Bishop Gary Nelson visit to South Africa
REACH-South Africa recently hosted the bishop of the Diocese of North West Australia. Bishop Gary Nelson oversees one of the largest (geographically) Anglican dioceses in the world. The population, however, is sparse and widespread but the region does have many opportunities for gospel outreach. The churches are geared up to reach out to large numbers of mining contract workers as well as many seafarers who visit their ports. This region of Australia is a large export point for wheat, iron ore and other minerals.
Bishop Nelson was able to visit South Africa after a time of ministry in Uganda. He spent some time at George Whitefield College visited some of our churches and ministers in the East and West Cape regions.
The bishop also conducted training days and preached in some of our Port Elizabeth churches. It was an encouraging time of fellowship and ministry for all who attended. We look forward to continued gospel partnership with this growing evangelical Anglican diocese.
A good time of fellowship with Bishops Gary Bedderson, Gary Nelson and Alan Noble
Training session on discipleship at E.C. Gospel Workers breakfast.
Bishop Gary being interviewed on the local Christian radio station
Sunday Night service at Word of Life Student Church – Port Elizabeth
Cape Town Women's Convention 2015: A Wealth of Wisdom
Ask any Christian woman what she thinks of the Proverbs 31 woman and the honest answer may look like a grimace. For who can even hope to compare to this fictional woman who seems to be the archetypical perfect woman, wife and mother? This woman is the very reason many Christian women avoid delving into the book of Proverbs, for there she sits, right at the end, mocking our every attempt at wisdom in daily living. Or so it seems.
Yet, on 30 May 2015, the truth of the last chapter of Proverbs was clearly and articulately explained by Hayley Tubman at the 2015 Cape Town Women’s Convention (CTWC). Without a doubt, of the 900 women who braved the cold and rainy weather to attend the event, hundreds left with a lightness and joy in their hearts, finally fully understanding a passage that has long bogged them down.
The CTWC has always been an incredible experience of community, growth and understanding for the women of Cape Town, and this year was no different. Under the leadership of Alison Eloff, the convention offered women of all walks of life a place of unity. Gathered together at St James Church, Kenilworth in Cape Town, all 900 women enjoyed beautiful singing ably led by Desire Swanich,Glenda de Cooker and the music team. What a joy it was to listen to voices raised in praise of Him who brings us together. In addition to the beautiful songs that we sung together, we were blessed with songs of praise and reflection from the talented Michelle Botha, Nicole Van Blerk and Tertia Hendricks. At the beginning of each session, we were also encouraged with testimonies from women who continue to give praise to Jesus, despite great hardships in their lives. Thanks to Suzette Savides, Mary Lumsden and the team who worked tirelessly to provide our lunch, our stomachs were well fed. The hour lunch break gave the women plenty of time to relax and chat together, sharing both joys and burdens in the light of God’s Word. And while our stomach were well-fed, our minds were given a feast of understanding as Hayley Tubman took us through the book of Proverbs, revealing the overall themes of wisdom and folly in such clarity that we closed the day feeling inspired and refreshed in our understanding of God’s Word, His wisdom and His will for our lives.
An event of this magnitude takes many hands, and I for one am very grateful for the many volunteers who helped make the 2015 CTWC another wonderful experience of growth and community amongst God’s people. If you missed the convention or would just like to listen to the excellent teaching, click on the links below for all three talks. Otherwise, see you next year for the 2016 Cape Town Women’s Convention!
Talk One: Wisdom in a World of Fools - The Beginning of Wisdom | Proverbs 1: 1-7
Talk Two: Wisdom in a World of Fools - The Call of Wisdom | Proverbs 8: 1 - 36
Talk Three: Wisdom in a World of Fools - The Life of Wisdom | Proverbs 31
When the Spirit comes…
“When the Spirit comes He will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement…” John 16:8
The words quoted above were spoken by the Lord Jesus Christ to His disciples on the eve of His arrest, trial and execution by the Roman authorities. They are words which in their context in John’s gospel looked forward to an event which lay in the future, the giving of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. They are important words and surprising words for they speak about the work of the Holy Spirit, not within the Church, but within the world at large. They are words which were intended for the disciples, words designed to assuage their grief at the news that Jesus was about to die, words intended to build their faith and strengthen their resolve to keep standing for Christ in a hostile world and to keep witnessing for Christ to a lost world.
