Children’s Church

Children’s Church and the Word of God

I know that this is a broad title. We will narrow our focus to particular concerns with “children’s church”. But before we do we must note that one finds no direct reference to “children’s church” in God’s word the Bible (II Timothy 3:16). Just like there is no direct reference to “Sunday School” or “Bible School” and yet they are conducted as an expediency to carry out what God has directed that He wants done. God wants those in Christ to be taught and to teach (Matthew 28:20 Acts 2:42     Acts 20:7-9   Hebrews 5:11, 12). It is in the manner in which “children’s church” is carried out that we will look at in scripture. So when we reference “children’s church” we are talking about the practice of removing children from a worship assembly of the body of Christ to teach them outside of that worship assembly.

Children's Church sounds great! Where is it authorized?

Children’s Church sounds great! Where is it authorized?

Here in lies the issue or problem that we will address. In this practice you have a saint leave off either all or part of God commanded worship with the body of Christ to teach children about worship.   When one “leaves off or behind” all or part of worship they have “forsaken” the directive to “provoke one another to love and good works” in that assembly for worship. The inspired of God Hebrew writer says that one should not “forsake” (leave off or behind) the assembling of the body of Christ where one is carrying out God’s command to “consider one another to provoke unto love and good works”. When a child of God leaves the worship assembly to conduct “children’s church” they can not carry out God’s directive concerning worship. Some may say we are only leaving off part of worship and also we are doing a good work. The question still remains where in God’s word do we have the authority (the authorization) to do so? What part does God authorize to be left off? Some would suggest we could leave after the Lord’s supper and leave off the learning from the preaching. But again where is there authorization from God to do so?   In both Acts 2:42 and Acts 20:7-9 God demonstrated that He wants the word of Christ, the apostles teaching to be heard by teaching in the assembling of the body of Christ. By forsaking the assembly at any point by our own willful actions and not by God’s command we find ourselves sinning willfully. Notice in Hebrews 10 that verses 26-31 reminds us of the great consequences of “willfully” sinning. When one chooses to “forsake” (leave off or behind) the assembly by not assembling for all or part they have not followed God’s command (law or directive) and therefore have willfully sinned (I John 3:4). Also since there is no authorization from God to forsake any part of the worship assembly and only man’s notion (Matthew 15:7-9) to do so, then any part could be left off. That is the logical conclusion from willfully forsaking part of the worship assembly. No one would suggest that they can willfully forsake the assembly when it came to the Lord’s supper or singing and still be pleasing to God would they?

As for the second part, that the willful leaving of the worship assembly to do a good thing means it is ok for it to be practiced. Does scripture (God’s word) teach us we can willfully disregard what God said to do to do something we see as a good thing to do? I direct your attention to I Samuel chapter 15. Here King Saul is told to hearken unto the “voice of the words of Jehovah” in I Samuel 15:1. Then he (Saul) is given directives by God through Samuel to utterly destroy the Amelekites (vs.3). Then in verse 9 we learn that King Saul did not follow all the words of God in what God told Him to do. In verse 9 notice it says “But Saul and the people…” did only part of what God commanded them to do. They chose to do something that they thought would be good toward God. Look in verse 13 where Saul declares that doing only part of what God commanded him to do in order to do what he thought was a good thing toward God meant that he did what God commanded him. He was soon to discover from Samuel (vs.16) that God said it was not. God said it was “evil” in His sight (vs.19). In verse 22 we learn that God says it is better to obey His voice than to go against it in an effort to do what one may think to be good.

In verse 23 God calls what Saul did rebellion like the sin of witchcraft. God has commanded us to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24) and that means in accordance with His word (John 17:17). Teaching children the truth about worship or anything else should not have a child of God willfully disregard God’s command to assemble to worship, whether by forsaking all or any part of the assembly to worship Him.

It may seem that we have not addressed the aspect of separating children from the worship assembly but in light of what we have looked at in scripture we have. For how can it be done without having a redeemed child of God forsake the assembling for worship to teach them? It can’t! Therefore we have addressed the separating of children from worship. “If” it is thought that children need to learn about worship apart from what they learn from their parents and other saints in the worship assembly it can be done at another time period. Because in doing so we do not violate any one of God’s commands given to the body of Christ.

Pat Powers

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EL PAPEL DE LA MUJER

EL PAPEL DE LA MUJER EN LA IGLESIA DEL SEÑOR

PARTIENDO DEL PRINCIPIO

Como todo buen inicio siempre debemos comenzar por lo correcto y lógico; por el principio, de esta manera obtendremos una vista más amplia y por supuesto llegar a conclusiones correctas que es el propósito de  cada persona religiosa, tratar de agradar a al Dios de la Biblia, lamentablemente estamos de acuerdo que no todos están adorando, ni caminando en conformidad a ese Dios. Los Testigos de Jehová por un lado negando la divinidad del Señor Jesús, distorsionando las sagradas Escrituras entre otras cosas, El catolicismo perseverando en la adoración de ídolos, usando tradiciones paganas como regla de fe desechando la Biblia como única autoridad, y por supuesto no podían faltar los Evangélicos o pentecostales en todas sus ramas existentes usando instrumentos en la adoración (Cosa que no existe autoridad Bíblica para ello) y dando participación a las mujeres en esta misma. Este último concepto es el que estaremos tratando en detalle,  la razón por la que mencionamos estas denominaciones es porque, como podrá notar hay una enmarcada diferencia entre ellas; por la que no adoran juntos pero, el papel de la mujer en la Iglesia es un punto de unidad para muchos de ellos. Unos más abiertos que otros claro, pero con la misma corriente de pensamiento trataremos con más detalle algunos de estas ideas a la luz de la Biblia un poco más adelante. Ahora bien para buscar el principio debemos, por supuesto mirar de nuevo al Génesis y así examinar todas las causas y los propósitos originales.

