Perspective - A lesson from Barnabas
I’m sure at some point in your life you have earned a nickname. If it was anything like some of the nicknames I collected throughout High School, they may not be names you are that proud of! However, at the end of Acts Ch 4, we read of a man named Joseph, who was given a wonderful name. We’re told the apostles called him Barnabas, which means, ‘son of encouragement’. I wonder what it was like to be around Barnabas? I bet he was the most popular disciple of them all! The Bible says that God gives to some people the gift of encouragement (Rom 12:8), but that encouragement is also something that should characterise every Christian (Heb 13:3). We have all felt the disappointment of being discouraged, but what does it mean to encourage someone? How can we be more like Barnabas and have it so much a part of who we are, that it is the thing people most remember about us too?
Christian encouragement is highlighting the work of God's grace in someone’s life. You don’t need a special occasion to encourage someone. It may be because they have been a help to you, or because you are seeking to be a help to them. The first example would be a way to thank them and show gratitude to God, the second would be a way you could build up a brother or sister in need. It’s on occasions like this that words of encouragement will feel extra sweet. Proverbs 18:21 says, ‘The tongue has the power of life and death.’ If we are at a point of crisis, then a word of encouragement can be how God breathes life back to us so we can face another day. It warms our fellowship, deepens our relationships, awakens our hope and lets us know we are loved. Especially when we face trials, we often forget that God is working even in these tough times to grow us toward maturity in our faith. Encouraging someone in the midst of hardship can show them what they may not be able to see for themselves.
Christian encouragement is not the same as flattery. Flattery will make you say whatever is needed to impress the other person. It is manipulative and selfish. It indulges people based on an ulterior motive. Encouragement however doesn’t deceive or trick. It uses words to build up the other person and express gratitude to God.
Neither is encouragement simply a compliment. ‘You have lovely kids’, is a compliment. (And nothing wrong with that!) But Christian encouragement might be, ‘Seeing you with your kids after church, I just wanted to say, well done on being so patient!’ We encourage one another when we see how God is working in each other’s lives, especially on those things that matter for eternity. (In this case, we express gratitude to God that He can take a busy tired parent and bring forth in them a fruit of the Spirit!) A compliment praises the person, but encouragement always directs the praise back to God.
How to encourage one another
Before we consider how we can encourage one another, it’s worth considering why we don’t. If we know the obstacles, we can be better prepared to avoid them. Encouraging others stops being a priority when we become busy and burdened by our own problems. It might sound strange, but there is nothing wrong in a hectic day to make a diary reminder to call the person you promised yourself you would. Encouragement slips off the radar when we come to church thinking like consumers, ‘What can I get out of this service?’, rather than thinking like Jesus, ‘How can I serve my brothers and sisters?’ We will give ourselves permission to avoid encouraging others if we assume it is someone else’s job (the stewards, the extroverts, the staff). And encouragement will be far more difficult if we come to church late and leave early. Without being available for others, we lose the opportunities to speak into people’s lives. Simply being aware of these distractions can make a big difference before we even start. But once we have prepared the ground, what next?
Getting started
Often encouragement can start with something as simple as a greeting. It’s not unusual for people to come to church (especially if it’s their first time) feeling awkward, anxious, or guilty. Something like, ‘I’m so glad you came to church today; it was great to share the morning with you’, could in itself, be an encouragement.
Listening is a really important aspect of encouragement. Remember, you are not just looking to affirm the person about themselves, you are wanting to affirm them in their relationship with God. When we listen carefully to people’s fears, burdens and uncertainties, we can then reflect something of God back to them, which can give them strength to face what is troubling them.
When it’s time to speak, we don’t have to worry that our words aren’t good enough. God has given us His words to use. After writing to the church in Thessolonica, giving comfort to Christians who grieve, Paul ends by saying, ‘Therefore, encourage each other with these words.’ Especially at a time of grief where no one really knows what to say, God has given us His words which can comfort, reassure and bring hope. Remember what parts of the Bible have been a help to you, and start to read the Bible keeping in mind the needs of others.
How to receive encouragement
I probably should confess, I’m not very good at this! Like many of us, I don’t feel very comfortable responding to an encouragement. So here are some tips that can help us receive encouragement with gratitude, rather than smother it in false humility.
Don’t deflect. Even by simply saying thank you, you can express gratitude and encourage the encourager.