Notice firstly that Jesus spoke these words as part of His promise to send the Holy Spirit to the disciples and thus to His church. Having told them that it is for their benefit that He returns to His Father, Jesus assures His disciples that His departure is for their good (John 16:7). He then goes on to explain this remarkable statement by teaching them that the Holy Spirit can only come to them, if He goes away. And the reason for this is quite clear, for in John 14-16 it is both Jesus and the Father who send the Holy Spirit. Thus in John 14:16 the Father sends the Spirit at the request of the Son so that the Spirit is sent ‘in the name of Jesus’ (14:26). And in John 15:26 and 16:7 it is Jesus who sends the Spirit ‘from the Father…to His disciples’. Thus it follows that the Spirit can only be sent by the Father and by Jesus once Jesus has returned to the Father to make His request and to take up the position of authority on the basis of which He can send the Spirit.
Notice secondly that when the Spirit comes to the disciples and the church He (the Spirit) will convict the world (16:8)! This as we noted above is an extraordinary statement and one that requires some careful thought on our part. How can the Spirit given by Jesus to his disciples convict the world? The answer must surely lie in the fact that in John 14-16 the Holy Spirit is pre-eminently called ‘the Spirit of Truth’ (14:17; 15:26; 16:13). Thus the coming of the Spirit to the disciples will not only guide them into the truth (16:13) and enable them the record the truth (i.e. the teaching of Jesus – 14:26). He will also enable and empower them to declare the truth to the world. And it is through this declaration of gospel truth that the Spirit will convict and convince the world (16:8).
Notice thirdly of what the Spirit will convict the world through the proclamation of the truth. Jesus says that the Spirit will ‘convict the world of guilt’ (vs8). Although this clause could be interpreted as ‘expose the shame of the world’ or ‘expose the legal guilt of the world’ it most likely refers to that inner conviction which leads to a sense of being in the wrong and thus of the need for repentance. In particular there are three areas in which the world is in the wrong and of which the Spirit will convict people by the proclamation of the gospel.
First, the world is guilty of the sin of unbelief with respect to Jesus and thus in the wrong in its rejection of Jesus. Second, the world is guilty in that its own view of what is right (righteousness) is completely different from that of God’s righteousness. People naturally believe that they are in the right and their own sense of righteousness leads them to see Jesus as just another man whose particular saving work they do not need. But Jesus’ resurrection and ascension (His return to the Father – vs 10) show that it is He who is righteous not the world. Finally the world is guilty because its judgement of Jesus is false. The world passes judgement on Jesus and fails to see that in His death Jesus is in fact judging the world. The world is blinded by the evil one and thus is blind to the fact that in the death of Jesus the evil one is condemned. The world is thus in grave danger of sharing the fate of evil one whose views of Jesus it shares.
Given the sin, the self righteousness and the false judgement of the world with regard to Jesus, what hope is there that people within the world can indeed be brought to faith in Christ? The answer is that the only hope for the world lies in the powerful work of God’s Holy Spirit through the truth of the gospel. And in this regard, what a great promise Jesus has given to His people. For He has promised that as we, for all our own weakness, seek to speak gospel truth about Him, the Holy Spirit which He and the Father have sent will convict the world of its guilt and lead it to repentance and faith.
Written by Mervyn Eloff
Jesus, our blood-drenched warrior (and how children’s Bibles may have misled us)
Children’s Bibles, as helpful as they are, may give us a wrong idea of Jesus. Most children’s Bibles picture Jesus as a soft, gentle, hippie-type man who is always surrounded by butterflies and birds. Many people have grown up thinking of Jesus as an effeminate man in sandals, rather than the Warrior-God come into our world to do battle for his people. Of course, Jesus was and is kind and gentle, but that’s not all he is. In the Old and New Testament God is pictured as the divine warrior who fights for his people. We don’t often think about God, and God the Son, in these terms.
Soft Jesus
Dale Ralph Davis, a pastor and theologian, says: “No mild God or soft Jesus can give his people hope. It is only as we know the warrior of Israel who fights for us that we have hope of triumphing.”
