Friday 8 March 2013

Fatherhood in the modern church

I once heard a very pompous preacher scream from the pulpit: "if the sons in my house (note - "my") where to be squeezed, nothing would make me prouder than to know that what came out of them, would be me (the preacher...).

I thought it was blasphemous... He used the Paul-Timothy analogy to staff his point.

Surely if we are supposed to be Christ-like, we would hope for "Christ" to come out of our so-called sons when they are "squeezed"? In my opinion, there is a sickness among overly exalted pampered preachers, glistening with the dripping fat of their over-indulgent self-absorbed lives. They treat those who serve under them (as they themselves should be serving- ironically) like ants in their personal pantry called "life". To me, this seems to be nothing other than abuse of their power.

The Timothy excuse

I have reservations about the idea of Paul being a "type and shadow" of the modern day church leader. Paul was a living breathing walking talking epistle (2 Corinthians 3) - to the point of writing two thirds of the divinely inspired New Testament. The point is, that Paul knew exactly how to walk in Christ-likeness, because he had firsthand revelation on scripture. He didn't attend any Bible school or university. God revealed all that he knew to him. For him to claim that others should imitate him as he imitates Jesus was not a long shot by far.

How many Church leaders today are as pure in their doctrine as Paul? How many Church "fathers" love God more than they love their own lives? How can one love an earthly son more than or at least equal to oneself if one cannot even love God onto death? (Death could imply death to selfishness and even physical death).

In my opinion Paul serves as a shadow to the printed Word of the New Testament, more than he is a shadow of a modern human leader of a church...

Thus I believe that we should teach father's to ensure that their sons do not follow in their (sometimes) broken footsteps steps. In other words: "Don't do as I do, do as I say!" I would much rather see fathers train their sons to be "thinkers" rather than "whipped followers". This way one would have thinking followers of Christ rather than man-following, followers trying to follow a God that is by no means a man - if that makes any sense.

If fathers taught sons to respect authority, but to follow Christ instead of themselves personally, then I believe it will have the following effect:

1. Sons will love the fathers without the threat of judgment and abandonment when mistakes are made.

2. Sons will not be prisoners or slaves to any power hungry maniac.

3. The demand for "perfection" in the relationship between the disciple and the disciplee will be removed and replaced by a demand for "excellence" which is far more attainable for us normal, fallible humans...

4. Churches will regain a warm family atmosphere and loose the callus organizational atmosphere resembling that of Donald Trump’s "The Apprentice" show.

Organisations or Churches?

The Pharisees loved their organisation more than their people, their authority and law more than the Messiah they had been dedicating to and awaiting on, their entire careers . They where petrified of loosing power over their subordinates, while Jesus was having meals with the unloved ones and letting His "sons" sleep in His bosom in the open air.
  
We fail - Jesus doesn't

If we inherit Jesus as our role model to imitate, we will eliminate inherited, accumulated heresies. The reason for this is that each generation will not only inherit truth but also have the ability to find more Truth. In the same breath, they will also discard old lies, instead of dragging generational curses from one congregation to the next under the banner of "submitting to the authority of man" versus "wholly submitting themselves to the Word of God and the unfailing support of our Helper the Holy Spirit".

One of my favourite teachers Dr. Chuck Missler likes to challenge his students when he makes any conjecture based on his studies - He tells his students that if they take any of his conjectures as fact without going and finding out for themselves whether in fact they agree, they automatically fail the course.


I believe that teaching our sons to think, will give God the space to give them fresh manna/wisdom and eventually allow them to get even closer to the Glory and truth of God, which should be the desire of all fathers.

Proverbs 17:6
"Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children is their fathers."

Tuesday 5 March 2013

Book of Romans – Chapter One/Part three

Romans 1:6-7 (AMP)

6 And this includes you, called of Jesus Christ (a) and invited [as you are] (b) to belong to Him (c).
7 To [you then] all God’s beloved ones in Rome (d), called to be saints and designated for a consecrated life (e): Grace and spiritual blessing and (f) peace be yours (g) from God our Father (h) and from the Lord Jesus Christ (i).

