Sunday, June 30, 2013
Saturday, June 29, 2013
A Study in James, Week 5
James Chapter 5
Verses 1-6 – People tend to think money will solve their problems. People who have become rich also tend to become spiritually and morally bankrupt. For some of them, that is the way they became rich. For others, riches just fade away as they go nuts and spend it all. Remember: There is nothing wrong with riches. There is something wrong, however, with the love of riches. That is the root of all evil.
Why did Paul write, “…the love of money is the root of all evil?” (I Timothy 6:10)
Some wealthy people fear the loss of their wealth more than anything else. They actually place their riches above God. The first Commandment says “You shall have no other Gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Verses 7-11 – Many things in life require patience. So, how do we learn patience? According to Paul (Romans 5:3) patience (perseverance) is learned as a result of suffering. That patience builds character. That character gives us hope and that hope is Jesus…God pouring out His love in the Holy Spirit. This is the same thing James says in verses 7 & 8.
“Do not complain against one another, my brothers and sisters. If you do this, God will be your judge and he is already standing at the door!” (verse 9) Our impatience with one another indicates that we do not understand what salvation is about. We must learn to apply the same grace to others that God has shown us in Christ.
Remember, even the prophets of the Old Covenant had to learn patience. Jeremiah preached 40 years without a single convert! The prophets wanted Messiah to come immediately. But they needed the patience to wait for God’s fullness of time…Jesus.
A gardener might plant a seed and wish it would grow “right now.” However much he wishes, he must patiently wait until the seed sprouts, grows, matures and bears fruit.
Verse 12 – “Above, my brothers and sisters, do not use an *oath when you make a promise. Do not call on heaven, or earth, or anything else, as witnesses to what you say. Say only, ‘Yes’ when you mean yes. And say only ‘No’ when you mean no. Then you will not come under God’s judgement.”
Verses 13-18 – This matter of prayer is important. Prayer is not something we do only when we are in trouble or only when we want something. It should be an attitude of constant relationship with God, every moment of the day. (“Pray without ceasing” is more than just a proverbial saying. It is the way our faith is cemented in our being). It is the prayer of a righteous man (that is: the man who has been made righteous by his faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary)
The confession of sins is agreeing with God that we are sinners. I confess that to you and you confess that to me. The word, “confess” used here is the Greek homologeo – to speak the same thing, to agree. We must remind one another that we agree with God that we are sinners.
Verses 19-20 – This is an often misused set of verses. A person who enters in to the familial relationship with God through Christ becomes a child of the Father. No child can stop being a child. He might leave home. He might go live in a pigpen. He might do the wrong thing, but he will still be a child of his father…like it or not.
On the other hand, one who knows all there is to know about Jesus, but does not have the Holy Spirit in his heart, is doomed for eternity. One who truly knows Jesus relationally will never want to turn from Him. He will always be able to be guided back to the arms of Jesus.
Verses 1-6 – People tend to think money will solve their problems. People who have become rich also tend to become spiritually and morally bankrupt. For some of them, that is the way they became rich. For others, riches just fade away as they go nuts and spend it all. Remember: There is nothing wrong with riches. There is something wrong, however, with the love of riches. That is the root of all evil.
Why did Paul write, “…the love of money is the root of all evil?” (I Timothy 6:10)
Some wealthy people fear the loss of their wealth more than anything else. They actually place their riches above God. The first Commandment says “You shall have no other Gods before me.” (Exodus 20:3)
Verses 7-11 – Many things in life require patience. So, how do we learn patience? According to Paul (Romans 5:3) patience (perseverance) is learned as a result of suffering. That patience builds character. That character gives us hope and that hope is Jesus…God pouring out His love in the Holy Spirit. This is the same thing James says in verses 7 & 8.
“Do not complain against one another, my brothers and sisters. If you do this, God will be your judge and he is already standing at the door!” (verse 9) Our impatience with one another indicates that we do not understand what salvation is about. We must learn to apply the same grace to others that God has shown us in Christ.
Remember, even the prophets of the Old Covenant had to learn patience. Jeremiah preached 40 years without a single convert! The prophets wanted Messiah to come immediately. But they needed the patience to wait for God’s fullness of time…Jesus.
A gardener might plant a seed and wish it would grow “right now.” However much he wishes, he must patiently wait until the seed sprouts, grows, matures and bears fruit.
Verse 12 – “Above, my brothers and sisters, do not use an *oath when you make a promise. Do not call on heaven, or earth, or anything else, as witnesses to what you say. Say only, ‘Yes’ when you mean yes. And say only ‘No’ when you mean no. Then you will not come under God’s judgement.”
Verses 13-18 – This matter of prayer is important. Prayer is not something we do only when we are in trouble or only when we want something. It should be an attitude of constant relationship with God, every moment of the day. (“Pray without ceasing” is more than just a proverbial saying. It is the way our faith is cemented in our being). It is the prayer of a righteous man (that is: the man who has been made righteous by his faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary)
The confession of sins is agreeing with God that we are sinners. I confess that to you and you confess that to me. The word, “confess” used here is the Greek homologeo – to speak the same thing, to agree. We must remind one another that we agree with God that we are sinners.