Don’t assume the person is praising you, when they are really praising God for what He has done in you.
Don’t become proud. This is perhaps the biggest misstep when it comes to receiving encouragement from others. To be humble is not necessarily to deny it, but it will mean you must keep your ego in check. Kevin DeYoung writes, “Don't put your hands out to always stop it (unless the encouragement is patently false). Don't pull your hands in to hold on to it with all your might. Keep your hands moving to receive it and pass it along to God. Receive the flower of encouragement, take a look at it, and then put it in a vase for God.”
Do thank God for His work in your life. If other people are seeing a change in you, it’s probably because God is actually changing you! And that is good news. Join with them in giving that glory back to God.
Do pass it on. Now you know what a blessing it can be, make sure you put it into practice yourself.
Written by Scott Tubman. Original article can be found here.
Perspective - The Cross Shaped Life
If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” Mark 8:34
These rightly famous words were spoken by Jesus at a key moment within His public ministry. Up until this point, Jesus’ ministry had been characterised by clear demonstrations of His great power and authority – power and authority over sickness, over evil spirits, over nature, over sin and even over death itself. The logical, but also God given, response to such authority was to recognize, as Peter did, that Jesus is indeed the Christ (Mark 8:29). This response, made on behalf of all the disciples, must have been really encouraging to Jesus. Less encouraging was Peter’s response to Jesus’ plain teaching that as the Christ, it was His mission to “suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, be killed and after three days rise again” (Mark 8:31). Mark tells us that Peter “took Jesus aside and began to rebuke Him” (verse 32), only to receive a strong rebuke himself. The heart of Jesus’ rebuke and instruction was first to affirm His own mission as a cross-centred one (in contrast to Peter’s diabolically inspired and worldly view of the Messiah’s calling) but then to teach that this same way of the cross was (and is) also the path for each true disciple. For Jesus then the call to discipleship is a calling to a cross-shaped life.
In looking at Mark 8:34 in greater detail it is tempting to begin with Jesus’ call to self-denial. Such self-denial is of course fundamental, but it is not actually the point at which the cross-shaped life of a disciple begins. The starting point is in fact the desire to ‘come after’ and to ‘follow’ Jesus. The starting point for the disciple is to want to be a disciple. Jesus’ statement “if anyone would come after me” implies both a realization that given the pathway some will not want to follow, but that there will indeed be those who will want to follow Him. In the final analysis the decision to become a follower of Jesus is a personal decision, made on the basis that such following is both right and indeed worthwhile whatever the cost. Such a decision, in the context of Mark 8, must thus be based both on Jesus’ demonstrated authority as the Christ, but also on His own clear determination to go to the cross. It is both who Jesus is and what He has done that provides the motivation for others to want to follow Him along such a difficult path.
Given the desire to follow Jesus it is essential to understand what such following will mean in practice. This is where Jesus’ teaching about self-denial is of the greatest importance. Since Jesus was perfectly God-centred and therefore perfectly other-person centred, even to the point of laying down His life for sinners, His example leaves no room for any self-centredness among His followers. To be a disciple of Jesus is thus to embrace the path of self-denial, saying No not only to those things which we know displease God, but also No to those things which, while not wrong in themselves, are not in the best interests of those whom we seek to serve as Jesus served us. Thus, for example, a father may choose to give up his golf game in order to watch his son play rugby or his daughter take part in a concert. A husband may give up a ‘boys’ night out’ to take his wife to dinner as a thank you for her service to the family. A child may skip or delay hanging out with friends in order to help around the house. None of the things given up are wrong in themselves, but the self-denial for the sake of others which is expressed in these choices is a mark of a true disciple of Jesus, evidence that one is living a cross-shaped life. And, as Paul reminds us in 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1, every disciple is called to this way of life in order to reach others for Christ.
Of course, for those who first heard Jesus’ call to the cross-shaped life of the disciple, there was a real chance of actual death. The early Christians were fiercely persecuted and some were killed for their faith. In their case they were literally called to take up the cross and follow Jesus. This is a reminder to us that as Christian disciples we should not be surprised if we are persecuted for our faith. For some of our brothers and sisters such persecution still involves actual imprisonment or even torture and death. For most of us however persecution takes the form of insult or misrepresentation or scorn or discrimination – not life threatening but still painful to bear. Either way, whenever we face various kinds of trials because of our faith in Jesus, or when we are called upon to put aside our rights in the service of others, we are to remember that we have been called to self-denial and the cross-shaped life. This is the path our Master trod and it is the path along which we are privileged to follow.
