Israel...Still Around?

I was reminded once again today in my Exegesis of Zechariah class that God still has a plan for the nation of Israel. The ethnic, Jewish, descendants of Abraham are still in God's plan. Supercessionism (or replacement theology) is a faulty hermeneutic of the Scriptures. This concept is also found elsewhere in Scripture. Take these verses for example:

Jeremiah 31:33-36 33 "But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the LORD, "I will put My law within them, and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 "And they shall not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD, "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." 35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for light by day, And the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, Who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar; The LORD of hosts is His name: 36 "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever."

Read v. 36 once more:

36 "If this fixed order departs From before Me," declares the LORD, "Then the offspring of Israel also shall cease From being a nation before Me forever."

That is to say, if the fixed order of creation - the moon and the stars - departs and fails before God Almighty. It literally reads, "if these things are removed out of my presence" which can never happen. We know that God is completely omniscient and knows all things. There is nothing that can really be removed "out of his presence."

From this verse alone there is sufficient evidence to prove that the nation of Israel still exists in God's plan of human history. God is faithful. All is about God. Not the Church. Not Israel, but rather, that God's glory be put on display for all to see.

Furthermore, these verses are immediately after v.31 which talk about the "New Covenant" made with the House of Israel and with the House of Judah. This covenant is made with God to the Jewish people.

The Jewish people are still around today and they are living proof that God is a faithful God - a covenant keeping God. He is loyal to all his promises:

2 Corinthians 1:20 20 For as many as may be the promises of God, in Him they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.

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One Impactful Book

Last night I just finished one book that has been on my "to-read" list for quite some time (and unfortunately, my "to-read" list just gets higher and higher and higher). I have about four more books that I intend to read before the wedding day (May 12) in addition to all the seminary work but I think it can be done) and it was absolutely spectacular.

Stuart Scott in his book, The Exemplary Husband, clearly and biblically laid forth the mandate that Christian husbands have to God, to their wives, to their families and to holiness. By far, the most impactful thing to me in the book was that in nearly everything that he said (literally, almost every point), he had a Scripture verse to back it up. It was absolutely awesome. That is a practical example of the sufficiency of Scripture. The Word of God is truly sufficient for all aspects of life - whether it addresses an issue directly or indirectly, the Word of God is all-sufficient.

Hebrews 4:12 12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

And

2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

This book really challenged me to rethink and re-evaluate my desires, priorities and heart as I approach marriage. Men, we must be a Godly man before God before we can ever think of being a Godly man to our wives and families. This is the most foundational and crucial truth that every husband needs to hear and understand. If we are not right in our "heart-motive" before God, then everything that we do will be some form of idolatry, that is, making something other than God the reason for doing certain activities.

The Apostle John addresses this when he says:

1 John 5:21 21 Little children, guard yourselves from idols.

May we be men who are firmly committed 1) To God; 2) To our Wives; 3) To our families; and then 4) To our ministries/jobs, etc

To God be the glory. May we learn to love our wives as Christ truly, sacrificially, genuinely, faithfully, uncompromisingly, unilaterally, unequivocally and patiently loved the church!

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A little transition for 'ol G-poppa

I am looking in my closet right now and I have only three articles of clothing there. I have one pair of dark gray dress pants, one white collared dress-shirt and one pair of blue-jeans.

That's kind of sad eh? I am moving and I am so "discombobulated" (is that a word?) with all my stuff being scattered in two different apartments.

I am departing from Villa La Paz #211 - with Tyler, Sean and Chris. What a bunch of goofy fellaz. This picture gives you a good idea as to what goes on here

I am departing to Villa La Paz #101 - with my new wife, Elizabeth - well... May 12 is our date. I will be getting situated there and getting the rest of my semester coursework done at this new apartment these last few weeks that I have before marriage :=)

This is a good idea of what I'll be like these last few weeks before marriage as I crank out Aramaic, Zechariah homework, sermons for homiletics class and book reviews for Historical Theology:

Genesis 2:18 18 Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him." :=)

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Apostates from the Church

1 Timothy 4:1-2 But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

In this text, Paul writes that the latter times some will aposteisontai from the faith. The idea chronologically is that the "latter times" refers to the period from the ascension of our Lord continuing through the present until that future day when the Lord Jesus returns again to receive His church. The terms "last days" (Heb 1:2) and the "latter times" (1 Tim 4:1) are those marking the present "church age."

The Spirit says that some during these last days will "fall away" (NASB); "depart" (KJV, ESV); "desert" (NET); "abandon" (NIV) from the faith. The Gk verb here aposteisontai has the root idea of "withdrawing," "to depart," "to fall away." Significantly, the verb is in the middle tense (thus giving more emphasis to the reflexive nuance to the verb). That is, some will 'withdrawal themselves completely out of.'

