richardwbelcher

Cross As The Turning Point

In fellowship the passed two weeks we have talked about resurrection.  Paul stated in 1Corinthians 15:6 that over 500 people saw Jesus alive after His crucifixion.  That was Paul's proof that the accounts in the gospels were true regarding the resurrection. 

When Christians center their faith ONLY on the cross (important as it is), many miss the fact that Christ's resurrection is the seal of the covenant.  Through the power that raised Jesus out of hell (where He was being tormented for OUR sins), believers are transformed into new creations.

Looking at the third chapter of John, notice that Jesus is talking about being "born again" in the spirit-part of the inner man (John 3:5-6).  We are saved by believing what God said about the "serpent" who was lifted up on the pole.  The New Covenant includes a heart replacement upon which God writes His law and commands.  He then works out that salvation as we present our bodies living sacrifices and as we renew our minds with the precepts of the Kingdom. 

The cross is where Jesus BEGAN to pay for our sins.  He willingly let Himself be put there.  He purposefully embraced sin even though He never committed any Himself.  And He fully expected the Father to keep the promises regarding deliverance from hell. 

Without the resurrection, we would not know that the Father had kept those promises.  And we would not see the picture of how we get out of the consequences of our own sin.   Cross - Yes.  But more so: Cross-Death-Resurrection-Ascension-Return

Wordle

 

Picture of the main words on my site compliments of Wordle.

UNnatural Affections

I heard on the radio this morning that a believer in England was arrested for "politely" sharing his belief that homosexuality was a sin.  In England, it seems, religious beliefs no longer carry weight when compared to the "politically correct" affirmation of sexual lifestyle.

However, if one is honest, one must agree that exclusively homosexual activity must be deemed "unnatural" because it cannot sustain the species.  If EVOLUTION has raised the human condition from the single-celled organism through the primates to the homo-sapians, then natural selection would long ago have removed homosexuality because it by actions cannot propagate

Evangelist, Evangeloen, & Evangelizo

Another of the gifts to the body of Christ is the evangelist.  In the church we have people that are identified as evangelists.  Most view them as full-time ministers who go to various locations and preach revival messages. The noun evangelist occurs only three times in the New Testament [Eph 4:11, Acts 21:8, and  2Tim 4:5] and is defined as a “good news bearer”.

Because Phillip is designated as an evangelist, his preaching to the Ethiopian Eunuch has apparently led to the notion that evangelists travel and introduce others to the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This IS part of the picture.  However, if evangelists are gifts to the Body of Believers, then the emphasis on their ministry does not fit the Ephesians 4:8-13 passage.  Building a definition of evangelism and evangelizing is important because Jesus’ commission includes “Go into all the world and preach (G2785) the gospel (G2098) [Mark 16:13].

 

The Mission of the Apostle

 The missionary is defined as a person sent by a church into an area to carry on evangelism or other activities.  They generally have a mission or a calling; hence the designation “missionary.”  The word does not occur in the Bible as such, although missions are defined by the context of sending for a task.

   A word for “sent ones” does exist in the Bible.  It is the word apostle, and it is derived from the Greek word for sent, a fact is easily established by a word study. Most Christians understand the reference to the Twelve Apostles whom Jesus chose.  Acts 15:4 separates those apostles from church elders.  “And when they were come to Jerusalem, they were received of the church, and of the apostles and elders, and they declared all things that God had done with them.”  Some today think that the term apostle was reserved for the first century church because it only refers to those who have seen Jesus (see Acts 1:21). 

     However when Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:11 “Christ gave indeed the apostles; and the prophets; and the evangelists; and the pastors and teachers” was he referring to the Twelve only?  I do not think so for the following reasons. 

The Church and Ministry

Ephesians 4:11-12  [Christ gave gifts unto men.]  He gave indeed  the apostles; and the prophets; and the evangelists; and the pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of saints, for work in the ministry, for the edifying in the body of Christ:

 

 This is the first in what will be a series about the “gifts” that Christ has given to the church for its perfecting [i.e. for individual Christian growth].  The apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers are those gifts.  I have heard several sermons about this “five-fold ministry” which gave me a religious view on this subject that, frankly, does not match what the scripture indicates.  I am reformulating what I used to think.

 

 One sermon involved the word “some” as in “He gave some of each”.  While this conclusion may be valid, the Greek Interlinear Bible indicates that the KJV could have used a better translation.  The first word translated as “some” is the word for indeed (G3303) and the other words translated “some” are the conjunction de ((G1161) and the demonstrative article (G3588).  Therefore I have edited the verse above to reflect these facts from the original Greek.  Christ has given indeed the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors as well as teachers to the body of believers.

Part One Atlanta Live Interview

Here's Part One of the Atlanta Live interview I did this month.

Part Two Atlanta Live Interview

Here is Part Two of the interview I did on Atlanta Live.

Committed Regardless of the Cost

John 18:28-29 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the Passover. Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?

These verses are part of the "trial" of Jesus, but they contain another interesting element. The Jewish leaders DID NOT go into Pilate's palace because to do so would make them unclean and unfit for the annual Passover.  They understood that they must participate in Passover in order to be accepted by the Lord. Therefore when they went to Pilate, they required that he come out to them to discuss the situation. 

Now compare that to the following: Mark 15:43 Joseph of Arimathaea, an honorable counselor, who also waited for the kingdom of God, came, and went in boldly unto Pilate, and asked the body of Jesus.

Joseph made an appearance (came) and boldly entered (went in) the palace and came near (unto) Pilate to plead/demand/ask for the body of the Lord.  This action meant that Joseph, on purpose, cut himself off from the Passover in order to bury the body of Jesus.  He touched a dead man AND he entered the "house" of the unclean.  The cost of coming to Pilate marked, for Joseph, a commitment that few today can imagine.  His entire religious life was abandoned when he did what the Jewish leaders knew could not be done: enter the judgment hall to get permission to bury the Lord's body.

Led by the Spirit

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

This week, the first part of this verse has been relevant. Christians are to be led by Holy Spirit so they can become the sons of God.  How one is led and what one is told become major considerations.

Holy Spirit comes into the lives (hearts) of believers to lead and guide them into truth [read John 14-16]. That leading comes in the form of revelation, unction, impression, and directions. And since John 10:14 and 10:27 state the Great Shepherd's voice is one that is known by the sheep, some of those directives must come from the still, small voice who spoke throughout the Old and New Testaments.

The Bible contains many examples of God speaking to individuals using the words "and the Lord God said.." or "God spoke unto .." The Lord's