Acts 15:41-16:5

Read Acts 15:41-16:5

Last week we looked at the contention that arose regarding John Mark. It appears then that they have agreed to disagree and go their separate ways...so Paul and Silas now go on their way and the Word tells us that they pass through many areas, encouraging the churches they encounter...

But note in this section what it says of Timothy...we are introduced to this future evangelist and pastor and are told that he is only half Jewish...however, since his mother was the Jewish one, he would have been Jewish according to the law...HOWEVER...it is apparent that he was not circumcised and so we see the interesting little drama here played out where Timothy is circumcised! And he is circumcised at Paul's behest, "because of the Jews who were in that region."

Now I don't know how old Timothy would have been at this point...but certainly he was not a child!

In Genesis 34 we have the account of Jacob's sons convincing a whole village to become circumcised...and the Word tells us in verses 24-25 that 3 days later the men are still in such pain that the sons of Jacob come right into the village and slaughter all the men!

So this was not something Timothy could have done and act as if nothing had happened...this was a serious operation being done on him!

Yet remember that Paul had only recently addressed the Jerusalem council and spoken out against requiring circumcision...and we know that in his Corinthians letters as well as in Romans he reiterates that true circumcision is of the heart!

So why the circumcision of Timothy?

One likely answer for this is found in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (read)

Keep in mind that unless Timothy had been knocked out and tied up...he most likely was in full agreement about what was to be done to him...so the purpose of the circumcision was not to bring Timothy into some inner sanctum and full membership in the Church...it was to make him acceptable to those among whom he was to preach..."the Jews who were in that region."

Timothy would preach to the Gentiles and to the Jews and neither would have any reason to reject his ministry...the Jews would see him as clean, the Greeks would know he was of their blood.

So long as no sin was committed then, so long as the circumcision was not entered into as a means to denote salvation or requirement thereof....then what was done should not be seen as a flaunting of the Jerusalem decree...after all...this was the very decree Paul and Silas were engaged in announcing, as we see in verse 4!!


Note now verse 5)
"the churches were strengthened in the faith, and increased in number daily"

I will never tire of addressing this following point since it is obvious from the frequency of its mention in the Word that it is very important!

So this is what comes to mind as I read verse 5:
It was necessary for the church leadership to bring about a decree and settle dissension in the ranks...and having proclaimed the decisions of the elders and apostles, the church was solidified, strengthened, and encouraged by Paul, Silas, and now Timothy...and the church grew!

It was the soundness of the church...it was the focus on correct teaching, if you will, that led to growth of the church...

Now I realize, trust me, that it was the Holy Spirit that caused this growth to occur...but what I am saying is that the kind of healthy growth a church needs is that which comes when sound doctrine is taught...and when the practice of holy living is encouraged...required even.

Growth WILL come to a church that compromises with the world...growth WILL come to a church that fails to stand on God's Word...we have only to look at the cults for proof of this...But that kind of growth, without any sound doctrine to cause it...without the encouragement and presence of holy living, of exhortation, and of accountability...that kind of growth is NOT an indicator of a successful church...no matter how huge the numbers...such a church is NOT successful and should not be emulated! Look to Acts for a church worthy of emulation...look especially to Acts 2:42.

Let us pray

Acts 14:1-18

Read Acts 14:1-7

We see in these first couple of verses that Paul and Barnabas reach Iconium and there enter the synagogues again…and the Holy Spirit used them in a mighty way yet again, for we read that many Jews and many Gentiles come to faith…and even in the midst of this triumph discord is brought about by the unbelieving Jews…seeking to turn the people against the messengers of God we are told that they begin to poison the minds of people.

Why this response from the Jews?

Well realize this my brethren: we should not be surprised to see these things recorded here because we see the same thing today whenever the Word of God is obediently preached!! People respond to the truth by embracing it or hating it! And believe me whenever a preacher focuses on teaching the Word of God and stops worrying about what people think of him then both these responses will take place!! Because those whom the Spirit draws will respond with faith, the Believer will respond with joy or repentance, and the non believers in the congregation who are hardened will respond with annoyance and anger at a sermon that does not make them comfortable where they are at!!

