Water Turned into WIne

We’ve been going through the Gospel of John at the Windsor and just started the second chapter where Jesus and his disciples go the Wedding in Cana of Galilee. 

Most people know this story and it’s a great opportunity to talk about Jesus at the very beginning of his ministry.   In these studies, in the Gospels as well as the other books of the Bible, it’s often thought that it is easy to ask some general questions with the primary objective of getting a conversation going:

What did Mary ask Jesus to do?  Why do you think they ran out of wine?  What do you think is the purpose of this miracle?  Do you think all the water was turned into wine?

The idea is that when people participate they learn and grow.

However, just asking questions and letting people come up with the answers on what they believe the scriptures mean, can be problematic.   Jesus rebuked both those who didn’t understand the scriptures as well as those who twisted the words of Scripture or misapplied them.

The approach I take is to start with the general assumption that all of the Gospel of John has one primary purpose. That purpose was stated by the Apostle John in John 20:31 “But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name”

The second step in the approach is the more difficult both in application as well as in definition.    It includes the idea of taking the scriptures ‘literally.’

Typically when someone asks if you take the Bible literally, you can get caught between the two extremes.   Some of the sayings in the Bible are obviously meant to be figurative.  Jesus says he is the door but He obviously is not made of wood.    However, assuming that the Bible is allegory or metaphor means you can make it say anything you want.        

The best way to understand the Bible and more importantly to teach it is to take a Literal, Grammatical and Historical approach to what is called exegesis, or finding the true meaning of what the author was saying through the inspiration of the Spirit of God.

Typically, people depart from the more literal meaning of the verses not because they are obviously figurative but because they are amazing, mighty and fantastic.

Adam and Eve, Noah and the flood, the plagues of Egypt, the Virgin Birth and even the Resurrection of Jesus are Bible events that are to be taken literally.

Jesus made a reference to Jonah obviously because He believed it to be literally true as well.   He compared Jonah’s few days in the belly of a great fish to His own death and resurrection.

In the same way, some think it amazing, mighty and fantastic to think that Jesus would return.  However, the prophecies regarding Israel are being fulfilled in our day.   If you read the Bible and use a Literal, Grammatical and Historical approach to the prophecies of His second coming, there is much to be excited about what may be happening in the very near future.

"He Descended Into Hell"

One of the lines in the Apostles Creed that often bothers people is the phrase "He descended into hell." The Apostles Creed is ancient, dating back to the 4^th century, and while not considered authoritative or inspired in the same way as the Bible, it is still read in many of our churches on a regular basis. 

I was recently leading a Bible study in Ephesians for and came across one of the verses that often brings up this same occurrence:

“But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)” Eph 4:7-10

While the theme of these verses from Ephesians 4 are about the gifts that were given by God to man, these and other verses in the Bible are often used to address what appears to be the time after the crucifixion of Jesus Christ but before His resurrection. 

Two men I admire greatly have completely different opinions on Jesus “decent into hell."

·       "Faithfulness to all of Scripture, however, requires us to deny that Jesus’ spirit went to hell after He died.” (Ligonier – RC Sproul) and

·       “Scripture clearly teaches that the old testament saints were kept in the Bosom of Abraham, (Paradise) which Jesus visited, preached and set the captives free (Grace to You – MacArthur)

One of the often-mentioned verses related to this subject is Jesus reference to the bosom of Abraham in what is known as the “Rich Man and Lazarus” (Luke 16: 19-31)

¹⁹ “There was a certain rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and fared sumptuously every day. ²⁰ But there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, full of sores, who was laid at his gate, ²¹ desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell^[d] from the rich man’s table. Moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. ²² So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ And being in torments in Hades, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom.

²⁴ “Then he cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.’ ²⁵ But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things; but now he is comforted and you are tormented. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, so that those who want to pass from here to you cannot, nor can those from there pass to us.’

²⁷ “Then he said, ‘I beg you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father’s house, ²⁸ for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, lest they also come to this place of torment.’ ²⁹ Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.’ ³⁰ And he said, ‘No, father Abraham; but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.’ ³¹ But he said to him, ‘If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead.’”

