Rajesh

“Thoroughly Equipped to Witness for Christ”!

January 21, 2015

Lord willing, I will have the opportunity to preach a four-message series on Sunday mornings in February entitled “Thoroughly Equipped to Witness for Christ.” In my messages, I plan to treat many key passages in Acts that pertain to missions and evangelism.

As the Lord brings me to mind, I would appreciate prayer for Spirit-filled skillfulness for handling the Word properly in each message. If you happen to be in the Greenville area next month, I would like to invite you to come to hear these messages at Iglesia Bautista de la Fe in Greenville, SC.

In Preaching, Spanish

A Key Recommendation Based on the Profound Glory of Theophilus

January 17, 2015

(I took this post down temporarily to correct an unintentional but serious factual error that I made originally: Because Moses wrote the Pentateuch, he, and not Luke, wrote far more of the Bible than any other writer of Scripture did.

I apologize for the inaccuracy of this post in its original form. Here is the corrected post.)

Analyzing in various ways the 66 books that the Holy Spirit inspired holy men of God to write reveals some striking and instructive facts about Scripture. After listing several of these facts, this post presents a key recommendation that stems from the profound distinction that Theophilus has among all people that have ever lived.

Noteworthy Facts about Scripture

1. The book of Psalms has the most chapters (150), verses (2,461), and words (43,738) of any single book of the Bible.¹ Psalms is the only book of Scripture that we know with certainty was written by multiple authors.

We also know that many of the individual Psalms were written especially for specific people (the choir director, etc.). Moreover, we do not have any explicit indication that all the Psalms were specifically addressed initially to any one individual.

2. Moses wrote five books of the Bible, Genesis-Deuteronomy. These books combined comprise 5,852 verses and 156,736 words.

Moses authored far more verses and words of the Scripture than did any other author.² Although his five books were for the children of Israel and were to be read to them, the books do not explicitly say that they were written for any specific individual.

3. Paul wrote 13 books of Scripture, far more than any other author of Scripture did. The Pauline Epistles comprise 2,033 verses and 43,487 words, which are both slightly less than the corresponding numbers for Psalms.

Paul addressed some of his epistles to individuals and others to groups of people, which means no single individual (or group) was the divinely intended initial recipient of all of Paul’s writings.

4. Although Luke wrote far fewer books than Paul and Moses did, and the combined size of his two books (Luke and Acts) is far less than the totals for the works of Moses, Luke’s writings are greater in both words (50,184 versus 43,487) and verses (2,158 versus 2,033) than the Pauline Epistles are when they are treated as a unit.

Compared to Psalms, although Luke-Acts has fewer verses (2,158) than the Psalms (2,461), it has more words than Psalms does (50,184 [Lk-Acts] versus 43,738 [Psalms]).

Although Luke wrote far fewer verses and words of Scripture than Moses did, he did write more of the New Testament than any other writer did.³

Luke wrote both of his books to the same man, Theophilus.

The following table helps us see further the significance of these facts:

The Profound Glory of Theophilus

The analysis of Scripture above underscores the biblical importance of Luke-Acts in comparison with the writings of other major contributors to Scripture. When we then also take into account that Scripture informs us explicitly that both Luke and Acts were written to the same person (Theophilus), we learn that God inspired far more Scripture to be written to Theophilus than He did to any other human being that has ever lived!

Moreover, Theophilus is the only person to whom we know with certainty God directed that two genres of Scripture be written (a Gospel; Acts). These facts show that the vast numbers of believers who have never thoroughly studied Luke-Acts as a unit should do so in order that they might be blessed in the same way that God blessed Theophilus by bestowing upon him the profound glory of being the initial recipient of Luke-Acts!

¹All basic statistics in this post are for the books in English in the KJV and are based on the Detailed Stats available in the Search Statistics Window of BibleWorks 7.

²Moses also wrote Psalm 90, so the totals for the numbers of the verses and words that he wrote are actually greater than this but those additional verses and words do not affect the comparisons made in this post in any significant way.

³If Paul also wrote Hebrews, his writings would total 2,336 verses and 50,392 words. Paul would then have written more words of Scripture than Luke did, but he still would have written far less of Scripture than did Moses.

In Bible reading, Theology

Why Do Some Editions of the KJV Do This in Acts 11:12?

January 13, 2015

I have read Acts 10:1-11:18 more than 50 times over the past 25 years. In spite of all those previous readings of this passage, I observed something a few days ago while reading an edition of the KJV that I have never noticed before in Acts 11:12.

