Acknowledgement

In Genesis 12:7, 8; 13:18 (Here at Bible Gateway), note the repetition:

• 7…he built an altar there to the Lord…
• 8…there he built an altar to the Lord…
• 3:18…there he built an altar to the Lord…

All of these were after the Lord had promised the land to Abram.  The last one was after he and Lot had gone their separate ways and the Lord reiterated His promise to Abram that He would give Abram the land.

It is striking to me that after the Lord promised him the land, on the journey toward what the Lord had promised, at each step, Abram built an altar.

It was an acknowledgement of the Lord’s promise, the Lord’s guidance, and Abram’s trust and dependence on the Lord.

There are projects that the Lord has given me that I may start well.  However, this passage reminds me that although the Lord may have assigned me that project, it is incumbent on me to walk in acknowledgement of both the source of the assignment and my dependence on Him to complete it.

Blowing Past the Truth

This may not be a challenge for you, but there are times when I am reading the Bible and I am very familiar with the passage that I find that I have read through the section, and nothing registered.  I was so familiar with the passage that I was looking at the words but thinking about something completely different.

Other times, I know what is coming and I speed up and blow through the passage.  When I realize I have done that, at times, I wish I could say it is all the time, I go back and attempt to slow down and really focus on the text.

That happened in Genesis 1 (Here at Bible Gateway) a while back.  When I went back and started over, I saw some things in 26 – 27 (Here at Bible Gateway) that were interesting.  The use of the pronouns our, them, him, as well as the interplay between the singular and the plural, and the use of the masculine and feminine was intriguing.  

The other interesting thing was the creation of man, singular, then him, singular, followed by male and female He created them, plural.

That raises a bunch of interesting questions for which I have leanings but no certain answers.  For instance, did God create the full image of God in each the male and the female or does the image of God reside in them together, that is the male and female together form the image of God.  I have a leaning that seems to comport with the rest of Scripture, but there are good people that hold to both answers.

The point here is that as we are working on getting a handle on the Word of God, one of the things we need to do is read through the Bible several times.  That does not mean we are studying each section, though at some point we should.  But it does mean we need to allow the details of the text not to completely escape notice.

It is ok, preferable, to slow down and enjoy the scenery.  

I mentioned yesterday that Jenny and I are on a tour of the Canadian Rockies.  Today we traveled from Vancouver to Victoria.  When we got to Victoria, we drove around the city as our tour guide pointed out possible places for us to explore.  We will have a lot of free time tomorrow because we are not going on one of the excursions.  Problem was we were going through the city so quickly it was difficult if not impossible for what he was saying to register.  Further, we had no way to connect what he was saying to where we were going to be staying that night because we had not been there yet.  It wasn’t until Jenny and I got a map at the front desk and spent about 45 minutes locating things he pointed out and determining if and how we could get there and if we wanted to that things began to make sense.  

So, the overview he gave us only began to help as we slowed down and put what he said in the context of where we were staying and where what he pointed out was in relation to our lodging.

So, slow down a bit as you are working through the Bible.  Go fast enough to get the overview, but slow enough that you do not lose the context.

Disciplined Freedom

From time to time I read Valley of Vision (VV) in my Quiet Time.  Typically, I will read an entry and then daily go back through it thought by thought.  It has been interesting to see how often what I have read in VV has aligned or is supported by what I read in the Word that day.

For example, some months back I read in the section entitled “Requests”,

O God, May I never be a blot or a blank in life, or make my liberty and occasion to the flesh. (p 274)

That Day I read Galatians 5:13 (here @ BibleGateway), which lead me to 2 Peter 2:18 (here @ BibleGateway).  The clear message of the word and the quote from VV is that while we are free in Him, we cannot allow our freedom to hurt others.  

In 1 Corinthians 8 (here @ BibleGateway), Paul, while affirming the freedom of the Corinthian believers to eat meat sacrificed to idols, because, in fact, they are false, at the same time reminds them that if a fellow believer struggles with that freedom, they should not exercise their freedom for the sake of their “weaker” brother.  He tells them to limit their freedom in order not to cause their brother to stumble.

Paul repeats this exhortation in Romans 14:15 (here @ BibleGateway).  In fact, this was the first passage that I applied to my life as a new believer.  I was in Pilot Training in the Air Force.  The Officer’s Club was the place to be after the flight line.  Drinking beer was part of that scene as was playing foosball.  One Sunday night at First Baptist, I was attending “training union” with some other young adults.  We were going through Romans 14 (here @ BibleGateway).  The topic came up that we probably shouldn’t be drinking because it might damage our testimony to those who were not believers.  I pointed out that verse 14 (here @ BibleGateway) clearly stated nothing wrong with anything.  The leader emphasized the last part of the verse.  That part is nearly identical to the argument in 1 Corinthians 8.

If someone thinks that believers should not drink and they saw me drinking, it could be that I either damaged their faith or else hindered them from coming to the Lord.  I pondered that for some time.  As a matter of fact, I stayed behind after the meeting and worked through it alone.  I decided then that I would no longer drink beer or other alcoholic beverages in order not to cause others to stumble.

I learned through that experience both the impact of application and the importance of voluntarily limiting my freedom to better serve those with whom I wanted to sustain ministry.

Naïve no More

Full disclosure – This post is the tip of the iceberg on this topic.  I need to spend more time on this but it is too good to let slide.

In October I made a note in my journal on Proverbs 14:15 (here @ BibleGateway).  This week I was reading through Siddartha Mukherjee’s book, The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (I would highly recommend this book, for a number of reasons.  If nothing else to understand more fully how scientific method, which is derivative of theological method, is applied to real problems.  By extension, the book gives insight on how observations lead to breakthroughs in knowledge and at the same time outlines how observation is obscured and it’s results resisted and thwarted), and ran across this sentence:

To a naive observer, the scenario might produce a strange effect. (Mukherjee, Siddhartha. The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer (p. 230). Scribner. Kindle Edition.)

