A PHILOSOPHICAL LOOK AT "EVIL"

What would you call a value system that promotes evil over good, wrong over the right and the behaviors that lead to failure over the behaviors that lead to success?

What do those concepts even mean? What is “evil?” What is “wrong?” What is “success?”

Our society has become so jaded that even events like 9/11 and the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut are explained away or excused as the result of some psychological misstep. “Evil” is simply not a word that we are allowed to use to describe what happened in those incidents.

To brand something, anything, as “evil” is to suggest that there is some objective measure by which to define that term. According to this thought process, “evil” is deemed to be a value judgement and therefore is not, by its nature, definable.

In today’s society, value judgments are homogenized in such a way that one person’s “value judgments  are considered no better or worse than anybody else’s.

In fact, “evil” has left the realm of human processes and has found its home in natural events in which people are injured or killed.

Thus a hurricane or an earthquake that kills people is an evil thing and must have been cause by some let-down of a “god” of the imagination.

But “evil” is a character trait, and only humans have character traits.

It is defined in the dictionary as: a) morally reprehensible, sinful, wicked; b) arising from actual or imputed bad character or conduct.

Our society has decided that morals are relative; that “evil” is a subjective term and that the existence of “evil” in the world is proof that a loving God does not exist.

In fact, the opposite is true. The existence of “evil” is evidence that a loving God does exist. To a straight thinking individual, the only reason “evil” would exist is because of mankind’s base nature and its rebellion against that loving God.

“Evil” certainly could not possibly be the result of some evolutionary process in which the world becomes a better and better place to live. If that were so, mankind should be near perfection by now.  Even a cursory look at the world shows that it is becoming worse, not better.

In our world today, there are pseudo-intellectuals whose thinking is so connected to the nature of the rebellion against God they cannot see and refuse to acknowledge the existence of “evil.”

That thinking is called “liberalism.” But it is really pure, unadulterated rebellion.

JUST SOME WEDNESDAY WACKINESS

1.  My husband and I divorced over religious differences.  He thought he was God and I didn't.

2.  I don't suffer from insanity -- I enjoy every minute of it!

3.  I used to have a handle on life, but it broke.

4.  Don't take life too seriously -- no one gets out alive.

5.  You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.

6.  Beauty is in the eye of the beer holder.

7.  Earth is the insane asylum for the universe.

8.  I'm not a compete idiot -- some parts are missing!

9.  Out of my mind.  Back in five minutes.

10.  God must love stupid people -- He made so many!

11.  The gene pool could use a little chlorine.

12.  Consciousness:  that annoying time between naps.

13.  Ever stop to think, and forget to start again?

14.  Being "over the hill" is much better than being under it.

15.  Wrinkled was not one of the things I wanted to be when I grew up.

16.  Procrastinate now!

17.  I have a degree in Liberal Arts -- do you want fries with that?

18.  A hangover is the wrath of grapes.

19.  A journey of a thousand miles begins with a cash advance.

20.  Stupidity is not a handicap.  Park elsewhere!

21.  He who dies with the most toys is nonetheless dead.

22.  A picture is worth a thousand words, but it uses up three thousand times the memory.

23.  Ham and eggs -- a day's work for a chicken, a lifetime commitment for a pig.

24.  The trouble with life is there's no background music.

25.  I smile because I don't know what the heck is going on.

INCONSISTANCY 101

One of my pet "theological" peaves is the inconsistancy with which Bible believing leaders interpret God's Word.

Far to many Christian theologians, pastors and other leaders treat God's Word as though it were a collection of proverbs from which we can pick and choose to support our particular doctrinal position.


There are hundreds of examples, but I will select one to discuss in this post.

In I John 1:9 we read the very well known verse, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from  all unrighteousness."

As I have written before, Scripture must be interpreted in light of the context of the verse of the chapter, of the book and of the Bible as a whole.

In this case, the verse is between two other significant verses: I John 1:8 and I John 1:10.

The first reads, "If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us."

The second reads, "If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar, and his word has no place in our lives."

Either there is a progression of continued thought here or the Scripture degenerates into an unorganized mess of sayings, no better than a collection of Confucius' sayings.

In order to be consistent with the rest of the Bible, this passage must fit together with the rest of the chapter, the book and the Bible as a whole.

The word for "confess" here is homologio - to speak the same thing or to agree with. Knowing that, then, the question becomes, "With whom must we agree?" Of course, the answer is, "We must agree with God."

The next logical question is, "On what must we agree with Him?" The answer to that question is, "We must agree with Him that we sin."

So the sense of the passage becomes: We are sinners because God said so. The context of the chapter requires that we recognize that the darkness of sin is contrary to the light of Jesus and must be dealt with.

According to the context of the Bible as a whole, sin has been dealt with at the cross of Calvary. All of the Old Testament points toward that event and all of the New Testament reveals and expounds on it.

In chapter 2, John writes, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin."

But he has just told us that we DO sin, and we can't say that we don't.

Some have concluded that we must not allow "unconfessed" sin to be in our lives or we will lose our salvation. Others have said we must not allow "unconfessed" sin to be in our lives or we will lose our fellowship with God (an interesting, if not exactly Biblical concept). Still others have concluded that we have to confess every sin (except those we don't remember), every time we sin or we will displease God.

With so many different ideas of how to apply I John 1:9, what's a person to do?

The agreement with God that we are sinners is contextually required for salvation. The idea that we must go around focusing on our sin out of fear of forgetting to "confess" one or more of them is wrong.

We just can't have it both ways. Either God paid the penalty for sin with the shed blood of Christ or He didn't. If He didn't, either we are all doomed or none of it matters after all. If He did, we are saved by His grace through faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

So what we are left with in I John 1:9 is really a recap of the solution to the condition of man. That is evidenced by I John 2:1 where it is written: "...we have one who speaks to the Father in our defense, Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. 2He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins..."

The book of I John was written to Christians. By his own words, though, John is reminding Christians of what they were before they received Christ (walkers in darkness) and what they became after they received Christ (walkers in the light).

While the theology/doctrine is good to know, the important issue here is to learn to interpret Scripture with consistency. In this case, we can't be absolved of sin on the one hand and be held accountable for it on the other.

Far too many pastors, Bible teachers, philosophers and theologians twist and turn to try to explain certain passages that seem difficult until they are put into the proper context(s).

BUILDING A BIBLE BASED CHURCH 03

Fifteen Bases for Spiritual Church Growth

In my previous article, Building a Bible Based Church 02, I presented a series of physical steps a church can take to help its growth.

In this article I will present some philosophical and theological positions that will result in growth, physically and spiritually.

1. The church’s core beliefs must conform to the scriptural teaching of one God, existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit; that He is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient, is sovereign and that He is our judge and Redeemer.

2. The church must recognize that the Father is not the Son and not the Holy Spirit, but is God; that the Son is not the Father and is not the Holy Spirit, but is God and that the Holy Spirit is not the Father and is not the Son, but is God.

3. The church must understand and teach that Jesus Christ is “God with us,” fully God and fully man and is the personification of the gospel, God’s plan for man’s redemption, by actually taking upon Himself the sins of mankind and experiencing their consequences.  The church must know that salvation comes through faith in, and only in, the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.

