A study in Jude (vss. 1-2)

     Jude's introduction and    
                Greeting




In part one of my expositon of Jude, I gave you what I call a "contextual overview" of Jude's letter. Remember what I stated, "...doing a contextual overview of any given book or letter is important because it gives you a, "big picture" understanding of that particular piece of literature". In other words, an overview provides key information that will guide and protect you as you dig into the details (i.e., exegesis). Remember that a contextual overview consists of answering several key questions:

1. By whom was it written? (i.e., Author)

2. To who was it written? (i.e., Audience)

3. Why was it written? (i.e. purpose)

4. When was it written? (i.e., date)

5. Where was it written? (i.e., place)

6. About what is it written (i.e., Theme)

Therefore, the first principle in doing an effective Bible study is: "Overview before Exegesis"

Alright, once the overview is completed we then can begin the process of exegesis (i.e., discovering the meaning of the particulars). I will now take us into the very meat of Jude's epistle (i.e., letter). In part 2 of this series, I will deal with verses one and two. I've entitled this study: Jude's introductions and greeting. Verses one and two read as follows: "Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you" (NASB).

I. Jude's introductions (verse one)

The reason why "introductions" is plural is because Jude makes several important introductions. First off, he introduces his self. "....Jude....". Jude begins his letter in a typical first century pattern. The writer(s) of letters would always begin by placing his or her name first. Next the writer(s) would identify the reciepient(s) of the letter. Lastly, the writer(s) would add a greeting to the reciepients. This pattern is found throughout the N.T. (e.g., Acts 15:22-23; Rom 1:1-7; 1 Cor 1:1-3). The only two writings that don't follow this typical pattern are: 1 John and the book of Hebrews. Let me just add for the record, many in Christian circles believe that the book of Hebrews was written by the Apostle Paul. I don't believe that Paul wrote Hebrews simply because Hebrews does not fit the pattern laid down in the rest of Paul's letters. Remember from part one of our study, I pointed out that the Jude mentioned at the beggining of this letter is none other than the brother of our Lord Jesus (see part one). By the way the name Jude or Judas means: "The praise of the Lord". Second, Jude introduces his slavery. He writes, "...a bond-servant of Jesus Christ..." The english word, "bond-servant" is not the best translation of the Greek word "Doulos". A better english translation of "doulos" is the word, "slave". A servant is someone who serves another at his or her discretion, like a hired butler or maid. At the end of the day, that hired servant goes home and does his or her thing. Whereas a slave is the property of another. A slave is someone who's rights are completely assigned to authority and will of another. You see a servant is someone who is in a temporary relation to another, whereas a slave is someone who is in a, "permaneat relation of servitude to another". What a powerful change that took place in Judes life. Before Jude's enslavement to Christ, he and the rest of his brothers were antagonistic toward Christ (cf John 7:5), but when you read Acts 1:14 you find gathered in the Upper room praying 120 disciples among whom were, "...Mary the mother of Jesus AND His brothers...". Somewhere between John Seven and Acts one, Jesus' brothers are converted by the sovereign grace of God. When Christ truly saves an individual, his or her life is NEVER the same. Jude was transformed from sinner to slave, from self-sufficient to totally submitted. "Yes", Jude would say, "Jesus is my brother", "But He's also my LORD". Third, Jude introduces his sibling. He writes, "....and brother of James...". As already mentioned (part one) James is also the brother of Jesus (cf Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3). James became the leader of the Jerusalem church (cf., Acts 12;17; 15:13). James is also credited with writing the letter in the N.T,.that carries his name. So why does Jude introduce us to his sibling James? By referring to himself as, "the brother of James", Jude was demonstrating humility. It is clear that Jude did not have the same prominence as His big brother James, yet he understood the sovereign providence of God in that He exalts whom He will and humbles whom He will. O, that we would learn how to discern God's sovereign providence in the affairs of His people. Fourth, Jude introduces his selected. He writes, "....To those who are the called.........". Jude is writing his letter to those he calls the, "called". The idea behind the word, "called" speaks of a summons or a special invitation. Here the word is used of what's called the, "effectual call". Simply put, the "effectual call" is the divine summons to every elect believer. Every person on the planet who is a true follower of Christ is one because they recieved a special invitation by the Sovereign God. Listen, NO ONE becomes a follower of Christ unless he or she is first called by a sovereign God (cf John 6:37, 44-46; Rom 8:28-30). There are no party crashers in the kingdom of heaven. You are a Christian NOT because you got up one morning and decided to follow Jesus. No, you are a Christian because the Sovereign God supernaturally summoned you and by His irresistable grace ENABLING you to respond (Eph 2:8-10). Had he not called you, you would STILL be dead in your sin and trespasses on your way to an Eternal Hell. But this is not the whole story, Jude describes believers using two other words described as participles. All believers are both, "Beloved" and "Kept". The word, "beloved" is a participle describing an action that took place prior to our being called. In other words, before God sovereignly summoned each believer, He is said to have "Beloved" that believer. Sometime in Eternity past God purposely placed His special love on certain individuals and in time effectually calls (i.e., summons) those beloved individuals to Himself. Jude goes on and states that all that God specially calls to Himself, He, "Keeps". The Greek word for, "kept" means, "...to watch, to stand guard over" It stesses vigil and care, a real committment to guard and keep something, to cherish it as one would a priceless treasure(MacArthur 17).
The word, "kept" also means to, "preserve forever". In other words, He keeps all true believers spiritually unharmed and undistured forever (i.e. secured). This is why Paul could say in Romans 8:38-39: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord". One last thought before I move on. The word, "Beloved" as I mentioned is also a perfect tense participle which indicates that believers are in a LASTING state of love. This means that God's act of selfless committment to us in eternity past is still our experience today and forever. God's love must be understood not as an emotion or feeling per se, but more so as an active, selfless committment. God not only loved (selflessly committed to) you in the eternal past, but he continues to love you (i.e., be selflessly committed to you) TODAY and FOREVER and there is NOTHING that can EVER change that. Therefore STOP doubting and questioning God's committment toward you. God loves you no less than He did in Eternity past and He loves you no more than He will in the Eternal future. So in summary: God in the eternal past made a selfless, unconditional committment to an undeserving group of sinners, and those He committed to He calls to Himself throughout the ages and all that He calls to Himself, He keeps spiritually safe and unharmed forever (Rom 8:28-30).

