One of the ways that Jesus is referenced in the Bible is "The Word." It is through Him that we have salvation, and it is His word that was given to the apostles and passed down to us.
The book of John begins with a discussion of the Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him...." Verse 14: "and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us..." It stretches our imagination to view Jesus as the person and as the Word. But that is how it is. And perhaps it adds extra meaning to our study of the Bible when we see it as the "Word" of God and coming from the Son, Jesus.
Hebrews chapter 2 gives an interesting perspective on the word: "Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him. God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?" This is a good summary of how we got the Word, that is, spoken by Jesus, confirmed by the witnesses, the apostles, and by miracles given by the Holy Spirit, all according to God's will.
The Word is powerful; and it saves us. Thanks be to God for this wonderful gift! See you next week.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Simplicity
Perhaps we tend to make the matter of being a Christian too complicated. It is possible to over think some things, and I would suggest that this could be the case here.
When we look at the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 16:16, in a conversation with Jesus, Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus said, "..on this rock I will build My church.." Thus, we know that Jesus is the foundation of the church..and our beliefs. But Jesus didn't start the church during His lifetime. He told the apostles to do that, to wait in Jerusalem after He had departed to heaven for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. We see these events unfolding in Acts 2 and even the beginnings of the church. Peter was doing the talking in Acts 2:41 when it says that "...those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship..." When we look at this in context we see that people had come into town for the Jewish Passover and stayed over for this new Christian relationship to develop; they were sharing with each other to be sure that no one went without.
The simplicity of becoming a Christian is shown in Acts 8:35 where Philip teaches an Ethiopian nobleman about Jesus. "Now as they went down the road , they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?' Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' " We see here that there wasn't any deep doctrine or philosophy taught. Philip just taught him about "Jesus."
A study of the church in the New Testament seems just as straightforward, or "simple." We don't see any complicated formal structure. Each church was independent in the early church; and each church had leaders, elders to guide and protect the church (see Acts 20, 1 Timothy 3, and Titus 1), and deacons to help in the work. But simplicity was the order of the early church, far more so than we see in most "Christian" churches today.
Living the Christian life isn't so complicated, but it surely can be difficult sometimes as we fight the temptations of this life. Enough for today. Thanks for reading.
When we look at the teachings of Jesus. In Matthew 16:16, in a conversation with Jesus, Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Then Jesus said, "..on this rock I will build My church.." Thus, we know that Jesus is the foundation of the church..and our beliefs. But Jesus didn't start the church during His lifetime. He told the apostles to do that, to wait in Jerusalem after He had departed to heaven for the Holy Spirit to come upon them. We see these events unfolding in Acts 2 and even the beginnings of the church. Peter was doing the talking in Acts 2:41 when it says that "...those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship..." When we look at this in context we see that people had come into town for the Jewish Passover and stayed over for this new Christian relationship to develop; they were sharing with each other to be sure that no one went without.
The simplicity of becoming a Christian is shown in Acts 8:35 where Philip teaches an Ethiopian nobleman about Jesus. "Now as they went down the road , they came to some water. And the eunuch said, 'See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?' Then Philip said, 'If you believe with all your heart, you may.' " We see here that there wasn't any deep doctrine or philosophy taught. Philip just taught him about "Jesus."
A study of the church in the New Testament seems just as straightforward, or "simple." We don't see any complicated formal structure. Each church was independent in the early church; and each church had leaders, elders to guide and protect the church (see Acts 20, 1 Timothy 3, and Titus 1), and deacons to help in the work. But simplicity was the order of the early church, far more so than we see in most "Christian" churches today.
Living the Christian life isn't so complicated, but it surely can be difficult sometimes as we fight the temptations of this life. Enough for today. Thanks for reading.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Church Unity part 2
I received a question regarding what is meant by "unity?" Certainly the church is made up of individuals, people who are different in many ways, in how they think, their opinions and ideas, and their understanding of the Bible. But when we look at the teaching of the New Testament, we see that we are still taught to be "one" people.
When Jesus was about to leave this earth, He prayed in John 17 that His followers would be one, "that they all may be one." Jesus knew that there is a natural tendency to divide, to disagree, to argue. He wanted better than that for His people.
Paul said in Philippians 2:2, "fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." This doesn't mean we lose our individuality; it means that we pull together, we work together, and we strive to follow God's word as it has been given to us. But Paul was already seeing trouble when he wrote the first Corinthian letter. Instead of just being Christians and being unified, the people were forming factions. 1 Corinthians 1:12 says some were saying they were "of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas or I am of Christ." This is the attitude, that of division, that Jesus and Paul were trying to head off.