Qual es el papel de la mujer en la Iglesia?

Qual es el papel de la mujer en la Iglesia?

“Y dijo Jehová Dios: No es bueno que el hombre esté solo; le haré ayuda idónea para él”(Génesis 2:18), después de haber creado al hombre Dios miró a su creación y estaba incompleta el primer principio que hay que mirar a que es que Dios no creo a la mujer primero, es más ni siquiera al mismo tiempo, sino que fue después en el mismo capítulo en Gen 2:22 nos explica que después que el hombre puso nombre a los animales Dios lo hizo entrar en un sueño profundo, y una de sus costillas hizo a la mujer “Varona porque del varón fue tomada” Génesis 2:23- Esta frase implica mucho, sin temor a equivocarnos podemos pensar que la mujer no estuvo en la mente Dios para la creación los textos nos muestran que vino después siendo formada de una manera diferente a la del hombre. Para nada es nuestro propósito discriminar a las mujeres, solamente estamos analizando que fue lo que sucedió en el principio que va a ser lo que el apóstol  Pablo va explicar después haciendo referencia al mismo punto de partida…el principio. Fue a Adán quien Dios designó la tarea de poner los nombres a los animales vemos aquí, el grado de responsabilidad o de liderazgo si se quiere, que se le es encargado al hombre, claro se podría argumentar que Eva aún no había sido creada y que por eso no se les hizo ni siquiera el encargo juntos, pero ¿Porque Dios no se aguardo a crear a Eva primero y luego encargar a ambos el asunto de los nombres de los animales ya como pareja?, Dios en su infinita sabiduría a puso al hombre en una posición de liderazgo en el principio fue así y en la actualidad el Señor no ha cambiado de parecer.

¿DENTRO O FUERA DE LA REUNIÓN DE LA IGLESIA?

Por supuesto que siempre ha de existir esta pregunta cuando estamos hablando de la participación de las hermanas en lo que asuntos de fe se refiere. Es importante mencionar que Dios ha tenido en mente a la Iglesia desde antes de la fundación del mundo (Ef.1:3-4), ha sido su diseño y su deseo, ha colocado los elementos y reglas que Él mismo ha determinado. Sin embargo los hombres nos hemos encargado de destruir ese diseño perfecto. Las hermanas han tenido que atravesar por el mismo proceso que los varones, para lograr obtener la salvación, en este sentido el apóstol Pablo expreso: “…no hay varón ni mujer; porque todos sois uno en Cristo Jesús” (Gálatas 3:28). Muchos han tomado el versículo 28 para replicar que no debemos de hacer discriminación a las mujeres en la Iglesia y que por eso pueden participar, otros más conservadores han tomado la posición que si puede hacerlo siempre y cuando toda la congregación no esté presente es decir fuera de los servicios de adoración, pero ¿Apoya esto la Biblia?

  1. La Iglesia continúa siendo la Iglesia dentro y fuera de un determinado horario de reunión aún en el caso de Hechos 18:24-26, en la exhortación a Apólos, el rol prominente es llevado a cabo por el varón; Aquila. Aunque en nuestra versión Reina Valera leamos a Prisila de Primero no indica que ella haya tomado la batuta en la exhortación. El análisis en el texto griego nos indica que la terminología utilizada es plural, por tanto ambos están exponiendo más exactamente el camino del Señor aún fuera de algún servicio de adoración.
  2. La clara enseñanza de 1Ti 2:8, es que “los hombres levanten manos santas en todo lugar”. La palabra griega para hombres es “Aner” Significa específicamente varones en género masculino. Por supuesto la acción de levantar manos sin ira no contienda no es literal sino que hace referencia a la acción de adoración, esto es en TODO LUGAR- “pas topos” una vez más indica cualquier lugar fuera de la adoración congregacional.
  3. Mucho más allá de eso 1Tim 2:11, continúa indicando el roll de la mujer en la Iglesia el cual es guardar silencio. Obviamente este silencio no es un absoluto silencio la idea que se nos presenta en el griego es de una sujeción, guardar una distancia, estar quieto “hesuchia” por lo tanto dentro y fuera de la congregación como tal el papel que Dios desea para las hermanas es precisamente el que leemos en estos versículos.

A pesar de estas aclaraciones a la luz de las Sagradas Escrituras, sin lugar a dudas existirán muchas más preguntas y cuestiones que surgirán, en cualquiera de los casos el más sabio proceder debería ser conformarnos a la simplicidad de la Biblia. El encargo que Dios ha dado a los varones fieles en su Iglesia, es un encargo divino por ende ninguno de nosotros tiene la potestad de transferir este cargo o privilegio a las damas. La Biblia es y debe de ser el estándar de Fe para todo lo que hagamos y como lo hagamos. También es sumamente importante recalcar que dentro de este punto hay quienes prefieren tener sus reservas aunque otros no tanto. En muchos países centroamericanos los viajes misioneros departe de Norte América están presente anualmente  estos viajes misioneros están relacionados a hermanos que hablan el idioma inglés y por tanto; al trabajar en las campañas evangelísticas necesitan de un traductor. Una hermana aunque sea en tales condiciones NO está autorizada por las escrituras para traducir a un grupo de hermanos porque es como si estuviera predicando. Algunos han tomado el argumento de las hijas de Felipe quienes profetizaban para tomar autoridad de la predicación de mujeres. Es más bien una cuestión de sujeción. La hermana Janie Cram dijo al respecto:

Como miembros de la Iglesia de Cristo del Nuevo Testamento las mujeres no debemos sentirnos menos por no pasar a predicar al frente. Dios en su infinita sabiduría nos ha dado limitaciones que consideradas totalmente razonables, nosotras somos más débiles en muchos aspectos y causamos problemas fácilmente entre nosotras. Sin embargo Dios nos ha dado un bello papel que es el de amar a nuestros esposos e hijos y es algo que lo sabemos hacer y muy bien, por tanto es cuestión de asumir nuestros rolles.

