All posts in category Paul the Apostle

Get off the tangents, get on tenacious truths

It can be so easy for believers in Christ to go off on tangents that distract us from the important things concerning God’s kingdom. Those tangents can be anything from what kind of foods we consider acceptable to consume to what religious days we should observe to what arguments we should make to justify bad habits, wrong beliefs, or sinful behaviors.

The church at Rome in the first century was so preoccupied with passing unjust judgment on each other over diet and holidays that Paul was forced to address the issue in Romans 14. Vegans were condemning meat-eaters, meat-eaters condemned vegans, those who weren’t wine drinkers condemned those who drank it, those who observed Passover or other holidays condemned those who didn’t set aside time for special observances, etc. So Paul had to make it clear that God allows us to have personal preferences regarding non-essential beliefs, but expects us to distinguish correctly between what is personal preference and what the Lord clearly considers sin. Here’s what he said in Romans 14:

13 Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, that no man put a stumblingblock or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. …16 Let not then your good be evil spoken of: 17 For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. 18 For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

What were the non-essentials? One’s diet (of course, provided that the food wasn’t dedicated in a heathen ritual). The essentials? Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Those are the things that are acceptable to God and are important to his kingdom. When one is in a right relationship with God that comes from repentance of sin and accepting Jesus as Lord (the only way we can receive righteousness) which results in obedience to him, then one lives at peace with God and does things that promote the peace of God, which then results in the joy of the Holy Ghost. We have joy in him and he has joy in us. However, churches are in a state now where some churchgoers falsely equate righteousness, peace, and joy as keeping quiet about sin or calling sin a good thing.

Paul’s words mirrored what Jesus said when Jewish leaders tried to condemn the disciples for eating without following their strict rituals. Jesus then specifically stated in Mark 7 what is really unrighteous– “That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. 21 For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, 22 Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: 23 All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.” Jesus condemned what we allow in church today, especially the sexual sins of sodomy, co-habitation, adultery, and other types of sex outside of marriage. We also accept blasphemy (by believing Jesus isn’t the only way to God), deceit (people who portray themselves as wholesome but are anything but in their personal lives), and a whole bunch of other sin he clearly condemned in this scripture.  God help us.

This 34 min. video featuring Ray Comfort sharing the gospel confronts wrong thinking in society that has seeped into churches.

This is why Paul showed the necessity of benedictions in closing his letters to churches. One benediction that stands out to me is 2 Corinthians 13:14:

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen.

Paul was made aware of many sins going on at Corinth and that there were quite a few who voiced their dislike for him and his associates. But after he addressed the problems, he prayed the blessings of the Trinity on them, including:

  1. Grace. This unmerited, undeserved favor comes to us via the Lord Jesus and empowers us to do what God calls us to do.
  2. Love. This is from the Father as displayed in his Son’s self-sacrifice for us which leads us to love him by sacrificing ourselves for him and to look for opportunities to share this love with others. It prompts us to hate sin, not make excuses for it.
  3. Communion. The Holy Ghost is always in us to provide this fellowship and communication from God and to God so we can understand what pleases him and what doesn’t and then direct our way accordingly. He’s always ready and willing to talk to us if only we would make the time to talk to him.

And this benediction which Paul prayed over all who would read his epistle is what I pray for all of you who read this.

Harry A. Gaylord

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by Harry A. Gaylord on December 9, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, church, faith, God, Paul the Apostle, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on December 9, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/12/09/get-off-the-tangents-get-on-tenacious-truths/

I wasn’t born again yesterday, or, noticing God’s hand

Is it possible to tell if an idea or occurrence, like a natural disaster, is from God? If it’s possible, then HOW can anyone tell what’s truly of God and what isn’t? John gives us a simple way to discern truth from error in 1 John 4:1-6. We are to try, or test, the spirits that are behind the philosophies or occurrences we see or hear. Those that are in agreement with the teachings of God’s prophets and apostles (i.e. what is written in the Bible) are of God. Those that contradict the Bible are not of God.

Simplicity in Christ makes a firm foundation

But several decades before John simplified this in the scripture, Paul explained to the Corinthian church in more detail why he conducted his ministry the way he did and how that would help them in the long run to hone their spiritual discernment. When he shared the gospel for the first time with people, Paul kept the message simple [1 Corinthians 2:1] and just shared the fact that Jesus Christ came to die for our sins by being crucified so we could be saved [1 Corinthians 2:2].