4. The church must experience the power of the Holy Spirit as “God in us,” empowering mankind to live in the church and in the world in such a way as to honor and glorify God through the use of spiritual gifts.

5. The church must realize that the Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption; that it is the final authority for all belief and practice; and that it must be interpreted, not by proof-text, but in view of its entire context.

6. The church must engage in worship that involves Christians in a personal and corporate encounter with God for the purpose of glorifying Him.  It must realize that worship is not about personal preference and desire but is all about God and His desires for us.

7. The church must develop ministries: that enable members to learn the Word of God (the Bible); that provide opportunities for personal growth through service; that emphasize missions study and activities relating to the local community and around the world; that engage members in Christian fellowship

8. The church must come to realize that a church that is not growing is already dead.  It must deliberately understand that the Bible requires us to grow in order to fulfill the Great Commission and to emulate the results of Pentecost and other New Testament examples of the church.

9. The church must follow the leadership of its called ministers and lay leaders who have the gifts of faith and vision for the church.  It must respond positively to the enthusiasm of its leaders while recognizing that each individual is called to be a minister.

10. The church must accept that it is to be “credible” in its witness and behavior, realizing that Jesus is the Sacrificial Lamb for all of mankind, regardless of station in life, cultural, national or racial differences, or any other social factors.  The church is to be a “healing station” for all people, as well as a source for the truth of the gospel.  Church members’ love for one another and for those who might be considered “outsiders” must testify as to the truth of that gospel.

11. The church must involve itself in missions both actively and passively.  That is: the church should give regularly to missions; engage in local mission teaching and activities; provide mission trip activities to enable members to experience missions around the world.

12. The church must organize for growth, recognizing that we serve a God who is supremely organized and has given us multiple examples of organization in His Word.  This organization should include, among other things: small groups for study and fellowship; Bible study classes;  the frequent formation of new groups as growth occurs; the provision of adequate space for growth; a staff that meets the growing needs of the congregation and community and an acute awareness of the expectations of their target group(s).

13. The church must reject the so-called “small church” mentality, recognizing the factors needed to make the facility a place that enhances growth through the effective and creative use of such things as: the audio/visual systems; church bulletins and newsletters; adequate heating and cooling; a great “first impression;” good maintenance of both buildings and grounds and other things that characterize “professionalism” in the sense of providing the best possible experience for members and guests.

14. The church must find ways to introduce “changes” in such a way as to help “traditionalists” understand why they are necessary and to help “progressives” understand why not all changes can take place all at once, but must be approached logically, systematically and under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.

15. The church must understand that programs do not grow churches, people do. It must come to grips with the truth that ministries are there to provide for the spiritual needs of the members and to help them become significantly involved in service to God.  In this way they will experience the fullness of the joy in Christ available to church members.

No doubt there are other philosophical and theological factors that may be considered, but implementing these fifteen will go a long way toward making solid, effective growth possible both spiritually and physically.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Redeemed-Big Daddy Weave

A Study in Acts Week 7

Acts Chapter 7

Verses 1-8 – Stephen has just been told by the Sanhedrin to stop preaching the gospel, so what does he do? He preaches a sermon to them. He begins with the Abrahamic Covenant and explains how God knew that his descendants would not be faithful to Him. He moved through the Covenant of Circumcision  (the sign that they were part of the Old Covenant) so they would understand that physical ceremonies will not cut it with God.

Verses 9-16 – As he continued his history lesson to these “learned” men, Stephen reminded them of Joseph; his superiority to his brothers, his dreams and the basic nature of sin (pride). Stephen told of how God used Pharaoh to accomplish His will, even though Pharaoh did not believe in Him.

Stephen reminds the Sanhedrin that God had spoken to Abraham and Joseph when they were far from their own country.

He wasn’t telling the Sanhedrin anything they did not know, historically, what Stephen was doing was showing the relationship between God’s Old Covenant and His New Covenant (Jesus). He also showed them that the country they looked forward to had become more important to them than the God who was going to provide the country for them.

Verses 17-43 – Now Moses is introduced into Stephen’s narrative. He uses the well known story of Moses path to Egypt to demonstrate that God had a plan to rescue His people, just as He revealed in Christ. He tells about the good things Moses did, but he also tells about the man that Moses killed, the Egyptian.

In verse 37 Stephen repeated Moses’ words about a prophet (the Messiah). This prophet would be ‘someone from among your people’, like Moses. (See Acts 3:22.) He referenced Amos 5:25-27 to show how Israel, despite God’s goodness to them, had turned to other gods.

One of God’s attributes is that He has given us the freedom to choose whether or not we will serve Him. He never forces obedience on us. We must learn to lean on the Holy Spirit for God’s guidance if we wish to receive His blessings.

Under the New Covenant, God has written His love on our hearts. If we really have a relationship with Him through Christ, following that obedience of love will always be our greatest desire.

Stephen, in verse 53, tells the Sanhedrin that they had received God’s law but had chosen not to obey it.

This, of course, did not enamor him to the Sanhedrin. They became very angry, dragged him out from the city and stoned him to death.

Stephen repeated the sentiments of Jesus on the cross, “Lord…receive my spirit!” and, “Lord! Don not blame them for what they are doing.” Then he died.

Acts 8:1 tells us that Saul was there, giving approval to Stephen’s death.

A CLOSER LOOK AT James 5: 13-16

When interpreting Scripture, we must guard against lifting a verse or verses out of context. Context includes the verse itself, the verses around it, the chapter and its meaning, the book it’s found in and the whole of the Bible.

It must all fit as snugly as the interlocking pieces of a puzzle or it is likely to be misinterpreted.

These verses are about the various conditions in which Christians find themselves: in trouble; happy or sick. This is not a complete list, but illustrates the general issues that we face.

To paraphrase verse 13, if someone is in trouble, he can pray for himself. If he is happy, he should sing out praises (and, by implication, is not in immediate need of prayer). If he is sick, he should ask the elders to pray over him, anointing him with oil (Greek: eailon – olive oil).

In Textus Receptus (the succession of printed Greek texts of the New Testament which constituted the translation base for the original German Luther Bible, the translation of the New Testament into English by William Tyndale, the King James Version, and most other Reformation-era New Testament translations), verse 16 begins with the word, “Therefore” (Greek: ouv – So then, now therefore). Interestingly, it does not appear in the King James Version. It means that what’s before it gives meaning to what follows it. Without the “what’s before it,” we cannot possibly understand the meaning of “what follows it.”

Verses 12-15 constitute the “what’s before it.” “Therefore” indicates a conclusion to be drawn from the “what’s before it” part.

The sense of the passage is: Because we can pray for ourselves in hard times, sing praises in good times and seek prayer for healing in times of sickness, we should “confess…”

The word “confess” is from the Greek: exomologeo. It means, “to speak out the same.” “Exomologeo” is different from “homologeo,” which means to speak the same, or to agree with.