Rider on the storm
Revelation 19 has one of the most startling and vivid pictures of Jesus in the Bible. The curtains of this world were drawn back and the Apostle John saw a vision of heaven and the world to come:
11 Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True (Jesus), and in righteousness he judges and makes war. 12 His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems (crowns), and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. 13 He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. 14 And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. 15 From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. 16 On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords. (Revelation 19:11-16)
Christ is pictured as the divine warrior who wages war against all the enemies of God. This war brings to a climax all the wars that God has waged on behalf of his people and finishes the triumph achieved by Christ on the cross. Jesus’ eyes are like blazing fire affirming his ability to see and judge every human heart. Jesus’ crowns indicate his kingly authority that he has from the Father. The name that no one knows indicates that the full and surprising aspects of his coming are still a mystery. Jesus’ name is the Word of God. His weapon is a sharp sword that comes from his mouth representing his all-powerful Word. He will save and conquer the nations, not with AK47s or suicide bombers, but through his Word, the gospel. As Jesus’ Word goes out it saves his people and judges his enemies.
Jesus’ robe is dipped in blood because, as the divine warrior conquers his enemies, their blood spatters his garments. Jesus has a warrior tattoo on his thigh which says: King of Kings and Lord of Lords. You don’t read about this Jesus in children’s bibles. Those who follow Jesus are also dressed in white and riding white horses showing that God’s people all share in Christ’s victory.
Here’s the point: unless God fights for us we are doomed because our enemies of sin, death and Satan are too powerful for us to overcome. The good news for us is that God has fought for us in Jesus.
Christus victor
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, 14 by cancelling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. 15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him. (Colossians 2:13-15)
The cross of Christ marks the decisive defeat of the demonic powers. On the cross, the demonic powers were stripped of their power to accuse Christians before God. The image in v15 is of a victorious Roman Triumph and military procession. Defeated kings with all of their surviving warriors and the spoils of war were paraded through the streets of Rome in New Testament times, as a public spectacle for all to see. Jesus is pictured as our triumphant warrior who wins a great victory over sin, death and Satan. These defeated powers are paraded along the “streets” of the universe behind Commander Jesus in the triumphant procession.
Victory march
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Again the image is of the lavish victory parades celebrated in Rome. God is depicted as the sovereign victor with Christ as the general leading the victory procession. The Apostle Paul, and indeed all Christians, is pictured as being led by Christ, “captured” by Christ, but now joyfully following him.
God fights
A great battle has been fought and won in the death and resurrection of Christ. If God has fought and continues to fight for you, no enemy can ultimately overcome you. They may mock you in this world and even behead you, but Christ has overcome this world. And like the Apostle Paul said, “To live is Christ and to die is gain”. What can you do to someone who knows that “death is gain” because the ultimate battle has been won? However, if God is fighting against you because of your rebellion or apathy towards him, you can never win and you will finally lose.
Will you submit to the divine warrior and to his all-powerful Word? Or will you fight against him and continue in your stubborn rebellion? Jesus was not a hippie; he was and is our divine, blood-drenched warrior. The blood pictured in Revelation 19 is not his own, it’s of those who would oppose him.
Originally posted here.
Emmanuel Church Phoenix recent response to Xenophobia
The Good to many
“For I am not seeking my own good but the good of the many…” 1 Corinthians 10:33
Taken out of context, this important statement by the Apostle Paul is hard to understand for it raises a number of questions that cannot be answered on the basis of the statement taken by itself. For example, is this statement simply a description of Paul’s own pattern of life or is it a prescription that every believer in Jesus must follow? What precisely does Paul mean by ‘the good’? Why should ‘the good of the many’ outweigh the good of the individual? Does such a statement not fly in the face of individual rights? And if so, should such a point of view be supported? Where does God fit into the equation since it is surely impossible to talk about ‘the good’ in terms which do not refer to what God calls ‘good’? Placed in their context in 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1 however, Paul’s words are quite simple to understand and are of the utmost importance for each believer and for every local church.