II. Jude's greeting (verse two)

     Jude writes, "May mercy and peace and love be multiplied to you". As we will see in further studies, the readers of Jude's epistle faced persecution and false teachers. Jude realizing the difficult situation that his readers faced on a daily basis offers them a greeting of consolation. First, he wants his readers to know the mercy of God. Mercy can be described as God's lovingkindness or compassion toward those suffering. Believers need mercy in times of need. Second, he wants his readers to know the peace of God. The peace mentioned here is not peace WITH God that comes through faith in Christ, rather this is the peace OF God which brings consolation and assurance to believers in times of trouble. Third, he wants his readers to know the love of God. There is nothing better than knowing that the Sovereign God of the universe is totally committed to us even in difficult times of suffering. Jude concludes his encouraging greeting by stating that he desires his readers to know the mercy, peace and love of God in an overflowing, abundant measure.
      In closing I want to say this loud and clear. My rallying cry until Jesus takes me home is this - "Sound doctrine is the very life blood of the Church". As we will see throughout the letter of Jude, false teaching and bad doctrine is poison to the believer and death to the church. As we will see in part 3, false teaching was SUCH a big deal that Jude changed what he was going to write about in order to deal with it (cf., vs 3).  Brothers and Sisters, may we refuse to continue to sit on our laurels and allow our families, our churches and our communities to be ravaged by the diesease of false doctrine.

For His Glory

Todd

A study in Jude (Introduction)

                  An Overview



Today I'd like to begin a new series of weekly expositions.  This new series of messages will focus on the little letter written by Jude.  This letter only contains 25 verses in the English, but power packed, I may be here for awhile.  Through my reading and interactions with a couple of men over the last few weeks, I have been reminded of the absolute importance of Scripture. To be more specific, I have been reminded of the importance of understanding and affirming the Scripture's sufficiency, reliability and authority.  I don't know if you have seen the cover of this week’s Time magazine.  In large red letters it states, "What if there is no Hell".  This cover story was sparked by a recent book written by a Michigan Pastor named, Rob Bell, his book is entitled, "Love wins".  Bell's book is a straight on attack against the Bible's sufficiency, reliability and authority.  Pastor Bell, "what do you mean there is no Hell?  "Of course there is a Hell, because the Scripture says there is a hell". Some of you may have seen my Facebook post concerning the Ordination of Omarosa. Her so-called Ordination is a blatant attack against the Sufficiency, reliability and authority of Scripture.

Therefore in light of such attacks, I feel compelled to remind us of Jude's central theme in his letter, we must, "...contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to the saints" (vs. 3).  I hope my feeble attempt at exposition will be a blessing and encouragement in your daily walk with the King.

When I begin a study of any book of the Bible, I always begin my study by trying to get a big picture overview.  In other words you must first ascertain the Historical context before you do anything else.  The way you nail down the historical context is by answering several important questions:

Question number one:  By whom was Jude written?

     Open up your Bibles to Jude, right before the book of Revelation.  Look at verse one, it states the letter was written by Jude himself.  Well, who is Jude?  There are several Judes mentioned in the New Testament:

            1.  Judas Iscariot - The betrayer of our Lord (Luke 22:47)

               2.  Judas Barsabbas - A man appointed to travel with Paul and Silas (Acts 15:22-29)

               3.  Judas of Damascus - A man who housed the newly converted Apostle Paul (Acts 9:11)

               4.  Judas of Galilee - A rebel who opposed Roman taxation and who was killed in an insurrection (Acts 5:37)

               5.  Judas the Apostle (Aka Thaddeaus) - He was one of the twelve (Luke 6:16; Matt 10:3)

    Unfortunately, none of the Judes mentioned above are the author of this epistle.  Verse one though, gives us another clue as to the identity of the author.  The writer states that he is the, "...brother of James....".  The James referred to here is none other than the Lord's half brother who was head of the Jerusalem church (cf. Act 12:17; 15:13)). Therefore Jude the writer of this epistle was also one of the brothers of our Lord (cf. Matt 13:55; Mark 6:3).

Question number two:  To whom was Jude written?

     It seems that Jude had a specific audience in mind evidenced by use of the personal pronoun, "you" (cf., vs. 3, 5, 17 etc.,) but we don't know who they are.  Therefore Jude's epistle is considered a "general" epistle written to all believers without distinction (vs. 1).

Question number three:  What was the purpose of the writing of Jude's epistle?

     Kenneth Boa, writes, "...this letter is concerned with the threat of heretical teachers in the church and the believers proper response to that threat. The contents of this letter reveal two major purposes:

(1). to condemn the practices of ungodly libertines who were infesting the churches and corrupting believers.

(2).  To counsel the readers to stand firm, grow in their faith and contend for the truth as well as reach out to those who are misled by error" (211).

