Exodus 1, 2 and the Life of Moses

Moses In His Ark

We cannot understand the life of Moses without first understanding the book of Genesis and what it was all about.

In Genesis we learned that God created the world perfectly, but man messed it up. That introduced death through sin. As an illustration, we are told that Joseph was placed in a coffin (Genesis 50:26)

Redemption is the theme of Exodus. Redemption by the blood of the Lamb. Exodus is a picture of God’s redemptive character.

In the 400 years between Genesis and Exodus, 70 people in Egypt filled the land. They grew to about 3 Million people.

Two reasons they came to Egypt: To prepare his people for the land of promise through the safety of Egypt, and to prepare the land for His people.

In Genesis 15:16 Abraham was told he would become a huge nation. Then he would see that his offspring would go to Egypt until the iniquity of the sin of the Amorites, the Canaanites had risen beyond help. God was exceedingly merciful in giving the Amorites time to turn from their debauchery. But they did not. The destruction of the Amorites was like putting a rabid down to keep from infecting other dogs. After 400 years God  “put them out of their misery" to protect other people from their perverted sexual and moral sins.

The new king of Egypt (Seti the First) was afraid of Israel due to their numbers. So he made slaves of them, to keep them in check.. The more the Egyptians afflicted Israel, the more Israel grew, which grieved the Egyptians. Satan inspired Pharaoh to destroy the Jewish people because he (Satan) knows Messiah would be coming from Israel. Satan is always trying to get rid of Israel. He tried through Hitler and Hussein and now he's trying through Iran and the other radical Islamic nations.

God knew the only way to increase Israel’s strength was to allow them to go through a workout of their “faith muscle.” Faith grows through being exercised.

Pharaoh ordered that boy babies were to be killed, but the midwives refused to do so. The Israelite women feared God more than they did the Egyptians and would not kill the boy babies. God dealt well with the midwives because they obeyed Him instead of the Egyptians. God gave the barren midwives children, even thought they were not supposed to be able to. Doing what God says to do is always more important than doing what civil law requires.

Instead of focusing on the lying of the midwives, God focused on the good they did.  That is His character. He focuses on our excellence, instead of our failings. He is exceedingly kind. God is so kind that He provided a way of salvation for us.

Exodus 2:1-25

Moses’ mother was a great visionary and a great organizer. She knew Moses was a woman of the Word. She knew Israel was being judged. She knew male babies were being drowned in the river, yet that’s where she took Moses. She knew the story of Noah saved in an ark, and she prepared an ark for Moses. (The work for ark in the stories of Noah and Moses are the same, and these are the only places the word is used.) She believed God’s Word.

The daughter of Pharaoh just so happened to come down to wash herself and when she saw the arc she saw the crying baby she melted with compassion for him. Moses’ sister Merriam offered her mother to nurse her own baby and to be paid to do it.

“Moses” means “drawn out of the water.” (Would that make his name, Drew?) He was the first Baptist, drawn out of the water.

At age 40, Moses saw the burdens of the Israelites, and when he saw an Egyptians hit an Israelite, he killed him. Pharaoh sought to kill Moses to save face, so Moses fled to Midian. (Moses tried to help God our by killing the Egyptian, but although he wanted to be used in ministry, he looked sideways, instead of looking up.)

Moses had known greatness and then he knew rejection. Moses learned to be content with his exile. Paul said he had learned to be content in whatever situation he found himself.  If we are not content where we are, we will not be content with whatever happened, bad or good, in the future. Contentment comes from within, not from without.  It comes from, and only from, being satisfied having Jesus in our hearts.

Moses named his son, Gershom. Gershom means “I’m a stranger here.”  Become a Gershom. Realize that this world is not your home. You are a stranger here. You belong to Heaven, if you have Jesus.

Moses  – A Brief Overview of “The Lawgiver”

Moses was a prince of Egypt, but he became a shepherd in Midian. Had he not been humbled, he would never have been able to become the deliverer of Israel. If he had not been humbled, he would not have become an effective leader for God.

After the burning bush experience and the experience with rod becoming a snake and a rod again, Moses returned to Egypt.

One of the most significant events of Moses’ life was recorded in Exodus 4:21-27. The Lord tells Moses to tell the Egyptians that Israel is His “…firstborn son,” a picture that Christ is coming from Israel. He then is about to kill Moses when Zipporah circumcised him, drawing blood. She said, “Surely you are a bridegroom to me.” And the Lord allowed him to live.

Real life (eternal life) can only come with the shedding of blood. Once Jesus shed His blood for us, we were fit for Him to be the bridegroom and for us to be His bride.

The plague on the firstborn in Exodus 11 is a picture of the death of God’s firstborn. The Passover of chapter 12 is a picture of God’s love, mercy and grace. Jesus is the Passover Lamb, not like the lambs used in Israel’s Passover feasts (imperfect), but a perfect, spotless Lamb, whose blood is sufficient to cover our sins.

Just as God promised he would, Moses, after the plagues on the gods of Egypt, led the Israelites out of Egypt in the remarkable events surrounding the parting of the waters of the Red Sea. He eventually led them to the foot of Mount Sinai, where he received the Law.

The Law given to Moses was perfect in every way (as we are told in Romans). As Jesus revealed in His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5 & 6), it could not be kept, for it was a matter of the attitude of the heart, not of the flesh. The entire book of Romans is about the nature of the Law, it inability to be kept, the resulting separation from God and the final solution found in, and only in, Jesus Christ.

The giving of the Law was the culmination of and the very essence of the Old Covenant. It set the stage for revealing the need for the New Covenant in Christ.

It is important to know that the Law is just as perfect today as it was when it was given to Moses. Not one jot or tittle of it has ever been changed or altered. If you want to be saved you have two choices: keep the Law perfectly by fulfilling it completely or having someone else fulfill it for you. Since you cannot fulfill it yourself, Christ fulfilled it for us. (“Think not that I have come to destroy the Law but to fulfill it.”)

Our salvation is accomplished by the perfection offered to God by Christ through His death, burial and resurrection. We are saved from the penalty of breaking God’s Law given through Moses by trusting in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

A CONCEPTUAL LOOK AT ELDERS IN THE CHURCH

The word “elder” is used nearly 70 times in the New Testament. Of those times, almost half are clearly referring to leaders within the JEWISH community. “Elder” was used to speak of the “traditions of the elders,” “elders of the People,” “priests, scribes and elders.” Those were the respected leaders of the community, the Synagogues and the JEWISH Sanhedrin.

“Elder” in the New Testament comes from the Greek word Presbuteros (πρεσβύτερος), meaning “older person.” By itself, the word did not refer to an office in the church, just the men who were older in the faith. In some contexts, it seems to refer to a group of appointed older persons who watched after the spiritual needs of the church. No specific age is given to "elders," but the connotation of seniority and experience implies maturity, dignity experience and honor.

John Piper explains the background of the term “elders.” “Almost all early societies or religious communities were guided in some way by elders, that is, by the older, experienced wise men of the group. According to  Genesis 50:7, there were “elders of Egypt” and according to Numbers 22:7, there were elders of Moab and Midian. So there is nothing unique or unusual about having elders in positions of authority in JEWISH history.

“In general, then, we can say that, while through the long history of Israel the role of the elder no doubt changed, they were the older men of the community who, because of their wisdom in counsel and the natural honor due to them (Leviticus 19:32), became the official administrators or leaders of the community.”

Piper goes on: “The early church was born on JEWISH soil, its first members and leaders were JEWISH, its Lord was JEWISH, and it saw itself as the fulfillment of the JEWISH Scriptures and as the true JEWISH people of God. Therefore it is understandable that the church, as it emerged from Judaism, would in some ways pattern its life and structure on the life and structure of God’s people in the Old Testament of which they were now the true posterity.”

In Acts 11:30 (the first New Testament mention of “elders”), elders were apparently the older men responsible for the general welfare of the church. We know nothing about how they became elders, and we can only surmise that the reason they were elders at all is because of the pattern already set in Judaism.

