Acts 15:37 Now Barnabas was determined to take with them John called Mark.
38 But Paul insisted that they should not take with them the one who had departed from
them in Pamphylia, and had not gone with them to the work.
39 Then the contention became so sharp that they parted from one another. And so Barnabas took Mark and sailed to Cyprus;
40 but Paul chose Silas and departed, being commended by the brethren to the grace of God.
Although Barnabas is one of the most important men in the New Testament, you rarely hear about him. He trained Paul when Paul was a new Christian, and he got the other Christians to accept Paul. He went on some of Paul's journeys with him, and Paul mentions him in some of his epistles. Acts 14:14 tells us that Barnabas even became an apostle.
But then they had a conflict. Mark had deserted Paul and Barnabas under stress. Later, Barnabas wanted to give Mark another chance, and he and Paul became so angry at each other that they ended their friendship. Verse 40 indicates that the Christians took Paul's side in the conflict. Even John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church, blamed everything on Barnabas. And while Paul went on to write more Epistles and still had a major ministry, Barnabas is never mentioned again. So Paul won and Barnabas lost.
But Barnabas was right. He got Mark straightened out. Years later, from prison, Paul would write "Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry." 2Ti 4:11 And the apostle Peter would refer to him as "Mark my son." 1Pe 5:13 And Mark would write one of the Four Gospels.
It is wrong for Christians to fight. And winning the fight does not prove that you did the right thing.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
Jas 3:2 For we all stumble in many things.
It's a dangerous thing for a Christian to go around threatening the wrath of God on another Christian. I can't prove this from Scripture, but my personal observation is that the accuser is usually more guilty that the person being accused.
God's Word teaches that He judges us by the standard we set. When we teach that the judgment of God on a Christian is a source of joy, and something to be rejoiced over publicly, we set a standard for God to use in dealing with us. Since none of us are what we ought to be, we are better off obeying the Scriptural commands to love one another, not to judge one another, and to forgive one another.
It's a dangerous thing for a Christian to go around threatening the wrath of God on another Christian. I can't prove this from Scripture, but my personal observation is that the accuser is usually more guilty that the person being accused.
God's Word teaches that He judges us by the standard we set. When we teach that the judgment of God on a Christian is a source of joy, and something to be rejoiced over publicly, we set a standard for God to use in dealing with us. Since none of us are what we ought to be, we are better off obeying the Scriptural commands to love one another, not to judge one another, and to forgive one another.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Pruning a Christian
John 15:2-8
2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit...
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit...
8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
God "prunes" every branch that bears fruit. The Greek word refers to a gardener using a knife to trim dead, sick, and bad material off of a plant. The word refers to cleaning, cutting away, and carrying away. Jesus went on to explain that if we stay close to Him, we'll bear a lot of fruit. Why? Because He will work in that Christian to purge away anything that prevents fruit. And then in verse 8, Jesus explains that only those who bear much fruit are His dsciples.
The pastor of a large and successful church had gotten saved out of an evil life. Although a new Christian, he sometimes returned to the bars he had frequented, to play pool and gamble. One night, he had his week's pay in his pocket, when he startled gambling at pool games. He got involved with a pool shark, who won the man's entire paycheck at a single game. He told us that he promised God right then and there that he would never gamble again, and he went on to become a successful preacher and soul-winner.
Chastening is painful, but it produces fruit in a Christian's life.
2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit...
He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit...
8 "By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.
God "prunes" every branch that bears fruit. The Greek word refers to a gardener using a knife to trim dead, sick, and bad material off of a plant. The word refers to cleaning, cutting away, and carrying away. Jesus went on to explain that if we stay close to Him, we'll bear a lot of fruit. Why? Because He will work in that Christian to purge away anything that prevents fruit. And then in verse 8, Jesus explains that only those who bear much fruit are His dsciples.
The pastor of a large and successful church had gotten saved out of an evil life. Although a new Christian, he sometimes returned to the bars he had frequented, to play pool and gamble. One night, he had his week's pay in his pocket, when he startled gambling at pool games. He got involved with a pool shark, who won the man's entire paycheck at a single game. He told us that he promised God right then and there that he would never gamble again, and he went on to become a successful preacher and soul-winner.
Chastening is painful, but it produces fruit in a Christian's life.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Is God Gonna' Get You?
Does God go around punishing His children? If something bad happens to a Christian, is that proof that God is punishing him? Let's look at the entire passage we quoted last time:
Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Verse 5 says "when," not "if," you are rebuked by God.
Verse 6 says that God scourges "every" son whom He receives.
Verse 8 says that "all" Christians receive this chastening, and if you don't, you are not really saved.
But aren't Christians delivered from the wrath of God? Yes, they are. Verse 5 explains that God is talking to His sons, not His enemies. A good father will chasten his children FOR THEIR OWN GOOD. God does not pour out His wrath on those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour. But God, as a loving Father, does correct His children for their own good.
Heb 12:5 And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: "My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him;
6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."
7 If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
8 But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
Verse 5 says "when," not "if," you are rebuked by God.
Verse 6 says that God scourges "every" son whom He receives.
Verse 8 says that "all" Christians receive this chastening, and if you don't, you are not really saved.