Why would some do this? Well it is plain that if some ever fall away from the faith, it is good indication that they were first of all never in the faith. Paul continues by saying that as they are apostasizing from the faith, they are "giving heed to" (present participle signifying the ongoing, habitual, constant nature of this verbal adjective) evil spirits and doctrines of demons. As far as what these "evil spirits are and the doctrines of demons" Paul will further explicate this in the next few verses.

Verse two gives a brief list as to what these apostates will do:

1 Timothy 4:2 2 by means of the hypocrisy of liars seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron,

They will be 1) hypocrites putting on a show that they are religious but really they are "just acting" or putting on another "face;" 2) speaking falsely/liars; and 3) seared by their own (evil) consciences. They will have been hardened to the truth for quite some time that to apostasize and leave the faith does nothing to their conscience. In essence, their consciences have not been trained - according to the Scriptures. Thus, when they are living a life of hypocrisy, habitually speaking lies and other evils their consciences will not alert them that something is wrong because they did NOT train their minds for godliness.

It is during the church age (in which we now live) that is synonymous with "the latter days." We are seeing this reality come to fruition before our very eyes in today's contemporary evangelical world. Many 'churchgoers,' 'religious leaders,' 'pastors,' 'elders,' etc. are apostasizing from the faith because they are convinced that holding fast to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons is more appealing.

When you see leaders of national evangelical organizations fall because of habitual sexual sin, when you see good friends "convert" from biblical Christianity to Roman Catholicism, when you observe a family fall apart who has been in ministry for a decade serving together, you wonder...why do these things happen?

Though we must not be shocked that the Scriptures are being fulfilled because this is exactly what the Apostle Paul said would happen.

May we be those - this day - who are unhypocritical, speaking truth to one another and training our consciences with the true, inspired, inerrant and authoritative Word of God so that when hard times come in life, we do NOT fall away/apostasize, but rather we stand firm knowing that we have all the Divine power of the Godhead to help us in temptation (James 1:2-5; 1 Cor 10:13).

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Little Miss "Julie" Carrying Quite a Load

If you happened to see "Julie" (that is, the honorable name given to my 1997 White Honda Civic with 140,000 miles on it) driving down the 5 freeway with all the boxes, mattresses, couches, desks, bookcases, blah blah blah swaying in the wind and you were a little nervous - let me assure you, it all made it there safely :=)

So this is the blessed representation of what we went through yesterday. God bless Julie. She is a trooper :-)

P.S. This is all just for fun. We had two trucks and one large minivan to carry all the cargo from one apartment to the other. No worries. Julie is safe. She is healthy. She is still moving!!!

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Can You Handle It?

Today, G-poppa is moving all the big stuff to our new apartment. It is a very nice apartment. It is a two-bedroom, two-bath with a big living room. Of course, it has a kitchen, which I am very excited about :=)

This will be me by the end of the day - but I'm in no way boasting... ;-)

So I hope that today I get a good workout moving the couches, the bed, the tables, the bookshelves, the dressers, the patio furniture and whatever else is on Elizabeth's list that I must move ;-)....I love you babe :=)

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The Mystery of Godliness

One of the greatest hymns in all of the Bible is this one found in the New Testament in Paul's letter to Timothy:

1 Timothy 3:16 16 And by common confession great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Beheld by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

Before we get into the actual hymn, the introductory line states that "by common confession." This word in the Greek, homologoumenos, is from the verb homologeo meaning "to confess" or "profess." Here the adverb, homologoumenos means "by the common consent of all," "confessedly," or perhaps even best, "without controversy." That is to say, what Paul is about to write regarding the mystery of godliness is absolutely without controversy.

The genitive euseibios ("godliness") is a subjective genitive giving it the connotation that it is the mystery that produces godliness/piety. In other words, it is this great confession that Paul is about to write that brings forth godliness. Why? If one truly understands this hymn, believes in it, clings to it, lives by it and confesses to it, then one's life will radically change to the ultimate honor and glory of God.

Let us look briefly at these six short and pithy statements regarding the life of Christ:

1) He who was manifested in the flesh. This statement first begins with the relative pronoun hos meaning "he". Some manuscripts have theos (God) which would be a tremendous verse supporting the Deity of Christ (among a myriad of others), but the textual support for this reading is not as strong. This phrase simply means that Jesus Christ was fully and completely human. He was as much of a "man" as You and I are. He was manifested in human flesh, with human limitations (cf. Phil 2:5-11; Heb 2:17-18; 4:15).

2) Was vindicated (Lit. "Justified) in the Spirit. This statement refers, of course, to the Holy Spirit coming upon Jesus Christ at his baptism (Matt 4 and Luke 4) for the empowering, strength and power that He would need to fulfill his earthly ministry. Furthermore, it was immediately after his baptism that Jesus was cast into the wilderness being tempted by Satan for forty days. It was during this time that the Holy Spirit strengthened Jesus.