First, we note that Paul qualifies the ‘good of the many’ with the words ‘that they may be saved’. The ‘good of the many’ for which Paul is working hard is the salvation of the many through faith in Jesus Christ. Since Paul himself is however already a saved person, his own ‘good’ cannot refer to his own salvation, but must refer to something else. This potential confusion surrounding different uses of the word ‘good’ in the English translation is resolved by noting that the word that Paul uses here literally means ‘benefit’ or ‘advantage’. Paul is thus saying that in all things he does not act for his own benefit or advantage but for the advantage of the many, namely their salvation through Christ.
Second, we note that the ‘many’ in this paragraph refers to a wide variety of people whom Paul identifies as “Jews, Greeks, and the church of God” (vs 32). Thus in all his actions, Paul is thinking hard about the salvation of very different people groups and more particularly about what it would take for these various groups to hear and accept the gospel message. Paul’s primary concern as he tells us in verse 32 is that he does not want to cause anyone to stumble because of his conduct. The word ‘stumble’ that Paul uses here refers to someone being caused to turn away from the gospel or to not believe the gospel because a deadly obstacle has been put in their path. For those opposed to the truth, the truth itself can be an obstacle, but Paul is not talking about that here. He is referring to behaviour with regard to disputable matters such as food and drink which, while not a matter of right or wrong in themselves, could for a variety of reasons cause people either to reject the gospel or to turn back from following Jesus. In such matters Paul was always quick to give up his freedom and his rights for the gospel good of others. Notice that Paul includes the ‘church of God’ in the list. He does this because he is concerned not just that people begin as Christians but that they finish well.
Third, we note Paul’s overarching concern for the ‘glory of God’. The paragraph begins with Paul reminding the Corinthians (and us) that all things, even the so-called ordinary things of life, can and should be done for God’s glory. This is a wonderful truth, one that reminds us that all of life is worship to God. This was one of the great truths rediscovered at the time of the Protestant Reformation and is one of the reasons why we can describe ‘ordinary work’ as a calling. But this reference to the glory of God is very important in the context of Paul’s statement that he wants to ‘please everybody in every way’ (vs 33). It limits what we understand by the verb ‘please’ and tells us that Paul was not a person pleaser in the wrong sense of those words – simply saying or doing what made people happy in an attempt to be liked by them or to have an influence on them. And it reminds us that though Paul was keen to compromise on non-essentials, he would never do or say anything that was contrary to what the Lord had said or that would bring dishonour to the Lord’s name. Paul’s pleasing of people had to do with his willingness to compromise on his own personal freedoms for the sake of the gospel, not on the gospel itself.
In conclusion then, we should note four key lessons from this brief but important paragraph of 1 Corinthians: First we learn that the Glory of God is paramount and that we are to live for God’s glory in everything we do. Second we learn that the salvation of people is of great importance to God and that we are to do everything in our power to act for the ‘good of the many’. Third we learn that our personal freedoms and rights are not nearly as important as we think they are. Indeed on a scale of importance the salvation of others is far more important than us having things our own way in life or at church. Like Paul we should be eager to give up our rights and preferences for others. Fourth, we learn that this gospel way of life is not an optional extra but a fundamental calling. Like Paul we are to live for ‘the good of others’ because this is precisely what the Lord Jesus Himself did, setting us an example to follow for the glory of God and the salvation of the world.
Written by Mervyn Eloff. Originally posted here.
Vacancy : Full-time Music Ministry Co-ordinator
Vacancy
Full-time Music Ministry Co-ordinator
A suitable candidate will have excellent administrative and
inter-personal skills, the ability to handle fees and student
intake for our Saturday Music School (The Music Factory) and
proficiency in MS Office and Mac. An ability to read music
and operate sound and audio visual equipment is an
advantage.
Responsibilities include billing, financial record-keeping and
timetabling of students at The Music Factory as well as
handling of queries and general correspondence. In addition,
the successful candidate will be responsible for the co-
ordination and rostering of volunteers in the music, sound
and audio visual teams, the collation and distribution of
rehearsal music on a weekly basis, filing, general office-
keeping, working with volunteers, suppliers and service
providers to the Music Ministry, overseeing the maintenance
of sound and audiovisual equipment and serving as a
personal assistant to the Music Director.
