I mentioned a few weeks ago in a blog that one of the “evidences of grace” recently was when I was speaking with a lady in our church that said: “I didn’t realize we were all called to be theologians” - and she said this in a good way not a sarcastic way! This is a sweet lady who is getting it; we are called to know doctrine, we are called to know truth, we are called to be holy and we are called be thinkers, learners and teachers. Too often we hear well - meaning people destroy a passage of Scripture or reject a truth from the Word because it doesn’t line up with their previous thoughts or experiences. Let me give some examples then, I will exhort the importance of approaching the Word of God.
Matt. 19:19 “Love your neighbor as yourself” I have heard well-meaning people say that this shows that in order to really love someone biblically you must learn to love yourself as Christ wants you to. However, Scripture tells me the opposite! It tells me I must die to myself, I must hate my life – I must esteem others as more important than myself. So what is the point of Matthew 19:19? The point is - I can’t take one verse and mutilate it to prove a point! The context is key: Jesus was talking to a rich man who was living for himself. The point is not him loving himself, the point is that he must love his neighbor… and the problem this man had was that he loved himself and his possessions more than anything. The text is teaching to love other people and not yourself.
I was asked one time after preaching why do I give all this history before my sermon. Well, because if we don’t understand the culture, if we don’t understand the meaning of the terms, we will miss the point of the text. The idea of sitting in a Sunday School class, reading a passage of Scripture and looking around and saying… “What does that mean to you?” The answer is who cares what it means to you, or to me! What did God intend for it to mean? We do this with parables - we forget the parables were told by Jesus to an audience…and many times if we miss the audience, we can miss the parable. John MacArthur did a wonderful job illustrating this in his book “The Tale Of Two Sons” on the prodigal son (s). He points out the elder son, the one that stayed at home is a picture of the religious leaders in the audience that were pressing Jesus for answers -the same group who murdered Him. I pointed this out before, as many preachers have done through the ages, and had some completely confused to say the least. Why? Too often the parable is just a story someone was told in Sunday School and never had to think through. While the Bible is relevant and written to us today, it is written in a context, they were among a real audience when preaching/teaching and this information has relevance to the meaning of the text!
The illustrations like the ones above that have happened in Bible study groups and church services, are too many to count. The bottom line is this - when we approach the Word of God, let it speak, keep it in its context, and be a thinking Christian. As we spend time enjoying the truth of God we must remember that we are not approaching it to validate what we think (or what we want it to say), but to discover what God thinks. As we are nearing an end of our study in Psalm 119 and I hope God has used it to “salt the oats” and make you more thirsty for the Word of God. I hope it has made you long to read it and long to know His mind!
Monday, March 22, 2010
Thursday, March 18, 2010
A Guest Blog...on the Church
I only wish I could write as clearly about the local Church as Mr. Dan Phillips! The blog is a quick/easy read despite its length, but if I could ask every reader of this blog to read only one post it would be this one (sad seeing I didn’t eve write it, huh?). I hope you enjoy it, or are convicted by it as we at Trinity continue to study “The Church”... if you want to read comments or more from this post it is found at:
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-you-need-to-be-in-church-this.html
07 NOVEMBER 2008
Why you need to be in a church this Sunday
by Dan Phillips
"Everything old is new again," and the saying certainly holds true when it comes to heresy, false doctrine and plain old unbiblical nuttiness.
For instance, back in the anti-establishment 60s and 70s, Christianoid kids would verbally trash the "organized church." Didn't need to go to a building, they'd say; they were the church. The real Bible scholars among them (relatively speaking) might yank 1 Corinthians 6:19 out of context and waterboard it a bit, until it said what they wanted to hear.
But no, Trevor, you're not the church. You're part of the church. The word ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) means "assembly," and no, you're really not an assembly. Doesn't matter how many chins you have, you still aren't an assembly.
What you are (you tell me) is a Christian. If you're a Christian, you claim Jesus as your Lord.
Where's your Lord today? He depicts Himself as walking among local assemblies (Revelation 1:12-13, 20), holding their pastors in His right hand (vv. 16, 20). What do you think the message is, there? Why is He not watching a lovely sunset, or fishing, or walking the dog, or riding a comet? Why among churches, among assemblies, cherishing their pastors?
Because that's where Jesus is. That's where His great heart is. Do you know better than He? Which one of you is "Lord," again?
That's the church, that local assembly of believers where pastors lead, the Word is preached, the ordinances are observed, and discipline is carried out. Christ loved it and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). He died for it.
