Spiritual Boot Camp (Part 4): Praying For All People

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Timothy 2:1

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them, and give thanks.

NLT

At the end of last Wednesday’s posting, I said this Wednesday’s posting would be on how to worship God.  I was mistaken and instead this lesson will be on who we should pray for and a very controversial topic in the church today, the role of women in the church.  However, before my female readers click on another web site, I urge you to stay with me for many misinterpret the teaching of 1 Timothy 2 because they do not take it in context and ignore the original language of the passage.

Praying for all people:

1 Timothy 1:18 urges us as children of God to fight well in the Lord’s battles.  No army can fight well in battle without communicating with its commanding general.  In spiritual battle, our commanding general is God.  Jesus death, burial, and resurrection opened the lines of communication for us by forgiving us of the sin that separates us from God.  As such, we now have the privilege of communicating with God the Father.  We can pray prayers of worship and adoration as David did in the Psalms.  We can also pray for God to meet our needs.  In fact, God says we actually have lack in our lives because we fail to ask God for what we need (James 4:2).  Therefore, never fear asking God for what you need for he is a good Father and delights in meeting the needs of his people. 

The prayer scripture speaks of in 1 Timothy 2:1, however, is a call for prayers of intercession for others.  This passage urges us to pray for all people, even those that hate us, and to pray for God’s mercy upon them and not harm.  This is what separates Christianity from many other religions that call upon their followers to wish evil or even harm upon those not adopting their beliefs.  Instead, Christianity calls for followers to intercede calling upon God to show those not adopting their beliefs mercy and for the Holy Spirit to point them to Jesus Christ the source of their salvation. 

1 Timothy 2:2 goes on to urge us to pray for those in authority over us.  This would include not only those in government, but also those we work for in our employment as well as those in church leadership.  The second part of verse 2 promises us that doing this leads to a life of peace and quiet and a life lived in godliness and dignity. 

1 Timothy 2:3-5 teaches us that these prayers of intercession please God for God wants all to be saved.  In other words, praying prayers of intercession for our leadership and for those lost in their sins brings us into agreement with the desire of Gods heart towards the lost and thus, pleases Him.  This pleases God for He paid a great price to purchase our salvation, the life of His Son Jesus Christ and is pleased when we have as the desire of our hearts sharing this message with others (1 Timothy2:6-7). 

I recommend making a list of people for which to intercede.  Include those in authority over you in government, at work, and in your church.  Also, include people on your list that need Salvation.  I then recommend setting aside time each day, even if it is just a few minutes, to lift these people up to God in prayer.

Women in the Church:

1 Timothy 2:8-15 is a point of contention for women in the Church, especially in our age of liberation for women.  In fact, many women may even refuse to become part of the church believing Christianity to be a sexist anti-women religion.  However, when we take this passage in the context of who it is written to and what was occurring in their church at the time we can begin to understand what is being taught and will realize the passage is not anti-women but anti false teaching and anti-usurping of authority. 

As we read this passage, we must remember that this letter is a letter of instruction to Timothy as he is ministering to the troubled church in Ephesus.  As we learned in 1Timothy 1, false teaching usurping the true teachings of the Gospel was attacking the church in Ephesus.  We also must remember that the chapter separations in scripture did not exist in the original writings and thus this letter to Timothy would remain consistent with what we read in chapter 1. 

With this in mind we must view chapter 1 as an introduction to the problems Timothy would encounter in the church in Ephesus and chapter 2 as beginning to offer solutions to the problems, hence 2 Timothy 2:1-7 encouraging the church to pray for all people.  With this context in mind, 2 Timothy 2:8-15 is not a blanket call for the church to forbid women from having any position of authority in the church but is instead instructions to Timothy about specific women in the church at Ephesus that were attempting to usurp the authority of church leadership through false teaching.  In other words, some women were among the false teachers and Paul is warning Timothy not to allow them to achieve a position of authority in the church. 

As evidence this is the intention of this passage, we can look at the word translators translated as authority in 1 Timothy 2:12.  The word is the Greek word auqentew, which means to dominate or usurp authority.  (1)  This is the only place where this Greek word occurs in scripture.  (2)  Therefore, to simply translate this word as authority as many translations do thus mistaking it with the authority given the church by Jesus in (Mark 16:17).  In addition, the very fact that 1 Timothy 2:11 tells women to learn submissively implies they are called to teach for why learn something and never have an opportunity to share what one learns with others.  (3)

Therefore, taken in context, the passage in 1 Timothy 2:8-15 is not a blanket command for women to have no position of authority in the church but is instead a call for the church to guard against false teaching that usurps the authority of church leadership.  This instruction to the church applies to both men and women and most likely mentions women because there were women in the church at Ephesus who were usurping authority through false teaching. 

1 Timothy 2 teaches us to pray for all people (1 Timothy2:1-7).  We are then encouraged not to draw attention to ourselves when we gather to worship but to instead devote ourselves to God (1 Timothy 2:8-10).  Finally, we are reminded not to allow anyone, man or woman, to usurp the Godly authority of the church by introducing false teaching (1 Timothy2:11-15).

Next Wednesday in 1 Timothy 3, we will look at the qualifications of leaders in the church.

1. Strongs Concordance. augentew. www.godrules.net. [Online] [Cited: June 25, 2016.] www.godrules.net/library/strongs2b/gre831.htm.

