Monday, July 25, 2016

Acts 3 : "NO OTHER NAME!"

[1] Now Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour. [2] And a man lame from birth was being carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple that is called the Beautiful Gate to ask alms of those entering the temple. [3] Seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple, he asked to receive alms. [4] And Peter directed his gaze at him, as did John, and said, “Look at us.” [5] And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them. [6] But Peter said, “I have no silver and gold, but what I do have I give to you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!” [7] And he took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles were made strong. [8] And leaping up he stood and began to walk, and entered the temple with them, walking and leaping and praising God. [9] And all the people saw him walking and praising God, [10] and recognized him as the one who sat at the Beautiful Gate of the temple, asking for alms. And they were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.

[11] While he clung to Peter and John, all the people, utterly astounded, ran together to them in the portico called Solomon's. [12] And when Peter saw it he addressed the people: “Men of Israel, why do you wonder at this, or why do you stare at us, as though by our own power or piety we have made him walk? [13] The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified his servant Jesus, whom you delivered over and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he had decided to release him. [14] But you denied the Holy and Righteous One, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, [15] and you killed the Author of life, whom God raised from the dead. To this we are witnesses. [16] And his name—by faith in his name—has made this man strong whom you see and know, and the faith that is through Jesus has given the man this perfect health in the presence of you all.

[17] “And now, brothers, I know that you acted in ignorance, as did also your rulers. [18] But what God foretold by the mouth of all the prophets, that his Christ would suffer, he thus fulfilled. [19] Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, [20] that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, [21] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago. [22] Moses said, ‘The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him in whatever he tells you. [23] And it shall be that every soul who does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people.’ [24] And all the prophets who have spoken, from Samuel and those who came after him, also proclaimed these days. [25] You are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ [26] God, having raised up his servant, sent him to you first, to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness.” (Acts 3 ESV)

OUTLINE OF ACTS 3

(i)                 A miracle is performed in the Name of Jesus (3:1 – 10) 
(ii)               A  message expounds the name of Jesus (3:11 – 26)

1.      A MIRACLE  IS PERFORMED IN THE NAME OF JESUS

Peter and John are  on their way to a  3 p.m. prayer meeting at the temple, when they come across this beggar at the temple gate called “Beautiful”.
Note the location where the beggar sits. He sat at the entrance of the temple gate, with people passing by on their way  to  prayer. It was a good, lucrative  spot  to sit  and beg.  The people’s consciences were soft.
This  raises a profound question. Why  this picture of a  human wretch  at the  beautiful temple gate?  
Surely this is  ironic.  
Why is the world like this? 
Why do we daily  read in newspapers &  see on T.V. ‘s such terrible accounts of human misery and suffering. 
Does God care?
And  to add injury to insult, consider the  plight of this man. By God’s law in Leviticus 21:16 – 20, being a man with a blemish  he was shut out from the temple!  There was no wheel chair ramp to the temple! There was no provision made for the disabled in the O.T. economy!  This man would have known all about that! Is God indifferent to the sufferings of such people?

We shall seek to answer this question later.

Vv. 4 &5 :

Peter and John did not avoid the crippled beggar at the gate. Peter said to  him:  “Look at us!”
He  did not ignore him.
He made eye contact.
He got the man’s attention.
He gave him a  command.   In v. 6 we find Peter’s famous quote :  “ I have no silver and gold, but  what I do have I give to you . In the Name of Jesus  Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk!”

Cash, compassion and  care can only  lend temporary relief to this man’s suffering. But it cannot solve his ultimate  problem. What the man needs is to be helped in a significant way. But nobody can be humanly helped in that condition, except a miracle should happen to him. 
He would need Jesus (the Creator of his body) to deal with Him!

At this point I want to remind you of something  important ! If all that the Christian gospel can offer  us of in the light of this world’s suffering  is that we should be good Samaritans, and attempt our best to give  cash, compassion and care, then we do not have much of a gospel!  Christianity  is much more  than  good works.  If Christianity were simply  good works , it would be no different from other religions, and it would fall short  of what Jesus  came to do  for the world.  Good works alone  robs the Christian gospel of its power!
The gospel is much, much bigger  than  cash, care and compassion. 
The essence of the Christian gospel is not primarily  about  human care, compassion and  cash – important as that might be ! The essence of the Christian gospel is  so to present Jesus to people, that they might look at Him  and that  He might deal with them in ultimate terms.
Peter said in effect, “I don’t have cash, but I have Jesus”…  “In the Name of Jesus – the  Messiah from Nazareth – walk!”
The essence of our witness is to present Jesus to sinful, broken people!

What do we see  then  as Jesus is presented in this manner?  We see a real miracle! Here was a man who was crippled from birth (3:2).
He had never walked!  
But now,  we see  that  the man’s feet and ankles instantly grew strong (3:7).
He  jumped to his feet and he began to walk , and  to jump and to  praise God! (3:8). A true miracle!

