Ecclesiology 101 Part 7

As we discussed last week, we are now looking into the characteristics of the individuals who hold today’s churches up. As I mentioned last week, if there are problems within a church, it typically begins with the pastor. So this week, we are going to look at the characteristics a pastor needs to have if he is going to lead a Biblical church.

Luckily for us, scripture provides the answer for what characteristics a pastor needs to have, and this can be found in 1 Timothy 3:1-7.

“3 It is a trustworthy statement: if any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do. 2 An overseer, then, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, skillful in teaching, 3 not overindulging in wine, not a bully, but gentle, not contentious, free from the love of money. 4 He must be one who manages his own household well, keeping his children under control with all dignity 5 (but if a man does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of the church of God?), 6 and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into condemnation incurred by the devil. 7 And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into disgrace and the snare of the devil.”

We see that there are traits that a man must have if he is to be a pastor of a church, but they can all be summed up in one line. He must be above reproach. This means that a pastor must not have idols, this is not the same as not having sin. After all, a pastor is still human and all humans sin. What Paul is stating to Timothy is that a pastor must be someone who does not allow his sin to control him and cause him to place that sin above his relationship with God. When a pastor has an idol in his life, he is holding onto something greater than God, and the church will suffer.

1 Timothy 3:1-7 provides a litmus test if a man wishes to become a pastor, and in today’s churches we can see many examples of pastors who have failed this. While some may have failed in one or many of the characteristics mentioned, it all comes down to one thing. They did not hold themselves above reproach. They allowed the sin in their lives to take over. While there are churches out there who hold these men accountable to their actions by removing them from the pulpit, there are other who allow them to keep preaching and by doing so more false doctrine is spread.

Now I am about to say something that until recently I did not know how bad the problem had gotten. You may have noticed that in 1 Timothy 3:1-7 we see that a pastor is identified as a man, and even in this post I have referred to a pastor as a biological male. The reason for this is simple and yet I am sure some of you will disagree, a Biblical pastor cannot be a woman. This is pointed out in 1 Timothy 2:12, “12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”

In today’s society, this is a difficult idea to confront. So much of the world is screaming that woman are not inferior to men, however, this is not what Paul is saying in 1 Timothy. Paul is pointing out that there are different roles designed for men and women, just as there are different roles for Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Remember back to Genesis when God created Eve, He designed her to be a helpmate to Adam, not his stepping stool. But today’s society does not wish to see that man and woman were created with different roles in mind, and this is where problems begin in a church. Society today pushes the argument that if God was truly fair then there should be no reason for women to be pastors; but in doing so they deny that God has a role for men and women, and this allows questions about the rest of God’s authority.

Next week, we will discuss the roles of elders and deacons.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

LIBERATED

Two weeks ago we started building the stage for our discussion on Election vs Free Will. As stated last time, too many people jump to talking points without actually evaluating and carefully articulating the facts surrounding the discussion. Our first fact that both sides must agree upon was over the characteristics of God. Two weeks ago, we reviewed that God was all powerful, all knowing, and all present. Our second fact is the characteristics of mankind.

I would not be honest if I did not tell you that I was tempted to list several Bible verses depicting how man is not all powerful, nor all knowing, and very much not all present. However, I believe the perfect verse to summarize mankind in comparison of God is actually, Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”

Mankind clearly does not have what God has. We are not capable of being what He is. What does this mean? It means that our relationship with Him is solely dependent on Him. Christ died for us, paying the penalty of our sin. Christ’s resurrection is our assurance. You can say in its simplicity that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is our policy number for our eternal insurance from what we deserve.

This builds on our paradoxical concern that we are trying to understand. The same question must be asked, how does God, who is all powerful, all knowing, and all present, rescue us from ourselves? From our sin?

I hinted that we could be reviewing the Calvinist arguments today. However, I thought it best we recognize man’s inability before we took on our first theory. To recap, God’s characteristics are things we cannot have. Even in perfection, man is a created being who is not able to expound our own limitations. Look at the angel Gabriel. Perfect without sin, he stands in the presence of God. However, he is limited in power, knowledge, and locality. Look at his interactions with Daniel.

