Month: January 2017

Posted in Bible Doctrine

The Greatest Magic Trick of All Time… and the TRUTH

Posted on by James

The story of the Exodus is legendary – God rescuing & freeing His enslaved people; Moses, the insecure, fugitive outcast-turned-deliverer; the fantastic plagues; the Passover; the parting of the Red Sea; and one of the most intriguing elements of the Exodus – the Egyptian magicians. They were able to imitate the sign of Moses and even the first two plagues, but the magicians’ greatest trick is still fooling everyone in the 21st century?

 

Identifying the Magicians

Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. – 2 Timothy 3:8

Paul’s second letter to Timothy yields the two names that the Old Testament does not. Confirmation of Jannes & Jambres’ identity as two princes of Pharaoh’s magicians can be found everywhere from the Book of Jasher to Kabbalah, from Targum Jonathan to Pliny’s Natural History, from Jewish tradition to The Apocryphon of Jannes and Jambres the Magicians.

We would commonly define “magic” as sleight of hand/ illusion, but the true meaning of the word is sorcery, the use of hidden forces; it’s synonymous with witchcraft. It’s important to recognize the demonic powers behind these two magicians to see through their magic trick.

 

Recognizing their Trick

Jannes & Jambres withstood Moses by counterfeiting God’s work. The counterfeit signs looked so similar in style and content that it caused caused people to discount God’s power and disregard God’s message (Exodus 7:11-13. Exodus 7:22-23). 

The magicians mimicked Moses’ sign and turned their rods into serpents… but Moses’ rod (technically, Aaron’s) ate the rods of the magicians, illustrating their inferiority to the power of God. Likewise, the magicians imitated the plague of water into blood and the plague of frogs, but they failed to copy the the plague of lice and subsequent plagues (theories for which are as stimulating as they are varied). The primary lesson is that the magicians’ imitations, though impressive & similar, lack the power of God.

 

Seeing the Relevance

One of the great keys to Bible study is to observe & analyze the use of LIKE and AS. Let’s look at the context of the naming of these two magicians.

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. –  2 Timothy 3:1-8

Observe that Paul prophesies that in the “last days” false teachers will have a “form of godliness” but will deny the power thereof – Just like Jannes & Jambres had a form of God’s work but were of a different power. The false teachers will deceive people “AS” Jannes & Jambres withstood Moses. In other words, false teachers will cause people to discount God’s power and disregard God’s message the same way as the magicians – through counterfeits.

Make no mistake, Satan consistently COUNTERS the work of God by COUNTERFEITING the work of God. Examples include: His kingdom (Colossians 1:13), Christ (1 John 2:18), apostles (2 Corinthians 11:13), ministers (2 Corinthians 11:14-15), prophets (Matthew 7:15), teachers (2 Peter 2:1), and signs & wonders of the apostles (2 Thessalonians 2:8-9).

Yet reread the text above. It speaks specifically of counterfeits that will happen in the “last days.” Counterfeits that will “resist the truth” (see John 17:17). Counterfeits that will lead people to perpetually LEARN but never know the TRUTH. Interestingly, when the magicians see what they cannot produce, they declare that Moses’ work was the “finger of God” (Exodus 8:19).

Simply put – in the last days, Satan will work through men to counterfeit God’s Word. As the magician’s work, the counterfeits will be similar in style and content, yet they will lack God’s power, and they will produce a false sense of knowledge, and as a result people will be “led away with divers lusts.”

 

Recognizing the Counterfeits?

One helpful clue is the location. Even more clear would be the origin of the magicians – Egypt. A cursory study reveals that all Bibles originate from one of two lines of manuscript – ALEXANDRIA (Egypt) and ANTIOCH (Syria). We find the first mention of both of those cities in the same chapter of the Bible; Antioch is the origin of a man of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost whose service caused the Word of God to increase, disciples to multiply and people to be saved(Acts 6:3-8); Alexandria is the origin of heretics who tried to “resist” that work by “disputing”, accusing, and finally killing one of the aforementioned men of God. 

Interestingly, God does not tell how many magicians or how many counterfeits there were, but He attributes them to two men – Jannes and Jambres. Pliny suggests that they were familiar with the God of the Hebrews through the wisest sage of Egyptian history – the dream revealer, Joseph. Therefore it is plausible that the many counterfeits of God’s Truth can be attributed to two heretic men. If interested, one should read about Westcott and Hort.