But here is the greater miracle.  He that was never allowed into the temple would now be allowed to go in!
Now get this point. The  real answer to this man’s problem   was  not   receiving a  ‘miracle’. The problems of this world are not going to be met by receiving your miracle as the local faith healers would advertise. The answer is neither  in the miracle which he might   receive  or  the money which he may get.  The true  answer is Jesus!  He was receiving Jesus . In the Name of JESUS, WALK! And he was going to do so much more  than  walking . He was praising God. He was giving glory to  God! (3:9) 

The stage is now for the sermon  or explanation which Peter  gives in reply.

2.      THE MESSAGE WHICH EXPOUNDS THE NAME OF JESUS :

The people are astonished!  
See Peter’s reply in v. 12! “Men of Israel why does this surprise you?”
And immediately he addresses the issue that the  people are thinking about.
The people think that this has something to do with Peter and John’s power.
The people’s  focus is on the men, and not on the power that moves these men.
But Peter says: “Don’t look at us! Look at God! Look at Jesus!”    We  are vehicles (means) , but the power is of God (v. 13)

Why has God done this outstanding miracle  through Peter and John?
V. 13 provides the answer.  
God  has wanted to glorify His Son Jesus in this instance.  God  wanted to show  the world  the  other true nature  of  Jesus – the  God - nature that was consistently  resisted  by  the Jews and their leaders ! 
As a result  they  had  denied Him  (3: 13, 14)  and killed  Him (3:15).
They thought  that they had gotten rid of Him!  
But God has raised Him from the dead! (3:15b) Truly Jesus’ name is glorified by this! 
The healing is attributed to Jesus  and more glory  is brought  to His name. 

THE KEY QUESTION ARISES NOW :
We marvel at the  miraculous healing of this man.  
But why do so many other people not get healed? 
What was the purpose of this healing if all  do not get healed ?

3:21  KEY VERSE TO THE QUESTION :  "...that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, [21] whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago..."

Jesus is the Restorer of all things. Why not now  and for all people  at this time?   Note that  this healing is spoken of as in the future! Now the question again : Why does Jesus not heal everybody?
 The plain answer is this : Because  the restoration has not taken place yet.
We are currently  living in the time of  sin and decay.
The perfect has not yet come (1 Cor. 13:10).    
This miracle is a sign of what is yet to be. It is a sign of the coming kingdom.
It is not yet normative.  And so , even in Jesus day, not all the sick, lame and diseased were healed. This is a preview  concerning what  shall yet be  (like a trailer to a movie)

But be assured: On the day when Jesus comes to restore all things, not  one  will be blind.
There will be  no  lame and no  cripples in  the heavenly temple- sanctuary when Jesus restores all things! 
Nobody will enter God’s presence with any defects!
Do you now understand the O.T. picture in Leviticus ? The temple foreshadows the perfect  place called heaven!

Joni Eraeckson Tada, the lady who became a quadriplegic through a swimming accident has been a source of inspiration and encouragement to countless people through her books and testimony. She has never been healed, even though at one time a special ‘healing meeting’ in her earlier days had been arranged.  Joni says  this:  “On resurrection day I will be on my feet dancing!”

Jinelle Judd,  a  young  member of our church in the nineties, with  extreme  disability,  is now with the LORD . On resurrection day  she will  receive  her  perfect  body – praising God with a clear tongue  and clothed in her new resurrection body!)

What is the problem today?
We want to create heaven on earth!  We do not want to adhere to God’s schedule.  Only Jesus will create heaven on earth.  
This healing of the  crippled beggar  must not be expected as normative, it is a sign  and a promise of the coming kingdom!
There is no doubt that the world needs to be fixed.
The question is, who is going to do it?
Are faith healers going to do it?
Are people with kind deeds and cash going to do it?

No, we can only bring temporary relief to this world’s pain!

But we can bring  Jesus to  people and people to Jesus , And when people  believe and trust in Jesus  they are  going to be fine for eternity.  Even if He does not provide us with a miracle for healing now, He will in time  –  in  fact , in the time of the resurrection, when   He  shall restore all things.
It  will  be  a world in which there will be no disability and no disease.

RESPONSE NEEDED?

The Jews made a great mistake. They despised the name of Jesus.
Peter is willing to grant them that they did what they did in ignorance (3:17).
But ignorance is ultimately no excuse in a law court. The soul that sins shall die. What recourse do they  and we have?