                             Question number four:  The Time of Jude's writing?

     Jude’s epistle was probably written very shortly after 2 Peter was written.  This would put the writing of the letter in the late 60's early 70's.  Harrison writes, "If Jude made use of 2 Peter, due time must be allowed for that epistle to have reached Jude.  This interval need not have been great.  A date between 66 and 70 is feasible..."(436). Another reason for this early date is because no mention is made in Jude's letter of the Fall of Jerusalem (c. A.D. 70).

Question number five:  From where was Jude's epistle written?

     To be perfectly honest, no mention is made within Jude's letter as to location, therefore the location of writing is unknown.

     There you have it, a general overview of this power packed epistle.  I can't think of a timelier letter in days like these.  I hope these expositions over the upcoming weeks will be a blessing to you, my dear brothers and sisters.

For His Glory,

Todd

A study in 1 John (1 John 2:15-17)

          Stop loving the world (part 2)


C. H. Spurgeon wrote,"If I had a brother who had been murdered, what would you think of me if I ...daily consorted with the assassin who drove the dagger into my brother’s heart; surely I too must be an accomplice in the crime. Sin murdered Christ; will you be a friend to it? Sin pierced the heart of the Incarnate God; can you love it?"

      Today I continue my discussion of first John chapter 2, verses fifteen through seventeen. If you rea d part one of, "Stop loving this world" I stated that John the Apostle who wrote first John has issued an urgent command to his believing readers (cf., vs 12) to STOP!! an awful action that had been going on. It appears that some professing Christians within this more than likely Ephesian congregation, had forsaken their first love (i.e., committment, priority) namely Christ, for another love, namely this anti-god, anti-Christ system and the stuff associated with this system.

     The Apostle John in verse sixteen gives three (3) reasons why Christians should not love (i.e., be committed to, prioritze, cherish or high prize) this anti-God, anti-Christ system and it's stuff. In other words, John gives three reasons why those of us who profess Christ as Lord and Saviour - when it comes to the world system and it's stuff - should be different, distinct, separate.

     The first reason is because of the content of this system (vs 16), "For everything in the world (system) - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father but from the world (system). Christians, of all people SHOULD NOT cherish, prioritze or be committed to this anti-God, anti-Christ system because of what's in it. John say's that there are three (3) components that make-up this evil, depraved, Satan inspired system: The first is the, "...the cravings of sinful man...." These are the insatiable yearnings or desires of our fallen human nature. This evil, anti-God, anti-Christ system promotes (i.e., encourages) fleshly lusts through things like the visual media, radio, music and the printed page. Satan has a corner office on Madison Avenue. The second thing that comprises this evil, depraved system is the, "....Lust of his eyes....." Scripturally, the eyes are the avenue of temptation. For instance according to Genesis 3:6, when Satan wanted to decieve Eve, he appealed to her sight. According to Josh 17:21, Achan the fellow who brought shame on Isreal by taking what was forbidden by Joshua did so because he was tempted by what he saw. Remember the song you learned in Sunday school, "Be careful little eyes what you see". Brothers and Sisters, we must STOP allowing this anti-God, anti-Christ system - which controls the culture in which we live, move and have our being - to seduce us through our eyes. TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF!!! The third thing that comprises this evil, depraved system is, "...the boasting of what he has and does...." The New American Standard Bible translates this as, "The pride of life". One writer by the name of Vaughan decribes this kind of pride as, "...an arrogant spirit of self-sufficiency and a vain sense of security, both of which are based upon a false estimate of the stability and Value of worldly things". Ouch! read that again, I'll wait. Don't you love it when people post pictures of their stuff on Facebook or Twitter? Why?

     May I add a word of clarity here? When John say's do not love the things of this world, I don't believe he is talking about physical things per se. He's not talking about cars, clothes, cribs and all that stuff. He is talking about the attitudes and motivations of the fallen system that we Christian if we're not careful can buy into. This is what he has just described in verse sixteen. Christians of all people, those who have been reedemed from the curse of the Law, those who have been regenerated by Grace through faith. should NOT be committed to the same attitudes that exist among unregenerate, fallen humanity. We as Christians should not be Driven by the insatiable cravings of our flesh, we as Christians should not be controlled by the lust of our eyes. We as God's people should not be motivated by pride, in other words, boastiing about what we have and do. These are the things of the world system that John is talking about.

     The Second reason why Christians should NOT love this anti-God, anti-Christ world system nor the things associated with this evil system is because of who the creator of this system is. "...for everything in the world (system)......comes not from the Father but from the world..." What John is saying is that all the ugly, competitive attitudes that exist in this evil, anti-God, anti-Christ system does not originate in God the Creator. In other words, this anti-God, anti-Christ system shows absolutely no likeness at all to his character and is contrary to the life which he wills for His people. Listen!! because we are Children of God, we have NO BUSINESS, "....courting the world's favor, following it's customs, advice, principles, adopting it's values, coveting it's prizes or seeking it's fellowship" (i.e., partnership). Why? Because this evil system is not from God, but from it's father Satan.
  
      The Third reason why Christians should NOT love this anti-God, anti-Christ system is because of the destiny of this fallen, bankrupt system. " The world (i.e., system) and it's desires pass away..." Folks as I type this words, this evil, fallen, depraved, Satan inspired system is dissolving and fading away. This is very important, please GET THIS!!! As Christians, we are to be concerned withd the ETERNAL verses the TEMPORAL. If you conform yourself to this evil system, you have conformed yourself to a sinking ship.