The picture in Acts 15 is that the elders, along with the apostles, have the responsibility under the guidance of the Holy Spirit to make decisions regarding ethical (Acts 15:29) and doctrinal matters. We may assume that these significant decisions were laid before the whole church where they were approved (Acts 15:22). I Timothy presents elders as those responsible for straightening out the wrong doctrines that had crept into the church. There Paul also urges the church to select elders who were able to refute those wrong doctrines with their life example.

The term “elder” as a title for a church leader occurs in the Pauline letters only three times: I Timothy 5:17, I Timothy 5:19 and Titus 1:5. The title, itself, does not seem of great importance to Paul.

We may note that in each church were appointed several elders; we don’t know how many. Their installation was by appointment, not election, a feature we will find true to elders throughout the New Testament. The responsibility of the elder/overseer is to “feed the church,” no doubt in the sense in which Jesus said to Peter, “Feed my sheep,” (John 21:17)).

Kelly suggests in his commentary that those who teach are the so-called “overseers” or “bishops” and those who don’t are the deacons. In other words, he thinks that the term “elder” embraces both bishops and deacons.

Elders’ role can perhaps best be summed up in the phrase “overseeing” and hence the term “elder” or “overseer” or “bishop” are sometimes used interchangeably. However, it is uncertain whether the term “elder” was a more inclusive one also embracing the role of deacon as well.
The elders’ oversight of the church involved guarding the flock spiritually, like a shepherd guards his flock from wolves (Acts 20:28), and feeding the flock. The feeding happens as the elders “labor in the Word and teaching” (1 Timothy 5:17; 3:2, Titus 1:9; Acts 20:27, 32). But 1 Timothy 5:17 may mean that there were ruling elders who were not involved in preaching and teaching. In addition to the spiritual ministry, the elders were also responsible for certain physical needs of the flock (Acts 20:35).

Is there a Biblical requirement that the church have elders? No. Does it seem likely that the Biblical model for the ministry structure of the church can include elders? Maybe. That cannot, however, be dealt with on the basis of a doctrine or a requirement.

From the texts, as well as the contexts, it is important that elders must never be a short-cut to the congregational form of church polity that arises from the priesthood of the believer. In other words, elders are not to rule the church or .lord themselves over the church, but must encourage and support each member’s Biblical right to be a priest.

Note: Because there are almost 70 mentions of “elders” in the New Testament, I have not tried to present an exhaustive study, but a representative one. I would recommend Young’s or Strong’s Analytical Concordances for a complete list of the mentions of “elders” in Scripture.

Are Elders Compatible with a Congregational Form of Government?

The short answer to the title question is “Not really.” But there is a longer answer that is not quite so simple.

The term “elders” is Biblical, let’s make that clear. The issue is really about what the term means and how it is to be applied in churches. On this there is not wide-spread agreement. The word "elder" is consistently translated in the New Testament from the Greek work presbuteros. The English words "priest," "presbyter," and "elder" all come from presbuteros, which means an aged person.

A comprehensive look at the Biblical application of the word “elders” will be in tomorrow’s post.

Mark Dever, pastor of Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington, D.C., argued that a body of elders is the New Testament model of church structure. He made a clear distinction between "elder-led" and "elder-rule," flatly rejecting the Presbyterian model that makes a distinction between teaching elders and ruling elders. Instead, Dever offered a biblical argument for an elder-led form of congregationalism in which the congregation serves as a "final court of appeal" in the decision-making process.

The problem arises when we realize that under the elder-rule model, the congregation often has little or no say in the matters of the church. A select group rules and controls all or most of the decisions of the church. This is not consistent with the concept of a congregational form of government, nor does it agree with the substantial Biblical view.

James Leo Garrett, distinguished professor emeritus of theology at Southwestern Seminary, said the practice of elder rule in Baptist churches constitutes a serious erosion of congregational polity. He believes that congregational polity is being rejected in some Southern Baptist churches because it is time-consuming and sometimes difficult.

Garrett said, "Decision-making as to the life, ministry and mission of a church should not be rigidly separated from the living out of the life, ministry and mission. Members who are involved in one should be involved in the other."

Indeed, there have been incidents of the leadership of a congregational church encouraging a switch to an elder rule format in order to simplify the business of the church. Others have done so in order to reduce the power of the congregation to introduce issues and bring them to a vote for approval. This later is a very serious breach of the understanding a congregation might have as to how the church polity operates.

The elder-led model as a form of congregationalism does not present as many issues as the elder-rule model. This is partly due to a general consensus on the biblical teaching about the number of church offices.

David Dockery, president of Union University in Jackson, Tennessee has this to say: "It is commonly agreed by all that there are not three distinct church offices, but two in the New Testament -- that of deacon and that of elder/overseer/pastor, God intended for there to be at least one leader and perhaps a team of leaders in each congregation." That would correspond to a lead pastor and any number of co-pastors or associate pastors. Dockery said, “…being elder-led is quite consistent with congregational polity."

All things considered, the issue of elders in a congregational church boils down to one of motive. If the motive for using elders is suspect, the whole process should not be undertaken. If elders are chosen to assist the church in leadership, while maintaining the integrity of congregationalism, then it becomes a matter of preference.

The preference of the congregation, that is.

THE THEOLOGY OF MUSIC IN WORSHIP

Praising God with Joy

So often I have heard things like, "If the words can't be understood, there's little point in the song." I have also heard things like, "If it does not glorify Jesus, it's not worthy of worship." Those are both true, but there are other important points to be understood about worship music as well.

For one thing, if the congregation does not know the song, they have no opportunity to use it to sing praise to the Lord.

In worship the other day, I looked around the auditorium from the back where I was sitting. I noticed that for all three songs that were used, only about 20% were singing. I asked some of them about it after the service and their universal response was that they did not know the songs.

It is inexcusable to use music for praise that the congregation does not know or that is not really easy to pick up on. That is an anathema. They are deliberately excluded from the worship experience.

Now it is probably true that at no time will all of the congregation know the songs, even if they are well known hymns. New Christians might not know them. More mature Christians might have come from another denomination that did not use those particular songs. But the songs chosen for worship should always be songs that most of the congregation can sing most of the time. Otherwise, why bother?

New songs are great, but they should be introduced to the congregation over time, perhaps one week by the instrumentalist, the next week by the praise team or choir, then as an offertory. Once the congregation has heard the song often, it can then feel comfortable singing it.

That means it can take a long time to introduce a new song to the congregation, right? Right. That's a good thing.

I have often heard how the style of music is not important (a line of thought that ought to work both ways, but usually means, "We're going to force our style of music on you whether you like it or not). That may well be true. But if the song is not known by the congregation, it should not be used until they can worship with it.

That requires a lot of repeating of songs they already know while they are being exposed to the new song(s). That's very true. Repeats are fine. Nobody I know buys a CD, plays it once and then discards it. CDs are usually played over and over. The same is true of digital music on an I-Pod.

The second important feature of good congregational music is that it must be theologically correct. It is appalling how much abject heresy is allowed to be sung in our churches, in both new and old songs.

One song that is heretical in it message is a "great old hymn," named, "I Am Satisfied with Jesus." What an absolute travesty! Not because we should not be satisfied with Jesus. Of course we should. The issue is with the question that closes the refrain of the song, "The question comes to me as I think of Calvary: 'Is my Savior satisfied with me?'" The question implies a kind of spiritual behaviorism that pleases God, which is impossible. We cannot please God with our actions. We can only please Him with our faith. Righteous action should follow our faith, but it is with our faith that God is pleased.

Another song I've heard is not so old (but not really new, either). It reads: He became a man like me, laid aside his deity, to feel my every need. And all the hurts I ever knew, Jesus Christ went through,  to live his life through me.