Verses 19-20 – This is an often misused set of verses. A person who enters in to the familial relationship with God through Christ becomes a child of the Father. No child can stop being a child. He might leave home. He might go live in a pigpen. He might do the wrong thing, but he will still be a child of his father…like it or not.
On the other hand, one who knows all there is to know about Jesus, but does not have the Holy Spirit in his heart, is doomed for eternity. One who truly knows Jesus relationally will never want to turn from Him. He will always be able to be guided back to the arms of Jesus.
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Saturday, June 22, 2013
A Study in James, Week 4
James Chapter 4
Some theologians, scholars and preachers have approached the book of James as a “List of Rules for Christian Living.” At first blush it might look like that. Such an interpretation, though, denies the gospel and is not in the spirit of the New Covenant predicted in Jeremiah, demonstrated by Christ and expounded upon in Hebrews (chapters 6-10…five whole chapters!). James is really about the way our faith in Christ is demonstrated in our life style, attitude and submitting to the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2-ff)
Verses 1-6 – All anger and arguments start with not getting our own way. The root of anger and arguments is the root of ALL sin: PRIDE. We cannot worship God and have fellowship with the world at the same time. God’s grace is for those who will humbly realize that they “…fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Verses 7-12 – Submission to God displaces submission to Satan. A heart that is right with God through Christ will realize the judgement from which he has been saved and will not want to take on the responsibility of judging. That is God’s job, not ours.
Verses 13-17 – The Christian submitted to God will do what God wants him to do every moment of the day.
We used to sing a chorus that went:
Only to be what He wants me to be,
Every moment of every day,
Yielded completely to Jesus alone
Every step of this pilgrim way.
Just to be clay in the Potter's hands,
Ready to do what His will demands
Only to be what He wants me to be,
Every moment of every day.
What a wonderful prayer song! God is not impressed by our grandiose plans. He looks for our submission to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Anything else is purely and simply sin.
Some theologians, scholars and preachers have approached the book of James as a “List of Rules for Christian Living.” At first blush it might look like that. Such an interpretation, though, denies the gospel and is not in the spirit of the New Covenant predicted in Jeremiah, demonstrated by Christ and expounded upon in Hebrews (chapters 6-10…five whole chapters!). James is really about the way our faith in Christ is demonstrated in our life style, attitude and submitting to the law of the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2-ff)
Verses 1-6 – All anger and arguments start with not getting our own way. The root of anger and arguments is the root of ALL sin: PRIDE. We cannot worship God and have fellowship with the world at the same time. God’s grace is for those who will humbly realize that they “…fall short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
Verses 7-12 – Submission to God displaces submission to Satan. A heart that is right with God through Christ will realize the judgement from which he has been saved and will not want to take on the responsibility of judging. That is God’s job, not ours.
Verses 13-17 – The Christian submitted to God will do what God wants him to do every moment of the day.
We used to sing a chorus that went:
Only to be what He wants me to be,
Every moment of every day,
Yielded completely to Jesus alone
Every step of this pilgrim way.
Just to be clay in the Potter's hands,
Ready to do what His will demands
Only to be what He wants me to be,
Every moment of every day.
What a wonderful prayer song! God is not impressed by our grandiose plans. He looks for our submission to the movement of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Anything else is purely and simply sin.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Saturday, June 15, 2013
A Study in James, Week 3
James Chapter 3
Verses 1-6 – James makes what seems like a 90 degree turn and seems to change the subject. While Chapter 2 spoke of our works being evidence of our faith, chapter 3 seems to suddenly be about teachers, the tongue and being smart.
Here is a principle about God’s word: God does not interrupt His thought processes. His word is a continuing revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.
So, how could this abrupt change of subject take place? The answer is that it is not a change of subject at all. It is a continuation of the idea that our faith in Christ causes a change in the very way we behave in every aspect of our lives.
Why should not very many of us be teachers? Is it because God can’t use us as teachers if we have not been so gifted at birth? Is it because we might be untrained?
Few should be teachers, because few are able to express the faith in their teaching and too often dissolve into empty and vain philosophies and theosophies. The teacher’s faith must find its expression in what he/she teaches.
If anyone is perfect, he would be able to control his whole being. So which of us is perfect? The answer is: none of us. That is why a teacher must count not on his own understanding and ability, but must count on the Holy Spirit to guide his teaching.
Then we can yield to the “bit” that the Holy Spirit puts in our mouths to guide our thinking and our teaching.
James is about to show us how far off base we can get when we speak, if the Holy Spirit is not in control.
He is not about to lead us on a diatribe about the organ called the tongue. The word he uses in this section is our old friend glossa. It is the Greek word for tongue meaning “language.” He is about to tell us what we should speak about because of our faith.
Words have meaning. Words can be used to edify or to destroy. They can build up or they can tear down. It is difficult to train our language to be a language of encouragement in Christ and not a language of cynicism and faultfinding
Verses 7-12 – Here we see James exhorting us to control our language. In the context of the chapter, it means that we must always use our language to point people to Christ. That is not a direct quote in the passage, but it is the conclusion reached by following the principle laid down concerning the use of language.