3) Was seen by angels. Of course, the angels attended him and observed him during his earthly ministry. They announced his birth to Joseph and the Shepherds in the gospel narratives. They ministered to him at His temptation as well as strengthened Him during those hours of prayer in the Garden of Gethsamane the night before his death.

4) Was preached among the nations. This is referring to the fact that Jesus Christ is the only Savior of the whole world (every nation; John 14:6). Before his ascension, Jesus gave the disciples the great commission and told them to take the Gospel message to all nations (Matt 28:18-20). The same occurred in Acts 1:8: "but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

5) Was believed in the world. Many have come to believe in this Savior as their Redeemer and substitutionary atonement for their sins. In fact, after the first public preaching of the Gospel after our Lord was ascended into heaven, over 3,000 souls believed in this Risen Jesus (Acts 2:41).

6) Was taken up in glory. Listen to the account in Acts 1:9-10:

Acts 1:9-10 9 And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. 10 And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was departing, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them;

Again in Hebrews 1:3:

Hebrews 1:3 When He had made purification of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high;

It is this Savior who was taken up into glory after his forty year presentation after being raised from the dead.

MacArthur concludes with this comment:

"In six short stanzas, this hymn summarizes the gospel. God became man, died for our sins, triumphed over death, was honored by angels and feared by demons, and ascended into heaven. This message was preached all over the world and many believed and were saved. That is the heart of the message it is our mission to proclaim to the world." (1 Timothy, 143).

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The Church of the Living God

Here we come in our study in 1 Timothy to the purpose of the book. Paul states it outright in chapter three:

1 Timothy 3:14-15 14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

There are a few elements that I want to highlight this morning. The first is that Paul is writing to young Pastor Timothy in the church at Ephesus (1:3) in telling him how to practically do church ministry in the local assembly. He states his purpose in verse 15.

The purpose of the letter is so that "you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God..." (v14). The household of God is further explicated by Paul. Namely, it is the church of the living God. Not only this, Paul elaborates once more by saying that the local church is the "pillar and support of the truth."

Let's take these two words and seek to understand them in their historical context:

First, the Pillar. The Greek word here is stulos which has the idea of a large column or a massive pillar. It is used in many secular writings and everyone in that time would have known what a stulos was for in many cities, there were large pagan temples to various deities, emperors, or gods and most often they were surrounded with massive pillars. Here is an example of a picture giving the perspective of myself next to a large pillar at the Temple of Zeus in ancient Corinth.

So these large pillars were what the original audience would have had in mind when Paul talked of the church being the stulos which is grounded on the truth.

Second, the Support. The idea here is really that of a buttress. The Greek word is a edraioma. It means "something that is made stable," or "something settles firmly in the ground." It could be a prop, support, or a foundation. It is related to the adjective edraios which is used in 1 Cor 15:58; Col 1:23; and 1 Cor 7:37 in referring to one who is "steadfast," "immovable," or "firm." The church is this support and foundation upon the truth.

Notice, finally, that we serve a God who is True (John 17:3; Rom 3:4; 1 John 5:20; Rev 16:7; 22:6) and the Gospel which is truth (Gal 2:5; Col 1:5). Be encouraged that our hope does not rest on some shakable ideology that changes as the seasons change. No. Rather the household of God is the church of God. And it is that local assembly of believers that is the pillar and the support for the truth.

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A Husband's Decision-Making

Of course this whole concept of "biblical husbanding" has been on my mind as of late, for I'm getting married in 33 days :=)

As I'm working my way through Stuart Scott's book, The Exemplary Husband, I came across a great quote last night that I want to share with you:

Here, Scott is speaking in regards to leadership in the home and he says the more the husband knows the Scriptures, the more direction that husband will have not only in his own life, but for his wife and for their marriage together. Then Scott quotes J.C. Ryle, the Bishop of Liverpool in 1880 who gives a great quote on "decision-making:"

The Bible must be our standard. Whenever we are confronted with a question about Christian practice, we must apply the teaching of the Bible. Sometimes the Bible will deal with it directly, and we must go by its direct teaching. Often the Bible will not deal with it directly, and then we must look for general principles to guide us. It does not matter what other people think. Their behavior is not a standard for us. But the Bible is a standard for us, and it is by the Bible that we must live (quoted in Scott, Exemplary Husband, 140).

May this be true not only of husbands and the way that we make decisions, but may this also be true of all believers. Every single believer must have the Word of God as the standard. I like that word "standard." Furthermore, Ryle makes an excellent note when he says that it does not matter what other people think. For in the culture that we live in, most everything that we do as Christians will be nonsensical to the watching, secular, postmodern, hedonistic world. It is imperative that we remember that it is NOT their approval that we are seeking. We are mindful that the inspired, inerrant, authoritative and infallible Word of God is our standard.

May we live that way today.

