Jesus Words Inspired, but the Apostles?

“But By Every Word of God”

A few weeks ago in a sermon, I spoke about the Bible doctrine of inspiration.  In that lesson we discussed how some people will accept some of the Bible as inspired, but not all of it.  One sub-category of this group is individuals who say they believe the words of Jesus but not the words of the apostles.  This idea sounds good to some, and it has appeal to those who are seeking to eliminate the Apostle Paul’s teachings especially in areas such as roles of women in the church and certain sexual sins.

Were the apostles words inspired or not?

Were the apostles words inspired or not?

However, if we simply go by the teachings of Jesus, we will find that this belief cannot hold true.  In John 16:13, Jesus Himself had this to say about the teaching of the apostles: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.”  In other words, the things that the apostles taught were from the same Holy Spirit that Jesus had in His life.  The Holy Spirit brought the teaching that Jesus wanted the apostles to have, and led them into “all truth.”  The apostles also were able to lay hands on others to give them the ability to prophecy (Acts 8:14-17).

We conclude that to reject the apostles is to reject the Holy Spirit, and to reject the Holy Spirit is to reject Jesus Himself.  We cannot simply pick and choose which words we want to accept and which words we don’t want to accept because we will end up rejecting Jesus altogether.  Let us resolve to love all of God’s word, not just the parts that we like.  God bless you, and I love you.

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Sober and in Control

Sober and in Control

There are two different Greek words which are typically rendered by the English word, “sober,” or a variation thereof. The first of these, “nepho,” refers to an actual abstinence from intoxicants. It is in passages such as 1 Peter 5:8, 2 Timothy 4:5 and 1 Thessalonians 5:6. Those who sometimes argue that the Bible does not speak against the use of alcohol as a beverage would do well to consider this Greek word and what it means.

Are you sober minded? Are you in control?

Are you sober minded? Are you in control?

But the other Greek word translated as “sober,” is the word, “sophron.” “Sophron” does not refer to the absence of intoxicating substances, but instead denotes the presence of a distinct soundness of thought. While the first word, “nepho,” warns against those substances which remove our ability to think, the second word, “sophron” refers to the self-control and self-discipline which enables us to think properly.

Consider for instance this passage of Scripture: “For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment,each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.” (Romans 12:3; ESV)

Also, we read, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men,teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age.” (Titus 2:12; NKJV) The ESV substitutes the word “self-controlled” for “sober,” in this verse. The Grace of God actively teaches us that we should bring our thoughts under control, and be sober in our thinking.

This disciplining of the mind is a rather important thing. Just before the admonition we cited from Romans 12:3, the Bible also says, “do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” (Romans 12:2a; NKJV) God does not just want the right actions in His children, He also desires the right kind of thinking.

From the two passages cited above, let us make quick two points about the sober-judgment God wants from men, and the qualities we need to develop to properly exhibit such sobriety of thought.

Firstly, we note from the passage from Romans, that a sober minded judgment is humble. A man is not “to think of himself more highly than he ought.” When we ignore this edict and unreasonably elevate our own opinion of ourselves beyond where it should be, our judgment is faulty, our reasoning unsound, and the conclusions and behavior that follows will be of a similar unsound nature.

A lack of humility is a serious thing. A man who is not humble lacks the love God desires in us, for love is not puffed up and proud (cf. 1 Corinthians 13:4). Nor can we be saved in that pride, for the Scriptures teach that God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble (cf. James 4:6)

In pride a man sets himself against God and makes of God an enemy. He derides the Law of God, seeing it as either only for others, or even inferior to his own positions and philosophies. He seeks to have others agree with him, rather than bending his own will to that of the Almighty. It is in pride that a man seeks to dominate others to his own will, rather than loving them as equals and seeking to be their servant, as God desires.

“The rich and the poor have this in common: The Lord made them both.” (Proverbs 22:2) And, “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) When we forget these practical ideas, and start elevating ourselves over others, seeking equality or superiority with God, forgetting that we are but the clay and He alone is the potter, we have left the realm of good sense and sobriety and have moved into foolish and harmful thinking.

A second point to make about sober-thinking, derived from Titus 2:12, is this: it requires curbing our impulses. Specifically, it requires that we turn away from ungodliness and worldly lust. A man cannot embrace sin and at the same time embrace soundness of thought. Sin is destructive and harmful, its wages is death, and all who succumb to it will perish eternally, deprived of a place in glory (cf. Romans 3:16-17, 6:23; John 8:21, 24) Thus did Jesus warn that unless men repented, they would perish (cf. Luke 13:3, 5).

There is a reason that the Bible so closely connects wisdom with righteousness. As we learn wisdom, we learn righteousness, and it is in wisdom that we practice righteousness. (cf. Proverbs 4:11) “Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good conduct let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.” (James 3:13; ESV)

Conversely then, sin is contrary to wisdom and sound thinking. We cannot be said to be thinking soberly if we are at the same time engaged in sin. If we give in to all our carnal desires, renouncing the righteous behavior of God, we have left the path of wisdom and salvation, and are trodding the sure and easy path that leads to destruction. (cf. Matthew 7:13-14) How much smarter is the man who instead renounces the things of this world and submits himself to the commands of the Lord? (cf. Matthew 7:24-27) Such a man is exhibiting both great wisdom and sound judgment.

The point of all of this is to say: God wants self-control and sobriety in our thoughts. Such thinking is an important part of the Christian faith. It is evidence of the grace of God at work in or lives. As Paul told Timothy, God has given us a Spirit of “power and love and self-control.” If we desire to be pleasing to God, walking the path of Christ, in humility and righteousness, we must learn to think soberly about ourselves, the consequences of sin, and the great gift of Salvation that God has given us in Christ.

by Jonathan McAnulty

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LA AUTORIDAD DE LOS ANCIANOS

LA AUTORIDAD DE LOS ANCIANOS
He tenido la oportunidad estoy seguro, de referirme a este tema anteriormente, sin embargo deseo hacerlo en esta ocasión de una manera especifica, concreta y directa, partiendo de las santas escrituras.  “¡Los ancianos tienen la última palabra en cuestión de opinión!”. Es probable que esta frase pueda ser malinterpretada o incluso sacada de contexto por muchos pero la realidad es que siempre seguirá declarando la misma verdad. Los ancianos tienen la última palabra sólo en asuntos de opinión mientras que en asuntos de fe la Biblia tiene la última palabra. Es muy interesante este tema por la confusión que muchos han creado al rededor de él y los resultados positivos que pueden palparse en la práctica del mismo. En lo que resta de este espacio nos enfocaremos en la autoridad  de los ancianos, sus limitaciones y sus aplicaciones.

“¡Los ancianos tienen la última palabra en cuestión de opinión!”

“¡Los ancianos tienen la última palabra en cuestión de opinión!”

En primer lugar, deseo referirme al uso de la palabra autoridad. Tal vez usted ha escuchado predicadores decir a la hora de un bautismo: “Por la autoridad que se me es dada como ministro, yo te bautizo…” bien, recientemente escuché a un hermano hacer uso de esta palabra en el mismo sentido cuando dijo: “ Por la autoridad que los hermanos so & so … me han dado”…  no puedo dudar de la sinceridad de tales hermanos ni tampoco emitir un juicio en contra de ellos por tales expresiones sin embargo es demasiado difícil reconciliar la idea de tener la autoridad con las palabras del Señor cuando dijo: “Toda autoridad me es dada en el cielo y en la tierra por tanto…” (Mt.28:18). Realmente creo que el Señor posee y continúa poseyendo TODA  autoridad en el cielo pero también estimado lector en la tierra. No creo por ninguna razón que el Señor esté compartiendo su autoridad con nadie. El pasaje en Isaias 42:8 contiene una interesante relación al tema, observe: “Yo soy el SEÑOR, ése es mi nombre; mi gloria a otro no daré, ni mi alabanza a imágenes talladas”(LBLA). Hay personas que representan autoridad sin duda alguna pero en el plano espiritual todos somos siervos en la viña del Señor, somos trabajadores suyos y todo lo hacemos debe de ser hecho, ¿por la autoridad que se nos ha sido dada? No lo creo estimado lector; “Y todo lo que hacéis, de palabra o de hecho, hacedlo todo en el nombre del Señor Jesús (por la autoridad del Señor Jesús), dando gracias por medio de El a Dios el Padre.”  (Col.3:17 LBLA énfasis HLM agregado). Ni los ancianos, ni predicadores, ni diáconos, ni maestros tiene autoridad pero si usamos, hablamos, y hacemos con la autoridad de Dios.  Un grupo de ancianos sabios siempre considerará al rebaño del Señor por el cual están al cuidado y jamás abusarán de la responsabilidad que Dios les ha encargado. 
Hay tantas y tantas cosas que no nos han sido prescritas en la Biblia y caen en la categoría de opinión, es ahí donde Dios en su infinita sabiduría ha puesto a los ancianos (entre otras responsabilidades) para tomar decisiones y no crear desorden. La Iglesia está en la obligación espiritual de obedecer a estos hermanos (Heb.13:17). ¿Pero si mi opinión es tan buena como la de ellos, entonces cual es la diferencia? Lo bello de esto es que Proverbios aclara que en la multitud de consejeros hay sabiduría (Pr.11:14), por esa razón Dios no ha puesto a un hombre en este cargo a puesto pluralidad (1Pe.5:1). Toma solamente un hombre para proclamar el evangelio, toma varios hombres para tomar decisiones de opinión de una manera sabia. 
En Segundo lugar,  los ancianos sí poseen limitaciones en sus tareas como obispos de la Iglesia. Una de las más obvias es el púlpito. Una de las cualidades de los ancianos en-listadas en  1 Tim 3 es precisamente que sea maestro y que esté en la capacidad de enseñar. Siempre me ha llamado la atención esta cualidad ya que este es el trabajo especifico del evangelista local, sin embargo alcanzo a comprender de que los ancianos deben de poseer ese conocimiento y tener esa habilidad ( no nada más para cuando falte el predicador) sino para que haya una armonía entre evangelista local y los obispos. En los pocos años que este autor tiene de predicar el evangelio ha comprendido que no existe nadie mejor en el mundo que comprenda a un predicador, que otro predicador, es claro que Dios desea que ancianos y predicador trabajen juntos, que se puedan entender y que se puedan comunicar muy bien. Ningún grupo de ancianos puede interferir de una manera directa en el púlpito, esta es una de las mayores limitaciones que rodean a los ancianos. Pablo exhorta a Timoteo a “predicar la palabra a tiempo y fuera de tiempo…” (2Tim 4:2) también él mismo afirma que no había rehuido de predicar todo el consejo de Dios (He.20:27), sinceramente creo que cada predicador dará cuantas a Dios si predicó todo el consejo o si solamente los sermones que los hermanos les gustaba. Estamos de acuerdo en que hay momentos en que no se debe predicar sobre ciertos temas pero lo que no estamos de acuerdo es no predicar del todo sobre ciertos temas. Como pastores el deber de ellos es apacentar la grey de Dios y es ahí donde debe de haber comunicación con él púlpito, como equipo y no como jefes, y me temo que esta linea es la que más se ve forzada en la mayoría de las veces y el predicar local termina saliendo de la congregación para trabajar en otro lado o los ancianos terminan despidiéndolo. Solamente pregunte usted a cualquier predicador de los Estados Unidos ¿cuantas veces ha tenido que salir de una congregación para ir a trabajar a otra, o cuantas veces ha sido “fire” (despedido) para que vaya a otro lugar? La respuesta sin duda le sorprenderá. Los evangelistas locales también somos parte del gobierno de Dios, al igual que los ancianos, diáconos y maestros para la Iglesia en la actualidad. ¡Dios nos ayude a aprender a vernos como equipo y no de patrón a empleado o viceversa, porque un día daremos cuenta por ello!
En tercer lugar, deseo referirme a las aplicaciones de las responsabilidades de los ancianos. Algunas de estas incluyen por supuesto al predicador local, a los diáconos y a los maestros, pero sin lugar a dudas su trabajo principal es la de cuidar del rebaño (He.20:28) proteger y pelear contra los falsos maestros que intenten devorar ese grupo de ovejas del Señor (He.20:29). Más específicamente con nuestro tema una de las aplicaciones del rol de los ancianos es ejecutar la disciplina de miembros rebeldes. Una vez más ancianos y predicador deberán trabajar juntos, para primero echar a andar la disciplina preventiva  desde el púlpito luego la correctiva y por ultima ejercitar su rol como pastores de la Iglesia y disciplinar a miembros que anden desordenadamente. En ausencia de pastores ¿a quién le corresponde este actuar? Es mi convicción que esta responsabilidad recae en el predicador local junto con la congregación partiendo de Tito 1:5, la responsabilidad de corregir lo deficiente está en sus hombros, no, de ninguna manera en un grupo de varones y mucho menos en un unos cuantos de esos varones, estimado lector no existe autoridad de parte de Dios para que ellos tomen ese rol. Los ancianos en su ejercicio como Pastores deberán siempre considerar las necesidades de la congregación y deberán buscar la manera de tomar decisiones basados en primer lugar en la palabra de Dios  (para aquellos asuntos que están bien claros en ellas de como proceder) pero también considerando la opinión de la congregación en asuntos básicos de opinión (1Pe.5:1-6). En mi estimación personal, esta tarea es extremadamente difícil ya que en la toma de desiciones siempre se herirán susceptibilidades y nuestras cabezas siempre “estarán listas para rodar” para algunos. Dios bendiga cada grupo de ancianos que en la aplicación de su rol se esfuerzan en hacerlo con doctrina y con amor, Dios bendiga a cada grupo de estos hombres quienes siempre en la toma de decisiones su prioridad es la Iglesia del Señor, su bienestar y su progreso. Toda la autoridad pertenece al Señor nosotros todos cualquiera que sea nuestro trabajo en su obra somos siervos simplemente y colegas de trabajo nada más. Me impresiona la manera en como un ángel le responde a Juan y es mi deseo que como ancianos, maestros, diáconos, evangelistas y miembros podamos aprender a mencionar las mismas palabras de este ser celestial cuando dijo:  “…«No hagas eso, pues yo soy siervo de Dios, lo mismo que tú y que tus hermanos los profetas y que todos los que hacen caso de lo que está escrito en este libro. Adora a Dios.”  (Ap.22:9 DHH).
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Reaping What We’ve Sown

Reaping What We’ve Sown; The ‘Rubber Meets The Road’ Realities Of Romans Three

We are living in some very deadly, trying, and tumultuous times. It seems like every time you turn around, some deranged lunatic with absolutely no reverence or respect for either God or God-created human life – whether his own or that of others – has planned, plotted, and schemed some further cowardly, deadly, and diabolical attack on defenseless human beings who are not prepared to fight back.

Separate from their tools - Car, Knife, Gun, Machette, Rock... evil people will reap what they sow.

Separate from their tools – Car, Knife, Gun, Machette, Rock… evil people will reap what they sow.

And of course, in the wake of such terrible tragedies, you have the inevitable barrage of godless and atheistic ‘liberals,’ suicidally squawking and calling for a complete ban on guns. What foolishness! Why can’t they understand that guns are not the problem – but that godless people are? Why do they think that passing laws to make guns illegal will stop godless people from possessing guns? Murder is illegal now – but those who don’t care about the law still commit it! And the same would be true if guns were outlawed – those who don’t care about the law would still acquire and use guns. Why is this so hard to see?

And by the way, you need to ask yourself, “Where were all these liberal reporter types when Uzbek immigrant Say-fullo Saipov used a rented truck to plow down people on a New York City bike path on Tuesday, November 1st, 2017? How come we didn’t hear them squawking about outlawing rental trucks?

Or how come we didn’t hear them calling for the illegalization of airplanes after 9/11? The fact is that guns, trucks, planes, knives, hammers, busses, crossbows and crowbars are all neutral, impersonal, and inanimate objects. And even if each and every one of them were eventually outlawed and disposed of, those who were deranged enough to want to kill would still find ways to do so.

If a group of terrorists or other criminally-inclined murderers wanted to kill defenseless people in a school, hospital, or nursing home using large stones, would those now calling for the illegalization of guns, be just as loud in calling for the illegalization of rocks as well? If not, why not? Their total lack of any shred of common sense eventually culminates in just such an absurd conclusion! No, the problem here is not guns, trucks, planes, or rocks; the problem here is evil and godless people, doing evil and godless things! Nor am I surprised that those who do not, and will not, accept the reality of the existence and truth of God, are scared and demanding that something be done to protect them – I certainly wouldn’t want to face death without knowing and belonging to God either!

But as to the recent shooting sprees, what else should we expect? It is those very atheistic and godless ‘liberal’ types amongst us, which have, over the past few decades, done everything they possibly can to see that God, and His goodness, righteousness, morality and purity – including especially His laws governing the sanctity of and respect for human life – have been nearly erased, eradicated, and annihilated from human consideration! In a society that has routinely killed 1.5 million innocent and unborn children each year for decades; that has totally removed the good, pure, right and holy precepts and righteous standards and commandments of God from several generations of now irreversibly irreverent schoolchildren; and that seeks to still further remove God and His morality from every iota of government and human life in general, what else do you expect? What else should we expect when pretty much every time we go to the movies or turn on primetime television, we see nothing but show after show after show, featuring hosts of people being killed by others (homogenizing and pasteurizing it by calling it “drama”); and have video games and music being played by millions of impressionable young people which feature nothing but very highly-acclaimed and awarded ‘blood and guts’ games and graphics which are only one step short of the actual deeds themselves; and etc?

No, the problem is not guns, planes, stones, or rental trucks. The problem is evil, godless, gutless and irreverent people, doing the godless and unthinkable. The problem is exactly what God said it was in Ro. 3:10-18. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.” And until we fix that, there is sadly, no fixing this…

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Why miracles by the Hand of Man?

Why miracles by the Hand of Man?

Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Miracles demonstrate the power of God.

Miracles demonstrate the power of God.

John 3:1-2

Why did God allow man to perform miracles?  Have you ever wondered that?

Nicodemus tells us why.  Why would a Pharisee, a ruler of the Jews, one of the religious elite of the day, pay any attention to a carpenter from backwater Nazareth who was claiming to be the Messiah?  It was because of the miracles done by this Man.

That’s why people paid attention to his apostles and the other early Christians.  Picture this.  You came into Jerusalem for the Passover and just happened to witness the trial and crucifixion of Jesus.  You decide to come back to Jerusalem fifty days later to observe the holiday of Pentecost, and suddenly you see this Galilean roughneck fisherman talking to thousands of people about how “God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36) and how God had raised him from the dead (Acts 2:32).

“Wait a second,” you think.  “That’s the same guy I saw dying on a cross fifty days ago!  This guy can’t be telling the truth!”

An obvious and understandable conclusion, one that obviously would keep you from buying what this guy is selling and becoming a follower of a dead guy who is supposedly resurrected.  Why would anyone believe this man or anyone else who’s preaching the same message?

What if you were standing there listening to him and the other uneducated hicks from Galilee, when you suddenly realized that all the other Jews surrounding you from places all over the world could understand them because they were effortlessly speaking to them in their own languages (Acts 2:4)?  True, it could be possible, however unlikely, for uneducated fisherfolk from Galilee to…maybe…learn one or two different languages over time?  But twenty?  Thirty?  And to be completely fluent in them, switching back and forth from one to the other effortlessly depending on the person to whom they were speaking and the place from where he had come?

Say in the days following you keep running into these guys who keep preaching about a resurrected, crucified carpenter from Nazareth who is the Son of God…and you notice more unexplainable oddities…

How that fisherman was talking to that lame guy on Solomon’s Portico whom you’ve seen begging for food at that same spot for years, and suddenly reaches down and pulls him to his feet…and now the lame guy can walk, and not only walk but leap around, praising God!  (Acts 3:1ff)

How people were carrying obviously sick people out into the streets, as well as those afflicted with unclean spirits, and how this fisherman would just simply walk past them at noon with his shadow passing over them, and suddenly they would be completely better!  (Acts 5:12-16)

Now, if you were a complete cynic whose heart was completely hardened and your mind was already made up that these guys were frauds, then you would write these supposed “miracles” off as frauds.  You might even attribute their ability to perform these signs as evidence that they were followers of Satan (Matt. 12:22-30)!  If you were so far gone that you were attributing the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit to Satan, there would be no hope for you whatsoever that you would believe in Jesus as the Son of God, and so you would never be forgiven (Matt. 12:31-32).

However, these signs and wonders performed by Jesus and his followers would make a big impression on you as to the validity of their message if you had an open and honest heart (Luke 8:15).  That’s a big reason why God allowed Jesus and his followers to perform miracles.  It was, as Nicodemus said, to convince observers that God was with them.

For more scriptural information, read also Mark 16:17-20 and Hebrews 2:1-4.

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