Daniel 10:11-13 “And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you.” When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling. 12 Then he said, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. 13 But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.”

We see that even in perfection we will only be in one place at a time. We might have power, but we will never be all powerful. And knowledge-wise, I believe we will be like Gabriel and only be provided what God is willing to produce for us to know.

Nevertheless, mankind has sin. We are stricken in spiritual poverty and in doing so need someone outside of the dimensions of the construct we are in to act. God is outside of that construct and is capable of saving us. Next week we will finally start to examine the arguments!  

If you ever have questions, please reach out to Mill House Ministries and we will be happy to help!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Need the endurance to continue? Find it HERE!

Ecclesiology 101 Part 6

We are now six weeks into our study on the church and during this process we have identified the foundation of the church. In my own mind, I have always envisioned the building metaphor, with a biblical church having Christ as the roof. He protects us, and is the top which most should be seeing. The Bible identifies Him as the cornerstone, the solid rock, and our high tower. What does this mean? It means no matter what part of the metaphorical building part you are in, the Church should be reflecting Jesus. While the last two weeks we have been discussing the foundation of the church, the apostles and the prophets. Now we will be getting into the pieces that hold a church up, the pastors and elders/deacon. While the beginning of this series might not have offered much pushback, we would hope that our readers would understand that Christ is the head of the church and anything that says otherwise is unbiblical, now we are entering into an area that many false churches have staked their claim.

Since I have became a believer, I have had the opportunity to observe many different churches today. Some have been very biblical, some have been struggling with aligning to God’s design, and some have ultimately been unbiblical. However, all of the churches proved one thing, if there are issues in a church it will come down to the pastor and those who are assisting him. If a church is on track, there is a pastor who has taken on the role of a shepherd seriously and a group of men around him to advise if he is unsure. If a church is struggling, there is a pastor who is either trying to correct the church or who is leading them astray. If a church is unbiblical, there is a pastor who is preaching a false doctrine and a fellowship who is allowing this to happen.

Over the next two weeks, we will be going into a deeper dive on the roles of a pastor and those around him. This is were I suspect that many readers will see if their church is truly a church that is following Christ’s design for the church.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

PRAY FOR SYRIA

Today I want to take a moment and recognize the horrific atrocities that are happening to Christians in Syria. At the hands of Muslim’s, followers of Jesus Christ are being martyred for their faith. We are calling all brothers and sisters around the world to stop and pray for the body of Christ in Syria. Jesus said we would have tribulation in our lives, John 16:33 “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” And yet, while this is not THE TRIBULATION, it is still heart breaking and sad. Take time to reflect on what Christ has called you personally to do and what He has called us collectively as the body of Christ to do. Our work on Earth is not done, the body of Christ still has a part to play. We need to stand up for the name of Jesus and proclaim the good news to all who will listen. For there is soon coming a day, when we will be called home. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive [and] remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.”

We still have work to do, but take a moment and pray for our brothers and sisters who are laying their lives down for the faith. Jesus has not abandoned us, and neither should we Him! Let’s be laser focused on the scriptures and applying them in our lives. Let us end this race with all of our hearts desires renewed in solemn concentration to the only one who deserves it, Jesus Christ.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

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Ecclesiology 101 Part 5

Today we are discussing the second part of the foundation of the church. As a review, we have already discussed that Christ is the head of the church and that if a church does not follow His teachings or claim that He was something that He was not, then they are not a biblical church. Last week, we looked at the apostles and realized that there are three qualifications that an individual had to meet in order to have this title. They had to be chosen by Jesus, they had to perform signs, and they had to have witnessed the resurrected Christ.

Now, we will be discussing prophets, which is a topic that many disagree on and is something that has caused countless false religions to appear. The word “prophet” means “one who speaks in the place of”, they are a spokesman. Therefore, basic understanding would say that to be a prophet of Jesus Christ means that they must speak His word. As mentioned, there are many false prophets not just in the original church but even today. This is why Scripture gives us a way to identify those who are false prophets. The way to identify a false prophet is by examining what they are saying to Scripture.