Está Claro entonces cual debería ser el roll de las mujeres en la Iglesia del Señor, no por discriminación o racismo sino más bien porque las Iglesias de Cristo, desean caminar sobre la brecha trazada por Cristo mismo. En el caso de nuestro texto en 1Corintios 14:34 debe de tomarse en cuenta  el contexto, llegaríamos a una conclusión semejante: “el pasaje prohíbe a la mujer, cantar, orar, y en ninguna manera participar vocalmente de la adoración” . Sin embargo el pasaje no llega a tal extremo. Sino que más bien debe ser entendido unido a 1Timoteo 2:8-14 y 1Co 11:1-20 donde la intención de Pablo era que cada uno asumiera su roll. Claro está que el predicar públicamente no era parte del roll de la mujer en la Iglesia del siglo I.

Más bien 1Corintios 14:33-36 nos ayuda a entender que era una doctrina que se estaba practicando en todas las Iglesias de los Santos y no que era un asunto cultural como los pentecostales han querido explicarlo. La Palabra “hablar” del versículo 33, no significa que esté en su completo silencio sino más bien debe ser entendida en cuanto a lo que se está enseñando en el contexto. Esto es hablar para enseñar, o aprendizaje, es decir; se prohíbe el hablar con la intención de enseñar tanto en reuniones públicas, como privadas, porque continúa siendo enseñanza. Ahora la mujer si puede preguntar en las clases bíblicas pero cuando ésta pregunte para co-enseñar,  entonces ahí se habla violado el mandamiento directo enseñado aquí en 1 Corintios 14. La frase “en la Iglesia” limita por completo la participación de la mujer donde haya varones hermanos, así sea en un servicio de adoración (miércoles o domingos), o en una reunión privada, si hay varones presentes aún cuando éstos estén solo tomando fotos el mandamiento de Dios queda quebrantado.

 En los anales de la iglesia primitiva, las mujeres son igualmente notables por su devoción espiritual, fidelidad en la enseñanza de la Palabra de Dios, y apoyo sacrificial de siervos de Dios. Su fe y oraciones se mezclaron con las de los apóstoles en preparación para Pentecostés, y a través de toda la era cristiana la iglesia les debe más de lo que se imagina a las oraciones, lealtad y dones de sus miembros femeninos.

Esta ha llegado a ser una de las características de la Iglesia de Cristo que se ha hido deteriorando en los últimos años y que muchos lo han deteriorado por su falta de conocimiento Bíblico y por su falta de estudio de la palabra de Dios, es triste observar como algunos se aferran a interpretaciones erronas cerrando sus ojos a la verdad de la Biblia. El mundo en que vivimos, trata de convencernos sobre la igualdad de géneros. Tratando de influenciar así a la Iglesia del Señor para ir en pos de un cambio en su naturaleza distintiva. El hermano Winford Claiborn, profesor de Biblia menciona lo siguiente: 

El movimiento de las mujeres, como lo conocemos hoy, no puede ser considerado como una cosmovisión consistente o coherente. Una de sus más fuertes características es su diversidad. No es posible decir, “Las Feministas creen”, a menos que uno identifique a cuáles feministas tiene en mente. Las feministas radicales, tales como Gloria Steinem, Shulamit Firestone y Molly Yard, son enemigas implacables del hogar como Dios lo ordenó y como la mayoría de nosotros hemos conocido todas nuestras vidas.

En realidad lo que el hermano declara no más que una enorme verdad en nuestros días, las reuniones de damas han cobrado más y más fuerza en nuestras congregaciones y las tales representan un peligro grave a la sana doctrina, las razones: El roll de la mujeres está siendo inflamado de tal manera que ahora las hermanas son llamadas: Predicadoras invitadas, Oradoras y más títulos que construyen un show. Muchas de estas reuniones se hacen a carácter nacional donde también hay fondos económicos de por medio. No es que sean malas tales reuniones, sino más bien que hay que mantenerlas en su lugar.

Para concluir debemos de aclarar que no se trata de una señal de inferioridad, así como la sumisión de la esposa a su marido no es señal de inferioridad sino más bien de amor. Dos personas pueden tener las mismas capacidades para dirigir negocios o para aprender pero no se aplica a la parte espiritual o al gobierno de la Iglesia.  Mathew Henry comentó al respecto:

Como la sujeción de la iglesia a Cristo se propone como un ejemplo para las esposas, así el amor de Cristo hacia su iglesia se propone como un modelo para los maridos; y mientras tales ejemplos sean ofrecidos para ambos, y se requiera tanto de cada uno, ninguno tiene razón para quejarse de los mandatos divinos. El amor que Dios requiere del marido en nombre de su esposa compensará la sujeción que Él demanda para ella hacia su esposo; y la sujeción prescrita de la esposa será un abundante regreso por ese amor del esposo que Dios ha hecho ha hecho que sea el deber de ella

En las Escrituras podemos ver cada ejemplo sobre sujeción que nos hacen regresar y pensar que debe ser esa misma corriente de pensamiento, aplicada a la organización de la Iglesia. Este problema actual continúa avanzando como cáncer en las congregaciones de la Iglesia de Cristo, pero la solución inmediata continúa siendo regresar a la Biblia.   Cuando empezó el movimiento feminista, muchos sin embargo esperaban que pasara rápidamente así como las modas pasan este movimiento feministas es mortalmente serios y han llegado para quedarse. ¡Que Dios nos ayude a permanecer en su verdad!