We can use language to praise or to curse. We can pretend to love Christ (Living Water), but if our language does not conform to our claim, we are just noise in the wind. If we are truly in Christ, our speech will be used to lift Him up. We will also be consistent in our use of language to speak of Christ.
Verses 13-18 – James wraps up this section by telling us that this all relates to what he was saying about faith and the resulting deeds. Our deeds that reflect our faith in Christ will not bring glory to us, but only to Him. The same is true of our language. That will testify that we have true wisdom, the wisdom to express our faith in Christ, promoting purity in Christ, peace, kindness, mercy, etc.
If we sow in peace, we raise a harvest of righteousness. That means that we use our wisdom to guide our speech to introduce people to the King of Peace, who gives them a righteousness they will never otherwise know.
Verses 1-6 – James makes what seems like a 90 degree turn and seems to change the subject. While Chapter 2 spoke of our works being evidence of our faith, chapter 3 seems to suddenly be about teachers, the tongue and being smart.
Here is a principle about God’s word: God does not interrupt His thought processes. His word is a continuing revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.
So, how could this abrupt change of subject take place? The answer is that it is not a change of subject at all. It is a continuation of the idea that our faith in Christ causes a change in the very way we behave in every aspect of our lives.
Why should not very many of us be teachers? Is it because God can’t use us as teachers if we have not been so gifted at birth? Is it because we might be untrained?
Few should be teachers, because few are able to express the faith in their teaching and too often dissolve into empty and vain philosophies and theosophies. The teacher’s faith must find its expression in what he/she teaches.
If anyone is perfect, he would be able to control his whole being. So which of us is perfect? The answer is: none of us. That is why a teacher must count not on his own understanding and ability, but must count on the Holy Spirit to guide his teaching.
Then we can yield to the “bit” that the Holy Spirit puts in our mouths to guide our thinking and our teaching.
James is about to show us how far off base we can get when we speak, if the Holy Spirit is not in control.
He is not about to lead us on a diatribe about the organ called the tongue. The word he uses in this section is our old friend glossa. It is the Greek word for tongue meaning “language.” He is about to tell us what we should speak about because of our faith.
Words have meaning. Words can be used to edify or to destroy. They can build up or they can tear down. It is difficult to train our language to be a language of encouragement in Christ and not a language of cynicism and faultfinding
Verses 7-12 – Here we see James exhorting us to control our language. In the context of the chapter, it means that we must always use our language to point people to Christ. That is not a direct quote in the passage, but it is the conclusion reached by following the principle laid down concerning the use of language.
We can use language to praise or to curse. We can pretend to love Christ (Living Water), but if our language does not conform to our claim, we are just noise in the wind. If we are truly in Christ, our speech will be used to lift Him up. We will also be consistent in our use of language to speak of Christ.
Verses 13-18 – James wraps up this section by telling us that this all relates to what he was saying about faith and the resulting deeds. Our deeds that reflect our faith in Christ will not bring glory to us, but only to Him. The same is true of our language. That will testify that we have true wisdom, the wisdom to express our faith in Christ, promoting purity in Christ, peace, kindness, mercy, etc.
If we sow in peace, we raise a harvest of righteousness. That means that we use our wisdom to guide our speech to introduce people to the King of Peace, who gives them a righteousness they will never otherwise know.
Friday, June 14, 2013
FRIDAY'S FINDINGS-The Saddest Thing about Our Churches
I'm not talking about the nursery, I'm talking about babes in Christ.
The church at Corinth was told by Paul, "I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly - mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready." (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)
It seems that Paul was addressing Christians, but Christians who had not grown in their Christianity. They were not trained and they were not discipled.
The saddest thing about our churches today is not that we don't win more people to the Lord. That's because we don't preach the gospel We preach other stuff, then tack the gospel on for good measure.
The saddest thing about our churches today is that we "dip 'em and drop 'em." Or we give them a short course in what Christianity and/or the church is about and turn them loose to do what they will with it.
The saddest thing about our churches today is that we have no organized, deliberate ministry to help them grow in the Lord both in knowledge and in service.
We seem to think Christians can be grown from the pulpit. Because of the nature of one man standing before a crowd speaking platitudes (whether rightly or wrongly), it is impossible to grow them into a thriving army for the Lord. He is too easily turned off and tuned out. There are too many distractions and too much room for diversion.
To be sure, there are churches built on the preacher and the worship service that are large, but large does not equal grown.
Joel Osteen preaches before thousands every week, but the majority of them are just bystanders who are there to have their ears tickled with Osteen's peculiar doctrine of prosperity mixed with egoism. His church is large, but his members are babes in Christ (if they are in Christ at all).
The saddest thing about our churches today is that they think they can grow church members if they just get the worship right.
Worship is important. It is one of the two reasons we meet together on Sunday mornings (the other being to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord). But worship alone cannot build a mature, functioning church.
To build a mature, functioning church there must be a way of involving individuals in a proper reading and understanding of God's Word, making it personal in their daily lives.
There must also be a way to grow them in sound doctrine and in being "doers and not hearers only" of the Word.
