Rajesh

Archives For rajesh

An Excellent Example of the Value of Comparing Scripture with Scripture

June 29, 2013

Acts 10 and 17 record two key accounts of apostolic evangelism of Gentiles. A careful comparison of the accounts reveals a number of important parallels between the two passages. Attention to these parallels provides us with a biblical basis for rejecting a common wrong assessment of the latter account.

1. Both accounts record evangelistic ministry to very religious but unsaved Gentiles.

— Act 10:1 There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, ² A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God alway.

— Act 17:22 Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars’ hill, and said, Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious. ²³ For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with this inscription, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.

2. In unusual ways, lost people directed the evangelists in both accounts to minister to the lost people that they evangelized.

—An angel appeared to Cornelius and told him to send men to summon Peter to come preach to him (Acts 10:3-6; 22; 30-32; 11:13-14). God then gave Peter a perplexing vision followed by the Spirit’s speaking directly to him to direct him to go with the lost men whom Cornelius had sent to him to summon him (Acts 10:9-20).

—Paul was taken to the Areopagus by men who heard him preaching about what they thought were “strange deities” (Acts 17:18-19).

3. Both accounts feature the evangelism of lost authority figures.

—Peter preached to Cornelius, a centurion in Caesarea (Acts 10:1)

—Paul preached at Mars Hill to people who were secular authorities (Acts 17:19).

4. Lost people prompted the evangelists on both occasions concerning what they wanted to hear from them.

—Cornelius explained to Peter how an angel told him to send for him so that he and his entire household would hear from him the words by which they would all be saved (Acts 10:33 cf. 10:22; 11:13-14). He also told Peter that they were all gathered before God to hear all that God had commanded Peter (Acts 10:33).

—The lost philosophers who took Paul to the Areopagus told Paul that they wanted to know what the meaning of his new teaching was (Acts 17:19-20).

5. Both accounts record apostolic proclamation of God’s posture toward all people.

—Peter told Cornelius that God is an impartial Judge who accepts in every nation those who fear Him and work righteousness (Acts 10:34-35).

—Paul told the Athenians that God made all the nations of men of one blood and has predetermined their appointed times and habitation so that they would seek Him (Acts 17:26-27). He also proclaimed that God is now commanding all men everywhere to repent (Acts 17:30).

6. Both accounts emphasize the Father’s work in, for, and through Jesus.

—Acts 10 highlights that the Father anointed Jesus with the Spirit and with power (Acts 10:38), and that He raised Jesus from the dead, showed Him openly, and appointed Him to be the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:40-42).

—Acts 17 underscores God’s determination of a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He has appointed (Acts 17:31a). It also says that the proof of that fact is that God raised that Man from the dead (Acts 17:31b).

7. The evangelistic messages climaxed on both occasions with truth about the universal vital significance of Jesus as the God-appointed Judge.

—Act 10:42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. ⁴³ To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

—Act 17:30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: ³¹ Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.

8. Both accounts emphasize key truths that believers should tell to all people everywhere.

—Peter told Cornelius that Jesus commanded the apostles to preach and solemnly testify that He is the One appointed by God as the Judge of the living and the dead (Acts 10:42).

—Paul told the Athenians that God is now commanding all people everywhere to repent and that God has given all men proof of the vital significance of the resurrection of Jesus in connection with the Judgment Day and Judge that He has appointed (Acts 17:30-31).

9. Both Peter and Paul preached “Jesus and the resurrection” to their hearers.

—Peter preached that the God-resurrected Jesus commanded the apostles to proclaim a specific message and that through belief in that Jesus people receive the forgiveness of their sins (Acts 10:40-43).

—Paul was asked to explain the meaning of his preaching Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17:18-20). His message at Mars Hill, therefore, was his explanation of his preaching about Jesus and the resurrection that he had preached earlier in the marketplace to at least some of his hearers who were now also present at Mars Hill. When Paul climaxed his message with a declaration about God’s raising a Man from the dead (Acts 17:31), at least some of his hearers thus knew that Jesus was that Man.

These parallels do not support the view that some hold that Paul “failed” in his evangelistic ministry in Athens because he took a philosophical approach with his hearers instead of preaching the gospel about Jesus to them. Rather, a careful comparison of Acts 10 with Acts 17 shows that Peter and Paul preached the gospel to Gentile authorities in very similar ways on these two occasions.

From these two sterling evangelistic accounts, therefore, we should learn many key principles about how we are to evangelize lost people. We should also learn from our analysis of them that thoroughly comparing Scripture with Scripture is vital for a proper interpretation of Scripture.

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation, Preaching

“The Just Shall Live by Faith: A Faith that Works” — Lesson IV (6/23/13)

June 25, 2013

The Cornelius Event and Its Aftermath

I. Supernatural Preparation A (Cornelius’ encounter with an angel) and Cornelius’ Faith 10:1-8

—An angel of God revealed to Cornelius that he was not saved in spite of his being a devout, God-fearing, family centered, charitable, given-to-prayer, and just man with a nationwide good reputation. He would only be saved by hearing specific words from a specific person, Peter.