A careful reading of Exodus 7-8 shows that the magicians (plural) counterfeited the signs & plagues of Moses. It is especially clear in Exodus 7:11-12, where Aaron’s rod (with Moses) ate the magicians rods (plural).  Finding a single counterfeit among a group of authentics may prove difficult, but you are tasked with finding a single authentic among a group of counterfeits. It might help to know that all Bibles in print, with the exception of one, are derived from the Alexandrian text; the lone exception translated from the Antioch Text is the King James Version.

 

My challenge to you

Most people answer questions about the Bible based on personal history, version readability, or humanistic philosophy. Instead, I challenge you to discover what the Bible says about itself; allow God, Himself, to answer questions like, “Did God perfectly preserve His words,” or “Does it matter which Bible I use?”

 

Your Thoughts

2 Timothy 3:15-17 is the completion of the chapter that warns of the immitations of Jannes and Jambres. What does it reveal about origin & preservation of Scripture?

Which passages of Scripture answer your questions about Biblical preservation?

What has shaped your beliefs and practices on Bible versions?

Welcome to the family

Yesterday my son attended church for the first time. He didn’t understand any of it then, and he won’t remember any of it later. But it was a special day. I saw David surrounded by a church family who had been praying for him before he was even born. It gives me peace to know that in David’s future, he’ll see examples of people serving the Lord, hear caring adults teach Him God’s Word, receive encouragement from people who love him, and have a place to serve others. 

Everyday I pray that like the David of the Bible, my son will have sure mercies, be a man after God’s heart, and be a vivid portrayal of Jesus Christ. His church family will play a critical role in how God answers that prayer, and I’m so thankful for their willingness to play that role. I don’t want to imagine living life without the support of my church family. 

What about you?

What do you enjoy most about your church?
What are top ways that your church family provides support for families?

Posted in Family

Punishing children – is it unchristian?

Posted on by James

As a foster family, we’ve received lots of mandatory training. My most recent training was on behavior management. Our Christian organization’s disciplinary policy is inherited from the state Department of Family & Children Services (DFCS); since I’ve received multiple training sessions, I’m familiar with their forbiddance of corporal discipline. I expected to hear alternative disciplinary techniques, but I DID NOT EXPECT this…

The Christian organization enlisted a Christian teacher who opened the Bible and taught that punishing children (in any way) is unchristian. Instead of punishing, parents should discipline their children. He began to describe how he & his wife stopped enforcing rules and allowed their daughter to decide in what time and on what terms she wanted to obey; he celebrated that she often chooses to do right on her own – not because she was forced to but because she chose to. The teacher further explained that if you let the child have control, there are fewer power struggles.

I fully anticipated skeptical (even critical) feedback, but parents (foster & otherwise) praised this philosophy of parenting. After scouring a dozen contemporary parenting Bible studies, I’ve realized this teaching is becoming mainstream.

Could it work? If we stopped enforcing rules that make the child HAVE TO do right, could it prompt the child to WANT TO do right? Is paddling unchristian? Is punishment unchristian? I contend that the mainstream is incorrect, and that the Bible clearly teaches paddling as the preeminent method of behavior correction & character development. Although you weren’t privileged to hear the training, this post will address the teacher’s two primary arguments from the Bible.

 

The “rod” was not to beat… but to guide.

Many people misquote Proverbs 13:24, but what is the “rod?” The teacher immediately read Psalm 23:1-4 and explained that the shepherd’s staff was not meant to BEAT the sheep (as it was his livelihood) but, as the text says, to COMFORT the sheep. The teacher explained how the staff was used to guide and almost embrace the sheep. 

Not so fast… How did we get from ROD to STAFF? Creative hermeneutics, I guess. A better Bible study method would be to search other uses of ROD in Proverbs and the Bible as a whole.