• Vs.6a This includes you, called of Jesus Christ

Comment:

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible:

“…The calling here spoken of is not to an office, or a mere external one by the ministry of the word, but an internal special call by the grace of God; and which is irresistible, efficacious, and unchangeable, and is an high, holy, and heavenly one; by it persons are called out of darkness into light, out of bondage into liberty, out of the world, from the company of the men of it, and the sinful pleasures thereof, to fellowship with Christ and his saints, and of a dependence on themselves, and their own righteousness, to the grace and righteousness of Christ, and to eternal glory. The persons so called are the elect of God, who are secured in Christ, and redeemed by him, and who has a concern with the Father and Spirit in the calling of them: hence they are styled, "the called of Jesus Christ"; they are called by him, and after his name; he has an interest in them; as they were before his chosen and redeemed ones, they are now his called ones; as Jacob and Israel of old were named of God, "my called", Isaiah 48:12; so these were named Christ's called ones; and who by calling came to be partakers of him and of His grace.”

• Vs.6b invited [as you are]

Comment:

The Amplified is the only version of the Bible that uses the phrasing “as you are” but the Greek translation is “yourself”

KJV Lexicon humeis (hoo-mice): you (as subjective of verb) -- ye (yourselves), you.

So many people still think, (despite the scriptures repeatedly emphasising the contrary) that one has to become sinless first and then only can one accept Christ as your saviour. This must be the greatest irony and tragedy we face as “fishers of men” throughout all the ages. If any person thinks for a second that they should not come “as you are” to Christ, then that person misses the entire point of trusting in Jesus to do a mighty work in His power versus us proving ourselves to be worthy in our own power.

• Vs.6c belong to Him

Comment:

We are secured in Christ, and redeemed by Him. We are of the kind that belongs to a God of love, mercy and grace.

• Vs.7d God’s beloved ones in Rome

Comment:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

“Beloved of God - Whom God loves. This is the privilege of all Christians. And this proves that the persons whom Paul addressed were "not" those merely who had been invited to the external privileges of the gospel.”

• Vs.7e Called to be saints and designated for a consecrated life

Comment:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Called to be saints - So called, or influenced by God who had called them, as to become saints. The word "saints," γιοι hagioi, means those who are holy, or those who are devoted or consecrated to God. The radical idea of the word is what is separated from a common to a sacred use, and answers to the Hebrew word, קדושׁ qadowsh. It is applied to any thing that is set apart to the service of God, to the temple, to the sacrifices, to the utensils about the temple, to the garments, etc. of the priests, and to the priests themselves. It was applied to the Jews as a people separated from other nations, and devoted or consecrated to God, while other nations were devoted to the service of idols. It is also applied to Christians, as being a people devoted or set apart to the service of God. The radical idea then, as applied to Christians, is, that "they are separated from other men, and other objects and pursuits, and consecrated to the service of God." This is the special characteristic of the saints. And this characteristic the Roman Christians had shown.”

• Vs.7f Grace and spiritual blessing...be yours

Comment:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

“Grace - This word properly means "favor." It is very often used in the New Testament, and is employed in the sense of benignity or benevolence; felicity, or a prosperous state of affairs; the Christian religion, as the highest expression of the benevolence or favor of God; the happiness which Christianity confers on its friends in this and the future life; the apostolic office; charity, or alms; thanksgiving; joy, or pleasure; and the benefits produced on the Christian's heart and life by religion - the grace of meekness, patience, charity, etc., "Schleusner." In this place, and in similar places in the beginning of the apostolic epistles, it seems to be a word including all those blessings that are applicable to Christians in common; denoting an ardent wish that all the mercies and favors of God for time and eternity, blended under the general name grace, may be conferred on them. It is to be understood as connected with a word implying invocation. I pray, or I desire, that grace, etc. may be conferred on you. It is the customary form of salutation in nearly all the apostolic epistles”