So the response we read about here is commonplace even today where His Word is preached. Again, do not be surprised when people respond with anger to the preachign of the Word of God!

But look carefully at verse 3)
“Therefore, they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord…”

What does the “therefore” refer to?

I am convinced it refers directly to verse 2! What can we, what should we, learn from this?

If nothing else, we should be led to be bold ourselves!! Bold in our preaching of the Word and in our proclamation of the Good News! It means that little things such as opposition should not deter us!

Look now at 2 Timothy 4:1-2

Some would say that this is an example of prescriptive verses to pastors and teachers. I respectfully disagree with this view…I am convinced here that this exhortation is for all Believers in the sense that we are all to be about the business of God…we present the truth to our neighbors, to our family, to our friends, to our children! When you do it, do it like Barnabas and Paul did, without any thought to what the negative reaction might be! Be faithful to the presentation and then let God do the work of salvation! And when we do encounter opposition, all the more we should be willing to proclaim truth!

Look now again at the text)

The city is divided and physical harm is threatened…and they move on. But notice verse 7...”And they were preaching the gospel there”

You would think that Paul and Barnabas would begin taking it easy…but they do not.

Everywhere they go they encounter opposition…yet they don’t say to themselves, let us rethink how we are doing this…no they continue to preach the gospel…they did not need, with all due respect, to contemplate any 40 days of purpose…they did not need to canvas the communities to see what it was they would want included in any preaching done there…they did not need to spend some time learning and practicing oratory…no...all they needed they already had…the Holy Spirit! They went with one intent only…to preach the gospel that is Jesus the risen Lord!

Read Acts 14:8-18

I love this passage very much because of how indirectly Paul and Barnabas teach us to whom the glory must always go and how they so emphatically give credence to John the Baptist’s words “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30) But more on that later…

For now, look closely at the first couple of verses here:

We see the stage set here for the mighty response from the people…here was a man well known to be a cripple from birth…he had NEVER walked. There was no possible way that the miracle could be explained by any rational manner…Paul speaks to him and says stand up…and the man leaps up! And he walks…a man who from birth had never taken a step, this man jumps up and begins to walk…likely he did not just walk calmly but he walked quickly towards the apostles and thanked them and rejoiced…

Note now the reaction of those around…those who knew this man…those who would be in a position to know that this man was not faking his handicap…(read again verses 11-13)
Such is the amazement, such is the power of God before these people, that the apostles are proclaimed to be Greek gods!!!

But what is even more wonderful…what I so love about this passage, is how Barnabas and Paul react…(read again verses 14)

Do you understand this? Hearing themselves proclaimed gods because of the manifested power of God…they tear their clothes…they are wounded…they are filled with sorrow…and they quickly run in to correct this error as we see thru verse 17...

Brothers and sisters…this must always be our first and foremost desire…to reflect His glory…for His glory!

If you preach well, make sure you point to Christ…
If you teach well, make sure you point to Christ…
Anything and everything we do should point to Christ and never should we be tempted to boast in anything but our Lord who gives us the abilities that we have…

Listen closely brothers and sisters...any preacher, any teacher, any missionary, any deacon…if they are in it for their own exaltation then they are doing it for the wrong reasons!

Take pains, brothers and sisters, to make sure that all that we do points to Him and Him alone!

Amen?

Let us pray

The Importance of Expository Preaching

Why rewrite what someone else has already excellently addressed right? I hope everyone takes a moment to visit the link below. It is to Dr. Mohler's blog and it addresses the title of this post. Enjoy!!

http://almohler.com/blog_read.php?id=1025

Youth Group at Heritage Bible Church

Hello everyone! Tonight I wish to share a little about the youth group at the church we are attending. Since the youth group meets on Thurday nights when the only other thing going on is practice for the music worship team, I don't just drop off my boys but actually sit in on the event, which is from 7pm to 8:30pm.