REPENT!  [19] Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, [20] that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you..." 
Repentance is  found in looking  to Jesus for the  forgiveness of  your sins.
Repent ! Stop the sin of   trying to create   heaven on earth for yourself now.  It will not   happen until the restoration. Will you be  a part of  Christ's new kingdom?
Repent! Stop the sin of refusing to listen to Jesus now.  
Repent ! Look to Jesus now  and forever , and  know that  He holds the real  future   
  
There is  truly no other name to trust in 

1 Timothy 3:1-7 “Biblical Eldership”

I remember  somewhere in the mid - nineties   calling an older seasoned pastor, saying  to him, ”please help, I am struggling to give the church direction  amidst some  difficult challenges from  some people”.  I distinctly remember  his  fatherly  tone  and sensible biblical  advice  which he gave me, and it made all the difference at that time! 
The church at Ephesus, led by a young pastor called Timothy   needed  help from Paul, his fatherly mentor.

In chapter 1  we have seen Paul  settling the matter  of apostolic doctrine as opposed  to the heterodox  teaching  by certain persons in the church.  He tells Timothy  to charge certain persons not to teach  any different doctrine. The work of the pastor elder is to protect the church from  spiritual wolves  and to maintain sound doctrine.     

In chapter 2 Paul  addressed a few matters pertaining to the  public worship of the church. He addressed  the importance of  public  prayer  for all kinds of people and especially those in authority. The stability of  family, church  and country  depends on this.  Furthermore, Paul addressed the matter of  the public  conduct of men  and women  in worship.  We observed that his teaching  is a mixture of  biblical principles  (which are unchanging) and peculiar cultural  matters  related to  the unique setting of the church   in the city of Ephesus,[1] which was hugely dominated by the cult of the goddess Diana, otherwise known as  Artemis of the Ephesians [2]

In chapter 3 Paul  now addresses the matter  of  pastoral  and diaconal  leadership  in the church.  Here  we find   a vital  key to  the health of the church. The health of the church  depends on  the  quality of its  pastoral and diaconal leadership. At Eastside we have been making slow but significant  progress in this area. I have been amazed at the resistance and apathy  to  the establishment of these  biblical offices in the church  over 27 years, but I  do understand  that Satan would resist our attempt  to  develop  biblical leadership,   since he cannot flourish  in churches where  a biblical church order prevails.   Sound leadership is essential  and we see this  in   the O.T. where  the welfare of the nation was  always dependent  on the effectiveness of its leaders.  Israel  was either blessed or cursed  under  good or bad leaderships. The same is true for the N.T. church. The secret of good church  leaderships seems to lie in the fact that we choose our elders and deacons according to the biblical pattern prescribed in 1 Timothy 3. 

A STUDY OF 1 TIMOTHY  3 :1-7  Concerning  Overseers

Before we look at the   aspects or qualifications   that  would guide us in the appointment of church elders, we  must consider  the introductory statement  in v. 1 : “The saying is trustworthy”. This is the second time  which Paul  makes this statement (see 1:15)and  he  will continue to make a series of such statements throughout  the pastoral epistles[3]. So, this  is a reliable public saying, which Paul endorses  here as reliable: “If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.”   We point out that the word overseer (Gr. episkopos),  pastor (Gr. poimēn), elder (presbuteros)  and are used synonymously in the Bible. 

Some people  may  be asking at this point whether  the desire   to become an elder or pastor  lies  with one’s own desire.  It is clear from Scripture[4]   that the   root of such a desire   lies with  the God who calls and equips us  for such a ministry. It is  also true however to say that  such a call works itself  out in terms of  an inner desire, as was the case in my own calling  to the pastoral ministry. There is  a threefold process  involved in a pastoral calling (i) the call of God  (ii) the  inward aspiration  (iii)  the  affirmation of the church. 
In this regard  we must point out that  whilst pastoral gifts (along with all gifts) belong to  men and women alike, pastoral leadership  is restricted by  God  to certain qualified  males (described in our text).  We all have the duty  to choose them wisely.

The Marks of Elder Leadership :
As we survey the  marks of  elder leadership  we take note that  they relate to  the moral and spiritual character of the man. “Therefore an overseer must be above reproach.”  The meaning of "above reproach" is defined by the character qualities that follow in our text. cannot mean “faultless”, for no one would qualify, if that were the case. But it must mean that  such leadership must be exemplary.   In both of Paul’s lists of elder qualifications[5], the first, specific, character virtue itemized is "the husband of one wife." This means that each elder must be above reproach in his marital  life.

The other character qualities stress the elder’s integrity, self-control, and spiritual maturity. Since elders govern the church body, each one must be self-controlled in the use of money, alcohol, and the exercise of his pastoral authority. Since each elder is to be a model of Christian living, he must be spiritually devout, righteous, a lover of good, hospitable, and morally above reproach before the non-Christian community.

In pastoral work, relationship skills are preeminent. Thus a shepherd elder must be gentle, stable, sound-minded, and  non- contentious. An angry, hot-headed man hurts people. So, an elder must not have a dictatorial spirit. He must not  be quick-tempered,  quick to get embroiled in fights and arguments , or  be self-willed.  In addition  an elder must not be a new Christian. He must be a spiritually mature, humble, time-proven disciple of Jesus Christ.