This is not about standing before the group and telling about all of the things you have done bad. It is about acknowledging that we are all in the same boat as far as sin is concerned. It is connected with the context of the entire Bible by the influence of “original sin.” Since all sickness is due to the fallen condition of man, we have the right to pray for healing.

The thought is concluded with the statement, “the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”

So, who is “righteous?”

According to Isaiah 64:6, our righteousness is like filthy rags before God. Roman 3:10 tells us “there is none righteous, no not one.”

Who is this “righteous” man whose prayer is “powerful and effective?”

It is the man who has been declared righteous by God through the shed blood of Christ.

That man’s prayer will be powerful and effective for the subject of this passage, which is healing the issues that beset us.

THINGS TO PONDER

If a number two pencil is the most popular pencil in the world, how come it’s not number one?

If Jimmy cracked corn and no one cared, why do they sing a song about it?

If somebody offers you a penny for your thoughts and you put in your two cents worth, what happens to the other penny?

If quitters never win and winners never quit, who came up with “quit while you’re ahead?”

If it’s true that we’re here to help others, what are the others here for?

How much Healthy Choice ice cream can I eat before it’s not a healthy choice?

What happens if you get scared half to death twice?

Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, “Hmm. I think I’ll squeeze those dangly things and drink whatever comes out?”

A couple in a church had wanted a baby for years, and after fourteen years of marriage, still no children. One night about 12:30 they knocked on the pastor’s door. Pastor, we believe tonight the Lord spoke to us and we’ve come to be anointed with oil and prayed for us, God is going to give us a baby. Sleepily, the pastor said alright. He turned to his wife and said, “Honey, go get the anointing oil.” She said, “I’ll be right back.” In a few moments she returned and said, “I couldn’t find the anointing oil…all I could find was this 3 in 1 oil.” The pastor said, “That will do,” and he anointed the couple and prayed for them.

Nine months later the pastor got the call to go to the hospital. The young man was pacing the floor and he asked, “Pastor, have you heard? We had triplets.” The pastor said, “Oh, I’m so sorry. When I anointed you with that 3 in 1 oil, I had no idea it would have this effect. The young father brightened up and said, “Pastor, that’s OK. We’ve just been praising the Lord that you didn’t use WD 40.”

A CLOSER LOOK AT THE NEW COVENANT

Jeremiah 31:31-33a: 31 "Behold, days are coming," declares Yahweh, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them," declares Yahweh. 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares Yahweh, "I will put my Law within them and on their heart I will write it;..."  

This is the prophesy of Jeremiah.

Jeremiah foresaw the day when God would institute a New Covenant that was not dependent upon either the Abrahamic Covenant or the Mosaic Covenant of the Law. This New Covenant would be written on and live in the hearts of those who know God.

That this New Covenant has come in the person of Jesus Christ is evidenced in the New Testament.

It is important to note that there is a distinction between the Old Covenant and the Old Testament; between the New Covenant and the New Testament.

The Testaments are the record of the two Covenants. The Covenants themselves are the actual agreements God made with His creation. The Old Testament testifies to the Old Covenant (and predicts the New). The New Testament testifies to the New Covenant.

As previously noted in this blog, there are many references to the New Covenant in the New Testament. The most powerful and the longest is in Hebrews (which I believe to be Paul's commentary to the Hebrew people on the book of Romans). It begins in chapter 6 as the history and "ground-work" is laid. It explodes in chapter 8 and is culminated in chapter 10, after which comes the great "faith" chapter.

Hebrews 8:1-7:

1Now the main point of what we are saying is this: We do have such a high priest, who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, 2 and who serves in the sanctuary, the true tabernacle set up by the Lord, not by a mere human being.

3 Every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices, and so it was necessary for this one also to have something to offer. 4 If he were on earth, he would not be a priest, for there are already priests who offer the gifts prescribed by the law. 5 They serve at a sanctuary that is a copy and shadow of what is in heaven. This is why Moses was warned when he was about to build the tabernacle: “See to it that you make everything according to the pattern shown you on the mountain.”[a] 6 But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.

7 For if there had been nothing wrong with that first covenant, no place would have been sought for another.

The high priest mentioned in verse 1 is, of course, Jesus Christ (Messiah).

Under the Old Covenant, priests collected and offered gifts and sacrifices to God, usually a "perfect lamb" or other four footed animal, if the donor could afford it, or perhaps a dove, which was less expensive.

The requirement was that the offerings be "perfect," which none of them were. But they were brought to the priest who would either accept or reject them. If he accepted them, they were considered perfect by the proclamation of the priest.

These were the same sorts of sacrifices that were being sold at the Temple when Jesus overturned the tables and proclaimed the space where they had been "...a den of thieves." The problem was, the priests were over charging for the offerings and were pocketing a great profit for themselves.

As we see in verse 4, the new high priest, Jesus, is no longer here. Because of the resurrection, He now sits on the throne in Heaven. In verse 5 we see that earthly priests are only "...a shadow," or wispy representation of the real High Priest.

In verse 6 we read: "...the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises."



That is one of the strongest statements that could possible be made about Jesus the New Covenant. It is SUPERIOR to the Old Covenant.

The Old Covenant depended upon rules, regulations and the Law. The New Covenant depends on, and only on Jesus. His Law is written on the hearts of those who come to know God through Him.

Hebrews 9:1 & 9:11-12

1 Now the first covenant had regulations for worship and also an earthly sanctuary. ¹¹ But when Christ came as high priest of the good things that are now already here,^[a] he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not made with human hands, that is to say, is not a part of this creation. ¹² He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining^[b] eternal redemption.



This is exciting! No longer do we need to make sacrifices to God! The perfect sacrifice has already been made. As Paul's letters to Romans and to the Galatians tell us, we are freed by that perfect sacrifice from the law of sin and death!

There is a grave problem in our churches today. Under the guise of being "Bible believing," churches, they have tried to live with one foot in the New Covenant and one foot in the Old. That is both unfortunate and impossible to carry out.

The result of this charade is that Christians are not allowed to be truely free in Christ. They are still bound by the precepts and practices of the Old Covenant. They believe Christ's admonition that they "obey His commands" requires them to follow most (but certainly not all, due to "cultural considerations") of the Old Covenant rules.

Now, as Paul is quick to point out in both Romans and Galatians, we are not to use our freedom in Christ to justify sin. We are to realize that because we are free in Christ, we will no longer want to do those "things of the flesh" because we have God's Law of Love written in our hearts.

John tells us in I John 2:1 & 2 that if we DO sin, we have an "advocate," a lawyer, as it were, representing us to the Father and confirming our innocence through His perfect blood sacrifice.

What a joy it is to realize that we have this wonderful High Priest, who has given us a New Covenant by which we can now live in the asurance of our salvation apart from the Law!

That's "shoutin' ground!"

BUILDING A BIBLE BASED CHURCH Part 02

STEPS TO CHURCH GROWTH

Church growth means more than just increasing numbers, it also means maturing the numbers (which represent people) that you already have.

There are four main practices by which a church experiences growth:

1.  Personal contact

2. Advertising

3. Serendipity

4. Constant Prayer

Personal Contact

Statistics indicate that up to 90% of most churches’ visitors are invited to come by someone they know.