“20 But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name, a word which I have not commanded him to speak, or which he speaks in the name of other gods, that prophet shall die.’ 21 And if you say in your heart, ‘How will we recognize the word which the Lord has not spoken?’ 22 When the prophet speaks in the name of the Lord, and the thing does not happen or come true, that is the thing which the Lord has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; you are not to be afraid of him.”

Deuteronomy 18:20-22

If anyone makes a claim regarding God’s word, and cannot back it up with Scripture then what they are saying is false. Unfortunately, there are many churches out there that fit this description and the only way to combat it is for believers to study God’s word and then speak out against the false teachings. Anyone can be fooled if they do not know what the Bible teaches.

There is an aspect of prophets that some disagree on. There are those who state that the age of prophets was completed once the New Testament was completed. However, I do not think this is true. If you followed along for our study on the gifts of the spirit, you would remember that Paul, who was an apostle and would be considered an authority by the early church, identified the gift of prophecy among the spiritual gifts. As mentioned above, a prophet is someone who speaks in the place of another. For those claiming to be prophets of Jesus Christ, they would need to have their statements being upheld by scripture. Christ is always the ultimate authority in the church, if someone is speaking something that goes against His word, they are no prophet of Christ.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

LIBERATED

Today, we set the stage for our discussion on Election vs Free Will. Too many people jump to their talking points without taking the time to discuss what it truly means to articulate through definition the area to be discussed. What does this mean for you and I?

Simple, there are some facts that both sides must agree upon due to their absolute validity found in scripture. Our first one is the characteristics of God.

He IS ALL POWERFUL:

Matthew 19:26 “But Jesus looked at [them] and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Psalms 147:5 “Great [is] our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding [is] infinite.”

Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing will be impossible.”

HE IS ALL KNOWING:

1 John 3:20 “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things.”

Psalms 139:4 “For [there is] not a word on my tongue, [But] behold, O LORD, You know it altogether.”

HE IS ALL PRESENT:

Psalms 139:7-12 “Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend into heaven, You [are] there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You [are there.] 9 [If] I take the wings of the morning, [And] dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, 10 Even there Your hand shall lead me, And Your right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall fall on me,” Even the night shall be light about me; 12 Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, But the night shines as the day; The darkness and the light [are] both alike [to You.]”

Jeremiah 23:23-24 “[Am] I a God near at hand,” says the LORD, “And not a God afar off? 24 Can anyone hide himself in secret places, So I shall not see him?” says the LORD; “Do I not fill heaven and earth?” says the LORD.”

These simple rules represent the cornerstone of defining our paradoxical concern that we are trying to understand. How does God, who is all powerful, all knowing, and all present rescue us from ourselves? From our sin? We know that we are purchased by Christ’s death, and have His resurrection as a literal symbol of a good transaction that we can hold to. Allow us to introduce to you our four individuals who will be our “lab experiments”

Susan, Molly, Fred, and Doug.

For the sake of our argument, we will assume that while each person is different, they have similar intelligence, comprehension, and capacity to communicate. Equals in the eyes of needing a savior to rescue them from their sin. Equal in the ability to understand.

Next week, we will discuss how these four individuals would play within a Calvinist world. We will define the Calvinist arguments. However, for now please allow me to encourage you who might be reading, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your personal savior today is the day of salvation. Please stop what you are doing and ask Him to come into your life and help rescue you from your own sin. You can never be good enough and will never succeed in what God has already done for you.

2 Corinthians 6:2 “For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation.”

If you ever have questions, please reach out to Mill House Ministries and we will be happy to help!

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

Why is it so important to check in on our brothers and sisters in Christ? Find out HERE!

Ecclesiology 101 Part 4

We are in our second topic when it comes to understanding what is a Biblical church. At first, we looked at who makes up the church and last week we began our look into who is the authority inside the church. While Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority for the church, there are also individuals who have been placed in authority by God. Before we get into who has authority in churches today, it is important to understand the foundation that they would be building upon.