Abilities: 
Within the lists of elder qualifications, three requirements address the elder’s abilities to perform the task. He must be (i) able to manage his family household well, (ii) he must provide a model of Christian living for others to follow, and (iii) be able to teach and defend the faith.

           (i) Able to manage his family household well:    The scriptural reasoning here is that if a man cannot shepherd his family, he can’t shepherd the extended family of the church. Managing the local church is more like managing a family than managing a business or governing a city or  country. A man may be a successful businessman, a capable public official, a brilliant office manager, or a top military leader, but be a terrible church elder or father. Thus a man’s ability to oversee his family well is a prerequisite for overseeing God’s household.

        (ii) Able to provide a model for others to follow: An elder must be an example of Christian living that others will want to follow. Peter reminds the Asian elders "to be examples to the flock" (1 Pet. 5:3b). If a man is not a godly model for others to follow, he cannot be an elder,  even if he is otherwise  a good teacher and manager. The greatest way to inspire and influence people for God is through personal example. Character and deeds, not official position or title, is what really influences people for eternity.  We need to see authentic examples of true Christianity in action. That is why it is so important that an elder must be an example  and  a living imitator of Christ.

       (iii) Able to teach and defend the faith: An elder must be able to teach and defend the faith. It doesn’t matter how eloquent a man  may be  in his speech,  or how intelligent he is. If he is not firmly committed to historic, apostolic doctrine and able to instruct people in biblical doctrine, he does not qualify to be a biblical elder (1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:9).  The New Testament requires that a pastor- elder "must  hold firm to  the trustworthy  word as taught, so that  he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also rebuke those who contradict it.” (Titus 1:9). This means that an elder must firmly adhere to orthodox, historic, biblical teaching. Elders cannot afford to  experiment  with  the latest religious fads  and  doctrines. Since the local church is "the pillar and buttress of the truth" (1 Tim. 3: 15b), its leaders must be rock-solid pillars of biblical doctrine,  or the house will crumble. An elder must be characterized by doctrinal integrity.  A prospective elder must have  acquired  for himself a  solid  habit  of years of  reading and study of Scripture. He must be able  to reason intelligently from  Scripture. He ought to  have  formulated  his doctrinal  convictions. He ought to be able  to  teach others.

A biblical eldership is a biblically qualified team of shepherd leaders. The local church must insist on biblically qualified elders, even if such men take years to develop. Unqualified elders provide no significant benefit to the church. It is better  to have no elders than the wrong ones! Because of  the real  problem of pride, Scripture also advises us  that a recent convert  should not be an elder: " He must  not be  a new convert, or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of  the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6).

Serving Elders !
New Testament  elders are to be servant leaders,  and not rulers or dictators. Elders are  called  to live a life of service.  Like the Lord Jesus , their  leader example ,  elders  sacrifice their time and energy for the good of others.

In addition to shepherding others with a servant spirit, the elders must humbly and lovingly relate to one another. They must be able to patiently build consensus. The must be able  to  compromise on non- essentials. They must be able to listen, handle disagreement, forgive, receive rebuke and correction, confess sin, and appreciate the wisdom and perspective of others.  Older, stronger and more gifted elders must not use their giftedness  to   manipulate. Power struggles  in the pastoral leadership  endangers  the unity and  the peace of the entire congregation.

To be  a serving elder does not imply, however, an absence of authority. The New Testament terms that describe the elders’ position,"shepherd, overseer, elder” imply authority as well as responsibility. As shepherds of the church, elders have been given the authority to lead and protect the local church (Acts 20:28-31). The key issue is the attitude in which elders exercise that authority. They depend on God for wisdom and help, not on their own power and cleverness. Biblical elders do not dictate; they direct. True elders do not command the consciences of their congregation,  but  they would appeal to their  congregation to faithfully follow  the Lord Jesus in obeying God’s Word.

True elders  bear the misunderstandings and sins of other people so that the assembly may live in peace. They lose sleep so that others may rest. They make  personal sacrifices of time and energy for the welfare of others. At times they face  attacks. At all times  they guard the  church’s  liberty and freedom in Christ, and to create an environment  in  which the members  are encouraged to  thrive  and  to develop their gifts, and so to  become  mature.

These are the kind of men we ought to pray for, to lead our  church. Pray that God will give  Eastside  Baptist Church godly shepherds – even better ones   than you have had. 
Don’t take them for granted.  
Pray for your elders. 
Be involved in choosing them when such times arise. 
Encourage them  by  your obedience to Jesus.  
Amen !