Written by Mervyn Eloff. Original article can be found here.
Perspective - Lord and Christ
“God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ” Acts 2:36
Down the centuries, it has been traditional for Christians to celebrate the day of Pentecost on Pentecost Sunday, fifty days after Easter Sunday and ten days after Ascension Day. On such occasions, it has also been traditional and entirely appropriate for the focus to be placed on Acts chapter 2, Luke’s description of the events surrounding the pouring out of the Holy Spirit manifested in speaking in tongues and his record of Peter’s sermon explaining these events to those who witnessed them. What is not as common but is just as appropriate, is for Acts 2 to be linked with Ascension Day. Indeed, one may say that it is not only appropriate to link Acts 2 with Ascension Day but in fact right to do so. For when we read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14-36, we find that Peter draws a connection between the speaking of tongues, the gift of the Spirit and the enthronement of the resurrected Lord Jesus at God’s Right Hand, the very event which Ascension Day is meant to remember.
Peter begins his sermon in Acts 2:14 by dispelling the misunderstanding of the crowd. What they saw and heard, namely a group of Galileans “declaring the wonders of God” in their own languages (Acts2:11), was not evidence of being drunk with wine, but rather a fulfilment of a promise made by God through the prophet Joel (Acts 2:16-21). Joel had promised that a day would come when God would pour out His life changing Spirit upon people of all nations and the declaration in a variety of languages of praise about, and to God, was proof of the fact that God had indeed kept His promise. So the first part of Peter’s sermon is indeed about the gift of the Holy Spirit to the world.
From Acts 2:22-36 however, Peter’s focus shifts away from the Holy Spirit and onto the person of Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 2:22). It is also clear from Peter’s opening remark in this section: “Men of Israel, listen to this!” that Peter is now getting to the main point of his sermon, the lesson that he wants his hearers to take to heart and to act upon. And that main point is found in Acts 2:36, the verse quoted at the beginning of the article. In brief, the main point is this: the declaration in Jerusalem of God’s praises in tongues (i.e. the languages of every nation under heaven Acts 2:8-11) is proof on earth, that Jesus, whom men had crucified but God had raised from the dead (Acts 2:23-24), had now ascended to the right hand of God the Father (Acts 2:33) and had been appointed by God as both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36), that is not just King of Israel but Lord over all nations. What they ‘saw and heard’ (Acts 2:33) was thus proof on earth of what had happened in Heaven. And this is indeed what the world-wide church is to remember on Ascension Day.
For Ascension Day is not merely about the fact of the ascension of Jesus, but also about the significance and consequences of His ascension. And these consequences are profoundly missional and gospel centred. Because of Jesus’ enthronement as Lord over all nations, the church of Jesus Christ has both the authority and responsibility to carry the message about Jesus to the very ends of the earth. Because of Jesus’ enthronement as Lord over all nations, people of all ages from every nation are called and indeed commanded to bow the knee to Jesus as Lord and to trust in Him alone as the only Saviour from sin, death and judgement. In the ascension and enthronement of Jesus, the church therefore receives both the gift of the Holy Spirit as Counsellor and Comforter, and the power of the Holy Spirit to bear witness to Jesus with courage and confidence. This is what Jesus Himself had taught His disciples both in the Upper Room (see e.g. John 15:26 – 16:11) and on the mountain before His ascension (Acts 1:1-11). And this is precisely what we see in the rest of the book of Acts. For the book of Acts is not about experiences of the Holy Spirit, but bold and courageous witness in the power of the Spirit, starting in Jerusalem and spreading from there via Judea and Samaria and across all nations to the very ends of the earth. Indeed, as the book ends we see Paul, Christ’s chosen apostle to the nations, in Rome, “preaching boldly and without hindrance about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus” (Acts 2:31).
All of this is a reminder therefore that while it is good to celebrate Ascension Day, it is even better to live day by day in the light of the ascension of Jesus, trusting in Him as our one and only Saviour, submitting to Him as our One and only Lord, and prayerfully proclaiming Him to the people that God brings across our path every day.
Written by Mervyn Eloff. Original article can be found here.
Why I am not a Roman Catholic #REACH500
This year, 2017, marks the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation that started in Germany in 1517.