Laid aside His deity? When did He do that? He never did that! He was from the beginning, is now and ever shall be one and the same with God! When the Son of God became a man in the womb of the Virgin Mary did He lay aside His deity? When God was born in a humble stable in Bethlehem did He become less than God? The answer to these questions is infinitely more important than the writer of these cleverly rhyming lyrics ever considered. “He became a man like me” is true, but “laid aside his deity”? No way!

“Shout to the Lord” is used widely in contemporary worship circles. It won Song of the Year at the Dove Awards in 1998. It has been estimated that it is sung by 30 million Christians around the world. It espouses the importance of world-wide unity, which, of course, is the false ecumenical philosophy. The overall theme of this song is in open and direct rebellion to the Word of God.

If a church uses songs by: GERON DAVIS, BRIAN DOERKSEN, RICK FOUNDS, KEITH AND KRISTYN GETTY, JACK HAYFORD, author of the song Majesty (which teaches the Pentecostal kingdom-now theology), GRAHAM KENDRICK, MICHAEL LEDNER, MARTY NYSTROM, MARTY SAMPSON, and even MICHAEL W. SMITH, you had better look closely at the words to determine whether they are doctrinally correct. People like CHRIS TOMLIN, STEWART TOWNSEND, VINEYARD CHURCHES, DARLENE ZSCHECH and the HILLSONG are worthy of scrutiny.

Sometimes the songs written by these people were never meant to be heretical. They were often written to force a rhyme in the lyric using some trite or spiritual sounding phrases. But people who learn these songs and memorize them are often memorizing false doctrines (see I Timothy for a treatise on false doctrine).

Far too much contemporary praise music is filled with great spiritual deception and apostasy, and central to that apostasy is the Charismatic movement. Its visions are false; its doctrine is corrupt; its practice is confusion and disorder. Fundamental Baptists and Bible-believing churches that use charismatic contemporary praise music will find that this music brings with it a philosophy that will soon change the character of any fundamentalist church.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Unfailing Love-Evie Karlsson (from out of the past)

A Study in Genesis - Chapter 37

One fourth of Genesis is about Joseph. It took only five words explain all of the cosmos “He made the cosmos also.” God’s priority with Joseph is to make him a picture of Christ. Anywhere you touch in the story of Joseph you’ll see Jesus. He is one of two of whom there is mentioned no sin (Daniel is the other). Joseph sinned, but his sin is not mentioned. He lived a life of integrity (not much of that around nowadays).

Verse 2 - Jacob (Jacob and Israel are the same person) lived in Canaan.  Joseph was in harmony with his father and accountable to his father (a picture of Jesus).  Being in harmony with God results from following the right course. We will either fear the Lord (the beginning of wisdom) or we will fear man. If we fear man we face a certain snare. Our concern is always: What do they think of me?

Verse 3 - The coat of many colors is literally a coat of big sleeves. That coat would indicate that Jacob put Joseph in charge of the family affairs. Usually the older child got the big sleeves. For this, Joseph was hated by his brothers like Jesus was hated by “his own (the Jews and Pharisees).”

Verse 4-11 - Joseph tells his brothers about his dream of his authority.  In verse 9, Joseph tells of his brothers making obeisance to him. In verse 10, He says that even mom and dad would bow to Joseph. Why? Joseph would speak the truth even if the truth was unpopular or offensive. In this picture, the sheaves are the world’s resources and the stars are the world’s rulers. Both will bow down to Jesus some day.

12 - 13 - Joseph's brothers went to Shechem where their sister had been raped and Levi and Simian became mass murderers. Great place to go.

Verse 14 - Jacob (Israel) sent Joseph to go check up on his brothers welfare. As Jesus did what His Father asked, so Joseph did as his father asked. Shechem was bad, but Calvary was worse. Joseph left the Valley of Hebron. Hebron means fellowship. I’m sending you out of fellowship and into Shechem. When Jesus cried from the cross, “My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me?” He left the fellowship of His Father to bear the penalty for our sins.

Look for Jesus in whatever Scripture you are reading. If you don’t you will miss the point and no matter what applications you might make, they will be wrong if they do not include Jesus.

Jesus told of the landlord who sent messengers to gather the rent. Each was killed. The landlord said, “I will send my son. Him they will reverence.” But they killed the son. The Pharisees had killed prophet after prophet (messengers) and they killed the Son (Jesus).

Verses 15-22 - Jacob thought his children would reverence his son. Joseph found his brothers in a place called Dothan. Dothan means “double sickness.” The brothers sought to kill Joseph. Reuben tried to prevent them from killing him. Reuben is a picture of Pilate. Do you remember when Pilate tried to get Jesus off the hook with the Pharisees? His “brothers” wanted Him dead, but Pilate saw no fault in Him. He had Him whipped but did not kill Him. Like Reuben tried to get Joseph off the hook.

Verses 23- 28 - They stripped Joseph of his big sleeved robe, like Jesus’ robe was ripped from Him. A company of Ishmaelites (do you remember Ishmael, the source of Islam?) came along and the brothers sold Joseph to the them for silver. That should bring to mind that Judas sold out Jesus silver.The Jews wanted the gentiles to rid them of Jesus. The Pharisees could not execute people (unless you were a woman caught in adultery or wanted to push Jesus over a cliff), so they convinced the Roman government to do it for them..

Joseph's brothers threw him into a deep hole from which they though he could not escape. (Pilate said Jesus would not be able to get out of the tomb. He put his seal on the tomb to ensure that it was secure.)

The brothers took the big sleeved coat and dipped them in blood. Jacob (Israel) thought Joseph had been killed by a beast. This is a picture of how the Pharisees paid the Roman soldiers to lie abut the empty tomb. They said someone had come and taken Jesus’ body.

Jacob (Israel) was deceived by his kids the same way he had deceived his own dad. Jacob mourned for his son. Jacob (Israel) rent his clothes.

Ever the mercenaries, the Midianites sold Joseph to the Egyptians as a slave.

Remember that all of Scripture looks at Jesus. God says every chapter of Scripture is important. As Christians, we are to personally become an illustration of Christ. That’s who we are to be individually and as the church.

The Church at Worship

The church is the Body of Christ and the Bride of Christ. What does that mean? How does that affect what we do and how we do it?

Let’s begin with an understanding of who Christ is. Christ is from the Greek word for the Old Testament Hebrew word Messiah. Jesus is Christ. As Christ, He is one with God. If you know Him you know the Father. According to John 1, He is the one through whom God created all that has been created.

Christ is not just some religious leader who lived and died. He is the Son of God. He is the embodiment of Yahweh. He is alive and worthy of both our praise and our best.

If He is to get anything done on this earth, He will get it done through His body, the church. If He is to be honored, He will be honored by His bride, the church. That is how He has chosen to work.

Each Sunday we meet to worship Him and to celebrate His resurrection. His resurrection on the first day of the week is why we meet on Sunday and not on the Sabbath.

Because of who He is, Jesus deserves our very best, not our hand-me-downs. If He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is He not more important than a governor, a prince, a king or a president? Isn’t He worthy of our entire being? Of course He is.

So why are our worship services often so sloppily put together as though “…after all, it’s just us poor little Christians doing something for sweet Jesus. He’ll understand.” Do you think He understands that attitude?

Worship services should be great, grand, majestic and filled with real heart-born praise. They should not be fraught with distractions, stumbling progressions and thoughtless mistakes.

There are significant differences between the ability of many small churches and many large churches to accomplish well executed worship services. Some small churches do not have a staff that is trained, members who are proficient or the resources to put together a well ordered worship service.

Sadly, far too many large churches, who have more resources, treat worship as though it were nothing more than a church-wide fellowship, a time of fun and chaos.

A well planned worship service deliberately invites the congregation’s participation. It is devoid of long pauses between the events of worship. It is not distracted by squeals and shrieks from the sound system. It has no long waits while the next person on the “program” walks from half-way back in the auditorium to mount the stage and give his testimony or whatever. The announcements are well rehearsed and presented effectively, not with sterility, but with excellence and enthusiasm.