2. Blue Letter Bible. Strongs g831. www.blueletterbible.org. [Online] [Cited: June 25, 2016.] https://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?t=kjv&strongs=g831

3. Moo, Douglas. 9. What Does it Mean Not to Teach or Have Authority Over Men (1 Timothy 2:11-15). bible.org. [Online] April 13, 2005. [Cited: June 25, 2016.] https://bible.org/seriespage/9-what-does-it-mean-not-teach-or-have-authority-over-men-1-timothy-211-15.

Christianity, a Religion of Love, not Hatred

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Ephesians 3:17-19

that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height —  19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

NKJV

Many look at the Ten Commandments and all of the thou shalt's and thou shalt not's and believe Christianity is a religion about adherence to a strict set of rules and condemnation of those not adhering to these rules.  This is why the world is quick to point out any violation of these rules by anyone professing to be a Christian.  While the standard Christians are to live up to is the high calling of God in Christ (Philippians 3:14), strict adherence to a set of rules is not what this calling is about. 

In His final words prior to ascending to be with God the Father, Jesus told his followers to go into all the world and share the Gospel (Mark 16:15).  This Gospel is not a Gospel of salvation through our works of adherence to a strict set of rules (Ephesians 2:8-9) but a Gospel of God loving humanity so much that he sent his Son to earth to die for their sins creating a path of salvation for fallen man (John 3:16, Romans 5:8).  However, this does not make the law null and void but places the law of God, including the Ten Commandments, as a standard people are to strive for, knowing we will slip up and find it necessary to seek forgiveness, which God will always grant (1John 1:9).  Even the Apostle Paul had to deal with this internal struggle (Romans 7:14-25) and was thankful to find release from this struggle through Jesus Christ. 

Unfortunately, the basis of many other religions hinge upon one performing certain works of obedience to a set of rules and changes in lifestyle in order to please their god.  In most of these religions, these rules involve abstaining from certain activities or foods.  We may not agree with these beliefs but they are not harmful to those not adhering to them.  However, as we are beginning to see in our world today, some of these religions are radicalized and have as part of their practice the belief that one must eliminate those not adhering to their belief through murder if necessary.  These radical religious zealots even believe dying for ones beliefs is rewarded in the afterlife.  These religions are true religions of hate and pose a threat not only to Christians and other religious beliefs, but also to people practicing lifestyles forbidden in their religions such as homosexuality. 

While the Bible condemns the act of homosexuality (Leviticus18:22, Romans 1:26-27), it does not call for Christians to slaughter people practicing this sin and instead calls upon Christians to share the Gospel of a loving God that wants to forgive them of this sin.  Therefore, I as a Christian want to condemn the slaughter in Orlando, offer my prayers, and support for those victimized by this act of terrorist brutality.  My hope is not for harm to homosexuals but that they will enter into a relationship with a loving God who sent His Son to die for their sins, and receive salvation and reconciliation with God as I and many other Christians have done. 

The good news of the Gospel is that entering into this relationship is simple and does not require us to make things right with God first for Jesus Christ already did the work on the Cross.  Therefore, all that is left for us to do is accept this free gift of love from God.  If you have not done so, I want to invite you to enter into this relationship with God by praying with me now,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

You now have total forgiveness of your sins, no matter how great they may be.  You also have a relationship with a loving God.  I now encourage you to do as people normally do in relationships, grow closer together.  This may seem difficult in a relationship with God but is actually something we can do by doing what we normally do in our earthly relationships.  We can grow closer to God by,

1)      Communicating with God – Relationships grow strong when both parties spend time together and our relationship with God is no different.  God has communicated to us through His Word, the Bible so we can hear from Him as we read it.  God has also made it possible for us to talk with Him through prayer.  I encourage you to begin praying and studying the Word of God regularly.

2)      Spending time together – While we cannot physically be with Jesus, we can hang around with others that have a relationship with Him through regular church attendance.  Unfortunately, many do not regularly attend church due to some negative experience in a church in the past or due to someone forcing them to attend church against their will.  If you are reading this and do not attend church due to one of these reasons I want to encourage you, especially those of you who have just entered into a relationship with Christ, to view church attendance as an opportunity to worship your new friend through song and hearing a message from his Word the Bible.  I encourage you to also understand that churches are full of sinners, for we all have sinned (Romans 3:23), and not to let that discourage you from regular church attendance. 

Christianity is more than a religion of adherence to a set of rules and instead a religion of entering into and growing in a relationship with God, our creator.  It is therefore not a religion of hate and why I encourage everyone reading this to enter into a relationship with the loving God of Christianity.  

Spiritual Boot Camp (Part 3): The Sound Doctrine of the Gospel

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Timothy 1:10-11

These laws are for people who are sexually immoral, for homosexuals and slave traders, for liars and oath breakers, and for those who do anything else that contradicts the right teaching 11 that comes from the glorious Good News entrusted to me by our blessed God.

NLT

Last Wednesday we looked at the importance of building on a foundation of truth.  We looked at how the Apostle Paul equated truth with the belt worn by a roman soldier, which held his sword and allowed him to synch up his garments for swift movement in battle.  In this posting, we will look at the importance of the sound doctrine of the Good News of the Gospel.

In 1 Timothy 1:8-11 Paul teaches about the proper use of the Law in establishing sound doctrine.  He begins by reminding believers that the law was not laid down for the just, or those justified by the blood of Jesus Christ, but the unjust, or those not yet justified by the blood of Jesus Christ. 