The teaching referenced by the Apostles Creed and many other verses is that Jesus that ascended after he descended.  This is that Jesus died and like the faithful in the Old Testament (i.e. Lazarus) went to the heart of the earth (Abrahams Bosom, also called Paradise and sometimes Hades and even Hell).  Many Bible scholars teach this was a ‘holding place’ for those under the law that were trusting in God.  The key to the release from this holding place was the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ – as the Messiah, the key to being justified apart from the works of the law.

When Jesus rose from the dead, he took those souls that were in the Bosom of Abraham with him.   It appears that some stopped off at the earth (As Jesus did on the day of His resurrection).  Matthew 27:53 has an interesting and unique account “They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people” 

It's possible the reason that the late RC Sproul and others have a problem with the wording in the Apostles Creed “He descended into Hell” and this particular teaching also found in Acts 2:24, John 5:25, 1 Peter 3:18-22, Zachariah 9:11, and Colossians 2:15 is because it provides an opportunity to misunderstand the necessity and sufficiency of Jesus death on the cross. 

From my perspective, the teaching of a literal “Bosom of Abraham” and the release of the captives by Jesus himself after the crucifixion fits into the Biblical narrative of salvation through by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone.

The Fool Says, "There is no God"

The Book of Psalms in the Bible is a collection or anthology of 150 individual hymns, laments, warnings and benedictions.   In Psalm 14, there is definition and characterization of the fool that says, ”There Is No God”

Here are the first four verses of Psalm 14:

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”

    They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds;

    there is none who does good.

The LORD looks down from heaven on the children of man,

    to see if there are any who understand,

    who seek after God.

They have all turned aside; together they have become corrupt;

    there is none who does good,

    not even one.

Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers

    who eat up my people as they eat bread

    and do not call upon the LORD?

It has been documented that there are more and more fools today.  Likely more than ever before.  It’s unfortunate but one of the prophesied signs of the end-times.

The Apostle Paul in writing to the Thessalonians about the coming of the Lord states, “Don't let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the man doomed to destruction. (2 Thes 2:3)

This word ‘rebellion’ is often translated ‘turning or falling away’. This is the Greek word “Apostasea' and means a departure from the truth.

While many local churches are growing, there is also a documented wholesale departure here in the United States and throughout the developed world. One way of looking at it is that many are departing from the churches affiliated with mainline denominations that long ago have departed from the truth. I saw this first hand in Europe.  I had the opportunity to travel and work in places like England, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Switzerland,  and my interest in the history of Christianity brought me to tour many of the great cathedrals in the capitals and major cities of these countries.  Sadly, most of these once great cathedrals are not much more than museums today.  What was once the center of Christianity and the birthplace of the Reformation nearly 500 years ago has today become cosmopolitan centers not of devoted Christians but of those that say, "there is no God." 

America is also changing. While it remains likely one of the most Christian and devoted groupings of people, there are more and more that identify themselves as having no belief.  These are the ‘nones’ that have been identified and characterized by Christian prognosticators.   Many of the ‘nones’ are young, many have a Christian heritage and all have dismissed Christianity as being irrelevant based on their desire for meaning, success and happiness.   God calls these people fools.

By definition, those that declare there is no God are either atheists or agnostic.  The agnostics are the larger group as they haven’t developed an informed view or philosophy about God and prefer to remain relatively neutral. God calls them fools.

The other type that is becoming more and more common are the theoretical atheists who affirm their non-belief in God often vocally and militantly.  These are those that follow the musings and blogs of people like Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens.  They like to challenge pastors, Christian theologians and teachers by asking them ‘gotcha questions’ just like the Pharisees would try on Jesus.

“Jesus, at the resurrection, whose wife will she be of the seven, since all of them were married to her?"

“Jesus, is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?”

"Jesus, and who is my neighbor?"

Jesus was able to easily answer these ‘gotcha’ questions.   After all, these people were fools.

As believers, our mission is not only to develop a personal and relevant faith.  I believe that our mission is also to reach those that have legitimate questions and to have the wisdom to be able to answer those with the ‘gotcha’ questions.

