A People for His Name

Evangelize Jesus and the Resurrection!

February 15, 2011

Concerning apostolic evangelism, few chapters in Scripture provide as much important information as Acts 17 does. With great skillfulness, Luke presents the Apostle Paul’s evangelistic ministry in multiple settings. The chapter records Paul’s evangelizing in three cities (Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens) on at least five separate occasions. We learn of his gospel ministry to Jews and Gentiles, men and women, rich and poor people, devout people and philosophers, and people in synagogues, in the marketplace, and at the Areopagus.

Thorough attention to all that Acts 17 records shows emphasis on Pauline proclamation of “Jesus and the Resurrection” at the beginning, the middle, and the end of the chapter (17: 3, 18, 32). Despite this consistent element of his preaching, some scholars and not a few preachers have asserted, in effect, that Paul more or less “failed” in his gospel ministry at the Areopagus. Lack of explicit record to his testifying concerning faith in the name of Jesus, the Cross, and Jesus as Savior lead many to regard this passage as a record of his departing from his normal evangelistic strategy.

Through three messages that I preached in October 2010, I have addressed such assessments to show that that they are unwarranted. Acts 17:18-34 is not in any sense a monument to Pauline failure in evangelism. Rather, the entire chapter plainly declares that Pauline evangelism at its essence was to evangelize Jesus and the Resurrection.

Acts 17 – Another King

Acts 17 – Make Known the True God

Various passages – Evangelize Jesus and the Resurrection

In Evangelism, Gospel, Interpretation Evangelism, Interpretation

Stress Management Truths from Scripture

February 14, 2011

Proper attention to these truths is essential to our managing stress effectively as Christians:

Proper confession of our own sin: Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. 2 Blessed is the man unto whom the LORD imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile. 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me: my moisture is turned into the drought of summer.

Proper response to others who trespass against us: Matthew 18:32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.

Proper heart state: Proverbs 14:30 A sound heart is the life of the flesh: but envy the rottenness of the bones.

Proper prayer life: Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Proper thought life: Isaiah 26:3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Proper ministry by leaders who properly discipline their bodies and bring them into subjection: Eccl. 10:17 Blessed art thou, O land, when thy king is the son of nobles, and thy princes eat in due season, for strength, and not for drunkenness!

Proper reception of the preaching of the Word of God: 1 Cor. 14:3 But he that prophesieth speaketh unto men to edification, and exhortation, and comfort.

Proper response to adversity: Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.

Proper counsel from friends: Proverbs 27:9 Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend by hearty counsel.

Proper response to godly counsel: Proverbs 13:10 Only by pride cometh contention: but with the well advised is wisdom.

Proper observance of a regular day of rest: Mark 2:27 And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath.

Proper laboring: Ecclesiastes 5:12 The sleep of a labouring man is sweet, whether he eat little or much: but the abundance of the rich will not suffer him to sleep.

Proper strength: Psalm 19:4 In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, 5 Which . . . rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

Proper food & water consumption: Isaiah 44:12 The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals, and fashioneth it with hammers, and worketh it with the strength of his arms: yea, he is hungry, and his strength faileth: he drinketh no water, and is faint.

In Discipleship, Health Health

Resurrection Parable

February 13, 2011

Many people doubt or even deny that Jesus rose from the dead because they think the accounts of the Resurrection in the Bible are filled with contradictions. Through a parable, this post shows how that even if the so-called contradictions were true contradictions, which they are not, the Resurrection would not automatically be disproved.

PARABLE

Four part-time workers in the shipping department of a large company are working together in the warehouse. Through an intercom message, I and another worker, Jim, are called into the manager’s office. Two other workers at our work station, Joe and Sam, tell us before we leave that they hope everything goes ok.

In the meeting, the manager strongly chides me about my work. At one point, he calls in my work supervisor, Frank. Frank also briefly reproves me and then leaves. The manager then calls in Joe from the back and continues to chide me in front of Jim and Joe. The meeting ends.

Jim goes back and says to Sam, who was not in the meeting at all, that the manager really let me have it. Joe, who only came to the meeting later, comes back after some time and also says to Sam that the manager really let me have it.

Later, I come back and tell Sam that both the manager and my work supervisor really let me have it. When I get home that evening, I tell my roommate that my manager really let me have it at work today.

DISCUSSION

Sam received three reports of what happened at the meeting. Jim said to him that the manager let me have it, but did not mention that the work supervisor was also there for part of the time. Jim knew that information, but chose for whatever reason not to mention it.

If asked about a second person, Joe would say that only the manager was there at the meeting when he was there. But a second person was in fact there earlier and left prior to Joe’s arrival.

To Sam, I chose to give a more complete statement by saying that two people chided me. Focusing on the manager, I could have just as legitimately told him that my manager chided me in the meeting. To my roommate, I chose to report that I was chided by the one who was the most important. Because I did not say in the first report that I was chided in the meeting by only one person, my statements are not contradictory.

Sam would not be justified in seeing a contradiction in the reports that he received from Jim, Joe, and me. My roommate would not be justified in thinking that I had lied to him because I told him that my manager had chided me that day.

The differing reports given by the different workers and me to different people at different times do not prove that the meeting never took place nor do the “discrepancies” in the reports prove that all the reports are untrustworthy. Similarly, alleged discrepancies in the accounts of the Resurrection do not show that they are all false. Nor do they disprove that the Resurrection ever happened. To disprove the Resurrection, each account would have to be shown to be false on its own.