Cornelius obeyed immediately, showing his genuine faith even though he was not yet saved. He thus exemplified the teaching of Hebrews 11:6.

II. Supernatural Preparation B (Peter’s vision of the sheet) 10:9-16

—Through a remarkable vision that was repeated three times, God showed Peter that he should not call any man unclean.

III. Supernatural Preparation C (The Spirit speaks directly to Peter) and Peter’s faith 10:17-24a

—The Holy Spirit spoke directly to Peter to command him to go with the men whom the Spirit had sent to him. The Spirit thus was preparing supernaturally both the sinners who would be evangelized and the evangelist who would evangelize them.

Although he did not yet fully understand what the Spirit was intending to do through him (cf. Acts 10:29, 34), Peter obeyed. He showed his faith by doing so.

III. Cornelius Further Demonstrates His Faith 10:24b-29

—Believing what the angel said about his household being saved, Cornelius gathered his relatives. He also gathered his close friends, showing his faith that they would also be saved through hearing Peter’s message.

IV. Cornelius Provides Peter with a Striking Prompt for His Message That Further Showed His Faith 10:30-33

—Cornelius told Peter that they were all gathered together before God to hear all that God had commanded him to speak to them. Saying this, Cornelius showed his faith that it would be the totality of Peter’s God-given message that would save him and not just meeting Peter himself.

V. Peter’s Message 10:34-43

—Peter’s message includes two remarkable statements that correlate directly with teaching that we have studied from multiple passages. He testified that Jesus was the Spirit-anointed One who delivered everyone who was oppressed of the devil. Saying this, he in effect testified to Jesus’ being the Seed of the woman promised in Genesis 3:15.

Moreover, Peter declared that Jesus had commanded the apostles to testify that He was the One appointed by God as Judge of the living and the dead. He thus testified to the same essential truth that we have seen repeatedly in our examination of several passages in previous lessons.

His doing so at the climax of his message signals the importance of this truth in the message that brought salvation to all his hearers. He also communicated that the Great Commission that Jesus gave to His disciples included this truth that is not found explicitly anywhere else in the passages that are traditionally considered to be the Commission passages.

VI. The Spirit Ends Peter’s Message 10:44

—The Spirit decided when Cornelius and those with him had heard all that they needed to hear to be saved. His doing so further highlights His role in this evangelistic encounter.

VII. Responses of Believers 10:45-11:19

1. Responses of believers present in Caesarea 10:45-48

—The circumcised believers who came with Peter were amazed that the gift of the Spirit was also poured out on the Gentiles. Peter argued on that basis that no one should withhold the water for these to be baptized. He then commanded them to be baptized. This account clearly refutes the teaching of baptismal regeneration because all these people were saved prior to their being baptized.

2. Widespread dissemination of news about the Cornelius event 11:1

—The believers throughout Judea heard that the Gentiles had received the Word of God, showing that this event was unique in that sense.

3. Opposition in Jerusalem from circumcised believers 11:2-3

—Circumcised believers in Jerusalem confronted Peter about going and eating with Gentiles.

4. Peter’s defends himself by rehearsing what that took place 11:4-17

—Peter defended himself by rehearsing how God had supernaturally directed every facet of what took place and argued therefore that he was not anyone who could therefore stand in God’s way.

5. Positive response from circumcised believers who had been critical of Peter 11:18

—The circumcised believers were satisfied with Peter’s defense and glorified God in response to what He had done to grant the Gentiles the repentance that leads to life.

VIII. Importance of the Cornelius event in the Proceedings of the Jerusalem Council 15:1-29

1. Jewish false teaching in Antioch about Gentile salvation 15:1

2. Intense conflict results among believers and leads to the church of Antioch’s decision to send representatives to Jerusalem to address the issue 15:2

3. Report of intervening activities on their trip to Jerusalem 15:3

4. Reception in Jerusalem by three groups of believers 15:4

5. Jewish false teaching in Jerusalem about Gentile salvation 15:5

6. Leadership meets to respond to the false teaching 15:6

7. Much debate and then Peter’s address to the Council 15:7-11

8. Barnabas and Paul’s address to the Council 15:12

9. James’ decisive remarks to the Council 15:13-21

10. Leadership chooses representatives to send to Antioch with a letter relating the conciliary decision 15:22

11. The Council’s letter 15:23-29

IX. Trip to Antioch and delivery of the letter to the church at Antioch 15:30

X. Joyful response of the church at Antioch to the reading of the letter 15:31

XI. Judas and Silas speak at length to encourage and strengthen the people 15:32

XII. Representatives from Jerusalem sent back in peace to those who had sent them out 15:33

Please note: rather than reiterating in detail what I taught about these points in Sunday school, I refer you to my post that brings out many of the key ideas that I developed from this passage: Putting Peter in His Place: Learning Evangelistic Theology and Practice from the Jerusalem Council. In fact, this post treats key ramifications of this passage that I did not have time to develop in Sunday school.