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The Dangerous Sin of Pride

In writing to young Pastor Timothy in Ephesus, Paul tells him that an elder must not be:

1 Timothy 3:6-7 6 and not a new convert, lest he become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he may not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

It is amazing to do word studies on these words and the wealth of information that can be gathered when studying these characteristics. What I want to focus on today is the sin of pride.

Paul commands Timothy that an elder must not be a neophutos (that is, a "new convert" or a "new sprout; newly planted one"). Timothy must abstain from this because this elder then may be tempted to become conceited (Gk. tuphotheis - from the Greek tuphoo meaning "to be filled with smoke;" thus meaning metaphorically to be "clouded with pride"). Then Paul notes that this one may then fall into the condemnation incurred tou diabalou (of the Devil).

The question here with this phrase is what kind of genitive is this? Is it an objective or subjective?
1) Objective - the condemnation received by the devil
2) Subjective - the condemnation produced by or incurred by the devil.

In other words, is this the kind of condemnation that Satan brings about or is this the kind of condemnation by which Satan himself was condemned?

To answer this, some feel the need to go to verse seven and show that the exact same phrase occurs as a subjective genitive (that is, that the elder may not fall into the reproach and snare produced by the devil). So if this is a subjective genitive, then it would make sense for it to be the same construction one verse earlier. However we must not be so quick to come to this conclusion.

I am to the persuasion that the genitive in verse six is an objective genitive (that is, the condemnation received by the devil). Permit me to quote Hendricksen to help me with the explanation:

The idea that diabalou (devil) when in verse six it is used in the expression "condemnation of the devil" must be a subjective genitive because this same word when in verse seven it occurs in the phrase "snare of the devil" is a subjective genitive, impress me as being superficial. In determining the nature of these genitives, one question is paramount. It is this: What is the Scriptural Usage? Is it more scriptural to represent the devil as pronouncing a sentence of condemnation, or to represent him as being condemned? Of course, the latter! See the following passages for support: Gen 3:15; Isa 14:12 (by implication); Zech 3:2; Matt 4:10; 12:29; Luke 10:18; John 12:31; Rom 16:20; Eph 6:11; James 4:7; 2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6; Rev 12:7-9; 20:10. Hence, "the condemnation of the devil" means "the condemnation pronounced (and executed upon the devil" (objective genitive) (Thessalonians, The Pastorals and Hebrews, p.127, n.63).

Therefore, what happened to Satan could easily happen to an immature Christian elevated to eldership. For that matter, it could happen to anyone. The antidote to pride is humility, which is the mark of a spiritually mature leader. May we be those who are humble:

1 Peter 5:6 6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God

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An Encouraging Note on the Believer's Hope

1 John 3:1-2 See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. ² Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. We know that, when He appears, we shall be like Him, because we shall see Him just as He is.

Excerpt from FF Bruce “1 John”

“These first two verses of 1 John 3 [3:1-2] celebrate the accomplishment of God’s eternal purpose concerning man. This purpose finds expression in Gen. 1:26, where God, about to bring into being the crown of creation, says: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” In other words, he declares his intention of bringing into existence beings like himself as it is possible for creatures to be like their Creator. In words which echo the language of Genesis 1, the status and function of man in the purpose of God are celebrated in Psalm 8:5ff: “thou hast made him little less than God, and dost crown him with glory and honor. Thou hast given him dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” But Genesis 3 tells how man, not content with the true likeness to God which was his by creation, grasped at the counterfeit likeness held out as the tempter’s bait: “you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In consequence, things most unlike God manifested themselves in human life: hatred, darkness and death in place of love, light and life. The image of God in man was sadly defaced. Yet God’s purpose was not frustrated; instead, the fall itself, with its entail of sin and death, was overruled by God and compelled to become an instrument in the furtherance of his purpose.

In the fullness of time the image of God, undefaced by disobedience to his will, reappeared on earth in the person of His Son. IN Jesus, the love, light and life of God were manifested in opposition to hatred, darkness and death. With his crucifixion it seemed that hatred, darkness and death had won the day, and that God’s purpose, which had survived the fall, was now effectively thwarted. But instead, the cross of Jesus proved to be God’s chosen instrument for the fulfillment of his purpose…this purpose is stated by Paul in terms which go back far beyond the act of creation in Genesis 1: “those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Rom. 8:29). The children of God, who enter his family through faith in his Son, display their Father’s likeness, because of their conformity to Him who is the perfect image of the invisible God”

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The Power of the Word of God

I am going to deviate from my 1 Timothy devotional just this morning because I want to share with you what I recognized this morning in my study in the book of Acts. I have been reading through the book of Acts and trying to focus on the preaching of the Apostles. That is, how did Peter, Paul, Stephen and the rest preach? What was their method? Did they have one?

So I read Acts 13-14 this morning- the record of the first missionary journey of Paul, Barnabas and John Mark (though he later abandoned them).