BIBLIOGRAFÍA

Claiborne, Winford. El Movimiento Feminista (La espada Espiritual, Memphis TN: 2009), 12.

Cram, Janie. Encontrando Nuestro Roll En El Plan de Dios (Gospel Avocate, Nashville TN: Gospel Avocate company 2006), 21.

Gingrich, Arndt.  A New Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Hendrickson Published MS: 2012), 125.

Harding, Dan. El Silencio Absoluto de la Mujer (Un estudio de 1Corintios 14, Lubbock TX, 1997), 1.

Henry,  Mathew. Comentarios del Nuevo Testamento Vol. VI, p. 715(Sword Bible Software), 2012.

 Lockyer, Herbert. Todas las Mujeres de la Biblia (Editorial Zondervan, Grand Rapids MS: 1988), 20.

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Conquerors Excerpt

Excerpt from the Book More than Conquerors

Conquerors is an excellent and uplifting book focusing Christian lives.

Conquerors is an excellent and uplifting book focusing Christian lives.

Look at the two of them standing there. Few similarities, many differences. One the son of the mighty king; one quite probably the son of a mere shepherd. One armed with the finest sword the royal treasury could provide; the other armed with a home-made sling and whatever stones the local creek bed might possibly yield. One clothed in the finest armor available and emblazoned with the king’s crest; the other covered in only the humble attire of a lowly, smelly shepherd. One whose father commanded thousands of valiant warriors; and one whose father was advanced in years to the point that his youngest son had to oversee his flock of sheep if the family were to survive. What could these two possibly have in common? What had brought these two men, so completely different, so completely together, in this place this day? “…The soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as himself” (1 Samuel 18:1b).

It was an uncommon, uncompromising, indivisible and self-sacrificing respect and love for one another that had brought them together. It was that simple. And what exactly did such love cause them to ultimately do? “Then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was on him and gave it to David, with his armor, including his sword and his bow and his belt” (1 Samuel 18:3-4).

The king’s heir and son, in a deep and abiding love for this lowly peasant shepherd boy, made a covenant, or agreement, with him. It undeniably cost the king’s son much of his own identity as the two boys’ beings were symbolically merged into one and lovingly knit together forever. According to this sacrificial covenant, the lowly shepherd boy David would wear the royal robe and victorious armor of the king’s household. It would be a sign to any and all who would oppose and/or gaze upon him in battle that he had the full and complete backing of the king’s entire household, power, and authority. To confront him, or to strike a blow upon this breastplate, as all knew, was to, in effect, attack all Israel; and to subsequently, supposedly, expect an immediate and deadly response from the very king himself.

David would now fight with the sword, of the son, of the king. To cross swords with him was to invoke the wrath of the king’s son and to ask for an armed conflict with both him and his father. You might as well attack Jonathan. And valiant warrior that he was – sometimes accepting 10-1 odds and more and still emerging victorious (1 Samuel 14:13-14) – that was probably not a very wise idea in those days if one wanted to live very long. To attack David, clothed as he was in the king’s son’s armor would be to invoke the full response of all of Israel as well. It would be as devastating and deadly as if one had personally sought to kill the king’s own son himself. Please consider that, as you prayerfully consider this…

This is the story of another twosome. One, The Invincible Son of The Immortal King; He who obediently and powerfully took His battle straight into the heart of enemy earthly territory (John 1:14-18). The sword which He wielded with perfect precision and unparalleled might, like none other ever had, rose, ripped, and relentlessly fell upon the enemy. Cut, thrust, parry and counterstrike it went, weaving its impenetrable web as seen in so many places in Scripture and particularly in places like Matthew 4:1-10. This “…sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” in the expertly trained hand of the King’s own Son proved absolutely invincible against Satan and his schemes. Outcome: “…then the devil left Him…” (Matthew 4:11). The devil could not prevail against that sword. News flash Christian: he still can’t.

Despite weapon after vile weapon, legion after evil legion, as the enemy entirely empties his vast arsenal, never once does this Son of the King in His resilient and impenetrable royal armor ever taste defeat… not once, not ever. Not at the hands of the Pharisees. Not at the hands of the Sadducees. Not even at blood-soaked Golgotha at the hands of the hypocritical Jewish leadership and the evil Roman Empire. Not once, not ever. (Note: The cross was not a loss, but just a victory in the making.) There are instances where the armor may have been nicked or possibly scratched, as after all, the battle was very real and very intense. His shield of faith was put to the ultimate test in the garden just prior to the battle of Golgotha (Matthew 26:36-56). Certainly every single second and every sacrificial step of that awful bloody night was a battle in its own right… And yet… the armor held… the armor healed… and the Christ conquered. For that night was the battle He had come to ultimately win; to overwhelmingly and once and for all conquer (John 12:23-28). And He would not be denied by any measure of self-sacrifice, personal pain, satanic temptation, or even the hordes of hell themselves. Everything prior to this had merely been the warm-ups, the preliminaries, the practices. It was the exhibition season versus the playoffs. Tonight it was all on the line, winner-take-all, with your eternal soul as the ultimate prize and exclusive trophy. The King’s Son in the Royal Armor was headed for the showdown at Golgotha – and He, and it, was far, far more than up to the task of taking the prize – your eternal soul – home with Him.