But you won't walk into one of them, and stay there? Which one of you is "Lord," again?
Before He died, Jesus prayed for the church, all of it (John 17). Even (especially!) with what He was facing, the church was on His heart.
But you won't attach yourself to one, to join it and work in it and pray for it? Which one of you is "Lord," again?
Who is your pastor? Are you fool enough to say "Jesus is my pastor"? Nonsense. When He ascended, He gave pastors to the church (Ephesians 4:11). If He gave them, then He isn't them. Which one is your pastor, your toe-to-toe, eyeball-to-eyeball pastor?
Your "Lord" charged pastors with the care of souls. That means Jesus — your Lord, so you say — thinks your soul needs watching over (Hebrews 13:7, 17). Which individual flesh and bones living pastor is watching over your soul, in person, individually?
If "none," how is it that you decided you are smarter than Jesus? You know, Jesus. Your "Lord." Which one of you is "Lord," again?
Jesus, your Lord, also called you to know, show respect for, esteem highly in love, and submit to the leadership of your flesh-and-blood in-person pastor (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:17). Which pastor is it that sees you come regularly to be discipled and led, and sees you loving and trusting God enough to yield him the love and submission to which God calls you?
If you bristle at the thought of embracing what Jesus calls you to — which one of you is "Lord," again?
And if you fall into unrepentant sin, which assembly will even know of it, let alone discipline you? Jesus says you need that, too (Matthew 18:13-20). I don't care what complex, high-sounding Dagwood sandwich of excuses you can slap together. If you say you don't need to be in a local assembly, you say you're smarter than Jesus, and are sufficient.
Fool!
And remember, that Jesus you say is your "Lord" said that the second most important thing in the world is to love your neighbor (Matthew 22:39). He moved Paul to tell you your fellow-church-member is your premier neighbor (Galatians 6:10). That's where you take all that rich doctrine (Ephesians 1—3), and live it out in community (Ephesians 4—6). That's where you do all those dozens of "one anothers."
And if you tell yourself that your spouse or children are all the "one anothers" you need, God already said "No." If you insist, you put your judgment over God's.
Meaning that, whatever your mouth professes, your choices say you find God's judgment deficient, and yours superior.
Meaning you're a fool and a de facto blasphemer — whether you intend to be or not.
And you thereby bring harm on your spouse and children, by preaching and living a lie to them.
That's for starters.
So, Jesus — your "Lord" — says you need to be in a local church. You say you don't?
Which one to believe? You? Or Jesus? You? Or Jesus? Hmm.
Here's the problem, I think. I've said a word thirteen times: Lord. The confession of Jesus as Lord is fundamental to Christian faith (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:11). In repentant faith, we bow the knee to Christ's Lordship.
I think the problem with a lot of these late-blooming hippies is, at root, authority. They don't like to have to sit still and listen while someone else talks. They don't like someone else being in charge. They don't like being encouraged to join, commit, join in, be with, commit themselves, be accountable, be answerable.
Our race was bitten with an anti-authority bug when great-grandma bought the "You shall be as gods" line, and great-granddad followed her lead. But conversion — real conversion — deals with that bug.
It all really comes back to Jesus, the Lord. You may not like the idea of being accountable to a man, or a group of men. You'd rather sit home, watching TV or listening to tapes. Whenever you want, wherever you want. No yucky people to be patient with; don't have to listen to all their whiny problems and needs. No need to adjust to different accents, different ways of thinking, different cultures. Just you, you, you.
But Jesus — the Lord — commands you to go to church, join in church, participate in church, and submit to the God-ordained human leadership of the church.
That's your issue. Is Jesus your Lord in reality, or in theory alone? When convenient, or no? Are your ego and control-issues the boundary of His Lordship?
See you in church.
http://teampyro.blogspot.com/2008/11/why-you-need-to-be-in-church-this.html
07 NOVEMBER 2008
Why you need to be in a church this Sunday
by Dan Phillips
"Everything old is new again," and the saying certainly holds true when it comes to heresy, false doctrine and plain old unbiblical nuttiness.
For instance, back in the anti-establishment 60s and 70s, Christianoid kids would verbally trash the "organized church." Didn't need to go to a building, they'd say; they were the church. The real Bible scholars among them (relatively speaking) might yank 1 Corinthians 6:19 out of context and waterboard it a bit, until it said what they wanted to hear.
But no, Trevor, you're not the church. You're part of the church. The word ἐκκλησία (ekklēsia) means "assembly," and no, you're really not an assembly. Doesn't matter how many chins you have, you still aren't an assembly.