In reading this text in the original, I noticed a phrase being repeated over and over, ton logon tou theou. Translated into English it is: "The Word of God." This phrase is found 7x in chapter 13 alone (13:5, 7, 12, 44, 46, 48 and 49). There is one place when an equivalent phrase is mentioned, te didache tou kuriou. Translated into English it is: "The teaching about the Lord."

This was the overarching message of the Apostles. They preached the Word about Christ! They proclaimed the Living Word of God.

One brief section greatly encouraged me. Doctor Luke writes...

Acts 13:36-39 36 "For David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep, and was laid among his fathers, and underwent decay; 37 but He whom God raised did not undergo decay. 38 "Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through Him forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, 39 and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses.

Think about it. The Jews are waiting for the Messiah. They knew that from Psalm 16:10, the Messiah would not undergo decay. Well, Paul makes the point here that David died and his body has decayed. However, Jesus Christ (The Word of God) has NOT decayed in the grave. Rather, he is Risen!

I pray that this Easter season we proclaim boldly and shamelessly the Glory of the Resurrection!

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Can We Really Live Up To These Standards?

By way of introduction, Paul tells Timothy that:

1 Timothy 3:1 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.

If there is a man who aspires to be an overseer (Lit. episkopos), it is a good work he desires to do. The word for 'aspires' is orego which means "to stretch oneself out in order to touch or grasp something." Furthermore, this verb form is in the present middle. Thus, the present indicates that it is a constant, habitual desire. The middle indicates that he longs for this position for himself (a reflexive nuance). In fact, the Homerian Greek, orego was used for "exerting oneself or stretching oneself forth" with all his might. If a man desires to be in the office of leadership in the local church with this kind of stretching oneself out to the point of exhaustion - desire, then it is a good work that he desires (epithumei - "to desire, long for, lust").

Now, it will not be possible for me to lay out every characteristic and qualification that Paul mentions both here and in Titus 1 (or else we'd be here all day and I wouldn't get any seminary work done). So over the next few blogs, I will choose one or two significant ones and dwell on them.

Notice Paul says:

1 Timothy 3:2 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,

These are the positives in the list. The next verse (v.3) gives the 'negatives' in the qualifications. The first one is most important, for it is first in Paul's mind as he writes this. It is the word for "above reproach" (Gk. anapimpleiton) which means, "not being laid hold of;" or when used with moral conduct, "blameless, above criticism; above fault." In other words, the overseer is first of all - and most generally - to be one with whom there can be no accusation taking a hold of him. He must be so above reproach that all accusations against him fail. In his morality, in his family, in his marriage, in his devotional life, in his speech, in his conduct, in his purity, in his mentality...whatever. Above Reproach!

The second characteristic is "the husband of one wife." Literally this reads in the Gk. a one woman man. I do not believe that this mandates an elder to be a married man. However, what I do believe is that this verse so clearly commands that every single elder - who is married - must have ONE WOMAN in his life. There must not even be anyone contending for second place. There must be NO OTHER WOMEN involved in the minister's life. Period. Why? Remember the first characteristic, an elder is to be "above reproach!" Give no occasion for an accusation.

One more (since I'm enjoying this study so much) and that is "able to teach." It is the Gk word didacticon which can be translated "apt, skillful, competent in teaching" or it could mean "teachable."

I take the view, first of all, that this is not referring to one who is teachable. Though an elder and one in leadership MUST have a teachable spirit (which comes from humility and a gentle and selfless spirit), but this cannot be gathered from this word. But what I do see this word to mean is that the person seeking the office of overseer must be one who: 1) Is capable in the Scriptures with a knowledge of the Gospel and sound theology; but also 2) Has the ability to teach in a thought-provoking, intelligent and captivating way. He must not be so dull that he causes all his hearers to fall asleep every time he speaks.

Hope this is of help...more tomorrow :=)

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Falling in the Ministry...Hard!

Joe Thorn's blog is worthy of a good, slow and contemplative read...

Read it HERE.

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Monday/Tuesday of the Passion Week

Did you know that in the Passion week of our Lord, that Monday and Tuesday he was controlling the Temple area? It was only on Sunday when people hailed him as King as he approached and entered Jerusalem on a donkey that they shouted "Hosanna, Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD." It is these same people that will cry out "Crucify, Crucify! in a matter of days to put him on a cross.

Why the sudden change from hailing him as the majestic King on Sunday to shouting Crucify! later in the week?

The answer is the events that transpire during Monday and Tuesday. It is during these days that Jesus is showing his authority over the Jewish leadership of that day. He is approached by all of the Jewish "sects" (for lack of a better term) of the day with questions seeking to trap him and test him - Chief priest and elders (Matt 21:23ff), the Pharisees and Herodians (Matt 22:15-22); the Sadducees (Matt 22:23-33), and the Pharisees again (Matt 22:34-45).

Listen to the last verse of Matthew's account:

Matthew 22:46 46 And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.