The Bible gives us our marching orders:

The Apostle Peter commanded Christians: ‘Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.’ (1 Peter 3:15)

Jude’s inspired epistle said: ‘I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.’ (Jude v. 3)

The Apostle Paul said: ‘We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ’ (2 Corinthians 10:5).

This branch of theology or the science of answering questions about the faith is called Christian Apologetics.

The term ‘Christian apologetics’ doesn’t refer to apologizing (or saying ‘sorry’) for being a Christian. It comes from the Greek word “apologia” meaning defense. 

For those of us that know we should be ‘always prepared’ and for those that are willing to ‘demolish arguments’ there are a few well known and capable Chrisian apologists that have made their teachings widely available on the web including many videos on Youtube.  Here are three to get started

ALWAYSBEREADY.COM (Charlie Campbell)

CROSSEXAMINED.ORG (Frank Turek)

RZIM.ORG (Ravi Zacharis)

You'll find by watching these learned Christian Apologists that most of the challenges to a belief in God in general and Christianity specifically fall into just a few categories.  Knowing how to answer and being prepared can quickly turn the conversation around, provide an opportunity to articulate a witness to the truth and sow the seeds of the Gospel. 

Be prepared.  Be willing to share, and always be kind. 

What is the Gospel

The gospel is the Good News that Jesus Christ, the son of God, was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life and was crucified for our sins.  He was raised from the dead on the third day and will come again.

The Bible tells us that if we believe in our heart that Jesus is Lord and confess with our mouth that God raised him from the dead we will be saved.

The early church believed this gospel.   All of our rich traditions and theology are great but they add nothing to this simple Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The body of Christ is comprised of everyone who believes this essential Gospel and has embraced Jesus Christ at their savior, their messiah. 

It is the gospel the brings us together, it is the essential gospel that brings unity of the faith and revival in the hearts of all in the boy of Christ.

The Apostle Paul was passionate about unity in the church. Listen to his prayer in the book of Romans, chapter 15

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of UNITY among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ 

Do Boycotts Work?

So who watched the Academy Awards?   I have to admit that I missed it but not because we were intentionally avoiding it or boycotting the Hollywood spectacular but because it just wasn't on our radar.    We are not big movie fans and really don't know the movies or the stars let alone the screen writers and directors or others that receive the awards. 

The next day I found that I was in good company as many of my Christian friends had not watched the Academy Awards either.    At any time there are a myriad of different entertainment, programs, venues, restaurants, retail outlets and places to visit. 

While we have choices, many see an opportunity to collectively boycott a product, program, service or company.   As Christians we have been both on the receiving end as well as on the offense when it comes to calling for boycotts. 

The causes may be noble but I wonder if boycotts work?   If the 'victory' is in diminished viewers or revenue than the case can be made that boycotts are effective.  At the same time, if we are more interested in winning the war than the battle, perhaps using the national media, our social media sources and our church pulpits to boycott those that disagree with the teachings of Christ and the Bible may be counterproductive. 

Jesus has an interesting thing to say about judging others perhaps it also applies to programs like the Academy Awards or boycotts for those on the 'other side'

In Matthew 7, beginning in the first verse, Jesus tells us we are not to judge "Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Then after the familiar verse about the 'plank in your own eye" he has this very interesting and often thought difficult verse: 

Matthew 7:6 “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."

Pearls before swine....an interesting word picture at the least. 

Boycotts tend to send a signal to the troops and often its the wrong signal that we send to the opposition.  Perhaps when we love our enemies as ourselves, we provide more of an opportunity to communicate our true mission.  Using economic power may bring economic consequences but our longer term objective is not about economics. 

Denominations, not Divisions

This October 31st will mark the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.

   

Likely, Martin Luther had no idea that the actual date of his nailing the 95 Theses on the door of Wittenberg Castle Church on October 31, 1517 would be remembered as the beginning date of a movement.  

