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

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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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November 19, 2012

“Immediately He Began to Proclaim Jesus” (11/19)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 9-10.

When Saul left for Damascus, he was an enemy of Jesus and His church. After the Lord appeared to him on the way and he came into the city, he obeyed the gospel. Then he wasted no time in getting to work teaching Christ to others.

“Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, ‘He is the Son of God.’ All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, ‘Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?’ But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 9:19-22).

Saul was a unique case. As one who had been chosen by Christ to be His apostle (Acts 9:15), he would have the benefit of the Holy Spirit guiding him into all the truth (John 16:13). It will take more time for us to learn the Scriptures and be able to teach them (though we should still work toward this goal – Hebrews 5:12). But there are certain characteristics that Saul demonstrated that we should emulate.
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November 17, 2012

“Uneducated and Untrained Men” (11/17)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Acts 4-6.

After being arrested, Peter and John found themselves before the Jewish Council. This group included the priests, rulers, elders, and scribes (Acts 4:5-6). Among this group was Annas the high priest and Caiaphas, two who were instrumental in bringing about the death of Jesus; and Gamaliel, a well-respected teacher of the Law (Acts 5:34).

For many, this would have been an intimidating audience to have to address. Yet Peter and John boldly defended the cause of Christ. The members of the Council were surprised at their boldness.

“Now as they observed the confidence of Peter and John and understood that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed, and began to recognize them as having been with Jesus. And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they had nothing to say in reply” (Acts 4:13-14).

However, Peter and John were not “uneducated and untrained” as the Council members supposed. They had been taught by the Master Teacher. They had been trained by the Son of God. But they did not have a “formal” education and training under a mere human teacher.
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October 6, 2012

"We Have Heard for Ourselves and Know" (10/6)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from John 2-4.

When Jesus stopped at a well in Samaria and spoke with the woman who came to draw water, it triggered a spiritual awakening in that city.

“From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, ‘He told me all the things that I have done.’ So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world’” (John 4:39-42).

At first, the woman who spoke with Jesus told the men of the city about the conversation she had with Him: “Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?” (John 4:29). Many of the Samaritans believed in Christ because of her testimony.
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September 25, 2012

"Be Courageous and Act" (9/25)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezra 7-10.

Many of the sons of Israel had married foreign wives – a practice that was forbidden under the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 7:3). In order to repent of their sin, those who had married foreign wives had to put them away. Ezra had the difficult task of pointing out their sin and instructing them to obey the Lord rather than keep their unlawful wives. However, Ezra received some encouragement from Shecaniah:

“Arise! For this matter is your responsibility, but we will be with you; be courageous and act” (Ezra 10:4).

Shecaniah made two points to Ezra:
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September 9, 2012

Declare All That You See (9/9)

Thought from today’s Bible reading from Ezekiel 40-41.

“In the visions of God He brought me into the land of Israel and set me on a very high mountain, and on it to the south there was a structure like a city. So He brought me there; and behold, there was a man whose appearance was like the appearance of bronze, with a line of flax and a measuring rod in his hand; and he was standing in the gateway. The man said to me, ‘Son of man, see with your eyes, hear with your ears, and give attention to all that I am going to show you; for you have been brought here in order to show it to you. Declare to the house of Israel all that you see’” (Ezekiel 40:2-4).

After being introduced to this man with a measuring rod in a vision, Ezekiel sees him measure the temple area, is given the specific measurements, and is expected to “declare to the house of Israel all that [he] sees.” There are some lessons in here for preachers of today:
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