See the other lessons in this Sunday school series here

For more on the glorious account of Cornelius’ salvation, see The Salvation of a Good Man

In Ministry, Sunday School

Is This One Key Reason That Many Christians and Churches Today Are Weak?

June 24, 2013

Acts 15 and 20 record two instances of ministry in the early churches that many Christians and churches today think would not be proper for believers in most cases. In many churches, such ministry would be strongly unwelcome, and many people would not tolerate it if their pastors or other ministers would choose to minister to them in this way.

A close look at these accounts, however, suggests that such ministry would be highly profitable for all believers in every church. The following treatment of these passages examines whether the lack of such ministry is one key reason that many Christians and churches today are weak.

Acts 15

Following the Jerusalem Council, the church at Jerusalem sent Judas and Silas along with Paul and Barnabas to Antioch (Acts 15:22). They sent with these men a letter that related the Council’s determinations (Acts 15:23-29).

Arriving in Antioch, these men gathered with the congregation there and brought joy to them through the encouragement that the letter provided (Acts 15:30-31). Because Judas and Silas were also prophets, they further ministered to the brethren (Acts 15:32).

Luke specifies that these two men “exhorted the brethren with many words, and confirmed them” (Acts 15:32). Through proclaiming a lengthy message to the congregation, these ministers encouraged and strengthened them.

In many churches today, however, long messages are not welcome. Some church leaders even assert that if you cannot say what you have to say in a fairly short amount of time (for example, some say messages should be about 30 minutes long), you are not properly ministering the Word to people.

The example of Judas and Silas in Acts 15 refutes such viewpoints and supports holding that believers today need lengthy messages to encourage and strengthen them. An account of Paul’s ministry in Acts 20 confirms this assessment about what we need as believers today.

Acts 20

In Troas, Paul and eight other men who had accompanied him (Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychichus, Trophimus, and Luke; Acts 20:4 cf. “we” in Acts 20:6) met with other believers on the first day of the week to observe the Lord’s Supper (“break bread”; Acts 20:7a). Paul began preaching to them, with the intent that he would leave the next day (Acts 20:7b).

Paul prolonged his message until midnight (Acts 20:7c). Undoubtedly, Paul, therefore, preached to them for at least more than an hour and probably for much longer than that.

A young man named Eutychus fell asleep during Paul’s lengthy message and fell out the window from the third floor (Acts 20:8-9). Although the believers thought that he had died (Acts 20:9), Paul “fell on him, and embracing him” assured them that he was still living (Acts 20:10; cf. 20:12).

Amazingly, Paul then returned back upstairs to observe the Lord’s Supper with the brethren (Acts 20:11a) and then continued to minister to them “for a long while, even till break of day” (Acts 20:11b) and then departed (Acts 20:11c).

In most churches today, if a preacher were to preach for an hour before observing the Lord’s Supper with the congregation, many people in the churches would complain about the length of the message and many likely over time would stop coming to those churches. Paul, however, did not just preach for more than an hour before observing the Lord’s Supper with them—he continued to preach to them for quite some time after eating the Lord’s Supper with them!

What’s more, the near tragic fall of a young man in the congregation who fell asleep because of the length of Paul’s initial message did not deter Paul from further ministering to the believers after the young man had fallen. In most churches today, the occurrence of something even remotely similar to what happened with Eutychus would be prime evidence that many believers would use to argue strongly that the preacher should not preach so long that young people in the church fall asleep because of the length of the message.

Christians Today Need Lengthy Messages to Encourage and Strengthen Them

The scriptural record in Acts 15 and 20 of preaching ministry in the early church shows that the apostolic company believed that Christians back then needed lengthy messages to encourage and strengthen them. Similar indications of an apostolic viewpoint that people need lengthy ministry include the following:

(1) “And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation” [Acts 2:40], which shows that Peter continued preaching for a long time after preaching the message that we have recorded in Acts 2:14-39.

(2) “And I beseech you, brethren, suffer the word of exhortation: for I have written a letter unto you in few words” [Heb. 13:22], which reveals that the writer of Hebrews considered the entire book of more than 300 verses to be a brief message! What, then, must he have thought would comprise a lengthy message?

Based on this biblical data and the widespread consensus that the Church has great needs among its people today, I believe that a key reason that many Christians and churches are weak today is because they are unwilling to endure lengthy preaching of the Word. Let us allow these passages from Scripture to renew our minds so that we will eagerly embrace lengthy ministry of the Word to us from God’s appointed ministers whenever He directs them to minister in such a way to us!

