian rolls up their sleeves and get involved with the logistics of church life, often in a charitable sense. In this particular application, we might say that deacons have one foot in the church and one in our worldly needs. And that is important to understand! For it allows them to act as a ‘bridge’ between the spiritual and materials worlds, and that is an important background for the promotion they may soon receive:

.... "For those who have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a good standing and great boldness in the faith which is in Christ Jesus."
(1 Timothy 3:13)

.... In the case of Philip, the great boldness he obtained in the faith, plus his willingness to work half-in-the-church and half-in-the-world, would eventually bring him to the more vital ministry of an evangelist (Acts 21:8). As an evangelist he represented the Lord to those who were not Christians and helped bridge the gap for them, to bring them into the kingdom. Thus the training he received early on, as a deacon, was very pertinent to the ministry he would eventually receive.

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.... As another example, we might note that Timothy started out in the ministry of helps, assisting Paul and Silas on their missionary journeys (Acts 16:1-3). He took care of their materials needs, such as running errands or securing food and lodging, and in this way he freed the apostles for direct ministerial work (as in Acts 6:2-4).

.... Like Phillip, Timothy had one foot in the church itself and one foot in its worldly needs, and eventually this led him to the ministry of an evangelist as well:

.... "But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry."
(2 Timothy 4:5)

.... Afterward, the same faithfulness led Timothy to an apostolic ministry as Paul’s co-worker (see 2 Corinthians 1:1). Finally, when Timothy was much older and less mobile, he settled down to become the first bishop of Ephesus (or so church tradition has it). A bishop is an overseer who helps guard the spiritual well-being of a church, though another person, such as a pastor, may actually lead the church. Paul gives us the qualifications for a bishop in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

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Daily Bible Reading: Ephesians 6

The School of Prophets

2008-06-07T16:41:00.004-05:00

....The phenomenon of prophecy, and how it operates, has been described in detail through the earlier modules of this discipleship course. God desires all of His people to be prophets in the sense of them hearing His voice and walking with Him in the Spirit (Numbers 11:29), therefore He imparts the spiritual gift of prophecy to bless us with edification, exhortation and comfort (1 Corinthians 14:3; John 10:27; Galatians 5:25), and He allows all Spirit-filled Christians to operate in this gift for such a purpose (1 Corinthians 14:31). But beyond those basic applications, there is the actual office of a prophet, having a much broader scope and purpose, to which only some of us will be called (Ephesians 4:11). Since God promotes us on the basis of proven faithfulness, what is the path of promotion that will lead us to this ministry?

.... In the Old Testament days, prophets were actually trained through a school of prophets, begun by Samuel, which continued through the days of Elisha and perhaps beyond. These students, known as ‘the sons of the prophets’, were young men who gathered around an older prophet to learn from him. And a similar practice continued through New Testament times:

.... "I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers' law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today."
(Acts 22:3)

.... To understand this path, we must understand how the School of Prophets nurtured and prepared young men for this ministry. Through the lessons that the older prophets gave, the sons of the prophets were essentially attending a Bible college or seminary. Like Paul, they were being deeply schooled in God’s word; or to put it another way, they were deeply schooled in the revelations that were known to have previously come from Him. Through this they learned God's way of thinking and learned to discern His voice; it gave them a solid, reliable bases of Scriptural knowledge to compare with any 'new' prophecy they might receive, to insure that it matched what had already been revealed:

.... "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
(2 Peter 1:19)

.... As a natural expression of this concept, let us consider the learning that Paul himself had received. We have just seen that he was tutored by a wise teacher, Gamaliel himself, and we have previously noted that he went on to become a teacher as well, before becoming a prophet. This demonstrates his ability to understand God's earlier revelations and to rightly apply them, and eventually to discern new applications of the same basic truths:

.... "But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil."
(Hebrews 5:14)

.... Especially in the New Testament sense, we might expect teachers, who are on their way to becoming prophets, to be acquainted with the Messianic prophecy and how it was fulfilled in the life of Jesus (Acts 9:22). This would give them a very real sense of what was intended through the heart of God in offering prophecy, as compared to the eventual fulfillment when Jesus acted upon those intentions -- which is the most spiritually living and pertinent context of them all:

.... ". . . For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
(Revelation 19:10)

.... Furthermore, and for the same reason, learning the Messianic prophecy would equip the prophet-to-be with a proper focus, to guide him in the revelations he would yet receive. It is always about knowing Jesus, trusting and relating to Him, which is the greatest edification, exhortation and comfort there could possibly be.