The trouble with this is the low percentage of attendees who are inviting friends and neighbors to come visit their church.

Growth by personal contact requires that the number of personal contacts made by members and regular attendees increase.

How can the number of personal contacts be increased?

a. Discovery – Develop a way to discover potential attendees.
b. Make contacts deliberate – There must be some method of assigning contacts to people that they will accept and follow up on.
c. Accountability – Establish a method of recording those contacts.
d. Follow-up – Several different regular methods of follow-up need to be put in place.
e. Coordination – The effort for growth must be coordinated, perhaps through an existing organization (such as the Sunday School) or through a person, group or committee.

Advertising

Saddleback Community Church, under the leadership of Rick Warren, made heavy use of advertising in its early years.

Advertising pays for itself in that when it results in a new attendee, that person is likely to make a contribution to the church, thus covering the per person cost of that advertisement. That must not be the motive for advertising, but it is the result, more often than not.

To be effective, advertising must do three things:

1. Attract the attention of the viewer/hearer.
2. Hold the attention of the viewer/hearer long enough for him/her to know what it’s about.
3. Elicit a response from the viewer/hearer.

Advertising that is cluttered with too much information will be ignored.

There’s an old adage in advertising: White space (space where there are no words) sells.

That means that peoples’ eyes need to be immediately focused on the point of the advertising.

Advertising must be clear, stating the who, what, where and when of what the viewer/hearer needs to know and perhaps one or two significant draws (such as a concert and its performer).

An effective web site is one form of advertising that will be frequented by the more contemporary prospect.

Remember these things about web sites:

1. A web site should be easy to find, easy to read, and easy to navigate.
2. Fancy or tricky elements in a web site should be avoided at all costs.  They might be artistic, but they will quickly drive people away.
3. Remember the white space sells adage and avoid a cluttered web site.
4. Burying information behind a series of links will discourage the reader from pursuing information online.  Necessary links should be on the front page of the web site.
5. Really important information should be on the front page of the church’s web site.
6. Frequent side bar information on a web site should feature special events, which will frequently change.
7. Every document produced by the church should have the web site URL printed on it, as should all other advertising.

A well designed, attractive and highly visible sign at the church site can be an effective form of advertising, again remembering the white space sells rule.

Serendipity

Some people will find your church when driving by or through some other “accidental” means.

There must be some mechanism in place to discover them, greet them, seat them, give them information about the church and help to find their way around in it.

Greeters should be in place to recognize visitors, encourage them with sincere smiles, and hand them pertinent information about the church, perhaps in the form of an introductory brochure.

An active reception area (vestibule) that gets their attention would be helpful.

The reception area might include:

1. A “Visitor Welcome Station,” where name tags could be handed to visitors.
2. A missions center showing a continuous DVD of recent mission trips
3. A continuous DVD showing various ministries of the church, such as the Youth Ministry, SAM, AWANA, Children’s Church, Sunday School, Christian growth opportunities, choir, etc.
4. Ushers prepared to actively help visitors find a place to sit comfortably.

Constant prayer

Prayer is listed last, but should be practiced first.

Prayer should not be focused on numbers, but on discovering God’s vision for the church and how it is to reach people with the gospel for Him, teach people about Him and grow people in Him.

In other words, prayer should be about discovering what God is doing and getting on board with Him to get it done.

The Biblical admonition to be constantly in prayer is a matter of focus and attitude. Each church member should be trained in how to be in prayer constantly, not just in formal, corporate settings.

Practical considerations

These are some of the practical practices that can be implemented to achieve church growth.

In addition to these, there are specific ministries that will encourage growth and those will be addressed in an upcoming post.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Great Is the Lord Almighty-Dennis Jernigan

A Study in Acts Week 6

Acts Chapter 6

Verses 1-7 – There were two groups of Jews, one spoke Greek, the other Hebrew. Each group believed in and followed the customs of its respective culture. The Apostles were having some issues keeping the Good News before both groups and dealing with their differences.

They gathered the groups together (sort of the first “congregational” form of church governance) and selected some men to help them with the administration of the groups while they concentrated on preaching the gospel.

They chose Stephen, Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolaus. Nicolaus was a Gentile from Antioch who had followed the Jewish religion.

Some theologians consider these to be the first deacons. The deacon’s job is to take the pressure off of the pastor so he can preach the gospel and pray. At least that’s what the Bible indicates. In effect, they are to “run interference” for him.

In I Timothy the guidance for the selection of deacons is almost the same as that of the selection of the pastor. That’s because they are called to the same ministry.

Remember, the church was growing exponentially and the work was more than the Apostle could keep up with.

The apostles said a prayer and they put their hands on the men. Note that no “big deal” is made of the prayer. The “laying on of hands,” according to some theologians, was something akin to a handshake to indicate a covenant or contract.

That would not be to say there is anything wrong with what is practiced today as “the laying on of hands,” only that the Bible says what the Bible says about it: very little. The laying on of hands in the early church was a means of connecting the message with the messenger.

Even many Jewish and pagan priests became believers in Christ.

Verses 8-15 – Stephen was a very effective minister, but some people didn't like him (surprised?).  Some “followers” just don’t like the wisdom that comes from the Holy Spirit. (They were probably Jews pretending to be followers). These men paid somebody to say bad things about Stephen.

Stephen was brought before the Sanhedrin. His face was shining with the same glow that had come upon Moses when he brought the Law from the mountain.

Stephen had grace, power and wisdom as he prepared to take a stand for Christ.

We, too, must be willing to stand for Him as noted in I Cor 15:58, Eph 6:14, II Thes 2:15 and other places.

MATTHEW 28:16-20 A CLOSER LOOK

Remember, this was after the resurrection. When the disciples went to the assigned mountain, they saw Jesus.

The word for “saw” is the Greek word: eidom. It means to know, to be acquainted with.  Its use here tells us that they recognized Jesus, even after His resurrection.

When they saw Him, they worshiped Him.

These men, because of their background, would never have considered worshiping anyone except God. The fact that they worshiped Jesus and He allowed them to do so, confirms His words, “I and the Father are one. If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” (John 14:9)

“…but some doubted” (verse 17).

Have you ever used the expression, “I can’t believe my eyes?” Suppose Publisher’s Clearing House appeared at your door and presented you with a check for $10 million. You’d say, “You’re kidding, right?” That’s what happened here.

The word for “doubted” is the Greek: edistasan, whose root is distazo. The idea here is a sort of doubtful amazement.

Jesus then asserts His authority. He does not say “I've been given lots of influence,” nor does He say, “I am in a very authoritative position, here.” He says “ALL authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

He uses the Greek word, pas, which means “every.” It leaves no room for discussion. It means “all and all of all.”

Jesus is the ultimate authority over everything: the universe; the earth; the seas; the air…whatever you can think of (and much you can’t imagine). That’s a lot of authority.

Because He has this authority, He can tell you what to do…that’s the “therefore.”

The imperative, “go” is a command from the One who is the Commander.

Jesus tells his disciples to go and “…make disciples.” In the King James version, the word is translated “teach,” which is correct if you still speak 1611 English, but it is wrong is you speak 21st century English.