In a well “orchestrated” worship service, the progression is seamless. Participants are where they belong when they belong there. They know what they are to do, how to do it and how much time they have to do it. As the old saying goes, “Proper prior planning prevents poor pitiful performance.”

Great worship does not just happen. It does not occur “when God shows up.” (Ahem…if He is omnipresent, He was there all along, wasn’t He?) Great worship is hard, even exhausting work. Just the laying out of a given worship service can be expected to take several hours of intense, focused planning. Implementing it requires even more time and effort. It takes rehearsal, practice, communicating and execution.

The purpose of all of this work and quality is not to show off how well leaders can do things. It is to lead the congregation in a deliberate, fulfilling worship experience that they can know they’re a part of. It is to find the line that distinguishes between “worldly professionalism” and true, spiritual excellence.

We take care of our bodies, don’t we? We feed them, clothe them and cover them with a roof. Does not a bride want to present her best to her groom?

Should we do any less for the one who is the head of the Body, for our Bridegroom, Christ?

A COMMENTARY ON I TIMOTHY

Matthew 15:9

These are the words of the one who introduced the idea of the New Covenant: “I am against the prophets who wag their own tongues and yet declare ‘The Lord Declares.’” (Jeremiah 23:31). He is speaking about false prophets who teach false doctrines.

The book of I Timothy is often presented as a collection of instructions about grace, worship, servers, pastors, widows, elders, slaves and money. All of those things are in I Timothy, but they are not what the letter is about.

Some have presented I Timothy as a book on how to be a leader. That approach requires that one ignore what the book actually says. It is actually a book on how to avoid having leaders who espouse false doctrines in their lives and in their teachings in the church. That's important because the church is rife with teachers, deacons and other leaders who actually teach hypocrasy. Their false doctrines should have been known and they should never have been put in office.

If God says something once, it is important. If He says it twice, it is very, very important. If God says something three or more times, you can count on it, it is supremely important.

Paul mentions ONE TOPIC three times in his letter to Timothy. He introduces the subject, develops the subject and reiterates the subject. That subject is false doctrines in the Body of Christ. Everything in I Timothy relates to that one issue.

In chapter one, Paul introduces the subject of false doctrines. As a point of reference, he reviews what Christ has done for whom. In other words, he presents the gospel. He then speaks about orderly and respectful worship followed by the selection of leaders.

Why does Paul spend so much time dealing with sound worship and the careful selection of leaders? Paul did not want Timothy to have to deal with teachers of false doctrine in the leadership of the church.

In chapter 4, Paul delves more deeply into the nature and characteristics of false doctrine. He calls those teachers “hypocritical liars” with no conscience. He gives two very significant illustrations of what they are teaching. They are forbidding marriage and are calling some foods unclean. There are other false doctrines being taught, but Paul chooses these two for a very important reason: they are illustrative of the relationship between Christ and the church.

The concept of marriage, from Genesis to the Revelation, is a picture of Christ’s relationship to the church. The church is the Bride of Christ. To consider marriage something to be forbidden would be to deny that relationship. It would mean some would be prevented from becoming a part of the Body by marriage.

The idea that some foods are forbidden is contrary to Peter’s vision when all sorts of “unclean” animals were lowered before him and he was commanded to eat of them. When he resisted, God said that he was not to dare call unclean that which God had called clean. That is a picture of the universal availability of salvation. Anyone, Jew or Gentile, can be saved.

The teaching that some cannot be part of the Bride of Christ and the teaching that some cannot be saved because they are “unclean” are false doctrines. Paul tells Timothy to gently correct those who teach such nonsense. He tells him to stand strong, even though he is young and might be ridiculed. He says Timothy should preach the gospel and only the gospel, and have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives tales.

Paul tells Timothy to diligently teach the gospel and to watch his life and his doctrine as a strong witness to the grace of God.

In chapter 5, Paul explains how Timothy is to deal with those who teach false doctrines and how to live in a way that gives testimony to the doctrine he had been taught. His leadership will be recognized and accepted.

Paul wraps up this discourse on false doctrines with a further revelation about false doctrine. He draws a picture of those false teachers as conceited and understanding nothing. He exposes them as fakes who are really seeking financial gain. They love of money results in their willingness to take all kinds of unethical practices and teachings.

In contrast, Timothy is to flee all false doctrine, especially for monetary gain, and is to steep himself in the sound teachings of the gospel of eternal life.

In closing, Paul reminds Timothy that he has been entrusted with exposing false teachings and pointing people toward Jesus Christ. He is to turn away from false doctrine that pretends to be wise and knowledgeable. He is to be steeped in God’s grace.

Afterglow & Praise-It Is Well With My Soul

There are times when our lives bask in the peace of God in Christ, but there are other times when problems seem to crash over us like waves. Sometimes Satan seems to be in control and we face issues we think we cannot endure.

At those times, we need to remember that Christ knows all about our troubles and their ultimate origin, and has died for us to secure our eternity.

What Christ accomplished for us at Calvary fills us with joy and adoration as we understand that the awful penalty of sin has been paid for us through Him. We don’t have to be burdened with the fear of penalty for our sins if we trust in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary. We can Praise Him with all of our hearts.

We must die to self in order to live for Christ. Whether we live or die, we must do so for Christ. Then there will be no fear of death itself, for He will give us peace in our souls.

We must live each day as though Christ’s return is eminent, for it is. Our goal each day must be to look to our future in Christ, not the horror and death of this world. Then shall our soul find blessed rest and confidence.

In fact, we look forward to the time when our faith shall be brought to fruition in His return. We’ll join Him in the air when the clouds are rolled back, the trumpet sounds and the Lord descends. Thus we will know all is well with our soul.

It Is Well With My Soul

1. When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,
   When sorrows like sea billows roll;
   Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,
   It is well, it is well, with my soul.
Refrain:
It is well, with my soul,
It is well, it is well, with my soul.
2. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
   Let this blest assurance control,
   That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
   And hath shed His own blood for my soul.
3. My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!
   My sin, not in part but the whole,
   Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,
   Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!
4. For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live:
   If Jordan above me shall roll,
   No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life
   Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.
5. But, Lord, ’tis for Thee, for Thy coming we wait,
   The sky, not the grave, is our goal;
   Oh, trump of the angel! Oh, voice of the Lord!
   Blessed hope, blessed rest of my soul!
6. And Lord, haste the day when my faith shall be sight,
   The clouds be rolled back as a scroll;
   The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend,
   Even so, it is well with my soul.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Hey! Wussy Christians-Brad Stine

Genesis Chapter 12

Verses 1-9 – God promises to show Abram a country. Abram did not see the country, but he headed out by faith. We know he went by faith because faith is the essence of things hoped for; the evidence of things UNSEEN. Following God by faith means doing what He tells you, even when you don’t know where He is leading.

Abram built an altar in Shechem. In the Old Testament, an altar is a place where something dies as a sacrifice. Under the New Covenant, an altar is a place where we die to self. We don’t need it for a sacrifice, Jesus has provided the sacrifice…Himself. To follow Him, we must die to self.

Israel was chosen by God and was expected to be 1) A witness of God’s ways; 2) a keeper of God’s word (Romans 3:2); 3) a channel for God’s wonder (Messiah). God chose Israel because He’s the “captain of the team,” and He gets to choose. He chose them to provide the path to Messiah, Jesus. Those who bless Israel (and her mission) will be blessed. Those who curse Israel (and thus reject Messiah) will be cursed. And that’s just the way it is today and always will be.

God says unequivocally that He gave Canaan (the West Bank) to the Jews. It’s their land, not the Palestinian’s land, or your land or my land. It’s Israel’s land, and we would do well to respect that, even if we don’t like it.