     In closing John gives for his readers two (2) results or consequences if you will, that will occur based on how one responds to John's command. First, there is the negative result in verse fifteen (15). "....If anyone loves the world (i.e., system) the love of the Father is not in him". If you claim to be a follower of Christ and you have forsaken your First love, namely Christ, YET, you hear the call of God to Repent and turn back to Jesus AND you do so, you demonstrate that you are truly a child of God. Why? Because God's children always hear the voice of Christ and respond (John 10). Only God's children have ears to hear the voice of the master (Rev 2). But on the other hand, if you profess to be a Christian and your life is controlled by a committment to this world system and it's desires, motivations and attitudes and you remain in this state even after hearing the call of God to repent, then you demonstrate that you are not a child of God. In fact, you demonstrate that you were never a child of God (i.e., the love of God was NEVER in you). You can say all day that you love God, but love for God isn't measured by what you say, but by what you do (James 2). Second, there is the positive result (1 John 2:17b). For those of us who abide by John's command to not love the system nor adopt it's attitudes and motivations, John promises, "...the man who does the will of God, lives forever". Warren Wiersbe writes appropriately, "Long after this world system with it's vaunted culture, it's proud philosophies, it's egocentric intellectualism, and it's godless materialism has been forgotten, and long after this planet has been replaced by the new heavens and earth, God's faithful servants will remain - sharing the glory of God for all Eternity".

Amen!

For His Glory
Todd

A study in 1 John (1 John 2:15-17)

           Stop loving this world (part one)


The Story is told of Handley Page, a pioneer in aviation, who once landed in an isolated area during his travels. Unknow to him, a rat got aboard the plane there. On the next leg of the flight, Page heard the sickening sound of gnawing. Suspecting it was a rodent, his heart began to pound as he visualized the serious damage that could be done to the fragile mechanisms that controlled his plane and the difficulty of repairs because of the lack of skilled labor and materials in the area. What could he do? He remembered hearing that a rat cannot survive at high altitudes, so he pulled back on the stick. The airplane climbed higher and higher until Page found it difficult to breathe. He listened intently and finally sighed with relief. The gnawing had stopped. When he arrived at his destination, he found the rat lying dead behind the cockpit.
     Oftentimes we, God's children, are plagued by sin that gnaws at our life simply because we are living at too low a spiritual level. To see sin defeated in our lives requires that we move up - away from the world - to a higher level where the things of this world cannot survive".
     Over the next several weeks I'd like to examine a passage of Scripture that encourages believers to, "move up to a higher level". In your Bible's turn to First John chapter 2, look with me at verses 15-17. "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and it's desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever" (NIV).
     In verse 15 the Apostle issues a urgent command to his readers, "Do not love the world...." . You see the phrase, "Do not love"? According to New Testament Greek, this phrase is identified as a negative imperative. In other words, John is issuing an urgent command to his readers to STOP loving something. The word stop means to cease or discontinue something. The word for love here is the Greek word Agape (pron: aah-gah-pay) and means to cherish, to highly esteem, to put first, to greatly value, to be committed to. Therefore John's command to his readers is for them to cease, to discontinue, cherishing, highly esteeming, greatly valuing and being committed to something. That something John identifies as, "the World and the things in the world". When John speaks of the world here in this verse let me clarify that he's not referring to this celestial ball we call planet earth, nor is he referring to the world of people on the planet. Rather, he is speaking about an ordered system. Bible Teacher Kenneth Wuest describes this system in the following way, "...Satan is it's head, his fallen angels and demons are his emmissaries, and the unsaved of the human race are his subjects, together with those purposes, pursuits, pleasures, practices and places where God is not wanted". In other words, the world that John refers to here is an anti-God, anti-Christ system that is absolutely at odds and hostile to God. This is what Paul meant when he said that, "Satan is the god of this world"(2 Cor 4:4). Satan is the architect and builder of this anti-God, anti-Christ system.
     Therefore John issues an urgent command to his readers to cease, to discontinue cherishing, highly esteeming and putting first this anti-God, anti-Christ system. With this understanding in mind, let me now rewrite verses 15-17. Notice the impact of what John is telling his readers. "Cease and desist cherishing, prioritizing and committing to this anti-God, anti-Christ system and all the stuff in this system. If anyone highly esteems, prioritizes or commits to this system, they reveal that they are not believers at all. For everything in this anti-God, anti-Christ system - the cravings of sinful man and the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from God the Father, but from Satan. This anti-God, anti-Christ system and it's lusts will pass away, but the person who does God the Father's will last forever".
     Now here is where it gets interesting. Who is John the Apostle issuing this urgent command to? Who are the recipients of John's command? Let me help you by telling you that he is not addressing unbelievers. First John is not an evangelistic letter. John is not calling unbelievers to repentance. So, if he's not addressing unbelievers, that then means he must be who? That's right, he's addressing Christians, followers of Christ, Born again ones, the Redeemed, the Elect. Check out chapter two, verse twelve: "I write to you, dear children, because your sins have been forgiven on account of His name". The phrase, "dear children" refers to all believers. Wiersbe writes, "All Christians have been born into God's family through faith in Jesus Christ, and theeir sins have been forgiven". The Apostle John lovingly, yet urgently reminds us, believers that we have no business cherishing, highly esteeming, prioritizing, greatly valuing and committing to this evil, Satan inspired, anti-God, anti-Christ system. Yet the sad reality is that if we're honest, many professing Christians do indeed love this system and the things of this system. I'll speak more about this system in my next note.
     Turn to Revelation, chapter 2. The same Apostle John who wrote First John, is the same one who wrote the book of Revelation. According to Revelation chapter two, verse one, John addresses the church at Ephesus, the same audience I believe he addresses in First John. In verses two and three, he commends some of the Ephesian believers, but in verse four he condemns some as well. John say's, "...I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love...". I've heard various arguments about whom this first love is, some have said that this first love is the people of God, fellow Christians. I'm not convinced at all that fellow Christians are in view. I believe that the identity of the forsaken first love is clear. Some professing believers in the Ephesian church had turned their backs on their true first love, namely Christ, they had stopped highly esteeming Christ, they had stopped greatly valuing Christ, they had stopped cherishing Christ, they had stopped putting Christ first, they had forsaken their committment to Christ in order to cherish, prioritize and esteem and be committed to another love, namely the fallen world system and John is calling them to Repentance (Rev 2:5).
     In closing, here is a point that clearly jumps out at me. If you claim to be a Christian, it matters not whether you be a preacher or a parishoner, If you continue to cherish, esteem, prioritze, greatly value and committed to this Satan inspired, anti-God, anti-Christ system and the stuff it pushes, you demonstrate that you are not a Christian at all. Jesus said it well, "No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other....." (Matt 6:24).