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Daily Bible Reading: Ephesians 5

The Ministry of an Apostle

2008-05-31T16:27:00.000-05:00

.... An apostle holds, in one person, the basic elements of all of the lesser 5-fold ministries at once: he serves as a pastor, a prophet, an evangelist, and a teacher, interchangeably as the situa- tion may demand (see Ephesians 4:11).

.... He is also a gifted and energetic organizer. He is responsible both for training younger Christians and for helping to organize older ones who are involved in the same ministries. Therefore, it is quite fitting that he came up through the lesser ministries first by proving himself faithful in each of them. We might say that this training prepared him for his ultimate calling, in a manner that would allow him to lead by experience and example.

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.... Apostles have a calling, or duty, to establish new churches, and can not properly claim this office in a church that they did not establish (2 Corinthians 10:13-16). Certain signs will follow them in this ministry, but especially the good fruit of leading others to Christ:

.... "If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 9:2)
.... "Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds."
(2 Corinthians 12:12)

.... The entire aim of an apostle’s ministry, gained through long-proven faithfulness in many trials, is to represent a mature, living Christ-like example for us all (Philippians 3:17; 1 Thessalonians 1:6). And let us remember in this, that Jesus Himself was made perfect through sufferings (Hebrews 2:10); so in many practical ways, it shall be even so for them: facing hardship and challenges in life, that they know how to comfort others who will later be facing the same things (2 Corinthians 1:4-6).

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.... In an apostle, therefore, we see Christ-like character traits at the very practical level in which they are manifested among men, and they become a pattern in this way (Philippians 3:17; Titus 2:7). In many ways, like Jesus Himself, they will spend and be spent on our behalf (2 Corinthians 12:15). Nevertheless, even the most sincere human is still a filter if we are looking at a person in order to see Jesus; so in order to learn from their example properly we must also keep their own focus in view; we must always learn from their example in light of Jesus' own life, from whence their godly character has come:

.... "Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ."
(1 Corinthians 11:1)

.... Apostleship is not simply a mark of honor, nor a title for impressing other men; it is a calling to an immense task with sacrificial toil (1 Corinthians 4:9). In the Greek, the word ‘apostle’ means ‘sent one’. In modern times, based on the Latin, we use the equivalent term of ‘missionary’, if this helps us understand the apostolic ministry through their example. Some missionaries, if they meet the rest of the criteria above, are true modern day examples of apostles.
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.... Once an apostle has established a church, he may move on to establish another, leaving new leaders in the first church in his place. But if problems arise in that church at a later time, he still has the authority to return and make needed changes, to send a trusted emissary to do so, or to call the new leaders to come to him and consult with him (3 John 10,14; 1 Corinthians 11:34; 4:17; Acts 20:17). In doing this, he is God's man in charge and may even decide to remove those leaders and replace them:

.... "For this reason I left you in Crete, that you should set in order the things that are lacking, and appoint elders in every city as I commanded you."
(Titus 1:5)

.... Only a person who is well acquainted with Jesus in many proven ways, who is specifically chosen and trained by Him for such tasks, and is closely led by Him in every way, is truly able to function at this highest level of earthly ministry.

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Daily Bible Reading: Ephesians 4

The Apostolic Calling

2008-05-24T16:17:00.003-05:00

.... In the beginning, Jesus appointed the twelve apostles "that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach." (Mark 3:14). This passage shows three primary qualifications for an apostolic ministry, which are sustained through examining additional Scriptures:

1. In some way, an apostle must be chosen by the Lord Himself (1 Corinthians 12:5)
2. They must be thoroughly acquainted with the Lord's life and His teachings (Acts 1:21-22).
3. They must grow so mature in this understanding that it thoroughly re-shapes their character, with the effect of making them very Christ-like persons and a good example for other Christians to follow (Luke 22:28; John 15:26-27).