Everywhere Abram (Abraham) went, he built an altar (for sacrifice) and pitched a tent (showing that he was a pilgrim). He had already done the rich thing for 50 years and discovered that’s not where happiness lies. Happiness lies with following God. “If you live for things of earth you’ll never get it. If you live for the Kingdom of Heaven, you’ll get earth thrown in.” (C. S. Lewis)

Verses 10-20 – Abram went where God told him to go, but he didn't stay there. There came a famine, and Abram decided he had to do something on his own, apart from God. That is never a good thing…never.

Abram reasoned that when the Egyptians saw Sarai, they would kill him to get her for themselves. Thus this man of faith falters, not trusting in God’s ability to keep him. He is willing to lie to protect himself (ever been there?). Follow the genealogy and you’ll discover that Abram and Sarai were actually half-brother and half-sister. But a half-truth is a total lie.

The command not to bear false witness means: don’t lie. Jesus had to face false witnesses at His trial (Matthew 26:59-63).  His accusers gave the right information (He did say he would rebuild the temple in 3 days), with the wrong implication. Jesus was talking about the temple of His body.

When Abram got to Egypt, the Egyptian princes told Pharaoh about her and Pharaoh paid Abram very well for her. But the Lord was not pleased with Abram’s half-truth and his desire to profit from the “sale” of his wife and to save himself (which was God’s job, not his).

Pharaoh was about to consummate the relationship when God sent serious diseases on him and his household. Pharaoh realized what had happened and was angry that he had come so close to inviting calamity on himself. He ordered Abram and Sarai thrown from the land and all that he had.

Sarai can be seen as an example of the relationship of Bride of Christ to Christ, Himself. The church is the Bride of Christ. As Sarai followed Abram (even though Abram was wrong), so we are to follow Christ, who is NEVER wrong.

Abram did not escape from Egypt unscathed. One of the servants he took with him when he left with “everything he had” was a maid-servant named Hagar. She would later permanently break Abram’s heart. She gave birth to Ishmael, the father of Islam.

Submitting to Christ completely is the only way to be what He wants you to be. Period.

I Timothy Chapter 03

Verses1-7 – Paul starts out by admonishing church leaders to be without fault. That prevents anyone from becoming a teacher, because (if the rest of Scripture is to be believed) no one is without fault (try reading the book of Romans and coming to any other conclusion). So what are we left with? We are left with the only source of faultlessness: trusting in, and only in, the finished work of Christ on the cross of Calvary.

So what is this list about…one wife, not drunk, sensible and organized, hospitable, and able to teach, focused on Christ, not money, lead his family well? It is about being able to properly represent the message of Christ. It is about being able to do the job.

A new Christian must be discipled before he can lead. Paul spent time in the Wilderness Seminary before he could lead. New Christians need to be taught the things of Christ before being thrust into positions of responsibility. Then he can lead effectively.  A properly prepared leader will be respected by even pagans.

Verses 8-13 – A deacon should be a servant. Remember back in Acts when there were seven men chosen to wait tables so that the pastor wouldn’t have to? The deacon is to be the pastor’s right hand man. They should serve in the areas of  prayer, visitation, benevolence and missions.

The office of deacon is not an exalted office. It is an office of servitude. Deacons are not called to be administrators, nor are they called to be bosses. They should not bring motions to the church floor except as they relate to their immediate calling.

Deacons must be saved (verse 9) and must have no reservations about their salvation. The key to deaconhood is servanthood. He must be much like the teacher, pastor and other faithful church leaders.

The deacon’s family relationships will be a picture of his ability to serve. If he is not married, that’s OK, but if he is married it should be to only one woman. In the New Covenant, multiple marriages are not considered optimal.

Verses 14-16 – Paul’s desire was to visit Timothy.  He speaks of the house of God and quickly explains that he is talking about the church (the people), not the building.

Paul turns his attention to his constant message, the gospel. Speaking of Jesus he writes: “The Spirit declared that He (Jesus) was without fault. Angels saw Him. People preached His good news to the nations. People all over the world believed in Him. God took Him up from the earth to share His glory.”

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-Say the Name-Margaret Becker

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Genesis Chapter 6

Verses 1-8 – We do not know who the ‘sons of God’ were. Some people think that the ‘sons of God’ were angels or spirits. The word “giants” is often used to indicate very important people. A better explanation is that they were descendants of Seth. If that is the meaning, then the ‘daughters of men’ would be descendants of Cain. We do know that the ‘sons of God’ were choosing wives for the wrong reasons: beauty instead of righteousness.

God’s Spirit struggles with our natural nature. He loves mankind, but is so holy that He cannot abide sin. His Spirit would not struggle with man forever. God limited the time a man would live. You might consider Ephesians 4:30 that admonishes us not to grieve the Holy Spirit. Unsaved people (people who have not trusted in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary) will face God’s judgement. Whether they know it or not, nobody wants to face the judgement of God based on justice, good works or any other thing. They need to face His judgement covered with His grace, the blood of Christ.

When God’s grace saves you through faith, God looks at you differently than He did before you were saved. He sees you as righteous in Christ (not sinless – I John 1:10). You are different in His eyes. Noah was not perfect, but he was righteous. By extraordinary faith Noah built the ark on dry land when it had never even drizzled on the earth. Noah found grace in those eyes because of his faith (Hebrews 11:7). If you haven’t already, you can, too.

Verses 9-12 – Mankind had turned from the purpose for which God had created him. Man had been told that a redeemer was coming. God had provided a sacrifice for Adam and Eve. The patriarchs were living very long. Adam and Methuselah bridged the whole time span here. Enoch preached during this time (Jude 1:14-15). Noah also preached during this period. . Only Noah had faith in God. The ministry of the Holy Spirit was present. Man should have known and believed God. But he did not

The “unpardonable sin” is to reject the testimony of the Holy Spirit. He points you to God (through Christ), but you must follow His leadership if you are to be saved.

Verse 13 – God tells Noah that He is going to destroy the earth. It is not a good thing to ignore or go against God. The consequences of sin are great and they are eternal. The consequence of sin is  eternal death. Only those who place their faith in God through Christ will escape eternal damnation. If the whole world rejects Him, the whole world will die eternally. That’s what had happened.

Verses 14-22 – The Hebrew word for “Ark” is the same one that is used for Moses’ basket. The ark is an Old Testament picture of salvation. The pitch used in the ark was to protect it from the water. It covered the cracks and kept water out. Jesus covered our sins by His death.

Nobody had ever built a boat like this before. It was more like a building than a boat. But this boat had a special purpose and its shape was perfect for that purpose.

God made a covenant with Noah. God promised to save Noah if, and only if, he would go into the ark. Jesus is the New Covenant. To enter into God’s salvation, we must be in Him and He in us.

Noah did a lot of really difficult things in building the ark. He did them all trusting that what God told him to do was right.

Have you trusted that what God tells you about Christ is right? Have you accepted His grace by faith? Are you committed to live for Him and to serve him with all of your heart, mind soul and strength?

Gifts of the Spirit for the Church

Every Christian has a spiritual gift. Once he discovers that gift, he should learn to use the gift to its greatest potential in him.

The church should be diligent to make full and frequent use of those who are gifted, for their hearts burn to use their gifts for the Lord. In Romans 12:7-8 Paul writes about using spiritual gifts: “if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.”

It is not necessary for every position in the church be filled by someone with that particular gift. A person can be taught to be a teacher even if he does not have the gift of teaching. However, one with the gift of teaching will have an innate ability to teach. Developing that gift will come easy to him and he will relish the thought of putting it to use.

Gifts are different from talents, although people who are gifted also have the talent to exercise that gift. Not all talented people are gifted, but all gifted people are talented. God does not give gifts that the recipient does not have the talent to use effectively with proper training.

Here are some descriptions of some of the spiritual gifts mentioned in God’s Word. There are some gifts that are “controversial” as to their meaning and use. Those will be discussed later in the post.

Apostle - from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος (apσstolos), meaning "one who is sent away/" An apostle is a messenger and ambassador. An apostle establishes and builds churches; he's a church planter. There is some disagreement among the Christian community as to whether the office of apostleship is “for today.”  One might consider the apostle to be equivalent to today’s missionary.