For His Glory

Todd

The Purpose of Theology

O.K. I'm driving to work, it takes me approximately 35 minutes one way, 30 minutes if I catch all the lights just right. One of the things I like to do on the drive is either listen to a downloaded sermon on my Ipod or talk on the phone, Jesus did say, "redeem the time" right? Well this time I'm listening to my favorite preacher, John MacArthur - who else- He is expounding 1 John 2:2. This is that great text which talks about Jesus being both our Advocate (i.e., defense attorney) and Propitiation (i.e., satisfaction). This was such excellent Bible teaching, unlike much of today's pulpiterring which is about motivation and entertainment, John's teaching resulted in my being convicted and encouraged at the same time which is what great preaching should do. Throughout this hour long sermon, I was reminded of the great doctrines of Christ's Advocacy and Propitiation. People!! When was the last time you heard a sermon on the PROPITIATION of Christ. Can you even say, Propitiation. My point is, we as God's people in this 21st century have been severely deprived when it comes to our Theology. You know what? When the average Christian hears the word, Theology, it's like hearing the word Castor Oil, we have an immediate gag reflex. Folks, I'm impressed to write to let us know that Theology is not a bad thing., it's not the enemy, it's our very life blood. God's gave us Theology (i.e., truth about God) not to make us smarter, not to give us careers (e.g. professional theologians), not to make us best selling authors. RATHER, God gave us Theology to make us Holier. The Apostle Paul makes it clear, God gave us Theology to:
1. Teach us
2. Reprove us
3. Correct us
4. Train us in righteousness
5. Equip us for every good work
Without  sound  Biblical Theology, we are like a body without a skeletal system, a plane without wings, a train without tracks. We must return to the old paths. I remember a time when I could sit in church and expect to hear a good sermon on something like the sufficiency of Scripture or the infallibity/inerrancy of Scripture. I also remember great sermons on the substitutionary atonement of Christ or how about the Rapture of the Church. Check this out, I remember being a part of an early morning Bible study led by the pastor at the church building on the significance and meaning of the Old Testament Tabernacle. Today you're lucky if the preacher mentions Jesus.

Thanks Dr. John for reminding me of the vast importance of theology.

For His Glory,
Todd

A study in Acts (2:43 & 47)

            The Impact of true   
              community


Not to long ago, I saw something on the T.V. that caught my attention. I believe it was the history channel. They were doing some retrospective on WW II. Part of this global conflict resulted in American forces dropping the Atomic bomb on two Japanese cities. The devastation that was caused by that explosion was incredible. I then began pondering on what exactly made the Atomic bomb so devasting. It seems based on what I could understand that atomic explosion is the result of an several atoms being brought together and then fueled with something like Plutonium creating this fusion thus resulting in this devasting blast. This atomic explosion reminded me of what I've been writing about over the last couple of weeks related to, "True Christian Community". When saved, committed, Spirit-filled believers spend quality time together in the Scripture, fellowship, communion and prayer, the result is an atomic explosion (i.e., massive impact).

Here's a question, "in light of the actions of the first century community of believers, exactly what kind of reactions did the first century community of believers recieve from the world at large"? In your Bible's turn to Acts 2, verses 43 & 47. In these two verses, I see three reactions to the first century community of believers.

I. The first reaction is fear (vs 43)"...and fear came upon every soul...." The word fear used in the Scripture can have at least two connotations. The first is, "respect or awe". The second is just plain ol terror. In Acts 2:43 the word fear means the latter. The first century community of believers provoked a healthy fear of God in a watching world. Let me describe for you the two ways in which this early Christian community provoked a healthy fear of God:

A. By their message (cf Acts 2:22-37; 3:13-26; 4:8-12) The message of the early church was very clear and focused, "Jesus Christ is the risen Lord, therefore everyone of you turn from your sin and confess Him as the only Lord and Saviour". I believe one of the reasons why the Christian community today is not having a great impact on the world at large is because our message is not very clear nor focused. Rather our message is confused and disjointed. A quote from one of my favorite preachers perfectly captures what I'm saying, "We live in a time when certainty and conviction about what is true is not tolerated. The politically correct attitude is one of uncertainty with nothing absolute. There's a new hermeneutic, a new science of interpretation called the Hermeneutic of Humility, and this is serious to the people who espoused this and their Hermeneutic of Humility say, "I'm too humble to think that I could ever know what the Bible really means and so I can only offer my opinion and I certainly can't say that this is in fact the truth." They pat themselves on the back congratulating themselves for such intellectual openness. Opinions and feelings tend to rule the mood of our time. And the church as it always does fall prey to this sort of post-modern inclusivism that wants to embrace everything everybody thinks as truth for them. And so the church has lost its convictions, its lost its certainties..." The message coming from the Christian community today cannot and will not foster a healthy fear of God because Christ is not at the heart of our message. The Christian community today for the most part is not preaching the Gospel of the risen Lord, the so-called Christian community today is not preaching, "Repentance and faith in Christ alone". Rather the Christian community today is preaching prosperity and sanctified materialism. The Christian community today is preaching "cheap grace" and "easy believism". The Christian community today is preaching tolerance and inclusivism. My wife Stacey pointed out to me the other day an online article concerning a black pastor who felt his mission was to apologize to the Lesbian community for how he and other Christians have treated them and condemned their so-called alternative lifestyles. And all of God's people said, WHAT!!!! Now I don't believe that anyone should be mistreated, God calls us to Love our fellow man, but apologizing for our message, that's crap!!

No wonder the world ridicules and laughs at the Christian community, because our message is weak, muddy, convictionless and uncertain and in no way reflects the message of our early Christian community predecessors.

B. By their ministry (cf Acts 2:43) Verse 43 states that incredible things were happening through the Apostles that validated their ministry and message. I confess that I'm a die-hard Dispensationalist who believes that the office of Apostle no longer exists, because the Apostles were a group of men specially chosen by our Lord for a specific ministry in time (e.g., the establisment of the Church and the writing of Scripture). Their office ceased when the last Apostle (i.e., John) passed from the earth and therefore also the necessity of special signs and wonders to validate their specific ministry. I believe that the Scriptures clearly teach that the things that validate the ministry and message of the Christian today are not signs and wonders, but rather Spirit-filled, obedient character (cf., 2 Cor 6). When the world at large sees our chaste and God-glorifying lifestyles, the result is fear. Check out this text from Philipians 2:27-28, "Only conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or remain absent, I will hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel; in no way alarmed by your opponents—which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God". When the Christian community responds to life and one another in a God glorifying way, those that don't know God take notice and experience the fear of God. Another reason why the Christian community of today is not having the kind of impact in our world like we could and should is because our ministry is not very authentic/valid. Let me add this, a ministry that existed in the early Christian community that hardly exists today is the ministry of Church discipline. When the church practised healthy church discipline, the church encouraged a healthy fear of God. When Church discipline is practised, the message that is communicated is that, "we take sin seriously and so does God". Read the story of Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5). Church discipline when practised rightly validates the church as being truly of God and creates a healthy fear of God in the world at large. When it is not practised, just the opposite is true.


II. The Second reaction is favor (vs 47a) "...having favor with all the people..." The early Christian community because of her authentic message and ministry, won the respect of the world at large. They world may not have liked her, but they had to respect her. We as the Christian community are sadly mistaken if we think the way to garner the world's respect is by compromise and conformity. NO!! NO!!! NO!!! Listen, the only legitmate way that God's people will win peoples respect is through an authentic message and ministry.

III. The Third reaction is fattening (vs 47b) "........And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved..." Allow me the liberty to paraphrase what one commentator has written concerning this verse, "When the Christian community is truly Christian in it's message and ministry, it is a growing church.....the impact of the few at Pentecost had broadened and became the impact of many..."

In summary, when committed, Spirit-filled believers spend quality time together in the Scripture, fellowship, communion and prayer, with a committment to the right message and mininstry, The impact on the world at large is fear, favor and fattening.

For His Glory,
Todd

A study in Acts (2:44-47)

                          The Characteristics of true community (part 2)


In my last article entitled, "Characteristics of true community (part 1)" I stated, "If we today, are going to experience (i.e., live out) real, sharing, caring community, the same characteristics that described the early Christian community must be true of us also". According to Acts 2, verses 37-47, there are at least four key characteristics that described the early Christian community, so far we've looked at two:

1. They were a saved community(2:22-41)
2. They were a committed community(2:42)
a. They were committed to Scripture
b. They were committed to fellowshipc. They were committed to communiond. They were committed to prayer

The remaining two characteristics are found in Acts 2:44-46:

3. They were a together community(2:44-46) "...now all who believed were together...."Listen! A healthy, sharing, caring Christian community is impossible to experience once a week or at a distance. Believers must spend face to face time together. Brothers and Sisters, facebook, twitter, myspace are NOT substitutes for quality time spent together with other believers. Notice with me some of the things the early Christian community did to foster quality and quantity time together:

A. They shared together (vss 44b-45) The last part of verse 44 states that they, "....had all things in common". This phrase means that these believers shared their, "property and goods" with each other. In fact, verse 45 declares that these believers would sell their goods and give the proceeds to needy believers within the community. Boy! this is a far cry from what goes on in today's Christian community.

B. They worshipped and celebrated together (vs 46a) "Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house....". The early Christian community spent alot of time worshipping and celebrating the person and work of Christ. The Breaking of Bread is a way of referring to communion (cf., Luke 24:30; Acts 2:42; 20:7). The heart of true community is the person and work of Christ. True community cannot be experienced when Christ is not the main attraction. Again, notice something about the early Christian community, they focused on Jesus in the Temple (i.e., the official place of worship) and in the home. This means that whenever and wherever the Christians gathered, Christ was the focal point. Not so today, when Christians gather it's about everything but Christ (Can I get a witness!!).

C. They ate together (vs 46b) "....they were taking their meals together..." The early community would eat a common meal in connection with communion (cf., 1 Cor 11; Jude 12).

