| June 7, 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 6
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God knows what is best for us because He created us, He sees the future, and He rules the universe. By studying the Bible, we too can come to know what is best for us because the Bible is God’s word. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Peter tells us in 2 Pet. 1:20-21 that the Bible prophecies “never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” We learn from 1 Cor. 2:4, 13, that the Bible does not contain just the thoughts of God, but His exact words.
It is also significant that God not only revealed His word to men, but He has since protected that word by His Divine providence so that it will be available for all generations. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matt. 24:35). One example of how God has protected His word is found in Jeremiah, chapter 36. Take a few minutes to read that chapter.
In closing, we need to be reminded that God’s word will be the basis or standard for the final judgment. Jesus said, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him--the word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day” (John 12:48). The apostle John was enabled in a vision to see the judgment that looms before us all. He wrote in Rev. 20:12-15, “And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire.”
--CRJ
Did you hear about the chain letter, “Are you tired of your preacher? If so, just bundle him up and send him to the church at the top of the list. In just two weeks, you will receive 1,206 preachers. Of that number one or two should be real dandies. WARNING! Do not break the chain. One church did and got its old preacher back.”
We can laugh at the above. Yet, churches should realize it is sometimes easier to keep a pretty good preacher than to find another. Many leaders are coming to realize that strong churches are not built by preachers of short tenure. Most members honestly want to help their preacher to do and be better. Suggestions!!!
Accept his humanity. Prayer is usually more effective than criticism. Genuinely encourage him when possible. Don’t begrudge him an occasional break. Demand excellence from him.
--Ancil Jenkins
In recent years, Paul has often been accused of being a “woman hater,” because of his admonition for women to be in subjection to their husbands and because of his recognition of the principle that the husband is to be the head of the family, Eph. 5:23-25, etc. A writer in a national magazine a few years ago voiced what is becoming a quite common opinion among liberated women, their hen-pecked husbands, and others who disrespect the word of God. He wrote, “It seems to me that people who oppose the ordination of women priests overlook entirely Christ’s teaching and follow, instead, that of Paul, who in our day would be called a male chauvinist...”
Let it be emphatically stated that it is utterly impossible to ignore Christ’s teaching while following Paul’s. They are one and the same.
1. Paul was chosen by Jesus to be a witness, Acts 9:15-17. Did Jesus pick a false witness so prejudiced and opinionated that his word could not be trusted? Of what value would such a witness be? Obviously, Jesus chose Paul as a witness because Paul could be trusted to bear witness to the truth. Whatever Paul had to say about women and their role in life is the truth, and has the endorsement of Jesus Himself.
2. Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit, Acts 9:17. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth,” John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13. How could anyone be filled with the Spirit of truth and teach anything contrary to the truth?
3. James, the Lord’s brother, and the apostles Peter and John gave to Paul the right hand of fellowship, Gal. 2:9. These men were guided by the Holy Spirit into all truth, John 16:13, and were reminded of all things Jesus had taught during His earthly ministry, John 14:26. Wouldn’t it be strange for them to extend partnership to Paul unless Paul’s teaching were the same as that which they had received from Jesus Christ?
4. Peter even went so far as to classify Paul’s writings as Scripture, 2 Pet. 3:15-16. Jesus said, “the Scriptures cannot be broken,” (John 10:35). Does this not put the Paul-hater in the same boat as those who reject the other inspired Scriptures?
5. Paul boldly certified that what he taught came directly “by the revelation of Jesus Christ,” (Gal. 1:11-12). If this claim is not true, we can discard our New Testaments, for Paul is credited with having written 14 of its 27 books. Peter (two books), James (one book), and John (five books), gave him their fellowship and endorsement. Luke (two books) and Mark (one book) were among his closest fellow workers. We repeat, it is utterly impossible to ignore Christ’s teachings while following Paul’s. They are one and the same.
--CRJ
What is intended as a little white lie often ends up as a double feature in Technicolor.
In chapter three of his account of the gospel, Matthew turns his attention to the work of John the Baptist, who came to prepare the way for the personal ministry of Jesus. John was a prophet who came in the spirit and power of the Old Testament prophet Elijah, Luke 1:17. John came in fulfillment of such Old Testament prophecies as Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1 and Malachi 4:4-5. John's message was, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Matthew 3:1).
John not only taught repentance as being a prerequisite to being ready for the kingdom that loomed on the horizon, but he showed conclusively that repentance results in definite actions. You see, the Bible word for repentance means a change of mind. When a person changes his mind about the way he has been living, he will change his life. "Therefore," John demanded, "bear fruits worthy of repentance." (Matthew 3:8).
One aspect of John's ministry was that of water baptism--that is, immersing people in water because they had repented of their sins. John's baptism looked forward to Christ whose blood would serve as a sacrifice for sins. After Christ's death and resurrection, John's baptism was replaced by that of Jesus' great commission, Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16. In many ways the baptism of John and that which Christ commanded for the entire gospel age were similar: both were in water, both involved burial, both demanded repentance, both looked toward remission or forgiveness of sins. See Mark 1:4, 9-10; Colossians 2:12; Acts 2:38, etc.
There were, however, some important differences between the two baptisms. John's baptism was administered before the establishment of Christ's kingdom. John lived and died before that king dom came into existence. Great commission baptism puts a person into Christ's kingdom, John 3:5. John's baptism looked forward to the ministry of Jesus. Great commission baptism looks back to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ, Romans 6:3-5.
According to Acts 19:1-5, John's baptism is no longer valid. Christ's great commission baptism will continue till the end of the world. No promise is attached to John the Baptist's baptism for us to day--but for great commission baptism, Christ Himself has promised, "He who believes and is baptized shall be saved." (Mark 16:16.)
–CRJ