Wouldn’t you just love to have armor like that to wear in your war? Wouldn’t you like to face Satan’s legions just once with that kind of imperial power and invincible protection? Wouldn’t you love to look Satan square in the face and put that sword to his scrawny little throat and say “Be gone Satan!” and have him have absolutely no choice whatsoever but to leave you alone? You can you know. And you can right now. That’s the thing you must understand from Romans 8. In fact, God intended for it to be exactly that way for you as well. That’s the message of Romans 8 that God so deeply wants for you to understand. You see, you are the David in the previous story. If you are in Christ, you are the one that The King’s Son made a covenant with. You are the one that He loved as Himself, and indeed more than Himself (Philippians 2:3-8). You are the one to whom He gave His royal, invincible, unbeatable armor (Ephesians 6:13-17)! To face you is to face Him. To attack you is to attack Him. And Satan cannot – hear me now Christian – Satan simply cannot get through that armor! He couldn’t then and he can’t now.

So keep your divine armor on Christian! Keep your sword sharp and your shield shined! And be and become, both in the image of God and the armor of God, More Than Conqueror in Christ!

(Please note: The preceding excerpts are taken from a new book, written by this author and published late last fall, entitled “More Than Conquerors.” Please see www.createspace.com/5838095 for further details!)

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The Blessing of Children

The Blessing of Children

Having looked into the tearful eyes of parents whose children have abandoned the Faith, I have learned that there are a million miles between our children “going through the motions” in reference to their spiritual lives versus our children possessing hearts that dictate their actions. In this column I want to share with you what I hope to instill in the hearts of my own children and those whom I love.

They are crazy, but the blessing of Children warms the heart.

They are crazy, but the blessing of Children warms the heart.

The difference is palpable—and tragic. Watch a visiting family with two young children enter a church building and the response you witness is overwhelming. People go out of their way (literally) to meet these new visitors and share with them what their congregation has to offer children. But consider for a moment the response to a family who walks in, followed behind by six or seven children. The response is not as overwhelming. In fact, she is often viewed as odd, irresponsible, not financially wise, lower class, or socially ignorant. More often than not, Christians steer very clear of extremely large families. After all, society has successfully convinced us that “two” is the magic number for children. (Of course there is the unwritten rule that you can try one more time if the first two were the same sex.) Even from the pulpit we hear a preacher joking about “the close call” of he and his wife thinking they might be pregnant. Fact of the matter is, this is not a joking subject.

How sad is it to hear a preacher teach a powerful lesson on children and the home only to realize that his actions are teaching a totally different lesson. I have listened firsthand to a preacher give counsel about the “wisdom” of only having one or two children—and that anything more than that is “foolish.” This same preacher would then mount the pulpit and preach a tear-jerking lesson on Psalm 127 and children. While his voice spoke one message, his life and his actions spoke an entirely different message. There are some Christians who need to really re-evaluate their view of children in the light of God’s Word.

Here’s what I intend on teaching my children about the blessings of children.

Not a morning passes by in our house when your mom and I are not thankful for the sounds of little feet and tender young voices. We feel incredibly blessed by God to have children, and we pray that you will be able to experience the same joys of parenthood.

I’m not exactly sure of the precise date of when children went from being considered a blessing to being considered baggage, but unfortunately I have witnessed it countless times. Parents oftentimes view the existence of their children as competition for their own personal desires and wishes. At some point along the way, parents began to value prosperity more than posterity. I hope that you will boldly reject society’s view of children. Never look upon children as a burden or an expense. Sure, we need to be financially responsible—but children are not a tally mark we put under the “expense” column.

Sadly, many parents today do not even like their children. The responsibility for rearing these children is given to anyone and everyone—except their own parents (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9—a passage directed toward parents). In some homes, children are treated as just another piece of property, a commodity, or a showpiece to be trotted out when guests visit. Parents have forgotten that they are responsible to return the souls of their children to God, and that every soul is precious (Matthew 16:24-26).

Every time you see a child’s face, I hope that the first thought that enters your mind will be “a blessing from God.” The inspired psalmist observed, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3). It then continues by saying, “Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” When you see a family enter a church building with many children, I hope you will remind yourself and that mother how blessed she truly is. Solomon wrote, “Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father” (Proverbs 17:6). I’m looking forward to that crown! While I don’t know God’s plan for each one of you, I do pray you enjoy parenthood—whether it be you physically having children or adopting little ones into your family. I wish for you a full quiver so that you too can experience the love, joys, and happiness that you have brought your mother and me.