  • Proverbs 10:13 says the rod is for the fool’s back. That does tell us how the rod is used, but since it’s not about children, let’s move along.
  • Proverbs 22:15 says that the rod DRIVES foolishness from a child’s heart by the rod. That doesn’t sound like a guide or embrace.
  • Proverbs 23:13-14 were conveniently omitted from the Bible study because it clearly says the rod is for BEATING children. While I would be careful with that terminology in our day & time, it is an undeniable fact that the Bible commands parents to paddle their children.

The teacher also revealed that the Hebrew word translated “chasten” simply means instruct; he assured the class that parents weren’t meant to cause pain (physical or emotional) to their children but to comfort them. 

But wait… In Job 5:17-18, the Hebrew word is translated chasten again, but it is obviously painful, physical punishment. In Deuteronomy 11:1-7, the same Hebrew word is translated chastisement, and each example is not of verbal instruction but of painful, physical punishment.  And if chasten simply means instruct, then why would it cause children to cry so severely that it tempts parents to “spare” the rod (Proverbs 19:18)? 

 

Jesus didn’t paddle… He discipled.

At times, the disciples failed, made mistakes, and let pride take control, but Jesus didn’t paddle them, nor did Jesus take away their belongings, restrict their privileges or put them in timeout. Instead Jesus gave them room to repent in their own timing. Jesus didn’t PUNISH them; He DISCIPLED them. The teacher revealed how “disciple” is the root of discipline, and therefore the parental responsibility is to demonstrate the desired behavior not to enforce it.

First, it is imperative that parents model the same behavior they desire in their children. You teach what you know, but you reproduce who you are (Matthew 7:17-18). Respect, submission, repentance (and many more) is better caught than taught, but it is not either-or but both-and. Remember that God has only prescribed one thing that will drive foolishness (disobedience) from a child’s heart; it’s not a good example but the rod of correction.

To be sure Christ is our greatest example, but the analogy is all wrong. The church is not the child of Jesus but the bride of Jesus. God the Father is the parent (of course Jesus and the Father are one, but they are distinct persons and have particular relations to the believer). Of course God punishes the lost/wicked/unsaved. The real question is, does God the Father punish His children? Not only does Hebrews 12:6-9 affirm that God punishes all His children; it also declares that if you don’t experience punishment, you are not His child.

 

What’s the big deal?

It’s critical to follow God’s command & example because parents (ideally fathers) are a child’s introduction to God the Father. Dads, you have a high calling – to illustrate God the Father. He has even shared His name, Father, with you. Intentionally portray Him. Bless your children as He blesses us. Charge your children as He charges us. Trust your children as He trusts us.Love your children as He loves us. And punish your child as He punishes us.

A child needs to learn submission to his human father, so that He may learn submission to his Heavenly Father. A child needs to learn cause & punishment from his human father, so that He may be spared greater consequence from his Heavenly Father.

 

Give me your thoughts:

  • How did your parent’s correction (or lack thereof) promote or hinder your relationship with God? 
  • What has being a parent taught you most about God?
Posted in Bible Doctrine, Ministry

Who runs the church?

Posted on by James

Who holds authority in the church? Obviously, Jesus is the Head of the church (Ephesians 1:22-23. Colossians 1:18). He is the Lord and is the Chief Shepherd of the church (1 Peter 5:2-4). But the record of Scripture shows  that God delegates authority to humans – to governments, to husbands, to parents, and to masters. The question, more specifically posed, is “To which humans has God vested the authority of the church?” There are a variety of models of church governments (AKA ecclesiastical polity) – pastoral authority, congregational vote, denominational rule, deacon-led, elder rule, or hybrids thereof (there are more formal names, but these need less defining).

Wrestling with obscure issues is one of the thrills of church planting. I strive to lay a foundation that most closely reflects the Biblical command and precedent because it is where we stray from God’s instruction that we create the most significant problems. In this post, I will present the Scriptural basis for rule by a team of elders (i.e. pastors).

The Design of Elder Rule

Let’s be frank. In the Bible, churches were ruled by ordained elders (pastors); deacons were not authoritative decision-makers but servants; congregations didn’t vote; churches were autonomous not ruled by a central church; and churches were self-governing not ruled by a denomination. Some of these unbiblical models were formed as man’s solution to pastoral failure, but it is never safe to usurp authority from the place where God has placed it. These models have resulted in problems of greater magnitude than the original problem they sought to prevent.