Obviously the context here is important, but beyond what I want to explore.  My first reaction to this was what makes a person a naïve observer?  Then I remembered Proverbs 14:15 (here @ BibleGateway).  

The next question then is how does one move from being a naïve observer to one whose observations are not naïve.  

This is where a full-fledged study of two of the key words in the text of 14:15, “naïve” and “consider” would be of significant help.  However enticing that sounds, and to me it sounds and looks like a sumptuous feast, I don’t have time or energy tonight to dive in.  You might consider looking up both words in your concordance and looking how they are used in other passages.

The intriguing thing for me is how does one move beyond naïve observations in their Bible study.  I think the answer is in the text of the Bible.  Again there is more here, but a good starting point would be Psalm 119:18 (here @ BibleGateway), pray and ask the Lord to help you see.  As I have mentioned, in 119 the psalmist asks for help to understand His Word, 56 times.

Second, Psalm 119:130 (here @ BibleGateway), tells us that the Word gives understanding to the simple.  The interesting thing here is that these are the same two Hebrew words that are in Proverbs 14:15.  Perhaps abiding in, studying the Word of God is the answer to move from being naïve in one’s observations.

Psalm 119:98 – 100 (here @ BibleGateway) seem to bear this out.

Promotion

There is a cause and effect relationship that I have seen play out in several passages of scripture.

Cause	Effect	Note
Proverbs 11:2 (here at Bible Gateway)
When pride comes	then comes dishonor	Note the contrast
But With the humble	is wisdom
1 Peter 5:5 – 6 (here at Bible Gateway)
Pride	God is opposed	Again contrast
Humble	God gives Grace
Humble yourself	God will exalt you at the proper time
James 4:7-8, 10 (here at Bible Gateway)
Submit to God, Resist the devil	The devil will flee
Draw near to God	He will draw near to you
Humble yourself in the presence of the Lord	He will exalt you
Matthew 23:12  (here at Bible Gateway) also (Luke 14:11; 18:12  (here at Bible Gateway))
Whoever exalts himself	Will be humbled	Note the contrast "and" essentially is functioning here as "but"
He who humbles himself	Will be exaulted
Philippians 2:8 - 11 (here at Bible Gateway)
He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.	For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,
1 Corinthians 11:1 (here at Bible Gateway)
Be imitators of me, just as I also am of Christ.		Paul exhorts us to imitate Christ by humbling ourselves...

There are more passages that deal with this.  Psalm 75:6 – 7 (here at Bible Gateway) and Hebrews 5:4 (here at Bible Gateway) are two you may want to consult.  The issue is we are to avoid exalting ourselves, self-promotion.  I continually ask the Lord to deliver me from this.

We Do It Our Way

We tend to be independent.  We tend to want to do things our way.  It seems that we are born that way.  I have 10 grandchildren divided equally between the binary genders.  In each case they are all independent.  They all go through the stage where “no” is the most common word out of their mouth followed closely by “mine.”  They are not alone.  I would wager that if you have children or grandchildren you have experienced the same phenomenon.

It is genetic.  Not – well yes, it is from me.  But it is really a function of being human.  There is an example of how this plays out negatively in 1 Kings 12:25 – 33 (here @ BibleGateway).  Jeroboam, wanted to reunite the kingdom, so he did it his way.  He built a couple of golden calves (where have we seen that before?) and set them up in a couple of places so Israel could worship “god” without going to Jerusalem.

There were several problems with this approach.  Not the least of which was the fact that God had centered worship at the temple in Jerusalem.  But Jeroboam had a problem that he needed to solve so he figured that it would be more efficient if there were a couple of places that the people could go to worship, it was a much better setup than having everyone trek to Jerusalem to worship.  Great idea, other than the fact it was a direct violation of the second commandment and the directions God gave about where to worship.

It is a good thing that we do not do this anymore.  We don’t come up with better alternatives for obedience to God.  

When Jesus says that if we are to be His disciples in John 8:31 – 32 (here @ BibleGateway), that we are to abide in His Word.  It would be just as good, actually, more efficient if we would read books about His Word.  That way we don’t have to do the work of study ourselves.  We can just read about the work others did.  Nothing wrong with that.  Much easier.  I can even listen to those books in my car on the way to work.  

Also, there are great teachers in my church and the pastor has a seminary degree.  I can learn from them.  That way I don’t have to think I can just soak up their knowledge.

Right.

Slow Learner

Since last September some men I have known for about 40 years, and I have been studying 1 Corinthians.  We meet each week online and compare notes.  It is a good time.  There is no pretense.  In the early part of last October, during my quiet time I was reflecting on part of 1 Corinthians 13.  Specifically, verses 5 and 7 (here @ BibleGateway).

The notion that love, “does not seek it’s own,” caught my attention.  It made me think of Philippians 2:3 (here @ BibleGateway).  The idea that we are to “do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than” ourselves, seemed to echo Paul’s thought in 1 Corinthians.  

That thought – the “nothing” – took me to Philippians 4:6 – 7 (here @ BibleGateway), we are to “be anxious for nothing”.

As I pondered these three passages, I concluded that these instructions are impossible for me to do.  I am not sure I have ever had an unselfish thought, if so, it was probably by mistake, in a moment of weakness.  The truth is that in my own strength I can’t.  Without Christ in me, without His strength, without His enabling grace, and without the leading and transformation of the Holy Spirit – there is no way.

I am grateful that He is patient with the process of moving me in these directions.

Facing the End?

Two days ago I wrote about the email from the LLS that told me that the chemo I was taking rendered the C19 vaccines useless for me.  I mentioned at the end of the post that 8 days later both my wife and I got the virus.  The day we found out we were exposed, My journal had a rather long entry.  Beyond what was in my reading, the Lord took me to the following passages:

• James 4:14 – 15 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Job 7:7a (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 39:5 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 144:4 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Philippians 1:21 (here @ BibleGateway)
• 2 Corinthians 12:5b, 9 – 10 (here @ BibleGateway)

Note that they are all dealing with the brevity of life here.  I will let you work through how you respond to those passages.  I would encourage you to write your responses down somewhere you can remember and easily retrieve.  If you are up to it, share with me what the Lord showed you through those passages.