[2]  See  Acts 19:21-41 . The Temple of Artemis or Artemision (Greek: Ἀρτεμίσιον)  also known less precisely as the Temple of Diana, was a Greek temple dedicated to the goddess Artemis. It was located in Ephesus (near the modern town of Selçuk in present-day Turkey). One of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, it was completely rebuilt three times before its eventual destruction in 401 AD. Only foundations and sculptural fragments of the latest of the temples at the site remain. [ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_of_Artemis
[3] See also 4:9 ; 2 Tim 2:11 ; Titus 3:8
[4]  E.g. Acts 20:28
[5]  here, and  Titus 1: 5-9

Sunday, July 17, 2016

1 Timothy 2:8-15 “Men and Women in Worship ”

Paul urged Timothy  to  sort out the  false  teaching that had crept into the church at Ephesus.  This letter  (as  were all the letters  of Paul) was  written in response to specific  issues and  problems  which had arisen in some of  the churches that were brought into existence as a result of his preaching on his various missionary journeys. These  letters  are so very    valuable today, for they form a part  of   the Holy Scriptures which  constitute  our  source of authority and  a reliable  guide for  our church practice.

Today’s passage is  difficult, particularly verses 11-15. How  shall  we understand this  text? I am not here  to give you a lecture  on what many interpreters have said  concerning the text. That might be appropriate for our Thursday evening School of the Bible, but  not for  a Sunday  worship  service. And yet  I cannot get around   introducing you  to  some  important rules  in terms of interpreting the Bible responsibly.  I have  benefited much  from John Stott’s  commentary[1] in  this study. I have always appreciated him for his  balanced  mind  in  matters of responsible interpretation.  In his introduction to this passage, he deals first  with  “Hermeneutical principles”. Hermeneutics is the  science of interpretation, especially of the Scriptures. The best I can do is  to  give you a brief, and I trust  understandable synopsis  of some  principles which ought to undergird the interpretation of such a complex passage. 

One of the  important principles in biblical interpretation   is to understand  the difference  between   a fixed principle (unchangeable)    and  a cultural  element (which may be variable). “… We  have to discern in Scripture between God’s essential revelation (which is changeless) and its cultural expression (which is changeable).” [2]  So, how shall we distinguish between them? How  shall we know what is a fixed  biblical  principle and what is  cultural, and therefore  variable? What cannot change and what can change?   We will apply these questions to our passage in a moment.  Before we do,  we need to consider  a few typical  to hermeneutical approaches  to such passages in the Bible.  I will mention  three, and the last  one will be that of  John Stott. I would  agree with him substantially. 

1.            there are those  who see no difference between  principle  and  cultural  expression in the Bible. The Bible is considered  literal in every respect. This school  believes that you cannot tamper with the Bible by deciding  which is which. All  belongs  to the Word of God,  and if this school is consistent in interpreting our passage  in  1 Timothy 2:8–15,  then they must  insist that men must always lift up their hands when they pray (2:8), that women must never plait their hair or wear jewellery (2:9), and that under  no circumstances  whatsoever may women teach men (2:11–12). The problem with  staunch literalists is that they are never consistent in their application of this principle. 

2.               On the other hand there are those who see   such texts in the Bible as  anachronistic, outdated and of no value for  our times. So, for instance a commentator  named   William Barclay (a liberal scholar)  whose commentaries were extremely popular a number of years ago,  dismissed  everything  in this passage  saying,  “ all things in this chapter are mere temporary regulations to meet a given situation”[3]. Everything  becomes  merely a cultural expression and simply relates to the times in which  this was written. The problem with this school of interpretation is that they ultimately make us believe  that the Bible  has little to say that is relevant today. This school often glories in its own cleverness and makes the mind of man the final arbiter of truth.

3.              John Stott introduces a third view, which he calls cultural transposition [4]. He takes a middle road  by saying that we need to make a distinction  in the Bible concerning  what is  God’s essential unchangeable  revelation, and  what is cultural and bound by  specific  and peculiar circumstances of the  day,   and  which is therefore  changeable

A good  example  of such a distinction may  be made  from  John 13,  where  Jesus  washes the feet of His disciples, and then  commands His disciples  to wash one another’s feet. Now do we do that here at Eastside? Why  not? Do we not believe  the  command of Jesus here? The answer is this: We are making a distinction between essence and form. What is the essence  of Jesus teaching in John 13: 1-17?  It is surely the matter of being  servants  to one another. Jesus came to be a servant  to us, and He wants us to serve one another. That is the essence of  His teaching, and it is timeless.  But what is the form in which He communicates  His teaching?    By way of washing  their feet, and it is cultural! It was totally appropriate to the situation in Jesus’s day. Middle eastern feet were always dirty because  there was  so much dust. Everyone walked, and people wore sandals.  We don’t do that in the city.  But  what about today?   How would you communicate  being a servant to your brothers and sisters at Eastside?  How about  looking after the little ones in crèche  while their young parents are  been given a moment of quiet  to sit under the Word of God? What about  serving  our visitors with  friendship  and tea after the service?  The possibilities are  endless. 
 