What you are (you tell me) is a Christian. If you're a Christian, you claim Jesus as your Lord.
Where's your Lord today? He depicts Himself as walking among local assemblies (Revelation 1:12-13, 20), holding their pastors in His right hand (vv. 16, 20). What do you think the message is, there? Why is He not watching a lovely sunset, or fishing, or walking the dog, or riding a comet? Why among churches, among assemblies, cherishing their pastors?
Because that's where Jesus is. That's where His great heart is. Do you know better than He? Which one of you is "Lord," again?
That's the church, that local assembly of believers where pastors lead, the Word is preached, the ordinances are observed, and discipline is carried out. Christ loved it and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). He died for it.
But you won't walk into one of them, and stay there? Which one of you is "Lord," again?
Before He died, Jesus prayed for the church, all of it (John 17). Even (especially!) with what He was facing, the church was on His heart.
But you won't attach yourself to one, to join it and work in it and pray for it? Which one of you is "Lord," again?
Who is your pastor? Are you fool enough to say "Jesus is my pastor"? Nonsense. When He ascended, He gave pastors to the church (Ephesians 4:11). If He gave them, then He isn't them. Which one is your pastor, your toe-to-toe, eyeball-to-eyeball pastor?
Your "Lord" charged pastors with the care of souls. That means Jesus — your Lord, so you say — thinks your soul needs watching over (Hebrews 13:7, 17). Which individual flesh and bones living pastor is watching over your soul, in person, individually?
If "none," how is it that you decided you are smarter than Jesus? You know, Jesus. Your "Lord." Which one of you is "Lord," again?
Jesus, your Lord, also called you to know, show respect for, esteem highly in love, and submit to the leadership of your flesh-and-blood in-person pastor (1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Hebrews 13:17). Which pastor is it that sees you come regularly to be discipled and led, and sees you loving and trusting God enough to yield him the love and submission to which God calls you?
If you bristle at the thought of embracing what Jesus calls you to — which one of you is "Lord," again?
And if you fall into unrepentant sin, which assembly will even know of it, let alone discipline you? Jesus says you need that, too (Matthew 18:13-20). I don't care what complex, high-sounding Dagwood sandwich of excuses you can slap together. If you say you don't need to be in a local assembly, you say you're smarter than Jesus, and are sufficient.
Fool!
And remember, that Jesus you say is your "Lord" said that the second most important thing in the world is to love your neighbor (Matthew 22:39). He moved Paul to tell you your fellow-church-member is your premier neighbor (Galatians 6:10). That's where you take all that rich doctrine (Ephesians 1—3), and live it out in community (Ephesians 4—6). That's where you do all those dozens of "one anothers."
And if you tell yourself that your spouse or children are all the "one anothers" you need, God already said "No." If you insist, you put your judgment over God's.
Meaning that, whatever your mouth professes, your choices say you find God's judgment deficient, and yours superior.
Meaning you're a fool and a de facto blasphemer — whether you intend to be or not.
And you thereby bring harm on your spouse and children, by preaching and living a lie to them.
That's for starters.
So, Jesus — your "Lord" — says you need to be in a local church. You say you don't?
Which one to believe? You? Or Jesus? You? Or Jesus? Hmm.
Here's the problem, I think. I've said a word thirteen times: Lord. The confession of Jesus as Lord is fundamental to Christian faith (Romans 10:9; 1 Corinthians 12:3; Philippians 2:11). In repentant faith, we bow the knee to Christ's Lordship.
I think the problem with a lot of these late-blooming hippies is, at root, authority. They don't like to have to sit still and listen while someone else talks. They don't like someone else being in charge. They don't like being encouraged to join, commit, join in, be with, commit themselves, be accountable, be answerable.
Our race was bitten with an anti-authority bug when great-grandma bought the "You shall be as gods" line, and great-granddad followed her lead. But conversion — real conversion — deals with that bug.
It all really comes back to Jesus, the Lord. You may not like the idea of being accountable to a man, or a group of men. You'd rather sit home, watching TV or listening to tapes. Whenever you want, wherever you want. No yucky people to be patient with; don't have to listen to all their whiny problems and needs. No need to adjust to different accents, different ways of thinking, different cultures. Just you, you, you.
But Jesus — the Lord — commands you to go to church, join in church, participate in church, and submit to the God-ordained human leadership of the church.
That's your issue. Is Jesus your Lord in reality, or in theory alone? When convenient, or no? Are your ego and control-issues the boundary of His Lordship?
See you in church.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)