All that we had heard about the virus indicated that I was in the high-risk category.  The combination of cancer and chemo, with the result of a significantly compromised immune system, suggested that if I got the virus the outcome would not be that great.  “Coincidentally” I had intravenous immunoglobulin g the day before my wife tested positive.  That infusion takes about 5 – 6 hours and its purpose is to boost my immune system, to give me some resistance to bacteria and viruses.  After we tested positive, both of us got the monoclonal antibody infusion the next day.  

It was overwhelming how the Lord took care of us.  I only had one day where I felt really bad.  The day I go the monoclonal infusion.  They warned me that might be the case.  

Our Lord is gracious and good.

Growth by Praying for Others

I often ask others how I can be praying for them.  There is also another question I ask; I wrote about that here.  

A few weeks back, I asked a man for whom I have a lot of respect, how I could be praying for him.  He replied that he was anxious.  Later as I pondered his request – I want to be clear he had reason to be anxious – it occurred to me that when we are anxious, it is evidence of, possibly several deficiencies in our understanding and/or our relationship with Him.

We all may have Philippians 4:6 – 7 (here @ BibleGateway) memorized, but that doesn’t mean that we find it easy to live that out.  We still get anxious about “nothing.”  Psalm 139:3 (here @ BibleGateway) reminds us that God has scrutinized our path*.  That word means that He has examined our path beyond how a civil engineer examines the aggregate used to mix the concrete in our roads.  So in a real sense when we are anxious we are not trusting Him.

Nothing comes our way without Him knowing.  Nothing comes our way without intention.  Personally, I need to be continually reminded of that truth.  By asking my friend how I could pray for him, I was reminded and challenged in my own trust of God’s scrutiny of my own life’s path.  

Yet another example of the genius of the Lord’s commands to us.  We are to love one another, and pray for one another in so doing we are exhorted, challenged, and built up not only in our relationships with one another but also in our walk with Him.

*I have written a lot on this Psalm in this blog, there are several posts if you would like to see them type Psalm 139 in the “Search This Blog” tool at the top of the column next to this post.  Then I would suggest sort by date.

Staying on the Path

As I have said earlier, I do not accept what I read about the Bible in books by Christian authors or scholars uncritically.  That said, again, I am helped and inspired by some of the things I read.  As I have mentioned before, sometimes during my quiet time, I read through parts of the Valley of Vision.  Some months back I read:

When faith sleeps, my heart becomes an unclean thing, the fount of every loathsome desire, the cage of unclean lust all fluttering to escape, the noxious tree of deadly fruit, the open wayside of earthly tares. Lord, awake faith to put forth its strength until all heaven fills my soul and all impurity is cast out. (VOV, Faith, 288 – 289) 

This prayer recalls Proverbs 4:26 – 27 (here @ BibleGateway), Psalm 119:105 (here @ BibleGateway), and John 15:5 (here @ BibleGateway). 

For me to continue to walk with Him I am both dependent on Him and His Word. Without consistent time with Him in His Word there is no chance that I will be able to stay on the path. It may be obvious, but listening to what others have found in the Word, or reading books about the Word or some aspect of the Christian life, while possibly helpful, does not, is not the same as spending time directly engaged with the text.  It is not what Jesus tells us to do in John 8:31 - 32 (here @ BibleGateway).

Self Hardening?

During my time with the Lord, I start in the Word with the days reading from M’Cheyne’s Calendar for Daily Bible Reading.  In the past several months I have added the proverb of the day.  There are days that it doesn’t end there.  It seems like the Lord leads me on a journey through a topic or an idea.

One time, a few months ago, that started with Psalm 38:15a (here @ BibleGateway), “For, I hope in You, O Lord…”  The thought I wrote in my journal was, “I should not hope in anything else but You.  No salary, no person, no project, only you.”  Then there are a series of passages that follow:

• Psalm 39:4 15, 7 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 78:39 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 144:4 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Job 14:2 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Psalm 62:9 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Ecclesiastes 6:12 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Proverbs 1:28 – 33 (here @ BibleGateway)
• Hebrews 12:7 – 11 (here @ BibleGateway)

At the time I was in contact with an acquaintance that was also dealing with cancer.  They had just told me that their cancer was in remission.  I wrote: “I will never, as things stand now, hear those words this side of heaven.  Lord, I have no idea how much longer you have ordained for me to be here.  On the one hand, Philippians 1:21 (here @ BibleGateway), on the other hand, ten grandchildren with whom I wish to fully engage, Lord, please make me content with you and with what you have given me.”

Focusing on the last two passages it occurred to me that all the previous passages were context for those last two.  There are those in the body that refuse to engage, to listen to His Word, refuse to abide in His Word.  It is if they neglect or ignore the exhortation to abide, they neglect His counsel, do not want His reproof, hate knowledge, do not fear God.  It is as if they are choosing the passing pleasures of sin over following God.  That brought another passage to mind, James 4:17 (here @ BibleGateway).

To not accept His counsel, to spurn His reproof, would seem to have the effect that they eat the fruit of their own way.  Is this, could this be, the same as hardening one’s own heart?

Joints – Summary

For the past four days we have been looking at Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway) in some detail.  The reason we did this stems from a recent study in which I participated.  In that study I realized that I had misunderstood the passage which caused me to misapply the content.

In the first post I alluded to the error I had made.

In the second post we looked at Ephesians 4:11 – 12.

In the third we considered Ephesians 4:13.

Yesterday we examined Ephesians 4:14 – 16.