They were shocked at his answers. They were astonished. They were trapped! He was controlling their turf. Jesus had the people's attention (rather than on the Pharisees) and he was undeniably showing his authority over the Temple area (that is, the home turf of the Sadducees).

On top of all this, Jesus then pronounced eight woes upon the Pharisees and other religious leaders in Matthew's account:

1) You shut off the Kingdom of heaven from people - you do not enter yourselves and you do not allow those who are entering to go in (23:13).
2) They devour widow's houses and for a pretense you make a long prayer and thus you will receive greater condemnation (23:14).
3) They travel on sea and land to make one proselyte; but when they do, he comes twice as much a son of hell as they are (23:15)
4) They are blind guides who are fools who miss the whole point of the Temple (23:16-22).
5) They tithe mint and dill and cummin but they neglect the weightier provisions of the law - justice, mercy and faithfulness (23:23-24).
6) They clean the outside of the cup but the inside is full of robbery and self-indulgence (23:25-26).
7) They are whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but on the inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness (23:27-28).
8) They are building tombs of the prophets and claiming that if they were living then, the wicked things would not have happened to the prophets (23:29-33).

It is because of these events that transpire on the Temple area that the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians and all the religious leaders are finally determined to destroy the man before the Passover feast (which is later that week).

Just some thoughts that I've been pondering this week as I remember my Savior...

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Men, Step Up to the Plate!

In this section, Paul gives specific attention to the role of women in the public worship service, that is, the corporate assembly of believers (cf 1 Tim 3:14-15).

Here is what Paul says:

1 Timothy 2:9-10 9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments; 10 but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness.

In the same way that men are to lead in prayer in the public worship setting, so also (likewise), the women are to adorn themselves (Gk. "cosmeo" from which we get our English "cosmetic") with all of these traits.

Notice, the point is not that these are inherently wrong in and of themselves, but rather these can be abused with the wrong motivation when gathering together for public worship. In other words, if a woman comes to the public setting of worship NOT exercising:

1) Modesty - this is the idea of preceding and preventing a shameful act. Thus it is objective in its reference to others, not giving any hint at all to shame.

2) Discreetly - this is the idea of self-control, sober judgment. It is the same word used a few verses later in 1 Tim 3:2 when the elder is to be "prudent." It is the same idea.

3) Not seeking to flatter with outward appearance - braided hair, gold, pearls, or costly garments. Interesting note, the word costly here actually means "rare." Thus, the woman is not to come to the public service with some rare, expensive garment with the motivation of drawing attention to herself by means of "her clothing." The word "rare" (Gk. poluteleis) is also found in 1 Pet 3:4 when Peter writes concerning women:

1 Peter 3:4 4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious (Gk. poluteleis) in the sight of God.

The second part of the section today speaks of women's leadership in the local church. Listen to what Paul writes:

1 Timothy 2:11-12 11 Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. 12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.

2 simple unmistakably clear statements:

1) A woman is to be quiet and submissive in the public setting.
2) A woman is NOT to teach or have authority over a man in the public setting.

2 simple proofs as to why men are to have leadership in the local church:

1) The Created Order - v.13 - for Adam was created first and then Eve.
2) The Fall - v.14 - It was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman was.

Thus, the Scripture is overwhelmingly clear. A woman is not to teach or exercise authority in the public gathering of believers (cf. 3:14-15). That is Paul's point. It is clear. This is not saying that women are inferior or unimportant to the local body of believers. In fact, in 1 Cor 12-14, it is just the opposite. So, we find that Men are to step up to the plate!

1 Corinthians 16:13 13 Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.

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Keep Up The Prayin'

1 Timothy 2:8 8 Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.

This has been a hard verse for many because of a few issues: 1) Where does it fit in relation to the preceding and the following verses; and 2) What does it mean to pray lifting holy hands?; and 3) What about the women, are men only to do the praying?

It seems clear from the conjunction oun ("therefore") that this verse is referring back to the previous verses. In other words, in most translations, the paragraph break comes after verse seven and then verse eight begins the new section continuing until 2:15. However this should not be the case. With the oun ("therefore"), it is referring to what has just been spoken. In essence, Paul has just stated the need to pray for governmental officials and how it is God who desires all men to be saved (including those in political leadership). Furthermore, Jesus Christ is the only Redeemer for the sins of all mankind. It was for this reason that Paul is an apostle and a preacher, namely, to get the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ out to a godless world. Thus verse eight forms a great inclusio (v.1 beginning with prayer and now v. 8 ending with prayer and everything from vv.2-7 is enclosed between this theme of praying). In sum, this verse goes with the preceding section. The beginning word "likewise" (hosautos) in v.9 shows that this is the new section/paragraph.

Second, we know that in the Scriptures, there are many modes and postures of prayer, but here the issue is not with the physical and outward posture of prayer, but rather with the inward posture of the heart.

