ONE LAST THING ABOUT THAT FIVE-FOLD THING

I believe that major problem with the Five-Fold Ministry term is with the word 'fold.'  It implies layers.

People assume the five ministries listed in Ephesians represent layers created by folding, and each later added to the first is created by one fold. So, the second layer is created by the first fold, the third layer is created by the second layer, etc.  Well, this works if you are creating pleats or a fanfold, but if you are folding a flat item in half with each fold.  In that case, you cannot create five layers, because each fold doubles the number of layers.

Try it yourself.  Take a flat item, such as a sheet of paper, or a washcloth, or a bandana, and fold it in half three times.  You have created six layers.

Now, if you used a cloth item, you can flatten it out and use it again.  Take one side and fold it over one third of the way to the other side.  Then take the unfolded side and fold it over to align with the first fold.  You now have three layers.

If you wanted five layers, you would have to measure one fifth of the way from one side to the other to make the first fold. From there, you can go one of two ways.  You can alternate folding under and over for each fold, working from the first side across the cloth.

No matter what manner of folding you use, it is a poor analogy for the ministries listed in Ephesians 4.  The passage does not mention any folding, layers, or structure of any kind.  And the larger context doesn't imply any of those either.  Nowhere does the Bible state that those ministries are offices either.

From what I see in that passage is that Jesus equipped men for those ministries according to what they would need to serve His people.

This is the easiest way to determine true ministers from the false.  True ministers will serve you by bringing you truth.  False ministers will decieve you into serving them by twisting the Bible.

CESSATIONISM / CONTUATIONISM, OR SOMETHING ELSE.

I guess I am now something else.  That is not to brag, just stating that my view has changed.

I was once a cessationist.  Back in junior high, I had joined a Southern Baptist congregation, and the pastor there taught us from the old Scofield Study Bible that speaking in tongues was not for today, that it had passed away, so if anyone is speaking in tongues today, they are doing so by the power of the devil!

Then I got involved in a coffeehouse ministry.  I was now in high school.  I loved Jesus, and I was happy to find a place where I could hang out with other kids who loved Jesus, and we wanted to tell other kids about Him.  One of those kids said something that made me take another at tongues.  After some study, I discovered a connection between tongues and Jesus!  So, I became a Charismatic and started speaking in tongues.

Back in those days, the pro-tongues position was called "restorationism," that is, that God was restoring tongues and the other gifts of the Holy Spirit.  But, non-Pentcostals / Charismatics also believed in a form of restorationism that started with the Protestant Reformation. In recent years, the term "continuationsm" has taken over, as Pentecostals and Charismatics now say the gifts have always been available.

One factor that confounds the issue is the use of the phrase, "move of God" to refer to a new push or surge of activity in Pentecostal / Charismatic circles.  Are they truly moves of God, or something else?

I can't say for sure about this, I can only give my view based on what I have learned.  And I like to look at things from different angles than everyone else.

A while back, I began to wonder about reform movements before Luther.  I knew his was not the first, just the first to have a major impact that lasted.

I learned of the Waldensians, the Lollards, and the Hussites.  These were definite precursors to Luther because they sought to bring understanding of the Bible directly to the people.

Were they moves of God?  That is, did He start those movements?  Or, did a hunger for God spark them?

I believe that people had seen that Christianity had changed from a vibrant faith in it's earliest centuries into an institution that was riddled with superstition, ritualism, and corruption.  They wanted to recover what was lost.

Considering those movements along with those that followed, I would now call myself a recoverist.  That is, I believe the Body of Christ has been trying to recover what has been lost since it's early days.

Of course, Satan does not like this.  When God's people seek Him, Satan wants to derail those efforts.  He tries to draw our attention away from God and His Word to our own emotions, our own experiences, to his lies, to 'hidden knowledge,' all under the guise of spiritual growth.  Men without honorable intentions will also seek to exploit the good intentions of believers for their own greed.  That is why we see so much false doctrine, so many false prophetic words and faked healings and miracles, ministers falling into sin, and their followers trapped in abusive cults.

But all is not lost.  The posers are being exposed.  People are escaping cults, and recovering from the emotional damage.