In Romans 7 Paul reminds us that the law only applies to the living and cites the example of a woman married to a man released from being bound to her husband by law when he dies.  In marriage vows today those being married say, “Till death do we part.”  We were all under the bondage of the law of God prior to our accepting Jesus as our savior.  However, once we gave our lives over to the Lord and accepted his substitutionary death on the Cross, we died to our sins with Jesus on the Cross and therefore, are no longer under sin's bondage (Romans 7:4).  Since we have all sinned and violated the law of God (Romans 3:23), we are all guilty of sin of some sort.  However, our fate is not eternal damnation because the purpose of God’s law is not to condemn (John3:17) but to reveal the sin in our lives and point us to the one who came to die for our sins, Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). 

In 1 Timothy 1:9-10, Paul lists activities that are in violation of the Law of God.  Among these activities are sins of sexual immorality, such as homosexuality, which are a violation of the Law (Leviticus 18:22, 20:13).  Unfortunately, some well-meaning Christians have taken to bashing Gays and people engaged in other sins instead of using the law as a light pointing people to salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ. 

The horrific massacre in Orlando was a tragic loss of life in the name of a radical hate filled religion.  Let me make this clear, hatted towards sinners, of which we all are,  is not the sound doctrine of the Gospel and those engaging in bashing those engaging in homosexuality instead of sharing the love of Christ with them is not what the sound doctrine of the Gospel is about.  Let us instead do what I believe Jesus would have done, minister to those victimized by this brutality. 

In 1 Timothy 1:12-17, Paul testifies about his own conversion citing it as a demonstration of God’s mercy and grace.  Even though the Apostle Paul did not engage in homosexuality in his life, he did much worse by persecuting Christians which most likely led to their death and blaspheming God by denying Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 1:13).  He later realized his actions were done in ignorance and unbelief and became thankful for the overflowing grace of God, which rescued and saved him from eternal separation from God in his sins.  Therefore, as those enlisted in fighting well in the Lord’s battles, let us begin using the law of God as a beacon of light instead of a club citing how God has redeemed us from sin through the illumination of the law and the grace of God by sending his only Son to die for our sins (John 3:16).

Paul’s encouragement to Timothy, and might I add to us following Christ today, is to fight the Lords battle with faith and a clear conscience.  A conscience clear through the knowledge that the grace of God that has saved us from our sins, and faith that the blood of Christ has the power to save from sin, even the sins of homosexuality with a word of caution not to shipwreck our faith as Hymenaeus and Alexander did. 

2 Timothy 2:17-18 tells us the specific blasphemy committed by Hymenaeus and Alexander and was a teaching that the resurrection of the dead had already occurred.  The resurrection of the dead is in the context of the rapture or catching up of the Church mentioned in 1Thessalonians 4:16-18 and to teach it has already occurred is to believe that we as believers are now living in a glorified post resurrection state.  All one has to do is observe what is currently occurring in our world today to know this teaching is false. 

However, the Apostle Paul does not permanently condemn these men to eternal damnation but instead speaks of turning them out to Satan, or excommunicating them from the church until they learn not to blaspheme through their false teaching (1 Timothy 1:20).  Let us be careful to follow Paul’s example when encountering false teaching today so these false teachers will have an opportunity to find redemption.

Next Wednesday we will look at how we are to worship God.   

Truth Versus Liberal Mythology

By:  Dale Weckbacher   

1 Timothy 1:4

4 Don't let people waste time in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. For these things only cause arguments; they don't help people live a life of faith in God.

NLT

As we witness the devolving of our culture with increased violence, perversion, and animosity towards the people of God, this warning by Paul to Timothy is even more applicable.  In my previous post, we looked at various false doctrines permeating the early church and the church today.  However, the church is not the only place where falsehood is in abundance or what I term liberal mythology.

Each election cycle concerned citizens search for honest candidates that will govern according to truth.  Unfortunately, these candidates campaign on a platform of truth that causes a majority of voters to vote them into office, only to have the candidate flip and begin governing according to a platform of liberal mythology once in office.  We the voters demand truth for truth,

1)      Liberates – Scripture tells us that truth sets us free (John 8:32).  Besides protecting the President, the Secret Service also protects the currency against counterfeiting.  In their training, agents not only receive training to detect counterfeit money but also become experts in real currency.  The theory here is that if an agent becomes an expert in recognizing true currency, a counterfeit bill will be obvious to them.  Liberals have controlled the education system for several generations now and as such have succeeded in suppressing the true history and heritage of the United States.  However, we can help liberate the next generation by educating them on the truth using social media and befriending them.  We must not be afraid of engaging these young people for, like it or not, they are the future of our nation.

2)      Provides security – We were all horrified last Sunday when the news broke of the massacre in Orlando.  My prayers go out to the victims and their families for having lost loved ones and friends in my life, I am familiar with the grief they are experiencing, but cannot imagine losing someone in such a horrific manner.  What really shocked me, as well as others I know, is that I was not surprised that we had a terrorist attack for our leaders refuse to acknowledge the existence of radical Islamic terrorists.  This lack of truth has caused us to become lax in our diligence leaving us vulnerable. 

3)      Truth destroys falsehood – Unfortunately, the votes of well-informed voters are often cancelled by the votes of those educated on falsehood.  However, as we begin educating these low information voters, the falsehoods of their liberal educations will be destroyed and they too will become educated voters.

