Right Weeping

In Nehemiah 1:4 we read: “When I heard these words, I sat down and wept and mourned for days; and I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven.

When I read this, my first question was, “Do I weep over what causes the Lord to weep?”  Is what moves me to tears important to Him?  I don’t think He cares much about Hallmark movies.  I rather doubt that He is concerned about the outcome of the football games I watch.

On the other hand, I read that He wants us to abide in His Word.  I read in Jeremiah 23 (Here at Bible Gateway), that when the leadership of Israel did not abide in His Word, He was moved by that – seemed angry – wept?

In Matthew 28:18 – 20 (Here at Bible Gateway), He wants us to make disciples of all the nations, when we are not focused on that, it would seem that He would respond much as He did with the leaders in Jeremiah.

Nehemiah takes it up a notch in 1:6b: "…I am praying before You now, day and night, on behalf of the sons of Israel Your servants, confessing the sins of the sons of Israel which we have sinned against You; I and my father’s house have sinned."  Nehemiah knew that the nation had drifted away from what God wanted them to do.  His response was to pray, confess, not just once, but day and night.  He took it seriously.  

How are we doing as a Church?  Either globally or locally?  Are we abiding in His Word?  Are we obeying His commission?  Are we representing Him well to the lost?  Or are we more interested in pleasing ourselves, making ourselves comfortable in our meetings and events?

Nehemiah ends with this in 8 – 9: “Remember the word which You commanded Your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful I will scatter you among the peoples; but if you return to Me and keep My commandments and do them…”  Note that Nehemiah is basing his petition to the Lord on the Word of God, the promise of God.  

It seems that if we are to follow Nehemiah’s example, we will pray not just for ourselves or our needs but for the Church both globally and locally to do what the Lord wants done.  Further, when we see that the Church is not following what the Lord commands, then we will with Him weep.

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.

Loose End – Part 3

Yesterday we continued to think through the issue that Wilberforce and Osborne both wrote about 206 years apart.  An issue that persisted throughout those 206 years and seems to persist today.  That is the seeming apathy to the Lord’s exhortation to abide in His Word.

Yesterday I shared the idea that reading books about the Bible, listening to messages about the Bible, watching programs, going to classes about the Bible, is not the same as being in the Bible.  I have done and still do all those things.  I have a ThM, which was 128 hours of class and untold hours outside of class, and that does not count the courses I took in Greek and Hebrew before I got to seminary.  I’m sitting in an office that has every available wall lined with full bookcases and there are 20 or so boxes of books in storage.  All of those things, books, programs, classes are helpful, but they cannot and are not supposed to be the major input of our Biblical lives.

All of those, as good as they are, are filtered through the study and experience of others.  As good as those others are, their work is not inspired.  We need to be in the Word of God ourselves, before we pick up a book – say we are studying Ephesians.  We need to do an overview, analyze each section, and then summarize what we studied.  Then and only then we are ready to look at some secondary source.  If we engage in the secondary source first, what we see will be channeled toward what the teacher, author, or speaker saw.

There is another challenge though.  For the most part, churches regardless of their tradition, have not done a good job of equipping those in the community with the skills needed to study the Word for themselves.  Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway), outlines succinctly what the ministry of a local church is to be.  The leaders are tasked to equip those in the church to do the work of the ministry.  Did you catch that?  The leaders are not supposed to do the work they are to equip the saints to do so.

That may be the source of the problem.  Seminaries, at least the ones I am aware of, do not focus on training pastors to equip.  They are focused on exegesis, hermeneutics, exposition, and homiletics.  That is, in a normal person’s words, technical study, interpretation, explanation, and proclamation.  Thus, most pastors do not equip, they proclaim.  Again, that is good.  I have listened to thousands of messages and have benefited from them.  But the primary input, the most help I have gotten, has been from personal study, personal engagement, wrestling with the text of the Bible.

I learned how to do that, not from classes – while there were some classes that helped in the sense that they suggested methods or tools of which I was not familiar.  Rather, it was from individuals who showed me how to do the work and gave me feedback on what I saw and how I explained it.  It is that interaction, that back and forth, what Paul refers to in Ephesians 4:16 (here @ Bible Gateway), as “being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body…”  Classes do not equip.  Practicing what a class teaches, under observation by someone who knows and is mastering or has mastered the content and gives feedback and constructive criticism – that is what equips.

It seems to me that is what we need in our churches.  I have heard there are some that are doing this.  I am working at doing so in my church.