In Exhortation, Exposition, Preaching

How Numbers 11:17 Helps Us Understand How to Bear One Another’s Burdens

June 21, 2013

Numbers 11:17 provides profound revelation about Moses that we are not given in any of the preceding accounts about Moses in the Pentateuch. It appears also to give us important insight about how we are to bear one another’s burdens.

God’s Provision of Seventy Elders to Assist Moses

Numbers 11 begins with a report of God’s judging His people for their complaining about some unspecified hardships that they were experiencing (Num. 11:1-3). Following that sobering account, Moses tells of how the mixed multitude and the Israelites complained about their no longer having some of the foods that they used to enjoy in Egypt (Num. 11:4-6).

After three verses describing the manna and what the Israelites did with it (Num. 11:7-9), Moses records how he himself complained to God about the difficulties he was having to endure because God had laid the burdens of all these sinning people on him (Num. 11:10-13). He told the Lord that he was unable to bear all these people alone because the burden of doing so was too heavy for him (Num. 11:14).

Moses even asked God to kill him because the strain was so great upon him (Num. 11:15)! The Lord responded by instructing him to gather unto him 70 elders from Israel and bring them into the tabernacle with him (Num. 11:16).

The Lord then made a striking statement about what He was going to do so that Moses would no longer have to bear the burden of the people by himself:

“And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone” (Num. 11:17).

Saying this, He revealed key information about Moses that merits close attention for several reasons.

The First Revelation in Scripture That the Holy Spirit Was Upon Moses

Scripture first speaks of Moses in Exodus 2. From Exodus 2 to Numbers 10, Scripture provides far more information about Moses than about any other person—Moses is mentioned by name 394 times in these 76 chapters.

In spite of that wealth of Scriptural revelation about Moses, we are not told that the Holy Spirit was upon Moses until the statement recorded in Numbers 11:17. Undoubtedly, the Spirit was upon Moses and others long before the incidents that are recorded in Numbers 11 took place (cf. Is. 63:9-14), but for reasons about which we have no information, God chose not to reveal that fact in Scripture until this point.

The Holy Spirit Was the One Who Had Been Enabling Moses to Bear the Burdens of the People

Numbers 11:17 does not just teach us that God’s Spirit was upon Moses; it also shows us that the Spirit was upon Him to enable him to bear the burdens of the people. Sound theological reasoning would imply this truth even if we did not have this statement, but these words make that truth clear.

Moreover, because God had decided that He would provide 70 additional people who would help Moses bear those burdens from this point onward, He said that He would take of the Spirit that He had put upon Moses and put Him on them as well. Through their also having the Spirit upon them, they would have the enablement necessary for them to help Moses bear the burden of the people so that he would not have to do so alone.

The Holy Spirit Is the One Who Enables Us to Bear the Burdens of Others

The teaching of Numbers 11:17 reveals that the 70 men who would help Moses bear the burden of the people would do so through the Spirit’s being upon them. Based on that teaching, the closely parallel New Testament teaching in Galatians 5-6 suggests the same is true for us, as follows.

At the end of Galatians 5, Paul commands believers to walk in the Spirit so that they will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Gal. 5:16). He reiterates that teaching with a mutual exhortation to walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25).

He then commands those who are spiritual to restore anyone who is overtaken in a fault (Gal. 6:1). The flow of thought from 5:16-25 and the nature of this ministry to fellow believers requires spiritual in 6:1 to mean more than just a person who is a believer.

Rather, it means someone who is walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16, 25), being led by Him (Gal. 5:18), and manifesting His fruit in his life (Gal. 5:22-23). Only such a person is able to restore those who have yielded to temptation (implied in Galatians 6:1 by the words, “lest thou also be tempted”), even as the Israelites spoken of in Numbers 11:1-10 had fallen into complaining against God.

To such spiritual people, Paul further commands, “Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2). This command appears to parallel conceptually the role that the 70 elders had in aiding Moses.

Through the Holy Spirit, We Must Bear One Another’s Burdens

Numbers 11:17 in its context compared with Galatians 6:1-2 in its context points to the key to our being enabled to bear one another’s burdens—the fullness of Holy Spirit’s work in us. Let us actively care for those who have been overtaken in faults by being the people of the Spirit that God commands us to be (Gal. 5:16-6:5)!

In Discipleship, Exhortation, Exposition, Theology

Praise Ye Our Father

June 18, 2013

Praise Ye Our Father is a simple song that I wrote today for my guitar students. Even though it is easy to play, it has a profound message!

It is in the key of G and only uses four chords (G, D7, Em, and B7). Here are a PDF (notes for the melody, chords, and chord diagrams) and an audio mp3 of the melody of the song.

You may use this song in a ministry context provided you do not change any of the words and you provide copyright information to anyone whom you distribute it. Please contact me for any other use of the song.