What I observed still puzzles me because so far I have not been able to figure out any good reason for why this edition of the KJV (as well as some others) has a clear reference to the Holy Spirit printed the way that it does in Acts 11:12. To understand the issue with how this text reads in this edition, we first have to look at an earlier text in Acts 10 that directly ties to 11:12 in a very close way.

A Clear Reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:19-20 That Is Capitalized

In Act 10, Luke relates at length how God worked in the lives of both Cornelius and Peter to bring Peter to Caesarea to evangelize Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:1-25). As part of God’s remarkable supernatural work to bring about this encounter, Peter testifies to direct divine revelation that was verbally given to him by the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:19).

In the Broadman and Holman Publishers 1988 Bilingual edition that has the Santa Biblia and the Holy Bible in parallel columns,¹ Acts 10:19 reads this way:

Act 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.

²⁰ Arise therefore, and get thee down, and go with them, doubting nothing: for I have sent them.

The Holy Spirit (Acts 10:19) directed Peter to go with the three men who had come to him from Cornelius and even told him that He had personally sent them Himself (Acts 10:20)! Because to pneuma in this verse is indisputably a reference to the Holy Spirit and not Peter’s own human spirit, editions of the KJV that have the word spirit capitalized here have correctly rendered it so.

A Clear Reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts 11:12 That Is Not Capitalized

As part of his testimony that explained why he went in to uncircumcised people and ate with them (Acts 11:2-3), Peter testified that the Holy Spirit had directed him to go with the men that had come to him. In the B&H 1988 Bilingual edition, Acts 11:12 is printed as follows:

Act 11:12 And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house:

¹³ And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter;

Notice that verse 12 has “spirit” in it in a statement that is Luke’s recording Peter testifying about precisely the same event that Luke speaks of in Acts 10:19-20. Unquestionably, the word spirit in this verse is a reference to the Holy Spirit yet this edition of the KJV has “Spirit” in Acts 10:19 but “spirit” in Acts 11:12.

Why Is This Difference in Capitalization Present in Some Editions of the KJV?

This difference in capitalization does not (and could not) have anything to do with differences in manuscript readings, such as textual variants, etc. Why then is this puzzling difference present in some editions of the KJV?²

If you have any reasonable ideas for why some editions of the KJV do this, I would appreciate hearing from you.

²Two other editions that I have that have this same difference in these readings are the Riverside Book & Bible House Holy Bible Old and New Testaments in the King James Version (Printed in England by Eyre and Spottiswoode Limited Her Majesty’s Printers, London) and The Gideons International 1977 Edition of The New Testament of Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ with Psalms and Proverbs (Copyright 1968 by National Publishing Company Philadelphia, Pa.).

In Bible reading, Biblical Languages

How Acts 9:17 Teaches Us Not to Commit a Very Common and Serious Interpretational Error

January 9, 2015

Acts 9 is the first of three accounts in the book of Acts that relate the conversion of Saul. After Jesus appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus, Saul was temporarily blinded, and as a result, other people had to lead him into the city of Damascus (Acts 9:8). He then spent three days there in his sightless condition (Acts 9:9).

During that time, the Lord appeared to Ananias, a devout disciple (Acts 9:10; cf. Acts 22:12), and commanded him to go minister to Saul (Acts 9:10-12). After having his objections answered with firm insistence by the Lord that he yet must do what the Lord had directed him to do (Acts 9:13-16), Ananias came to where Saul was staying and ministered to him (Acts 9:17-18).

As part of that ministry, Ananias laid hands on Saul and said to him, “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost” (Acts 9:17). This statement provides us with some important information about Ananias that even many otherwise careful readers often overlook.

When Ananias said to Saul that he knew that the Lord had appeared to Saul on the way as he was coming, Ananias testified to his knowledge of something that he could not have known as an eyewitness because he was not present when the Lord appeared to Saul. How then did Ananias know that the Lord had appeared to Saul on the road to Damascus?

Based on the information supplied by Luke in Acts 9 and 22, we have no indication that any of the other people that were with Saul when the Lord appeared to him had come before Saul did to Ananias and told him what had happened to Saul. The only way that Ananias, therefore, could have known that the Lord had appeared to Saul on the way as he was coming to Damascus was for the Lord Himself to have informed Ananias about His doing so.