.... The original twelve apostles are called the ‘foundational’ apostles (Based on Revelation 21:14), but other apostles would later be called as well. For instance, in our previous posting we gave the example of Paul and Barnabas, and in the comments section we spoke of Silas, who all became apostles in later years. For them, the same three-fold criteria that we have just mentioned would apply, though it could not have proceed from personal contact with Jesus during the years of His earthly ministry. The important thing is in knowing Him, not neccessarily to have known Him at the time.

.... But beyond even these qualifications, a certain type of personality is also needed:

.... "Then Jesus said to them, "Come after Me, and I will make you become fishers of men".’
(Mark 1:17)

.... Let’s think back on the sort of men Jesus called, when He chose the original twelve apostles. Have you ever noticed that He never called a shepherd? To the best of our knowledge, He never called a person from a passive profession at all. So what can we see of His mind through this approach?

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.... When it came to choosing apostles, Jesus called those who had the drive to go out and gather whatever was available: four of His apostles were fishermen, one was a tax collector, one was a thief (okay, so that one didn’t work out so well. But still . . . )

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.... Also, one of his apostles was a zealot. Zealots, as you may know, are rabble-rousers. They go places and stir up people. We would later see something similar when He chose Saul of Tarsus (Acts 26:11); and Silas showed a similar, though far more wholesome, zeal and drive (Acts 15:30-32).

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.... So apostles are people who recognize opportunity, who take risks, and are resourcefully minded. They are also energetic enough to actively pursue their calling. When they become too old for this pace, though remaining apostles, they traditionally settle into a city to oversee the local church leadership in an advisory role, and are sometimes referred to as bishops.

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Daily Bible Reading: Ephesians 3

Introduction to the Ministry Module

2008-05-17T12:20:00.000-05:00

.... Among the elementary principles of Christ, which are listed for us in Hebrews 6:2, we find the concept of ‘the laying on of hands’. This unusual description requires a basic explanation. As mentioned in a previous lesson, the primary purpose for laying on hands is to vouch for someone, and the primary application for this vouching is to commend them to the Lord for the work of the ministry. For example, let’s look at the apostolic calling of Barnabas and Saul:

.... "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away."
(Acts 13:2-3)

.... In this passage, the two apostles were commissioned and sent on their first missionary journey. But of course, their real journey had begun much earlier, when they had first proven themselves faithful in smaller things:

.... "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much."
(Luke 16:10)

.... By this time in his life, Paul had been a Christian for many years but he had not always been an apostle. Following his conversion, he labored as a teacher and an evangelist in Damascus, and then again in Jerusalem (Acts 9:20, 29). Years later, we find him at the church in Antioch where he was now serving in a higher role, as a teacher and a prophet (Acts 13:1). Finally, in the passage we have just noted, he was commended to the Lord as an apostle, according to the Lord's calling. So the rise of Saul fits an easily recognizable Biblical pattern:

.... "And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues."
(1 Corinthians 12:28)

.... Because Paul had proven faithful as an evangelist and teacher, he was promoted to prophet and teacher; and because he was faithful in that, he was promoted again to the ministry of an apostle. This is the concept we’ll discuss in this module, amd we will also discuss the concept of authority within the church.

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Daily Bible Reading: Ephesians 2

The Gift of Faith

2008-05-10T17:17:00.000-05:00

.... The last spiritual gift in our series from 1 Corinthians is simply referred to as ‘faith’. We have discussed faith in a previous module, and it is really very simple: God has spoken to man, and man has responded by believing God – and if necessary, by stepping out on that belief. The Bible tells us that God has granted to each of us a measure of faith (Romans 12:3). Yet in referring to the spititual gift, Paul seems to be speaking of something more.