Loose End – Part 2

Yesterday we started to probe the issue that both Wilberforce and Osbourne spoke to around 206 years apart.  Today we will consider some of the implications of what we examined yesterday.

The conclusion yesterday was that if one does not engage in the activity that Christ exhorts, the implications are dire.  That conclusion is driven, in part, by John 8:31 (here @ Bible Gateway).  As we saw, if one is to be a disciple of Christ, one must abide in His Word.  The import of that is if one is not abiding in the Word, then one is not a disciple.  

In an earlier post we examined 1 Peter 2:1 – 3 (here @ Bible Gateway).  The passage is a complex conditional statement.  Essentially it says that if one has tasted the kindness of the Lord, that is has fully experienced His kindness, then that one will long for, hunger for, not be satisfied without the Word of God.  Would it not be the case then that if a person does not have a hunger for the Word of God, if they are not pursuing learning it, studying it, reading it, would it not be reasonable to conclude that they have not tasted the kindness of the Lord?

In Luke 6:46 (here @ Bible Gateway), Jesus asks a rather penetrating question.  “If you call me Lord, why do you not do what I say?”  Isn’t the implication there that if one is not doing what Christ says, He is not their Lord?  

I have been engaged with more than one church’s small group project.  One of the consistent challenges is getting the groups to engage personally, individually in the Word of God.  Many are quick to read “Christian” books, or watch “Christian” videos, or focus on fellowship, but to read secondary sources is not the same as reading the Bible.  

I have been asked to review two study Bibles.  I have done one, and the other is in the que.  Both are chock full of notes and reference material.  When I was new to the faith, the Scofield Reference Bible was the main Bible that people carried.  It too was chock full of notes and reference material.  Full disclosure I have at least four Study Bibles.  I don’t use any of them.  Why?  The notes and reference materials are the work of man.  They are not inspired.  The text of the Bible is inspired.  Hebrews 4:12 (here @ Bible Gateway) does not say, “For books about the Bible and the notes in your study Bible are living and active and sharper than any two edged sword…” you can fill in the rest.

It is confusing to me why the Lord allows this.  He states that His word will not return void, Isaiah 55:11 (here @ Bible Gateway).  It seems like, many, if not most, of those claiming to be in the Body, have chosen to abandon His Word.  Chosen not to abide instead to depend on proxies to apprehend the Word of God.  This seems to have resulted in an ineffective and anemic Body.  I don’t know why this persists.  But the quotes from Wilberforce and Osborne indicate that it has for the last couple of hundred years.

The Holy Spirit inspired His Word, all of it.  It reflects God’s nature and character, 2 Peter 1:1 – 4 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Peter in 2 Peter 1:16 – 21 (here @ Bible Gateway) compares having the Word of God to his experience seeing Jesus transformed on the Mount of Transfiguration.  But, we have trouble getting believers to engage personally in it?  Why?

I have some thoughts on that I will share in the next post.

Loose End

In June of last year, I shared two quotes, one by William Wilberforce, the other by Grant Osbourne.  As noted in the post, the quotes were 206ish years apart and yet essentially dealt with the same issue.  In that post I said I would share my thoughts on those two quotes.  In reviewing my journal and the blog just now, I realize I never did.  So here goes…

If I were to synthesize the two quotes the common issue seems to be that there is a tendency in the community of faith to not take the need to work at understanding or studying the Bible as necessary for every believer.  There seems to be a prevailing sentiment that after I come to Christ, I’m done with work in terms of knowing Him.  Sure, I will listen to the occasional message and may read the occasional Christian book, but actually dive into the Word of God for myself?  I wouldn’t know where to start.  Anyway, that is the job of the pastor and teachers.  They need to study and tell me what to think.

In the previous paragraph I referred to the community of faith.  Why?  This issue prevails from Genesis to Revelation.  The people of Israel abandoned the Word of God.  There were times of renewal.  Each time the Word was found and read to the people and the people tore their clothes and repented.  But abandoned the Word again in short order.

In Jeremiah 23 (here @ Bible Gateway) the Lord reveals His attitude toward this type of behavior.  The prophets were not sharing the Word of God with the nation.  Rather, they were sharing their own dreams and ideas.  God did not like that.  It is worth your time to read the chapter.