The report of the Lord’s appearing in a vision to Ananias (Acts 9:10-16), however, does not say anything about Jesus’ having told Ananias about His appearing to Saul on the road to Damascus. Because Ananias nevertheless testified to Saul of his knowing about that event, we must conclude that Luke has not provided us with an exhaustive record of what the Lord said to Ananias when He appeared to him to direct him to go to minister to Saul.

This observation is critical to keep in mind when we make statements about what was or was not said by people in other events recorded in Acts (as well as also in the rest of Scripture). We learn from this analysis of Acts 9:17 in its larger context that it is a serious error to assert that something was not said on a particular occasion just because a brief report of that event in Scripture does not say anything about such a statement.¹

Let us learn from this study not to commit this very common and serious interpretational error!

¹Here are four examples of false conclusions that people have come to by committing this error:

—Philip did not preach about the Resurrection of Jesus to the Ethiopian official, and he was saved without testimony to the Resurrection (Acts 8)

—Paul did not preach about repentance in Damascus (Acts 9)

—Paul and Silas did not testify to the Resurrection of Jesus to the Philippian jailor, and he was saved without hearing about the Resurrection (Acts 16)

—Paul failed to preach the gospel in Athens because he did not preach about the Cross or about the name of Jesus (Acts 17)

In Interpretation

20,000 Views of My Site (according to Jetpack)!

January 5, 2015

A few minutes ago, the Site Stats utility on Jetpack registered that I now have had 20,000 views of my site overall since I started using Jetpack to track views on my site. Although the actual overall number that I have had is no doubt higher because I did not have Jetpack until quite some time after I began to post on my blog, I am encouraged by having objective information about reaching at least this milestone! Praise God!

In Ministry, Testimony

Una breve testimonio sobre la lectura de la Biblia

January 5, 2015

Me convertí en un cristiano en algún momento durante la primera semana de enero de 1990. Es difícil de creer que era hace 25 años ahora!

Dios se ha mantenido fiel a mí todos estos años, a pesar de mi continuamente en su defecto. En esta mi cumpleaños espiritual vigésimoquinto, me gustaría dar las gracias y alabar al Padre de las luces, que es el dador de todo don bueno y perfecto, por darme una nueva vida en Cristo Jesús (Santiago 1:17-18)!

Estoy muy agradecido por haber tenido el privilegio de leer la Biblia completa al menos una vez cada año de mi vida cristiana hasta el momento. Gracias, Padre Celestial, por ponerme en un país donde tuve la oportunidad de tener la libertad de hacerlo!

En mis primeros veinticuatro años como creyente, he leído la Biblia en Inglés cada año. El año pasado fue especial porque yo era capaz por primera vez de leer toda la Biblia en español!

Después de haber tenido sólo un semestre de español en la secundaria y estudiar español por mi cuenta tan sólo los últimos tres años, por lo que es a través de la Biblia en español en el año 2014 fue especialmente alentador y es un testimonio del poder de Dios para otorgar capacidad especial para los quienes Él dirige a servirle en sus caminos inescrutables.

Dios mediante, espero poder hacerlo a través de la Biblia de nuevo en Inglés en 2015. Tengo pensado también para que lea como gran parte de la Biblia en español como pueda este año.

Si usted es un cristiano, me gustaría animarle fuertemente a hacer lo que usted necesita y puede hacer legítimamente para leer toda la Biblia en 2015. Que Dios nos dé la gracia, el deseo, la diligencia, la disciplina, la fidelidad y la perseverancia para hacerlo para Su gloria eterna y nuestro mayor bien!

¡Gloria a Dios!

In Spanish, Testimony

How James 4 Illumines Today’s Music Wars and How to End Them Properly

January 3, 2015

In some spirited online discussions that I have observed between evangelicals and fundamentalists concerning their differences about music that is acceptable for worship, evangelicals have often asserted that the fundamentalists are the root cause of the problems and disunity in worship that exist among Christians today. Of course, I categorically reject that assertion.

In support of my rejection of that assertion, I recently have seen that James 4 illumines key aspects of today’s music wars. The chapter also illumines how to end the music wars properly.

James 4:1-10

James first sets forth the reality of wars and fightings among God’s people and exposes the root cause of such problems—Christians who are seeking their own lustful pleasures and thereby creating strife and division (James 4:1-3).

Application: Concerning differences about music that should be used for Christian worship, believers who strive for the acceptability of music that appeals to fleshly lusts are the ones who are responsible for creating the music wars among God’s people.

James then challenges those believers who are causing strife— through seeking to satisfy their fleshly lusts— about their adulterously seeking friendship with the world (James 4:4-5).