Prophet - Prophet in the Greek means to "forth tell" in the sense of speaking for another. A prophet functions as God's mouth piece, speaking forth God's Word. He points to the future and points out sin. This gift is related to the gift of utterance.

Evangelist - An evangelist is called to be a witness for Jesus Christ. He works for the church to bring people into the body of Christ where they can be taught and discipled. His message is centered in the gospel. He may evangelize through music, drama, preaching, and other creative ways.

Pastor - The pastor is the shepherd of the people. A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep; called to stay, oversee, nurture and guide. He prays, edifies, equips and preaches the gospel.

Teacher - The teacher lays the foundation and is concerned with detail and accuracy. He delights in research to validate truth. He is designed specifically for digging into tight, dark places, shining light and “rightly dividing” the Word of God.

Speaking in Tongues - This is a special ability to speak to groups whose language the speaker does not know. For those in the audience who are unbelievers, this provides for them the opportunity to hear and to respond to the gospel. The one who speaks to a group whose language is unknown to him should use a person gifted with interpretation.

Ministering/Serving/Helps - Those with the motivational gift of serving are the "hands" of the body. They are concerned with meeting needs; they are highly motivated, doers and find joy in serving and meeting those needs.

Administration/Leadership - Those with the motivational gift of leadership have the ability to see the overall picture and set long-term goals; they are good organizers and find efficient ways of getting work done. They receive fulfillment when others come together to complete a task

Teaching - Those with the motivational gift of teaching are the "mind" of the body. They realize their gift is foundational; they emphasize accuracy of words and love to study; they delight in research to validate truth.

Giving - Those with the motivational gift of giving are the "arms" of the body. They truly enjoy reaching out in giving. They are excited by the prospect of blessing others; they desire to give quietly, in secret, but will also motivate others to give. They are alert to people's needs; they give cheerfully and always give the best that they can.

Exhortation/Encouragement - Those with the motivational gift of encouragement are the "mouth" of the body. They encourage other believers and are motivated by a desire to see people grow and mature in the Lord. They are practical and positive and they seek positive responses.

Mercy - Those with the motivational gift of mercy are the "heart" of the body. They easily sense the joy or distress in other people and are sensitive to feelings and needs. They are attracted to and patient with people in need, motivated by a desire to see people healed of hurts. They are truly meek in nature and avoid firmness.

Several gifts are mentioned in Scripture without explanation. That they are unexplained does not mean that men have not tried to impose their own explanations on them.

Word of Wisdom – This phrase is found in I Corinthians 12:8. Some consider this to be supernatural knowledge applied in a godly or correct way. Scripture, though, does not define it nor does it describe its use. While Solomon asked for and received wisdom from God, his wisdom is not the same as the New Testament reference to the Word of Wisdom as a gift. He was not given a word; Solomon was made into a wise man.

Word of Knowledge – From I Corinthians 22:8. This is the only time the phrase is used in Scripture and it is not defined. The word of knowledge is supposed by some to be supernatural knowledge of facts and information that can only be revealed by God for the purpose of applying doctrinal truth. That definition is man-made, and is not supported by God’s Word.

Discerning of Spirits – Found in I Corinthians 22:10, this gift is assumed to relate to Scriptural admonitions to know the difference between one who is genuinely indwelled by the Holy Spirit and those who are not. It is sometimes interpreted to mean the supernatural ability to distinguish between spirits such as good and evil, truthful or deceiving, prophetic versus satanic. That is a bit of a stretch of the actual admonitions and uses in Scripture.

Those are explanations for the main gifts of the Spirit. There are also other interpretations of the gifts. These, however, seem to be the closest to the actual meaning and use of the gifts in terms of the original language uses and the contexts of the passages from which they are taken.

I Timothy Chapter 02

Verses 1-4 – Paul urges Timothy to pray for all people. Timothy was the pastor of  the Church in Ephesus. The Scriptural role of the pastor is to pray, edify the saints, build up the Body of Christ and preach the gospel. We burden our pastors with so many other things that few of them have the time or stamina to do what the Bible tells them to do. We make them the CEO of the church. That is not their job.

Some might well conclude that Paul puts the leadership of prayer squarely at the feet of the pastor. He asks them to pray for all people, paupers and kings, so that we (Paul and Timothy?) may live calm, quiet lives and that we give God the respect He deserves.

Verses 5-7 – Paul asserts that there is only one God and one way to Him through Jesus Christ (who became a man to bring us peace with God).  He reiterates that Jesus and God are one in the same. Jesus was with God in the beginning, at creation (John 1:1). He IS God (see the side bar). He gave Himself to death on the cross for the joy it would bring Him to have so many followers spend eternity with Him.

Once again Paul makes clear that he has one message: the good news of salvation through Christ.

Verses 8-15 – Often called “Rules for Holy Living,” this passage is really about the characteristics a person who is saved would exhibit as a result of his salvation. Note that Paul was the first “religious” leader to allow women into the worship service itself. In order to avoid disorder from the shock of being present in the worship service, Paul urges them to be quiet and not to act weird. One might be tempted to ask whether women adopt this approach to worship today. One might be better off not to ask.

Paul actually is saying that women should be made attractive not by what they wear, but by their demeanor in Christ.

Sometimes verses 14 & 15 cause issues. That is because people focus on the first part of the verses rather than on the conclusion. Having children does NOT accomplish salvation. He does not say that here. He says that women who trust and love God through Christ will be saved even though they have to go through things as painful and complicated as childbirth. Any other interpretation violates the rest of Scripture and specifically the New Covenant.

No one can see the heart of another. Their lifestyle can only give evidence of salvation. It cannot confirm it.

Salvation is accomplished in the same way by both men and women. Salvation comes by trusting in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at the cross of Calvary.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-MercyMe - You Are I Am

A Study in I Timothy

Chapter 1

Verses 1-2 – Paul was a citizen of Rome as well as a former Jewish Pharisee. He calls himself an apostle. The word apostle is from Classical Greek ἀπόστολος (apóstolos), meaning "one who is sent away/" An apostle is a messenger and ambassador. One might consider the apostle to be equivalent to today’s missionary. He calls Timothy his true child in the faith. That probably indicates that Paul introduced Timothy to Christ.

Verses 3-7 – Paul asked Timothy to stay in Ephesus as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Ephesus.

Many people were basing their Christianity on their heritage. This continues today, as people think they are Christians because their parents were Christians and they were born in a Christian home. Others were trying to teach that the Law was to be obeyed for salvation. Paul says they do not know what they are talking about.

False teachers abound in what passes for Christianity. It is extremely important that we be able to recognize false doctrine and separate ourselves from it. Many very popular preachers and preacherettes are apostates. Popularity does not equal sound doctrine. Every one of them uses Scripture to back up their false doctrine. Quoting Scripture verses does not prove anything. Context and Scriptural consistency are crucial to a proper understanding of the Word. Romans, Galatians, I Corinthians and other books of the Bible sternly warn against following teachers of false doctrine.

Verses 8-11 – Paul asserts that the Law is good if used properly. He says the Law can show us how to be perfect, but it cannot make us perfect. We will never be able to fulfill the requirements of the Law. That is why Christ fulfilled the Law for us. The only perfection we can have must come by faith in, and only in, the finished work of Christ at Calvary. Paul states that the gospel message is the only message he has to offer.

Verses 12-17 – Paul’s task was a big one. It required the help of a lot of people and on the strength of the Lord. He recognized that he had been brought from the depth of sin to newness of life in Christ Jesus. You might say he had been a great Pharisee of the worst kind. Those who believe in Christ must follow the same path (which is quite narrow, by the way): encounter, repentance, and trusting the grace of God in Christ.

Verses 18-20 – Paul told Timothy, as the elder of the two, to learn from him. He gives the example of two who did not. He gave them over to Satan…that is: their lack of repentance and failure to turn to Christ in faith.