There are a couple of things we take for granted in our church services:
- It is in an understandable language
- We have Bibles
- The Bible is read and explained
- We pray together, sing together and take part in some way
- The gospel is explained
If we were attending a church 500 years ago in Europe, none of these would have happened. Europe in Medieval times was a spiritually dark, superstitious place. The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) ruled supreme. All roads led to Rome where the Pope ruled over all things religious. The Pope was (and still is) believed to be the spiritual successor to the Apostle Peter and the Vicar of Christ i.e. Christ’s representative on earth. Without Father Pope there could be no church, without Mother Church there could be no salvation.
God’s grace circuit
The Pope was and is the channel through which God’s grace flows. God’s grace was like electricity that flowed from God through the Pope via the Cardinals, via the Bishops, via the priests, to the ordinary people via the sacraments.
At baptism, you were cleansed from original sin and had your first taste of God’s grace.
Through confession and penance you were cleansed of your actual sins.
The unbloody Mass
The Mass was (and is) considered to be the main sacrament for receiving God’s grace for living the Christian life. At the front of churches was always an altar on which the Mass was celebrated. It was called an altar because Christ would be sacrificed afresh to God.
Christ’s body was not actually there, but that was no problem, as the RCC came up with the doctrine of transubstantiation: the bread became the body of Christ and the wine the blood of Christ. It still tasted like bread and wine, but in essence it was the body and blood of Christ. Only the priest could drink the wine, as the blood of Christ was too holy for ordinary people to drink.
All services were in Latin, so churchgoers and many of the priests couldn’t understand what was happening. But then you didn’t really have to understand. As long as you ate the bread and looked at the cup, grace would flow to you.
The RCC would have said that salvation is by God’s grace, but you had to earn God’s grace. The unspoken motto was,
“God helps those who helps themselves”.
Purgatory
When you died, no-one was righteous enough to go straight to heaven as there was obviously remaining, unforgiven sin. That was also no problem, as the RCC invented the doctrine of purgatory.
Purgatory was a place where you, as a Christian, went, at death, where you were painfully purged of all your remaining sin, before going to heaven. One could spend 1000’s or millions of years in purgatory.
That was also no problem, as you could buy an indulgence for a loved one being tormented in purgatory
Indulgences
An indulgence accessed the “Treasury of Merit” and credited that merit to your loved one in purgatory, thus lessening their time there.
Johan Tetzel was a famous travelling priest who sold indulgences – he was like many tele-evangelists and prosperity pastors we see today – he, sold God’s blessing.
He and others used to have slogans (in German) like,
“As the coin in the coffer rings, so the soul from purgatory springs”
“Place your penny on the drum, the pearly gates open for mum!”
Prosperity pastors
The selling of indulgences was very much like the “ministry” of our modern-day tele-evangelists and prosperity pastors: You pay money as a sign of your faith to obtain a blessing from God.
The seed-faith movement, of today, is a classic example of this. You give your money to the “anointed” ministry which is, apparently, planting your seed. God will grow your seed and give you a return on that gift. If you need a healing, plant a seed. If you need more money, plant a seed. How strangely similar to the selling of indulgences. And it’s wicked.
We never give to get, we give to give; trusting God to provide all our needs.
The spiritual world back then was a lot like today. Superstition abounded. False notions of Christianity. Weird, pagan practices marketed as Christianity.
Martin Luther
Into this world God raised up a man by the name of Martin Luther, who protested the abuses of the RCC.
For Luther, the big question was, “How can a sinner be righteous with a holy God?”
He found the answer in Romans 1:17,
For in the gospel a righteousness of God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.”
Luther wrote years later about his new-found faith:
“I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through grace and sheer mercy, he makes us righteous by faith.”
The Protestant church ended up breaking away from the false doctrines of the RCC and returned to the Bible, and thus returned to the gospel.
The Protestant Reformation doctrines can be summed-up in 5 phrases:
Scripture Alone
What they meant is that the Bible alone is our ultimate authority – not the pope, not the church, not the traditions of the church or church councils.
Our final authority in life and faith is neither personal experiences, nor private reason, nor subjective feelings, but Scripture alone.
Other sources of authority (reason, experience, tradition) may have an important role to play, but Scripture alone is our highest authority and our reason, experience and traditions need to be judged by Scripture.