The emphasis here is NOT bringing them to salvation. It is what you do with them AFTER they are saved. However, It can indicate a sort of training toward becoming a Christian.

The Greek root is math, and it is used here as mathetes, which means “to train.”

It is so sad that preachers, theologians, Sunday School teachers and others believe that disciples can be made from the pulpit or the teaching lectern. That is impossible.

Training is what one does with a dog. It requires repeating an activity until it is ingrained in the brain.

The same is true with people.  Teaching them is one thing, discipling them is quite another.

Discipleship training is showing the pupil how to put into action what he has learned and then helping him practice it until it becomes second nature to him. It should be done with every new believer and should continue throughout the rest of his life.

Disciples are to be baptized as the first step in their training and the baptism is done “in the name of,” which is significant beyond explanation. It means to use God’s complete name: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. That’s the unfathomable Trinity.

In verse 20 Jesus uses the phrase: “…teaching them to obey (KJV: observe – which means the same thing) everything I have commanded you.”

The word Jesus uses here is the Greek: didasko.  This word means, “to teach.” Unlike mathetes, didasko CAN be done from the pulpit or the teaching lectern. It can even be done person-to-person.

The subject of what we are to teach is everything Jesus has commanded; that is: Love God with all your heart, mind soul and strength and your neighbor as yourself. He said everything in the Ten Commandments is wrapped up in those two. Everything He did in the presence of His disciples reflected those two commands.

With His closing words, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age,” Jesus gives us His ultimate assurance that He will neither leave us nor forsake us.

Mathew 28:16-20, “The Great Commission,” is chock-full of deep meaning and is a call to action like no other.

GET IT RIGHT OR DON'T BOTHER

Many criteria have been put forth concerning the interpretation of Scripture.

You have heard the expression, "Scripture must interpret Scripture," and it is true to a great extent.

The problem with that approach is that if you use scripture incorrectly, the Scripture you have used incorrectly will incorrectly interpret the Scripture you are trying to correctly interpret.

You have also heard that context is important, and it is.

But context can include the immediate context, the context of the chapter, the context of the particular book and the context of the Bible as a whole. Indeed, all of those contexts must be taken into account.

The study of the original texts can always be an issue in interpretation. Here we run into the issue of translation, which is always difficult.

For instance, you might read in French: "Ma montre marche tres bien." Literally translated that would mean: "My watch walks very well." But that would never be a correct translation into English. We would correctly translate that: "My watch is running well," or "My watch is correct."

There are many other devices and methods for Scripture interpretation, but there is one that works 100% of the time for every verse of the Bible, and it guarantees a correct meaning.

It begins with understanding that the Bible is not a history book, although it contains the best history of the beginning, of Israel and of Christianity ever written.

Neither is the Bible a biography, although it is the best biography of the patriarchs and of Jesus ever written.

It is not a science book, although when the Bible and science seem to conflict, the Bible is always right.

The Bible is not a "plan for life" book, although if you need a plan for your life, there is no better place to turn than God's Word.

The Bible is God's revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.

That description is accurate and gives us the basis for understanding every verse of Scripture. If you can apply that definition of the Bible, you don't need a seminary degree, deep theology, an understanding of Hebrew or Greek or any scholarly background to correctly interpret a verse or passage.

When interpreting Scripture, three questions must be answered about the particular passage: 1) What is this passage teaching about the character of God?; 2) What is this passage teaching about God's love for His creation; and 3) What is this passage teaching about God's plan for the redemption of His creation?

If you can answer these three questions, you will interpret any passage of Scripture correctly.

More importantly, if you do NOT answer all three of these questions concerning a particular verse or passage, you will get the interpretation wrong every time.

There are many ways we can "apply" Scripture, some of them legitimate, most of the illegitimate. But if we will learn to apply the three criteria listed above, we will not only understand what God is all about, but we will move toward the unity in Christ that is one of the Bible's major themes.

Press on! Apply the three principles of Biblical interpretation and find a new joy and excitement when you read and study God's Holy Word!

CHOIR DIRECTORS MAY NOT BE THE BRIGHTEST LAMPS IN THE CAVE

I've been a choir director for over 50 years. I love it as much today as I did when I first started.

I think I'm qualified to pick a little fun on choir directors, so here goes.

A choir director was complaining to his friend about constantly being called a dumb choir director. His friend tells him, "Go do something to prove them wrong! Why don't you learn all the state capitals or something?"

The choir director thinks this is a great idea, and locks himself up for two weeks studying.


The next party he goes to, some guy is making dumb choir director comments. He gets all indignant and claims, "I'm NOT a dumb choir director. In fact, I can name ALL the state capitals!"

The guy doesn't believe him, so the choir director dares him to give him a test. He says "Okay, what's the Capital of Montana?"

The choir director shouts in triumph and says, "That's easy! It's ‘M’!"

THERE ARE COVENANTS AND THEN THERE ARE COVENANTS

A covenant is an agreement, but it is much more than that.

The word for “covenant” in Hebrew comes from the root word that means “to cut.” A ceremony was usually associated with a covenant between men. This particular ceremony was characterized by two men making an agreement and then passing through the cut bodies of slain animals to seal it.

Covenants are part of the central theme of the Old Testament. There are four major covenants: 1)The covenant with Noah; 2) The covenant with Abraham; 3) The covenant with Moses and 4) the Covenant with David.

Many theologians consider the four major Old Testament covenants as separate. They are more properly understood as a unit that reveals the very character of God, His love for His creation and ultimately His plan for its redemption.

The Old Covenant (properly understood to be the four major covenants, collectively) was one of the anticipation of the fulfillment of God’s plan of redemption for His creation. That plan was consummated by the New Covenant.

The New Covenant (see the chart from Wednesday, February 6), has a name. His name is Jesus, Messiah, Redeemer, Savior, Lion of Judah, Prince of Peace, and other descriptives.

The New Covenant is the new agreement God has made with mankind, based on the death and resurrection of Christ for the remission of sin. It is a covenant with the most significant “ceremony” ever devised associated with it: the blood of Christ.

Paul told us at the Last Supper that Jesus had described the cup as “the new covenant in My blood” (I Corinthians 11:25).

Unlike the Old Covenant, the New Covenant is for all of mankind, regardless of race or national origin.

The New Covenant is the fulfillment of the Old Covenant as prophesied in Jeremiah 31:31-34, “Behold the days are coming, say the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah – not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out…” 

The gospel is the central theme of the New Covenant.

If we are to call ourselves “Christians,” we must realize that the Old Covenant has been fulfilled in Christ and that we cannot stand with one theological foot in the Old Covenant and one in the New.

We must choose which one we will embrace, and that choice means the difference between eternal death under the Law and eternal life under the New Covenant.

BUILDING A BIBLE BASED CHURCH Part 01

The person who taught me the most about how to meet the needs of God’s Church, His people, was Pastor Harold Brown.

I was the Minister of Education, Music and Youth. I knew music and I knew youth, but the only experience I had had with Christian Education was what I got in college and from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary extension courses I took.