In Parables Apologetics, Parable, Resurrection

None Like Him in the Earth

February 12, 2011

In two celestial encounters, God confronted Satan concerning His servant, Job. God stated that there was “none like him in the earth” (Job 1:8; 2:3). He explained Job’s uniqueness on both occasions by declaring that he was “a perfect and an upright man,” one who fears God and turns away from evil. These statements highlight the exceeding godliness of Job.

These statements, however, do more than just informing us of Job’s spiritual excellence. They teach us truth about our God that is easily overlooked. We all understand that God examines our spiritual state and knows everything about us. What’s interesting about these statements is that they reveal that God not only evaluates all mankind, but that He also makes comparative evaluations about the spiritual state of all mankind. God declared Job’s unique spiritual status: there was “none like him in the earth.”

Scripture does not seem to provide any revelation that bars us from thinking that God does not continue to evaluate all people in the same manner today. We ourselves lack the ability to evaluate rightly who is the godliest person in our day. Perhaps, however, keeping in mind that God apparently does comparatively evaluate us and knows who the godliest living person is would somehow motivate us to excel in our own lives?

In Interpretation Interpretation

The OT Chapter Most Used by the NT Writers

February 11, 2011

Most Bible students understand that the New Testament writers extensively use the Old Testament in their writings. In my dissertation research, I examined the Index of Quotations and the Index of Allusions and Verbal Parallels provided in UBS3. I then examined the corresponding index in NA27. Because the UBS text treats the quotations separately from the allusions and verbal parallels, I compiled the data from the indices for all the Old Testament passages that are used frequently by the New Testament writers. From that study, I discovered a key aspect of this topic, which I treated as follows in a footnote in my dissertation:

“Daniel 7 is the single chapter in the Old Testament that is the most used by the New Testament writers (5 quotations and 39 allusions and verbal parallels for a total of 44 times that the chapter is used in the New Testament.) UBS3, 897-911 The second most referenced chapter, Isaiah 53, is quoted six times and cited by allusion or parallel 32 times for a total of 38 citations. Ibid. While differing with UBS3 on the total number of citations for each chapter, NA27 also presents Daniel 7 and Isaiah 53 as the two most cited chapters in the New Testament: Daniel 7 (56x) and Isaiah 53 (41x). “Loci Citati Vel Allegati,” in NA27, 792, 797.”

Prior to doing my research, had I been asked what Old Testament chapter is the most used by the New Testament writers, I would never have guessed that it would have been Daniel 7. Despite many years of Bible study and extensive undergraduate and graduate coursework in religion, I was unaware of the exceeding importance of this chapter for understanding the New Testament. To my great delight, my study showed that this supremely important chapter highlights truths of vital importance to my dissertation topic!

Reading the New Testament with the cardinal importance of Daniel 7 in mind sheds important light on many key aspects of the New Testament, including Jesus’ use of “Son of Man” more often than any other self-designation. Bringing extensive data from the Septuagint into the picture adds further to this rich and rewarding study!

In Interpretation

In the Year after Adam

February 10, 2011

Analyzing Genesis 5 using a dating scheme that I have designated as “after Adam” (AA) reveals some fascinating and useful information. Adam lived until 930 AA (5:5). Working with the genealogical information supplied (5:1-18), we learn that Enoch was born in 622 AA. These calculations show that Adam and Enoch were contemporaries for 308 years!

Although it cannot be proved, it is unreasonable to think that Enoch would not have known Adam personally. Over a span of more than three centuries, he surely would have consulted at length at least once with his great, great, great, great grandfather. Because Adam was the first man ever and the only eyewitness to key events (2:7-25), any of his descendants who were wise would have sought him out and learned much from him about the history of the world from the creation of man until their day.

We, therefore, have good grounds to believe that Enoch received eyewitness testimony about the events of the Fall (Genesis 3). In fact, Enoch undoubtedly had far more information about that event than we do. Moreover, Adam was alive for 243 of the 300 years that Enoch walked with God (5:21-22). For more than two centuries, then, Enoch learned from his walk with God and had opportunity to learn also from Adam.

It is worthwhile to ponder how Enoch’s interaction with Adam likely helped shape Enoch into an exemplary man who walked with God. Considering the relevance of that interaction for our understanding rightly the only information that we are given about the nature of Enoch’s prophetic ministry (Jude 14-15) is also worth pondering deeply.

In Discipleship, Interpretation

Reading through the Bible in Greek this year

February 9, 2011

After many years of reading on and off, I finally finished reading through the OT in Greek last year. This year, my goal is to read through the entire Bible in Greek. After 40 days, I have made it through all of Genesis, Exodus 1-13, 1 Samuel 1-13, Job 1-37, Psalms 1-33 and 75, Proverbs 1-16, and Daniel 1-8: 171 chapters done; 1018 to go!

In Biblical Greek, Biblical Languages

Answered prayer!

February 8, 2011

Through the goodness of God mediated through several of His choice servants, I now have this website! I prayed this morning and asked God to work it out for my site to become active soon, and He answered abundantly. I hope to share much useful information through this site in the days ahead. May the Lord use it greatly to advance His kingdom and righteousness.

In Testimony

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