As I have already mentioned, Jesus Christ is the ultimate authority for born-again believers and those inside the church. If a church declares anything other than this, they are not a Biblical church. Apart from this, in the early church God placed two groups of people to play a unique foundational role. These are the apostles and the prophets. Paul points out in Ephesians that Jesus is the cornerstone of the church, the point that everything else is built around; while the apostles and prophets are the foundation for the church. “19 So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone,” Ephesians 2:19-20. Meaning that Christ is the head of the church, and the apostles and prophets are the foundation that churches today are built on.

Let’s break these two groups down further to understand their importance inside the church today. To be an apostle means to be someone who is sent, like an ambassador, representative, or messenger. They have the authority of the individual who sent them, in this case the authority of God. We see from scripture that there are three characteristics that identify an apostle. One, they were chosen by Jesus (Mark 3:14; Luke 6:13; Acts 1:2, 24; Gal. 1:1). We see in scripture that Jesus Christ personally selected the men who would be His apostles, including Matthias who replaced Judas (Acts 1:26) and Paul. Two, they were able to perform the signs of an apostle (2 Cor. 12:12; Acts 1:5-8; Heb. 2:3-4) Three, they were witnesses of the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21-25; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:7-8). This final point is a key one when examining churches today. There are those who claim to be an apostle now but as seen from Scripture they cannot be.

An apostle’s role was a unique one. From Scripture we see that Christ promised to reveal His truth through the Holy Spirit even after He was no longer with them (John 14:26; 15:26-27; 16:12-15). As mentioned before, the apostles created a foundation for the Church Age, their teaching was inspired by the Holy Spirit and so was given the same authority as the Old Testament (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 14:37; 1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Next week we will look at the other half of this foundation for the church, their teaching was prophets.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

LIBERATED

Today we start a mini-series regarding a touchy subject that has caused division in the body of Christ for centuries. Many believers have picked this particular topic as the hill they will die on. Others run from it as if it is a mystery we cannot understand. However, I am here today to hopefully shed light on the reality of this topic. Now you might be wondering, what is the topic? But before I bring up what our discussion over the next several weeks will be, I thought it prudent to identify how I will discuss the upcoming topic. I care not for historical figures, theologians, and Bible scholars. I care not for our emotions, our personal history, and observations with friends, family, and experiences. I care solely for the word of God and the critical thinking capability that God has given us in His intimate and limitless expansion. We are going to look critically at scripture, and take the quantifiable, and the abstract of humanity and cross-examine it with God’s unchanging characteristics. We will pursue truth through His revelation, and with His wisdom etched in each syllable. If by God’s grace, we are able to finish this series, my expectation is to purely infuriate both sides of the argument. My goal is to bring solitude for the real Christian student and give them a clear runway to pursue God in a way that was limited by the topic argument. This burdensome debate has grotesquely manipulated Christians, Christians have been hoodwinked to leave their brains at the door of the church instead of eagerly applying what God has given us to the study of His Word. Finally, before I announce what we will be discussing, I will provide two caveats.

First, this will be an exhausted study. This means my goal is to provide the needed evidence to bring a Christian to the point at which a decision can be made.

Second, neither side will like what I will say, and will ultimately say I am missing the main point. However, my goal is to provide the substantive and necessary dialogue, which will ultimately provide a clearly defined and present an arguable position, which I believe was before us all along.

It is high time, that Christians recognize that God’s Word is multifaceted and attributable in all circumstances. The fact that our question is outside of the realm of human basic understanding, we must pursue the only source outside of our realm for the answer. Christ’s Word! God’s book to humanity. This question is philosophical in nature, but nevertheless, we have the ultimate philosophical book at our disposal. I am excited to discuss this with you and dive into the realm of interaction of God with man, on a personal level and how we apply that interaction.