Application: In the debates about what music is appropriate for Christian worship, believers who promote affinity to the world by setting forth as acceptable for worship music that the world has specifically created to promote fleshly lusts are the ones who are causing the strife and division among God’s people concerning worship music.

James further rebukes believers who cause strife for their arrogant lack of submission to God and their not resisting the devil. In effect, he counsels them that their seeking to fulfill their lusts by their friendship with the world is a manifestation of their proud resistance to God and failure to resist the devil (James 4:6-7).

Application: Concerning the disputes about worship music, believers who advocate as acceptable for worship music that the world created to appeal to fleshly lusts and that has strong ties to evil supernatural influences upon its creators and performers are the ones who are the root cause of today’s music wars.

James challenges believers who are causing wars and fightings among God’s people to humbly draw near to God and deal properly with their sins (James 4:7-10).

Application: Concerning the current battles about music that is acceptable for worship, believers who promote the use of music that was created by the world to feed fleshly lusts and that has strong ties to evil supernatural influences are the ones who must change if the music wars among God’s people today are to be resolved properly.

James 4:11-12

James next warns believers not to judge one another by speaking evil of one another (James 4:11-12). It is vital to note that the flow of thought in the chapter shows that James does not have in view speech that rightly assesses and confronts believers who through their lustful and adulterous friendship with the world are proudly resistant to God and failing to resist the devil.

Application: Those who advocate for the use of contemporary worship music often charge those who do not with judging them unjustly by what they say about the use of contemporary worship music. Such a charge is invalid because it is right to assess as wrong the use of music created by the world that feeds fleshly lusts and that is sourced in evil supernatural influences upon musicians.

James 4:13-17

James concludes the chapter by rebuking believers who arrogantly boast about what they are going to do in the future (James 4:13-16). He warns them that failure to do what one knows to be right is sinful (James 4:17).

Application: Some evangelical promoters of contemporary worship arrogantly speak assuredly of the future virtually complete triumph of contemporary worship among the people of God. Many of these people also profess that music choices are strictly about personal preferences and yet speak disdainfully of those who reject contemporary worship, which puts them in violation of what they know is right to do about how believers are to handle differences about things that they believe are disputable things.

Conclusion

If today’s music wars are to be ended properly, all believers must carefully and thoroughly examine themselves in light of how James 4 illumines these wars and fightings among God’s people concerning worship music. Through such an examination and a proper response to it, we can resolve these problems and the disunity among God’s people resulting from them.

In CCM, Exposition, Music, Theology

25 Years of Being a Christian!

January 1, 2015

I became a Christian sometime during the first week of January in 1990. It’s hard to believe that was 25 years ago now!

God has remained faithful to me all these years in spite of my continually failing Him. On this my 25th spiritual birthday, I would like to thank and praise the Father of lights, who is the giver of every good and perfect gift, for giving me new life in Christ Jesus (James 1:17-18)!

I am very thankful for having had the privilege of reading the entire Bible at least once every year of my Christian life so far. Thank you, Heavenly Father, for putting me in a country where I was able to have the freedom to do so (1 Tim. 2:2b)!

In my first twenty-four years as a believer, I read the Bible through in English each year. Over the years, I also made it through the Bible twice in biblical Greek.

This past year was special because I was able for the first time to read the whole Bible in another modern language—Spanish! Having had only one semester of Spanish in Junior High and studying Spanish on my own for just the past three years, making it through the Bible in Spanish in 2014 was especially encouraging and is a testimony to the power of God to grant special ability to those whom He directs to serve Him in His inscrutable ways.

Lord willing, I hope to make it through the Bible again in English in 2015. I’m also thinking about reading through the Apocrypha in English and Greek this year. I plan also to read as much of the Bible in Spanish as I can this year.

If you are a Christian, I would like to encourage you strongly to do whatever you need to and can do legitimately to read the whole Bible in 2015. May God give us all the grace, desire, diligence, discipline, faithfulness, and perseverance to do so for His eternal glory and our highest good!

In Bible reading, Exhortation, Testimony

Does Pregnancy Resulting from Rape Justify an Abortion?

December 29, 2014

When a rapist impregnates a woman, she has to decide whether she will get an abortion to end the pregnancy. Does the fact that she was unjustly violated and impregnated justify her aborting the child that she now is carrying? Does the prospect of her suffering additionally if she were to have to carry the child, give birth to it, and possibly raise it justify an abortion?