CHARACTERISTICS OF CHURCH GROWTH

Godly Church Growth Should
Look Like This

1. Church growth must be Christ centered. Jesus is everything. If he is not, any growth will be shallow and
will not be fulfilling.

2. Church growth must be Spirit led. The Holy Spirit is able to lead both short-term and long-term. Sometimes He leads years in advance, such as planning recurring major holiday events: Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, Independence Day, Concerts, etc. Other times He leads months or weeks in advance, such as local meetings, regular church ministry events. He occasionally leads in the moment, making changes as He sees fit.

3. Church growth must be deliberate. It does not fall from the sky and it does not magically appear. It happens when church leaders know their objectives, goals and action plans far enough in advance to plan them well. Objectives are philosophical in nature. Goals are quantifiable (with numbers). Plans are specific activities designed to meet the goals and fulfill the objectives.

4. Church growth must be organized. Everything in God’s creation is organized. God’s Word reveals exquisite organization in the building of the temple in First Kings, the rebuilding of the Wall of Jerusalem in Nehemiah, the laying out of the tents of Israel in Numbers. The human body is well organized as should be the growing church.

5. Church growth is hard work. It should not be thought that leaders can achieve church growth in 40 hour work weeks. It takes years of dedication to whatever time is needed to implement action plans to reach goals to accomplish the church’s objectives.

6. Church growth must make use of members’ talents and gifts. God has given certain people specific spiritual gifts as well as talents and abilities.  People who have those God-given gifts, talents and abilities are driven by the Holy Spirit to use them. They should be given ample opportunity to use those gifts as regularly as possible. They will help the church grow.

Those are six of the requirements for church growth. There are more, but putting these into action will go a long way toward spurring the kind of growth that exalts God through Christ.

ORDER

I Corinthians 14:40 "Let all things be done decently and in order (Gk: taxis-arrangement)."

Colossians 2:5 "...and delight to see how orderly (Gk: taxis-arrangement) you are..."

Luke 1:3 "...to write to you an orderly (Gk: Kathexes-consecutively, in succession) account..."

Acts 11:4 "Peter...expounded (in the) order (Gk: Kathexes-consecutively, in succession) it happened..."

I Corinthians16: "I have given order (Gk: diatasso-to arrange throughout) to the churches of Galatia..."

I Corinthians 16: "The Rest I will set in order (Gk: diatasso-to arrange throughout) when I come."

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-I Shall Wear a Crown-Gaither Vocal Band

Improving Unity

Unity is the state of being united or joined as a whole. What does that mean for the church? Does it mean all church members walk in lock step? Does it mean that all church members think alike? Does it mean that all church members agree on all points of Biblical interpretation? Just what is Christian Unity and how do we achieve it?
The church is the body of Christ. That means the church functions as the physical manifestation of Christ. If Christ is to have His commission achieved, He will do so through the church. Indeed, Unity in the church is one of the major themes of the New Testament.

Scripture tells us that the body is made up of many parts, each with its own function. It has a heart, a liver, a spleen, adenoids, a gall bladder and a couple of lungs. So it is with the church. It has many parts, each with its own function. It has a pastor, deacons, teachers, evangelists, fellowship leaders, etc.

In the body, each part has a function. Some functions are critical. If the heart does not do its job, the body will die. Likewise, if the lungs don’t do their job, the body will die, too. On the other hand, if the gall bladder does not function correctly, the body might not function as well as it should, but it could still survive.

While each part has its own responsibility, when the body moves, all of its parts move, too. So, if the body goes to Jacksonville, Florida, so must the various parts of the body. Because there are many roads to Jacksonville, parts of the body might be tempted to use U.S. 41, while other parts may choose U.S. 1. Since the destination is the same, why does it matter? Try getting to Jacksonville that way and see how your body likes it.
Christ’s body, the church, moves, too. It should move toward meaningful worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. As it does so, it must encourage its leaders to move in the same direction. They must be committed to reaching the same place together.

Inevitably, there will be some who want to go another route, or who don’t understand at all where the church is headed or how it plans to get there. What is the church to do with those? Should the church ask them to leave? Should they rejoice if they do leave? Will unity be increased by the loss of those members?

The matter of a church’s lack unity can be looked at in a variety of ways. It can be seen in raw numbers, or it can be understood in terms of a percentage of the whole. It can also be seen as an opportunity to encourage, explain and train members to head in the same direction as the church.

Suppose church unity was looked at as a percentage. Then, the more people who are not committed to the direction of the church left the church, the higher the percentage of “unity” there would be. But that idea is fraught with error. It belies the mission of the church in every area of worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry and evangelism. It violates the term “ministry.” And it invites another problem, too.

There has never been a time in a church’s history when everybody agreed on everything at the same time. In fact, it is most exceedingly rare for two people to agree on everything. If the church were rid of every “dissenting” voice, it would soon be down to two people, neither of whom would agree on everything all the time. So, using the reasoning that the church should expunge those who have disagreed with the direction of the church, one of them would have to leave. That would leave only one church member, but it would do wonders for unity.

Actually, unity in the church does not mean that everybody walks in lock step. It doesn’t mean all church members think alike. It doesn’t even mean that all church members think alike. Effective church leadership understands that unity in the church is not determined by methods, but by message.

Unity in the church means that we all subscribe to the same message: the gospel of Christ. That is not only the central message of the New Testament, it is the central message of the entire Bible. It means that we all seek to minister to each other. It means people are to be ministered to where they are, not where we think they ought to be. It means we communicate with them about the direction of the church. It means we must discover their needs and meet those needs as Christ directs.

In the church, leadership is not about the leaders, it is about those being led. Leaders must take the appropriate steps to educate, train and move people in the direction the church needs to go. Jerking people one way and then another does not promote unity. Establishing a clear objective, quantified goals and actions to meet those goals does.

How beautiful the church that moves in real unity, compared to the church that fabricates and forces a kind of false unity.

Teaching Teachers to Teach (Senior Adult Edition)

Knowing your audience is one of the keys to being an effective adult Sunday School teacher. Adults come in many ages and life stages. If they were divided into four learning levels there would be Young Adults, Middle Adults, Older Adults and Senior Adults. These are the four stages of adulthood that naturally occur.

Young Adults are just emerging from their Youth years and are usually at the beginning of their work or college experience. Middle Adults have established themselves in the workforce and are settling themselves into a career. Older Adults are deep into their careers and are thinking ahead to retirement. Senior Adults are usually retired or close to retirement.

Each age group has specific spiritual needs and is usually taught differently. Young Adults are not usually very mature in their spiritual lives. Middle Adults have usually settled in spiritually, but are still learning how to reconcile their spirituality with their daily lives. Mature and Senior Adults are often well set in their spiritual ways. Many are well schooled in the Bible and its precepts.

This post is about teaching Senior Adults.

Preparation in prayer and study is the first step in planning a Senior Adult lesson. In many ways, teaching Senior Adults takes more preparation than teaching other adult levels. Senior Adults are well developed in their daily habits and routines, including prayer and Bible study. Many of them (not all) have spent many years reading and studying God’s Word. They may be as well versed in it as the teacher. This makes thorough preparation very important.

Since they often know a lot of Scripture and have lived out their faith for a long time, they are not really interested in the “milk of the Word,” but are very interested in the deeper, meatier concepts taught in it. They need to dig into doctrinal issues, spiritual insights and the continuity of the Scriptures.

Because of their life stage, Senior Adults often need the comfort and assurance God’s Word can give them. They face physical, emotional and often financial issues, as well as the issue of the length of time they might have in this life. Many will have lost loved ones or may have loved ones who are sick and in need of attention.

Although audio/visual aids are often helpful with Senior Adults, they are less used to learning from them than younger adults are. They should be used when appropriate, but their use should not be overdone.

For Senior Adults, activities that require extensive movement and activity are usually inappropriate. Some of them might be on walkers, use walking canes or be in wheel chairs. They are not in the least bit less important. They just don’t have the physical abilities they might have had in their youth.