We must also understand that babies, as well as babes in Christ, do not know what to do or how to do it. They do not know how to think. They do not know how to grow. And they are all at different stages in the process of growing in Christ. We must be careful not to discourage them or run them off because we demand of them something they do not yet understand and are not trained for.
Finally, there must be a way of enlisting people as they grow into works of service. They must learn to be deacons, teachers, missionaries, ministers, children's leaders, youth leaders, music leaders, hospitality coordinators, groundskeepers, and whatever other needs the Body of Christ might have.
The saddest thing about our churches today is the attitude that we will draw them in with this kind of worship or that kind of worship and then will let them find their own way.
How sad.
Thursday, June 13, 2013
THURSDAY THOUGHTS-A B/Cs Look at Worship
The argument could be made: Poppycock!
The trouble is, and always has been, that the church has attempted to infringe on Biblical worship in general and New Covenant worship in particular.
Worship is not about preferences. It is not about you. It is not about me. It is all about Him.
Part of the problem with "modern" worship is that it is very "me" based. The idea is, "Look what God has done for me."
Worship is not about what God has done for you (or me), it is about recognizing who He is and falling (physically or spiritually) before Him in an attitude of adoration and praise.
Somewhat recently the idea of Blended worship was born. It was an attempt to bring together the entertainment oriented youth crowd with the liturgically oriented older crowd.
It was (is) a mixture of hymns and popular praise music, to one degree of success or another. Often the hymns were re-set to a contemporary sound to please the more modern oriented, while the drummer was featured as though he carried the melody.
The result of the blended worship turned out to be a curious perversion of the New Covenant idea of worship.
One of the criticisms of blended worship is that not all of the congregation knows the music. How can a person worship in song if the song is not known to them? I have seen a TV camera pan a congregation during the singing and have noticed that a majority of people are not singing, and thus are not participating in worship.
Recently a "new" idea of worship has emerged called, "Convergent Worship."
Convergent worship is an apparent attempt to reintroduce Biblical concepts into worship without any specific regard to who likes them and who doesn't. That is not exactly the stated intent, but as a practical matter it sometimes works itself out that way.
The potential for convergent worship to be conformed to Biblical precepts exists. It also tends to emphasize personal involvement in worship. That's a good thing.
Convergent worship also expresses a desire for worship to include physical participation in worship with physical expression of worship through various art-forms and through congregational involvement.
Let me list some of the characteristics of blended worship followed by a list of the supposed characteristics of convergent worship.
Blended worship:
1. Sometimes a matter of fulfilling a certain quota of musical styles (i.e., using a certain number of hymns and a certain number of choruses).
2. Essentially a matter of compromise in order to keep people happy (i.e., let’s have a little something for everyone).
3. Results in generic services (i.e., church distinctives are lost as it all begins to look alike in the land of “middle ground”).
Convergence worship:
Seeks to reclaim the biblical focus and historical worship elements:
1. The two-fold order of Word/Table (or Response to the Word)
2. Extensive reading of the Holy Scriptures
3. Multiple types of prayer
4. Functional congregational song
5. Participatory worship through gestures and enactment
6. Creeds or affirmations of faith
7. The Christ-centeredness of worship
8. The God-ward nature of worship
9. The sense of community
10. Desire for Word/Response to the Word
11. Desire for more frequent opportunities for celebrating the Table of the Lord
12. Desire for the celebrative nature of worship
13. The common story—the “meta narrative”
14. An interest in the common corpus of song
15. An interest in the visual presentation of the Gospel (visual art, dance, drama, music, poetry, banners, sculpture, architecture, stained glass, etc.)
16. A hunger for silence and quiet reflection
17. A cherishing of the Word of God read with simplicity and clarity
18. A connection between worship and mission
19. Full participation in the liturgy
In my mind, the idea of convergent worship is theoretically Biblical, and philosophically more in tune with New Covenant worship in some respects.
New Covenant worship, as put forth in the New Testament, includes such things as singing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, personal and corporate prayer, submission of self to the will of God and to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, the presentation of the gospel message and a much less liturgical atmosphere than many churches practice.
Churches have allowed themselves to become steeped in the tradition of man to the detriment of the writing of God's word (logos) on their hearts and giving expression to that alone.
That is not to suggest that worship should be without form, substance and order. It must follow the New Covenant tenants of orderliness, as all things are to be done in a fitting and orderly way.
I hold out some hope for the convergent worship model, but suspect that it could easily fall prey to the same things that have plagued corporate worship for ages: emphases on self and self-gratification in the name of Jesus.
Worship is designed to be participatory. Whatever form of worship we use, it must do what it takes to involve the congregants in true New Covenant worship.
Churches have allowed themselves to become steeped in the tradition of man to the detriment of the writing of God's word (logos) on their hearts and giving expression to that alone.
That is not to suggest that worship should be without form, substance and order. It must follow the New Covenant tenants of orderliness, as all things are to be done in a fitting and orderly way.
I hold out some hope for the convergent worship model, but suspect that it could easily fall prey to the same things that have plagued corporate worship for ages: emphases on self and self-gratification in the name of Jesus.
Worship is designed to be participatory. Whatever form of worship we use, it must do what it takes to involve the congregants in true New Covenant worship.