Liberal mythology is dangerous and only,

1)      Enslaves – Liberal education conditions people to depend on government to solve their problems.  This liberal conditioning was the basis of the infamous “Life of Julia” video during the 2012 Presidential election.  (1)  Those believing what the video teaches might believe they have no need to pursue truth for no matter what happens in their lives, they have a nanny government to take care of them.  However, the dirty truth is that in order for that to occur, one must be willing to settle for whatever the government decides to give them, thus enslaving them to government subsistence instead of encouraging them to think on their own and pursue truth that liberates.

2)      Endangers innocent people – A co-worker of mine told me he found it hard to believe one person could kill and wound as many people as the shooter in Orlando was able to do.  I did not have an answer right away but as I thought about it, the answer became obvious.  Nobody in the club was armed for the club was a gun free zone.  In addition, those in the club were oblivious to any danger believing they were protected by club security and law enforcement.  Unfortunately, these victims found out too late that by the time law enforcement responds, the damage had been done.  Guns do not kill people for if you take a gun, place it on the table, and leave it alone, it does not hurt anyone.  A gun only does something when someone picks it up and uses it.  In most instances this usage is recreational or in self-defense.  However, in the hands of someone intent on killing people in the name of their religion, a gun becomes a weapon of mass destruction.  The best deterrent in these instances is an armed citizenry using guns in self-defense that can eliminate the threat.

3)      Deceives – The liberal myth that big government can meet all of an individual’s needs or that eliminating guns will eliminate tragedies like what we saw in Orlando is a deception.    The economic collapse in Venezuela is a stark example of how government fails in its attempts to take care of everyone’s needs.  (2)  The fact that mass shootings like the recent one in Orlando occur in gun free zones, places where nobody can legally carry a gun, proves that elimination of guns only leaves law abiding innocent people defenseless and easy targets for those intent on killing them.  (3) 

In this election we must obliterate liberal mythologies with truth in order to change the nation’s collision course with disaster by voting for candidates campaigning on truth.  We then must hold these people accountable and should they begin governing according to liberal mythology, we must let them know we will vote them out of office in the next election, replacing them with someone that will. 

1. Fox News. 'Life of Julia': Welcome to Obama's Government Utopia. video.foxnews.com. [Online] Fox News, May 4, 2012. [Cited: June 15, 2016.] video.foxnews.com/v/1622104534001/life-of-julia-welcome-to-obamas-government-utopia/?#sp=show-clips.

2. Toro, Moises NaiTorom and Franscisco. Venezuela is Falling Apart. www.theatlantic.com. [Online] The Atlantic, May 12, 2016. [Cited: May 28, 2016.] www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2016/05/venezuela-is-falling-apart/481755/.

3. Richardson, Samuel. Gun-free Zones are Dangerous, Not Safe. columbiadailyherald.com. [Online] The Daily Herald, December 13, 2015. [Cited: June 15, 2016.] http://columbiadailyherald.com/opinion/letters-editor/gun-free-zones-are-dangerous-not-safe

Spiritual Boot Camp (Part 2): Building a Foundation of Truth

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Timothy 1:18

Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they give you the confidence to fight well in the Lord's battles.

NLT

The first article of our spiritual armor is the belt of truth (Ephesians 6:14).  Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians while in jail no doubt with a Roman soldier guarding him.  He must have observed what the soldier’s armor consisted of and equated these implements with spiritual warfare. 

The belt of the soldier’s armor girded all of the other pieces of the soldier’s armor and therefore acted as a foundation for his armor.  The belt also allowed someone to gather up his robe and tuck it in for swift movement, which would have been necessary for a soldier in battle. (1)  A good soldier would therefore have taken great care to insure his belt remained in good condition. 

Paul is about to place Timothy in charge of the church at Ephesus, the very church he taught about the armor of God,  and so it is not surprising that he begins his instructions to Timothy by encouraging him to stop those teaching incorrect doctrine to the church.  Even though Paul does not specifically mention what these false teachings were, we can find historical context in other portions of scripture that provide a hint as to what these doctrines are,

1)      The doctrine of Jewish Legalism (Acts 15:1) – These individuals are referred to as Judaizers who came from Judea and began teaching Gentile converts to Christianity that unless they were circumcised according to the custom of Moses, they could not be saved.  Paul strongly condemned this teaching in Galatians 1:6-9 calling it a perversion of the Gospel of Christ.  Paul goes on in Galatians 3:1-5 to remind us that it is a mistake to believe that salvation can come through works of the law.  In fact, Paul goes on to say one falls from grace if they listen the teaching of these Judaizers.  (2)  It is perhaps these false teachers that Paul is referring to in 1 Timothy 1:7.  

2)      The doctrine of Gnosticism (1 Timothy 6:20-21) – The word Gnosticism is derived from the Greek word gnosis which means knowledge.  It is perhaps only alluded to in 1 Timothy 6:20-21 where it is referred to as empty chatter and opposing arguments falsely called knowledge.  (2)  The Greek culture was one that had a hunger for knowledge and wisdom that could only be satisfied by acquiring more and more knowledge.  (3)  The Greeks were also pantheists believing in many gods and therefore were perhaps struggling with the belief in only one God.  False teachers were perhaps emerging within the congregation of the Church in Ephesus introducing myths or what we would call today a new revelation or interpretation of sound doctrine (1 Timothy1:4).  These false teachings would only lead to arguments and divisions in the church and distract people from learning to live lives of faith in the one true God (1 Timothy 1:4). 