Our study over the next several weeks will be over Election vs Free Will. This element of soteriology is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. Coming up, we will dive into what I would hope be the last discussion of this topic and finally learn to apply, this dare I say, tesseract in our three-dimensional world.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

A look back at our Basics series! Read it HERE!

Ecclesiology 101 Part 3

We have recently begun a new topical study on the church. Last week we saw who made up the church and what the purpose of the church is. With this understanding, it is important that we now move into the spiritual authority within the Church, a topic that will take the next couple of weeks to fully understand.

It is a sad fact that we have to state this, however, due to the growing number of unbiblical churches we need to understand who the ultimate authority is and how this came to be. It is a simple but powerful statement, the ultimate authority of the church is Jesus Christ. This is defined in several verses in Scripture. “22 And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him head over all things to the church,” Ephesians 1:22 And“18 He is also the head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.” Colossians 1:18 are just two of the verses that identify this.

However, there are many churches out there who deny Christ’s deity, His resurrection, and the individual’s need to place faith in His action. So today, I want to look over some verses that will show us that a church needs to have Christ in the center.

It is important to understand that Jesus Christ’s authority over the church comes from the Father.

“27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him.” Matthew 11:27

“35 The Father loves the Son and has entrusted all things to His hand.” John 3:35

“36 Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ—this Jesus whom you crucified.” Acts 2:36

Scripture continually identifies times where Jesus showed ultimate authority over demons (Matthew 8:32, 12:22), disease (Matthew 4:23-24), sin (Matthew 9:6), the Sabbath (Mark 2:23-28), and death (Mark 5:41-42), this power over death was also seen in His resurrection (John 10:18). However, there are so called churches out there who seek to deny these aspects. In doing so, they are denying the true power of Salvation and what makes up the church.

Submission to Jesus Christ is not something that is optional to the born-again believer. It is our highest calling and obligation to submit both individually, with acknowledging Him as Lord and Savior, and corporately, belonging to a Bible believing church. If any church seeks to deny Jesus’s authority, then they are not truly a member of the body of Christ as discussed last week.

While Jesus is the ultimate authority within the church, scripture also identifies individuals who hold positions of authority within the church. Over the next couple of weeks, we will be discussing the role of pastors, elders, and deacons.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

Chapter 11 of Genesis is over. Human society has been dispersed. Languages, created by God, being the mechanism to push the population out. From here, the subcategories of Anthropology come about. Ethnic groups and culture identity flourish. Out of this comes one man who named Terah who is from the line of Shem. Moses, who wrote down Genesis through the help of the Holy Spirit, is identifying a special connection to this man for the main audience are the Jewish people. Terah would be the father of Abram.

Genesis 11:24-32 “Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah. 25 After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters. 26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27 This [is] the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. 28 And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife [was] Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. 32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.”

It is here that we see the scenario play out by God. The end of Chapter 11 is a catalyst for God narrowing down His choice for bringing salvation to mankind. The next chapter of human history is being prepared, we have gone from Creation, to the Antidiluvian period, to the Flood, and even the brief period of nation building and seperating by God. We now enter a time which God starts to work through a bloodline. For Satan, the pieces are set, where as before he did not know who God would choose. Soon the devil will have a honed in target, declared by God as His tool for rescuing you and me. Abram and Sarai have entered the picture.

I hope you have enjoyed this part in our Genesis series. We will be taking a short break to hit some topical studies that I believe God is calling us to pursue but fret not, we will be going back to Genesis soon.

Re-Post Friday

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Ecclesiology 101 Part 2

Before we go too far into our study of the church, it is important that we understand who makes up the church and what the purpose of the church is. Understanding these two aspects will allow us to begin to identify not only true members of the church, but also churches that are upholding the purpose as defined by scripture.

First, we are going to identify who makes up the church. It is a sad fact, but not everyone who steps inside a church actually belongs to the church body. This is because of what the word “ekklesia” means. The Greek word is used to describe an assembly of people, they are the called out ones and it becomes the technical word for those who are called out of this world and joined together with Christ. Meaning that the church can only be made up of individuals who have accepted the works of Jesus Christ and recognize Him as their Lord and Savior. Church is not a building, it is a group of people who have been united through Christ. It does not matter the individual’s background, if they are Jew or Gentile, if they have submitted to Christ then they are a member of the Church.

