Archive for the ‘The Pastor's Corner’ Category

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What’s so great about Sunday school? (Part 1) It is the most important education available! Written by Don Anderson

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

Sunday School deals with the most important education people can ever get, a Bible education. Today, thankfully, we do not have to choose between a school education and a Bible education. However, if we did, we should choose the Bible education. Why? Not because I am opposed to a school education. I believe strongly in a solid education program for our children. However, math and science and other school subjects prepare us only for life here. A Bible education prepares us for life here and for life in eternity.

I did not have courses such as chemistry and physics in my high school education, yet I think I have moved along in life reasonably well without them. However, I am confident that I would not have lived reasonably well without my Bible education. I highly value my Sunday School training as well as my formal Bible training. I have had the most important education in the world!

Sunday School is so great because it brings to people the most important education possible.

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Real Ministry (part 5): Genuine living in line with your confession!

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

James 1:26-27 26 “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless. 27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”

 To those who are ready for real ministry, I say to you: go find those who can’t reciprocate, go find the most needy, the most often thrown away, the down-and-outers and get involved in their lives. This, ministering to those who can’t and won’t minister back, serving those who can’t and won’t praise you for what you’ve done, helping those who can’t and won’t ever pay you back, this is real ministry. But lest we miss the point of the scripture, let us remember the context. Real believers should be seeing real change in conduct and character! You’ve expressed your belief and trust in Jesus, you are doing all the “religious” acts like being in church and singing the songs, carrying your Bible and praying before you eat, but how about your tongue? See, if your confession of faith in Christ isn’t changing your tongue then your profession in Christ is useless. Genuine faith will change your tongue, it will change your serve, and it will change your world interaction. Not a single one of us can ever pay Christ anything back, yet He gave because He loves. Genuine conversion should be producing genuine love in our hearts especially for the down-and-outers.

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Real Ministry (Part 4) Meeting mankind’s greatest need!

Thursday, May 8th, 2008

If ministry is defined as being a human conduit through which God meets the real needs of mankind, Jesus is absolutely the epitome of real ministry. If we are serious about the brevity (shortness) of life we find that all mankind has a huge problem: we all face death eventually. I recently read from one of our missionaries that there is a man in Kenya who is 120 years old! That is a long life, but short in comparison to how long the earth has been here. Hebrews 9:6 states

“And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment,”.

 We have a grave need in that we are all going to die. Jesus meets that need, in fact he met the need of a man who had died in John 11. Lazarus was a friend of Jesus, and just days before Jesus’ arrival, Lazarus had died. Jesus, moved with compassion and wanting to teach others the truth about Himself said the following in John 11:25:

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me will live even if he dies”"

Here is the truth of this passage: Jesus has met your greatest need through His resurrection. On this Easter Sunday as we celebrate the resurrection of Christ nearly 2000 years ago, though that was so long ago and our world looks very different today, the truth still remains that He was raised from the dead so you could be too! The only condition is belief/trust in Jesus Christ for forgiveness of sins. That is real ministry!

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Real Ministry (Part 3) Exposing Sin and Revealing Salvation

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

Do you remember John 8 where the Pharisees bring a woman caught in the very act of adultery before Jesus?   If not that’s okay. Here is what happened: the pharisees wanted to trip up Jesus, so they found a woman and caught her in the act of adultery and brought her to Jesus.  When they placed her before Jesus they asked Him what He thought should be done with her.

John 8:3 As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and Pharisees brought a woman they had caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd.

Here is the question they asked Him:

John 8:5 “Now in the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women; what then do You say?”

This is a real life situation that is not foreign to us, because we are always meeting people who have problems in their lives because of acts of adultery, divorce and remarriage, drugs and alcohol, and the list continues. Notice how Jesus uses the opportunity: He says, Anyone here who doesn’t have personal sin, anyone here who is willing to say that they’ve never done something wrong, you be the first to cast a stone at her. Effectively, Jesus shows all present that they have personal sin that would cause God’s condemnation in their lives. But notice that He does not go after them and condemn them (for their sin has already done that) but He does reveal that belief in Him will provide the needed freedom from their sin problem.