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.... The obvious intention of faith, as a spiritual gift, is that it will carry us much further than the average level of faith would be able to. This extraordinary ability speaks of extraordinary need, but it is not necessarily because the Lord has called us to some miraculous undertaking. For even our average level of faith would be enough for that:

.... "So the Lord said, ‘If you have faith as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and be planted in the sea,' and it would obey you’."
(Luke 17:6)

.... Instead, the gift of faith seems to refer to a dauntless level of faith, supernaturally granted in cases where extreme personal fortitude is required:

.... "And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren’."
(Luke 22:31-32)

.... In this example, Jesus prayed that Peter might have faith to stand; but Peter responded, instead, with self-confidence, which is the opposite of faith. We all know the outcome as he denied the Lord three times. Peter was miserable when this occurred, though he was eventually restored; yet Jesus was intimating that he may not have made it back at all unless this dauntless core of faith had not been granted by His own request on Peter's behalf.

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.... Like Peter, many of us may be tempted to boast of our zeal for the Lord, saying that we would stand for His sake until the end. But like Peter again, we would be making a terrible mistake to trust in ourselves in any way, especially in an hour of severe personal trial:

.... "Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall."
(1 Corinthians 10:12)

.... In an hour of severe personal adversity, an attitude of humility and trust would be far more suitable. In the final extreme, we may even find that matters have gone far beyond our natural fortitude or ability to bear them. It is in this hour that the gift of faith is given, that our faithfulness may not fail. As such we find the best example of this gift when Jesus acknowledged and exhorted the church at Pergamos to endure the trial that would come to them:

.... "I know your works, and where you dwell, where Satan’s throne is. And you hold fast to My name, and did not deny My faith even in the days in which Antipas was My faithful martyr, who was killed among you, where Satan dwells."
(Revelation 2:13)

.... Let us note in this example (if this is indeed the spiritual gift of faith), that the ultimate purpose of a spiritual gift is thereby maintained: that we should be witnesses for Jesus (Acts 1:8). In fact, the Greek word for ‘martyr’ literally means ‘witness’.
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.... Therefore when our own hour of trial comes, let us gird up the loins of our minds, be sober, and rest our hope fully upon the grace that will be brought to us at the revelation of Jesus Christ. For this grace will be given in response to our faith, and if needed, through the super powerful level of faith that is bestowed on us by this spiritual gift, by the Lord's own faithfulness and prayer on our behalf. (1 Peter 1:13; Romans 4:16).

You have now completed the Gifts of the Spirit Module. To proceed to the Ministry Module, please click here

Daily Bible Reading: Ephesians 1

Discerning of Spirits - Part 2

2008-05-03T16:53:00.000-05:00

.... In our previous posting we discussed how the gift of 'discerning of spirits' is so widely misunderstood, and in particular, the erroneous belief that it should be used in judging prophecy. In this posting we will address a second major theory about this gift, which, unfortunately, is equally wrong: that the gift pertains to the discerning of demon spirits and other forms of demonic activity within the kingdom of darkness.

.... According to this theory, a person who has received this gift can discern what types of demon spirits are involved in any situation, especially a case of demon possession. But in the New Testament there is no evidence of anyone using a ‘spiritual gift’ for such a purpose -- no, not a single example. On the contrary, that sort of conclusion was reached on the basis of factual evidence, even if questions needed to be asked in order to determine it:

.... ‘So He asked his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" And he said, "From childhood".’
(Mark 9:21)

.... Paul says that we are not to be ‘ignorant’ of Satan’s devices, not that we have need to discern them (2 Corinthians 2:11). As far as we can tell by Biblical examples, there was no actual gift at work in any case when the presence of a demonic spirit became known. It was simply a conclusion based on evidence, which even unsaved persons could correctly determine. But to prove the point further, let’s talk about the types of ‘demons’ that the proponents of this theory claim to be mentioned in Scripture:

.... When the Bible speaks of ‘a spirit of heaviness’, or a ‘spirit of fear’, etc, it is not talking about a demonic spirit at all (Isaiah 61:3; 2 Timothy 1:7). But rather, it is merely talking about a natural mood or an attitude that may appear within our own human spirit.

.... For example, on a much happier note, we might examine the Scripture that speaks of ‘the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit’ which clearly defines a God-fearing Christian woman (1 Peter 3:4). Or when the Bible speaks of a ‘contrite and humble spirit’, it is clearly referring to attitudes within our own spirit, for those who have pleased God (Isaiah 57:15). Or on a less happy but still godly note, we might look to Hannah who said, "I am a woman of sorrowful spirit." (1 Samuel 1:15).