Love,

Dad

Having looked into the tearful eyes of parents whose children have abandoned the Faith, I have learned that there are a million miles between our children “going through the motions” in reference to their spiritual lives versus our children possessing hearts that dictate their actions. In this column I want to share with you what I hope to instill in the hearts of my own children and those whom I love.
The difference is palpable—and tragic. Watch a visiting family with two young children enter a church building and the response you witness is overwhelming. People go out of their way (literally) to meet these new visitors and share with them what their congregation has to offer children. But consider for a moment the response to a family who walks in, followed behind by six or seven children. The response is not as overwhelming. In fact, she is often viewed as odd, irresponsible, not financially wise, lower class, or socially ignorant. More often than not, Christians steer very clear of extremely large families. After all, society has successfully convinced us that “two” is the magic number for children. (Of course there is the unwritten rule that you can try one more time if the first two were the same sex.) Even from the pulpit we hear a preacher joking about “the close call” of he and his wife thinking they might be pregnant. Fact of the matter is, this is not a joking subject.
How sad is it to hear a preacher teach a powerful lesson on children and the home only to realize that his actions are teaching a totally different lesson. I have listened firsthand to a preacher give counsel about the “wisdom” of only having one or two children—and that anything more than that is “foolish.” This same preacher would then mount the pulpit and preach a tear-jerking lesson on Psalm 127 and children. While his voice spoke one message, his life and his actions spoke an entirely different message. There are some Christians who need to really re-evaluate their view of children in the light of God’s Word.
Here’s what I intend on teaching my children about the blessings of children.
Not a morning passes by in our house when your mom and I are not thankful for the sounds of little feet and tender young voices. We feel incredibly blessed by God to have children, and we pray that you will be able to experience the same joys of parenthood.
I’m not exactly sure of the precise date of when children went from being considered a blessing to being considered baggage, but unfortunately I have witnessed it countless times. Parents oftentimes view the existence of their children as competition for their own personal desires and wishes. At some point along the way, parents began to value prosperity more than posterity. I hope that you will boldly reject society’s view of children. Never look upon children as a burden or an expense. Sure, we need to be financially responsible—but children are not a tally mark we put under the “expense” column.
Sadly, many parents today do not even like their children. The responsibility for rearing these children is given to anyone and everyone—except their own parents (see Deuteronomy 6:4-9—a passage directed toward parents). In some homes, children are treated as just another piece of property, a commodity, or a showpiece to be trotted out when guests visit. Parents have forgotten that they are responsible to return the souls of their children to God, and that every soul is precious (Matthew 16:24-26).
Every time you see a child’s face, I hope that the first thought that enters your mind will be “a blessing from God.” The inspired psalmist observed, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward” (Psalm 127:3). It then continues by saying, “Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.” When you see a family enter a church building with many children, I hope you will remind yourself and that mother how blessed she truly is. Solomon wrote, “Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their father” (Proverbs 17:6). I’m looking forward to that crown! While I don’t know God’s plan for each one of you, I do pray you enjoy parenthood—whether it be you physically having children or adopting little ones into your family. I wish for you a full quiver so that you too can experience the love, joys, and happiness that you have brought your mother and me.
Love,
Dad
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Authorship of the Bible

Why Should I Believe The Bible?

Because of its Authorship

The Bible is by far the number one selling book of all time.  It was the first book printed after the invention of the printing press.  It contains some of the oldest historical writings in existence.  The Bible documents the history of the earth from the creation until a few years after the death of Christ.  It contains within its pages the written record of God’s word.  And it is entirely written for the benefit of mankind and contains detailed instructions on how mankind should live and treat one another in this existence and how to achieve immortality with God in Heaven forever.

The Authorship of the Bible all begins with God.

The Authorship of the Bible all begins with God.

So that being stated, why should we believe it?  Why should we live our lives in accordance with the instructions written within?  Why should we use it to seek eternal life?  In short, why should I believe the Bible?   This lesson is one in a series of studies which will examine the evidence, both internal and outside the Bible, which supports the authenticity of the Bible as the written record of God’s word.

Lesson 1

The Bible has a Unique Authorship

The Bible we have today is a collection of sixty six ancient books and letters written by 40 different people who lived in many different parts of the world and were separated by centuries of time.  It took almost 1500 years for all of the Bible to be written.  Moses penned the book of Genesis about 1400 years before Christ walked the earth.  It is generally believed that John wrote the last 4 books of the New Testament at the latter part of the first century.  A table showing the dates of the authorship of each book of the Bible and the writer is included at the end of this lesson for review.

The Bible was written by 40 different people, but it makes the internal claim in 2 Peter 1:21 to have only one author, “for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (NKJV).  The Bible exists, therefore it’s existence must have an explanation.  Moreover, the explanation for the Bible’s existence must also be adequate to make an accounting for how it got here and for what it contains.  The explanation must take in to account the vast expanse of time it took to write it, the number of people who participated, not only in the writing of it, but of the events depicted therein.

The Bible is a book of much more than just a bunch of rules God expects us to live by.  It also contains a record of the rise, fall and existence of civilizations that until recent archaeological discoveries, were unknown to man living in this century.  The Bible also contains prophetic foretelling of events that would happen some time in the future beyond the time these prophecies were written.  Isaiah wrote of a king named Cyrus who would order the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem before it was destroyed.  Isaiah wrote this during a period of time between 740-680 B.C.  The temple was destroyed in about 587 BC.  Cyrus became the king of the Medo-Persian empire in about 538 BC.  About one year or so after Cyrus became king, he issued a decree to rebuild the temple that had been destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar 70 years earlier.  Isaiah prophesied about the rebuilding of the temple and called Cyrus out by name as the one who gave the order at least about 80 years before the temple was destroyed and 150 years before Cyrus issued the decree to rebuild it in Jerusalem.

This prophecy is by no means an isolated incident within the pages of the Bible.  The Bible literally contains hundreds such prophecies with about 400 of them being messianic in nature.

An explanation for the existence of the Bible must take into account the fact that no mortal man who ever lived possesses the ability to look down the corridors of time and predict with unerring accuracy events that would take place in the distant future.  Only an all-knowing God would be able to achieve such an accomplishment as that.  So when the Bible makes the internal claim to have a single author who directed those who were writing it, there is compelling evidence in support of this claim which quite simply cannot be explained away.

The Bible has a Unity of Theme

From Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 the entire theme of the Bible is the ultimate salvation of mankind.  It contains a record of the fall of man from paradise, it records the events associated with God’s handling of the people of the earth and throughout the writings, there are records those who did evil and suffered and those who did good and were blessed because of it.  Under the old covenant, the law of Moses was specifically aimed at governing the Jewish nation and bringing them to the time of Christ.  After the death of Christ, the law of Moses was abrogated and replaced with the new covenant which applied to all people all across the earth.  The entire theme of the Bible from beginning to end deals with the deliverance of man from the condemnation that is the result of sin.