Let’s look at our text then in terms of essentials  and form.  Ask yourself, “What is essential  and non-negotiable here,  and what is form or  what  is cultural and therefore changeable and negotiable?”  

In our text we find the apostle  Paul giving direction to Timothy and the church in  Ephesus in three  areas, in  the context of the public worship of the church. 
The instruction regards, (i) men’s prayers (2:8), (ii) women’s adornment (2:9–10) (iii) Women’s roles in public worship (2:11–15).

1. Men and their prayers (2:8)

“I desire then  that in every place  the  men  should pray, lifting holy hands, without anger or quarrelling.” The application is not difficult.  What is the essence here? Men should pray. Men should pray with  clean  consciences, without anger  or quarrelling. God does not hear the prayers of men  who harbour unforgiveness, anger or bitterness in their hearts. God wants holy  hearts.  What about the form? The form employed here is ‘lifting of holy hands in prayer’.  The point is that  bodily posture is a revelation  of the  soul, and so you can  show your  holy heart in the form  of raising your hands, but also  by standing, kneeling or sitting. It is cultural. It is variable, and therefore it is secondary to the principle  or essence.

2. Women and their adornment (2:9-10)

“…likewise also  that  should adorn  themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self- control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls  or  costly attire, 10 but with what is proper   for women who profess godliness – with good works.”  

Likewise… certainly Paul expected women to engage in public prayer! But he makes a particular  application to women  participating in worship.   He says that he would not like them to  be ostentatious  in their  appearance. So the principle  relates to  modesty, self-control, good works, and this with respect to  displays of clothing, hairstyle and jewellery which Ephesian women wore.   But is hairstyle , clothing and jewellery a problem in every culture? No! These have different  meanings in different cultures. Stott reminds us that “Christian women in Ephesus needed to make sure  that their attire in no way reflected  that of the hundreds of prostitutes who were employed in the great goddess Diana’s temple…”[5] The principle is modesty; the form is  dress, hairstyles  and  jewellery, and  so we are going to have to determine  at local church  level  what  hinders the  progress  of the gospel   in our public worship. What about  being underdressed and being too revealing in terms of your body? 

3. Women and their roles (2:11-15)

“Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.”

Let us see whether we can  apply the same logic  with reference to principle  and to  culture or form. What is the unchanging biblical principle  here? Surely the  established principle  is  found in verses 13 & 14  which refers back to  Genesis 2, the creation  of man and woman. The  context of created order clearly  establishes  the  doctrine  of the headship of men in society. In  v.15  the  role  of the woman is established: “she will be saved  through childbearing… “ (v.15).  This  is not easy to see at face value, but it is utterly profound.

The salvation  spoken of here is not  salvation from sin.  The context  is still about the woman’s role  in the church.  The primary role of the man  in church is  to lead in worship.  What is a  woman‘s primary role? It is in the bearing and raising of  little worshippers for the glory of God! This logic may stun  you for a moment, but consider   the   deeper theological  reason for the redemption of a woman behind this. Since  the woman led mankind into the fall, and hence into death, the  bearing  of children – the giving of life  delivers or saves her from  that stigma. Think about it. Mary gave birth to the Lord Jesus, the incarnate Son of God. By this act she gave the world our Saviour. All who look to Him will be saved!    The woman  who  led  mankind into death is  now  given the privilege of  replenishing  mankind. And  that’s not all. She  has the  wonderful  privilege of nurturing  and praying  her offspring   back to  the position where her children   rise to call her blessed ! (Prov. 31)
What about single  Christian women?  Normally,  God’s plan is for women  to be married and to have children. Those that do not  have  children  by God’s providence, will be able by God’s grace to focus their energies into fields in  the church, in which they can  be greatly used in terms of  nurturing spiritual children. God’s plan  for a woman  (generally) is  that she   should influence  mankind  by way of the child , the cradle  and not by  way of usurping the  role of the man.  

I must end here for today. Now clearly, there  was a problem  in Ephesus. The cult of the goddess Diana  had  tempted women  to work against creation order. So  at face value, Paul’s statement   here appears to be quite harsh and quite radical, because  the life of the church was at stake. Radical  times require  radical responses.  But understand the context. Christian women in Ephesus needed to find  the biblical balance. They needed to submit  themselves  to qualified  male  church leadership, because God demanded  it.    Does this  mean that women   must always be quiet, and that they never have anything profitable  to say to men? Surely not!  According to Scripture  the spiritual gifts of God have been equally given to men and women, BUT  this needs to be worked out against  the  background of male leadership.  And  under godly  leadership, submissive to God and the church, an environment is created which ought to cause both women and men     to flourish  in terms of teaching  and  in terms of employing  their  gifts.   In God’s economy there is no place for rivalry and competition. The church  is created by God  for all to exist in unity  by submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ (Eph. 5:21), as we all partake  in our God given roles, spiritual gifts and callings in a context where men  lead  with Christ- likeness and  in which   women  are enabled to flourish  in  Christ-likeness in  every way. 
Amen 