In the New Testament over and over the importance of the Word of God is emphasized.  Perhaps the section of Scripture that is most telling is John 15:1 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway).  In that passage John repeats the Greek word μένω (meno) 11 times in those 16 verses.  The word is variously translated abide, remain, continue, dwell.  We are exhorted by the Lord to abide in Him and have His Words abide in us.  In John 8:31 (here @ Bible Gateway) the exhortation is to abide in His Word to be His disciple.  Both statements in John 8:31 (here @ Bible Gateway) and John 15:7 (here @ Bible Gateway) are conditional.  The construction of the sentences indicate that it is not certain that those who heard or read will actually fulfill the condition of having the Words abide in them or abide in His Word.  The implications of not doing what Christ exhorted are dire.

This is getting longer than I intended when I started.  So I will finish it in the next post or so.  Stay tuned.

The Job of Every Believer

A while back something I was reading caused me to chase a theme through the New Testament.  

Here are the passages that came to mind:

• 1 Corinthians 12:7, 24 – 27 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Romans 12:4 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Ephesians 4:1 – 3, 11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Hebrews 3:13 – 15 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Hebrews 10:23 – 25 (here @ Bible Gateway)

As you see the passages deal mostly with gifting of each member of the body of Christ.  It occurred to me, while working through this, that the purpose of each individual in the body is to build up the other members.  Based on Hebrews 10 (here @ Bible Gateway) that is an intentional and thoughtful enterprise. 

To the extent that we do not build one another up, not consider, not encourage, not strengthen, not challenge, not exhort, not call to walk worthy, to that extent we weaken not only the body, but we diminish ourselves.  By not building up a member in Christ, we are choosing to not activate that person’s gift thus depriving the body and us of their ministry.

The argument will be made that it is the domain of the elite, the pastors, the leadership of a body to build up the members.  But, that flies in the face of the Lord’s command in Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway).

Change?

Six years ago, the Lord allowed me to study Jeremiah four times in a row.  Four different Bible studies with four different groups of men.  One of the major lessons, was that the leadership of Judah had abandoned the Word of God and began to proclaim to the people their own dreams and ideas.  Since most of the people did not have YouVersion on their phones, they were not exposed to the Word of God and had no access to it.

One of the applications from that study is I began asking men who were in leadership, “What is the Lord teaching you from the Word these days?”  It has gotten to the point that many now anticipate the question and tell me before I ask.

A few weeks back I was praying through the Church’s (note that is big C the entire body of Christ not a specific congregation) engagement with the Word of God.  I was reflecting on Isaiah 55:11 (here @ Bible Gateway) and Hebrews 4:12 (here @ Bible Gateway).  I was asking God why if His Word does not return void and if it is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword, why then, have so many of His people abandoned it?  Why have entire Christian organizations chosen to ignore it?  Why have Bible publishers worked with secular publishers to make it more “attractive” to this generation?  Why does the Lord not draw people to Himself through His Word.

As I considered these, I will admit that I was struggling with some level of despair.  I am deeply troubled by the seeming lack of hunger for God’s Word in many professing Christians and equally disturbed by what is considered “good” Christian literature.  Thinking through this another question, really a subset of the first began to form.  I’m still working on the precise language, but it goes something like, “How has the Word challenged what you believe or how you live out your walk with God recently?”

If it is the case that Isaiah 55:8 – 9 (here @ Bible Gateway) is true (it is), then if I am in the Word, abiding in the Word as Christ said that His disciples would do (John 8:31 – 32 (here @ Bible Gateway)), then it would be a continual experience that my thinking and knowledge of Him would be challenged and corrected.  My world view would be continually being shaped, transformed, as Paul describes it in Romans 12:2 (here @ Bible Gateway), by my exposure to God’s nature and character as revealed in His inspired Word.

So, “How has the Word challenged what you believe or how you live out your walk with God recently?”  How has it caused you to change?  How has it transformed you?

The Use of Secondary Sources

Over the years the Lord has provided me with several opportunities to share with people why they need to be in the Word of God for themselves.  What that means is that they are not using secondary sources but directly reading and studying the Bible.

Secondary sources include but are not limited to:

• Notes in a study Bible
• Commentaries
• Devotionals
• Books about the Bible or Topics in the Bible
• Messages live or recorded
• Fill in the blank or other types of Bible Study guides.

Now before I explain why I encourage people not to use these, full disclosure, I have every one of those resources in my office and on my computer, in addition to some technical resources that I have not named.  Further, I have at various times derived benefit from all those types of resources.

Why then, do I encourage people not to use them?

