Discipleship | A People for His Name

Bridges on Fearing God

August 14, 2011

The person who fears God realizes that life cannot be compartmentalized into spiritual and secular but must all be lived as God directs us in His Word. This person consistently and habitually reads and studies the Bible to determine what he should believe and how he should live. The God-fearing person seeks after “the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness” (Titus 1:1). He or she wants to know the truth, not just intellectually but in a way that promotes growth in godliness.

—Jerry Bridges, The Joy of Fearing God, 140

In Quotes

Great Free Sheet Music Program!

August 13, 2011

Yesterday, I downloaded an updated version of MuseScore. This is a great program for a great price—it’s free!

Here’s info from the website about the program:

MuseScore is a free cross-platform WYSIWYG music notation program that offers a cost-effective alternative to commercial programs such as Sibelius and Finale.
You can print beautifully engraved sheet music or save it as PDF or MIDI file.
Some highlights:
WYSIWYG, notes are entered on a “virtual note sheet”
Unlimited number of staves
Up to four voices per staff
Easy and fast note entry with your keyboard, mouse, or MIDI keyboard
Integrated sequencer and FluidSynth software synthesizer
Import and export of MusicXML and Standard MIDI Files
Available for Windows, Mac and Linux
Translated in 43 languages
GNU GPL licensed

I especially appreciate having a music notation program that allows me easily to listen to how even very complicated music should sound. Using this program in my own practicing is undoubtedly going to help me learn very difficult rhythm patterns that I otherwise may never have been able to learn on my own!

I look forward to using this program to produce many quality resources to train Christian guitarists in the future, D.V.

In Music

Jesus' Call to a Commandment-Centered Making of Disciples

August 12, 2011

Recently, I have read a number of blog posts that concern current debates about being centered on the gospel, the grace of God, etc. Because I have not myself read the actual book-length works of the various leading authors who are propounding these views, I am not able to assess thoroughly the validity of what these who advocate this approach to the Christian life are saying.

Nonetheless, after reading these posts, I find my thoughts gravitating to Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20 as decisively showing what kind of life Jesus has called us to live:

“And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

Because these verses as so well known, a detailed exposition is unnecessary. In brief, they stress that Jesus has called His disciples to make disciples of all nations by baptizing them and teaching them.

What Jesus specifies about the teaching that must take place is noteworthy. He stressed to His disciples that they must disciple others by teaching them to obey everything whatever He had commanded His disciples themselves to obey. He thus plainly enjoined a focus in discipleship of teaching people all that Jesus has commanded and directing them to obey all that Jesus has commanded.

Based on this analysis, I believe that any teaching that ultimately results in a de-emphasis on Jesus’ call to a commandment-centered making of disciples is not supported by Scripture.

In Discipleship, Interpretation

Every Thought Obedient to Christ

August 10, 2011

A comparison of two passages reveals a vital point about making a person a disciple of Christ:

“Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen” (Matt. 28:20).

“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:3-5).

Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations by teaching them to obey everything that He had commanded His disciples themselves to obey. Paul spoke of our warfare as intended to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

Taken together, these passages suggest that making people disciples of Christ at its essence involves engaging in spiritual warfare to bring them to have their all their thinking captive to the obedience of Christ. How will we make them such disciples?

Psalm 1:3 surely shows us one essential aspect of how we are to do so—we must teach them to have their delight in God’s Word and meditate in it day and night! Apart from their having such a total absorption with God’s own thoughts, their being a disciple whose every thought is captive to the obedience of Christ will be impossible.

In Bible reading, Discipleship

A Bottle of Cold Water

August 7, 2011

On Saturday afternoon, a pastor and I went canvassing in a very wealthy neighborhood. We were putting flyers for our upcoming evangelistic services on the front doors of the homes in the subdivision.

Many of the houses had yards that seemed to be a block long or more. We split up to cover as much ground as possible. It was very hot, but the huge trees in many of the yards provided a very welcome shade cover for me.

After about 45 minutes or so, it began to rain. I chided myself for not bringing along an umbrella.

As I walked toward yet another home, the owner was mowing his lawn with his riding mower. I signaled to him to give him our flyers. After he had come to meet me, I explained what we were doing, and he graciously received the info and thanked me.

He then extended himself to me in a very gracious way that I was not at all expecting. He offered for me to go to his garage to wait until the rain stopped. I eagerly accepted his offer and hurried over to his garage.

In a short while, he met me at the garage, and I explained a little more about who I was and what I was doing. He shared that he went to another church in the area and expressed appreciation for what I was doing.

He then told me to wait just a minute while he went into his home. He returned shortly with an ice-cold bottle of water for me. After that, he opened the trunk of his Sebring car, took out a small umbrella, gave it to me, and said that I did not need to return it to him.