I have lost count of the number of times I have studied Ephesians.  I have been in at least two studies in the letter this year.  I have translated the book from Greek to English.  I have used portions of it in studies with men on the believer’s position in Christ more times than I can count.  Suffice it to say that Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus is one of my go to books in the Bible.

That in of itself is a problem.  When we come to the Word in study the method we should be using is inductive.  We first observe the text.  Second, we begin the process of interpretation.  At the same time, we are correlating the passage with other places in the Word that deal with the same topic.  Much of Paul’s writing is parallel with Ephesians, but Colossians is almost a sister book.  Lastly, we apply the scripture.  All four of those steps are needed and essential.

When we are very familiar with a passage, as I am with this book, we can tend to short circuit the observation portion of the study.  After all, we know the passage.  So, it is easy to see what we have seen before.  In fact there are some who once they have studied a book in depth, find no need to return to that book.  

It takes discipline to slow down and look as if for the first time.  That is the mistake I made with Ephesians in the past.  The thing I missed in doing so, is that it is not the individuals that cause the growth of the Body, but the joints.  The joints are the interactions between different groups of individuals or individuals with groups of people, as per the chart yesterday.  It is still absolutely necessary to equip individuals so that their gifts will be engaged.  But it is when those gifts are engaged in relationship in the Body that growth occurs.

It seems to me that the implications of this are far reaching.  How do we as leaders of Bible studies engage the gifts of all of those in the study?  If we are leading a class, how do we engage all of the gifts that are in the class?  Not to do so seems to be ignoring the thrust of Paul’s exhortation.

The lesson for me is that regardless of how well I know a passage, I need to slow down and make good observations.  I feel much like the Psalmist in Psalm 119 (here @ BibleGateway).  I need to spend much more time asking the Lord to help me understand His Word.

Joints – Part 4

We are looking in detail at Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway). Yesterday we looked at one verse, one sentence, verse 13. Today we look at the last sentence in the passage 14 - 16. 

Tomorrow we will summarize what we have seen. I would like to hear what you have seen in this. Please comment on any of the posts. 

Spoiler alert, this is long.

4:14

ἵνα μηκέτι ὦμεν νήπιοι, κλυδωνιζόμενοι καὶ περιφερόμενοι παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἐν τῇ κυβείᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐν πανουργίᾳ πρὸς τὴν μεθοδείαν τῆς πλάνης,

As a result, (or “in order that”) we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming;

Effect Temporal iEnd Locative Locative iMeans General iMeans iMeans iMeans iMeans

One result of equipping is that a member of the community can determine false teaching. That would seem to imply that they have developed sufficient skill in Bible study to validate objectively, biblically something that is taught. When one looks in detail at the fourfold assignment of leadership in the body it become obvious why the result of the leadership engaging would be the ability of the body to withstand false teaching.

 

4:15a

ἀληθεύοντες δὲ ἐν ἀγάπῃ

but speaking the truth in love,

Contrast iEnd iMeans; in Love 1:4, 3:17, 4:2, 4:15a,4:16g, 5:2

Starting with this clause, Paul connects this line of thought to the thread of in love that started in 1:4 (here @ BibleGateway). Therefore one of the results of the equipping of the saints is that they are living more completely out of love. The interactions as they individually engage are spoken and presented in an attitude of love for one another as Christ commanded in John 13:34 – 35 (here @ BibleGateway). 

NB “Speaking the truth in love,” in a real sense is a umbrella statement that covers all of the interactions, joints, and individuals regardless of their level of engagement in the Body. The contrasting elements are being carried about by every wind of doctrine as opposed to growing up in all aspects into Him. This would seem to summarize the effect of the fourfold assignment of the leadership of the community.

 

4:15b

αὐξήσωμεν εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα,

we are to grow up in all aspects into

iEnd Emphatic

The intention is that we are to grow into Christ. The emphatic all is strengthened by the word order in the Greek, literally, “we are to grow up into Him the all”, the neuter all indicates the idea of aspects. All aspects of Christ life and character is the goal. It is not just a partial growth that is imagined but a growth into all of Him. Again this is imagined by Paul to be done in a manner that is consistent with speaking the truth in Love.

 

4:15c

ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή,

Him who is the head,

Locative; cf. 4:13 fullness of Christ

Note that the metric is Christ. We are to grow up into Him, ὅς ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλή, Χριστός, (which is the head, Christ) mirrors εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ (into the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ) in 4:13. Thus we are measured not by any man but by how much our character and our actions are similar or different from Christ. 

 Not to be overly repetitive here but the overarching context is love. Each of our interactions, equipping actions – for lack of a better label – is to be under the umbrella of love. This removes equipping from the academic realm and places it in the arena of relationship. Relationship that is defined below as a joint, and one that is intentionally created by the Lord. Each encounter we have with one another is an opportunity to properly work in love. 

Further, considering the sovereign providence of God, each interaction we have with other people whether they are believers or not, literally each person we encounter is intentionally placed on our path, scrutinized by the Lord. He has sovereignly placed them on our path. If that is the case, and it seems to be so, then our ability to engage with one another intentionally, diligently, in the body becomes the crucible wherein we learn to engage with each individual with which we come in contact intentionally, with love, for the purpose of increasing their love for Christ and others.

 

4:15d

Χριστός,

even Christ,

Emphatic

The "even" is supplied by the committee because of the use of Christ here. It is not necessary for clarity; the use of the title here emphasizes the goal.

 

4:16a

ἐξ οὗ πᾶν τὸ σῶμα

from whom the whole body,

Locative Emphatic 2:21a, 4:16

Christ is the one that is driving, or the source of what Paul is about to declare. Note the mirroring of "all" in 15b with "whole" here. This is not imagined to be a partial engagement or result; all the body is to grow in all aspects into the fullness of Christ 

NB. The theme of all or whole runs through this chapter. This seems to grow out of or be an extension of the theme of unity in 1 – 6 (here @ BibleGateway). Consider the inclusive and unifying terms:

Verse	Term(s)
1	you
2	All, one another
3	Unity
4	One, one, you, one
5	One, one, one
6	One, all, all, all
7	Each, one, us
12	Saints, body
13	All, unity, fullness
14	We
15b	We, all
16a	Whole body
16c	Every
16e	Each
16f	Body

4:16b

συναρμολογούμενον καὶ συμβιβαζόμενον

being fitted and held together

iEnd

Christ is the one who is acting. He is fitting and holding together the Body. These are both present passive participles so, ongoing action. 