Again, let me say it, if we are going to experience real, sharing caring community, we must spend meaningful, quantiful time together.

4. They were a Spirit-filled community (Acts 2:46c-47a) "....with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God..." The evidence of the Spirit's control of these believers is seen in their attitudes toward the Lord and each other. The text states that they were full of joy, sincere (i.e., not fake and phoney) and praising God. All of these things give hearty evidence that the Spirit of God was in full control (cf., Eph 5:18ff & Gal 5:22-23). Nothing kills the experience of true community faster than being in the flesh. You may recall recently hearing in the news of members of a local church in North Carolina who got in a physical fight with each other over some issue in the congregation. The oil that makes the machinery of community run smoothly is the Holy Spirit.

In Summary:
As I stated in part one (see last weeks article) True Christian community is not something that can be conjured up or produced by some curriculum or program. Community is something that is organic to being a Christian. When I was born again by the Spirit of God, I became part and parcel of THE Christian community called the Body of Christ (in other words, we don't become a community, we are a community), but here's the rub, just because I'm part of the Christian community by new birth, does not mean that my experience of community is that wonderful. Again, if we today are to experience the kind of God glorifying community that existed in the early church we must possess the same characteristics that they possessed. So if you are hanging out with a group of frustrated believers trying to figure out why your community experience is not that that great, ask yourselves the following questions:
1. Are we saved? Does everyone in our group truly know Jesus as Lord and saviour? Remember! true community can't happen with non-christians.
2. Are we committed?
a. To Scripture
b. To Fellowship
c. To Communion
d. To Prayer
3. Are we spending meaningful time together?
4. Are we Spirit-filled?

In my next article from Acts 2:42-47, I want to look at the Impact of true community on a lost and dying world. When the church acts like the church is suppossed to act, the world is different.

For His Glory,
CoolImprov

A study in Acts (2:37-42)

                           The characteristics of true community (part 1)



I've been a follower of Christ for a few years now, and one of the reacurring themes that I've run across over these years focuses on the subject of community. I was once part of a local church who's theme for a particular season was, "...a sharing, caring, Christian Community....". I'm currently part of a small group who's focus is, "Contagious Christian community". Several years ago, my wife, myself and my then two year old daughter - who's now 17 - and three teenage girls in our youth group took a trip to the west side of Chicago to be part of a long established Christian community. As I reflect on the subject of community from a hopefully maturer perspective, an observation comes to mind. It seems to me that our understanding of community is like our understanding of "Church". When someone says, "I'm going to church", I totally understand what they mean, they mean that they are going to the building on the corner. But technically, to say, "I'm going to church" is incorrect. Why? Because the church is not a place, rather, the church is a people. Therefore, we don't go to church, we are the church. The same idea is true of community. Community is not something we try to pursue or produce, rather community is something that we are. The moment someone is converted to Christ, he/she becomes part and parcel of the Born-again community. Now here's the $100,000 question, "what kind of community are we"? Are we a dysfunctional, corrupted community or are we a healthy, sharing, caring community?
Please turn in your bibles to the book of Acts. The first six chapters of the book of Acts can be classified as, "The period of establishment", meaning that in these chapters we learn how the christian community was brought into existence. As we examine the establishment of the early Christian community, the question that's asked is, "what were some of the characteristics that described the early Christian community"? These same characteristics that existed in the early christian community, by way of continuity, should also be reflected in our experience of community. Let me say it this way, If we today, are going to experience (i.e., live out) real, sharing, caring community, the same characteristics that described the early christian community must be true of us also. According to Acts 2, verses 37-47, I see at least four key characteristics that existed in the early christian community:

First, they were a saved community (vss 37-41)
Acts 2:14-36 records Peters sermon to the crowd that explained what had just happened to the 120 believers in the upper room. Verse 37 states, "Now when they heard this (Peter's sermon), they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter responds in verses 38-40, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.....and with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, "Be saved from this perverse generation!" Verse 41 states, "So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls"(NASB).

I believe the reason why many believers are not experiencing healthy, loving, sharing, caring community is because many of the folk involved aren't christians. One commentator writes, ""....only disunity and dissension can result when those who serve Christ try to work in harmony with those who serve Satan".

Second, they were a committed community (vs 42)
This idea of commitment is expressed in the phrase, "They were continually devoting themselves....." To be, "continually devoted" means that the early church community as a whole was ongoingly adhering to, persevering in, and continuing in something.

What?

Four things:
1. They were committed (i.e., continually devoted) to Scripture (vs 42a) "...the apostles' teaching..."
2. They were committed (i.e., continually devoted) to Fellowship (vs 42a) "....and to fellowship..."
The early church community adhered to and persevered in developing close, intimate interpersonal relationships with fellow believers around the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is the center of true fellowship with other believers. When believers get together, Christ must be at the heart of the interaction.
3. They were committed (i.e., continually devoted) to communion (vs. 42b) ".......the breaking of bread..."
Communion is not so much about the elements of the bread and juice, but what the bread and juice represent, the finished work of Christ on our behalf. The early church community was committed to regularly remembering Christ's work of redemption.
4. They were committed (i.e., continually devoted) to prayer (vs. 42c) "....and to prayer" ..
The early church community lived on it's knees. Prayer was the life breath of the early christian community (Acts 1:14,24; 4:31; 6:6; 8:15; 9:40; 10:48; 13:31; 14:23).

In closing, maybe the reason why our experience of sharing, caring community is not that great is because maybe some of the people that traffic in our community aren't saved. Or maybe our community experience is undermined by people who aren't committed - to the four things mentioned above - Whatever the reason, I hope we have a better idea of how to pray to the sovereign God who can fix the problem. Next time we will look at the two remaining characteristics that marked the early church community.