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
WEDNESDAY WORSHIP - The Worthiness of God
He is therefore worthy of our worship and praise.
He is worthy of honor and glory.
He is worthy of bowing before Him.
He is worthy of kneeling before Him.
He is worthy of reverence.
He is worthy of fear.
He is worthy of love.
He is worthy of devotion.
He is worthy of being recognized as Almighty Father.
He is worthy of being recognized as Master and Lord.
He is worthy of being recognized of being King of all kings.
He is worthy of the name, Redeemer.
He is worthy of being called Wonderful Counselor.
He is worthy of being a friend.
He is worthy of being our Savior.
He is worthy to be our Source of eternal life.
He is Father.
He is Creator.
He is Sustainer.
He is worthy of our worship and our praise.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
TUESDAY’S TEACHINGS - What It Really Says &/or Means
"...and said: 'Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away, may the name of the Lord be praised.'"
I've heard it used at funerals and other calamitous events. It never seemed like much comfort to me.
But the real question is, "Is that really true? Does the Lord give and then take away?"
Not according to the book of Job.
One of the problems with reading Scripture out of context is that it leads us to accept as true that which is not true.
"What?" I hear you yelling. "How dare you say something in the Scripture is not true?"
Let me explain.
Job did say, "The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away." He did.
But he was wrong.
The Lord gave, but He did not take away.
If you read the account, it was not the Lord who took away. It was Satan.
Yet for many the verse has been used to show the supposed capriciousness of God: sometimes He gives, sometimes He takes away and we'd better just get used to it.
What an obfuscation of the Word of God!
How dare we use the Word of God to promulgate a theology that is doctrinally wrong!?
That is but one example of how we twist Scripture to mean what it does not mean.
Always remember, there are two criteria for correctly interpreting Scripture: 1) Are you reading it in the context of the words used, the verse, the chapter, the book the Covenant and the Bible as a whole; and 2) Are you discovering what the passage reveals about God's character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption.
Learn to interpret Scripture according to those precepts and you'll get it right. Fail to use them, and you'll always get it wrong.
Getting it right is better.
Try it. You'll like it!
Monday, June 10, 2013
MONDAY'S MUSINGS-The Persecution of Paul
Just how firm was Paul's faith in his message? It was firm enough to stand against almost constant persecution, mostly by religious leaders: the Jewish Pharisees, the Sanhedrin, the priests and the rabbis.
The secular Greeks did not attack him for his message in Athens, they enjoyed the debate, even though they only considered his arguments sophomoric and not very convincing.
It was after that experience that Paul proclaimed that he would never preach anything but Christ crucified, and he never did.
Here are some of the circumstances recorded in Acts in which Paul was persecuted. Through them all, he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 9:23 – The Jews conspired to kill him. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel..
Acts 13:45 & 50 – The jealous Jewish leaders stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 14:5 –The Jews plot with some gentiles to stone Paul. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 14: 19 – Jews from Antioch stoned Paul and believed him dead. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 16:22-24 – Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 17:13 – Jewish leaders from Thessalonica agitate the crowds against Paul. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 18:6 – The Jewish leaders opposed Paul and became abusive. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 18:12 – Paul was taken to court. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 19:8-9 – Paul maligned by the Jewish leaders. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 19:23-40 – A riot ensues over Paul’s ministry. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 20:3 – The Jewish leaders made a plot against Paul. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 21:10-14 – A Prophet predicts Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem.Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 21:27 – Jewish leaders in Jerusalem stirred up the crowd, which seized Paul.Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 22:23 –The Roman centurion arrested Paul.Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 22:30-23:8 – Paul was brought before the Sanhedrin.Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 23:12-15 – The Jewish leaders formed a conspiracy to kill Paul. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 23:23-35 – Paul was escorted to Antipatris, where detained him while he awaited trial. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 24:1-21 – Paul was taken by the high priest, Ananias to Felix to stand trial. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 24:22 – Paul was kept in prison by Felix. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 25:1-12 – Paul is tried by Festus. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 25:23-26:27 – Paul testifies before King Agrippa (almost persuading him to become a Christian). Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 27:1-12 – Paul kept prisoner on a ship. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 27:13-26 – Paul is allowed to get help from friends, but then must continue to be held prisoner on the ship. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 27:42-44 – Paul is threatened with death. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 28:11-16 Paul is kept under house arrest. Yet he remained steadfast in his proclamation of the gospel and nothing else but the gospel.
Acts 28:17-31 Paul is kept under Roman guard, but allowed to preach his message: the kingdom of God and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Some "Christians," some pastors and some theologians think the gospel is enhanced by their deep insights into human psychology and spirituality. Others think the preaching of the gospel boring, or at least secondary to what "the Holy Spirit has led them to preach today."
The idea of "just preaching the gospel" seems monotonous to them. So, they embark on forays into social evils and political happenings.
Yet Paul said, "For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." (I Corinthians 2:2).
I guess he did not find it boring at all...sometimes dangerous, but never boring.
I wonder. Could we ever stay as stuck on the gospel as Paul did?
We need to realize the truth of the line from the hymn: "I love to tell the story, for those who love it best seem hungering and thirsting to hear it like the rest."
The gospel boring? You had better think that one over again.