In Guitar Music, Music

“The Just Shall Live by Faith: A Faith that Works” — Lesson III (6/16/13)

June 16, 2013

Last week, we saw that Habakkuk expressed his faith in God’s promises to him by praying and singing about those promises. We then looked at Psalms 75 and 94, which corroborate the same truth.

We then examined Luke 18:1-8 because it is clear NT teaching that also teaches us similarly. We saw that the elect (Luke 18:7) are just people who live by faith. Their righteous living by faith expresses itself in their praying to God day and night for Him to grant them justice (Luke 18:7). By faith, they long for the coming of the Son of Man who will be God’s agent to bring about justice for them (Luke 18:8).

Today, we continue to examine our theme, The Just Shall Live by Faith: A Faith That Works, by looking at the next account, Luke 18:9-14. This passage transitions us to considering directly how our theme pertains to evangelism, which is one of our major objectives for this study.

Luke 18:9-14

Jesus told this parable about two men who came to the temple to pray. The Pharisee prayed proudly about how he was better than other people were and touted his own religious activities, but the publican abased himself before God.

In Psalm 75, we saw that God the Judge exalts those who humble themselves and humbles those who exalt themselves. Applying that teaching to Jesus’ concluding statement about these two men (Luke 18:14), we learn that He justifies those who humble themselves by praying to Him that He would be merciful to them as sinners.

The publican displayed what Heb. 11:6 teaches about faith; he came to God believing that God was the merciful Judge who would reward with mercy those who come diligently to Him seeking mercy. This passage, therefore, correlates directly with what we saw about Abraham’s interceding with the Judge of all the earth (Gen. 18:25) for mercy upon sinners.

This parable teaches that for a lost person to become just by faith, he must believe that God is a merciful Judge who will justify him as a sinner if he humbles himself before Him. It also plainly shows that a person who tries to be saved by his works will not be saved.

I have used this passage evangelistically many times. It is excellent for dealing with people who think that God will accept them because they are not as bad as other people are or because of the religious things that they do. It also provides a model prayer for guiding a sinner in praying to God to have mercy on him for his sins.

Acts 10

Our previous account was in Luke. The natural place to go next to learn more about how prayer pertains to a lost man who becomes one of the just who live by faith would be to go to Acts because it is the sequel that Luke addressed to the same man (Theophilus) to whom he wrote the Gospel of Luke. In fact, Luke-Acts comprises more of the NT than the writings of any man, including Paul (unless Paul wrote Hebrews).

Like Luke 18, Acts 10 concerns a lost man who prayed to God. It also provides more information about how faith and works relate in a lost person’s becoming just by faith.

This evangelistic account is important for our study for many more reasons, including the following:

1. Whereas the previous passage was a parabolic account, this account relates an event that actually happened.

2. It is the longest record concerning an apostolic evangelistic encounter that we have in Scripture – 66 verses (Acts 10:1-48; cf. 11:1-18).

3. It explicitly records divine activity to bring lost people to salvation in a way unmatched by any other evangelistic account, both in the preparation of the evangelist and of the lost people who would hear his message.

4. It answers in a decisive way some crucial questions about how faith and works relate, such as do people have to be baptized to be saved.

5. It is the only account of mass evangelism where every person who heard the message was genuinely saved.

6. It ties directly to much of what we have already studied about our theme

Because of the importance of this passage to our study, we will treat it both this week and next week.

A Selective Exposition of Acts 10 with Reference to Our Theme

I. Supernatural Preparation A and Cornelius’ Faith

Through a remarkable encounter with an angel, God informed Cornelius that He had heard his prayers and had remembered his alms. Strikingly, we as the readers of Luke are given four reports of this angelic encounter.

The angel instructed him to send for Peter, through whose words Cornelius and his entire household would be saved. Although he was still a lost man, he obeyed immediately, showing his faith in what God had revealed and promised to him.

II. Supernatural Preparation B

Peter went up to pray on the top of the house in which he was staying. While he was there, God gave him a perplexing vision that was repeated three times. Luke provides two separate reports of this vision that God used to prepare Peter for his evangelistic ministry to Cornelius and his household.

III. Supernatural Preparation C

While Peter was pondering the meaning of the vision, the men whom Cornelius had sent arrived where he was staying. The Holy Spirit then spoke to Peter to inform him that because He Himself had sent these men, he should go meet them and return with them to Cornelius.

When Peter inquired of them why they were looking for him, they informed him that Cornelius had sent them to him at the direction of the angel who had appeared to him. Peter hosted them for a day and on the next day departed with them to Caesarea.

IV. Cornelius Further Demonstrates His Faith

When Peter and those who were traveling with him arrived at and entered the house of Cornelius, they found that he had gathered his household and his close friends. Gathering his family, Cornelius showed that he had believed what the angel told him about how he and his household would be saved by hearing a message from Peter.

Remarkably, Cornelius, however, also had gathered his close friends with his relatives to hear Peter’s message. He thus showed faith that went even beyond what the angel had said to him.