The names of elders. The Bible applies three names to the same office of church leader.

  • Elder indicates a spiritual MATURITY. This is the name that is used most frequently in Scripture yet is the most misunderstood. He is NOT a deacon, an old person, or a faithful lay person elected to a decision-making council. An elder is an ordained pastor. 
  • Pastor indicates a shepherd’s CUSTODY. Pastor literally means shepherd (stemming from the same word as pasture), who is to lead, feed and protect the flock. Ironically, the title most commonly used modernly is used least in Scripture. The title is only used once (Ephesians 4:11); of 17 of the 18 times the Greek word is used it is translated shepherd. The term shepherd (pastor) is used interchangeably with elder in 1 Peter 5:1-4.
  • Bishop indicates a sober RESPONSIBILITY.  Meaning “overseer,” bishop is used in 1 Timothy 3:1-7, Titus 1:5-9, and Philippians 1:1 (which names both offices of the church). As the name implies, he is to govern the church. Contrary to its use in high church, a bishop in the Bible is the leader of a local church – not a position over multiple churches. The term bishop is used interchangeably with elder in Titus 1:5-7.

The plurality of elders. God did not intend for a church to be governed by a single pastor but by a team of elders (pastors). When God turned to the Gentiles following the stoning of Stephen, the church at Jerusalem was ruled not by apostles but by a team of elders (Acts 11:30. 21:18). Paul’s church plants were led by a team of elders (Acts 14:23. Acts 20:17. 1 Timothy 5:17-20. 1 Thessalonians 5:12).

The leader of elders. It is natural & inevitable that there be differences and disagreements within the team of elders, and there is a need for a leader of leaders – one who has the final say. Acts 15 perfectly describes the Biblical working of a team of pastors. There are tough decisions to be made. They each speak and hear one another. Finally, one elder (James the brother of Jesus) gives the sentence (Acts 15:13-20). This design is implemented through pastoral-team authority with a lead pastor who has the final say. In our church’s bylaws, the lead pastor carries 49% of every vote, and the remaining pastors carry a combined 51%.

**BONUS – As a church plant, I wanted to reflect the external authority Paul retained in the churches he planted – in person and by letters he dealt with false doctrine, false teaching, sin, restoration, and even removed sitting elders. We did this by allowing one of two specific people to be an external elder – the pastor of our mother church or the church planter (should I leave).

The Error of Elder Rule

An increasingly prevalent error is for churches to employ the Biblical model (Elder Rule) with unbiblical definitions. Let me explain… I recently had a conversation with a fellow-believer from a nearby church. He passionately described the disasters he’d experienced with deacon-led churches and excitedly told me how the church was changing their bylaws to be ruled by a board of elders. Knowing the typical pitfalls, I pressed on who the elders were; some would be former deacons; others would be Sunday School teachers or members of other boards. My dear brother is going to be in worse shape than ever. In effect, he has duplicated a deacon board and compounded the problem by attributing the title “elder” to non-pastors. Before he gave authority of elders (pastors) to unordained men (deacons); now he gives the authority & title of elder to unordained men.  

The error of “elder rule” is that the title elder is misdefined. Because myriad heresies are born of misdefinition of Biblical terms, it’s imperative to allow the Bible to define itself. And elder is a pastor.  To avoid confusion, I often use terms like pastor-led, pastoral authority.

Your thoughts:

What experiences have you had with the different church governments?
What benefits or problems did that style of polity bring?

Is paddling children moral?

The Immoral Accusation

“Striking a child is always wrong” Or, “How can you expect to teach children to refrain from violence by exercising violence on them?” The allegation of psychologists & social workers is that paddling children is immoral.

This contemporary view stands in opposition to every major world religion (except New Age): Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, Christianity – all endorse corporal discipline as a good & essential way to raise & build character in children. The detractors of paddling accuse every major religion of being immoral.

 

The Underlying Premise

Why New Age? It’s necessary to acknowledge the link between New Age religion and modern psychology. While diverse in its details, the central tenet of New Age is that self is god. Therefore its ultimate worship is pleasing self, and its chief sin is displeasing self. This doctrine (and more) of New Age permeate modern psychology, where the primary pursuit is the happiness.

 

See a previous post concerning the alleged inefficacy of paddling