John 8:12 Jesus said to the people, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t be stumbling through the darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life. John 8:24 That is why I said that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am who I say I am, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:36 “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

All of this goes to demonstrate the main thrust of the Gospel of John, that those who believe in the name of the Lord Jesus and trust in Him for forgiveness of sins will be forgiven and have eternal life. What does our interaction with the lost, broken and struggling people of the world look like? Is it filled with condemnation where we never reveal the true problem and solution? Or do we ministry like Jesus did where we reveal sin in all mankind and share the truth for forgiveness?

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Real Ministry (Part 2): Loving the unlovely

Friday, March 7th, 2008

In John 4 we follow Jesus as He is on His way to His home region (Galilee). On this trip, he had to pass through Samaria, (which is an area primarily populated by Samaritans who were viewed as second class citizens by the Jews) which is the most direct route, often abandoned by Jews for a route around Samaria. This journey would have been nearly 70 miles or 2 and ½ days journey on foot. We find Jesus tired and worn at Sychar in verses 5-6:

John 4:5-6 5So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.It is at this point that we can make our first observation about Christ in ministry: when everyone else was doing everything they could to avoid crossing cultural and racial barriers, Christ jumped right in where a race of people, hated by the Jews, dwelt!Next we see Christ interacting with a Samaritan (which was bad enough) but a Samaritan woman (even worse). The story goes like this: Jesus is tired, the disciples were hungry so they head into the city to find some food, but Jesus stays behind. Next thing we know a Samaritan woman comes out to fetch water and Jesus begins to talk with her. This did not happen in Jesus’ day, much like middle to upper class Caucasians don’t normally talk to people who don’t fit into their comfort zones. John 4:9 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.Next we see Jesus talking with her about her needs and her life! He talks with her about ever-lasting water, which He can give to her (this is referring to His ability as the Messiah to offer complete satisfaction in relationship with God). He talks with her about her problem of marriage and divorce as a reoccurring theme in her life. She continues to make poor decisions, but Christ does not condemn her, He only continues to teach about Himself and God the Father.All of this is completely contrary to the normal actions for the day. Jew’s don’t talk to Samaritans and they certainly didn’t give respect to women. Even Jesus’ disciples were amazed when they saw Him talking to this woman. Now, the crux of the whole passage comes as Jesus teaches His disciples. They are hungry and they want Him to eat so they can continue on with their journey. The disciples are uncomfortable and out of place culturally, but Jesus says to them: John 4:32-36 32 But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” 33 Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” 34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work. 35 “Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 “And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.Jesus says, I am more hungry for the spiritual fruit of lost souls receiving God’s gift than I am for my own fleshly needs (there is nothing wrong with eating, but we must evaluate what our priorities are). He also reminds them that they don’t have to wait for the harvest, it is right there and available now. Jesus shakes our understanding of real ministry: it crosses cultural and ethnic barriers, it isn’t only to people who look and live like us, and it certainly isn’t to be conducted on our time frames, the harvest is now! What does your ministering look like: are you available and actively engaged in cross cultural, racial and economic outreach. Christ certainly was and the time for harvest for us is now: LOVE THE UNLOVELY!

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Real Ministry: Part One - Caring and Sharing

Thursday, March 6th, 2008

Turning to John chapter 6, we are confronted with an amazing display of Christ’s ministry. The feeding of the five thousand, whether it is five thousand total or five thousand men with women and children, is an amazing feat! While the passage serves to prove to all mankind that they must believe in Jesus Christ, here by demonstrating His power, it also demonstrates for us some amazing strategies that Christ employed in reaching people.Notice first, Christ realized that the people who were following Him had needs.