Back before the cold weather set in, the evening would start off with an outdoor activity, whether it be volleyball, bocci (sp?), or slip and slide. Now, however, the evening begins with some billiards or ping pong or some other inside game. This lasts for about 30 minutes and then the group gathers around for some singing followed by a lesson. Two weeks ago the group started in on a study book called "Fundamentals of the Faith" which is put out by Grace Community Church (John MacArthur). I am very impressed with it so far. Anyhow, what I like the most about the youth group is the attitude of the leaders, which was summed up by some comments I heard today. Our youth leader is actually one of the elders of the church (the associate pastor) and he has a passion for teaching kids the Word of God. He focused today on what the Scriptures say about Jesus Christ...how the OT promises, anticipates, and presents Him, while the NT manifests, reveals, and explains Him.

In the midst of all of this he told the kids present that what he wants most of all is for them to love and treasure the Word of God because it is the only way to know our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He then told them bluntly and without apology that the purpose of a youth group is not to have fun but to study the Word of God. He asked them whether or not they spend all day having fun or not...and then asked them how much actual time they spend studying their Bibles. Therefore, he said, it should not be too much of a burden to come together for about an hour once per week and focus on Him. Not that having fun was bad, and that the games we start out are okay, but that the main focus is not the games but the Word. He told them that if because of the focus on the Word of God some feel that it is too boring and they don't want to come that he is okay with that. And trust me, he wasn't being rude...just trying to get across to them how much he values obedience to God (in his case obedience meaning the teaching of His Word).

He told the kids that when he was young he attended a youth group that focused mainly on having fun...occasionally opening up the Bible for a few minutes. He said how so many of his friends were into drugs...kids who were attending youth group! The failure of those leaders was that they thought bringing these kids into the youth group and keeping them there was more important than actually teaching them! Boy, did that bring to my mind the youth group at the church I previously attended!

Anyhow, I was so impressed by his words, as I've been impressed since we began attending this church regularly. It's funny how a few months ago my wife and I had been having semi-serious discussions about moving to Spokane to be near family...but only a few days ago I told my wife that there is no way I can leave the area now...because I have finally found a church where His Word is pre-eminent in the pulpit and in the youth group. I haven't felt so well fed in many many years and I cannot leave this area in order to go somewhere else where I might not find the same thing!

That's all I wanted to share! :)

"The Dawkins Delusion?" by Alistar McGrath and Joanna Collicutt McGrath

ISBN #978-0-8308-3446-4

I'm sure that most of you have heard of the rabidly anti Christian book, "The God Delusion" by Richard Dawkins. In "The Dawkins Delusion?" (97 pages) we find a reasonable and intelligent rebuttal to the rantings of Dawkins. Before going any further, I must point out to whomever is reading this review that Alister McGrath is certainly no fundamentalist Christian and definitely not a Creationist. There are few places, however, where he says anything negative as regards the two groups previoulsy mentioned (I would clump the two into one group but with such men as Hugh Ross about I suppose it is possible to be a self described fundamentalist and still not believe in the traditional, and correct, view of creation).

Alister McGrath (whom the book jacket describes as the main author) is a professing Believer, and takes exception to Dawkins' attack upon religion as a whole and Christianity in particular. In his four chapters (1: Deluded About God? 2: Has Science Disproved God? 3: What Are the Origins of Religion? and 4: Is Religion Evil?) McGrath engages Dawkins point by point and gives a worthy defense of religion.

The following is a lengthy quote that will serve to give the reader a taste for what the book is like. It is in regards to a portion of Dawkins' book in which he accuses religon of being evil:

"...A worldview is a comprehensive way of viewing reality that tries to make sense of its various elements within a single, overarching way of looking at things. Some, of course, are religous; many are not. Buddhism, existentialism, Islam, atheism, and Marxism all fall into this category. some worldviews claim to be unversally true; others, more in tune with the postmodern ethos, view themselves as local. None of them can be "proved" to be right. Precisely because they represent "big picture" ways of engaging with the world, their fundamental beliefs ultimately lie beyond final proof.