The answer is priority or sequence.  These are appropriate after we have studied or attempted to study a passage on our own.  If we pick up one of these at the beginning of our study or interaction with the Word of God, what is said in the resource will become a filter for what we see in the text.  On the other hand, if we engage in the Word ourselves first, then when we utilize the resource, we are comparing what is said there with what we have seen.  So instead of it becoming a filter, it then becomes a supplement, another set of eyes on the passage.  Then we are in a dialog with the one who created the resource.

According to Jesus, and I will take Him at His word on this, one of the purposes of the Holy Spirit other than inspiring the Word of God, is to help us understand it, John 16:13 (here @ Bible Gateway).  If when we are working through a passage we bail out of the text and go to secondary sources as soon as we hit something that challenges us, we are not leaving room for the Spirit to lead us into truth.

We need to let Him do what He was sent to do.

Confused

There are lot of things in life that confuse me.  Things that I don’t understand.  As one who has had seven sinus operations, I don’t understand piercing noses, for example.

For most of my adult life, I have been involved in some sort of Christian ministry either as a lay member of a church or group or else as staff or leader of those types of groups.  The Lord has allowed me to engage in this either in person or online on five continents and 14 different countries.  In nearly every instance at some point in the process one of the participants asks why they haven’t been shown how to study the Bible in their church.  Or one of the pastors will confess to either downloading and presenting another pastors sermon or else not speaking on the Bible but his own thoughts.

Consistently one thing emerges in all my seminars and workshops.  There are many who have been in churches all their lives who have not been equipped to study the Word of God on their own.  They are dependent then on secondary sources or the teaching of others, which amounts to the same thing.  They are engaged in the Word of God by proxy.

In John 8:31 – 32 (here @ Bible Gateway), Jesus states that in order to be His disciple one must abide in His Word.  If one does not know how to abide, if they have never been shown how, can they be a disciple?  Yet there are many churches of which I am aware who are struggling with the idea of how to more effectively make disciples.

Shouldn’t that start with equipping those in these communities of faith to personally engage in the Word of God?  Rather than giving a member a book about, say, Philippians, why not show them how to study the book on their own?

Rather than giving them a devotional book, why not show them how to engage in a quiet time on their own?

Rather than… well I’s repeating myself…

Thoughts?

Equipping Priests

What is equipping?  That was the question posed yesterday.  Is it simply teaching, or a message given from a pulpit or lectern?  How are people prepared to serve as engineers, accountants, doctors, pilots, financial planners, teachers, etc.?  For that matter how are pastors prepared to lead a church?

I would suggest that it is more than hearing a lecture or a message.

I have firsthand experience in three of those professions and have closely observed three of the others.  I was an Air Force instructor pilot, I have a degree in engineering and was involved in starting and running an architectural, engineering, and construction company, and I have graduated from seminary.  I have observed my oldest son become a CPA, I watched my middle son go through the process of becoming a doctor, my youngest son was a teacher and is now in the process of becoming a financial planner, and my wife was a special ed teacher for many years.

While lectures and messages were certainly a part of all of the firsthand experience in the three I finished, that was not all. In every case there was instruction followed by observation of my application of the instruction with critique of whether and how my application was adequate and or could be improved.

In seminary, one is tested over the material in class.  One’s papers are both graded and marked up with notes on how they can be improved.  One is given assignments to share a message on a passage of scripture and that is evaluated and critiqued.

I know for certain that all the other professions listed above go through some semblance of that experience.

We have examined Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway).  From my perspective it is a crucial text in describing what should happen in a local body.  The leaders are to equip the saints for the work of service.  Note that they are not just to do the ministry, they are to equip those in their care to do so as well.

Is that happening?  Do people regularly get instruction on how to accomplish something in ministry, then be observed doing that task, and subsequently get critique on how they fared?

If not, why?

A bit more on this in the next post.

Priests, Part 4

Last time we said that it was important, very important that we not only study the Word for ourselves as priests, but we also apply it to our lives and then share it with others.

This is a key concept.  Ephesians 4:11 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway) tells us that leaders, and as priests we are all leaders, are to equip other members of the body.  That is not just the job of the professionals.  In fact, it is hard to validate the model of church we practice today with professional leaders.  Note that in Ephesians 4:13 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway), Paul’s expectation is that every member of the body will engage in building up the other members of the body.

One implication of that is that when we are in our communities, we should be considering how we can build those around us up in their faith.  It is not enough, nor was it Paul’s expectation, that we would simply show up on Sunday and be entertained.

Note that if the body is not committed to equipping, that it may be that an individual’s gifts will not be energized or engaged in the body.

That raises another question.  What is equipping?  Is equipping the same as teaching?  If not, how is it different?  The next post will unwrap that question.