   

4:16c

διὰ πάσης ἁφῆς τῆς ἐπιχορηγίας

by what every joint supplies,

iMeans Emphatic

16b is the end, the means is the contribution of the joints. Joints are the junction or meeting of one or more members of the body or of a mechanical device. It is the relationship between the members that is in mind here?

I have always read these two clauses as emphasizing the importance of the individual.  While that is certainly in mind. The growth happens at the junction of, the joint, the intentional interaction between the members of the Body, again in the context of Love… 

Proverbs 27:17 (NASB95) Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another. 

Proverbs 27:19 (NASB95) As in water face reflects face, So the heart of man reflects man.

 

4:16d

κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν ἐν μέτρῳ ἑνὸς ἑκάστου μέρους

according to the proper working of each individual part,

Criteria Emphatic Emphatic Emphatic

An implication is that the contribution of the joint, is dependent on each of the members of the joint, at the joint, properly functioning. 

An implication of this would have to be that one of the results imagined by the equipping of the saints is the identification, activation, and diligent engagement in operating in one’s gift in the body. 1 Timothy 4:14 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway) is a crucial passage on this result: Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. 

If this exhortation is given to a leader, it is also applicable to those under his shepherding, or the command to make disciples and its element of teaching all that Christ commanded, is of no consequence. 

All of this results in raising the importance and intensity of what is done in the local body. 

Key implication: a joint is the relationship between two or more members of the Body.

 

4:16e

τὴν αὔξησιν τοῦ σώματος

causes the growth of the body

iEnd

The supply of the joint causes the growth of the Body. For years I have read this incorrectly as the contribution of each individual part. True, the proper working of each part, affects the supply of the joint. 

The verb αὔξησιν (growth) here in 16e is in the same word group as the verb αὐξήσωμεν (we are to grow up) in 15b. This ties these two clauses together tightly. We are to grow into Christ in all His fullness, that is caused here by the interaction of the members working intentionally and properly in those interactions. 

As there are differing types of joints in the body, there are differing types of relationships in the body.

Member	Member	Type of Meeting
Pastor	Congregation	Worship
Teacher	Class	SS or class
Team leader	Team	Team Meeting
Leader	Group	Small Group, Bible Study
Disciple Maker	Growing Christian	One on One
LDM	DM	Man to Man
Pastor	Elders	Elder Meeting
Pastor	Staff	Staff Meeting

I have typically viewed the two highlighted on the list as the only effective joints. However, if the illustration is to hold that cannot be the case. We must view all these as important. Further, we must work to equip all the individuals to work properly.

 

4:16f

ποιεῖται εἰς οἰκοδομὴν ἑαυτοῦ

for the building up of itself

Purpose/Substantiation iMeans

The purpose of this process and arrangement is the building up of the Body of Christ… 

This is a repetition and emphasis on the building up of the individual and by extension the Body in the fullness of Christ. NB. The equipping of each individual is required in order to insure the proper working and thus the contribution of each of the joints to this building.

 

4:16g

ἐν ἀγάπῃ.

in love.

Locative iEnd; in Love 1:4, 3:17, 4:2, 4:15a, 4:16g, 5:2

…the end of the building is love. Note that this sentence started with speaking the truth “in love”. Which would imply that all of this is done in an atmosphere of love. Note that this aligns with Paul’s exhortation to Timothy in 1 Timothy 1:5 (here @ BibleGateway).

Joints – Part 3

We are looking in detail at Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway).  Note that this passage is three sentences.  We looked at 11 and 12 yesterday which is one sentence.  We will look at 13 today, again one sentence.  Tomorrow we will finish with 14 – 16, also one sentence.  We will then summarize what we have seen.

4:13

μέχρι καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς τὴν ἑνότητα τῆς πίστεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,

until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to [of JMC] the fullness of Christ.

Temporal Emphatic Purpose Essentially one cf. 4:3, 4:13 Purpose Purpose Emphatic Colossians 2:9 – 10

This passage sets the parameters for the ministry of the leaders.  The first clause tells us the length of time that the leaders will be engaged in the process, that is described as until unity is attained.  The implications of that at least include that job is ceaseless.  Further the scope of the leader’s ministry is emphatic.  The leaders are to engage with all the saints, not some, all.  The expected outcome, the result of this engagement by the leaders is rather daunting.  There are at least four metrics that are expected results:

1. Unity of the faith.
2. Unity of the knowledge of the Son of God
3. To maturity
4. To the fullness of Christ

Each of these deserve significant description on their own.  It would be incumbent on leadership in a body to define these.  It would seem that the leadership of a body as stewards of the grace of God would be held accountable for their engagement in this.

Joints – Part 2

Yesterday, I confessed to having misunderstood a passage that I have used in our ministry for years. I asked you to take a look at Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway) and then compare it to what I have seen today. I just spent a few minutes reviewing my study and have concluded that I need to share all of it here. That will take more than one post. As you look at the study you will see why fairly quickly.

Here we go:

4:11

καὶ αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους, τοὺς δὲ προφήτας, τοὺς δὲ εὐαγγελιστάς, τοὺς δὲ ποιμένας καὶ διδασκάλους,

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

Purpose Purpose Purpose Purpose

He works through the gifts of His people therefore we must put value on the gifts of the people and engage in equipping them to gain the benefit He intends from those gifts.