3)      The doctrine of Ascenticism (Colossians 2:18-23) – This doctrine teaches that sin in inherent in the material substance of the human body and the only way for one to rid themselves of it is to punish their bodies through self-denial or in extreme cases, physical punishment of the body.  (2)  While Christians are wise to avoid certain activities such as those mentioned by Paul in 1 Timothy 1:10, simply abstaining from these activities are of no value against fleshly indulgence for only the blood of Christ, the Word of God, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit provides the strength we need to avoid sinful temptations. 

4)      The doctrine of Antinomianism – This doctrine is the direct opposite of Ascenticism for it teaches a separation of body and soul, allowing the body to engage in any activity while maintaining the purity of the soul.  Paul chastised this doctrine in 2 Timothy 3:2-9.  (2)

5)      The doctrine of Docetism – This doctrine teaches that God could have nothing to do with matter and taught that it was inconceivable that Christ could be God in the flesh.  (2)  The Apostle John confronted this belief and urged believers to test teaching by determining if it taught that Jesus was God in the flesh.  Any teaching denying this is false teaching (1 John 4:1-3). 

There are false teachings rampant in the Church today, many of which are similar to those Paul would have encountered.  We therefore as soldiers dedicated to fighting well in the Lord’s battles, must be aware of these false teachings and gird ourselves up with a foundation of truth to confront these false doctrines.  Among the great lies of the church today are,

1)      Overemphasis of Prosperity – The Bible teaches that the love of money is the root of all evil (1 Timothy 6:10).  Some have interpreted this to mean that money is evil but it is only loving money above loving God that is evil.  However, some in today’s church, in an effort to increase their membership and finances teach that God wants all his children to be rich.  They cite scripture like Luke 6:38.  However, Jesus also said that in this world we would have trouble (John 16:33) and that we should not store up our treasures on earth but in heaven (Matthew 6:19-21).  God does promise to meet our needs (Philippians 4:19) but it is incorrect doctrine to believe this equates to being rich.  (4)

2)      Exaggerated view of Grace – Ephesians 2:8 reminds us that our salvation is through grace and not our own works for nothing we could ever do would earn salvation from our sins.  However, some erroneously take this to mean that one can go on sinning after salvation and God’s grace insures they are saved.  This is similar to the doctrine of Antinimianism in the time of Paul and just as that doctrine was incorrect then, it remains incorrect today.  In addition, we must question the sincerity of heart of someone accepting Christ with the intention of continuing to live the sinful life they led prior to accepting Christ but since only God knows the hearts of men and women, we must leave that judgment to God.  (4)

3)      Antinimianism – This is the next step in one having an over exaggerated view of grace and is a brand of Christianity absent of one striving to grow in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to transform their sinful thinking (Romans 12:1-2).  God’s grace is not some get out of jail free card allowing us to continue living in sin but came at the cost of God’s only Son.  We therefore should reciprocate by expressing our love for God through allowing the Holy Spirit and the Word of God to transform us.  (4)

4)      Deification of Man – This brand of Christianity teaches that Jesus came to make us bigger and better.  This teaching strives to elevate people to an equal level with God and cites 2 Corinthians 5:21 as proof of God’s desire to elevate us to an equal level with Him.  However Romans 3:21-24 teaches that the righteousness of God in Christ justifies us but does not mean we achieve equality with God.  (4)

5)      Challenging the Authority of the Word – The Bible narrative can be viewed as a love story with God creating the universe with man being his greatest creation only to have man sin and become separated from God (Genesis 1-3).  The remainder of the narrative is God creating a path for his greatest creation to be reconciled to Him.  The narrative ends with God once again living in fellowship with man as it was in the beginning (Revelation22).  Therefore, the narrative of the Bible is complete and there is no need for additional divine revelation, only teaching to help us understand what is already contained in the narrative.  Therefore, the church needs no further authority than the Word of God.  (4)

6)      Rejecting Hell – Throughout church history, we have experienced what many term hellfire and brimstone preaching.  While this is the destination of those that continue to reject God’s gift of redemption, it fails to teach that God could have simply left us to our sins but instead provided a path to reconciliation through the death of His Son on the cross.  Unfortunately, many churches have abandoned or even rejected the existence of hell perhaps fearing this will turn people off.  However, if hell does not exist and there is no eternal punishment for our sins, why even bother accepting Christ.  (4)

7)      Universal Reconciliation – This is the next step in the rejection of hell and teaches that Jesus death on the cross means all humanity is saved and there is no need for us to do anything, in essence, the doors of Hell are closed.  Those adopting this flawed doctrine believe that there are many paths to reconciliation with God and is in direct contrast to Jesus declaration that He is the only way to salvation (John 14:6).  (4)

The belt of truth is a foundational weapon in the arsenal of one dedicated to fighting well the Lords battles.  This truth is also vital to exposing the lies of false doctrine which scripture warns us about in the last days (1 John 4:1).  We therefore must make it our mission to continue girding ourselves up with the truth. 

Next Wednesday, we will learn the proper use of the Law. 

1. Johnson, Dave. Armor of God: Belt of Truth. lifehopeand truth.com. [Online] Life Hope & Truth. [Cited: June 11, 2016.] http://lifehopeandtruth.com/change/christian-conversion/armor-of-god/belt-of-truth/.

2. Williams, Bob. False Doctrines of the Early Church. www.biblelessons.com. [Online] Biblelessons.com. [Cited: June 11, 2016.] www.biblelessons.com/doctrine.html.