Certainly, there were other reformers prior to Martin Luther. John Wyclif (or Wycliffe if you prefer), more than a century earlier, had defied Church law and translated the Latin Vulgate into English so that the common people could read God’s word.  He argued that it was the scriptures that were the only truly reliable guide to our Christian religion and he rejected the Papacy as being non-biblical.  

John Hus, a contemporary to John Wyclif was tried for heresy and burned at the stake for speaking out against the worldliness of the church.  More than 150 years later, Pope Paul III would call together the Council of Trent that ultimately would largely agree with Hus regarding the worldliness of the church.

Nevertheless, this 500th anniversary of the ‘official’ start of the Reformation has mixed reviews.  For every theologian and historian that is enthusiastic over the establishment of Scripture as being the final authority in all matters of faith, there are just as many that look to what the same Scriptures have to say about divisions and schisms within the church.   The Bible says we are to be united and that there should be no divisions.   How can we celebrate something that created many lasting divisions in the Body?

I prefer to think of the Protestant Reformation more as a revival of the Church.  

Revivals are movements that occupy a place and time and are more like waves than tsunamis.  This revival had an impact as well on what we now know as the Roman Catholic Church, institutionalizing and formalizing the doctrines of Transubstantiation and fixing the number of sacraments at seven.  The same Council of Trent that rejected the Reformers teaching on Sola Fide¸ agreed that it was a disgrace to sell indulgences. 

While many think these disagreements over doctrine and practice have created divisions, I prefer to use the word denominations.   

Denominations are not bad necessarily as by definition a denomination is just a replica, a subset of the whole.   You may think that mine may be an odd definition but look inside your wallet.  Do you have money inside that has divisions or denominations?   The five-dollar bill is backed by the same faith and confidence of the US Government as the ten-dollar bill.  In fact, if you have two five-dollar bills they are identical in literally every way to the ten-dollar bill except in the fact that they are two subsets of the one.

True unity in the Church happens every time we recognize that if we are clinging to the Vine, and a believer in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we are a full member of the Body of Christ and not just a member of a group of religious adherents to a denomination.   If you want to lament the event that marks the beginning of the Reformation on October 31, 1517 you’ll have trouble reconciling the true history of the church with its many schisms, changes, abuses and self-centered leaders as well as its triumphs, successes, reforms and saints.

Let’s embrace what truly makes us one and celebrate the Reformation that revived the Body of Christ.   Today, 2,000 years after Pentecost, we have taken the gospel around the world and there are more than 2 billion people that identify themselves with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Fear Not!

“But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.” (Luke 2:10 ESV)

Two thousand years ago, over the pastures and hills of Bethlehem, shepherds were watching their flocks.   Suddenly, the shepherds were startled by an amazing thing.  Angels, possibly surrounded by light and possibly even hovering in the air appeared.   Their reaction was that they "were sore afraid."  Today, we would use other words but all of us can relate to what it means to be terror-stricken.

The angel however tells them to not be afraid and says, “I bring you good new that will cause great joy for all the people (Luke 2:10).   Often we are told of ‘good news’ but we find that it may not be entirely ‘good’.    Also, this news was not only good but would cause great joy for all people. 

“Fear not” is a common phrase in the bible, often attributed to angels.   In proper context, it can be found over 80 times.  God appeared to Abraham and told him to “Fear not.”   Moses told the people of Israel to “Fear not.”   Joshua was told by God to “Fear not,” and was given a further promise that He, God would be with Joshua as He had been with Moses.

The shepherds are given the best greeting of all as the angel said unto them, "Fear Not... behold a Savior" (Luke 2:10-11). The answer to their fear and the reason that this good news was to be for all the people was that the Savior, the long-awaited Messiah, was born.

This verse out of Luke kicks off this season of Advent and the beginning of the Christmas season.   While Christmas is associated with gifts and good cheer and great times around a dinner table with family, the message of the angels is still the message for today, “fear not, the Messiah is born”.

This baby that was born in Bethlehem was no ordinary baby nor ordinary king.  The Bible says clearly that Jesus was sinless, born of the Holy Spirit.  It was because of this miraculous birth that we can have life eternal.   This was the promise of the Messiah, the good news for all people.