Hours are structured around church music activities and
apart from 8am to 3pm Tuesday to Friday, include Saturday
mornings (8am to 12pm) in term time, Sunday mornings
(7.15am to 11.15am) throughout the year and one week-night
rehearsal per week (7pm to 9.30pm). A suitable candidate will
be flexible, able to work on and off-site and be willing to drive
to purchase music books, collect sound equipment and do
what is necessary for the efficient and effective operation of
the Music Ministry.
Salary negotiable.
Applications should submit a comprehensive CV before 1
June 2015. All queries can be directed to Bronwen
Anderson (Music Director): (011) 318 2481.
Ascension Day: A Time to Pray
This Ascension Day (14th May 2015), REACH South Africa is once again calling our congregations to a day of prayer and fasting. Looking around our country it’s clear that this is a timely call. The ugly incidents of Xenophobia as well as distressing acts of violent crime are causing much anxiety. There is also a growing restlessness and dissatisfaction that is of great concern to many. Added to this we see our country struggling to cope with infrastructure breakdown (Eskom) and battling to make progress against many economic and political challenges.
Unlike others, God’s people need not stand helpless on the sidelines. Not only should we be doing and encouraging right but we can also call on the King of Heaven to intervene in our land. Biblical history teaches us that God opens great gospel opportunities in the most difficult of times. But we must watch and pray for it.
Within our REACH family we also need to be praying for God to guide us as we make decisions on leadership for our denomination. We are grateful for a new generation of bishops and ministers but also need to seek God’s guidance and wisdom as we call on Him for gospel growth in our communities. Many people are losing hope in earthly systems and solutions. This is not a time to shrink back but rather for us to proclaim Christ to our land.
Let us all commit to setting aside Ascension Day to come before the Lord as God’s people. Perhaps organize a sunrise to sunset fast in your local church, replacing meals with prayer. Alternatively, as a family or a small group of work colleagues or friends, take time to pray together for our country and Christ’s church.
May our God be pleased to hear our prayers and answer them according to His will and good purposes.
“God, the King of glory, you have exalted your only Son Jesus Christ with great triumph to Your Kingdom in heaven; leave us not desolate, but send Your Holy Spirit to strengthen and exalt us to where our Saviour Christ has gone before; who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God for evermore. Amen.”
- Sunday after Ascension Collect
Prayer Guide
Confession (Daniel 9:4-11; 1 John 1:9)
Failure to confess and repent of sin is the cause of much grief in our lives and in our land. Call on the Lord in repentant confession of sin today. Pray for revival to come to Christ’s church in South Africa.
Praise (Psalm 98; Colossians 1:15-20)
Give thanks to our God for His mercy to us in Jesus. Reflect on the majesty and supremacy of our Saviour Jesus. Marvel at God’s love for us sinners shown at the cross. Sing the praises of our Redeemer.
Petition (Philippians 4:4-7; 1 Timothy 2:1-6)
- Pray for our land and its rulers. Pray for our president and all in authority, that they may govern rightly and wisely. Ask God to give leaders boldness to lead and conviction to be just in all their dealings. Pray particularly for God to frustrate the plans of criminals and troublemakers in our land. May God protect and encourage all who work to bring peace, safety, health and order to our country.
- Pray for Christ’s church in Southern Africa. Call on God to give us courage and faithfulness in our Christian life and witness. May the Spirit of Holiness be at work in our lives enabling us to be examples of Godliness and attractive ambassadors for Christ. Pray for gospel centred growth in all our churches and for God to open doors for us to establish works in new communities. Pray for our Bible College (GWC) asking God to raise up even more workers to be trained there. Pray for God to give wisdom to our leadership as they seek to make Kingdom minded decisions for REACH-SA’s new presiding bishop and other strategic positions. Lift up our missionaries, ministers and their families as they serve the Lord. Ask God to equip, protect and strengthen them for their task. Pray for your local church and its ministers and workers. Pray that the Gospel of grace may be clearly proclaimed in our pulpits and shared through our people.
- Pray for God’s people. Pray for the sick, the poor, the lonely and the despairing. Lift up the families in our churches and pray God’s strength and protection on them as they live out their God given responsibilities. Pray for all believers to play their part in the place God has put them serving for His glory.