[1] John Stott : The Message of Timothy and Titus , BST series ( IVP) , p.74
[2] Ibid p.78
[3] John Stott :  The Message of Timothy and Titus , p. 75
[4] Ibid. p.78
[5] Ibid p.84

Friday, July 15, 2016

1 Timothy 2: 1- 7 : “Public Worship and Public Prayer”


Paul had left Timothy  in Ephesus  to sort out  matters threatening the existence of the  church  (1:3-11).  Being  a young pastor in challenging circumstances is not for the fainthearted.   Young pastors (Timothy) need older pastors (Paul)   who can  guide them  by experience  and by  godly wisdom, older men who  can  say to younger men in  their distress,  “…well,  I have  seen this  kind of problem before, and it’s not going to destroy the church,  because I know that the  mercy, grace and peace (1:2)  of the Lord Jesus Christ  will keep the church”. And so we find Paul writing this letter  to help his younger colleague  with respect to   shepherding  the church  through  its   various challenges.

As we progress through  this letter, we find  today Paul’s counsel to Timothy concerning    the importance of  public prayer in worship.  Today,  we are reminded from the Scriptures that  prayer, and especially public prayer  is no side issue  in the church. It ought to be  a core activity in the life of the Christian church. Whatever we fail to    do as a  church, we cannot fail  in  being faithful in prayer, and particularly in public prayer. 

Vv.1-2  Paul says: “FIRST OF ALL then (or therefore), I urge that supplications (requests), prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and a quiet life , godly and dignified in every way.”  

(i) “First of all…” here means, as a matter of first priority, indicating that  prayer is no  arbitrary matter.

(ii) The little word  “then” (or ‘therefore’) connects  Paul’s  thoughts with  the preceding context in 1:18–20 and gives us a reason why  prayer  is significant.  There  Paul  exhorted  Timothy to "wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience"[1].  He reminds Timothy that by  rejecting faith and a good conscience, one  may  run the risk  of making  shipwreck of  one’s faith. This had been  the sad  case  of men  like   Hymenaeus and Alexander[2] (1:20)[3].  We had seen  earlier  that the church at Ephesus  was  being undermined  by people who were teaching  a different doctrine  (1:3), and  Paul  exhorted Timothy that  he needed  to bring the church back to the  true gospel. 

Clearly, the church  is at war, and very often the war comes right into the church, bringing with it inevitable casualties (see 1:6,20). Pastors themselves  are always at risk  in such  situations, for  they too can  become casualties if they do not hold tightly on to the gospel of  the Lord Jesus with faith and a good conscience.  The  church needs faithful  and  conscientious  soldiers  who are not ashamed of the gospel of  Jesus. The church  was empowered by the Lord Jesus after His ascension and at Pentecost   to   spearhead  the advance of the gospel in a fallen world.  She is  the  agent  by which  the gates of hell are pushed back,  and therefore she is   Satan’s sworn enemy.   It is against this background  that  Paul reminds  Timothy   concerning the importance of  prayer. Paul’s actual letter to the Ephesians   in  6: 18-20 reveals that prayer is a significant tool  in this spiritual war.  The church  gains ground in the world when she prays. Conversely, she loses ground when she doesn’t  pray!

(iii) I urge[4]  (Gr. parakaleō ; to exhort , beseech)…  indicating again  that  this is a priority.  Paul urges  Timothy that   he  must lead the church  in prayer  for  all kinds of  people. Think about  that for a few moments. This  congregation of Jewish and Gentile Christians  is found  in an hostile environment.  Nero is the emperor, and  the  Roman authorities who  crucified Jesus  are not friendly to Christians. In addition,  the  Jewish community  in Rome  is  antagonistic to  Christians.   Paul is saying to these Christians,  “put your requests, or supplications forward to God for all kinds of people;  pray for  all kinds of people; intercede for all kinds of people, and where applicable  give thanks  for  all kinds of  people,  even  for the government under which you  live.”  This is a remarkable  exhortation,  given  the fact that Christians  lived under precarious circumstances  in the Roman world.

(iv) “… that we may lead a peaceful and a quiet life, godly and dignified in every way.” One of the goals of prayer  is  seen here :  By prayer we ask God  to enter into the hearts and minds  of all kinds of people in our society, especially  kings and all those who are in high positions,  who potentially have so much power  to disrupt our lives  by causing us not to live  in peace and in quiet and with dignity. Part of our  public prayer is therefore to pray for our country, our politicians and our churches so that  we may life in peace and quiet and with dignity. This is the essential foundation for the spread of the gospel. Christians desire an ordered society for the sake of all its citizens, but especially because then we can fulfill our God-given responsibilities without hindrance.