.... In fact, it is in this sense in which the true gift of discerning of spirits may finally be understood. For the only Scriptural examples of a gift in which spirit may be discerned have to do with the spirits of men:

.... "When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you’. And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, ‘Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?’
(Mark 2:5-8)

Or another example:

.... "So the scribes and Pharisees watched Him closely, whether He would heal on the Sabbath, that they might find an accusation against Him. But He knew their thoughts, and said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Arise and stand here.’ And he arose and stood."
(Luke 6:7-8)

Or a third example:
.... "Now when the Pharisee who had invited Him saw this, he spoke to himself, saying, ‘This man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.’ And Jesus answered and said to him, ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ And he said, ‘Teacher, say it’."
(Luke 7:39-40)

.... ... And another:

.... "And He said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? ‘Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have’."
(Luke 24:38-39)

And one more example:

.... "This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, ‘Stand up straight on your feet!’ And he leaped and walked."
(Acts 14:9-10)

.... Is the gift of discerning of spirits in operation through these examples? Let's consider the outcome. The ultimate purpose of every spiritual gift is to allow us to be witnesses to Jesus. In each of these cases, with or without a miracle taking place in conjunction, a testimony of Jesus Himself went forth.

....Let’s contrast this with the theory we’ve just mentioned, whose purpose is to discern demons. In that ‘ministry’, more and more powerful ranks of demons are constantly envisioned, and the tangle of bondage seems ever deeper and more intricate, to make him constantly seem more and more formidable and menacing. The contrasting testimony is jarring, and should speak for itself.

.... We will discuss this further in the ‘comments’ section, and also in the break-out module entitled Spiritual Warfare Revisited.

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Daily Bible Reading: Galatians 6

Discerning of Spirits - Part 1

2008-04-26T16:43:00.000-05:00

.... Of all the spiritual gifts that Paul mentioned, the one called ‘discerning of spirits’ seems to be the least understood. (1 Corinthians 12:10). What, exactly, is this gift, and what purpose does it serve? You are likely to hear one of two popular theories, and both are wrong. Nevertheless, let’s start by explaining them and then we'll address the problems they present.

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.... The predominant theory (as it would appear in the best Bible commentaries today) would offer an explanation by elaborating on the context in which the gift is mentioned:

.... "Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit."
(1 Corinthians 12:3)

.... Based on this context, it has been theorized that the gift of ‘discerning of spirits’ was used for the purpose of judging prophecy, to determine whether the prophet spoke by the Spirit of God, by a demon spirit, or even by his own spirit (see Ezekiel 13:3). This is a brave correlation and it is usually a good practice to look to the context of a passage for pertinent clues. But in this particular case, they have entirely missed the point.

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.... Here is the first problem that their theory presents. How could a prophet, filled with the Holy Spirit, speak alternately for God, for himself, and for the devil? "Can a fig tree, my brethren, bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Thus no spring can yield both salt water and fresh." (James 3:12). Or as Paul would state rhetorically:

.... ". . . For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial . . . ?"
(2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

.... No one speaking for God would alternately speak for the devil, and then be trusted again! But even beyond this fundamental consideration, their entire argument defeats itself. We have only to think for a moment and it becomes apparent. For if they fear that a demon could infiltrate the church through a false prophecy, and if they believe that discerning of spirits is the protection mechanism to prevent this, then our next most logical question must be, Who discerns the discerner? What is the protection mechanism to insure that they got it right?

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.... If the devil was really intent on infiltrating the church through false prophecy, would he not find it even easier to infiltrate with a false discernment, and control the final outcome of the utterance in that way? For which is easier, to give an utterance or to simply say 'yes' or 'no' in response to it? Or maybe he could use a false prophecy and a false discernment together, to pass off the false message as true in a 'tag-team' effort? Wouldn’t that be even more to his advantage? But in truth, judging prophecy is performed otherwise:

.... "Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge."
(1 Corinthians 14:29)