The RCC said that its sacred traditions and the official documents of the Church were as authoritative as the Bible. The Reformers said, “Scripture alone”.
Faith Alone
The Reformers never tired of saying that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. Justification means being declared righteous or right with God. And God declares us righteous by faith alone. We don’t need to do X amount good works, or go to the Mass, or be baptized. God requires faith in Jesus alone to be declared righteous.
When we put our faith in Jesus, God credits us with Christ’s righteousness and therefore, by implication, we go straight to heaven when we die.
Grace Alone
The RCC church says, “God helps those who help themselves”. In other words, you have to start the process.
Christianity, the reformers rediscovered, says that you can’t do anything to please God because you are naturally and automatically dead in your sins. You need God to first, by his grace, make you spiritually alive. (Ephesians 2:1-10)
God takes the initiative: God calls you and God keeps you.
Christ Alone
The medieval church had added so many human achievements to Christ’s work, that it was no longer possible to say that salvation was by Christ alone. It was the work of God in Christ plus our own righteousness. “Christ alone”, means that our eternal salvation has been accomplished once for all by the atoning work of Jesus Christ, alone. His sinless life and substitutionary death alone is sufficient for our being declared right with God.
We don’t need Christ plus good works, or baptism, or speaking in tongues, or giving your money – we need Christ alone to be right with God.
To the Glory of God Alone
Each of these phrases is summed up in the fifth Reformation motto: soli Deo Gloria
The apostle Paul expressed this in Romans 11:36,
“For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.”
In RC theology, a sinner’s salvation could be attributed partly to Christ, partly to Mary and the saints, and partly to the sinner himself (because God helps those who help themselves).
But we say, as the Bible says, to Him be the Glory alone.
If you are a Christian, it is because of God, not because of you, but in spite of you.
#REACH500
To celebrate the Reformation our Presiding Bishop, Glenn Lyons, has challenged our churches to evangelism, to share this great gospel that was rediscovered. He challenged each church to have 500 gospel conversation this year under the campaign #REACH500.
What better way to celebrate the gospel of faith alone, in Christ alone, by God’s grace alone, to the glory of God alone, than to give it to someone else?
*Many of the insights in the article have been gleaned from the excellent book, “The Unquenchable Flame: Discovering the Heart of the Reformation” by Michael Reeves.
Written by Andre Visagie. Original article can be found here.
Emmanuel Church High Tea
Heather Stevens and Jeanine Ruppelt, both GWC correspondence students, treated 100 ladies to an afternoon of biblical reflection and personal testimony. Having wrapped up the fourth GWC module, entitled “God the Creator”, the ladies were challenged to put this theological knowledge to good use.
What developed was a lavish high tea spent taking in the Word (& five roses).
Sandra Lyons, Emmanuel Church women's worker, MC’d the 15:00 tea superbly. Starting the afternoon with a reading of Psalm 145, verse 4 & 5 sum up the ongoings of Saturdays tea time;
4 One generation shall commend your works to another,
and shall declare your mighty acts.
5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty,
and on your wondrous works, I will meditate.
Jeanine opened the two talks with: “Why has God revealed Himself?”, exploring common and special revelation as gifts of grace that allow us into a living relationship with the one true God. Jeanine drew on the old and new testament to paint the picture of God as Creator, Redeemer, Judge and King.
A stunning medley by Tara Henrico gave the listeners a chance to think through talk one before Heather’s talk. Heather spent time teaching the “So What!” factor of Jeanine's talk - noting the purpose of God given revelation, as God centered worship.
Heather did an awesome job of narrowing in on what worship really means. No, worship is not only an hour spent each Sunday singing songs and trying to keep focused during the sermon.
Worship is far more than that.
Time spent in Romans 12:1 & 2 showed “worship” as the call to holy and sacrificial living - a right response to the gospel of grace. By nature, we are worshipers and so we are either worshiping the One we are created to adore or we are adoring someone (or something) else. Our hearts will always have their affections set on what we want most.
As part of our continued desire to see ladies growing in the word, before the high tea, certain Emmanuel women had committed to meet up with with those who wanted to read the bible after hearing the talks. This was the final challenge of both talks:
“Find someone to read the Word with and taste and see His goodness!”
The afternoon testified to the wonders of growing to know our Lord. We’re thankful to God for the work he has done in the lives of the speakers through the GWC correspondence course and to all the Emmanuel ladies who prepared meals, tables, sang and hosted.