But aren't Christians delivered from the wrath of God? Yes, they are. Verse 5 explains that God is talking to His sons, not His enemies. A good father will chasten his children FOR THEIR OWN GOOD. God does not pour out His wrath on those who have accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour. But God, as a loving Father, does correct His children for their own good.
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
God's Gonna' Get You!!!!!
Heb 12:6 For whom the LORD loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives."
Comedy and tragedy sometimes combine when a Christian starts threatening the wrath of God on another Christian. As a Christian high school teacher, I had given a student a four-page writing assignment as punishment for talking in class. She lied to her parents about it, and her mother started hurling Scripture at me about the judgment of the wicked. She actually started shaking with joy at the thought of all the terrible things that were going to happen to me. Fortunately for me, I had been telling the truth, so none of those things happened to me.
Some people who had seized control of a good church actually called my wife on the telephone to warn her about the judgment of God on me for telling the truth. Several months later, they could be seen walking around town with enraged looks on their faces, after their fellow conspirators kicked them out of leadership.
But it is a common Christian error to believe that if something bad happens to a Christian, it proves that the Christian had sinned. Christians who are involved in a conflict, disobeying God's many commands for us to love one another, will often point to the misfortune of their opponent as proof that God is on their side.
DOES God choose sides by smiting one Christian, but not another? If something bad happens to you, is it God's way of punishing you for something? We'll be talking about this for the next few lessons.
Comedy and tragedy sometimes combine when a Christian starts threatening the wrath of God on another Christian. As a Christian high school teacher, I had given a student a four-page writing assignment as punishment for talking in class. She lied to her parents about it, and her mother started hurling Scripture at me about the judgment of the wicked. She actually started shaking with joy at the thought of all the terrible things that were going to happen to me. Fortunately for me, I had been telling the truth, so none of those things happened to me.
Some people who had seized control of a good church actually called my wife on the telephone to warn her about the judgment of God on me for telling the truth. Several months later, they could be seen walking around town with enraged looks on their faces, after their fellow conspirators kicked them out of leadership.
But it is a common Christian error to believe that if something bad happens to a Christian, it proves that the Christian had sinned. Christians who are involved in a conflict, disobeying God's many commands for us to love one another, will often point to the misfortune of their opponent as proof that God is on their side.
DOES God choose sides by smiting one Christian, but not another? If something bad happens to you, is it God's way of punishing you for something? We'll be talking about this for the next few lessons.
Friday, July 4, 2008
Why the Conflict? (Part 5)
"God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time," 1 Peter 5:5-6
It is almost inevitable that after Nicolaitans seize a church, the attendance goes down. They do not humble themselves by admitting that something is wrong, because they feel that since they are in power, things are going well. And they do not submit to authority; rather, they seize it. Since God is resisting them, their various plans and programs cannot reverse the decline of the church.
Soul-winners, on the other hand, cause church growth. Sometimes, they slow or even reverse the church's decline. But, inevitably, the soul-winners see that the Nicolaitans are cancelling them out. By submitting to authority, soul-winners receive the promise that God will exalt them at the proper time, which often means that they have to separate from a Nicolaitan church. The Nicolaitans then blame the soul-winners (instead of themselves) for the decline in attendance. When the soul-winners explain what happened, the Nicolaitans accuse them of bad-mouthing the church, and heap further blame on the soul-winners for the church's decline.
Soul-winners do not always get exalted to leadership positions. Instead, God elevates them to be better soul-winners. And since God cares about their new converts, He often leads them away from Nicolaitan churches.
It is almost inevitable that after Nicolaitans seize a church, the attendance goes down. They do not humble themselves by admitting that something is wrong, because they feel that since they are in power, things are going well. And they do not submit to authority; rather, they seize it. Since God is resisting them, their various plans and programs cannot reverse the decline of the church.
Soul-winners, on the other hand, cause church growth. Sometimes, they slow or even reverse the church's decline. But, inevitably, the soul-winners see that the Nicolaitans are cancelling them out. By submitting to authority, soul-winners receive the promise that God will exalt them at the proper time, which often means that they have to separate from a Nicolaitan church. The Nicolaitans then blame the soul-winners (instead of themselves) for the decline in attendance. When the soul-winners explain what happened, the Nicolaitans accuse them of bad-mouthing the church, and heap further blame on the soul-winners for the church's decline.
Soul-winners do not always get exalted to leadership positions. Instead, God elevates them to be better soul-winners. And since God cares about their new converts, He often leads them away from Nicolaitan churches.
Monday, June 30, 2008
Why the Conflict? (Part 4)
We have seen that the Bible promises blessings on those who humble themselves. 1 Peter 5:5 tells us "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble." Submission to authority produces humility, but Nicolaitans reject the idea that they, personally, should submit to authority.
Some months after I arrived in Mexico, I noticed something. Christians who were working for somebody else were getting results. Christians who "only answered to the Holy Spirit" weren't accomplishing anything. And Christians who concentrated on fighting their way into leadership were doing more harm that good.
Some months after I arrived in Mexico, I noticed something. Christians who were working for somebody else were getting results. Christians who "only answered to the Holy Spirit" weren't accomplishing anything. And Christians who concentrated on fighting their way into leadership were doing more harm that good.
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