In other words, nothing. They teach a lot of theology in Bible college. They teach a lot of  philosophy in Bible college. They even teach a lot of Bible. They teach a warped brand of pseudo-spirituality that does not translate into real life and they teach a strange mixture of “isms” that I call “theosophy.”

Applying that tripe in the real world of meeting Christians where they are and helping them to grow is a wasted endeavor.

What I learned from Harold Brown was how to effectively lead people to real spiritual growth using the principles laid out in God’s word.

When you look at the building of the Temple in I Kings, chapters 5 through 8, you see the phenomenal physical preparations that God instructed Solomon to make. You also see the way God spiritually prepared Solomon for the task. Finally, you see the immense attention to practical detail that God showed Solomon.

Pastor Brown taught me how that same process (which is also found in myriad other places in Scripture) plays out in the local church.

First and foremost, Harold taught me that if we want a strong, lasting worship service we have to build a strong Bible Study ministry. If we want to train many people to works of service, we have to build a strong Bible Study ministry. If we want a good music program that effectively teaches all age groups to participate, we have to build a strong Bible Study ministry. If we want a strong missions ministry, we have to build a strong Bible Study ministry.

In other words, a church that tries to set the worship service as it’s foundation might see gain over the short term due to the force of the personality at the top, but long-term, effective spiritual growth is achieved through the Bible Study ministry. That is because it is not dependent on the personality of the staff, but on the actual lay leaders in the church.

At the church I was serving, in three years, through a strong Bible Study ministry, we doubled in size, had to build a second educational complex, which was paid for before it was completed, enlarged the worship center and had seen dozens come to Christ, including two men who had served as deacons for as long as anybody could remember.

Here is the methodology he taught me to follow:

1. Prayer – not as an exercise, but as a constant moment-by-moment attitude of the heart to know God’s will for the next event in my life.
2. Preparation – not reinventing the wheel, but using the principles of God’s Word as they apply to the provision of His people’s physical, emotional and spiritual needs.
3. Organization – not for the sake of organization, but in order to follow God’s Word as seen in many places, not the least of which is Numbers, chapter 2: the organization of the tents of Israel in such a way that Balam could not curse them.
4. A realization that God’s Holy Spirit does not have a “new” way of doing things. Some principles He has already establish and we don’t have to ask Him for His leadership in them…we just need to find out what they are and to do them.
5. Following the Holy Spirit is not some mystical, magical, ethereal, metaphysical occurrence, but is a direct result of finding what He has already laid out for us the God’s Word.

There were five Spirit led steps that we took to accomplish what God was leading us to do:

1. We examined and discovered the needs of our community through effective, easy surveys that helped us find out who was there and who needed what.
2. We enlarged the organization by structuring ourselves for growth, including establishing classes for which there were not yet any members, so that when they came they would have a specific, pre-determined place to go (an early version of “if you build it they will come”).
3. We enlisted teachers and leaders and trained them to properly conduct a Bible Study class built on the Word of God, sound doctrine and meeting the needs of the people where they were in life. We trained teachers in regular sessions that let them go through the steps of teaching a Bible Study lesson for the particular age group to which they were being asked to minister. We discovered that it took about 15 leaders to grow by 50 members, a number that was not a formula, just a result we experienced.
4. We provided the physical space for Bible Study classes to meet. We “discovered” that to start five new units, five “spaces” were needed, not necessarily rooms. Not necessarily at the church.
5. We established a method of going after people, using the surveys we had done in step one and inviting them to the transformational Bible Study groups for all ages and stages we knew as Sunday School.

This is the Holy Spirit’s method of reaching people on a more than superficial level and for providing for their understanding of the word of God.

We learned that to enlist a hodge-podge of teachers not specifically trained in right doctrine, not properly trained to lead a Bible Study class, not in tune with the overall objective and goals of the church and not exposed to an on-going training process is to invite disaster.

From this ministry, we were able to recruit and train people for many areas of service. We trained them locally, sent them to special seminars and helped them grow in their area of ministry.

On any given Sunday we had close to 300 in Sunday School and between 100 and 150 being trained for ministry as teachers, deacons, song leaders, singers, fellowship leaders, missions leaders for adults, youth, children and preschoolers, and many other ministries, all to the glory of God.

I thank God for leading me to Herald Brown, who walked me step-by-step through the process of becoming an effective Minister of Education.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Vicki Yoh'e - Almighty

A Study in Acts Week 5

Acts Chapter 5

Verses 1-11 – Here is the story of Ananias and Sapphira. Like Barnabas, Ananias and Sapphira sold their land for money. Barnabas gave all of his proceeds to the church. That would be 100%. Ananaias and Sapphira said they had given it all, but they actually held some back for themselves.

This is not an issue of the amount of money, it is an issue of the heart.

Under the New Covenant, we are to give everything we are, everything we have and everything we say and do to the Lord out of a reaction of love for Him.

If our churches could learn New Covenant giving, there would never be a “budget short-fall,” for that would be impossible.

The reason churches refuse to accept the New Covenant is because they do not trust its message. Pastors are afraid of it and won’t abandon the Old Covenant concept of giving. Many pastors see the Old Covenant as something we can keep one foot in while we keep the other foot in the New Covenant.

That absolutely will not work for the Kingdom of God. If we try to do that, we are “dead meat,” spiritually. And the stress from trying to do so will kill just a surely as Ananias and Sapphira died.

Verses 12-16 – The Apostles exercised the Apostolic gifts. Remember, an Apostle is someone who had come into direct, physical contact with Jesus.

The people thought Peter’s shadow had some sort of power. They were superstitious. This is no different from “prayer cloths,” “holy water,” and other worldly superstitions about religious artifacts, prayer and the like. These things are not magic and have no “supernatural” power. Only God has supernatural power.

 Verses 17-21 – The high priests, the Sanhedrin, the Sadducees and other Jewish “leaders” were still leading in the persecution of Christians. Meanwhile, the Apostles had gone into the Temple to preach and teach.

Verses 22-26 – The high priest and the Sanhedrin arrested the Apostles. An angel let them out and told them to stand in the Temple to preach again. The arresting officers were dumbfounded, because the locks were still on the prison doors. “How in the world did they get out?”

When they got word that the Apostles were preaching at the Temple, they arrested them again.

Verses 27-32 – The Apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin who chastised them for disobeying the order that they stop preaching. They were being implicated in the death of Jesus, and that made them very nervous (after all, it was true—politicians and religious leaders don’t like the truth, in spite of what they might tell you). The Apostles took a stand for Jesus.

That is the issue for us today. We must either take a stand for Jesus or we are relegated to those who stand against Him. There is no middle ground.

The message the Apostles were preaching had 5 parts: 1) God had sent Jesus. God was ‘our fathers’ God and Israel was His chosen nation. 2)  The Jewish leaders had killed Jesus whom God had sent; 3) Jesus was now sitting at God’s right side. Jesus was now Ruler and Saviour; 4) Now, people would have to repent and if they did that, God would forgive them because of what Jesus had done and 5) The Apostles had to tell it to everyone so they would believe the message, repent and would receive the Holy Spirit.