Sunday, June 09, 2013
Saturday, June 08, 2013
A Study in James, Week 2
James Chapter 2
Verses 1-11 – John 2:16 is clear: “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish…” The gospel is not for a select few, it is for any and everybody who will place their faith and trust in and only in the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. That means rich or poor, sick or well, black or white, smart or dumb, tall or short educated or uneducated.
Acts 10:34 Luke writes: “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation…’”
“If you keep the royal law found in scripture, (8)‘Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. (9)But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law…(10)For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it’
Think of a drinking glass. It is designed to hold water. But if you drill a hole in the bottom of the glass, you have rendered the whole glass useless. It will no longer hold water. You didn’t have to smash the whole glass to ruin it, just one small hole.
So it is with the law. If you have ever broken one part of it, you are doomed to an eternity in Hell…unless you have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Verses 12-13 – We are all going to be judged. First we will be judged based on what we did with Jesus. If we trust Him as God’s Son, who died and rose for us, we are saved. If not, we are doomed. We will also be judged for our acts of mercy. Since God has shown mercy to us, we, being like Him in Christ, must show mercy to others, no matter who they are.
Verses 14-17 – A faith that has no deeds is not faith at all. We do not do good deeds in order to prove ourselves worthy of being saved. We do good deeds in response to the wonderful salvation God has provided for us in Christ. In other words, your good deeds are evidence of your faith.
Talk is cheap. As we will see, the tongue we use to speak with is quite a troublemaker. We need to back up our talk with deeds because we are followers of Christ, whose deeds were always and only good.
Verses 18-19 – Just saying you believe is not evidence of your salvation. Satan believes, but he is not saved. Our talk must be evidenced by our walk.
Verses 20-23 – Here James recalls Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice the son of promise out of faith that God would provide the Lamb. His faith was credited to him for righteousness. That righteousness was fulfilled in Christ.
Even a prostitute (Rahab) was made righteous by Christ because of the evidence of her faith.
Without the spirit, a body dies. With the Spirit (Christ), it lives for eternity. Without deeds, faith is already useless and no better than a vain philosophy.
The object of our faith is not faith, it is Christ. He is the in all, of all and through all of everything we are and ever will be.
Verses 1-11 – John 2:16 is clear: “Whosoever believeth in Him should not perish…” The gospel is not for a select few, it is for any and everybody who will place their faith and trust in and only in the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. That means rich or poor, sick or well, black or white, smart or dumb, tall or short educated or uneducated.
Acts 10:34 Luke writes: “Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism, but accepts men from every nation…’”
“If you keep the royal law found in scripture, (8)‘Love your neighbor as yourself, you are doing right. (9)But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law…(10)For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it’
Think of a drinking glass. It is designed to hold water. But if you drill a hole in the bottom of the glass, you have rendered the whole glass useless. It will no longer hold water. You didn’t have to smash the whole glass to ruin it, just one small hole.
So it is with the law. If you have ever broken one part of it, you are doomed to an eternity in Hell…unless you have trusted Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Verses 12-13 – We are all going to be judged. First we will be judged based on what we did with Jesus. If we trust Him as God’s Son, who died and rose for us, we are saved. If not, we are doomed. We will also be judged for our acts of mercy. Since God has shown mercy to us, we, being like Him in Christ, must show mercy to others, no matter who they are.
Verses 14-17 – A faith that has no deeds is not faith at all. We do not do good deeds in order to prove ourselves worthy of being saved. We do good deeds in response to the wonderful salvation God has provided for us in Christ. In other words, your good deeds are evidence of your faith.
Talk is cheap. As we will see, the tongue we use to speak with is quite a troublemaker. We need to back up our talk with deeds because we are followers of Christ, whose deeds were always and only good.
Verses 18-19 – Just saying you believe is not evidence of your salvation. Satan believes, but he is not saved. Our talk must be evidenced by our walk.
Verses 20-23 – Here James recalls Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice the son of promise out of faith that God would provide the Lamb. His faith was credited to him for righteousness. That righteousness was fulfilled in Christ.
Even a prostitute (Rahab) was made righteous by Christ because of the evidence of her faith.
Without the spirit, a body dies. With the Spirit (Christ), it lives for eternity. Without deeds, faith is already useless and no better than a vain philosophy.
The object of our faith is not faith, it is Christ. He is the in all, of all and through all of everything we are and ever will be.
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
WEDNESDAY WORSHIP-The Holiness of God
Here we find a basis to recognize God as not like anything or anyone in the world. He is a wonderful, but fearful being. Isaiah tells us in 48:13, “My right hand has spanned the heavens.”
Every time the Hubble telescope looks deeper into space, we discover new things about the universe. It is far more complex than we have ever realized. We also discover it is far larger than we had ever thought.
If God’s right hand spans the universe, imagine how big His arms, neck, torso and legs are. Of course, God is not a being like a man. He is a unique being, worthy of being feared and praised at the same time.
He is a powerful God. More powerful than our minds can fathom.
The splitting of a single atom destroyed most of Hiroshima in Japan. Think of the power of all of the atoms in the universe (trillions to the trillionth plus power). God is more powerful than that.