However, it is important to understand that the Church has not replaced the Jews in God’s eyes. There are eternal promises of God to His people that cannot be altered or taken away. These include promises of a national entity (Jer. 31:36), a land of their own (Gen. 13:15), a king (Jer. 33:20-21), and a kingdom (2 Sam. 7:16). The church has not replaced the Jewish people in these promises, and one very important identifier of a true body of believers is whether or not they believe this. Those out there who deny God’s plan for the Jewish people are denying not only Scripture but also God’s future promises. If you are a part of a church building that preaches this replacement theology, it is not a member of the true body of Christ.

Now that we understand who makes up the members of the true church, it is important to understand what the church’s purpose is. Despite what some so called churches will say, the purpose of the true church is not the conversion of the whole world. We have already seen that the church are those who have been called out from the world, and we know that Scripture states that there will come a day that the world will be filled with believers. However, this day will come after the church has been raptured and after Jesus has returned to rule on earth, not before. Mankind cannot usher in this age, it is only done through Christ.

So if the Church is not meant to bring into place this age, what is the purpose? You may be thinking of Christ’s words in Matthew 28:16-20 which calls for believers to go and make disciples of every nation, and you would be correct. However, this passage is not the only one that relates to the purpose of the church. Matthew 16:18 and Eph. 2:21-22 both describe the church as something that grows. Christ states that He will build His church while Paul says that it is a structure of living stones. This means that the purpose of the church is to grow the body of true believers. It is to bring those who will be called out of the world into the body of Christ and the Church is to grow believers in their understanding of who God is and what His word states. We are not called to stay the same, but to grow.

I do think it is important to make one quick distinction regarding sharing the gospel. To share the gospel and grow the church does not simply stop with unbelievers becoming born-again, it is also helping those who are born-again grow in their faith. I have never personally led someone to the Lord, and there are some out there who would give the impression that I am not born-again because of this; an idea that is false because I instead spend my time here to encourage and teach believers. The purpose of the Church is to not simply bring those who are called out of this world into the body of Christ, but to make sure that they understand what it is that they believe.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

A STUDY IN GENESIS

As strange as it might sound, in Chapters 10 through 11 of Genesis we have events that are recorded in another book of the Bible. Have you ever read the story of Job? For those who believe the Old Testament has nothing to do with the New Testament, I would point them to the book of Job. Even James identifies lessons for his readers in the early church era to draw upon “Behold, we count them happy which endure. You have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.” James 5:11. Why take a moment to talk about the book of Job? Because it happens not only in Genesis, but it also identifies that Gentiles were always part of God’s plan of redemption. Abram was a Gentile before he was Jew. Job was found to be righteous and he was a Gentile. Genesis is filled with Gentiles who are followers of Jesus Christ. Yet, as we hone in on what God hones in on, we need to recognize that while there are Gentile believers, God is about to choose one man to create a specific nation that will be different than the rest. They will be a nation called forth from other nations to be His tool for redemption. The book of Job, provides a foundation for us to understand the heart of God with all of mankind and why we need Abram to come onto the picture in Genesis chapter 12. I would encourage you to read Job and see the rich blessings that God gives us in seeing what He is doing on the individual level with each of us.

If you would like to know more about the book of Job, check out our post CLICK HERE!

Next week we will end chapter 11, identifying the key players being set up for the future saga in human history and God’s rescue plan for you and I.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL

Re-Post Friday

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Ecclesiology 101

There is an issue plaguing our society today. This sickness is churches that are not following God’s Word. This is a fact that needs to be addressed. Many Christians today find it hard pressed to find a Church that is keeping to God’s Word in scripture and practice. Because of this reality, we need to understand what is a Church properly in action.