Having recently had an animated discussion with some family members about this subject, I have been thinking a lot since then about what biblical considerations must be taken into account to answer these questions properly. Although I have come up with several truths that point to the right answer, considering God’s role in human conception seems to be a key truth that helps me further to answer these questions decisively.

God’s Role in Human Conception

Scripture records multiple instances when couples eagerly desired to have children but were not able to until God saw fit to bless them so that the women were able to conceive:

1. Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 15:3; 21:1-2)
2. Jacob and Rachel (Gen. 30:2, 22)
3. Elkanah and Hannah (1 Sam. 1:5, 19)
4. Zacharias and Elisabeth (Luke 1:7, 13; 24-25)

These accounts make clear that human conception is not something that happens automatically or even randomly when a man and a woman have intimate relations. Whenever a woman conceives, it is because of the work of God in granting her conception (cf. Gen. 20:17-18).

Pregnancy Resulting from Rape

Based on the truth that conception takes place only when God wills that it be so, a woman who becomes pregnant through her being raped needs to consider carefully that God has allowed her to conceive the child that she is now carrying in spite of the horrific way in which she was impregnated. Apart from God’s willing that it be so, she would not have become pregnant even though she was raped.

Recognizing that God has granted her conception, she should consider prayerfully why He has allowed that to happen. Even though it will mean additional suffering for her to carry the child, she can be confident that God has purposed that she do so (1 Pet. 4:19).

A Christ-like Delight to God’s Will for Her Life

When she struggles greatly to accept what God has allowed to take place in her life, she can look to Jesus as her perfect Example of One who by the grace of God suffered unjustly at the hands of many wicked people because God willed that it be so (Acts 2:23; 4:27-28; Heb. 2:9; 1 Pet. 2:21; 3:18). Through His perfect acceptance and submission to God’s working in His life, Jesus was able with delight to offer His body to God to do God’s will for His life (Heb. 10:5-10).

Similarly, by the grace of God, a woman who is impregnated by a rapist may yet delight to yield up her body and life to God to bear the child that He has allowed her to conceive. By willingly accepting and enduring the additional suffering that doing so will bring, she will come to understand and appreciate what Christ has done for her in a special way that other people will not.

What’s more, by choosing to love the innocent child that God has allowed her to conceive, she will experience the joy of choosing to yield up her life to God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1-2) for the good of another whose life God has entrusted to her for His glory. Through submitting in this way to God’s will for her life, she will become more Christ-like in delighting to do God’s will for her life.

Conclusion

May God use these thoughts to spare the lives of innocent children who were conceived through their mothers being raped. May He profoundly bless women who have become pregnant in this horrible way by directing them to choose to be Christ-like in choosing life for their unborn children in spite of the awfulness of how they were conceived.

In Discipleship, Theology

Praise God for the Eternal Legacy of the Tribe of Benjamin!

December 27, 2014

Reading this week in the book of Romans, I was struck by a statement that points us to a glorious dimension of the eternal legacy of the tribe of Benjamin. Upon consideration of this truth, every believer should have a profound thankfulness for this specific aspect of the legacy of the youngest son of Jacob and Rachel.

On two occasions in his writings, the apostle Paul testified that he was of the tribe of Benjamin:

Rom 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Phi 3:5 Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee;

Through the Spirit’s inspiring him to write at least 13 New Testament epistles^[1] and through his leading role in many additional ways in the founding and advancement of so much of the early Church (Acts 9-28; cf. 2 Pet. 3:15-18), every Christian should have a profound lifelong thankfulness for the eternal importance of this specific dimension of the legacy of the tribe of Benjamin!

Let us praise God for the eternal legacy of the tribe of Benjamin!

^[1] Paul wrote Romans; 1 &2 Corinthians; Galatians, Ephesians; Philippians; Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians; 1 & 2 Timothy; Titus; and Philemon. Many believers think that he may have authored the Book of Hebrews as well.

In Exhortation, Theology

Archives For rajesh

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Noteworthy Facts about Scripture

The Profound Glory of Theophilus

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A Clear Reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts 10:19-20 That Is Capitalized

A Clear Reference to the Holy Spirit in Acts 11:12 That Is Not Capitalized

Why Is This Difference in Capitalization Present in Some Editions of the KJV?

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James 4:1-10

James 4:11-12

James 4:13-17

Conclusion

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God’s Role in Human Conception

Pregnancy Resulting from Rape

A Christ-like Delight to God’s Will for Her Life

Conclusion

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