4:12

πρὸς τὸν καταρτισμὸν τῶν ἁγίων εἰς ἔργον διακονίας, εἰς οἰκοδομὴν τοῦ σώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ,

for the equipping of the saints for the work of service,  to the building up of the body

Purpose Substantiation Purpose Substantiation Purpose; Building up the body: 4:12, 4:16f

The purpose of the gifts given by Christ is to equip the saints. The saints are the members of the community. The saints are to be equipped to do the work of service. 

 Part of the Great Commission, Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ BibleGateway), is that part of making disciples is to teach those that are led to Christ all that He taught. That would seem to include all of these points. We expose people to the idea of following Christ through the presentation of the gospel which would be supplemented by exposure to the community. They would be able to experience the love and unity of the body through that exposure. 

 The next step would be to engage them in some facet of the community, a small investigative Bible study, a small group, or in a church setting some form of service or project that increases their exposure to the community. Behind the scenes the community is praying for their salvation. 

 Should they trust Christ the next step would be to establish them through the process of follow up. The Seven topics would be appropriate here, these should be done one on one. After one is established, which would entail some level of consistent personal input of the Word and growth in prayer. By the way, the idea behind Establish is that the individual would be able to stand on their own in their walk with Christ. This does not suggest that they are independent of the body but that they have developed personal habits and disciplines that will help them sustain a personal walk with Christ. We should then begin to Equip these individuals. 

 The purpose of the equipping is to enable them to serve the Body of Christ, in this case their local community and beyond. This would entail helping them to discover and develop in their gifts.  1 Timothy 4:14 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway) seems to indicate this type of effort. This equipping would necessarily include significant time in the Bible, engagement with a group of men as well as man to man. There should be sufficient opportunity for both ministry opportunities as well as observation of the individual engaged in the ministry. There should be training in each of these opportunities consisting of instruction, observation, and critique. 

 It will be the case that not all of those who are established will be equipped. That will be because of several reasons some due to the choice of the individual and others due to the choice of the one who will be doing the training. 

The importance of following this type of model, in some form, cannot be over emphasized. To not do this ignores both the command of Christ and the engagement of the Holy Spirit in the lives of these individuals. To do so also diminishes the effectiveness of the gifts that the Lord has, by His grace given to the Body. To not equip those to use their gifts robs the body of the impact of those gifts utilized. 

The last step in this process is to entrust the ministry to those who have been equipped. Entrusting implies that they are focused on serving others and exposing others to the riches of a relationship with Christ and His community.

Stay Tuned - More tomorrow...

Joints

Have you ever realized that you got something wrong in your understanding of the Bible?  I have.  I have in the past few months.  One of the realities we face in Bible study is that anytime we approach a text we come with a preconceived notion of what we will see.  (I have written about this several times, this post was the first.)  It is one of the struggles in Bible study to look past what we expect to see and allow the text, the prime data, speak to us.

Tuesday mornings I am in a study with men whom I have known for over 40 years.  We were in Ephesians a few months back.  We are following the same pattern we follow in each book or topic we study.  We do an overview of the book or topic, study the details or sections, and then summarize what we have seen.  We move from the whole to the parts and then back to the whole.

During the study, we invested about 4 weeks in Ephesians 4 (here @ BibleGateway).  I have used Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway) to validate the need for communities of faith to intentionally engage in equipping each of their members for years.  While that is true, in the process of focusing on the need to be intentional to equip each person in the fellowship, I missed something vitally important.

Consider Ephesians 4:14 – 16 (here @ BibleGateway).  Read through it yourself and notice what is repeated and how Paul describes the purpose of the gifts, what they are supposed to do, and what should be the outcome of the successful deployment of the gifts in a body.  If you have time write down your observations and compare them to what I am going to share tomorrow.

Lessons – Appendix

Thinking about the last post it was obvious that one lesson was omitted.  It was one of the first lessons to which the Lord led.  It is an extension or corollary to this post I wrote back in February last year.  

I do not remember how, or why I was reading Philemon (here @ BibleGateway) in May; it was not in my reading program in that month.  Regardless I started reading Philemon soon after I found out I was going to start treatment and before my first infusion.

I did not get far.

I was stopped short at the sixth word of Philemon 1.  It reads. “Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus…”  Wait!  Paul is in a Roman prison; chained to a Roman guard; incarcerated under Roman law; yet he describes himself as a prisoner of Christ?  What the fat is that about?

Stunned I stopped to pray and think.  Slowly (emphasis on that word) what was going on began to glacially dawn.  Paul viewed his current “situation” as his assignment from his Lord.  He literally was chained to his “captive” audience.  This is validated in Philippians 1:12 – 13 (here @ BibleGateway), the whole praetorian guard, whole, all, had heard from Paul as well as everyone, again an inclusive, expansive word, had heard as well.  

It was his ministry assignment.  It was the fulfillment of Jesus’ message to Paul in Acts 23:11 (here @ BibleGateway).  Acts 28:16 (here @ BibleGateway) gives the context for Paul’s comment in Philemon 1 (here @ BibleGateway) and Philippians 1:12 – 13 (here @ BibleGateway).

So, I pondered what were the implications for me as I faced the next 20 months being seated for four days every 21 days for multiple hours in the midst of people whom I did not know?  A question formed, “What would it be like to be a cancer patient of Christ Jesus”.

As I considered this.  A plan formed.  I would ask those that were to be taking care of me how I might be praying for them while I was bound to the chemo chair.  I would also ask the doctors.  So at the next appointment I asked, it was when I was getting prepped to get my port.  I asked the nurse who was working on me how I could be praying for her.  As I recall she looked at me as if I was from another planet and had no response.  Ok.  I’ll keep trying.  So, the next nurse, and the next, and the next doctor.  

Some reacted like the first nurse or said they could not think of anything.  But, many more, most in fact, while surprised, were grateful.  I would write the requests down, pray over them, and then ask about them next time I saw the person that gave me the prayer request.  It became known that I was doing that.  Some began to share requests with me without my asking.  It became a way for me to thank and in a real way serve those who were serving me.