Over the next couple of weeks, we will be going through various verses found in Scripture that identifies the aspects that a church needs to have. This is so that we as Christians can not only help to avoid unbiblical churches, but also to identify if the church that we are going to is following Scripture.

What I need from you, is to take the next week and ask the Lord to share with you through His word the characteristics that make up a proper Church. During this time, I would encourage you to go through the letters of Paul and the letters of Jesus regarding the Churches. This will be an exciting and yet, humbling experience for us all as we dive into the riches of the Bride of Christ.

Seek the truth and encourage one another,

Alex

GAZA

We will get back to our Genesis study soon. Today I find it hard to find the correct words to convey the message that I truly feel in my heart. However, I am going to try, please give me patience and mercy and know my heart is in the right place. I believe words do not describe what the people of Israel are really going through.

Each week as new hostages are released, I am reminded about the photos in history class of the Holocaust survivors. The media refuses to give it the justice it deserves. Israel was attacked, innocent people held captive for over a year. The spectacle that Hamas and the other terrorist perpetrate is unacceptable. However, God will have the final word.

Amos 1:6-9 “Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Gaza, and for four, I will not turn away its [punishment,] Because they took captive the whole captivity To deliver [them] up to Edom. 7 But I will send a fire upon the wall of Gaza, Which shall devour its palaces. 8 I will cut off the inhabitant from Ashdod, And the one who holds the scepter from Ashkelon; I will turn My hand against Ekron, And the remnant of the Philistines shall perish,” Says the Lord GOD. 9 Thus says the LORD: “For three transgressions of Tyre, and for four, I will not turn away its [punishment,] Because they delivered up the whole captivity to Edom, And did not remember the covenant of brotherhood.”

Israel are still a people but the Philistines are no more. The Palestinians who are mainly Jordanian and Egyptian, are not even from the land. Yet, they too will be taken out of the land.

Zephaniah 2:4-5 “For Gaza shall be forsaken, And Ashkelon desolate; They shall drive out Ashdod at noonday, And Ekron shall be uprooted. 5 Woe to the inhabitants of the seacoast, The nation of the Cherethites! The word of the LORD [is] against you, O Canaan, land of the Philistines: “I will destroy you; So there shall be no inhabitant.”

The land is indeed heading towards total destruction. Those who defy God’s people will eventually realize that God does keep His promises to them and to those who fight against the Jewish people. However, what is the final outcome of Gaza? I believe we need to look no further than in Zephaniah 2:6-7 “The seacoast shall be pastures, With shelters for shepherds and folds for flocks. 7 The coast shall be for the remnant of the house of Judah; They shall feed [their] flocks there; In the houses of Ashkelon they shall lie down at evening. For the LORD their God will intervene for them, And return their captives.”

No matter what happens to Gaza in the immediate future, its final outcome will be a place of fields for sheep. It will be a peaceful pasture for the tribe of Judah. For those who do not take God’s Word seriously, let me point out that God has already brought to pass one part of this prophecy! The Philistines are no more, they are gone and replaced by an imposter of people who soon, with all hope and mercy, will be uprooted from the land and sent to their own homes of Jordan and Egypt.

Israel deserves to live in peace, this peace will not come until ultimately Jesus Christ sits on the throne of David in the eternal capital of Jerusalem. However, as Christians and followers of Messiah, we need to recognize the importance and still relevance that the Jewish people have in this human saga unfolding. Without Christ keeping His promises to the Jewish people, what hope do you and I have? The answer is simply none. We can thank the Lord that He is greater than our own understanding and has made it clear that He is working in our lives today in preparation for upcoming events foretold in His scripture. We need only open our eyes, listen with our ears, and see God declare His awesomeness to us.

Nevertheless, each hostage released is heartbreaking. A mixture of relief and anger flood the senses when I see what the Israeli’s are having to deal with. We need to pray for Israel, we need to pray for the peace of Jerusalem. Keep your eyes on Jerusalem, and possibly even Gaza, as we see God doing some incredible work in the area.

Hold until relieved, our Blessed Hope is coming,

JL