So when He is referred to as “Almighty,” He is being recognized as omnipotent…that is, all powerful.
He is to be praised in our every waking hour, with our song, our words and our attitudes.
In spite of His power, He is full of mercy toward His creation. That is the essence of His character. He is both powerful and merciful. He manifested His mercy in Christ Jesus at the cross of Calvary.
We are to worship Him with our entire being. Jesus said we are to “Love God with all of our hearts, soul, mind and strength.”
All of Heaven, even the angels, fall before Him in humility. They worship the Eternal One who was before there was a was. He exists and operates outside of the confines of time.
Even when the darkness of evil tries to cover God’s goodness, it cannot succeed. When man, in his sinful, fallen condition, cannot see God, He is still Holy and worthy of praise. He is the only “holy” one and is perfect in every respect: in power, but also in love and purity.
Everything in all of the universe, animate and inanimate alike praises Him. Jesus said if we won’t, the stones will.
We worship this absolutely magnificent God when we are in correct relationship with Him through Jesus Christ, the second Person of the Trinity and our Savior and Lord.
Worship Him today. You’ll be glad you did.
Tuesday, June 04, 2013
TUESDAY TEACHINGS: RIGHTLY DIVIDING
The verse is II Timothy 2:15 & 16: "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness." (KJV)
Actually, I have never heard a preacher, theologian or scholar connect verse 16 to verse 15. In my experience, they have always been treated as two separate and unrelated verses, each with its own meaning.
Let me state something clearly. Every word of Scripture must be interpreted:
in light of what the word(s) means specifically;
in the light of the context of the sentence in which they are found;
in the light of the context of the verse in which they are found;
in the light of the context of the chapter or section in which they are found;
in the light of the context of the of the book in which they are found;
in the light of the context of the Covenant to which they apply and in the light of the context of the Bible as a whole.
That's a tall order. If any one of those contexts is violated, the proper interpretation of the Scripture is invalidated.
"There is only one interpretation, but many applications" is a clever bromide, but it places in jeopardy the real meaning of a passage.
So, what's this "rightly dividing the word of God" about?
I have heard it explained as "correctly interpreting" passages of Scripture. That's important, of course. But it is not what is meant here.
I have heard it taught that it means to study so you can please God. God is pleased not by what we do or don't do, but by what we have done with His Son, Jesus.
I have heard it said that it means to "try hard" to gain favor with God by learning a lot about Scripture (you can't gain favor with God by trying hard).
I don't think any of those are correct.
Here are a few of the important words from this passage, their Greek origins and their definitions in this passage:
study - Gk: spoudazo - to diligence, to make speed, to get to it.
shew - GK: paristemi-to place or set near. Used to express drawing closer.
approved - Gk: dokimos - tested, tried. Meaning to have been operated with and found to work properly.
dividing - Gk: orthotomeo to cut straight. Most often used in Greek to mean slice in two so as to never be united again.
word - Gk: logos - speech, matter, reason. Often used to describe Jesus (John 1:1 ff)
truth - Gk: aletheia - the same word used in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the light..."
profane - Gk: bebelos - impious - marked by or showing reverence for deity and devotion to divine worship
vain - Gk: kenophonia - empty sound having neither substance nor meaning.
babblings - Gk: kenophonia - empty sound having neither substance nor meaning. ("Vain" and "babblings" are the same Greek word.)
Given that many Greek words require context to understand their meaning in a particular usage, we can still put together the raw definitions of each word in the passage and find an interesting meaning.
We might read it:
(15)"Hurry! Get to it! Set yourself near to God. Be a workman who can work properly, correctly slicing the word (logos) of God forever into its two parts (the Old Covenant and the New Covenant).
(16) "Stay away from the use of empty rhetoric, meaningless babbling. They will only show how ungodly you are."
By the way, this is one of those phrases incorrectly translated by the NIV. I believe "Do your best..." is wrong as is "...correctly handles..."
The other Greek word used for "dividing" in most places in the New Testament is merismos - which is division into parts that may or may not be able to be reunited.
In our passage, the word orthotomeo indicates that that which is divided cannot be reunited.
So, what does it mean? In the totality of its context, it means that because of Christ, we now have a New Covenant that is forever and completely separated from the Old Covenant, and that we need to set about the task of trusting the author of the New Covenant [the blood of Christ (I Corinthians 11:25), (Galatians 4:24 ff (Hebrews, chapters 6-10 and ] and avoiding meaningless philosophies and theosophies.
Christ's New Covenant is written not on tablets of stone or paper between leather bindings, but on our hearts by the deliberate action of the Holy Spirit.
We must proclaim the gospel message of the New Covenant, Jesus Christ, Messiah and Lord.
Sunday, June 02, 2013
Saturday, June 01, 2013
A Study in James, Week 1
James - An Introduction
In the New Testament there are at least three men named James clearly identified: 1) James, brother of John, son of Zebedee, called by our Lord “son of thunder” [Mark 3:17]. He was slain by Herod [Acts 12:1, 2]; 2) James, son of Alphaeus, called “James the less” [Mark 15:40]. He is mentioned in the list of apostles, but very little is known concerning him. 3) James, the Lord’s brother [Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3], in reality a half-brother according to the flesh. He became head of the church at Jerusalem [Acts 15:13]. This James is evidently the writer of this epistle [Galatians 2:9].