For His Glory,
CoolImprov

The pricelessness of preciseness

Every one of us, I believe, values preciseness. In other words, we want folk around us to be exact, correct, and definite. If you ever fly on a plane, precision would be a chief virtue for your pilot, right? What about when you're having your taxes prepared, don't you want accuracy from your tax preparer? What if you're facing surgery, don't you want that person cutting on you to be careful?

It seems we DEMAND precision in EVERY area of life, EXCEPT when it comes to our spiritual lives. As stated earlier, we would NEVER settle for an inaccurate pilot. We would NEVER tolerate a careless tax preparer or an inept surgeon, Am I right?

Please understand my stress in this article, I'm not talking about false teaching per se. Many of us would recognize and condemn false teaching in a heart beat. My concern is for inaccurate teaching, teaching that is not precise.

Folks, hear me loud and clear, imprecise, inaccurate bible teaching negatively impacts both WHAT you believe and HOW you live. For example John MacArthur one of my favorite Bible teachers of all time has written a new book which inspires the following thoughts. Romans 1:1 from the NIV states: "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God". So what's wrong with the NIV's rendering of this verse? The problem is the word, "servant". According to the Greek, the language in which the New Testament was written, the word "servant" should actually read "slave". The Greek word translated by our English bibles as servant is the word, "Doulos" (pron, doo-los) and means slave, NOT servant. There is a world of difference between a "servant" and a "slave", a servant is hired, whereas a slave is purchased. A servant has rights, whereas a slave has no rights. One writer puts it this way, "A servant may serve another, but the ownership does not pass to that other. If he likes his master he can serve him, but if he does not like him he can give in his notice and seek another master. Not so with the slave. He is not only the servant of another but he is the possession of another". When Paul declares that he is a doulos of Christ, he is declaring that he is slave, not some hired hand. Paul understands that he was bought with a price out of the slave market of sin, and that He belongs totally to Christ his sovereign master. Paul understood when he used the word doulos , that as a slave, he had no rights of his own and that his will was swallowed up in the will of another, namely Christ's. I looked at seventeen (17) different English translations of this verse Romans 1:1, and only one of the seventeen translations translated the Greek word doulos as slave, all the rest translated doulos as servant. I can only speculate that the translation committees chose servant instead of slave because of the negative social connotations. Face it, to consider oneself a slave in today's social context is demeaning and politically incorrect. Because of imprecise teaching, we have replaced the slavery motif with that of some hired man idea.

Folks, as followers of Christ we are slaves, we belong to Him. We are not our own we were bought at a price. As slaves, we have no rights of our own and our wills are swallowed up in His. I hope you see the point, imprecise Bible teaching has had tremendous negative impact on how we view ourselves as Christians and how we live as Christians.

It is my prayer and desire to see men return to clear, accurate bible teaching because too much is at stake


For His Glory,

CoolImprov

Where's the word?

How many of you remember a series of Wendy's commercials in the mid eighties that featured the kindly old lady shouting out, "Where's the beef?” As a follower of Christ, I have a similar sentiment, "Where's the Word?” The more I'm exposed to Christendom (i.e. Christianity collectively) the harder it is to find the Word of God. Let me tell you the motivation for my writing this article. Earlier today I received an E-mail inviting me to attend a Men's Bible study. Okay, nothing wrong with a Men's Bible study, right? Here's the concern, "they weren't studying the BIBLE". As I continued to read the E-Mail I discovered that they would be using a book written by an Atlanta based motivational speaker/life coach entitled, "The 4:8 principle". This book is supposedly based on Philippians 4:8 and teaches you how to think rightly in order to change your life so that you can achieve your God given goals and success. Read one of the reviews of this book by one satisfied customer: "The 4:8 Principle is a fantastic book that we, as a family, are using as a framework to guide daily decisions."

Did you get that last part? They are using this guy's book as a, "...Framework to guide (their) daily decisions". Folks, isn't that the role the Bible should play in the lives of people?

Why in the world are Christian men studying a book ABOUT the Bible, and not the Bible itself?

One reason I believe is because we have lost CONFIDENCE in the SUFFICIENCY of Scripture.

As I close, allow me to remind us of three (3) important truths about Scripture:

First, it is the Scripture alone that sanctifies us (cf. John 17:17a). The word Sanctify means, “to make holy", "to set apart". Friend, ONLY God's word makes us Holy.

Second, it is Scripture alone that is truth (cf. John 17:17b). The word "truth" means, "that which corresponds with reality". Brother and Sister, Only God's word corresponds totally and absolutely with reality.

Third, it is Scripture alone that is inspired (2 Tim 3:16). The Greek word translated by the English word inspired is the word, "Theopnuestos"(pron, the-op-new-stoss). This Greek word speaks concerning the character and communication of God's word (in the original autographs). In the Greek NT this word is found only one time, in 2 Tim 3:16, and means, "breathed out by God". When the Scriptures were orginally penned God insured that what the authors wrote, they wrote without error. What this one Greek word tells me about Scripture is that the ONLY thing on planet earth that is without error is Scripture. The ONLY writing on planet earth that bears the character of God is Scripture. Our books aren't inspired, our dreams aren't inerrant, our visions aren't sufficient, and our songs aren't complete. Therefore, if the Bible alone Sanctifies, if the Bible alone is Truth, if the Bible alone is inspired, WHY, are we as Christians studying in our so-called "Bible studies" everything BUT the Bible itself?

Lord, where's the word, where's the word?

For His Glory,
CoolImprov