The question must be asked, how did 40 people write 66 books over a period of 1500 years and achieve such a unified theme throughout?  The answer is simply that they could not have, not by themselves, and not without divine guidance.  The hand of an almighty, all knowing God is all over the pages of the Bible for anyone willing to look at the evidence objectively and without personal bias.

The Bible is Self Authenticating

A self authenticating document is one that can be accepted without external proof to support the claim that it is what it appears to be.  This means that the Bible, by itself, contains all of the information and evidence required for someone to come to the conclusion that it is the written record of God’s word.

In our society today, we have what are known as self authenticating documents.   For example, there are many occasions where one needs to positively identify oneself for some purpose such as cashing a check, engaging in to a property sale or exchange, boarding an airplane or entering into another country.  Driver’s licenses and passports are generally recognized as self authenticating documents.  The very existence of and possession of one of these documents is all that is required in order to demonstrate to someone that you are who you say your are.

Document that have been notarized and bear a notary seal are documents that are self authenticating.  The presence of that notary seal and the accompanying signature is an endorsement that indicates the document has been examined by an independent outside party and found to be authentic and all information contained therein is accurate.  Drivers licenses, passports and other such documents used for the purpose of identification are issued by agencies who require a level of positive identification that is beyond question before they are approved and issued.  In all instances, self authenticating documents have third party verification from a source other than the bearer as to the validation of it.  All self authenticating documents are endorsed in such a way that their authenticity is beyond any reasonable doubt.

It is significant in the demonstration that the Bible is a self authenticating document that we understand and acknowledge that all of the information which will be used to authenticate the Bible comes from within the Bible.  That being said, there will always be those critics who will refuse to accept internal biblical evidence that is self authenticating, but will accept self authenticating secular documents which contain a mere fraction of the internal evidence of what is available in scripture at face value and without question.  The level of internal evidence which self validates the Bible is on a scale of magnitude far in excess of any other document in the history of earth.  Not even the declaration of independence of the United States of America with the signatures of authors of the constitution even comes close to the level of self authentication that is contained within the Bible itself.

The information on self authenticating documents is verifiable.  One can fact check the information on these kinds of documents and they will stand up to the most vigorous scrutiny.  Signatures can be compared, records can be consulted, testimonies can be substantiated and the information in the document will be proved true.

The Bible makes the internal claim that it is the word of God in 2 Timothy 3:16, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness“.  In 2 Peter 1:20-21, we read that all scripture was written under the direction of God, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (NIV). Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 14:37, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord” (KJV).

The Bible contains historical information which can be checked.  It must be noted here that there has never been a historical event, or mention of a civilization or nation that can be proved to be false.  In matters of historical accuracy, the Bible is infallible.

The Bible contains a record of a vast number of fulfilled prophecies.  No man can predict with 100% accuracy events that will transpire years and most cases centuries before they actually happen.  These prophecies can be examined and verified.  Every single prophecy in the Bible has been fulfilled with the only exception being those in regard to the second and final advent of Jesus Christ and the associated end of the earth.

The Bible contains the eyewitness testimony of people who lived and witnessed many historical events which can be verified through history and archaeology.  The Bible also contains the eyewitness testimony of many people who suffered horrific persecution and often death as a result of their testimony.  Most of the writers of scripture died violent deaths because of their loyalty to God.

The Bible gives us a record of a king who voluntarily sacrificed Himself so that His subject could live.  Documents are falsified for a reason with self serving motives.  The king of the Bible was not self serving.  His disciples who accompanied Him on earth and were eyewitnesses to Him for the most part went to their deaths proclaiming Him as the Christ.  They were forbidden by Jesus to seek earthly gain of any kind.  They were required to suffer for their loyalty to a king that was put to death.   No one who is going make up a grand lie like this and perpetrate it with no hope of any personal physical gain.

And who is going to make up a story where a king was born in a stable manger, lived a life of poverty and sacrifice and was ultimately put to death by the very people He came to save?  The king gave His own life as a substitutionary death sentence for mankind so that mankind could have a hope of salvation.  He died in mankind’s place for shortcomings of mankind.  You can’t make this stuff up.   And people for centuries have been put to death because of their faith in and loyalty to this man.

The Bible contains all of the components of a self authenticating document to a degree that no other document that has ever existed can possibly achieve.  It contains checkable facts, it bears the seal of the testimony of eye witnesses who died for their belief in it, and it contains a message that would never be the product of a self serving group of deceivers.

The Bible has No Contradictions

A contradiction occurs when two (or more) different statements on a topic cannot both be true at the same time and in the same sense. For instance, let’s look at the statements, “I am driving my car today” and “I am not driving my car today.” Both statements cannot both be true at the same time and in the same way. They are mutually exclusive. However, the following is not a contradiction: “Bob saw two people get out of his car.” and “Frank saw three people get out of his car.” These statements are not mutually exclusive because both statements can be true at the same time.  Bob and Frank may have been standing in different places and saw the even differently.  Both statements can be true at the same time and in the same sense without excluding the other.  There is no contradiction when both statements are true, and neither one negates the validity of the other.