Verses 33-42 – The respected man,Gamaliel, introduced logic to the Sanhedrin. “If their plans and actions come from human ideas, it will all disappear. v39 But if it comes from God, it will not disappear.” Even in the face of continued persecution, it did not disappear.

The Good News of faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ is still with us, and we must take our stand for it.

NEW COVENANT GIVING-Part 1

You know the story of the "Rich Young Man," as recorded in Matthew 19:16-22.

The man approached Jesus and asked, "Rabbi (teacher), what good thing must I do to get eternal life?"

Before we look at Jesus' answer, let's remember that Matthew was written expressly for the benefit of God's chosen people, the Jews.

This rich young man was a practicing Jew, and Jesus' response to him was one that a "good" Jew would understand.

First, Jesus recognized the proper Jewish perspective of God. "Why do you ask me about what is good. There is only One who is good."

That's pretty interesting, because Jesus clearly identified Himself as one with God (John 10:30, et.al.)

Then He offers the Jewish belief about salvation, "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."

Wanting to be sure of himself, the young man asks, "Which ones?"

Here is is important to understand the structure of the Ten Commandments. The first part of the Ten Commandments deal with man's relationship to God, while the last part deals with man's relationship to man.

Jesus elected to focus on the last part, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your rather and mother and love your neighbor as yourself."

Many people claim to be good because they "follow the Ten Commandments." When they are asked to name them, most leave out the first section and list the last six. Usually they do not know, nor do they care to follow the first four.

The young man professed to have followed the last six Commandments, since he was a good Jew and wanted to let Jesus know that. He seemed to realize that something was lacking in his life; either that or he was being a little sarcastic.

"All these I have kept," the young man said. "What do I still lack?"

Jesus' answer is the point of this post.

Read carefully. "Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect..."

Wait a minute! The young man had just given what he thought was evidence that he WAS perfect. Jesus indicates that there is more to it than that.

"...go, sell 10% of your possessions and give to the poor..."

Actually, He did not say that.

Instead, Jesus revealed the requirement of the New Covenant, which was not 10%, but 100%!

"...go, sell ALL of your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven."

Do you remember when Jesus praised the widow who gave her two mites? The word for "mite" is  A lepton, and it is equal to one tenth of a penny (in old English). This is in Mark 12:42 and again in Luke 21:2.

Notice that Jesus did not commend her for giving a tithe. In fact, He accosted the Pharisees for thinking they were so good for giving only a tenth of their entire income. He complimented her for giving all she had, not 10%, but 100%.

Jesus, being the embodiment of the New Covenant, then said to the rich young man, "Then come, follow me."

Under the New Covenant, God has provided everything we need at the cross of Calvary. Realizing that we cannot repay Him, He then asks for what we can give: ourselves...completely over to Him, holding absolutely nothing in reserve.

That includes, but is not restricted to: our income, our talent, our time, our possessions, our love and our very lives.

Christians will not find all of the joy of their salvation until they commit to, and enter into, the New Covenant wholeheartedly. They cannot afford to keep one foot in the Old Covenant and one in the New Covenant.

That's a recipe for spiritual disaster, whether you are a theologian, a seminarian, a Bible school graduate or a lay person.

Learn to live the joy of the New Covenant! Do it today!

The Old Covenant Compared to the New Covenant

Throughout the Church Age, there have been many religious institutions and groups that have advocated the keeping of certain Old Testament laws.

The two most popular Old Testament laws today are tithing and Sabbath keeping. Some groups take the concept so far as to wear fringes on their underwear!

There is nothing wrong with someone setting aside money or time to the Lord, but there is something wrong with using Old Testament rules and regulations as the basis for doing so.

Christians are to rely on the Holy Spirit, as revealed in the New Testament Scriptures, for our direction and not the Mosaic Law.

The following Scriptures show that the Old Covenant was fulfilled and is no longer in effect, and that Christ, through the leadership of the Holy Spirit, revealed in the New Testament, is the present manifestation of God's direction for our lives.