“We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but only because of Your great mercy.” (Daniel 9:18)
From Glenn Lyons
Are you trying to domesticate God?
Ever wonder if you are domesticating God? Andre answers below to shed some light on the topic.
Dog breeding has become a science. Once ferocious wild dogs and wolves have, over the centuries, been bred into domesticated, loveable pets that sit on your lap and sleep on your pillow. We have even bred dogs for specific purposes. The greyhound was bred for speed. The sheepdog was bred to herd sheep. The dachshund or badger dog was bred in Germany to fetch small animals from their burrows. Like the pit bull, bulldogs were originally bred to help butchers control livestock. The Yorkshire terrier was bred just to look cute (I think). We have taken wild animals and domesticated them to serve our own purposes.
Domesticating God
We try and do the same thing with God. Either some say that God does not really exist; but the human mind wants something depend or give it meaning, so we have invented the notion of “god” to feel better about ourselves. Or others will say that certainly God does exist but then worship a “god” made in their own image. Normally this “god” is very politically correct, has no concept of sin and everyone gets to go to heaven except Hitler.
This god loves every one of all religions because he is in all religions; and how dare you say any different?
So we have domesticated God to suit our own opinions.
Taming God
Even Christians, who worship the God of the Bible, are tempted to do the same. We might not like the idea of judgment and hell so much, so we’ll skip over those passages and only talk about love, flowers and inner healing. Or we tend to think that God exists to make my life better and more comfortable. In other words, God exists really to serve me. So I’ll serve God as long as he serves me and fits in with my plans for my career, my children, my marriage and my money. If God stops serving me, maybe I’ll stop serving him – so he better watch out.
Praying to God
If you think we don’t do this, simply examine your prayer life. What do you pray for? Normally we pray about a good job, safety on the road and about having a happy day. It’s not wrong to pray for these things – Jesus said we can pray about anything – but our prayers must end with: “your will be done, not mine”.
Controlling God
Does God exist to serve me or do I exist to serve God? We try to domesticate, tame and control God in all kinds of ways. Yet the God of the Bible won’t and can’t be domesticated, tamed or controlled. Whatever you may think or not think about God does not change who he truly is. God has revealed himself through his Word and the question is not, “Is God on your side?” but, “Are you on God’s side?”
Joshua’s lesson
Joshua learnt this lesson in chapter 5 of the book that bears his name. The Israelites had arrived in the Promised Land, but there’s a massive problem – other nations are living in the land. The Canaanites, Hittites, Hivites, Amorites etc. How are they going to conquer the land?
When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing before him with his drawn sword in his hand. (5:13)
Joshua looks up and sees a warrior in an aggressive stance. We know his is a warrior because he has a sword. We know he is in an aggressive stance because the sword is drawn. I’m not sure who Joshua thinks the warrior is at this stage, but the warrior is no doubt powerful, ominous and not to be trifled with. Joshua asks a very common-sense question.
“Are you for us, or for our adversaries?” (5:13)
Joshua is a warrior himself; want to know who’s side this other warrior is on. He asks, “Are you on our side or one the people of Jericho’s side?” The warrior’s reply is terribly frightening:
“No; but I am the commander of the army of the Lord. Now I have come.” (5:14)
The warrior says, “I’m neither on your side, nor anyone else’s, but I am the captain of the army of God.” Often God is described in the Old Testament as the Lord of “hosts” or “armies”. The “hosts” are the thousands upon thousands of angels in heaven at God’s service. They are the heavenly army. Here is a great warrior and he tells Joshua that he’s neither for Israel or for their enemies. He is the commander of the army of the Lord and he has come. Joshua is not to be too concerned with the problem of conquering the nations living in the land. Why not? Commander of God’s army has arrived.
Taking sides
The question is not so much, “Is God on your side?” because God is on no-one’s side; he’s on his own side. The question is, “Are you on God’s side?” Often we make our own plans, own decisions and own arrangements and then we ask God to “bless” them. More fundamentally, we should first make sure our life and plans align with God’s plan as revealed in the Bible.