RESTORING FALLEN MINISTERS

Quite a bit has been said recently about ministers that have fallen into sin.  The worst have been exposed for sexual sin, with some even facing jail or prison time and lifetime registration as an offender.  Others have used their media channels and meetings to raise large amounts of money, then used the tax free funds to buy luxurious homes for themselves.  Some have data-mined information from phone books, mailing lists, or social media to use that information to deliver false words of knowledge that they present as divinely supplied.

After the exposure, the fake preacher will move away from ministry.  Then some will come out calling for the person to be restored.

Now, we see some discussion on who can be restored, and how the restoration process should go.  I see something lacking in most of the proposals, something that Jesus spoke about.

Most have spoken about the need for forgiveness.  Of course, the victims and the Body of Christ need to forgive the offender.  But, in this call for forgiveness, I don't see anyone bringing up this passage:

Matthew 5:21-26 NASB1995

“You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not commit murder’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’  But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.  Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,  leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.  Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way, so that your opponent may not hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.  Truly I say to you, you will not come out of there until you have paid up the last cent.

Jesus said quite a mouthful with just a few sentences!  On the surface, He doesn't seem to said that much.  But, let's look at the bigger picture, and let's start by considering who he was speaking to - Jews living in Galilee under the Roman Empire.  The Law of Moses was their primary guide, and it dominated the thinking of many.

First, Jesus reminds them of the commandment against murder.  Then, He amplifies the command to include insults.  He gives two examples of insults that will place the speaker under judgment.

The first example questions the target's character.  The second questions the target's mental capabilities.  Insults like these attack a person instead of any facts that might support their position.  Academics and attornies call them ad hominem attacks.  They regard such arguments invalid.

What Jesus did was expand murder to include the condition of the heart that would make someone murder.

Then, Jesus says something that doesn't seem to fit, a non sequitur, if you will.  He says, "...your brother has something against you," not that you have something against your brother.  Why would He say THAT?

I can understand understand why.  I have watched all of the Perry Mason series.  I have noticed that quite a few times, the murder victims were dispicable.  If I were a fictional character in those episodes, I might have killed them too.  But quite a few times, the victim was mostly inoffensive.  The motive isn't always apparent, and it becomes the biggest part of the mystery.  Most times, more than one person who knew the victim had a motive, and Perry had to eliminate each one.  So, even the nicest people could become murder victims.

Jesus, by telling a potential murder victim to seek reconciliation, He saves two lives!  God does not want anyone to murder or get murdered.

Then Jesus moves into civil affairs - lawsuits.  He favors reconciliation there too.  In those days, debtors could be imprisoned.  God doesn't want people imprisoned by debt, or to lose money over unpaid loans.

Now, how does this apply to fallen preachers?

Reconciliation between victim and defender is paramount.  Without it, the relationship will be destroyed.  This leaves an open door for other relationships to be destroyed.

The offender should be the first one to seek reconciliation.  Period.  I mean PERIOD!  Why? To prevent more offenses.

This is how the offender should seek reconciliation:

First, admit to the victim that you were wrong.  Don't be like Fonzi, go ahead and say, "I was wrong," not, "I was wr-uhhhh." You will probably feel better after you say it out loud.  God certainly will.  So will the victim.

Second, say you that are sorry, that you regret doing what you did, and you want to do better.

Finally, ask for forgiveness.  Forgiveness from the victim frees you from the worry that they might seek revenge.

Now, I do not want to forget the victim's part in the process.  The victim needs to forgive for their own spiritual health.

Without forgiveness by both, no reconciliation happens.

Without reconciliation, worship becomes meaningless.  Fallen ministers who have not reconciled with their victims remain false.  If they do get restored to ministry, then the public needs to be informed that their ministry is false also.

Smile! You never know who's watching!

Been a while since I posted any jokes, so here's a few to help you smile...

What did the Geometry teacher say when he found out his parrot escaped?

Polly gone!

What is Irish, and sits out on the porch All the time?

Patty O'Furniture

The world's shortest Irish joke:

An Irishman walks out of a bar... Hey!  It could happen!

A guy found out his blonde girlfriend had never been to a football game despite loving sports.  So, he took her to one.

They arrived at their seats just in time for the coin toss.  He was immediately concerned about her comfort, so he made sure she was settled in for the game.