James was probably the first New Testament book written, although some think it was Mark, which might make sense, too. We are not certain which James wrote it, but he was a servant of God, for sure. Some have called James the New Testament Book of Proverbs, but that requires removing it from the context of the purpose of the Bible.
Its teaching must be understood in the context of the words, verses, chapters, the book and the entire Bible. It must answer the three questions: 1) What does it tell us about God’s character? 2) What does it tell us about God’s love of His creation? and 3) What does it tell us about God’s plan for the redemption of His creation?
To understand James it is important to remember that its message fits perfectly into the New Covenant model of faith. We are justified by faith. Once we are justified, with God’s Word (logos) written on our hearts, we will respond to the leadership of the Holy Spirit by doing those things which produced by our faith. These “works” will not be done by command, but by response to God’s love evidenced in Christ.
James Chapter 1
Verses 1-12 – Remember, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble (tribulation). But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). James reminds us that those troubles will bring us closer to God if we keep our focus on Him. The way we react to those trials will reveal our character and our relationship to God.
In verse 12 we read that the man who perseveres in the faith, in the middle of trials, will be keenly aware of the joy (blessing) of Christ. We do not do good in order to receive the Crown of Life, but our focus on the Person of our faith results in the Crown of Life, who is Jesus.
Verses 13-21 – One whose focus is on Christ will not be incensed by the circumstances around him, but will exhibit the Peace of God through his language, countenance, reactions, and responses to his surroundings. “…the word (logos) planted in you…” is a reference to Christ living in your heart in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The only “good and perfect” gift comes from God, and His name is Jesus.
We are to listen to the logos (Word of God, IE: Christ), but more. We are to do what Christ tells us to do
The perfect law that gives freedom is the “law” of GRACE…Jesus…written on our hearts.
Verses 22-27 – The Pharisees considered themselves very religious, and Jesus castigated them for it. They loved to speak in “religious speak.” The loved to pray eloquently so that men would be impressed with their words.
Finally, verse 27 tells us that it should be a natural response of followers of Christ to see to the needs of those who need help. This is not the government’s job. According to God (and He should know), it is our job as Christians.
The key idea of chapter 1 is that we will act to fulfill God’s will in our lives if we have truly become children of His by trusting in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.
In the New Testament there are at least three men named James clearly identified: 1) James, brother of John, son of Zebedee, called by our Lord “son of thunder” [Mark 3:17]. He was slain by Herod [Acts 12:1, 2]; 2) James, son of Alphaeus, called “James the less” [Mark 15:40]. He is mentioned in the list of apostles, but very little is known concerning him. 3) James, the Lord’s brother [Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3], in reality a half-brother according to the flesh. He became head of the church at Jerusalem [Acts 15:13]. This James is evidently the writer of this epistle [Galatians 2:9].
James was probably the first New Testament book written, although some think it was Mark, which might make sense, too. We are not certain which James wrote it, but he was a servant of God, for sure. Some have called James the New Testament Book of Proverbs, but that requires removing it from the context of the purpose of the Bible.
Its teaching must be understood in the context of the words, verses, chapters, the book and the entire Bible. It must answer the three questions: 1) What does it tell us about God’s character? 2) What does it tell us about God’s love of His creation? and 3) What does it tell us about God’s plan for the redemption of His creation?
To understand James it is important to remember that its message fits perfectly into the New Covenant model of faith. We are justified by faith. Once we are justified, with God’s Word (logos) written on our hearts, we will respond to the leadership of the Holy Spirit by doing those things which produced by our faith. These “works” will not be done by command, but by response to God’s love evidenced in Christ.
James Chapter 1
Verses 1-12 – Remember, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble (tribulation). But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). James reminds us that those troubles will bring us closer to God if we keep our focus on Him. The way we react to those trials will reveal our character and our relationship to God.
In verse 12 we read that the man who perseveres in the faith, in the middle of trials, will be keenly aware of the joy (blessing) of Christ. We do not do good in order to receive the Crown of Life, but our focus on the Person of our faith results in the Crown of Life, who is Jesus.
Verses 13-21 – One whose focus is on Christ will not be incensed by the circumstances around him, but will exhibit the Peace of God through his language, countenance, reactions, and responses to his surroundings. “…the word (logos) planted in you…” is a reference to Christ living in your heart in the person of the Holy Spirit.
The only “good and perfect” gift comes from God, and His name is Jesus.
We are to listen to the logos (Word of God, IE: Christ), but more. We are to do what Christ tells us to do
The perfect law that gives freedom is the “law” of GRACE…Jesus…written on our hearts.
Verses 22-27 – The Pharisees considered themselves very religious, and Jesus castigated them for it. They loved to speak in “religious speak.” The loved to pray eloquently so that men would be impressed with their words.
Finally, verse 27 tells us that it should be a natural response of followers of Christ to see to the needs of those who need help. This is not the government’s job. According to God (and He should know), it is our job as Christians.
The key idea of chapter 1 is that we will act to fulfill God’s will in our lives if we have truly become children of His by trusting in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.
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