V. Cornelius Provides Peter with a Striking Prompt for His Message That Further Showed His Faith

Encountering Peter, Cornelius fell at his feet and worshiped him. Peter rebuked him for doing so.

Peter explained how God had directed him to come meet him and then inquired why Cornelius had sent for him. Cornelius explained that he had sent for him because the angel who appeared to him told him to do so in order that he might hear words from him by which he and his entire household would be saved.

Cornelius then told Peter that they all were there before God to hear all that the Lord had commanded him to tell them. Saying this, he showed his faith that it was Peter’s God-given message that was essential for them to hear.

Next week, we will look at the rest of Acts 10 and then examine Acts 11:1-18. From there, we will go to Acts 15.

See the other lessons here

In Ministry, Sunday School

Are You Profiting From the Old Testament the Way God Wants You To?

June 14, 2013

After 23 years of reading through the Bible at least once each year, I marvel even more at its incomparable and inexhaustible profundity! It is amazing to me that God continues to teach me and show me glorious things from passages that I have read carefully so many times.

In fact, I now genuinely believe that I actually know only a very minute fraction of the truth that the Spirit has given in His word. This growing awareness of how little I know at times stirs a deep longing in my soul for wishing that I knew so much more than I do.

My sense of limited knowledge is especially keen right now concerning the Old Testament. Studying numerous passages in the Old Testament, I have found glorious truths that have spoken powerfully to me and provided answers to concerns that I have (for example, see this post about how God’s dealings with a Philistine king should affect our praying).

The Immense Importance of the Old Testament for New Testament Believers

Through what God has been showing me from the Old Testament recently, He has rekindled in me a profound sense of the importance of the Old Testament for us as New Testament believers. Several New Testament passages speak directly to this matter.

Romans 15

Although most believers know that Paul provides vital teaching in Romans 14 about how to handle questionable matters among believers, many overlook that his teaching on that subject continues into Romans 15:1-7. In this overlooked teaching, Paul asserts that the entire Old Testament was written to profit us as New Testament believers:

Rom 15:4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Apart from our thorough reception of the entire Old Testament, we will thus lack what we need to know in order to handle debatable matters properly (for example, see this post concerning the issue of abstaining from alcohol). We also will not have the patience, comfort, and hope that God wants us to have.

1 Corinthians 9:9-10; 10:1-6

In his even longer treatment in First Corinthians of how to handle issues of Christian liberty (8:1-11:1), Paul similarly asserts that what was written in the Pentateuch was written for us:

1Co 9:9 For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen?

¹⁰ Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.

Based on this Mosaic teaching, Paul argues for what was right for the Corinthians to do for him and others who had ministered to them spiritually (1 Cor. 9:11-14). He thus teaches us again that handling issues of Christian liberty properly requires that we profit properly from what the Old Testament teaches us!

Furthermore, writing about many events that happened to the children of Israel in the Exodus and during the wilderness wanderings (1 Cor. 10:1-5), Paul later reveals a crucial function of the examples in the Old Testament:

1 Co. 10:6 Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted.

New Testament believers are supposed to learn from their example not to lust after evil things, as they did! If I, therefore, do not read repeatedly about what happened to them, I will be lacking vital instruction given by God to keep me from lusting after evil things that I encounter in areas that pertain to Christian liberty.

Hebrews 12:5-6

Like Paul, the writer of Hebrews declares the value of the Old Testament for New Testament believers:

Heb 12:5 And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:

⁶ For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

In verse 5a, the writer of Hebrews says that his readers have forgotten the exhortation that speaks unto them as to children. He then quotes Proverbs 3:11-12. Based on this teaching, we know that Proverbs 3:11-12 is our Father’s exhortation to us as New Testament believers and not just teaching that was for the Old Testament believers to whom Proverbs was first written!

We Must Profit Fully from the Entire Old Testament

The passages treated above reveal that the Old Testament is of essential importance for New Testament believers. This is especially true for us concerning the debatable matters that so vex God’s people today.

Many believers today lack fullness of knowledge about sinful things that they must not partake of or do because they do not receive properly the full value of the Old Testament. Paul makes clear that the New Testament does not exhaustively list all the evil deeds of the flesh (cf. “and such like” [Gal. 5:19-21]), and we learn of many such evil things only by thoroughly profiting from the Old Testament.

For example, in the area of music, it is the Old Testament, and not the New, that gives us clear understanding that there are sinful styles of music that God does not accept in the worship of His people (see Is Scripture Silent about Musical Styles That are Inherently Unacceptable to God?). Through unawareness of or lack of thorough attention to this Old Testament teaching, many believers today lack this vital understanding.

We must profit fully from the entire Old Testament the way God wants us to (2 Tim. 3:15-17). The only way we will do so is if we individually read the entire Bible over and over again throughout our lives.

Are you profiting from the Old Testament the way God wants you to?