And here is the point: worldviews can easily promote fanaticism. Dawkins treats this as a defining characteristic of religion, airbrushing out of his accound of violence any suggestion that it might be the result of political fantaticism -or even atheism. He is adamant that he himself, as a good atheist, would never fly airplanes into skyscrapers or commit any other outrageous act of violence or oppression. Good for him. Neither would I. yet there are those in both our constituencies who would. Dawkins and I may both disavow violence and urge all within our groups to do so. But the harsh reality is that religious and antireligious violence has happened, and is likely to continue to do so..."

One other quote to whet your appetite; this from the last page of the book:

"Dawkins seems to think thast saying something more loudly and confidently, while ignoring or trivializing counterevidence, will persuade teh open-minded that religious belief is a type of delusion. Sadly, sociological studes of charismatic leaders--religious and secular--indicate that Dawkins may be right to place some hope in this strategy. For the gullible and credulous, it is the confidence with which something is said that persuades rather than the evidence offered in its support. Yet the fact that Dawkins relies so excessively on rhetoric rather than the evidence that would otherwise be his natural stock in trade clearly indicates that something is wrong with his case. Ironically the ultimate achievement of The God Delusion for modern atheism may be to suggest that this emperor has no clothes to wear. Might atheism be a delusion about God?"

Good stuff huh? :) Read it for more!

"A Primer on Free Will" by John H. Gerstner

ISBN #0-87552-272-6

This little booklet (only 28 pages) was a fun read and I highly recommend it to everyone. In it, John Gerstner addresses the issue of predestination in a warm and captivating manner, using a method that brought to mind C.S. Lewis' "Mere Christianity." If you have never read that book I suggest you do so, although Lewis and Gerstner stand on opposite sides of the "Free Will" debate, Lewis having been a heathen Arminian (ha ha!) :)

Seriouly though, even if Gerstner's argument fails to convert you to the Reformed view of the will, it will benefit everyone to read this treatise and his arguments are sure to take you back to the Scriptures themselves. The first 12 pages of the book are made up of an interesting and humorous discussion between the author and the reader, in which Gerstner discusses the events that have led to the reader picking up his booklet.

The following is found on page one:
"Dear reader, you have in your hands a booklet entitled A Primer on Free Will. I don't know you, but I know a good deal about you. One thing I know is that you did not pick up this book of your own free will. You have picked it up and have started to read it, and now continue read it, because you must do so. There is abosolutely no possibility, you being the kind of person you are, that you would not be reading this book at this time."

Doesn't that sound like something (theological implications aside) that Lewis might have penned? The rest of the book after page 12 consists of a fictional dialogue between Gerstner and a reader in which they discuss free will.

So again, whatever your own doctrinal leanings, I urge you to read the book...you won't regret it! By the way, if Gerstner sounds familiar, he is also the author of another wonderful book entitled "Repent or Perish."

I'm Baack! :)

Hello to whomever reads these posts (besides myself!).

I have not posted at all this month, and since it is already the 16th of the month this means that I am overdue on at least two posts because I had committed to post at least once per week! Well I will remedy some of that this evening since I have a couple of book reviews I've been wanting to post.

What has been happening? Well my family and I just returned from Spokane Washington where we visited our extended family. We had a great time and it was a joy to touch base with everybody and to get a chance to spend some time with one of my brothers in law whom I don't know very well. He is in the Army and I think I'd only met him once or twice before. Well he's a decent fellow and I hope I will get to know him better in the years to come.

One of my greatest treats is to spend time with my mother in law and and her parents and talk theology and I did a bit of that! Loved every minute of it even if I didn't get to do as much of it as I would have liked! The only negative aspect of the visit was that I had been looking forward to chatting and sharing with one of my sisters in law whom I love dearly and who challenges my thinking whenever we speak. Oh well...next time!

Well that's it really! We are back home and I am ready to pick up where I left off. The Lord willing I will post more regularly than I have before. I look forward to doing so! :)