February 27, 2013

“Upon This Rock”

Mountain, Yosemite

Any structure must be built upon a solid foundation. A house built upon a rock will stand while one built upon the sand will fall (Matthew 7:24-27). The same principle applies to the church. Though many use the term “church” to refer to a physical building, it is not used this way in the New Testament. Instead, the church is a spiritual building rather than a physical one. Even so, the church, if it is to stand, needs a solid foundation.

In promising to build His church, Jesus told His disciples that it would have such a foundation.

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it’” (Matthew 16:16-18).

Jesus said that His church would be built upon a rock. It would be so strong and secure that it would not even be overthrown by the gates of Hades. But what is the rock that would serve as the foundation?
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December 14, 2012

The Sect That Is Spoken Against Everywhere (12/14)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 27-28.

When Paul came to Rome as a prisoner, he was able to meet with “the leading men of the Jews” (Acts 28:17) and talk to them about why he was there and to explain to them the truth about the gospel he taught. However, these men knew little about Paul but had heard of a certain “sect” about which they were curious.

“They said to him, ‘We have neither received letters from Judea concerning you, nor have any of the brethren come here and reported or spoken anything bad about you. But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for concerning this sect, it is known to us that it is spoken against everywhere’” (Acts 28:21-22).

All they knew about this “sect” was that it had a bad reputation. But their reasonable approach to learning about it was commendable. Notice what they did and did not do:
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November 28, 2012

“All Who Lived in Asia Heard the Word of the Lord” (11/28)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 18:19-19:41.

Paul had a very productive time in Ephesus preaching the gospel. Even with opposition that forced him to leave the synagogue, he was able to reach far beyond just the city limits of Ephesus.

“And he entered the synagogue and continued speaking out boldly for three months, reasoning and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some were becoming hardened and disobedient, speaking evil of the Way before the people, he withdrew from them and took away the disciples, reasoning daily in the school of Tyrannus. This took place for two years, so that all who lived in Asia heard the word of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks” (Acts 19:8-10).

How was Paul able to have such great success in spreading the gospel that “all who lived in Asia heard the word”? First, notice what was not involved in Paul’s work:
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November 21, 2012

Teachers in the Church (11/21)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 13-14.

“Now there were at Antioch, in the church that was there, prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away” (Acts 13:1-3).

This was the beginning of the first preaching tour by Saul (later known as Paul). Before being sent out, he was one of the teachers in the church in Antioch. He, along with Barnabas, was divinely chosen to go out and preach the gospel in other regions.

Though it may seem like a simple point, it is significant that the Holy Spirit went to the church to find the teachers needed to carry out this work. Why did He go to the church? It is because the church is the place to find those who are preaching and teaching the gospel. The Holy Spirit did not go to the college or seminary. He did not visit the missionary society or any other institution. He went to the local church.
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November 20, 2012

The Sixteen Apostles

16

You may be wondering about the title of this article. After all, were there not just twelve apostles? That is what children learn in Bible class. That is the number that immediately comes to mind for most Bible students of any age. If you count the men that Jesus chose during His time on the earth, there were just twelve apostles. But if you count every person mentioned in the Bible as being an apostle, you find not twelve, but sixteen.

Before noticing who these sixteen are, let us remember what the word apostle means. It is from the Greek word apostolos, which means one who is sent. In the context of Scripture, an apostle was one who was sent out on a divinely ordained mission with a message that came from above. His duty was to proclaim the good news of salvation.

So who were the sixteen apostles? We typically think of the twelve that were chosen by Jesus: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Thaddaeus, Simon, and Judas (Matthew 10:2-4). Besides these, we read of Matthias (Acts 1:26), Paul (Romans 1:1), Barnabas (Acts 14:14), and even Jesus Himself (Hebrews 3:1) being called apostles.

Not every one of the sixteen was the same type of apostle – Barnabas and Jesus particularly were distinct in different ways, as we will notice. But what they all have in common is that their apostleships help explain how God has chosen to reveal His word and how He desires that it be spread. So with this in mind, let us consider the sixteen apostles.
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December 8, 2011

Sounding Forth the Word

Tin can phone

The local church is God’s “missionary society” – the organization through which we work to spread the gospel. Though man has concocted many different schemes and systems since the time when Jesus established His church, the Lord’s design is for His message to be proclaimed through the work of individuals and local churches. Paul mentioned the church in Thessalonica as an example of how this simple arrangement can be successful.

“For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything” (1 Thessalonians 1:8).

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June 4, 2011

Reporting Back to Antioch

Paul's First Missionary Journey

Following the preaching trip that took them through such places as Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch. Luke wrote, “When they had arrived and gathered the church together, they began to report all things that God had done with them and how He had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).

It is important to notice what happened here, particularly today as churches may support preachers who work in other locations. The church in Antioch “sent” Paul and Barnabas on this trip to preach the gospel in various places (Acts 13:3). That sending does not imply a command for them to go – that was given by the Holy Spirit (Acts 13:2, 4). Instead, the implication is that the church supported (financially) these men in their work.

When Paul and Barnabas returned to Antioch, they did not just meet with the elders of the church or with a few other individuals. The account of their work did not take place during a common meal or other casual setting. Rather, they “gathered the church together.” This shows us that it is perfectly acceptable for a congregation to invite a preacher to come and give a report on the work that they helped to support. More than this, we can be reminded of the benefits of such reports.
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