.... As we discussed in an earlier posting, prophecy is actually judged by other prophets, and not by a gift called discerning of spirits. The qualification for judging prophecy, among prophets, is very simple yet stringent: "in the mouth of two of three witnesses let ever word be confirmed." In other words, two or three prophets must hear God's message independently, and afterward come together for the purpose of comparing their notes. When this comparison is made, their prophecies must agree in order to pass in the judgment. Any part of their messages that cannot be verified in this manner must not be presented.
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.... This procedure offers the protection mechanism that the predominant theory, described above, lacks. Furthermore, a prophecy needs to be judged on the basis of whether or not it is Scriptural, and not by the exercise of a spiritual gift:

.... "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts."
(2 Peter 1:19)

.... For if the prophecy is a gift that must be safeguarded against one's own subjectivity, then the same human weakness would certainly effect the gift of discerning of spirits as easily. But the word of our God stand forever that we may never be ashamed. We will continue this discussion in our next posting.

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Daily Bible Reading: Galatians 5

Gifts of Healings

2008-04-19T16:35:00.000-05:00

.... Each spiritual gift is given by the will of the Holy Spirit, on each and every occasion, rather than becoming an entitlement or an ability to be used at our own, human discretion (1 Corinthians 12:11). So while God allows us to flow in certain spiritual gifts very freely (speaking in tongues being the best example), He keeps the usage of other gifts much more directly under His control. These particular gifts are the ones that have the most dramatic impact on other people’s lives. We discussed the working of miracles in our previous two postings, and in this posting we’ll discuss gifts of healings:

.... "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all . . . to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit . . . but one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills."
(1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

.... At once, you may have noticed the 'double plural' that is used in describing this gift. For it is not called the ‘gift of healing' as though a spirutal ability had been limitlessly delegated, or ‘gifts of healing' as though it could be used many times in a single type of application, or ‘the gift of healings' as though it could be used just once with multiple effects, but rather it is described with a very clear emphasis on the singular nature of each and every occurrence: gifts of healings.

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.... Each time a healing is given it is a separate, distinct gift in itself, granted by God, even if He works through the same person often in ministering this gift, and even if He uses them in many different types of healings. Therefore this minister must always regard his ministry as a partnership in which God is by far the senior partner, and they must always seeking to please Him.

.... "But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."
(Isaiah 53:5)

.... Healing takes us into the realm of the miraculous, so let's also remember (from our previous posting) that miracles are always designed to carry a testimony. And since all healing has been purchased through the stripes that Jesus received, a miraculous healing of any type provides an opportunity for the gospel to be proclaimed.
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.... Simply to know God’s heart in this matter, we may readily understand that He would not want this correlation to be missed, nor would He want the opportunity to proclaim the gospel to be wasted:

.... "Go into all the world and preach the gospel . . . and these signs will follow those who believe: In My name . . . they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
(Mark 16:15-18)

.... Conversely, if it is known in advance that a healing will be needed, a wise minister would seek God about it in prayer and do his best to tailor his message to address this need. This would set the stage for gifts of healings to follow as a confirmation to the word that is preached.

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Daily Bible Reading: Galatians 4

False Signs and Wonders

2008-04-12T16:25:00.000-05:00

.... In our previous posting we discussed the divine correlation between teachings and miracles, as God endorses specific messages with corre- sponding signs of power (as in Mark 16:20). In some essential way, the concept of the teaching and the concept of the miracle will match to powerfully 'prove' that the message is true; and ultimately, this will reveal something more about the character or nature of God Himself, who is the Divine author of both.

.... But at the risk of diverting our attention from the true spiritual gifts, we should note that in the end times the correlation between teachings and miracles will also appear in a negative sense:

.... "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders."
(2 Thessalonians 2:9)

.... "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect."
(Matthew 24:24)

.... In both of these passages we see deception at work with miraculous manifestations of power, as signs and lying wonders occur (2 Thessalonians 2:9). So if true signs are an endorsement over true teachings, to prove they are true, then what is a lying wonder supposed to be? It’s a lawless but miraculous sign that points to an untrue teaching, as if to endorse it as true!
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.... In a key passage, Paul tells is that one day we will see demonic teachings and false miracles paired together, just as true teachings and true miracles are paired together (1 Timothy 4:1). However, the false teachings will point us away from God, rather than helping us draw closer to understand Him better. They may point to the devil, to another person, or even to ourselves, as long as it means turning our hearts away from God. And again, this is nothing new for the Lord our God has allowed this in order to test our hearts:

.... "If there arises among you a prophet or a dreamer of dreams, and he gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let us go after other gods’-- which you have not known– ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams, for the LORD your God is testing you to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul."
(Deuteronomy 13:1-3)

.... So be mindful when you see a miracle taking place! Be diligent, and consciously strive to connect it with the associated teaching, then prove the whole ‘package’ together according to the Scriptures. For better or worse, the teaching and the miracle should match, with the teaching as the key for understanding both in a way that will ultimately point us back to God.