3. Schmidt, Tiffany. Philosophy in Ancient Greece. cgim.dbq.edu. [Online] CDIM, January 29, 2005. [Cited: June 11, 2016.] http://cgim.dbq.edu/cgim/greece05/essay1/index.html

4. Hill, Steve. The 7 Great Lies in the Church Today. www.charismamag.com. [Online] Charisma Podcast Network, April 5, 2013. [Cited: June 12, 2016.] www.charismamag.com/spirit/spiritual-growth/17093-the-7-great-lies-in-the-church-today.

Blessed To Carry Out God’s Will

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Numbers 23:8

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?

And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

NKJV

The people of Israel, like all people, are not perfect.  However, God chose the Nation of Israel and promised blessing, something that would soon become clear to Balaam.  As such, Israel provides an excellent picture of our standing with God as Christians.

To place Numbers 23:8 in its proper context we must read the entire account of Balaam in Numbers 22-24.  Balak the son of Zippor witnessed all that Israel had done to the Amorites a complete and total victory with no survivor left (Numbers 21:25).  Balak the king of the Moabites at that time did not want his people to suffer the same fate.  In an effort to stop this devastating defeat, he hires Balaam, instructing him to curse Israel. 

However, in a dream, God instructs Balaam to only speak the words He gives him.  God then sends an angel and after hearing from of all places, his donkey, Balaam once again receives instruction by the angel to only speak the words God gives him to speak.  After seeing a vision from God in a dream, hearing his donkey speak, and seeing an angel with a sword drawn, Balaam makes an offering to God and agrees to go with the princes of Balak and speak only what God instructs him to say.  However, instead of cursing Israel, God instructs Balaam to bless them four times.   

Most of us are familiar with John 3:16 but John 3:17 reminds us that the purpose of God’s son coming to the world was not to condemn it, but to save it.  However, in order for one to experience salvation, one must accept the gift of salvation offered through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Romans 10:9-10).  Like Israel, this gift of salvation does not make us perfect but like Israel it does mean God has only good to say about us and not cursing. 

The world however tries its best to bring Christians down and discourage them.  Throughout church history and even in many parts of the world today this manifests itself in violence against Christians and death.  In other parts of the world where there is constitutionally protected religious liberty, this bringing down manifests itself in social rejection and ridicule.  While this rejection and ridicule is not life threatening, it does wear on Christians emotionally. 

This is why we as believers in Jesus Christ as our savior must realize our standing with Christ and not cower in fear of rejection or ridicule for the truth is, the very people rejecting and ridiculing Christians need what they have to offer  or their fate will be to die in their sins eternally separated from God.  These lost individuals need to see us remain strong standing on the rock of our faith knowing that no matter what occurs in our life, we have eternity with Jesus as our reward. 

We therefore must pray for these lost individuals but also pray that we will not be distracted by ridicule or rejection and instead stand strong.  Jesus told his Disciples that on this rock, he would build his church.  Many believe the rock Jesus was referring to was Peter.  However, I believe the rock Jesus was referring to was the statement by Peter in Matthew 16:16 where he declared Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  The rock we stand on as Christians is not faith in a flesh and blood man like Peter but faith in the Son of the living God, Jesus Christ. 

As John 3:16-17 reminds is, those choosing to anchor their lives to this rock will not suffer condemnation but instead have eternal life with Jesus Christ for eternity.  I therefore urge everyone reading this to anchor their lives to this firm foundation not just to enjoy personal blessing, and avoid condemnation from God but to be an example to a lost and dying world of what it means to live according to God’s will for our lives. 

Balaam was unable to curse the people of God because he promised to only speak the words God gave him.  Even if Balaam had chosen to curse the people of God, his curse would have been ineffective for Israel is the nation God chose to give His Law to and the nation from which His Son would be born.  Likewise any rejection, ridicule, or even physical harm levied against followers of Jesus Christ is ineffective and not something we should fear for our salvation is not based on what we do but what has already been done for us in Christ (Ephesians 2:8). 

Therefore, let us stand strong, anchored to the rock of our salvation, and demonstrate the power of God in our lives to a world in desperate need of God.  

Spiritual Boot Camp: Studies in Timothy (Part 1)

By:  Dale Weckbacher

1 Timothy 1:18

Timothy, my son, here are my instructions for you, based on the prophetic words spoken about you earlier. May they give you the confidence to fight well in the Lord's battles.

NLT

I never had the privilege to serve my country in the military, and I mean privilege for someone can show no greater love towards their fellow men and women than to be willing to offer their lives in defense of their liberties.  As such, I also never experienced the rigors of boot camp.  However, I have heard from friends and family members that it is a grueling time when someone's mental, physical, and might I add spiritual limits are tested to their limits.  The reason most militaries subject soldiers to this rigorous testing is to make them strong in battle so they can achieve victory and to protect them from harm.  

The books of Timothy contained in the Bible are letters written by the Apostle Paul to his young protégé Timothy.  As such, they provide great teaching for anyone interested in engaging in the spiritual battle of spreading the Gospel, especially in these last days.  As such, I believe we can learn much and use these great teachings as a boot camp manual for those desiring to spread the Gospel.  Over the next several Wednesday’s postings, we will be conducting a verse-by-verse study of the two epistles of Timothy with 1 Timothy 1:18 being our theme, training to fight well in the Lord’s battles. 