Great is the Lord.
Statement on the Jesmond Consecration
Statement on the Jesmond Consecration
By REACH-South Africa
The Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church of S.A.
It is noted that bishops of REACH-South Africa (The Reformed Evangelical Anglican Church – SA) participated in the consecration of the Rev. Jonathan Pryke on 2 May 2017 (St. Athanasius Day) in Newcastle, UK.
REACH-SA bishops have regularly stood in to help with ordinations and other episcopal ministry to the Jesmond Parish Church due to its members being in impaired communion with their own diocesan bishop. The REACH-SA bishops have been willing to provide this type of service on the basis of a longstanding friendship and theological affinity.
The consecration of Rev Jonathan Pryke was an inevitable result of the need to provide ongoing episcopal ministry to Jesmond Parish Church, related churches and proposed new churches in a more sustainable way. The consecration by the REACH-SA bishops took place in response to a personal request from the Jesmond Parish Church leadership, after prayerful consultation with Anglican communion leaders, and according to the REACH-SA bishops’ conscience and theological judgment. Those who participated in the consecration are duly and legally consecrated bishops within the Anglican tradition.
Perspective - According to the Scriptures
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, He was buried and He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…” 1 Corinthians 15:3-4
1 Corinthians 15:1-4 provides us with a striking reminder of Paul’s gospel. This gospel was not something that Paul invented, a charge that was often levelled against him by his enemies. The gospel that Paul preached, he tells us, is a gospel which he ‘received’ and ‘passed on’ to the Corinthians as of ‘first importance’ (1 Corinthians 15:3). The question is thus: “From whom did Paul receive this gospel which he preached?”
At first glance the most obvious assumption is that Paul received this gospel from the other apostles, those who were apostles from the beginning and who were the eye witnesses of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. And in Galatians 2:1-10 Paul does make reference to a meeting with the apostles during which the gospel was discussed. But he makes it crystal clear that they “added nothing to his message” (Galatians 2:6) and indeed in Galatians 1:11-12 he states categorically that he did not receive his gospel from men but “by a revelation from Jesus Christ”. When Paul therefore speaks in 1 Corinthians about ‘passing on’ the gospel that he received, he must mean the gospel he received from the Risen Lord Jesus Himself. This was the gospel which he preached to the Corinthians and this was the gospel they received, on which they took their stand and by which they were saved (1 Corinthians 15:1).
It is however also worth noting Paul’s declaration that the gospel he received and preached was an “according to the Scriptures” gospel. Paul uses this phrase twice, once in connection with Jesus’ death ‘for our sins’ and once in connection with Jesus’ resurrection ‘on the third day’ (1 Corinthians 15:3,4). We don’t know precisely what Scriptures Paul had in mind, though this term is his normal way of referring to what we call the Old Testament (see e.g. 2 Timothy 3:15-17). We do know that following His resurrection Jesus had to remind His disciples of the Scriptures’ teaching that the “Christ had to suffer these things and after that enter His glory” and that He “opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:26 & 45). It is thus natural to assume that part of the revelation of the gospel to Paul by the Risen Lord was an opening of Paul’s mind so that Paul, who had studied the Scriptures as a Pharisee, could now at last study and teach them in the light of their true fulfilment in the Person and the work of Jesus the Christ. Paul himself gives us an interesting insight into this in his instruction to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:7: “Reflect on what I am saying and the Lord (i.e. Jesus) will give you insight into all this.” These words surely echo Paul’s own experience as he studied the Scriptures day by day. As he reflected on what the Scriptures were saying, no doubt praying for understanding, the Lord Jesus gave him the gospel understanding and application of these Scriptures both for his own edification and for the edification of others through his preaching of the gospel. In this way then Paul, the man of God, was “thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:17).
But let us also note that this gospel that Paul received and taught had definite content and meaning. It concerned events – the death of Jesus and His resurrection. But it also concerned the meaning of these events, namely that the death and resurrection of Jesus was ‘for our sins’ and with a view to ‘salvation’. Neither the content nor the meaning of the gospel could be invented, both had to be received. Paul thus reminds us that there is only one true gospel, a historic gospel with fixed content and meaning centred in the death and resurrection of Jesus. But he also reminds us that this historic gospel is a contemporary gospel since it is this same gospel, preached and received, that saved the Corinthians and continues to save people today. No invented gospel can do this, for salvation itself was achieved in only one way, namely by Jesus through His death and resurrection. And yet for people to be saved, what Jesus did for us in history must be proclaimed in our own day. For this to happen the Scriptural gospel that Paul received and preached and which the Corinthians received and upon which they took their stand must both be received and passed on by us. In this way we become partners and fellow workers not only of Paul but of God Himself whose gospel it is and who is still at work through the gospel for the salvation of people.