The lesson, at least for me, is that when we are in a circumstance where our situation is the focus, it is unexpected that the needs of those who are tasked to help us or serve us are not necessarily considered.  If I understand the way Christ ministered to people, He was always thinking about the needs of those around Him, even as he hung on the cross.  

I hesitated to share this and at the same time I was eager to share it.  I do not want to present as one who has all of this stuff figured out.  There were times when the meds just knocked me out, there were times when I forgot to ask.  Only one of the doctors responded positively, and that changed our relationship for the better. 

I share this as a possible encouragement, as an implication of the reality of God’s sovereign intention in all that he brings into our life.  If He meant what He said in Matthew 6:33 (here @ BibleGateway); I assume He did.  Perhaps regarding all the “circumstances” we find ourselves as Paul did his imprisonment in Rome, may be one way to follow him.  You may ask, “How can I be an engineer of Christ Jesus?”  “How can I be a teacher of Christ Jesus?”  “How can I be a football player of Christ Jesus?” etc.

Lessons – Part 2

Yesterday I shared some of what the last 20 months has been for Jenny and me.  I shared that I had been processing, thinking through, some of the lessons or things that the Lord has been attempting to teach me through this process.  Today I am going to outline what I have come up with thus far.  Some of these I will expand further in subsequent posts.  Others – well I don’t know how the Lord is going to lead on this…

1. Most of us know John 15:5 (here @ BibleGateway). It is a repetition, or perhaps better, an implication of John 1:3 (here @ BibleGateway). It has been reinforced in the past 20 months that I can do nothing, zero, zilch, nada apart from Christ. I am completely and utterly dependent on Him.
   
   
2. I have been active all my life. I ran until my knees went south, started swimming after that, then started riding a bike when it became difficult to find a pool early in the morning. Through chemo I worked out fairly consistently 3 times a week. It helped mitigate some of the side effects. However, the truth of 1 Timothy 4:7 – 8 (here @ BibleGateway) is inescapable. My physical fitness, regardless of how much effort I put into it, is temporary. It takes very little to move me from fit to completely dependent on others for my well-being.
   
   
3. I DON’T have this. Many would respond to my posts on caring bridge with something like, “You have this!” They were intending to be encouraging, and to an extent it was. However, I did not have it. I was dependent on doctors, nurses, and my family. My wife had her knee replaced 5 days ago, she is completely dependent on me at the moment. This may be a subset of number 1 above, but it is in my nature to try to work through all the challenges I face on my own strength. It does not work out well.
   
   
4. I do not know how to walk in the Spirit. I recognize that I am supposed to do that. But I am sure that I do not have a firm grasp on what that looks like. It is easy to commit to do so. It is really easy to write it in one’s journal. It seems difficult to actually do.
   
   
5. A corollary, perhaps, to the last one, I do not know what it means to wait on the Lord. Doing so, according to Isaiah 40:29 – 31 (here @ BibleGateway), gives strength. Again, easy to observe and record in a journal or Bible study. Not so easy to live.
   
   
6. I do not know how to pass on my passion for God’s Word to other people. I learned as an instructor pilot that I could not fly the plane for my students. I learned in teaching mountain climbing to others, that I cannot climb for them. I cannot love God’s Word for others either. It is frustrating.
   
   
7. I know that unless the Lord sends me somewhere, or directs me to engage in some action, I am not effective or in any way fruitful in that endeavor.
   
   
8. I have seen and had it validated over and over that just because a well known and respected Christian leader has said or written on a subject, it does not mean that what he has written is either true or correct in its declarations or conclusions. Regardless of my respect for that individual it is incumbent on me to validate his positions Biblically.
   
   
9. Most of my life I have been strong and energetic. I have lived life in that way. In this season I am tired and weak. It is encouraging to read 2 Corinthians 12:9 – 10 (here @ BibleGateway).    Again, hard to live.

That is most of what I have considered in the past weeks.  The implications of 6 and 8 have taken a lot of space in my thinking over the past several days.  Going forward I will expand on some of these from time to time.  If you have thoughts or there is something above that really resonates, comment below or if you want to shoot me an email, feel free.  If you want to send an email and do not have mine, ask.

Lessons

In April of 2020 I had my routine PT scan done here in Tulsa instead of MD Anderson in Houston.  The pandemic has just reared it’s ugly head so I could not travel to Houston.  That was a Monday.  On Friday I was riding my bike and got a flat.  For some reason I could not get my pump to work.  So, my son picked me up and took me back to my car.  As I was putting my bike on the bike rack, the phone rang.

The screen said MD Anderson.  That got my attention.  It was my oncologist.  She told me that the PT scan showed that the lymph node with which she was concerned had grown to the point that if we did not start treatment, other organs would be impacted.

Three days later, Monday, I had a port surgically implanted in the upper part of my right chest.  The next day, I had a Echo Cardiogram.  Eight days later, they drilled a hole into my pelvis to check to see how my bone marrow was involved with the cancer.  Two days later, I had a lung function test.  All this was to determine if I was healthy enough to start the chemotherapy.  I was.

On May 12 and 13 I started round one of chemotherapy.  That was a three-week process that involved infusions on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first two weeks, with the third week off.  There were six of those rounds.  That was followed by eight maintenance rounds eight weeks apart.  Those rounds were Tuesday and Wednesday one week.  

Additionally, because the chemo trashed my immune system, I begin getting Immunoglobin G intravenously every three weeks starting in April of 21.  Each of these treatments, the chemo and the IVIG included steroids.  I did not know about steroid crashes.  I do now.

The result of all this treatment has been good as far as the cancer is concerned.  What I have is not curable but responds to treatment that should allow me a 2 – 5-year break.  Oh, I finished the last chemo treatment on December 15th.  One of the side effects is that for about 5 days or so after each two-day treatment it is hard to think, read, study, anything mental.  That is one of the reasons contributions to the blog have been rather sparse since May 2020.  