To support this, Paul says that the men are to pray "lifting up holy hands" (1 Tim 2:8). What is interesting here is that the word "holy" is not the normal word "holy" in the NT (hagios). Rather it is, hosios which has the idea of "unpolluted" or "unstained by evil." Most think that when Paul speaks of 'hands' here, he is referring to the activities of life. Thus, the phrase here would have the idea of having an unstained life.

Third, Paul says, I want the men to pray (2:8). The word for "men" here is not the generic anthropos (a human being, mankind, etc), but rather it is aner (which always refers to a male gender as opposed to a female). Thus, Paul says that he "determines" (from the Greek word boulamai meaning to determine or command) that men do the praying. We must remember that the context of this chapter is in church life. Remember the theme verses of the book of 1 Timothy:

1 Timothy 3:14-15 14 I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; 15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you may know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.

Thus, we are in the context of the local church. This also finds support in chapter three where Paul commands Timothy to appoint elders and deacons in every individual church body.

The point is this. Biblically speaking, men are the leaders of the church when the church meets for corporate worship. When the church is gathered together in a public venue, it is the men who are to do the praying (1 Tim 2:8). It was the same with the Jews when they would gather in synagogues. A woman would never be permitted to pray in public, it was the man's doing. It is the same concept here. Thus, when Paul says, I want the men to pray "in every place" (2:8), this phrase "in every place" is used four other times in the NT (1 Cor 1:2; 2 Cor 2:14; 1 Thess 1:8 and here). All four of these occurrences all have the local church assembly in mind.

In conclusion, may the Lord give us:

1) Fervency in prayer.
2) Holy lives so that we may pray without reproach (cf. 1 Peter 3:7).
3) Men to step up to spiritual leadership in the local churches.

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There is One God. Period.

Paul in his letter to young Pastor Timothy notes that it is God who "desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim 2:4).

We must know that there are two desires mentioned in the Scriptures. First is what we may call God's desired will. This is what God would want and desire. It is the Greek word thelo meaning "I wish or desire." This is the word used here in 1 Tim 2:4. Second, there is God's determinative will. This is what God determines and there is nothing that can ever thwart his purposes. This is the Greek word boulamai meaning "I determine or desire."

It is here when Paul says that God desires (thelei) all men to be saved. In God's grace, mercy and loyal love, he would want all men to be saved an to come to the knowledge of the truth of the Gospel. Yet, because of the justice of God, he must punish sin. Furthermore, his desirous will is that all humans would be saved and not perish in hell forevermore. However, his determinative will is that his justice be displayed with absolute perfection. Thus, those who do not come to a knowledge of the truth are, in essence, rejecting Christ even now and forfeiting their own souls to the horrific torments of hell forevermore.

But following this, Paul gives the best news that anyone could ever hear. Namely...

1 Timothy 2:5-6 5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, 6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time.

It is at this perfect place that Paul makes known that there is only one God and one Mediator between the Righteous God and sinful human beings. I want you to know that the "one" is emphatic in both phrases. It could literally read as follows: One God, there is...one mediator between God and men.

Notice that there is only one mediator between God and men, and that mediator is the man Christ Jesus. This is emphasizing the humanity of our Savior. The only redeemer for mankind is a man. Yet He is no ordinary man, He is the God-Man. This is vital to our faith.

Furthermore, notice there is only one Mediator. There is no priest required. No Mary. No Muhammad. No Buddah. No good works. No Peter or Paul or James or any other Saint. Rather, Jesus Christ Himself is the only mediator.

Hear it from his own lips:

John 14:6 6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.

Notice the last phrase. This is the key of the verse. He is the way, truth and the life and no one comes to the father except through ME. This is plain and simple. If Jesus is not the only mediator, then there is no partaking of the salvivic grace of God. We are called to take joy in the fact that we have a mediator who gave himself as a ransom for many. In other words, Christ was given in exchange for another as the price of his redemption. What a sacrifice! What a love! He paid it all.

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A God of Strength

Every morning, as I begin my prayer time with the Lord, I read through a Psalm in the Hebrew and endeavor to pray my way through it. This morning, I was on Psalm 86. I read through the Psalm, put down my text, and prayed and worshiped. I worshiped God. I was so overcome with the majesty, glory, protection, honor and loftiness of our great God that I simply worshiped Him in adoration.

Furthermore, as I read through the text a few more times, a sermon outline became clear to me:

Here it is:

Psalm 86: A God of Strength
I. The Petition of the Godly (vv.1-7)
II. The Preeminence of God (vv.8-13)
III. The Protection received (vv.14-17)

Let me just go through very quickly and give you a few tidbits that greatly encouraged my heart this morning as I experienced the glory of God.

First, the Petition of the Godly (vv.1-7).