John 6:5 5 Then Jesus lifted up His eyes, and seeing a great multitude coming toward Him, He said to Philip, “Where shall we buy bread, that these may eat?”

He has an amazing following of people because Christ actually cared for people and was meeting some of their needs (see verse 2). This is an important lesson for Christians who would be obedient in reaching the lost as so many people today are hurting and in need of a Christian to come alongside them.  The media and our culture are filled with examples of the fact that people are hurting.  Jesus recognized this and taking the time to meet needs, He was able to have a large number of people to share the truth with.

Secondly, after starting relationships through meeting needs, Christ tells them that it is time to talk about serious things. It’s almost as if he says, “ok, we’ve been dealing with issues that aren’t of the greatest value, now let’s talk about more important issues.

John 6:26-27 Jesus answered them and said, “Most assuredly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw the signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. 27 “Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him.”

Finally, He shares the real message: He is the messiah and they must trust in Him.  

 John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”

These are mportant lessons for reaching people, we must care and we must share!  How have you demonstrated the love and care of Jesus Christ to the needy world this week?  If you don’t care, you won’t ever be able to share (and this is the heart of God as He is not willing that any should perish!)

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Bibliology, Part 5: Divine Illumination

Friday, February 22nd, 2008

This past month has been given to briefly addressing the teaching of the Bible on the character of the Bible itself. We’ve discovered that the Scriptures (66 books of the Old and New Testament) carry the dominant theme describing Christ as the Messiah and His atoning work for mankind (Part 1). We’ve also learned that the Scriptures are divinely inspired including all of the words and the entirety of the Old and New Testaments(Parts 2 and 3). Finally, since they are inspired (breathed) by God they are authoritative in every aspect that they address (as God is holy, honest, and true)(Part 4).The final question I would like to address along the lines of Bibliology (the study of the bible) is this: How does one understand what the bible is saying to us today? This is a very important question when it comes to daily studying and understanding the Bible because it will affect the conclusions you come to in your study of the Scriptures. The answer is contained in several passages of Scripture and it is this: the Holy Spirit is given to us as a teacher so that we can understand the teachings of Scripture. This ministry of the Holy Spirit is called “ILLUMINATION”.

“Sometimes called “divine illumination,” this is the Holy Spirit’s giving His people an understanding of divine truth (John 14:26; I Cor. 2:7-14).” (Barackman, Practical Christian Theology, 209)

When you come to meet the Lord in studying His Word (daily) you cannot learn the truth of scripture apart from the Holy Spirit. This is true because the teachings of Scripture are spiritual truths and therefore they are spiritually discerned, which means we need the help of the Holy Spirit to teach us.  Notice the teachings in I Corinthians 2:11-14:

11 For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. 13 These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Notice the following truths taught by the above passage: 1) No one can know the thoughts of a man except his spirit.  2) No one knows the thoughts of God except His Spirit.  3) The Spirit believers have received is the Spirit of God.  4) He has been given to us so that we might know the things given to us and taught to us in God’s self revelation, His Word!  5)  These truths that Paul is now teaching have been taught to him by the Holy Spirit.  6)  Unsaved individuals cannot understand fully comprehend God’s truth contained in the Scriptures because these truths can only be illumined (taught) by the Holy Spirit who resides in believers.

“Apart from this divine ministry, it is impossible for anyone to understand the spiritual teachings of God’s Word (I Cor. 2:11-14).” (Barackman, PCT, 209)

All of this serves to teach us a very valuable lesson: humbly come to the Lord in studying His Word.  Seek the help of the Holy Spirit who resides inside you, and pray for the Spirit to open the eyes of unbelievers when you witness, for they cannot understand spiritually discerned truths without Him.  Therefore, when we come to the Scriptures, we should have an attitude of prayer, asking God to teach us from His wondrous Word, and as we witness we should have an attitude of prayer, asking God to open the blind eyes.