Trusting God
Jericho (Joshua ch. 6) was devoted to total destruction because of it’s sin and rebellion again God (cf. Genesis 15:13-16). God will not be domesticated. He is the Holy God and will judge all sin and rebellion against him. The good news of the Bible is that Jesus died for sin so that God’s judgment may pass over all who trust in him. When we try to domesticate God in any way, we do it to our own detriment.
This was originally posted here.
How did we get the Bible?
Andre answers the question of how we got the Bible.
William Tyndale grew up in England in the 1500’s. Back then ordinary people did not own Bibles; they had to go to church to hear what the Bible had to say. The church, at the time, believed that only the Pope and priests were educated enough to understand and interpret the Bible. But there was a problem, the only version of the Bible tolerated in England was Jerome’s Latin translation which dated back to the 4th century and most of the priests could not understand Latin.
William Tyndale felt that God was calling him to translate the Bible into English so that all people, ordinary people, could read it for themselves. God had given William a gift for languages and graduating from Oxford University he had mastered seven languages including Hebrew and Greek, the original languages of the Bible. However, translating the Bible was against the law.
William famously said,
“I defy the Pope and all his laws. If God spare my life, after many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough to know more of the Scripture, than he does.”
William fled to Germany and continued translating the scriptures and smuggled the Bibles into England. Families put their money together to buy a Bible and read the Word of God for the first time in their own language. The religious leaders and the king were livid and tried to destroy as many copies as they could. A spy betrayed William and he was jailed, charged with heresy and sentenced to death by burning.
The last thing we know about William Tyndale is that he was led through a crowd into the public square. A noose was placed around his neck and his last words were, “God please open the King of England’s eyes.” He was then hanged and his body was set alight. Within one year of William’s death, the King of England gave approval for an English Bible to be published – King Henry eighth’s “Great Bible” – and Tyndale’s version was used as a guide for the new translation.
The Bible is the great authority for Christians. In reality what the Bible says to Christians, it also says to the entire world, for God is God of the entire world. In the Bible we learn about the human condition, our need for salvation, God’s plan through Christ, the everlasting joy that awaits those who trust in Jesus, and more. “How did we get the Bible?” We’ll look at four key areas: inspiration, canonization, transmission and translations.
Misconceptions about the Bible
- Some people think the Bible was written at one time, like someone writing a bestselling novel. No, the 66 books of the Bible were written over 1400 years by over 40 authors in 3 languages, yet with one unifying, consistent message culminating in Christ.
- Another misconception about the Bible is that it was written by a select few to gain power and influence. However, the opposite it true. More often than not, those men God used to author his word were frowned upon, ostracized, persecuted and killed.
- Another misconception is that there are many different Bibles so we cannot be sure the one we read is the right one.
1. Inspiration
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
In this verse, the term “all Scripture” refers to the Old Testament as the New Testament was in the process of being written. “Breathed out by God” translates a Greek word (theopneustos) that does not occur in any other Greek text prior to this letter. The term stresses the divine origin of Scripture. Paul does not so much point to the human authors of Scripture as inspired people but says that the writings themselves are the words spoken (“breathed out”) by God. The divine origin of Scripture is the reason for its power to convert unbelievers and grow believers in the faith.
“…No prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21)
These verses again explain the origin of the Old Testament Scripture, namely that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation or understanding, but rather, that “all prophecy of Scripture” came about from the Holy Spirit’s leading – men spoke from God carried along by Holy Spirit.
Kevin DeYoung wrote in his book, “Taking God at his Word”:
We do not follow myths. We are not interested in stories with nice morals to them. Nothing in all of the Bible was produced solely by the human will. God used men to write the words, but these men did their work carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is an utterly reliable book, an unerring book, a holy book, a divine book.
Inspiration means that human writers were inspired by God to record accurately what God wanted them to write. It does not mean that God took control of people in the sense of some occultic practice like automatic writing. It means that their writings were divinely inspired and recorded. The Bible was written by real people, living in real places, recording real events, and also communicating what God wanted to communicate.
What about the New Testament, is it also inspired?
15 And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, 16 as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
Here the Apostle Peter refers to the Apostle Paul’s writings as Scripture. The Bible, Old and New Testament, is not the thoughts of humans about God, but the written word of God to us.
How did the church put the Bible together?