If you look at the history of the forming of denominations you will see that most were created because of disagreement, contention, and strife. This is not what the Bible teaches us as Christians on how we should act. We must work at unity in Christ Jesus. Thanks for reading!
When Jesus was about to leave this earth, He prayed in John 17 that His followers would be one, "that they all may be one." Jesus knew that there is a natural tendency to divide, to disagree, to argue. He wanted better than that for His people.
Paul said in Philippians 2:2, "fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind." This doesn't mean we lose our individuality; it means that we pull together, we work together, and we strive to follow God's word as it has been given to us. But Paul was already seeing trouble when he wrote the first Corinthian letter. Instead of just being Christians and being unified, the people were forming factions. 1 Corinthians 1:12 says some were saying they were "of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas or I am of Christ." This is the attitude, that of division, that Jesus and Paul were trying to head off.
If you look at the history of the forming of denominations you will see that most were created because of disagreement, contention, and strife. This is not what the Bible teaches us as Christians on how we should act. We must work at unity in Christ Jesus. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Church Unity
The Bible is clear that the Lord always expected His people to be one, to be unified. It seems only human to want to divide. We see division occur in all aspects of our society; and certainly we see it in the creation of denominations. Even the word "denomination" shows the recognition of division. But it was never wanted by our Lord.
Just before His death, Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17 a rather long prayer calling for unity of His followers. Note John 17:11: "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one." He says this several times in this prayer, "that they be one as We are one." Unity was very important to Jesus. Shame on us for dividing.
Paul taught about this in 1 Corinthians 1. Note verse 10: "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you , my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.' Is Christ divided?" Division had already started in the early church. It should not be so among us.
One might say, "What is the solution?" The only solution is to follow God's Word, the Bible. We have a great pattern to follow, showing us what the early church was taught to do. We should be doing the same, following that same pattern. Every one of us needs to read, understand , and follow the Bible. Only in doing so are we able to unite in one teaching and one purpose.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
Just before His death, Jesus prayed to the Father in John 17 a rather long prayer calling for unity of His followers. Note John 17:11: "Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are one." He says this several times in this prayer, "that they be one as We are one." Unity was very important to Jesus. Shame on us for dividing.
Paul taught about this in 1 Corinthians 1. Note verse 10: "Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you , my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, 'I am of Paul,' or 'I am of Apollos,' or 'I am of Cephas,' or 'I am of Christ.' Is Christ divided?" Division had already started in the early church. It should not be so among us.
One might say, "What is the solution?" The only solution is to follow God's Word, the Bible. We have a great pattern to follow, showing us what the early church was taught to do. We should be doing the same, following that same pattern. Every one of us needs to read, understand , and follow the Bible. Only in doing so are we able to unite in one teaching and one purpose.
Thanks for reading. See you next week.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Paul's Speech in Athens
It is interesting to read Paul's speech in Athens as recorded in Acts 17. When Paul would speak to a Jewish audience, he would mention the Jewish Fathers like Moses, Abraham and Noah so that the people could relate to him. But in speaking to the Athenians, primarily a gentile audience, he mentioned nothing about the Jewish history, but concentrated on them, their situation, their lifestyle.
Paul noticed right off that the city was given over to idol worship (vs 16). He was challenged by the Greek philosophers who pumped him for information. Verse 21 tells us, "..all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing."
Paul noticed that they even had an idol to the "Unknown God." Paul, in a twist of meanings, lets them know that they are right; the real God is unknown to them. He then proceeds to tell them about the real God, the only real God: He "...made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands," and lots more.
He then concludes this speech with this, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." It was this mentioning of "raising Him from the dead," the resurrection, that stirred the people; some mocked, some were interested.
The power is in the resurrection. Without that, Christianity would be weak, nothing. But God will take us beyond the grave.....and that is a big part of the message here in Athens...and to us.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Paul noticed right off that the city was given over to idol worship (vs 16). He was challenged by the Greek philosophers who pumped him for information. Verse 21 tells us, "..all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing."
Paul noticed that they even had an idol to the "Unknown God." Paul, in a twist of meanings, lets them know that they are right; the real God is unknown to them. He then proceeds to tell them about the real God, the only real God: He "...made the world and everything in it. He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands," and lots more.
He then concludes this speech with this, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead." It was this mentioning of "raising Him from the dead," the resurrection, that stirred the people; some mocked, some were interested.