When planning to teach Senior Adults, expect to make great use of concordances, Bible dictionaries, lexicons, commentaries, others’ writings and the Internet as resources. Never make the mistake of thinking they take the place of Scripture, but they can provide insight and assistance in planning.

It is perhaps axiomatic that the worse method of teaching is the same method, but too much change in substance and style can make Senior Adults feel as though they are being jerked one way and then the other. They are generally not amenable to radical changes. But it is important to provide them with a variety of approaches to lessons.  Plan to prepare things like multiple choice question sheets, fill in the blank lesson sheets and other tools to help them think through a passage of Scripture.

Lessons should be prepared in such a way that they proceed logically through the material offered. Periodic pauses to discuss a particular Scriptural point should be afforded. Senior Adults should be afforded the opportunity to contribute to the class, but opining about things that do not relate to or that are not supported by Scripture should be avoided.

As to the lesson itself, Senior Adults are most geared toward exegetical Bible study. Topical studies do not appeal to them as much since they have for the most part settled the major topical issues in their lives. They enjoy book by book, verse by verse studies that help them relate different part of Scripture to the overall purpose of the Bible: To reveal God’s character, His love of His creation and His plan for its redemption.

Teaching Senior Adults can be a great and fulfilling challenge if it is done with their spiritual and life style needs in mind.

Great Principles for Great Sunday School Teaching

Teaching is one of God’s highest callings. A good Sunday School teacher is a church’s prized possession.

Some people have the spiritual gift of teaching. Others are not spiritually gifted as teachers. They can learn to be good teachers, however, for there are certain principles of teaching that are quite coachable.

The first principle of good teaching is commitment to the task. No teacher gifted or not, will be effective if he is not committed. Commitment means no turning back. It means that menial things will not get in the way of preparing the lesson.

The second principle of good teaching is preparation. There is an old saying that goes, “Proper prior planning prevents poor, pitiful performance.” At the very least, preparation should begin a week prior to the event, longer, if possible. It should be thorough and should include the physical preparation of the classroom as well as preparation for the teaching itself.  The teacher should be prepared enough as to be confident of the material and how he plans to present it.

The third principle (and it might well be considered the first in Sunday School) is to know the textbook. The textbook in Sunday School is the Bible, not denominational literature and not the writings of other authors. The Bible is God’s revelation of His character, His love for His creation and His plan for its redemption. All other works are subordinate to it as tools for teaching Sunday School.

The next principle is to know the audience. People in different stages of life require different teaching techniques. Those techniques can and should be learned.

Another principle is variety. Even variety has to be geared to life stages. For children physical activities can be changed to fit the subject being taught, while older adults might need totally different needs such as puzzles and multiple choice guides, etc. Musical chairs would be inappropriate for adults using walkers and/or wheelchairs. Multiple choice guides would probably be inappropriate for preschoolers.

Good listening is an important principle of teaching. A good teacher will learn a lot from his students. Feedback from them can point to improved teaching methods. Good listening helps the teacher tweak his teaching to better meet the learners’ needs.

It is important that a teacher learn the principle of being personally involved with the students. He should know their backgrounds, their immediate needs and the level of their spiritual development.

Knowing and practicing these principles will go a long way toward enabling a Sunday School teacher to do the job God has called him to do.

New Stuff

One of the saddest things in this world is a person who refuses to learn new things. Learning should never end. It is a lifetime endeavor.

Another sad thing is a person who learns wrong things. Not everything new is good. Sometimes what has been tested by time is better than the new ideas and things that come along.

One of the most important characteristics of a good leader is to know the difference between those things that are new and good and those things that are new and not so good. That’s not always easy, because new things often look so good.

Change is good, if it leads to better results. But change for change’s sake is never good. “Let’s just do this for a change” is not a good reason to change. “Let’s do this and see if it works” is not good either, especially if it has already been tried and failed.

One way to discern whether a “new” idea is good is to discover whether it really is new. Sometimes things that seem “Avant guard” are not really new at all. They are a rehash of something that has been done before. If prior attempts of a technique have failed, it is probable that doing the same thing again will fail, too.

Another important way to test the “new” is to know the audience toward which it is directed. Different people are at different stages of their lives and learn in different ways. Youth learn one way, young adults another and older adults still another. Recognizing that fact will help decide whether a new idea is a good one or not.

It is also important to know whether a new idea is technically appropriate. Many older adults are not skilled in some of the new technology. Others haven’t adjusted to its use. To force technology on older adults “because they ought to get with it” is counterproductive.  On the other hand, one would be wise to avoid using lectures and discussion with younger people because they are steeped in technology and quite used to learning through it.

Not only do new ideas require different methods for different age-groups, they might also have different space requirements. Generally, the younger the group, the more space is required to lead and teach them. Children, youth and even young adults might require active teaching techniques needing a lot of room. Older adults need more comfortable, sedate environments. New ideas that involve the output of a great deal of physical energy would be more effective with younger people than with older. Musical Chairs, for instance, would be inappropriate for older adults.

New ideas are intrinsically neither bad nor good. In the end, it is their effectiveness that matters.

The Right to Know

In a congregational form of church government the responsibility for the spiritual and physical welfare of the church rests with the congregation. The congregation is the ultimate decision maker, usually acting on recommendations from various committees appointed to vet certain issues.

Due to the nature of congregationalism, it is imperative that there be no information withheld from the congregation. The congregation must know about all activities of the church as well as the overall condition of the church.  The financial status must be known and understood. The daily operation must be known and understood, as must special events and the various activities of the church.

Nothing causes more discord than lack of knowledge in a congregational form of government. Lack of knowledge often leads to considerable discussion at business meetings, committee meetings and other gatherings. The discussion might be time consuming and sometimes somewhat contentious, but it is necessary if congregational churches really believe in the priesthood of believers. If they don’t, that’s another matter.

One way to avoid contentiousness is to have a properly run business meeting.

If a matter comes up at a business meeting that might have more than one issue to consider, it is a good idea to refer it to the appropriate committee for study. The committee chair should then report its findings to the congregation and make a motion to adopt its recommendation. The congregation should discuss the matter and then vote to adopt or reject the recommendation. The discussion period is the time most contentiousness develops. Properly handled, this does not have to be the case.

The church bylaws should include the basic format for business meetings and how topics should be discussed. It is a good idea for them to include a good formula for discussion. Such a formula should restrict how much an issue should be discussed by directing that the two (or more) sides of a position are presented, but not repeated. In other words, once a given side of an issue has been given the other side should be presented and then the vote taken.

One of the problems with discussion is that people think of it as a time to vote before the vote. Everybody wants his side heard more than the other side. The decision then becomes a matter of how many people participated in the discussion and who could influence the most people to vote his way.  This leads to a long, drawn out business meeting that might develop into arguments instead of discussion.

This might play out like this. The building and grounds committee might recommend to the church that a firm be hired to care for the landscaping. The committee should present the costs of such a move and how it would be implemented. Then he should offer the argument(s) favoring the motion.  The chairman of the committee should then offer a motion to adopt the committee’s recommendation.

After hearing the motion and asking for a second, the moderator should open the floor to discussion. Brother Stewart might speak against the motion, favoring church members taking care of the grounds. He might present his case, with reasons for his opposition to the motion. Once Brother Stewart makes his case, the moderator would ask whether there were any as yet unspoken considerations for or against the motion. If there are, they should be heard, but this is not the time for people to “jump on board” for or against the motion with repeats of the points already iterated.

The vote should be taken. Once that is done, the moderator should restate the decision, proclaim it the decision of the group, invite the entire group to support the decision and move on to the next issue.

Business meetings should be crisp and straight forward. They should also be soaked in prayer, seeking the leadership of the Holy Spirit. They should also be times of communication, ensuring that the church always knows and has a part in what is going on in the body. That is their right and their responsibility.

SUNDAY SOUNDS OF PRAISE-When the Saints-Sara Groves