.... So then, is it pointing us to a relationship with God to serve Him, or has it been flip-flopped to make it look like His purpose in life is in serving us? Or is it pointing to a fancy preacher who seems to stand in God's shoes as a mediator? And is the teaching itself true to the Scriptures? If the teachings points us to God and is true to the Scriptures, then the teaching and the miracle are true. But if otherwise, they are not. We will only know the difference by checking it out in the Bible to make sure, and this will help us discern the source from which both the teaching and the miracles have come.

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Daily Bible Reading: Galatians 3

The Working of Miracles

2008-04-05T16:00:00.000-05:00

.... Now let's discuss the spiritual gift known as 'the working of miracles' (1 Corin- thians 12:10). As we've noted in an earlier posting, all miracles are designed to carry an associated testimony. In some unique way they are supposed to tell us who Jesus is, or provide us with an insight into His character if we will consider them thoughfully.

.... For example, let’s recall the occasion when Jesus fed 5,000 men (about 20,000 persons in all) and He did so with only five loaves of bread and two small fish (John 6:4-13). If we'll consider this miracle thoughtfully, we'll find that it illustrates a closely associated teaching; and comparing the miracle and the teaching allows a testimony about Jesus Himself to emerge with power:

.... "And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst’."
(John 6:35)

.... Let's start by think about the teaching carefully. Someone may have heard Jesus claiming to be the bread of life and wondered if it could be true. At the time itself, many were offended at this teaching and left Him. But then in hindsight they would have to consider the miracle that occurred in close correlation, and make the obvious connection. "Well," they might eventually admit to themselves, "This Man did multiply five loaves among twenty thousand people, so He certainly knows something about bread! So maybe there was a spiritual truth behind His words. Maybe, in that sense, He really is the bread of life! Hmm, maybe I need to think about this further, and how He really meant it to apply to me . . . "

.... We, too, can see the intended correlation with a little thoughfulness. The miracle became a proof with power that the teaching was true, and it got us thinking about His significance in our lives. And in turn, this will help us understand a little more about who Jesus is.

.... Or again, let’s recall the story of the man who was born blind, whom Jesus healed, which was quite a notable miracle; for "since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind!" (John 9:32). And with this miracle came a message for us all, so let's think about that that message as well:

.... "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world."
(John 9:5)

.... Perhaps someone over heard Jesus claiming to be the light of the world and wondered if it could be true. But then they saw the miracle of granting sight to the blind, and made the obvious connection: "Wow, anyone who can open the eyes of a person who was born blind must really be the light of the world!" So once again the miracle became a proof, with power, that the teaching was true, gave us something to think about, and helped us see the significance of Jesus in our lives more clearly.

.... Or in another familiar story, let's recall how Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. And what teaching did He offer at the same time?

.... "Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live’."
(John 11:25)

.... Someone may have heard Him saying this and wondered. "Jesus said that He is the resurrection? That is a very tall claim!" but then the miracle quickly followed and Lazarus did come forth. "Well!" they would have to acknowledge in dismay. "If He can raise the dead like that, I guess He knows what He’s talking about! He really is the resurrection, so I guess I really should believe in Him!" The teaching and miracle have matched once again to testify, with a little thoughtfulness, of who Jesus is and how we should relate to Him.

.... Because miracles and teachings go together, we would naturally conclude that, in the context of spiritual gifts, there is no exception in God’s mind. Thus we should most naturally expect to see this gift in conjunction with a teaching ministry, especially that of an evangelist (1 Thessalonians 1:5), or perhaps a prophet:

.... "For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power."
(1 Corinthians 4:20)

.... For let us remember that the overall intention of this gift, as with every spiritual gift, is to make us witnesses for Jesus, of who He is, and of His amazing significance to each of us in our lives. Therefore, miracles will always be a testimony with power of His greatness and of His relationship with us all.