The power is in the resurrection. Without that, Christianity would be weak, nothing. But God will take us beyond the grave.....and that is a big part of the message here in Athens...and to us.
Thanks for reading. Have a great week!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Living the Christian Life
It is hard!.....and it is easy. It is hard to live the Christian life in some ways, because the standard is so high that we must watch constantly for a misstep. But it is easy in that when we do it right, things go better for us. But the answers to how to live it are given clearly in the New Testament. The teachings of Jesus in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John give us a lot of insight into how to make our character what it should be. And the letters, starting with the book of Romans and going through Jude, give us much help in knowing what we are to be.
Picking one of the letters for a closer look, let us consider Ephesians. The first 3 chapters tell us a lot about what God has done for us. For example, Eph. 2:4 begins, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus...."
Beginning in chapter 4 and on through the end of the book in chapter 6, he tells us how we can be better people. Note 4:1, "..walk worthy of the calling with which you were called..."
4:22 "..put off , concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind..."
4:28 "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands..."
4:29 "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth...."
4:32 "And be kind to one another..."
5:15 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time..."
6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
If you read the whole book of Ephesians, one must be impressed with what God has done for us, and what we should do to live the Christian life. Thanks for reading!
Picking one of the letters for a closer look, let us consider Ephesians. The first 3 chapters tell us a lot about what God has done for us. For example, Eph. 2:4 begins, "But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus...."
Beginning in chapter 4 and on through the end of the book in chapter 6, he tells us how we can be better people. Note 4:1, "..walk worthy of the calling with which you were called..."
4:22 "..put off , concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind..."
4:28 "Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands..."
4:29 "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth...."
4:32 "And be kind to one another..."
5:15 "See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time..."
6:10 "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might."
If you read the whole book of Ephesians, one must be impressed with what God has done for us, and what we should do to live the Christian life. Thanks for reading!
Sunday, May 8, 2011
The Masses
The masses, the crowds of Jews, loved Jesus.....for awhile. We see in Mark 1 and 2 that Jesus was pressed on every side by the people. He healed a leper, told him not to tell anyone; he told anyway, and Jesus drew such a crowd that he could not go into the city safely. He went into a house in Capernaum and drew such a crowd that the guys carrying the paralytic to be healed had to let him down through the roof to get to Jesus. He went down to the sea to preach; the crowds were so great that He had to get onto a small boat and preach from there.
Later, in Matthew 21, we read that when it was time for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, He sent disciples into a village to get a donkey and a colt (young male) of the donkey. The disciples said, "What if the man won't give them to us." He said, " 'Say, "The Lord needs them." ' " They did that and Jesus rode into Jerusalem (prophesied in Zecharia 9:9) with the people chanting and singing and laying down their clothes and palm branches. They were calling out, "Hosanna ('Save we pray')to the son of David" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," a common Jewish phrase from Psalm 118:26. These expressions of appreciation on this day were often used by the Jews to chant and sing when they went up to worship in Jerusalem.
But as much as the people loved Jesus at this time, they turned against him in a later time. It wasn't long before these same crowds would shout out, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." And almost suddenly Jesus found himself alone. He had been deserted by everyone, even His best supporters. But He knew this was coming, that He would have to do this for evil men. And He did it once for all time. He is our savior; let us worship Him....and remember Him.....and love Him and serve Him! Thanks for reading; see you next week!
Later, in Matthew 21, we read that when it was time for Jesus to enter Jerusalem, He sent disciples into a village to get a donkey and a colt (young male) of the donkey. The disciples said, "What if the man won't give them to us." He said, " 'Say, "The Lord needs them." ' " They did that and Jesus rode into Jerusalem (prophesied in Zecharia 9:9) with the people chanting and singing and laying down their clothes and palm branches. They were calling out, "Hosanna ('Save we pray')to the son of David" and "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord," a common Jewish phrase from Psalm 118:26. These expressions of appreciation on this day were often used by the Jews to chant and sing when they went up to worship in Jerusalem.
But as much as the people loved Jesus at this time, they turned against him in a later time. It wasn't long before these same crowds would shout out, "Crucify Him, crucify Him." And almost suddenly Jesus found himself alone. He had been deserted by everyone, even His best supporters. But He knew this was coming, that He would have to do this for evil men. And He did it once for all time. He is our savior; let us worship Him....and remember Him.....and love Him and serve Him! Thanks for reading; see you next week!
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