She really enjoyed the experience, and he answered her questions as simply as he could.

On the way home, he asked her what she thought.  She said, "That seems to be quite a fuss over 25 cents."

He asked why she said that, and she replied, "Every time one team had the ball and they started a play, the fans for the other team would start yelling, 'Get the quarter back!  Get the quarter back!' "

A beautiful blonde takes a flight from New York to L.A.  Half an hour after takeoff, she gets out of her seat in coach and goes to first class, finds an empty seat, and sits down.

A flight attendant checks the roster, sees that the blonde is supposed to be in coach, and she tries to get her to go back to coach.  But the blonde does not accept her explanation that she hasn't paid for first class.  The blonde refuses to budge.

Every other crew member tries to get her to move, including the co-pilot.  No one succeeds. She kept saying over and over, "I'm blonde, I'm beautiful, I'm on my way to Hollywood, and I'm not moving from this seat!"

Finally, the pilot says he will get her to move, that he is married to a blonde and he knows how to talk to them.  He goes over to her, says hi, then bends over to whisper in her ear.

Her eyes pop wide open, and she rushes back to coach.  The crew watched this from the cockpit.  As the pilot got back there, they asked him what he said to make her move so fast after they all failed.

He said, "I just told her that first class wasn't going to L.A."

TRUE STORY.  One morning I come out the front of a convenience store, and right in front of the door is a vintage Corvette.  A blonde came out right behind me.

We start walking around it, checking it out.  I am a Chevy fan, so that was natural for me.

When I'm standing directly behind the car, the blonde asked what year it was.  I said, "It's a 58."  She asked how I knew that.  I just pointed at the vanity plate that said, ITSA58.

When she saw that, she turned to go on her way, slapped her forehead, and said, "Duh!  I'm a blonde!"

FAITH REVISITED

Much has been said about faith for quite a number of decades now. Back in the Latter Rain revival days, Kenneth Hagin began his teachings on faith. Since then, others have taken his teachings and transformed them into the Word of Faith / prosperity gospel, what I have decided to call the HAWG (Health And Wealth Gospel). Many congregations have used ‘Faith’ in their names. I know of two chains using the name Faith Assembly.

In all this emphasis on faith, I have seen some shortcomings in the understanding of this subject. Some are more than simple mistakes - they have become dangerous threats to life and health.

In this article, I will examine these issues and try to bring some Scriptural clarity.

What is faith?

Many WOF teachers would point to this verse to define ‘faith.’

Hebrews 11:1 NKJV

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. 

After reading or quoting this verse, they will say that faith is a substance, or a force. That statement makes faith into something mechanical, something that we can manipulate like a tool to fix broken aspects of our lives.

We see this reflected in the titles given to sermons, books, videos, etc., about using faith:

Four Steps To Answered Prayer.

Six Steps To Healing.

Seven Habits That Bring Prosperity.

Those are titles I made up to illustrate my point. But if you search the websites or watch the television programs of HAWG teachers you will likely find some kind of product with a similar name that they offer as a ‘love gift’ for a donation.

But some take those teachings and turn them into rules. If you don't pray enough, confess enough, fast enough, then that is why you haven't been healed, your bills are unpaid, your car broke down….

Some go even further to say you must achieve ‘rapturing faith’ before Jesus returns, or you will be left to go through the Tribulation. I see this as fearmongering to manipulate people to stay true to a cult leader. This teaching puts undue stress on people that can create mental and physical health issues. Some people under such a burden have ended their own lives.

While I do admit that faith has some mechanical aspects, its nature is not that way.

Hebrews 11:1 NASB1995

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

This is how most of the more recent translations render this verse. No mechanical wording there.

But notice the second clause in both renderings. The words ‘evidence’ and ‘conviction’ are legal terms. In the context of Hebrews, what the author, or authors, intend is that the faith of Old Testament heroes is the evidence that supports the conviction that

…we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience…

Hebrews 10:19-22 NASB1995

At first, the earliest disciples faced persecution only from the Jewish religious authorities. The government had no interest in them at the time. All the disciples were Jews, who still saw themselves as Jews, and except for their belief in Jesus, they still did what Jews did. The practice of Judaism was legal under Roman law, so government officials first saw the disciples as members of a new Jewish sect. As long as the disciples didn't violate other Roman laws the officials had no legal reason to worry about them.