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Bibliology, Part 4: The authority of Scripture - is it authoritative?

Thursday, February 21st, 2008

Recently we’ve been covering the teachings of the Bible about the Bible. We’ve covered the truths that the Scriptures are divinely inspired and inerrant. As a matter of application to the inspiration of the Scriptures we are called to trust the Scriptures, but how far reaching is the Bible’s authority? In what areas does the Bible have the right to speak and have authority in our lives?

“The authority of the Bible has been described as that property by which the Scriptures demand faith in and obedience to all their declaration.” (Lloyd-Jones, The authority of the Scriptures)

“Being God’s Word, the Scriptures inherently possess the right to command and to enforce obedience to their revelation of the divine will for mankind, both unsaved and saved peoples. This right is the Bible’s authority.” (Barackman, Practical Christian Theology)

The Bible has this right to authority in our lives because it possess divine character: truth, perfection, righteousness, purity, eternity, etc (Psalm 19:7-9; John 17:17; I Peter 1:25). Secondly, as a lesson to us, we see Jesus and the Apostles submitting to the authority of the Scriptures (Matthew 5:17; 2 Peter 3:2). Now most would say that the scripture is authoritative in matters pertaining to religion, but what we need to grasp is that every subject matter which the scriptures address, the Bible is absolutely authoritative in. This would include history, geography, science and many other subjects.

 ”This authority applies to all the areas of which the Bible speaks. It is the final authority in matters of history and science as well as belief and conduct. Since the Scriptures authoritatively express God’s truth and His will for everyone, it is people’s duty to learn this truth and to submit themselves to His will by believing and obeying His Word. This response to God’s Word exhibits our love for Him (John 14:15, 21, 23). (Barackman, PCT)

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Bibliology, Part 3 Verbal and Plenary Inspiration

Friday, February 8th, 2008
“Inspiration is God’s superintendence of the human authors so that, using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the words of the original autographs (manuscripts).” (Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine, p. 38)

When “inspiration” is talked about, we must define what exactly is “inspired”. Christ testifies that all of the Old Testament was inspired and accurate (Matthew 5:17-18). Christ also testified that the individual parts were inspired, we see this in His continual quoting and teaching of individual verses of the Old Testament. Finally, Christ promised the inspiration of the New Testament.

“In John 14:26 Jesus indicated that the Holy Spirit would provide accurate recall for the apostles as they penned the words of Scripture, thus guaranteeing their accuracy.” (Enns, Moody Bible Handbook, p. 164)

All of this goes to teach us three lessons: 1) Plenary inspiration: every part of the 66 books of the Bible were inspired and breathed by God to the same degree. 2) Verbal inspiration: “divine inspiration extended to every word of Scriptures and to its grammatical form. (Barackman, Practical Christian Theology, p 25). 3) You can trust the translation of the scriptures that you have and you should study it in its entirety along with careful attention to the words the authors used. The WORD is vital to your life and health in God.

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Bibliology, Part 2 - The Inspiration of the Scriptures

Friday, February 8th, 2008

The 66 books of the Old and New Testaments comprise what we believe to be the Word of God. With that being said, how do we have God’s words if man wrote them? First of all, we must understand that God’s Word is revelation (God’s activity of making known His truth, or the truth that He has revealed). II Timothy 3:16 tells us that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God“. This word inspirationtells us much about how we have God’s words today. Barackman states,

“The Scriptures are inspired in the sense that they are the product of God’s breath, that is, a special work of the Holy Spirit. The speakers and writers of God’s words were inspired in the sense that they were acted upon by the Holy Spirit to produce through them God’s truth in human language.” (Barackman, Practical Christian Theology)

So, the way that we have God’s words today is through the process of inspiration, where God enabled certain people to receive God’s special revelation and to speak it or to write it without error or omission in their language and style as the very words of God. With this being said, we can know that the words of Scripture are God’s words.

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