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Daily Bible Reading: Galatians 2

Orderly Tongues

2008-03-29T15:50:00.000-05:00

.... To many Christians today, the very suggestion of using tongues in an 'orderly' manner seems problematic. How can we be expected to 'flow' in the Spirit if we are also trying to follow instructions? But let us consider the bigger and truer picture:

.... The Scriptures provide us with instructions for 'processing' this gift in our own minds each time an utterance comes our way. They also provide instruc- tions for expressing the gift aloud within the church. The Holy Spirit Himself is the author of these Scriptures, just as He is the author of the utterance, so in fact they should go together naturally. If there seems to be a conflict then our own misunderstanding is the source -- which proves, in itself, that those Scriptural instructions were necessary, in this case, for the purpose of correction (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

.... Therefore we must respect those instuctions as a part of the Holy Spirit's leading in this gift, to help us flow in the gift as He intended, so we can be sure to get it right:

.... "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints."
(1 Corinthians 14:33)

.... In the church, an interpretation should always follow when a tongue is spoken out loud by an individual. In fact, two utterances in tongues should be given in turn, or at the most three, by different individuals, and one other person should interpret each of them in turn (1 Corinthians 14:27). If a person speaks in tongues and it turns out that no interpreter is present, they are to pray that they, themselves, might interpret for the church (1 Corinthians 14:13). But if it is known in advance that there is no interpreter there, they are to speak softly to themselves and to God, without speaking aloud to the church (1 Corinthians 14:28).

.... One of the reasons it is important to observe this order is for the sake of unbelievers (1 Corinthians 14:22). When tongues are exercised in an orderly manner, they become a sign of the Holy Spirit’s presence (Mark 16:17). When an interpretation comes forth as well, it shows His supernatural governance within that body of believers. Think of how astonishing it is to them that two or three unknown languages may be spoken, yet one person interprets each of them in turn! What common themes might be woven between them, and find expression? And the very process speaks a greater presence, the true and divine author, who is orchestrating all. But when tongues are used in a disorderly manner, which sets His divine counsel aside, the whole purpose behind the sign is ruined. In their hearts, even an unbeliever will perceive that folly has found a place: "Will they not say that you are out of your mind?" (1 Corinthians 14:23).

.... Another reason for an orderly use of this gift is that a person speaking in tongues is always edified, but the church is not edified unless an interpretation follows. In other words the utterance may degenerate into a disruption, a selfish 'feel good' imposition on the rest of the church if an interpretation does not follow. But the interpretation would bring a beautiful, uplifting and edifying word, as the reading of a psalm would be, so the whole body of believers might rejoice together. And for this very reason, too, let the speaker be mindful of the task he is leaving for the interpreter:

.... "Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? For if the trumpet makes an uncertain sound, who will prepare himself for battle? So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? For you will be speaking into the air."
(1 Corinthians 14:7-9)

.... In this passage Paul seems to be saying, very simply, that we should take our time with an utterance. Try not to speak in such a rush. Also, we should meditate on the utterance and do our best to articulate the syllables clearly, with true inflections, to pronounce each word as well as we possibly can. For example (in English) if the word is ‘speaking of which’, then take some time to feel it out and pronounce it correctly, instead of blurting out something like ‘speegginawidge’ which is obviously garbled. You don't want your 'notes' or syllables to sound uncertain, like you're babbling or 'speaking into the air'; even if your utterance is in someone's native tongue, they may not recognize it in this form.

.... In fact, remember that the utterance you are given may actually be the native tongue of someone present, and God may wish to use it as a sign to them. This was the case when tongues were spoken on the Day of Pentecost, for example, and it opened the door for preaching the gospel as the disciples became witnesses for Jesus. Therefore if spiritual gifts are the means, then evangelism is the end of the means, for in this and countless other ways spiritual gifts are always used for the purpose of God's ultimate glory.

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Daily Bible Reading: Galatians 1