Let me begin, however, by making it clear that the battle we as God’s people are engaged in is a spiritual and not a physical battle.  In no way am I calling for Christians to take up arms against their fellow man unless it is in self-defense for Paul, the author of these two epistles, made this perfectly clear in Ephesians 6:10-20.  This is a spiritual battle and victory only comes by using the spiritual weapons of Ephesians 6:14-17.  The purpose of this boot camp therefore is to train us to be effective in using these weapons. 

The epistle of 1 Timothy begins with an introduction reminding us of Paul’s position appointed by God as an apostle (1 Timothy1:1).  This reminder was no doubt in response to many in the faith doubting this position due to the fact the Paul never physically walked with Jesus when he was on earth like the rest of the Apostles.  Therefore, if we are to use the Epistles authored by Paul as a boot camp manual, we must determine if the author of these Epistles is qualified to train us.  Therefore, we must determine the qualifications of Apostle and determine if Paul meets these qualifications. 

The requirements of Apostle or sent one are,

1)      Seeing the risen Christ (Acts 1:22) – Many saw the risen Christ.  In fact, Paul in his epistle to the Corinthians wrote that Jesus was seen by more than 500 of his followers at one time (1 Corinthians 15:6).  Paul is writing this with full knowledge that he himself was not one of these 500.  This writing, therefore, is not a self-proclamation that he as one of these 500 is an apostle but should be viewed as the fact that at least 500 people that lived during the time of Christ met this qualification.  However, the position of Apostle has additional requirements.  (1)

2)      Being personally taught by Jesus for 3½ years (Acts1:22) – The context of Acts 1:22 is the apostles selection of someone to replace Judas.  The scripture makes it clear they were looking for an eyewitness to the risen Lord and also someone that had been taught by Christ from the time He was baptized by John until he ascended to heaven or a period of 3 ½ years.  (1)

3)      Receiving a specific commission from Christ Himself (Acts 1:17, 25) – Judas could have been part of those receiving a specific commission from Christ but instead chose a different path.  After Judas departure in the upper room, Jesus prayed for the remaining eleven in what many believe is truly the Lord’s Prayer for what we commonly call the Lord’s Prayer is actually a guideline for us to follow when we pray.  This prayer of Jesus is lengthy and contained in John 17.  In this prayer, Jesus reminds God the Father that during their 3 ½ years together, He has taught the 11 Disciples remaining in the room the words God the Father gave Him.  Prior to His ascension Jesus then commissioned all hearing his words to go out into all the world and spread the Gospel (Mark 16:15).  However, only the eleven remaining Disciples hearing these final words of Jesus met all three qualifications for all the others had not been under the teaching of Jesus for 3½ years.  (1)

We can therefore conclude that the eleven remaining Disciples alive when Jesus ascended qualify as apostles.  However, the question we must answer is whether Paul meets these qualifications. 

1)      Paul saw the risen Christ (Acts 9:3-7) – Even though Paul was not alive during the time of Jesus earthly ministry, he, and not those traveling with him, saw Jesus on the road to Damascus.  God is not bound by time as we are and since Jesus is God (John 1:1) He too is not bound by time.  The Old Testament contains several accounts of Christophanies or appearances of Jesus in the Old Testament prior to His birth.  It was the Lord or Jesus who appeared to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:8.  It was Jesus who appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18:1.  It was the Angel of the Lord, how Jesus was referenced in the Old Testament that wrestled with Jacob in Genesis 32:24.  It was also the Angel of God that led Israel through the wilderness appearing as cloud during the day and a pillar of fire at night leading Israel (Exodus 14:19).  (2)  Therefore, it is not a stretch to believe that Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus.

2)      Paul received teaching directly from God for 3½ years (Galatians 1:16-18) – In his epistle to the Galatians Paul tells us how he did not rush out to consult anyone else for a period or 3 years.  This however is not 3½ years so does this disqualify Paul from the office of Apostle?  In 1 Corinthians 11:23 Paul passes on teaching he received regarding what Jesus said during the last supper on the night He was betrayed.  We can therefore conclude that Paul received the entirety of the 3½-year teaching of Christ that He passed on to his Disciples during this three-year period.  Since this teaching was not second hand but occurred directly from Jesus Himself, it is not a stretch, therefore, to believe Paul received the full 3½ years of teaching from Jesus during these three years.  Paul was no doubt a good student and a fast learner based upon his background as a Pharisee (Acts 23:6).

3)      Paul received a specific commission from Christ Himself (Acts 9:15) – The Lord spoke to Ananias and specifically told him to pray for Paul to receive his sight informing him that Paul was the one He was commissioning to take the Gospel to the Gentiles. 

We can therefore conclude that Paul meets the requirements of an Apostle and therefore is one we can trust to be our Drill Sargent training us to fight well in the Lords battles. 

Next Wednesday, we will look at why I believe these letters addressed to Timothy are relevant to us today who have chosen to engage in spreading the Gospel in our society. 

1. The Bible Study Site. Was Paul a True Apostle. www.biblestudy.org. [Online] The Bible Study Site. [Cited: May 30, 2016.] www.biblestudy.org/question/was-paul-really-an-apostle.html.

2. Life of Jesus. Christophanies. lifeofjesus2001.tripod.com. [Online] Life of Jesus. [Cited: May 30, 2016.] lifeofjesus2001.tripod.com/jc_christophanies.html.

Standing Strong without Fear

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Matthew 26:39

He went a little farther and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, "O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will."