Old Covenant (Abrahamic by extension & Mosaic)-Black
New Covenant (By Our New High Priest - Christ)-Red
Old covenant - II Corinthians 3:14 
New covenant - II Corinthians 3:6
First covenant - Hebrews 8:7, 9:1 
Second covenant – Hebrews 8:7, 10:1-9
Came by Moses - John 1:17 
Came by Christ - Hebrews 8:6, 9:15
Law of Moses - Acts 13:38-39 
Law of Christ - Galatians 6:2
Law of sin - Romans 7:5-6 
Law of righteousness – Romans 9:30-31
Law of the flesh – Romans 7:5-6 
Law of the Spirit – Romans 8:2
Not of faith – Galatians 3:2 
Law of faith - Romans 3:27
Yoke of bondage - Galatians 5:1 
Law of liberty-  James 1:25
Ended by Christ – Romans 10:4 
Established by Christ – Hebrews 8:6, 10:9
Law of death - II Corinthians 3:7 
Law of life – Galatians. 3:11, 6:8
Entangles – Galatians 5:1 
Makes free - John 8:32, 36
A shadow – Colossians 2:14-17 
The reality – Hebrews 10:1-18
Fulfilled – Matthew 5:17-18 
Now in force – Hebrews 8:6, 10:9
Leaves imperfect – Hebrews 7:19 
Makes perfect – Hebrews 7:19
Glorious - II Corinthians 3:7 
More glorious - II Corinthians 3:8-10
Powerless to save – Hebrews 9:9, 10:4 
Saves to uttermost – Hebrews 7:25
Many sacrifices – Hebrews 9:12-13 
One sacrifice for sin – Hebrews 10:12
Temporary priest – Hebrews 7:23 
Eternal priest – Hebrews 7:17
Remembers sins – Hebrews 10:3
Forgets sins – Hebrews 8:12, 10:17
Yearly atonement – Hebrews 10:3
Eternal atonement – Hebrews 10:14
Priests have sin – Hebrews 5:1-4 
Sinless priest – Hebrews 7:26
Aaronic priesthood  - Hebrews 7:11 
Melchisedec priesthood – Hebrews 5:5-10, 7:21
Out of Levi – Hebrews 7:11 
Out of Judah - Hebrews 7:14
Animal sacrifices – Hebrews 9:12 
Human sacrifice – Hebrews 9:14-28
Earthly tabernacle – Hebrews 9:2 
Heavenly tabernacle – Hebrews 8:2
Imperfect mediator – Galatians 3:19 
Sinless mediator - I Timothy 2:5
No inheritance – Romans 4:13 
Eternal inheritance – Hebrews 9:15
Instituted upon animal blood – Hebrews 9:16-22 
Instituted upon blood of Christ – Matthew 26-28
Law of works – Romans 3:27 
Law of grace and faith - John 1:17
Works wrath - Romans 4:15 
Saves from wrath – Romans 5:9
Non-redeeming – Hebrews 10:4 
Redeems - Gal. 3:13, & Hebrews 9:12-15
Non-pleasing – Psalm 40:6 
Pleasing to God – Hebrews 10:5-18
Abolishment predicted – Isaiah. 51:6 
Establishment predicted – Hebrews 8:7
Circumcision – Exodus. 12:48 
No circumcision – Romans 4:9-12
Made to change - Hebrews 7:12 & Galatians. 3:25 
Made eternal – Hebrews 13:20
Faulty – Hebrews 8:7 
Perfect - James 1:25
Weak  - Hebrews 7:18 
Strong – Hebrews 7:25
Unprofitable – Hebrews 7:18 
Profitable – Hebrews 7:19,25
Natural program – Hebrews 9:10-14 
Spiritual program - II Corinthians 3:6, 18
Daily program – Hebrews 7:27 
Finished program – Hebrews 10:10-18
Infirm high priests – Hebrews 5:2, 7:28 
Perfect high priest – Hebrews 7:26
Made priests by law – Hebrews 7:12, 28 
Made priests by an oath – Hebrews 7:21, 28
No salvation – Hebrews 10:2-4 
Eternal salvation – Hebrews 5:9, 10:10
Perfected nothing – Hebrews 7:19 
Perfects believers – Hebrews 7:19, 10:14
Earthly priests – Hebrews 5:1-4 
Heavenly priest – Hebrews 9:24, 10:12
Repeated inability – Hebrews 10:11 
Glorious success – Hebrews 10:10-18
Many offerings – Hebrews 9:7 
One offering – Hebrews 10:10-14
Good promises – Deuteronomy. 28:1-14 
Better promises – Hebrews 8:6
A good covenant – Romans 7:12 
A better covenant – Hebrews 7:22, 8:6
Many high priests – Hebrews 7:23
One high priest – Hebrews 7:24-28
Typical tabernacle – Hebrews 9 
True tabernacle – Hebrews 8:2, 9:11
No mercy – Hebrews 10:28 
Complete mercy – Hebrews 8:12
Handmade things – Hebrews 9:1-5, 24 
Not handmade – Hebrews 9:23-24
An old way – Hebrews 8:13 
New and living way – Hebrews 10:19-20
Unavailing ministers – Hebrews 7:18 
Able ministers - II Corinthians 3:6
Carnal ministry – Hebrews 9:9-10 
Spiritual ministry - II Corinthians 3:6
Ministration of condemnation - II Corinthians. 3:9 
Ministration of righteousness - II Corinthians. 3:9
Glory covered - II Corinthians 3:13 
Glory uncovered - II Corinthians 3:18
Brings bondage – Galatians 4:24-25 
Brings liberty - II Corinthians 3:17
Cannot justify – Galatians. 2:16 
Does justify - Acts 13:38-39
Brings a curse - Galatians 3:10 
Redeems from the curse – Galatians 3:13
Live by works – Galatians 3:10 
Live by faith – Galatians 3:11
Cannot give life – Galatians 3:21 
Does give life - John 6:63-68
Exposes sin – Galatians 3:19 
Covers sin - Romans 4:1-8
Under law - Romans 6:14-15 
Under grace – Galatians 3:22-25
Done away - II Corinthians 3:7-14 
Not done away - II Corinthians 3:11
Abolished - II Corinthians 3:13 
Continues glorious - II Corinthians 3:11
Ministry of death - II Corinthians 3:7 
Reconciliation ministry - II Corinthians 5:18
For Israel only - Deuteronomy 4:7-8, 5:3 
For all men - Luke 22:20 & Mark 14:24

One of the saddest characteristics of Christian leadership today is its propensity to “keep one foot in the Old Covenant and the other foot in the New Covenant.”

The two will not mix. We must either live under the Old Covenant or we must live under the New Covenant. We cannot do both.

This is not about “Law vs Grace,” although that certainly is a part of the equation. Neither is it about “Old Testament vs New Testament.” It is about what or who is to be followed.

Many Christians call themselves “Bible Believing,” but are selective in what parts of the Bible they believe. They are also prone to using Old Testament scripture to guide or even control present day behavior.

Under the Old Covenant, God dealt with His people’s sin through the anticipation of Messiah. Under the New Covenant, sin is completely dealt with by the accomplishment of the blood of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

Under the Old Covenant, God’s Law governed behavior. Under the New Covenant, the leadership of the Holy Spirit, as revealed in the New Testament, governs behavior.

 All of the issues a church faces, doctrinal, behavioral, giving, relating to one another, and more will be resolved when the church realizes and submits to life under the New Covenant alone.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Favorite Song of All-Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir

A Study in Acts Week 4

Acts Chapter 4

Verses 1-4 – Peter and John had been teaching about the resurrection and how they had witnessed it. Why do you suppose the Sadducees were angry? It was because they didn't believe in a resurrection (or Heaven), and the proclamation that Jesus had resurrected would have contradicting their pre-conceived notion.

The Sadducees, who had influence with Rome, had Peter and John thrown in prison. Even so, about 5,000 men (not to mention women and children) came to know Christ.

Verses 5-12 – The Sanhedrin (a special group of Jews that met together to be judges over the people, led by the high priest) had to decide whether Peter and John were guilty of a crime. They wanted to know how Peter and John had done this miracle (as though it were some form of trickery).

The Holy Spirit led Peter and John in what to say. They gave all the credit to Jesus Christ. They presented the healed man as their evidence.

In this passage, “the builders” represented the Jewish nation by which God chose to reveal His plan of salvation. “The stone the builders rejected” was Jesus. He became the most important stone in a building, the “cornerstone.” Through Him, God’s kingdom would be built.

Verses 13-22 – The Sanhedrin recognized two things about Peter and John: they were uneducated and they were boldly powerful. Peter and John’s message left them speechless.

They instructed the disciples not to speak of this resurrected Jesus again. Most specifically, they told them not to speak with His authority. But Peter and John chose to obey God rather than man.

Public pressure prevented the Sanhedrin from punishing Peter and John any further. For this the people praised God!

Verses 23-31 – What did the believers do when they heard the story related to them? They prayed. They praised God in prayer. They noted that all of those in authority had tried to stop God and His Messiah, Jesus, but they could not. They offered themselves as servants of God to do good works in spite of the likelihood of persecution.

Verses 32-34 –The members of the first church cared about each other. They did not just say that they cared. They showed their love by what they did. People still owned things. But they would share these things with anyone who needed them. Some believers owned land or houses. If anyone needed money, these people sold their land or houses. Nobody forced them to do this. They wanted to help each other.

Verses 35-37 – The Greek words here mean that people would put the money down ‘at the apostles’ feet’. This showed that people were offering it to God.

Luke mentions Barnabas’ gift. Barnabas was from the large group that was made up of Levi’s relatives. Each Israelite belonged to a large group like this. There were 12 such large families. Levi’s group served God in the Temple.

Later in Acts, we will read more about Barnabas ("Son of Encouragement"). He traveled with Paul and he worked with him.

As God began to spread the good news among around the world, he provided evidence of His love, mercy and grace as He enabled the Apostles to do miraculous things.

Jesus had said His followers would be able to do greater things than He had done (John 14:12). He had raised people from the dead. What could be greater than that? What are those greater things?

There is no greater (or more impossible) miracle than the changing of a person’s heart that leads to repentance of sin and trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.