Therefore we  read next…

Vv. 3-4  This (prayer)  is  good and pleasing  in the sight of God our Saviour , who desires  all people to be saved  and to come to the knowledge of the truth.  Here are some further goals of prayer. Paul says  that  such prayer  which  seeks the face of God, is good. God is pleased  to hear such prayer,  and so we as a church need to hear this , understand this,  and do this, because  (this is another goal in prayer)  this sort of prayer   underlies  effective  biblical evangelism of our  community.    Therefore in prayer (and especially public prayer)  we make requests of God; we pray; we  intercede;  we give thanks  where it is appropriate  and   remember  that  the goal of our  public prayer is the salvation  of all kinds of people.  Here Paul encourages  Timothy  to lead the church in prayer  that  all kinds of people  would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.   In this prayer there is a promise  for us. If God expects us to pray, and if  such prayer is good and  pleasing to God  then we can  confidently say  that  prayer is a public means of grace.  That means that we can expect that God will  answer such prayers  because they are good and pleasing to Him. They are in accordance with God’s goals that the whole world  would hear His Word.   And  so, Paul  was saying to Timothy, “Make sure  that  among the other elements  of worship on the Lord’s day, you lead  the Ephesian church in prayer for all kinds of people, including kings and all in authority. 

In this regard , the wise words of Bishop John Charles Ryle come to mind:
“It is easy to criticise and find fault with the conduct of kings, and write furious articles against them in newspapers, or make violent speeches about them on platforms. Any fool can rip and rend a costly garment, but not every man can cut out and make one. To expect perfection in kings, prime ministers, or rulers of any kind, is senseless and unreasonable. We should exhibit more wisdom if we prayed for them more, and criticised less” [5].

And now take notice  concerning the extent of this prayer :“pray for all people…”  (2:1)… God, our Saviour, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”(2:4). All people! What are we to understand here? Are we to  literally expect  all people on earth to be saved as a result of our prayer?   As desirable as we may find this thought, it is not  likely that  this was what Paul had in mind  when he wrote this.  What Paul had in mind  was based  on  an Old Testament hope, namely  that  one day “the earth would be filled with the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea”[6], namely  that all the nations  would be united  in the worship of the One  True God.  It is thus not so much every person that is in mind here (although we should always work and pray as if everyone  could be saved), but the big  thought here is that  all kinds of people and from all kinds of nations  are envisaged here. Is this not what we are seeing today? Haven’t the nations everywhere become aware of the  Lord Jesus? Is this not what we are publicly praying for every Sunday night as we systematically pray for the countries of our world?

Vv.5 &6 “For there is one God and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony  given at the proper time.“ The reason  why we are praying for the whole world  is because of these  words. There is not  one God for the Muslim world and many gods for  the Hindu world. NO! Why should we pray for all people? Because there is only  one  true God. There is only one  true Saviour. He  alone is the one hope of all humanity, and  if   He is  the only  hope, then it follows  that if we don't pray for the world, what hope does the world have?  And if this is God’s  desire for the world  then this must move us  as Christians to pray for all kinds of people.

V.7For  this I was appointed as a preacher and an apostle ( I am telling the truth, I am not lying), a teacher of the gentiles in faith and truth .”   Paul includes himself in the mission of God.  He  tells us  here  that God's  desire for the world  is what propelled  him into the ministry. The proof of the power of Paul's ministry to the Gentiles is  we  who are  gathered here in this auditorium today! You and I would not be  here today if God not appointed Paul to take this message not just to the Jew, but also to the Gentiles.

CONCLUSION :
Paul is  outlining  the basis of  world missions through the church. The  primary means by which God  does this  is by    prayer, praying first,  that  the people of a nation, including their rulers would be favourably disposed, if not converted to the gospel. This makes  gospel preaching easier. It is not easy or possible  to preach the gospel in the war torn Middle East.

It is surely  God’s desire that the nations should receive the gospel. There is no other Saviour, no other Name given  by which man can be saved. This is why we are here this morning  to   make sure that God’s Word is  widely spread  in our city, country, continent  and world by prayer and the Word. This is the old  and proven apostolic method (Acts 6:4). 

Thank God,  that Paul and Timothy bore this conviction, and because of their faithfulness  in preaching the gospel to the gentiles we are here this morning to also celebrate the Lord’s Supper. 

Jesus  died for all those that would  be brokenhearted over their sin, and who would look to Him for the answer to that sin, and  who  come to Him. 
Amen



[1] See also 1:5
[2] Alexander is also mentioned in 2  Tim 4:14
[3] throughout this epistle,  Paul talks about those  who  have  wandered away  from the faith see also 1:6 ;  6:10,21
[4] Gr. parakaleo – to exhort  see also   1:3
[5] J.C. Ryle  :  The Upper Room ,  Chapter 21  “For Kings”, p.264
[6]  Num,.  14:21; Ps 57:5,11; 72:19 ; Isa 11:9 ; Hab. 2:14

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