In Bible reading, Discipleship, Exhortation

Short Chords and Chord Shapes

June 12, 2013

Learning the shape of short chords is an important guitar skill because they are useful for playing slash chords (for example, Bb/D) and for playing chord melody solos. Short chords are played on only three strings instead of full chords that use four, five, or six strings.

To start learning short chords, a beginning guitarist should focus on treble-string short chords. Short Chords and Chord Shapes is a handout that presents the basic major and minor chord shapes for these chords.

1. Study the rows in the handout one row at a time to learn these basic shapes that are formed by connecting from right to left the three dots that show the notes in each chord.

Treble-string short chords (Major chords):

(Row 1) Root on 3rd string – checkmark

(Row 2) Root on 2nd string – arrow pointing down

(Row 3) Root on 1st string – up ramp to right

Treble-string short chords (Minor chords):

(Row 4) Root on 3rd string – diagonal right

(Row 5) Root on 2nd string – arrow pointing left

(Row 6) Root on 1st string – line

2. Use the blank chord diagram grids to draw and label three additional chord diagrams for each row.

In Guitar Music

Is Scripture Silent about Musical Styles That Are Inherently Unacceptable to God?

June 10, 2013

Many believers today hold that Scripture does not have any teaching about musical styles that are inherently unacceptable to God. This post treats several passages to assess the validity of this common viewpoint.

The Singing of Fools

Solomon declares, “It is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools [Heb. kesil]” (Eccl. 7:5). Many will argue that he does not say that it is wrong to hear the song of fools; it is just better to hear the rebuke of the wise. In addition, they will also argue that “the song of fools” refers to the foolishness of the people doing the singing and the content of what they sing, but it does not say anything about the style with which they sing.

We know from other Scripture that these fools [Heb. kesil] reject the truth that God hears and sees (Ps. 94:8-9). Thus, they sing without taking any heed to divine accountability for what and how they sing.

These fools hate knowledge (Prov. 1:22) and reject the reproof of God and His offer to pour out His Spirit upon them (Prov. 1:23). What they sing, therefore, certainly is not the product of the Spirit’s filling.

Doing mischief is like a sport to them (Prov. 10:23) and their hearts proclaim folly (Prov. 12:23). To depart from evil is an abomination to them (Prov. 13:19).

These fools rage and are confident in their evil ways (Prov. 14:16). The hearts of these fools are in “the house of mirth” (Eccl. 7:4), signifying that they are eager seekers of pleasure. We can be certain that such fools would pursue and employ perverse ways of singing and even seek to devise conspicuously evil music.

Based on the teaching of Scripture about fools, we can be certain that “the song of fools” is something that the Spirit would never produce in people whom He fills (Eph. 5:18-19). Any singing, therefore, that mimics or tries to adapt “the song of fools” somehow for Christian worship would clearly be unacceptable to God.

The Singing of Drunkards

David testifies that he was “the song of the drunkards” (Ps. 69:12). As with Ecclesiastes 7:5, some people will argue that this statement only speaks about those who did the singing and the unacceptable content of what they sang and not about the style of their singing.

Because being drunk, however, entails not having proper mental awareness and a lack of proper control of oneself, this statement does not just refer to the unacceptability of the people who sang and what they sang. Their style of singing was also unacceptable because it was produced by people whose minds could not properly control their bodies to sing acceptably.

Amos 6:4-8 records the musical improprieties of people who were in Zion who drank wine abundantly. Correlating Psalm 69:12 with Amos 6:4-8 points to the ungodliness of both what these drunkards (Ps. 69:12) sing and how they sing it. (For more on the teaching of Amos 6 about music, see The Relevance of Amos 6 for the Music Debates of Our Day.)

Obviously, “the song of the drunkards” was not the product of Spirit-filling (Eph. 5:18-19). Mimicking or adapting their style to Christian worship certainly would be unacceptable to God.

The Singing of a Harlot

Isaiah prophesied that Tyre would “sing as an harlot” (Is. 23:15). He provides further information about such singing by saying, “Take an harp, go about the city, thou harlot that hast been forgotten; make sweet melody, sing many songs, that thou mayest be remembered” (Is. 23:16).

A harlot, by biblical definition, engaged in immoral behavior. In keeping with the mercenary goal of her activities, she used every means possible to enhance her sensuality and seductive appeal to maximize her earnings (cf. Luke 15:13, 30).

To “sing as an harlot,” therefore, cannot be limited only to the identity of the woman and the sensuality of the lyrics (cf. Prov. 6:24; 7:21) that she sings. It necessarily entails as well the maximized sensuality of her dress (Prov. 7:10; Jer. 4:30; Ezek. 16:16) and her makeup/ jewelry/hairstyle/ facial expressions (Prov. 6:25; 7:13; Jer. 4:30; Ezek. 16:39; 23:40; cf. Is. 3:16-26).