2. Canonization
The process of canonization has to do with what writings were deemed inspired and thus included in the biblical canon. The word canon is a reference to a measuring reed or standard by which something is measured. When referring to the Bible, a canon has to do with genuinely inspired writings by which all else can be judged.
Old Testament canon
The Old Testament written in Hebrew and consists of 39 individual books. By time of Jesus the Old Testament canon was recognised as divinely inspired and Jesus affirmed this truth. For example, inMatthew 19:4-5 Jesus said that the Old Testament is God’s words.
He answered, “Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, and said, (Jesus was now going to tell them what God said and then quotes Genesis 2.24) ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’?
The implication could not be any plainer: for Jesus, what the Old Testament said, God says. Jesus believed in the inspiration of the Old Testament and therefore so should we. Jesus affirmed the human authorship of the Old Testament Scriptures while at the same time pointed to it’s divine authorship.
New Testament canon
Following the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, the apostles and their associates wrote documents that came to be confirmed as inspired Scripture. The New Testament was written in Greek and consists of 27 individual books. Several criteria were necessary in order for a writing to be included. First, the document in question had to conform to the “rule of faith” i.e. it was consistent with what God had already revealed. Second, the document required some sort of apostolicity – written by an apostle commissioned by Christ or a close associate. Third, the document had widespread acceptance in the church. The New Testament came to be recognized very soon. Yet, we must remember, the church did not choose the books of the New Testament. The church recognizedand affirmed the writings that were inspired by God. F.F. Bruce writes:
“The early Christians were not exceptionally intelligent people, but they did have the capacity to recognise divine authority when they saw it…When at last a Church Council – the synod of Hippo in A.D. 393 – listed the 27 books of the New Testament, it did not confer upon them any authority which they did not already possess, but simply recorded their previously established authority.”
3. Transmission
“Transmission” has to do with how the contents of the Bible were transmitted through history – how copies of the original writings came down to us. If the record of transmission is poor, then the Bible we have is highly suspect. But if the record of transmission is rich, then we have great cause for trusting the Bible. Providentially, the transmission of the Biblical documents through history is astounding. In the case of the New Testament we have thousands of manuscript copies, as well as thousands more fragments or portions of the New Testament. The Old Testament is much the same.
Copying
Getting our present day Bible was a painstaking process of copying. Long before the printing press of the 15th century, copies of Scripture had to be preserved by meticulously copying one letter at a time. The Bible we hold in our hands or on our Samsung tablets is only because people faithfully over several centuries copied the text to replace worn out copies. These copies were not perfect, but the fact we have so many manuscripts allows us to reproduce the text with an excellent level of certainty. Good Bible translations let you know where there are differences by having a note in the margin that says “alternate reading” with the variant noted. In no case do these minor differences impact the overall teaching of the Bible.
4. Translations
Some people say, “Look at how many versions of the Bible are available today. How do we know which is the right one?”
Because the Bible the Bible was written in Hebrew, Greek and a little Aramaic, it needs to be translated for various people groups to read it. Some translations are very literal and are good for studying, and are known as “word for word” translations. Other translation or versions translate ideas more that individual words, they are “thought for thought” translations – they are good for reading out loud. In all these different versions or translations of the Bible the message of the Bible stays the same.
As we study language and the history of words more, the Bible’s one meaning, rather than being lost in translation, is becoming even clearer.
Implications
Because the Bible is God’s word, some implication necessarily follow:
The Bible is true; not myth or legend.
The Bible is reliable; you can base your life and future on it.
The Bible is inerrant; it cannot contradict itself or contain untruths because God cannot contradict himself or lie.
The Bible is authoritative; because it is God’s breathed out word it must be our highest authority; not the latest best-selling novel or psychological insight.
The Bible is clear. God has chosen to reveal himself and because God is good he reveals himself in a way we can understand. Therefore the Bible is clear and understandable. Of course, some sections of the Bible are harder to understand than others (cf. 2 Peter 3:15-16!) – but the overall message of the Bible is very plain and clear.
Today
William Tyndale died so we can have the Bible in English. Present day there are over 500 languages with the full Bible and nearly 1300 languages with the New Testament. Over 4000 languages have no Bible in their language at all.
This was originally posted here.