A perfect example of this is found in the written record of the number of times the cock crowed before Peter denied Jesus the third time on the night of His betrayal.  Jesus told Peter in Matthew 26:34 that “before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice” (KJV).  In writing of the same event, Mark wrote in 14:30, “before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice“.  And in John’s gospel account, he wrote in 13:38, “the cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice” (KJV).   All three of these men were present when Jesus made this statement to Peter and they recorded it from their perspective.   All three of these statements are true if Peter denied Jesus before the cock crowed at all. The fact that Mark said before cock crowed twice does not necessarily imply the cock to have crowed once before Peter’s third denial.  Mark’s record would be just as true if he said “before the cock crows the tenth time, thou shalt deny me thrice” When the cock crowed the very first time, it had not yet crowed the second time so it was true that Peter denied Jesus three times before the cock crowed twice.   Critics of the Bible love to attack the authenticity of the bible by claiming contradictions where no such real contradiction exists.

In all sixty six books, written by 40 different people, over a period of 15 centuries, there are no real contradictions that can be definitively demonstrated.  Given these circumstances under which the scriptures were written, the significance of this fact cannot be understated.  It would be nearly impossible for one person to produce such a document as complex as the Bible without any contradictions, let alone 40 who lived over a period of 15 centuries and were unable to collaborate on it during its production.

The Bible Must be Explained

Critics of the Bible love to make the claim that Christianity is false.  But talk is cheap and assertion and denial is not proof.  In order for Christianity to be false, the book which contains what is necessary to know and follow Christianity must be debunked.  The Bible must be proven to be false.  It’s existence must be explained away.  Before this can be accomplished, a number of questions must be asked and answered satisfactorily.

How could 40 people, separated by geography, nationality, culture, walks of life and 15 centuries all collaborate to produce a document that contains a unified theme such as the Bible possesses?   Did they just make it up as they went?  How did they achieve the collaboration it would have taken to produce such a document as the Bible?

How could people living centuries prior to an event be capable of accurately predicting it with 100% accuracy?  There are about 400 prophecies regarding the birth, life, ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus and they were all fulfilled completely.  And if that is not enough, then we have many prophecies which can be verified through history and archaeology.  How could mortal man achieve such a feat?

How could any document written by 40 different people spanning 4000 years of history be historically error free as far as we know?  The Bible does not contain one single record of any event or people that be definitively proven as false?

Why would 40 people craft a religion that required 15 centuries to unfold and portray a king who would conquer His enemies by dying for them?

Why would 40 people craft a religion that more often than not ended with their deaths?

The Bible exists and it contains information that simply could not be true without the guidance of a single mind with a singular purpose.

The Bible exists it contains records of things that are impossible for mortal man to achieve on his own.

Why should I believe the Bible?

Because it cannot be proven to contain anything that is not truth.

Old Testament

Book Inspired Writer Date Written
Genesis Moses ?-1445 B.C.
Exodus Moses 1445-1405 B.C.
Leviticus Moses 1405 B.C.
Numbers Moses 1444-1405 B.C.
Deuteronomy Moses 1405 B.C.
Joshua Joshua 1404-1390 B.C.
Judges Samuel 1374-1129 B.C.
Ruth Samuel 1150? B.C.
First Samuel Samuel 1043-1011 B.C.
Second Samuel Ezra? 1011-1004 B.C.
First Kings Jeremiah? 971-852 B.C.
Second Kings Jeremiah? 852-587 B.C.
First Chronicles Ezra? 450-425 B.C.
Second Chronicles Ezra? 450-425 B.C.
Ezra Ezra 538-520 B.C.
Nehemiah Nehemiah 445-425 B.C.
Esther Mordecai? 465 B.C.
Job Job? ??
Psalms David 1000? B.C.
Sons of Korah wrote Psalms 42, 44-49, 84-85, 87. Asaph wrote Psalms 50, 73-83. Heman wrote Psalm 88. Ethan wrote Psalm 89. Hezekiah wrote Psalms 120-123, 128-130, 132, 134-136. Solomon wrote Psalms 72, 127.
Proverbs Solomon wrote 1-29
Agur wrote 30
Lemuel wrote 31		 950-700 B.C.
Ecclesiastes Solomon 935 B.C.
Song of Solomon Solomon 965 B.C.
Isaiah Isaiah 740-680 B.C.
Jeremiah Jeremiah 627-585 B.C.
Lamentations Jeremiah 586 B.C.
Ezekiel Ezekiel 593-560 B.C.
Daniel Daniel 605-536 B.C.
Hosea Hosea 710 B.C.
Joel Joel 835 B.C.
Amos Amos 755 B.C.
Obadiah Obadiah 840 or 586 B.C.
Jonah Jonah 760 B.C.
Micah Micah 700 B.C.
Nahum Nahum 663-612 B.C.
Habakkuk Habakkuk 607 B.C.
Zephaniah Zephaniah 625 B.C.
Haggai Haggai 520 B.C.
Zechariah Zechariah 520-518 B.C.
Malachi Malachi 450-600 B.C.

 

New Testament

Book Inspired Writer Date Written (A.D)
Matthew Matthew 60’s
Mark John Mark late 50’s
early 60’s
Luke Luke 60
John John late 80’s
early 90’s
Acts Luke 61
Romans Paul 55
1 Corinthians Paul 54
2 Corinthians Paul 55
Galatians Paul 49
Ephesians Paul 60
Philippians Paul 61
Colossians Paul 60
1 Thessalonians Paul 50-51
2 Thessalonians Paul 50-51
1 Timothy Paul 62
2 Timothy Paul 63
Titus Paul 62
Philemon Paul 60
Hebrews (Paul, Apollos, Barnabas . . . ?) 60’s
James James, half brother of Jesus 40’s or 50’s
1 Peter Peter 63
2 Peter Peter 63-64
1 John John late 80’s
early 90’s
2 John John late 80’s
early 90’s
3 John John late 80’s
early 90’s
Jude Jude, half brother of Jesus 60’s or 70’s
Revelation John late 70’s
early 90’s

 
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