Priests, Part 3

The last couple of posts have started to explore the implications of all of us who are believers being priests.  In the last post we observed that we are to be engaged in the Word of God, intentionally, consistently, with a commitment to apply it to our lives.

Priests also proclaimed the Word of God to the people.  So it would seem reasonable to assume that as priests we are to do the same.  That seems to be the thrust of Matthew 28:18 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway), 2 Timothy 2:2 (here @ Bible Gateway); 2 Timothy 4:1 – 2 (here @ Bible Gateway), and other passages.

We are not only to emulate Ezra, as suggested in the last post, but we are to share, proclaim to those in our family, our workplace, and our community that which we have discovered in the Word of God.

This is a key concept.  It is so important that we will expand it in the next post.

Priests, Part 2

Yesterday I asked what were some of the implications of all believers being priests.  Hopefully you gave that some thought.  It seems to me that reality is mostly ignored in our communities.  Chuck rightly observed that in the Old Testament the priests were leaders.  They led in worship through the sacrificial system and taught the Law, the Word, to those in their charge.

If we are priests, as the passages referenced yesterday seem to indicate, then shouldn’t there be some correlation to what the priests that are described in the Bible did?

The priests were engaged personally in the Word of God, the scrolls that they had, the Old Testament.  They did not simply listen to messages that others gave.  Ezra is a good example of this.  Read Ezra 7:10 (here @ Bible Gateway).  Note the order of Ezra’s engagement with the Word of God, study, practice, teach.

As priests shouldn’t all of us be engaged in the Word of God like this?  If not, why?  If we are not, why?

Priests

I am not Catholic.  I have been to two Catholic weddings, and I went with a close friend to a men’s meeting at his parish, one Wednesday morning.  That is about as close as I’ve come.  However, I read that I am a priest.  If you are a believer, one who has trusted Christ for your salvation, then you are as well.

Consider these passages:

• 2 Corinthians 5:11 – 21 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Romans 15:15 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• 1 Peter 2:4 – 5 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• 1 Peter 2:9 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Revelation 1:6 (here @ Bible Gateway)
• Revelation 5:9 – 10 (here @ Bible Gateway)

It seems that as those who have trusted Christ, we are priests.  What do you see as the implications of that reality?  I have some thoughts I will share in subsequent posts.

Crumbling Foundations

Ever have your faith tested?  Ever been challenged by someone who is not a believer?  Ever been attacked for what you believe?  For many Christians in the world those are daily realities.  How does a believer cope?

Psalm 11:3 (here @ Bible Gateway) sheds some light on this.  In the context David is under attack, the wicked are loading bows with arrows with which to fire at him.  Note the response.  If the foundation is destroyed there is little hope.

There are seemingly two elements to the foundation.  First, Christ (1 Corinthians 3:11 (here @ Bible Gateway)).  Second, the Word of God (John 8:31 – 32 (here @ Bible Gateway)), if we do not abide in His Word we are not disciples.  Further, if we do not abide we do not have with which to fight (Ephesians 6:10 – 20 (here @ Bible Gateway)).

It may not be a stretch to suggest that if we do not build those foundational elements into our communities, they will fail.

Christian Life by Proxy

If you own any stock or participate in a 401k or retirement fund, you may from time to time receive proxy statements.  You are asked to vote on issues pertaining to the management of the entity and then send that in to be presented to the annual meeting by proxy.  Someone else casts your vote for you.

There are times when it seems that some in the church choose to live the Christian life by proxy.  They want someone else to live it for them, that usually means the leaders of their church.

That is hardly a new behavior.  Look at Jeremiah 37:2 – 3 (here @ Bible Gateway).  The leader Zedekiah couldn’t be bothered to listen to Jeremiah share the Word of the Lord.  Yet, they did not have any hesitation to ask Jeremiah to pray to the Lord on their behalf.

Not interested in obedience or following the Lord.  No problem letting someone else do that for you.  Just want the benefit and not the bother of the obedience.

At the end of the seminars I do to equip men to study the Bible on their own so they can more effectively lead their children in their walk with the Lord, I have had men tell me that they did not want to do the work, they just wanted someone to tell them what to believe.

In John 15:1 – 16 (here @ Bible Gateway), John, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, repeats the word abide 11 times in those 16 verses.  It might be important.  We find that we are to abide in Christ, and we are to have His word abide in us, so that we can produce fruit that abides.

There doesn’t seem to be a proxy arrangement for any of that.