• Vs.7g Peace be yours

Comment:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

“And peace - Peace is the state of freedom from war. As war conveys the idea of discord and numberless calamities and dangers, so peace is the opposite, and conveys the idea of concord, safety, and prosperity. Thus, to wish one peace was the same as to wish him all safety and prosperity. This form of salutation was common among the Hebrews. Gen 43:23, "peace to you! fear not;" Judges 6:23; Judges 19:20; Luke 24:36. But the word "peace" is also used in contrast with that state of agitation and conflict which a sinner has with his conscience and with God. The sinner is like the troubled sea, which cannot rest, Isaiah 57:20. The Christian is at peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ, Romans 5:1. By this word, denoting reconciliation with God, the blessings of the Christian religion are often described in the scriptures, Romans 8:6; Romans 14:17; Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:22; Philippians 4:7. A prayer for peace, therefore, in the epistles, is not a mere formal salutation, but has a special reference to those "spiritual" blessings which result from reconciliation with God through the Lord Jesus Christ.

• Vs.7h From God our Father

Comment:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

“From God our Father - The Father of all Christians. He is the Father of all his creatures, as they are his offspring, Acts 17:28-29. He is especially the Father of all Christians, as they have been "begotten by him to a lively hope," have been adopted into his family, and are like him; Matthew 5:45; 1 Peter 1:3; 1 John 5:1; 1 John 3:1-2. The expression here is equivalent to a prayer that God the Father would bestow grace and peace on the Romans. It implies that these blessings proceed from God, and are to be expected from him.”

• Vs.7i And the Lord Jesus Christ

Comment:

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

“And the Lord Jesus Christ - From him. The Lord Jesus Christ is especially regarded in the New Testament as the Source of peace, and the Procurer of it; … From thus connecting the Lord Jesus with the Father in this place, we may see,

(1) That the apostle regarded him as the source of grace and peace as really as he did the Father.
(2) he introduced them in the same connection, and with reference to the bestowment of the same blessings.
(3) if the mention of the Father in this connection implies a prayer to him, or an act of worship, the mention of the Lord Jesus implies the same thing, and was an act of homage to him.
(4) all this shows that his mind was familiarized to the idea that he was divine.

No man would introduce his name (Jesus) in such connections if he did not believe that he was equal with God; compare Philippians 2:2-11. It is from this incidental and unstudied manner of expression, that we have one of the most striking proofs of the manner in which the sacred writers regarded the Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 1:6-7 (AMP)

6 And this includes you, called of Jesus Christ and invited [as you are] to belong to Him.
7 To [you then] all God’s beloved ones in Rome, called to be saints and designated for a consecrated life: Grace and spiritual blessing and peace be yours from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

After studying the full meaning of the ‘carefully selected words’ Paul used in the 6th and 7th verse of Romans 1, this is my interpretation and understanding of it…

Verse 6: You are called by Jesus, and have taken on His name. You are not called “Christians” because of the mere external ministry of the word, but rather you have an internal special call by the grace of God; and it is an irresistible, efficacious, unchangeable, high, holy, and heavenly one. By it you were called out of darkness into light, out of bondage into liberty, out of the world, into fellowship with Christ and His saints. Yes! You are called to the grace and righteousness of Christ, and to eternal glory. You are the elect of God. We should come “as we are” to Christ and trust in Jesus to do a mighty work in His power versus us proving ourselves to be worthy in our own power. We are secured in Christ, and redeemed by Him. 

Verse 7: We are of the kind that belongs to a God of love, mercy and grace. Don't you see Beloved of God? This is the privilege of all Christians. We were not merely invited to the external privileges of the gospel, but we are His Saints! We are holy, in the same way the Old Testament Jews, and their temple, priests and ornaments where separated for a holy and Godly purpose. So I pray and desire, that you will have the happiness which Christianity confers on its friends (in this and the future life), the apostolic office, charity, thanksgiving, joy and the benefits produced in a Christian's heart and life through faith, and also, may the grace of meekness, patience and charity be with you. May you experience peace, not only in the absence of war and torment experienced by your flesh alone, but even more so, peace be found in your inner man - freedom from inner conflict - a peaceful conscience towards God. From Him the Father of all His creatures as we have been "begotten by Him to a lively hope," we have been adopted into his family. All these blessings proceed from God, and are to be expected from Him and His son Jesus, the Source of peace, and the Procurer of it.

Bibliography:

- Barnes' Notes on the Bible- Bible Suite by Biblos
- Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible- Bible Suite by Biblos
- Amplified Bible