I thanked him for his graciousness and proceeded on my way. Jesus’ words came to my mind: “And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward” (Matt. 10:42).

Praise God for His kindness to me through this unexpected act from a stranger!

In Testimony

Learning to Glorify God from the Example of the Queen of Sheba

August 4, 2011

Scripture records twice at some length the visit of the queen of Sheba to Solomon (1 Kings 10:1-10; 13; 2 Chron. 9:1-9; 12). Beholding his wisdom and the glory of various aspects of his house (1 Kings 10:4-5; 2 Chron. 9:3-4), she ecstatically spoke of the marvels that she had beheld (1 Kings 10:6-9; 2 Chron. 9:5-8).

She climaxed her ecstatic speech by glorifying the LORD, the God of Solomon:

“Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee, to set thee on the throne of Israel: because the LORD loved Israel for ever, therefore made He thee king, to do judgment and justice” (1 Kings 10:9).

“Blessed be the LORD thy God, which delighted in thee to set thee on His throne, to be king for the LORD thy God: because thy God loved Israel, to establish them for ever, therefore made He thee king over them, to do judgment and justice” (2 Chron. 9:8).

Close attention to these two records of her climactic statement reveals a striking difference that many readers likely have missed, a difference, in fact, that deserves close attention. Whereas the former passage records her as saying that the Lord set Solomon on the throne of Israel, the latter passage records her as saying that the Lord set Solomon on His throne!

Her statement thus closely parallels the striking statement from David that the Lord chose “Solomon [his] son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the LORD over Israel” (1 Chron. 28:4; see my previous post for a treatment of the significance of this statement). Comparing her statement with David’s, we see that the queen of Sheba thus glorified God for setting Solomon on the throne of the kingdom of God!

From 1 Chronicles 28:4 and 2 Chronicles 9:8, we learn that two royal personages declared that God had put Solomon on the throne of His kingdom. Taken together, these passages show that the Spirit of God has highlighted that truth for our profit; we should glorify God for His setting Solomon on the throne of the kingdom of the Lord, even as the queen of Sheba did!

In Discipleship, Interpretation

Who Did John the Baptist Identify Jesus to Be?

August 2, 2011

All four Gospels record the ministry of John the Baptist’s testifying to Jesus (Matt. 3; Mark 1; Luke 3; John 1). Through his ministry, who did John identify Jesus to be?

John 1 informs us that John identified Jesus to be the following: the Light (1:7); the One who was before him (1:15, 30); the LORD (1:23); the Lamb of God (1:29); the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit (1:33); and the Son of God (1:34). Although most believers have understood that John identified Jesus in these ways, there is at least one more way that he seems to have identified Him that many may not have seen.

This likely additional identification pertains to John’s testimony that he “saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove and it abode upon Him” (1:32). He added, “I knew Him not, but He that sent me to baptize with water, the Same said unto me, ‘Upon Whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, the Same is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.’ And I saw and bare record that this is the Son of God” (1:34).

These statements show that John testified about Jesus as the Son of God who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. They also, however, speak of the Spirit’s abiding on Him by using the verb μένω (I am abiding) twice:

BGT John 1:32 Καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης λέγων ὅτι τεθέαμαι τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡς περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν. 33 κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν• ἐφ᾽ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ.

SCR John 1:32 καὶ ἐμαρτύρησεν Ἰωάννης, λέγων ὅτι Τεθέαμαι τὸ Πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ ἔμεινεν ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν. 33 κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν• ἀλλ᾽ ὁ πέμψας με βαπτίζειν ἐν ὕδατι, ἐκεῖνός μοι εἶπεν, Ἐφ᾽ ὃν ἂν ἴδῃς τὸ Πνεῦμα καταβαῖνον καὶ μένον ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ βαπτίζων ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ.

NAU John 1:32 John testified saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33 “I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’

KJV John 1:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

The second occurrence emphasizes that abiding by using a present participle (μένον) to express the continuing nature of that abiding.

A comparison of the teaching of a key OT passage about the Messiah with these statements reveals an important conceptual parallel:

LXE Isaiah 11:2 and the Spirit of God shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and strength, the spirit of knowledge and godliness shall fill him;

BGT Isaiah 11:2 καὶ ἀναπαύσεται ἐπ᾽ αὐτὸν πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύος πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας

NAU Isaiah 11:2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him, The spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and strength, The spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD.

KJV Isaiah 11:2 And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;

Although Isaiah 11:2 in the LXX uses the verb ἀναπαύω instead of μένω, it appears that they are communicating the same concept in these statements. John the Baptist thus identified Jesus to be the Rod and Branch of Isaiah 11!

Support for this interpretation comes from the strong conceptual parallel between the further teaching of Isaiah 11 and John’s testimony to Jesus recorded in Luke 3:

“And shall make Him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and He shall not judge after the sight of His eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of His ears: 4 But with righteousness shall He judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and He shall smite the earth with the rod of His mouth, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked” (Isa. 11:3-4).