NKJV

Jesus provides the greatest example of submitting to God’s will in His life.  In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus agonized knowing what he would soon face.  As the Son of God, Jesus knew the purpose of His coming to earth was to suffer the cruel death of crucifixion for scripture foretold it in Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22.  I do not believe the account in Matthew 26:39 is an attempt by Jesus to escape what God had planned for them and is instead him declaring his willingness to submit to the will of His Father even when it meant intense pain and death.

The early church also shared in the pain of serving Christ with many giving their lives through martyrdom for their faith.  It would have been easy for these early Christians to deny Christ and spare their lives but these individuals had seen the risen Lord.  Many of them also experienced the empowering of the Holy Spirit in the upper room and knew that their faith would be rewarded with eternity in the presence of God. 

Perhaps Stephen said it best when he told those stoning him,

Acts 7:59

And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."

NKJV

Stephen knew that his death for his faith was not the end but only the opening of the gateway into eternity with Christ.

Even today, many submit to the will of God in their lives at the risk of their lives.  Totalitarian regimes view Christians as an enemy and believe brutally murdering them and making them examples, are how to maintain their power.  Even in countries with freedom of religion, terrorist cells exist with one goal, the elimination of those not adopting their religion such as we saw in the San Bernardino shooting.  (1) 

As we witness the coarsening and a growing resentment of Christians in our culture, we must ask ourselves, will I continue to remain strong in my faith even if it means facing rejection from friends, family, or even death?  Will our faith remain strong even when coworkers make fun of us at work or tempt us to compromise our faith?  Will we remain strong even if submission to the will of God could cost us our job or business? 

If we are honest with ourselves, we have to admit we may be weak in some or all of these scenarios for even though we belong to Christ, we still dwell on earth in fleshly bodies.  I therefore urge everyone reading this who is a believer in Jesus Christ as their savior to strengthen their faith by,

1)      Praying continually – This does not mean we are to go around in meditation like a monk but means praying when we feel prompted to do so by the Holy Spirit.  Last Saturday I was driving to pick up some breakfast for my wife and me.  While stopped at a red light I heard sirens and noticed a police officer had turned on his lights and was responding to a call.  A week prior to this a police officer in Phoenix was shot and killed while responding to a robbery.  (2)  I felt prompted in my heart to say a brief prayer for the officer, praying that God would protect him as he responded to the call.  I also was detoured due to a serious accident while driving later in the day and said a prayer in my heart for those involved in the accident.  In addition to prayers like this, I believe it is important to have a conversation with God through prayer just as we would have a conversation with our spouse or a close friend.  We live in a world of mass communication and most of us communicate regularly with others through social media or texting so why not include God in our daily communication.  The best thing is you do not even need a smart phone to connect with God.

2)      Regular study of the Bible – While we do not physically have Jesus with us as the Disciples did, we do have something the Disciples did not have, The Bible.  While the Disciples could only hear from Jesus when physically with Him, we can hear from Him at any time by reading the Bible.  In fact, due to the marvels of technology we can have God’s word available to us whenever we need it on our smart phones.  I even have an app on my phone with the Romans Road to salvation to assist me when I have the opportunity to lead someone to Christ.  As Christians face increased persecution, we must take time to hear from God through His Word. 

3)      Regular fellowship with other believers – When facing struggles or even persecution, it is easy for us to begin feeling like nobody else is experiencing what we are.  At these times we may even feel that nobody has ever experienced what we are experiencing.  At these times our fleshly desire may be to withdraw from interaction with others.  However, the very people we may be avoiding may be experiencing, or have experienced, a similar struggle or persecution.  This is why we must resist the temptation to withdraw at these times and instead engage with other believers so we can learn from their experiences and receive strength from knowing that we are not alone. 

4)      Be like Joshua – In Joshua 24:15, Joshua reaffirmed his dedication to serve God no matter what occurred in his life.  He had previously made this affirmation along with Caleb when going against the majority and declaring that God would make them victorious against the giants in the Promised Land (Numbers14:6-9).  As our culture becomes more and more deviant and perverted, let us be like Joshua and stand firm for Christ.

Jesus told us that in this life we would experience trouble.  However, in the same verse he also reminded us that He overcame the world (John 16:33).  Jesus resurrection from the dead stands as proof that in spite of the troubles we face on earth, even the possibility of death, are overcome by Jesus conquering sin and death through his death burial and resurrection. 

I now want to invite anyone reading this who has not accepted Jesus as his or her savior to pray with me,

Dear Lord Jesus, I know I have sinned (Romans 3:23) and know that the penalty for my sin is death (Romans 6:23).  I ask you to forgive me of my sin and cleanse me as you promise in your Word (1 John 1:9).  I believe you died, was buried, and resurrected from the dead and now declare you Lord of my life.

You now possess the resurrection power of Christ in your life, a power that can overcome any evil in the world and even turns death into entrance into eternity with Christ (Romans 8:11).  There is therefore no reason to live in fear but we must stand firm knowing that in the end, God will rein in this world (Revelation 21, 22). 

1. Markoe, Lauren. San Bernardion Victim Had Clashed With Shooter Over Israel, Holocaust. religionnews.com. [Online] Religion News Service, December 7, 2015. [Cited: May 28, 2016.] religionnews.com/2015/12/07/san-bernardino-victim-had-clashed-with-shooter-over-israel-holocaust/.

2. NBC News. Phoenix Police Officer David Glasser Killed in Shootout. www.nbcnews.com. [Online] NBC News, May 20, 2016. [Cited: May 28, 2016.] www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/phoenix-police-officer-david-glasser-killed-shootout-n577321.