Psalm 86:1-7 Incline Thine ear, O LORD, and answer me; For I am afflicted and needy. 2 Do preserve my soul, for I am a godly man; O Thou my God, save Thy servant who trusts in Thee. 3 Be gracious to me, O Lord, For to Thee I cry all day long. 4 Make glad the soul of Thy servant, For to Thee, O Lord, I lift up my soul. 5 For Thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, And abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon Thee. 6 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; And give heed to the voice of my supplications! 7 In the day of my trouble I shall call upon Thee, For Thou wilt answer me.

It is in these verses that there are six imperatives. David, as he is praying, is beseeching the Lord of Hosts and asking Him to give heed to his prayer; to listen to him. It is an inclusio - verse 1 and verse 7 say, in essence, the same thing. Thus these are "bookends" and everything is sandwiched in the middle.

Second, the Preeminence of God (vv.8-13).

Psalm 86:8-13 8 There is no one like Thee among the gods, O Lord; Nor are there any works like Thine. 9 All nations whom Thou hast made shall come and worship before Thee, O Lord; And they shall glorify Thy name. 10 For Thou art great and doest wondrous deeds; Thou alone art God. 11 Teach me Thy way, O LORD; I will walk in Thy truth; Unite my heart to fear Thy name. 12 I will give thanks to Thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Thy name forever. 13 For Thy lovingkindness toward me is great, And Thou hast delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Here in verse eight, David cries out boldly and says "There is NO ONE like you" (in Heb. ein kamocha baelohim adonai). What a great statement. Furthermore verse 9 says that all the nations will come and worship (Heb. vayishtachavu). This word for "worship" here has the idea of coming to a superior, falling on one's knees and then bowing prostrate on the ground in absolute worship and homage before the Superior one. Did you catch that? We must worship God like this. This is monotheism. No polytheism. No other gods. Yahweh God is the only God there is.

Third, The protection received by God (vv.14-17).

Psalm 86:14-17 14 O God, arrogant men have risen up against me, And a band of violent men have sought my life, And they have not set Thee before them. 15 But Thou, O Lord, art a God merciful and gracious, Slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness and truth. 16 Turn to me, and be gracious to me; Oh grant Thy strength to Thy servant, And save the son of Thy handmaid. 17 Show me a sign for good, That those who hate me may see it, and be ashamed, Because Thou, O LORD, hast helped me and comforted me.

What a marvelous set of verses. Verse 15 has the familiar phrase that we find elsewhere in the NT (Exod 34; Psalm 103) that the Lord is "compassionate" (rachum) and "gracious" (chanun); slow to anger (Lit. "long of nose") and abundant with loyal love (chesed) and truth (emeth). This is the God that we serve and it is this God and Him alone that is able to protect the Godly when adversaries arise (vv.14).

Finally David concludes by saying that "you O Yahweh have strengthened me and you have comforted me." May we take comfort this day in the strength and the comfort that only the Lord Almighty can give.

Be encouraged this day. Worship God. Meditate on His Word. Be excited about him. Sing to him. Leap for joy in worship. And bow before Him in utter homage and laud.

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Prayer for Leaders

1 Timothy 2:1-4 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

The first note that I want to make is a rhetorical one. In the Greek, the first verse of chapter two has twelve words in it. Six of these twelve all begin with "p." Furthermore, when this letter would be read aloud by Timothy (and his hearers), this alliteration would be unmistakable for emphasis and to grab the listener's attention. Read it transliterated: "parakalo oun proton panton poesthai deeseis, proseuchas, eneuxeis, eucharistais huper panton anthropon." Just a rhetorical note that I think is significant.

Second of all, it seems that from verse one, Paul is encouraging young Pastor Timothy to make prayer requests for all men (panton anthropon). Paul gives this request in four Greek words for prayer:
1) Entreaty - a supplication, asking, prayer
2) Prayer - this is the most generic term for prayer
3) Petition - it has the idea of a request; a conversation; a meeting about something
4) Thanksgiving - a giving of thanks or a blessing

Paul notes in verse one how these are to be made for all men. But note in verse two how he further specifies as to whom these prayers are to be made. On behalf of Kings and all those in authority. Paul is commanding this young Pastor to pray for the government and for those in leadership. He is to lovingly care and pray for the kings and royal officials (cf. Rom 13:1ff).

Why would Paul do this? Well, read the second half of verse two:

1 Timothy 2:2 , in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.

We pray and care for our government officials so that we may lead a tranquil (quiet, peaceful) and quiet (still) life with all godliness. Furthermore, verse three tells us, in doing this (that is, praying for our government officials and submitting to their leadership in tranquility and quietness) it is good and pleasing before God our Savior (1 Tim 2:3).

The point this morning? Let us not neglect those in leadership. For us here in the States, let us never forget to pray for our President, the cabinet, those in authority over us in our respective states in all the various governmental positions. May we lift them up in prayer and humbly and quietly respect them and honor them:

Romans 13:1-4 Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. 2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is a minister of God to you for good.

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