But some of those disciples couldn't handle the persecution. They knew they could avoid it if they gave up their faith in Jesus, and went back to being just Jews…who followed the Mosaic law for salvation. The author, or authors, of Hebrews did not want that, so they wrote the letter to warn the disciples about the consequences of forsaking Jesus. The eleventh chapter points them, and us, to the faith of the heroes as a reason to continue believing in, and following, Jesus.

One last note about Hebrews 11: Many people take the “great cloud of witnesses,” mentioned at the beginning of chapter 12, to be the heroes, and they are now watching us from heaven. This is often extended to include recently deceased relatives. Do you really think anyone in the presence of Jesus is concerned with anything going on in this world? No, they are not witnesses OF us. They are witnesses TO us!

The nature of faith is more than mechanical or legal.

Mark 11:20-26 NASB1995

As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Being reminded, Peter *said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.”

And Jesus *answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions.”

This is THE central Scripture passage of faith teaching. When you see faith as a mechanical force, then this passage becomes the handbook of HAWG doctrine.

But if you read it slowly, and with an open mind, one phrase just might stand out, and change how you see faith. To save you some time, I will highlight the phrase here: “…and does not doubt IN HIS HEART…”

Doubt is a heart matter. So is faith.

Another way to say it, faith is not a matter of moving mountains, paying bills, receiving healing, raising the dead, etc. It is not a measure of one's spirituality.

Faith is a relationship word. Faith in your heart is the very core of all your relationships. That includes your relationship with God.

My time as a soldier helped me to see this. I was ruminating on the difference, and the similarity, between the terms ‘believer’ and ‘disciple.’ One well-known HAWG teacher directs his ministry towards believers. In recent years, I have seen a larger emphasis on discipleship. I also noted that in most of the New Testament, Christians were called disciples. Then I thought of the logo of the U. S. Army's Infantry School. It shows a Revolutionary War soldier holding a musket in one hand, and making an overhead gesture with the other. The caption reads, “Follow me!” That got me to thinking of the officers I had that I would follow into combat. (Thank God I never had to!) Then it hit me: You won't follow anyone you don't trust.

Don't get me wrong. I never had a close personal relationship with these officers. But I had seen enough to know that I could trust them to not make mistakes that would get me or another soldier hurt or killed. I know those are possible in combat, but officers who unnecessarily put their troops in harm's way often make things worse on a larger scale. The army takes a dim view of that.

In short, you have to be a believer to be a disciple.

What is the purpose of faith?

One of the key verses on faith is one I have seldom heard a HAWG teacher quote, and I have never heard anyone give a teaching only on this one verse.

Hebrews 11:6 NASB1995

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Whenever a HAWG teacher does quote or reference this verse, they tend to focus on the “rewarder” clause. This is just another indication that they are seeing faith as a mechanical phenomenon. Believe God by buying their books and CD's, or giving an offering, and get a reward. Better yet, in their view, become a ‘partner’ of their ministry!

How about using your faith to please your Father? The OT heroes pleased their God by their faith. I see nothing in the NT that indicates anything different about the purpose of faith.

Why is pleasing God by faith so important? Ask any parent who has been hurt when their child did not trust them.

How does faith actually work?

Two passages I know of give us a look at how faith actually works.

Galatians 5:2-6 NASB1995

Behold I, Paul, say to you that if you receive circumcision, Christ will be of no benefit to you. And I testify again to every man who receives circumcision, that he is under obligation to keep the whole Law. You have been severed from Christ, you who are seeking to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

The Galatian disciples were some of the earliest converts in Paul's apostolic ministry. You can read about this in Acts 13 and 14. Soon after Paul and Barnabas returned from this trip, Judaizers came in and began to teach that Gentiles needed to be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses. Paul wrote this letter to counteract that teaching.

The problem with that doctrine is that it bases salvation on man's works instead of God's. We need to base our faith on God’s love for us, and His faithfulness to us.

In other other words, we trust Him and believe His Word because we know His will, His intention, is to provide for us, and to bless us.

Matthew 17:14-20 NASB1995

When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He *said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”

Jesus made a very interesting statement here. On the one hand, He tells His disciples they had little faith. But, on the other hand, He tells them that if their faith is no bigger than a mustard seed, they could not only cast out a demon, they could move a mountain! Was He saying that their faith was smaller than that? How big is a mustard seed anyway?

Matthew 13:31-32 NASB1995

He presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field; and this is smaller than all other seeds, but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.”

Jesus only states that a single mustard seed is the smallest of seeds. He doesn't specify if He means the seeds in the man's field, or all types of seeds. I looked up ‘mustard seed,’ and found they range from 1 to 2 millimeters, or 3 to 5/64ths. That is very small for seeds.

If Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a single mustard seed, did He also mean that faith works like a seed? Could be…

What did Jesus say the seed did? It grew. It did not stay a seed, it became a plant. Your faith can grow. No matter how big your faith is now, it can grow.

How does faith grow? Here we need to turn away from the metaphoric language, and remember that faith is a relationship term. How do relationships grow? Love?

Yes. But how does love grow? TIME!

Spend as much time as you can with God. Read and study the Bible. Pray. Approach both as if you are spending time with someone who loves you, and you love them.

RAPTURE, TRIBULATION, MILLENIUM

I see too many people obsessing over features of 'end times prophecy.'  They proclaim and debate (discuss and cuss) their doctrinal positions, and often become disagreeable over their disagreements.

My own positions are not quite so settled.  I have come to reject dispensationalism and its basic premise.  Otherwise, I am not too concerned.

Why?  I realize that I cannot do anything to make these events happen.  Neither can I do anything to prevent or delay them.  They are going to happen when they happen.

I am not being fatalistic either.  I recognize that they are beyond my control.

In the first chapter of Acts, the disciples asked Jesus if He was going to restore the Davidic kingdom of Israel at that time.  He told them the time for that was in the Father's hands.

His answer reminds me of a line from Jesus Christ Superstar:  Why are you so obsessed with fighting times and dates you can't defy?

BELIEVERS, BEWARE!

Most of my previous posts have been about doctrine.  This one is more of a warning.

If you have been paying attention to podcasters like Mike Winger, Everett Gagnon, Laura Lynn Tyler Thompson, and others, you know that things have been in an uproar lately.  Most of these have been calling out deception (financial fraud, false prophecy, false teaching) and abuse (unreasonable demands on staff and congregants, manhandling staff, sexual abuse or misconduct) for quite some time.  A few have done it for over ten years.

Mike Winger released a couple of videos recently covering Shawn Bolz, Todd White, Chris Reed, and Bethel Church in Redding CA.  Those videos are over 6 hours total.  Now, the other podcasters are following up on his content.

I have avoided speaking out on these issues because my focus has been on knowledge, doctrine, and wisdom.  But in recent Bible reading and meditation, I have come across a couple of passages that are relevant to the situation.

What's The Beef?

Mike Winger calls it Cover-up Culture.  Some preacher takes a title such as evangelist, prophet, or apostle, then gets caught giving words of knowledge, words of wisdom, or false prophecies, or someone comes forward with an allegation of sexual misconduct, then his home congregation or other ministers act as though nothing was wrong, and they continue to support the preacher as long as he can continue to bring in money for them.  This often continues, until reliable evidence becomes evident.  Even then, sometimes the cover-up continues.  The accused preacher often has to get convicted in a court of men, instead of by the Holy Spirit, for the cover-up to start.

This sounds like something Isaiah said was going on in Jerusalem.

Isaiah 5:18 - 24 NASB1995

Woe to those who drag iniquity with the cords of falsehood, and sin as if with cart ropes;  who say, “Let Him make speed, let Him hasten His work, that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come to pass, that we may know it!”  Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight!  Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine and valiant men in mixing strong drink, who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!  Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble and dry grass collapses into the flame, so their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; for they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

I underlined the part that really stood out to me.  The Cover-up continues to protect image, reputation, and ultimately money!

Not only this, those who have been harmed, especially those hurt through sexual misconduct, are often denied credibility, prevented from speaking out, or accused of lying out of malice or greed.  That means their rights have been denied.

You might be thinking, "So, what?  What has any of this to do with me?  I don't follow any of those preachers!  They have no effect on me."  If you call yourself a Christian, a believer or disciple of Jesus, they are affecting God's reputation, and yours.  The entire Body of Christ is affected, with no regard for denomination, label, or status.

Cover-up Culture Involves More Than Ministers

Now, you might also be thinking, "I'm just a normal pew-sitting Christian.  Does this really affect me?"

You better believe it, pilgrim!  Consider the following passage:

Revelation 2:1 - 5 NASB1995

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand, the One who walks among the seven golden lampstands, says this:  I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false;  and you have perseverance and have endured for My name’s sake, and have not grown weary.  But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.  Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first; or else I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place — unless you repent."

Many consider the congregations mentioned in the first three chapters of revelation as representatives of "church ages."  I don't.  This doctrine is part of dispensational theology, which I reject whole scale.

These congregations were contemporary to each other.  All these cities were located in the Roman province called Asia, at the west end of Asia Minor.  Ephesus was the capital of that province.

I believe these assemblies represent the different kinds of heresies and problems that can exist within the entire Body of Christ at one time, but not necessarily all in the same place.  The Body is now global, after all.

The Lord had good things to say about the Ephesian assembly.  In fact, He had only one complaint about them: they no longer loved Him as they did at first.  OUCH!  (You know, sometimes you have to say ouch instead of Amen!)

He did not specify how they did this, but He did say they needed to do the deeds they did at first as a result of their repentance.

Failure to repent meant their "lampstand" would be removed.

 Revelation 1:20 NASB1995

As for the mystery of the seven stars which you saw in My right hand, and the seven golden lampstands: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.

THE DEVIL DIDN'T LIE!

"YES HE DID!" I can hear you shouting.  You have probably heard countless preachers tell you countless times that the Devil, Satan, the Serpent, Lucifer (whatever name you call him) lied to Eve in the Garden of Eden.  That is true.  So, how can I say he didn't lie?

Am I looking at the same Scriptures everyone else is looking at?  Yes.  But I am looking at HOW Satan lied.

I recommend you read Genesis chapters 1 through 3 several times.  Pay attention to the details of Adam's creation, and compare that to the details of Eve's creation.  Also, compare what the Serpent said to what happened after Adam ate.

For the sake of time, I will include the relevant verses here that pertain to this discussion.

What Did God Say?

Genesis 1:26-31 NASB1995

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”  God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.

God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;  and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.  God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Let me summarize:

1. God intended to make man in his own image.

2. God intended for man to rule over nature.

3. God tells man to multiply and subdue nature.

4. God states that plants are food for man.

Genesis 2:16-17 NASB1995

The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

5. God said they may eat the fruit of ANY tree, except, the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

What Did The Serpent and Eve Say?

Genesis 3:1-5 NASB1995

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”  The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”  The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!  For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Again, a summary:

1. The Serpent asked a question.  He made no statement.  In one sense, you could say he was asking for a clarification.  His wording matched what God said, up to a point.  So, he only asked a simple question, unless... We will get to that later.

2. Eve restated what God said, except for two differences.

She added, "or touch it."  Where did that come from?  I can think of only three sources, God, Adam, or her own imagination.  I'm not sure which is right, but I have my doubts about the first two.

Instead of saying, "for surely," like God said, she simply said, "or."

3.  The Serpent did directly contradict God.  He added something that should have been obvious, that they would have knowledge of good and evil, if they ate from that tree.  But, was that the lie?

What Happened?

Genesis 3:6-7 NASB1995

When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.

Did they die?  We see later in Genesis that Adam died when he was over 900 years old.  So, death was not immediate.

Or was it?

God said, "...IN the day you eat, you will die."  So, death was supposed to be immediate.  Yet, they didn't die - physically.

How else could they have died?

The Other Way To Die or Live

Genesis 2:7 NASB1995

Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

We all have read though this verse, and not given it much thought.  We have treated this like a single event.  But, this verse tells us about three events that compose a single episode.

First, we see God forming man's body from dust.  So, of the three parts of man listed towards the end of 1st Thessalonians, spirit, soul, and body, Adam existed only of a body, at first.

Next, we see God breathing life into man.  In Hebrew, one word means means 'breath,' 'wind,' and 'spirit.'. So, God put a spirit inside Adam's body.

Finally, Adam becomes a living being.  But, what kind of being?  The Hebrew word rendered here as 'being' can also be translated as 'soul.'  What is a soul?  A soul is a self, with a mind, emotions, and a will.

So, God created Adam a living soul.  Why a living soul?

Remember the order of Adam's creation - body, then spirit, then soul.  Adam's soul did not exist until his spirit entered his body.  Where did his spirit come from?  Directly from God.  God saw Adam and Eve as spiritually alive beings.  When He said that they would die, He meant they would meant spiritually, not physically.

When, the Serpent said that Adam and Eve wouldn't die, he was speaking of physical death. On that point, he did not lie.

So, How Did The Serpent Lie?

He lied when he said, "you will be like God...”

He implied that she was not like God, and that God was hiding something from her.

The truth is, she was as much like God as any human could be, because she was created in His image.  Also, if she wanted to know about good and evil, all she had to do was ask.  James 1:5.

BUSINESS, OR MINISTRY?

Taken from my Facebook, first posted several years ago.

A recent post on social media has me concerned that many people treat ministry like it was business. While the two endeavors are similar, especially concerning logistics, acting as if ministry is just a business produces reduced and sometimes negative results.

   The post in question told the story of a man who presented himself as a "professional" soul winner. He showed up in a California city with a plan to get the whole town saved. He invited the city's pastors to a special meeting where he would present the plan to them.

   He displayed a large street map of the city and marked with push pins the location of each pastor's church building. He then drew a circle around each pin.

   Then he told the pastors that the people who lived in each circle were members of the congregation represented by the circle, and the pastors just need to go out and tell them.

   When I read that, I immediately recognized that it was a business plan, and not a ministry plan. It resembles the plan used by large corporations that have multiple locations in large cities; chains such as McDonald's, Quik Trip, Autozone, etc.

  The problem with this approach to ministry is that it shifts the focus of ministry from obedience to results, and the responsibility for results from spirit to flesh.

   I could go on about how often I see this happen, because I don't see the need to do that, but I will give one example. Years ago, a local Tulsa pastor spoke at a ham radio club meeting about applying church growth techniques to club growth. The methods he presented were the same as those used by businesses to recruit and retain new customers. Obviously, someone learned how to apply those business practices to congregational growth. Denominational organizations must have picked up those practices and taught them to their pastors.

   Now, I must state that God will bless and use any ministry effort that lines up with His will. How much He can use them depends on how much they line up with His will. The closer the alignment, the bigger the blessing.

   How should we conduct ministry? Let's look at what Jesus said and did.

   When Jesus called His first disciples, He said, "Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men."

   Before we consider what He said, let's look at what He didn't say.

   He didn't say, "I will make you soul winners." While you chew on that, look into the origin of the term "soul winner."

   He didn't say He would teach them the business of fishing, and how to apply those lessons to making converts. They were professional fishermen. They already knew how to catch and sell fish. What could a carpenter-turned-rabbi teach them about that? They knew He was talking about something beyond their daily lives of boats, nets, smelly fish, and spending hours out on the lake.

   In John chapter 3, Nicodemus wanted to know how Jesus was able to perform miracles, for might have wanted to work miracles too. Jesus talked about the New Birth instead of His success in ministry.

   Later on, in the Gospel of John, Jesus claimed that His teaching was not His own, it came from His Father, and He only did what He saw His Father do. When the people asked Jesus how to do the works of God, He said, "Believe on Him whom He has sent."

   We see throughout the Gospels that Jesus spent large amounts of time in prayer. That's how He was able to receive teaching, and to see what His Father was doing. When He said, "Follow Me," He meant, "Stay close to Me, as I stay close to My Father."

  When the Corinthian believers began to separate into groups based on their favorite preachers, he told them those preachers were merely servants through whom they believed, that one sowed, another watered, but God gave the increase. Paul did not take credit for the results of his ministry.

  What this all comes down to is this: the best approach to ministry is to pray and listen continuously, until God speaks. Then do what He says. While obeying, trust Him to provide whatever is needed to complete His plan, and continue to pray and listen in case He has further instructions.

Since then, I have learned that some ministers started their ministries with the intention of running them like businesses.  They turned worship services into entertainment without real ministry.  Megachurches would open up new campuses (campi?), just like franchises.  Angels cry "Holy! Holy! Holy!"  Posing pastors think, "Money! Money! Money!... MuuuuuhNEY!"

ENOUGH!!!

DOCTRINE BOMB! INCOMING!!!

Sometimes a false doctrine goes around like a battleship.  It sinks other ships, or attacks a coastal or island installation.  After it has done its damage, it returns to a friendly port for refuel, resupply, and repair.  While docked, command and crew assume the ship is safe.  But wait, what is that flying this way?  It's a doctrine bomb!

Well, I have seen a doctrine go around that has subtly caused damage by misdirecting focus.  What doctrine is that?  The doctrine that we can live by the faith of the Son Of God.

I know what Galatians 2:20 says in the King James, and the modern translations.  The KJV says "of," the recent versions say "in."  I wanted to see what the original Greek said.  I found out something surprising.  They are wrong!

What I found was that the Greek language does not have an equivalent to the English word 'of,' so it can't be there.  When I checked further, the Greek text does not say 'en,' the equivalent of 'in' either, so no word is there between 'faith' and 'Son.'  Now you see why I say that those translations are are wrong.

So the text should read like this:

Galatians 2:20 

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith _  the Son _ God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

What shall we put in the blanks?

I will admit that 'of' could fit between 'Son' and 'God.'  But the other blank presents a problem.

We could put in 'of,' but if we do, we should show it in italics to show that the word was the translator's choice.  How can we defend or explain that choice

What does 'of' mean anyway?  We usually use 'of' to indicate origin, possession, or nature.  Examples: 'man of steel' (nature), 'the heart of the matter' (possession), 'balm of Gilead' (origin).  Did Paul mean that he lived by faith that belonged to, or came from, or was made of Jesus?  I can't say for sure, but I can see danger in all these choices.  When I hear someone defend the KJV choice, they often speak in line with the New Thought based Word of Faith doctrine.  This doctrine emphasizes miracles, signs, and wonders, and minimizes salvation.  It also changes faith as a relationship feature into some mystical force that we can somehow manipulate or use to manipulate our environment.

I would favor 'in' for a very good reason.  Most people put their faith in their parents, their siblings, and their friends.

I see another option for filling in the blank.  It is not a word.  It is a punctuation mark, a colon.  That makes the phrase, "the Son of God who loved me and gave Himself up for me," into a statement, a confession of the faith Paul lived by.

We often forget the cultural environment that the Good News of Jesus was born in, and began to spread.  Most people grew up believing in many gods, and they saw their monarchs as gods, or descendents of gods.  They connected their gods to their homelands.  When one nation defeated another, they saw it as a victory of one god over another.  To prove one's citizenship and loyalty to one's god and country, they would confess their faith in their god.

When one expressed faith in a different god than the local god, they often faced opposition.  This could range from mild ridicule to death.  We can all read of the opposition Paul and the other early disciples faced.

Consider the following passages, and you can see they are, or contain, confessions, or statements of faith.

1 Timothy 3:16 NASB1995

By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up in glory.

2 Timothy 2:8-13 NASB1995

Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, descendant of David, according to my gospel, for which I suffer hardship even to imprisonment as a criminal; but the word of God is not imprisoned.  For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.  It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him;  If we endure, we will also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;  If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

Titus 3:4-8 NASB1995

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

That first passage calls the mystery of godliness a common confession.  I believe this indicates the early disciples may have developed this statement of faith, and other statements, as standard confession of their faith in Christ.  Since the cannon of Scripture was not yet complete, and the Gentile disciples probably did have copies of the Jewish books, these statements may have also served as tools to help them remember doctrine as well.

Does it fit the context?

Well let's see -

Galatians 2:16-21 NASB1995

... nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.  But if, while seeking to be justified in Christ, we ourselves have also been found sinners, is Christ then a minister of sin? May it never be!  For if I rebuild what I have once destroyed, I prove myself to be a transgressor.  For through the Law I died to the Law, so that I might live to God.  I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith: the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.

Paul lived by trusting the Jesus who died for him, because he knew he didn't deserve such love.