Written by Mervyn Eloff. Original article can be found here.
Why did Jesus die?
Jesus’ death was not a tragic accident. Jesus’ death was not like the suicide bomber whose vest accidentally explodes. It was not the case, as many think, “If only Jesus had lived longer, imagine how much more good he could have done.” It was not the case that Jesus found himself caught up in circumstances beyond his control that unfortunately lead to his premature death.
No.
The New Testament says that Jesus died at exactly the right time (Galatians 4:4) according to the definite plan of God (Acts 2:23).
Why did Jesus die?
Hebrews 2: 17 says,
“Therefore Jesus had to be made like his brothers in every respect (become a human being), so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
This verse tells us that Jesus died “to make propitiation for the sins of the people”.
Sin and death entered the world in Genesis 3. Adam and Eve rebelled against God and sought to run their own lives independent of God. Every human has imitated their rebellion. As a result, we all deserve to die and face the wrath and anger of a holy God who hates sin.
But Jesus dies and experiences God’s judgement in our place.
Because the Son of God became a human, he could pay the price for human sin.
The word “propitiation” means to placate or pacify.
You may anger you wife by saying something silly like, “You missed a spot with the vacuum cleaner”, “you’re not that old”, “let me tell you how my mom used to do that”, “stop being so sensitive” or, “just relax!”. You may have been really silly and said, “Happy birthday, I bought you a gym membership!”
If you said something silly like that, you would have to placate your wife’s anger. You would have to buy her flowers or chocolates, or take her out for a romantic date.
God’s anger at sin is infinitely more serious and dangerous. Sin against an infinitely holy God is an infinite offense that deserves infinite judgement. Each human being is guilty of sin and must bear the wrath of God. Elsewhere, the Bible refers to this as the second death.
Jesus’ death, however, placates the wrath of God “for the sins of the people”, so we need not bear it. Through faith in Jesus as Lord, we may be forgiven of our sins and declared holy or righteous in God’s sight.
Why would God do this for us?
John 3:16
Love divine, all love excelling.
Article 2 of the 39 Articles of Religion says,
…There is therefore one Christ who is truly God and truly man, and who truly suffered, was crucified, died and was buried. By Christ’s sacrifice of himself, not only for original guilt but also for all actual sins of men, God was reconciling the world to himself (2 Cor 5.19).
Jesus died to propitiate the wrath of God, so that you need not bear it.
Jesus did not die to make you rich, or healthy, or to give you a problem free life, or to reform society. Poverty and problems are realities in our world and, we as Christians, should and must be concerned about them. But that’s not why Jesus died.
Jesus died for sins.
Written by Andre Visagie. Original article can be found here.
Perspective - Christ the Power and Wisdom of God
“But we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jew and Greeks, Christ the power of God and Christ the wisdom of God” 1 Corinthians 1:23-25
In the passage quoted above, Paul both describes and defends his ministry to the believers in Corinth. Such a description and defense was called forth because as Paul states elsewhere in 1 Corinthians, the fledgling believers in Corinth were still thinking about their new-found faith in a very immature and indeed a worldly way (see 1 Corinthians 3:1). Theirs was a world in which human power and human wisdom were held in high regard. Therefore, it was a world in which the message about Jesus saving the world by death on a cross sounded pathetic and absurd. In other words, the world of the Corinthians was no different to our world.
Paul’s response to the Corinthians and their world was firstly to acknowledge that the gospel about Christ crucified is a hard gospel for the world to accept. How could anyone accomplish so great a salvation by dying in such a shameful way? Surely a successful and influential life was a far better alternative? And how could such a shameful and weak death possibly be seen as wisdom? Surely the teaching of key life skills to a new generation would be more effective? To the world obsessed with its own view of power and wisdom, such a gospel is indeed a stumbling block.