From scripture, specifically Psalm 139:3 (here @ Bible Gateway), I am convinced that the Lord does not bring things like this into our lives randomly.  Rather, there is intention in all that he does, including cancer.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:16 – 18 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul reminds us that we are to rejoice, pray, and give thanks for everything.  He repeats this admonition in less words in Philippians 4:6 – 7 (here @ Bible Gateway).

This has been something that I have struggled with since one of my daughters-in-law came down with cancer while pregnant.  She was struggling with the same issue.  But both of us realized the text is clear.  We are to be thankful for everything.

In the past few days, I have been reflecting on the past 20 months.  What has the Lord shown me?  What are some of the lessons I have learned?  My intention was to start sharing those thoughts in this post, but it has taken much longer than I anticipated to share the context.  So I will start that process tomorrow.

Review of Verse Mapping

NIV Verse Mapping Bible

Assignment
From time to time, because my blog is a member of the Bible Gateway Blogger Grid, I am provided with free Bibles and Books about the Bible to review.  Recently I was asked to review Kristy Cambron’s Verse Mapping Bible Study Journal, the Verse Mapping Bible, and the Verse Mapping Bible for Girls.

NIV Verse Mapping
Bible for Girls

Similar to Verse Analysis
The covers of all three items suggest that this method of study was developed by Kristy Cambron.  While the layout is perhaps new, the elements of the study closely resemble the Verse Analysis Study to which I was introduced in 1973 during Undergraduate Pilot Training in the Air Force.  I use verse analysis in my personal study and in the seminars I lead on Bible study.  Further, have written about that study in my blog about thirteen times; the first was the thirteenth post I ever wrote.  That post links to the Entrusting Truth website which challenges the visitor to do the study and has a link to download the form I use.  That study has eight steps, Kristy’s Study is five steps.  

Though Verse Mapping is like verse analysis, the presentation is probably more appealing and there is one particular step that I really like and have also suggested to anyone who has been in my seminars.  In fact, that step is the reason that I will heartily recommend this study method, as well as the Bibles that are associated even though they are NIV, of which if you have read any of my reviews of the NIV study Bibles you will know that I am not a fan.

Verse Mapping Bible Study
Journal

Common Content
All three of the publications have instructions on how to verse map.  The Bibles have two pages at the front of the Book.  The Journal has a very helpful and detailed 14 page instruction and examples starting on page 5.  

[Note, One Challenge: The last sentence on page 13 of the Journal is either a typo, very confusing, or simply wrong.  The sentence as published says, “If a Greek word was used in one translation and not another…find out why.”  In my office I have a bunch of Bibles, say 20ish; on my computer, I have 20+ more, none of which, whether version, translation, or paraphrase, have any Greek words in them.  They are all in English, Spanish, French, or Arabic.  I have contacted the person at Bible Gateway who sent me the books about this.  He forwarded my comments to Kristy’s editor, she contacted me and told me that she had talked to Kristy and they were going to recast the sentence to explain Kristy’s point more accurately.  I think I know what she meant, but I cannot be sure.  I have held off on writing this review in hopes of hearing how this is resolved.  As yet, I have not heard.  However, the spirit of what is being suggested is good.  I will touch on that later in this review.]

The Verse Mapping Bible is top
The Verse Mapping Bible 
for Girls is bottom
The content is identical and the 
page number is even the same.

The Bibles
The Verse Mapping Bibles are virtually identical.  They are, as stated above, the NIV.  They are bare bones except that there are 350 verse maps in each of the Bibles as well as 70 blank ones.  Pages either have a fully, partially, or blank verse map, or simply text with a column next to the edge of the page for notes.  The layout is good, and the text is easy to read.  I originally found it odd that there were no cross references in the Bibles.  However, the addition of 420 partially complete or blank verse maps essentially added 420 pages to the book.  If the publisher had added cross references, it would have made the work unwieldy.  The student will need to use a concordance or a bible program such as those referred to in the Journal’s resource section to find cross references.

The Journal
The Journal has 60 blank maps for you to use.  Both have a topical index that may help you find verses to map.  There is also a Reference and Resource Guide in the back of the journal that those starting this type of study will find extremely helpful.

Providing a Bible Study Journal is a great idea.  All of us suffer from the reality of forgetting what we have studied.  Having these maps in one place to review is a good way to keep track of what the Lord has been teaching us in our study.

The Method
The method is very good.  The best part of the method, the part that mitigates the promotion of the NIV, is step 2, design.  In that step one is to compare the verse one is mapping in 2 – 4 other English versions or translations (for some help on why there are differences in versions and translations read the three blog posts I wrote on this starting here).  This is really a necessary step for any analysis of a verse in an English Bible, especially if you one does not have access to the original languages.  Comparing the texts, may point out differences in the way the Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic is translated by the version’s committee or the individual making the translation.  It will also highlight things that you may need to consider as you look at the original languages.  The author gives the student suggestions on how to examine the originals both in the 14-page overview of the method in the Journal and in the Verse Mapping Reference and Resource Guide on page 137 of the Journal.  The suggestions are concise and good.

Blank Verse Map.  Note you work from top right to bottom left

Conclusion
This is a very good method from which any believer would benefit.  Either one of the Bibles and the Journal as a set would be an excellent investment.  My sense is that if one engages with the method their hunger for more will increase.  That is a good thing.  

There are two things I would suggest adding.  One is looking at other passages that support the passage you are mapping.  Thus, the reference to concordances and other resources above, as well as using the topical index in the Bibles.  The second, would be for the student to add a personal application to the outcome.  Prof, Howard Hendricks, always said that if we haven’t applied what we have studied, we haven’t really studied (that was a paraphrase).

Bottom line, I would heartily recommend this method to anyone.  In fact, I am going to show it to some of my grandchildren when they are old enough to engage with it.

You can get the NIV Verse Mapping Bible here, The Girls version here, and the Journal here.