Moreover, her bodily movements (cf. the unstated but clear sensuality of the dancing of Herodias’ daughter [Matt. 14:6-7]) and vocal techniques were specifically designed to maximize her sexual appeal (for an example of the sensual use of vocal techniques, listen to this audio of a woman who sings Happy Birthday sensually).

It also involved her playing a musical instrument (“take a harp”) and having an extensive repertoire (“sing many songs”). She was one who in fact was skilled “to make sweet melody.”

Thus, her singing was skillful and beautiful to hear, but it was also sensual to the core. Such music patently could never be the product of the Spirit’s filling a believer.

From this analysis of biblical teaching about harlots, we certainly can conclude that to “sing as an harlot” is a style that is unacceptable to God because of its sensuality. Any Christian music, whether traditional or CCM, that has even the slightest similarity to the music produced by those who “sing as an harlot” is unacceptable to God.

Conclusion

Contrary to much popular thinking among believers today, Scripture is not silent about musical styles that are unacceptable to God. The Spirit-filled music that God demands from believers who seek to worship Him corporately does not have any likeness to the songs of fools, drunkards, or harlots.

Those who have created and popularized worldly styles of music such as rock ‘n’ roll display numerous characteristics of the fools whose song Scripture refers to (Eccl. 7:5). Typically, the producers of these worldly styles are also given to drunkenness, and immorality abounds among them.

Christian churches should not imitate the musical styles that any such fools, drunkards, and harlots employ when they sing in ways that manifest the flesh at work in man (Gal. 5:19-21). Filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18), those who have allowed the word of Christ to dwell in them richly (Col. 3:16), including the passages about music that were treated above, will sing in a style that is distinct from these reprobates and is acceptable to God (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16).

In CCM, Exposition, Music, Theology

“The Just Shall Live by Faith: A Faith that Works” — Lesson II (6/9/13)

June 9, 2013

1. Habakkuk 1:1-4 testifies to the appalling lack of justice in Judah at this time. (This reality closely parallels the state of our own country at this time.) When Habakkuk inquired of God about why God was not acting to deal with the situation, God answered by informing Him that He would judge the wicked among His own people through the wicked Babylonians (Hab. 1:5-11).

This revelation perplexed Habakkuk, so he inquired of God how He could use such wicked people to judge His own people (Hab. 1:12-2:1). The Lord answered him with an emphatic assurance that He would judge the wicked Babylonians as well one day and that Habakkuk would have to wait patiently by faith for that promised judgment (2:2-20).

2. When we correlate Hab. 2:2-4 and then 2:5-20 with Psalm 75, we strengthen what we discovered last time about what the just who live by faith must believe. Psalm 75 teaches that God is the Judge who exalts the righteous and abases the proud (Ps. 75:7).

He has promised that He will judge all those who are wicked, and by faith, we must await the fulfillment of that promise (Ps. 75:8). As we await His promised judgment, we are to sing of that promise (Ps. 75:9).

3. What righteous response should those who live by faith have to God’s promise of future judgment of the wicked and salvation of the righteous? Hab. 3 instructs us that righteous response is prayer (Hab. 3:1-2) and music (Hab. 3:19)!

Based on this observation, we understand that living by faith manifests itself in believing prayer and believing singing about God’s promised coming to judge and save.

4. Psalm 94 furthers our understanding of such prayer and music. The psalmist asks the Judge of the earth to lift Himself up to render judgment on the proud (Ps. 94:2; cf. Hab. 2:4). He asks a very similar question to the one that Habakkuk did about how long the wicked would triumph (Ps. 94:3; cf. Hab. 1:2).

He expresses confidence in God’s future judgment of the wicked (Ps. 94:23) and testifies to the Lord as His defense and rock of his refuge (Ps. 94:22; cf. Hab. 3:19). These close similarities between Psalm 94 and key ideas in Habakkuk show us that Psalm 94 is an example of what the just who live by faith should pray and sing.

5. Luke 17:20-18:8 moves us into the NT and directly into the teaching of the Son of Man Himself! The elect (Luke 18:7) are the just who live by faith; what is their righteous living by faith to be like? They must cry to Him day and night for Him to grant them justice (Luke 18:7). They must by faith long for the coming of the Son of Man who will be God’s agent to bring about justice for them (Luke 18:8)!

(For a more detailed treatment of Luke 18:1-8, see Praying for God to Avenge Us)

6. From the flow of thought from Hab. 1-2 to Hab. 3, we learned that prayer is a key way that the just shall live by faith. Our study of Psalm 94 and Luke 18:1-8 corroborated that understanding. What then should we pray?

Here are three Scriptural prayers that the just who live by faith should pray as they await God’s promised judgment on all the wicked:

Hab. 3:2 “In wrath, remember mercy.”

Psa 7:9 “Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins.”

Rev. 22:20 “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

See the other lessons here

In Ministry, Sunday School

Archives For rajesh

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: