Greater in the Kingdom?

How Can Someone Be Greater in the Kingdom?

Jesus speaks of how great John the Baptist is and makes the statement that even as great as he is, the lesser (least) in God’s Kingdom is greater than he. My question (and one that was asked of me) is, “Are there degrees of acceptance into the Kingdom? How can anyone in the Kingdom be lesser than anyone else?”

Greatest? Or Least? Or in between? Are there degrees of acceptance in the kingdom?

Greatest? Or Least? Or in between? Are there degrees of acceptance in the kingdom?

The text in Luke says, “greater prophet.” This seems to imply that John had a greater measure of knowledge given during his prophetic ministry than any of the previous prophets had. Matthew leaves out the word “prophet,” but we must take all of scripture to understand any one given passage. So, we have to understand both Matthew and Luke in terms of the word “prophet.”

The least in the kingdom of heaven would be greater than John in that they have greater access to knowledge regarding God’s divine will. Remember that the prophets of the old covenant did not have the complete will of God revealed to them. 1 Peter 1:10-12 is helpful in understanding this. The Old Testament prophets prophesied concerning salvation, but did not have the full picture. According to verse 12, even the angels did not have the complete picture of Salvation. It was not until the coming of the Holy Spirit in Acts 2 that “all truth” (John 16:13) was revealed to the apostles and prophets and the “mystery” was unfolded (Romans 16:25,26; Ephesians 3:2-5). John, being the last of the Old Testament prophets, had the greatest knowledge of the plan of Salvation–he KNEW who the Messiah was! However, neither John nor his disciples knew anything about the plan of salvation, the church, the hope of heaven, the resurrection, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, etc. (see Acts 19:1-6 for comparison). BUT, those who entered the kingdom were taught all of these things before being baptized (Matthew 28:19-21; Acts 8:5, 35). Therefore, the least in the kingdom is greater (in knowledge) than John.

This passage does not teach that there will be greater or lesser (in importance) in the kingdom. Jesus’ own disciples were mistaken on this concept as well and he reproved them for it (Matthew 18:1-4; Matthew 20:26-28). Even when Jesus is using this language of the greatest shall be the servant, he is not implying that there will be one that is “greatest.” The Bible nowhere teaches that any Christian should expect to be considered greater than any other Christian. This was one of the problems that the church at Corinth had. Paul taught them that all members are equally important even though their function was different (1 Corinthians 12:12ff). God does not respect persons and would never allow for such in His kingdom (Acts 10:34).

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Leftover Embryos?

Why Note Use the Leftover Embryos?

On February 5, 2006, Ford Field in Detroit hosted Super Bowl XL. While the New Orleans Superdome is now referred to as the “shelter of last resort,” it holds the honor of having hosted more Super Bowls than any other sports facility. Its football seating capacity is 72,003. The seating capacity for Ford Field is approximately 65,000. Imagine for just a moment the Ford Field filled to capacity with 65,000 screaming football fans. Now try to visual five identical stadiums each filled to capacity alongside the Detroit stadium. Can you picture the literal sea of people that would file out if all six stadiums emptied at the same time? It would be approximately equivalent to the city population of Denver, Colorado. And yet, right now in the United States, we have more precious souls than that stored in liquid nitrogen—their fate not-yet determined. Fertility clinics across this country are storing more than 400,000 living embryos that are “leftovers” from in vitro fertilization procedures. Many individuals (and politicians) see nothing wrong with using these “left-over” embryos for stem cell research.

God cares about the life of man in all stages of his development.

God cares about the life of man in all stages of his development.

The process of in vitro fertilization normally results in 5-12 eggs being fertilized. Of those, normally three are implanted in the womb (in hopes of increasing the odds for pregnancy). However, if twelve eggs were fertilized and only three were implanted, then nine living embryos remain unused. Parents then face the dilemma of what to do with the “left-over” embryos. In most cases, the embryos are frozen in liquid nitrogen which temporarily relieves the parents from having to make a final decision. However, once the genetic parents decide that their family is complete and embryos are still available, they have only three options:  (1) donate them to couples who are unable to conceive; (2) donate them to research—which means they are ultimately destroyed; or (3) thawing them and letting them die. Eventually the cost of storing the frozen embryos and lack of information on other options outweighs other concerns and the embryos are thawed out and discarded. These doomed embryos become what some physicians refer to as “embryo wastage”—just another statistic.

Rather than becoming a statistic, many researchers want access to these leftovers. After all, they would argue that these embryos are going to be disposed of, so why waste them? The news media suggest that these leftovers are the “perfect solution” in supplying researchers with embryonic stem cells. But here again, the public is only getting one side of the story. There is another—a much better—option. There are agencies today that facilitate the adoption of embryos to families facing fertility challenges. Rather than adopting a child, a couple who is unable to produce a healthy embryo adopts one that is then implanted and allowed to grow to term. Probably the best known agency is Snowflakes, an embryo adoption broker that opposes in vitro fertilization because of the numerous “left-over” embryos. [For more information, see http://www.nightlight.org/snowflakes_description.asp.] While these agencies do not resolve the problem of left-over embryos, they do allow individuals who are already in that situation to make a choice that does not involve the destruction of human life.

On May 24, 2005, President George Bush invited twenty-one children who had been adopted through the snowflake agency to join him in an effort to demonstrate what an embryo can grow into if it is not destroyed in order to create a new stem cell line. Their very presence was strong testimony as to why we must uphold the sanctity of human life. If these 400,000 unborn children were in orphanages would we allow scientists to manipulate on them for whatever reason they choose? Are we justifying the death of these individuals simply because they reside in “frozen orphanages”? The destruction of these embryos—whether it is for research or disposal—ends human life. To argue otherwise is to argue that these embryos are either not “human,” or they are not living. Should these living souls not be afforded the same protection of law that we receive? Are we not all created equal? One must question the integrity of a society that argues to commit such immoral acts in the name of science.

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God’s Plan to Intervene in History

God’s Plan to Intervene in History

Last week, we asked the question, “What would this world have been like if God had not intervened?” Noah’s world gives some insight into this when every thought of mankind was continually evil. God did not leave this world without hope and revealed His expectation of holiness through Moses and the prophets. Yet, in spite of this, the world almost totally forgot about Him. Had God’s people listened, the history of mankind could have been so different.

It is by the Power of God, His Word, that man has hope. Yet, man continually forgets.

It is by the Power of God, His Word, that man has hope. Yet, man continually forgets.

It was God’s plan for the Levites to teach His ways to Israel. When the Promised Land was divided among the Jews, the priestly tribe was not given a portion. Instead, they were scattered throughout Israel in 48 cities. Moses described their work in these words, “They shall teach Jacob Your judgments…” (Deut. 33:10). Read the history of the Jews to see what happened when Israel was not taught God’s word.

It was God’s plan for parents to teach His way to their children. Deuteronomy chapter six showed that God intended for the homes of Israel to be a place where families openly talked about God—when sitting in their houses, when walking outside their homes, every night and every morning.

What happened when the first generation after Moses gave these words failed to do them? The first two chapters of Judges showed that the generation after Joshua was untaught, and the nation left God in one generation! The history of Israel showed what happened when Israel was not taught God’s word.

It was God’s plan for the entire nation to assemble and read the entire Bible together. One of the annual feasts of the Jews was the Feast of Tabernacles. Every seventh year they were commanded to assemble and live in booths made of tree branches and publically read the Bible. This included all the men, all the women and all their little ones (Deut. 33:11-12).

How did this turn out? Nehemiah chapter eight reveals that for the next 900 years after Joshua this was not done! Read the history of the Jews to see what happened when Israel was not taught God’s word. Imagine what would happen if our nation devoted time to read the Bible publicly together!

It is God’s plan for us to teach His ways to the world. Our holy God did not leave this world without direction, but those most trusted with being part of the plan failed. Having looked at God’s plan for His words to be taught, next week we will take time to specifically look as His plan for you to help Him. The history of the Jews shows what happened when Israel was not taught. There is an amazing parallel in the history of untaught America. Think about it!

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Time with God

Time with God

Did you know that there are 1,440 minutes in each and every day?  That seems like a lot of time, so why is it that we have such a difficult time finding a few minutes for God each twenty-four hour period?  You say, “Well, life is busy.”  Indeed, with school, extracurricular activities, homework, church, downtime with friends, etc . . . there are so many things one can do that there is hardly enough time for sleeping and eating, let alone spending a few minutes with our Maker.  So, in your busy life, you have to consciously make time.

Are you spending time with what you love the most? Is it God?

Are you spending time with what you love the most? Is it God?

Grab a calender.  If you don’t have one, buy one and write “ Time With God ” (TWG) every day for the next month.  Begin with five or ten minutes of prayer and Bible study.  For as Paul said, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom . . .” (Colossians 3:16).  You see, once you make an appointment with God, you are more likely to keep it.  Soon, you will look forward to spending time with God and may even wish to increase that time.

But, something else happens when you make time for God.  It seems that He multiples your time right back to you as a reward for your faithfulness to Him.  A woman once shared that she committed herself to reading the four Gospel accounts each month.  But, on one occasion, they had to move, and pack everything up and then unpack everything after the move.  In addition, she was raising two small children at home and working on a rather large furniture project.  Yet, she still managed to read the Gospel accounts in thirty days.

God will help you make the most of your time if you give Him some time each day.  Make Him first on your list of priorities.

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Mark 11 – The Miraculous and Prayer

Mark 11 – The Miraculous and Prayer

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Mark 11:24

Whenever I read this passage of scripture, I’m reminded of a scene from Mark Twain’s classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:

Then Miss Watson she took me in the closet and prayed, but nothing come of it.  She told me to pray every day, and whatever I asked for I would get it.  But it warn’t so.  I tried it.  Once I got a fish-line, but no hooks.  It warn’t any good to me without hooks.  I tried for the hooks three or four times, but somehow I couldn’t make it work.  By and by, one day, I asked Miss Watson to try for me, but she said I was a fool.  She never told me why, and I couldn’t make it out no way.

What is it you are expecting from prayer?

What is it you are expecting from prayer?

I set down one time back in the woods, and had a long think about it.  I says to myself, if a body can get anything they pray for, why don’t Deacon Winn get back the money he lost on pork?  Why can’t the widow get back her silver snuffbox that was stole?  Why can’t Miss Watson fat up?  No, says I to myself, there ain’t nothing in it.  I went and told the widow about it, and she said the thing a body to get by praying for it was “spiritual gifts.”  This was too many for me, but she told me what she meant – I must help other people, and do everything I could for other people, and look out for them all the time, and never think about myself.  This was including Miss Watson, as I took it.  I went out in the woods and turned it over in my mind a long time, but I couldn’t see no advantage about it – except for the other people; so at last I reckoned I wouldn’t worry about it anymore, but just let it go.

While humorous, the above excerpt does reveal a tidbit of truth about how many interpret today’s verse.  Many pray as if God were a genie in a bottle, ready and willing to grant them any and all wishes…and then they get discouraged and upset when it doesn’t turn out that way.  Let’s remember that as with all passages of the Bible, context is key when applying proper hermeneutics (interpretation) to any passage of scripture, including this one.  The entirety of God’s Word is truth (Ps. 119:160), and so not only immediate but the overall context must be considered.

In the immediate context of this passage, we read that during the previous day Jesus had said to a fig tree, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again,” upon seeing that there was nothing to eat on it (Mark 11:12-14).  The next morning, they saw the fig tree withered away and Peter pointed out to Jesus that the fig tree which he had cursed had withered.  Jesus replied, “Have faith in God.  Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.  Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:20-24).

What Jesus had done to the fig tree was a miracle…a violation of the laws of science and nature which God had put into place at creation.  Scientifically, fig trees don’t wither away overnight based on the word of a man, just as the Red Sea doesn’t naturally part due to a man holding a stick over it and a man doesn’t scientifically come back from the dead three days after he had died on a cross.  What Christ had talked about his apostles doing (telling a mountain to be taken up and thrown into the sea without doubt in his heart and it coming to pass) was also miraculous in nature.  Thus, the statement in today’s verse about receiving whatever you ask in prayer if you believe that you have received it must also be taken to refer to the apostles being able to perform miracles.

Elsewhere in the New Testament, we read of spiritual gifts which were miraculous in nature being given to some of the early Christians (1 Cor. 12-14).  Paul lists these miraculous spiritual gifts, and includes “faith” in the list alongside of miraculous spiritual gifts such as prophecy, speaking in tongues, and knowledge (1 Cor. 12:4-11).  He later clarifies that faith as the same type of miraculous faith Jesus is talking about in the context of today’s passage:  the type of faith one would need to have in order to perform a miracle like removing a mountain (1 Cor. 13:2).

However, a few verses later he tells us that these miraculous spiritual gifts would “pass away” and “cease.”  This would happen “when that which is perfect has come” (1 Cor. 13:8-10).  “Perfect” in the Greek is referring to that which is mature or complete, and is used elsewhere to refer to the complete Word of God (Rom. 12:2; James 1:25), which of course wasn’t complete at the time Paul wrote to the Corinthians.  In fact, one of the reasons miracles occurred back then was to confirm the Word of God which was being preached by the apostles and prophets of the early church (Mark 16:17-18, 20; Heb. 2:1-4).  Once the Word of God was complete with the writing of Revelation, miracles would no longer need to happen in order to confirm it, and thus they would cease as Paul foretold.

Therefore, the miraculous faith one would need to receive anything one asked for in prayer does not occur today.  God does answer prayer today, but providentially rather than through miracles done by men as read about in the Bible.  He wants us to bring our cares to him through prayer (Phil. 4:6-7), and pray that he provides our spiritual and physical needs (Matt. 6:9ff) as well as for the needs of others (1 Tim. 2:1-2).

And as it was true then, it is also true today that we must pray with faith (James 1:5-7)…and we must also pray according to his will (1 John 5:14-15).  This latter caveat is something I believe old Huck Finn…and many of us today…don’t think about like we should.  What does God care about most?  Huck getting hooks for his fishing lines and us getting that brand new car…or the spiritual well-being of us all?  What are we asking God for the most in our prayers?  Are our requests truly in line with his will?  Daily study of his Word will show us what God really cares the most about.  As we grow spiritually, we will see our prayer life changing to fit more in line with his will also.

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