But Paul’s response does not end with the recognition of the difficulty that those who preach the true gospel face in such a world. He goes on to remind the Corinthians and us that this gospel of Christ crucified, though it may not conform to the world’s understanding of power and wisdom, is indeed a manifestation of the power and wisdom of God. And the reason is quite simple. It is because the gospel is about Christ and it is in Christ crucified that the true power of God and the true wisdom of God are at work in the world. What exactly does Paul mean by this striking statement?
First, by describing Christ crucified as the power of God, Paul is asserting that the death of Jesus accomplishes God’s saving purposes in the world. For power is only true power if it actually brings a solution to the real problem and the real problem that we and the world face is the guilt of sin and the alienation from each other and from God (now and in the future) that such sin brings. Behind all this world’s ills lies the problem of human sin in its various and terrible manifestations. And because the world is caught up in the problem, the world cannot solve the problem. Sin is like a deadly and contagious virus that can only be dealt with from without through the application of a powerful and effective cure. That cure is what Jesus came to effect and that cure for sin, death and judgement is precisely what His own death in our place accomplishes. As the late Dr John Stott reminded us in his brilliant book The Cross of Christ, Jesus’ death has real power. First, it wipes out the penalty of sin and breaks the power of sin in the life of the believer. Second, it deals once and for all with the righteous wrath of God justifying those who trust in Christ and reconciling them to God as their Heavenly Father. Third, it defeats the devil and removes forever his right to accuse. Trust in Christ crucified thus brings a total change in the lives of those who believe and in this way the world is changed one person at a time.
Second, by describing Christ crucified as the wisdom of God, Paul is asserting that the death of Jesus accomplishes God’s saving purposes in the right way, indeed in the only way that they could be accomplished. In Gethsemane, Jesus Himself prayed that if possible the cup of God’s judgement should pass from Him. The fact that it did not, meant that there was no other way by which God’s saving work could be done. True Wisdom involves doing the right thing in the right way and that is exactly what Jesus did when He died for our sins. There was no other way in which we could be saved other than by Jesus the sinless Son of God becoming sin for us so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In our world, as in Paul’s world, the message of Jesus’ death for sinners seems to be pathetic and absurd. Based on human wisdom and human power it is a message which we would never preach. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reminds believers what they know from their own experience of God’s grace in their lives. A message that seems so weak and foolish is in fact the wisdom and the power of God, a message which changes the world one person at a time.
Written by Mervyn Eloff. Original article can be found here.
Message from the Presiding Bishop
From the Office of the Presiding Bishop
To all members of REACH-South Africa
REACH-SA notes with great concern the unfolding of events in the corridors of our government. There is much uncertainty in our country as we see senior members of the ruling party divided and at odds with each other. Many are sceptical of motives with regards to moves among cabinet ministers, particularly our minister of finance. There is much dissatisfaction in our communities as well as anxiety with regards to our fragile economy.
Our call to all our members is to respond to this state of affairs with appropriate Christian conduct:
1. Urgent Prayer: Lift up our leaders in prayer. Pray for God to expose injustice, remove corrupt and self-serving leaders (whoever they may be) and install public servants who do what is just and right for all the people of our country (1 Timothy 2:1,2). To this end we call on all our churches to gather for a prayer hour on April 7th and pray for our country.
2. Democratic Participation: It is right for God’s people to play their part in the civil structures of our country as law abiding citizens, recognizing that rulers are ultimately appointed by God and are accountable to Him (Romans 13:1-7; 1 Peter 2:13-17). With that in mind it is certainly permissible for God’s people to participate in legitimate forms of protest and community action according to their conscience.
Note: There is Biblical precedent for corporate civil disobedience when it involves a regime that pits itself against God’s law and represses our freedom to live and teach the Gospel (Acts 4:18-20; 5:27-29). We are certainly not at that juncture, but we are at a time when God’s people should be voicing their concerns through prayer and public expression.
3. Kingdom Conduct: Our denomination does not endorse any particular political party or movement. REACH-SA stands for the Kingdom of God, responsible Christian citizenship and the promotion of just and fair government. Our members are free to choose their political affiliations using their God given wisdom. In this, our priority must be to practice and display Kingdom citizenship in such a way that our words and our actions are a witness to Christ. Be kind to each other, debate fairly, care for the poor, lift up the fallen and reject any form of prejudice. Also, be unashamed to name Jesus as Lord. Our ultimate goal is not just to win peace in our country, but to win people to the Prince of Peace (1 Peter 3:8-18).