“Whose fan is in His hand, and He will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff He will burn with fire unquenchable” (Luke 3:17).

These passages show both the Rod and Branch who had the Spirit resting upon Him (Isa. 11) and the Christ upon whom the Spirit remained (John 1; Luke 3) rendering judgment on both the righteous (“the poor”; “the meek of the earth”; “the wheat”) and the wicked (“the wicked”; “the chaff”).

This analysis thus shows that John the Baptist testified to Jesus as the Spirit-Anointed Rod and Branch who is God’s judicial Agent!

In Biblical Greek, Biblical Languages, Interpretation

Upcoming Evangelistic Services

August 1, 2011

Lord willing, I will be one of four preachers ministering in upcoming evangelistic services for Berean Baptist Church in Fountain Inn, SC. The services begin at 7pm this Sunday, August 6, and run through Wednesday, August 10.

I am scheduled to preach on Tuesday night, August 9. If you are near the Greenville area, I would like to invite you to try to bring some lost people to the services.

As the Lord brings it to mind, please pray for Spirit-filled skillfulness for us in proclaiming the Word and for the Lord to open the hearts of our hearers.

In Evangelism, Ministry, Prayer, Preaching

"We Do Not Get Our Doctrine From Acts"

July 31, 2011

I found the following on a site through searching on Google:

Luke is considered to be the author of the book of Acts. He wrote it around the year 61. We do not get our doctrine from Acts. It is a history of the transition from the Kingdom Gospel to our current Age of Grace dispensation.

(NOTE: The stoning of Stephen took place about 1 year after the nation of Israel rejected and crucified Jesus. Stephens message was of the Kingdom Gospel that Jesus came to fulfill. This was the rejection of the Holy Ghost that put the Kingdom Gospel on hold and ushered in the Age of Grace. In this dispensation we no longer require salvation through the nation of Israel. Now salvation is a free gift from God to all that “BELIEVE” in the Crucifixion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ that takes away the sins of the world. Jew and Gentile are now equal and can only be saved through the message that the Apostle Paul brings to us in Romans Thru Philemon)

—http://www.savedbygrace.com/acts.htm

I disagree strongly with a number of things that this source says.

First, concerning our doctrine, I find no Bible data that teaches me that the book of Acts is an exception to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, which states, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine . . .”

Second, Acts 8:12 shows us that Philip preached the gospel of the kingdom of God in Samaria after Stephen’s stoning. The statement above, therefore, that his stoning “was the rejection of the Holy Ghost that put the Kingdom Gospel on hold . . .” is not supported by the Scripture.

Third, Paul says that he preached the kingdom of God throughout Asia (20:25) in his three years of ministry there (20:31). Furthermore, Luke summarizes Paul’s entire ministry in Rome with two statements that emphasize his proclamation of the kingdom of God (28:23, 31). These bibilical statements do not support a supposed “transition from the Kingdom Gospel to our current Age of Grace dispensation.”

Fourth, it appears that this site views the Pauline Epistles as of singular significance for our day. I do not find biblical justification for this view.

I wonder how many of God’s people over the years have received teaching similar to these statements from this site. Even for those who have not received direct teaching of this type, I wonder how many have through one means or another come to hold such views.

In Gospel, Interpretation, Quotes

The Gospel According to Philip, the Evangelist

July 30, 2011

The apostle Paul teaches the vital importance of the gifted men whom Christ gave as gifts to the Church:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love (Eph. 4:11-16).

This teaching shows that the Church will only be all that it should be when it receives aright the ministry of all these men.

Paul lists evangelists among the gifted men whom Christ gave to His Church. Because Scripture names only Philip specifically as an evangelist, information about him in that regard has unique significance for the perfection of God’s people. Moreover, because only Acts 8 gives us specific information about his gospel ministry, it has unique significance for us in our understanding of gospel ministry.

A thorough assessment of Acts 8 makes clear that verse 12 gives us vital information because it reveals what Philip preached as the gospel:

BGT Acts 8:12 ὅτε δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Φιλίππῳ εὐαγγελιζομένῳ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐβαπτίζοντο ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες.

SCR Acts 8:12 ὅτε δὲ ἐπίστευσαν τῷ Φιλίππῳ εὐαγγελιζομένῳ τὰ περὶ τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἐβαπτίζοντο ἄνδρες τε καὶ γυναῖκες.

NAU Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

KJV Acts 8:12 But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.

Philip preached the gospel (euaggelizomai) about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ. For the Church of Jesus Christ today to be all that God would have it to be, it must profit fully from this revelation about the gospel according to Philip, the evangelist.

In Biblical Greek, Biblical Languages, Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation

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