He did not use great oratorical skills, or big, fancy words, or quote famous philosophers and writers of that day, but relied solely on what the Holy Spirit told him to say or do and demonstrated God’s word through his lifestyle for the year and a half he lived among them [Acts 18:11; 1 Corinthians 2:4]. What was his purpose for that? He wanted their faith to stand firmly on God’s power, not on human wisdom, human reasoning, or human philosophy. Part of the reason why churches lack discernment and allow anti-Biblical things to go on in their congregations and why young people tend to leave the church once they are out on their own and why Christians sometimes shy away from stating with confidence what is or isn’t of God is because they are standing on human wisdom, human reasoning, and human philosophy–the very things Paul was avoiding.

A firm foundation sparks spiritual growth & expands wisdom

However, as believers grew and matured in their faith, Paul tended to expand his teaching to encompass a greater amount of God’s wisdom in his teaching, including mysteries and hidden wisdom God kept secret until the dispensation of the gospel. The mysteries he decided would take effect for the church’s glory even before he formed the world [1 Corinthians 2:6-7]. This hidden wisdom is not to be confused with gnosticism which believes knowledge brings salvation and that all matter is evil. God’s wisdom is totally separate from worldly wisdom and wisdom of world leaders because those types of wisdom will come to nothing [1 Corinthians 2:6]. So whether the philosophy is Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Stoic, Epicurean, Darwin, Marx, Machiavelli, or Kinsey, they are all nothing compared to God’s eternal truths which will one day do away with all others when Christ returns to rule Earth.

Why do most people, including the ones ruling or wanting to rule the world, reject the Lord of glory and his followers? Their eyes have not seen, nor have their ears heard, neither have their hearts received the things God has prepared for those who love him [1 Corinthians 2:9]. But God has revealed to his followers all of the things he has prepared for us. They have been revealed to us by the Holy Spirit [1 Corinthians 2:10]. This is how we discern what is of God and what isn’t. This is how we can tell if something is a blessing from God or not and whether a bad thing that happens is God’s punishment or not. It is God’s Spirit that searches out the meaning or intent behind all things, including the deep hidden things of God [1 Corinthians 2:10].

Expanding godly wisdom expands spiritual discernment

Just like a man’s spirit is the only one who knows what type of character he truly is deep down inside, God’s Spirit knows everything he desires deep down inside and how he plans to carry them out [1 Corinthians 2:11]. Since true believers have received God’s Spirit and not the spirit of the world, we can know the deep things of God [1 Corinthians 2:12]. We can know what he has freely given to us as believers. We can know his deep desires and what his plans are. We can know what is of him and what is not of him because that’s why he gave us his Spirit.

He wanted to reveal to us, to share with us “the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him,” [Ephesians 1:17]. He did not want us to be unwise, “but understanding what the will of the Lord is,” [Ephesians 5:17]. It is Jehovah’s desire that we “be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding,” [Colossians 1:9]. Surely our Father will do nothing, unless he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets [Amos 3:7], those of us who are his children.

These revelations are what we believers should speak and they can only be taught by the Holy Spirit as we compare spiritual things with spiritual to judge, or discern, by the Holy Spirit what is good spiritual or bad spiritual [1 Corinthians 2:13]. Those who are self-willed and whose lives are based on human nature and human understanding reject what comes from the Holy Spirit, considering them foolish [1 Corinthians 2:14] since those things are spiritually discerned.

A spiritual person, one who relies on the promptings of the Holy Spirit, can discern the spiritual value (or lack thereof) of all things, but they cannot be judged with any validity by anyone given to human nature and understanding [1 Corinthians 2:15]. Why not? Because no one knows the mind of the Lord to instruct Jehovah on how he should carry things out [1 Corinthians 2:16]. This is why it is pure insolence when atheists and other idolaters have the audacity to belittle how God does things or what he does, implying their way would be better than his. It is also pure arrogance when leaders of the church, instead of doing the things God said to do, would listen and give in to pressure from the world and make immoral, ungodly compromises to be accepted by the world. But those who are spiritual have the mind of Christ and will embrace all things from him no matter what the cost [1 Corinthians 2:16].

Summary: The closer you get to God (prayer, reading & studying the Bible, etc.) and the more you submit to the Holy Spirit, the greater your spiritual insight & discernment will be.

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by Harry A. Gaylord on April 23, 2012  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, God, Holy Spirit, judgment, Paul the Apostle, religion
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on April 23, 2012

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2012/04/23/i-wasnt-born-again-yesterday-or-noticing-gods-hand/

Paul’s powerful preaching

I was reading Acts 24 tonight and it gave a gripping account of how the apostle Paul defended himself before the Roman governor Felix in Caesarea.  I admire Paul’s eloquence and his ability to highlight the weaknesses of the false accusations spoken against him.  Since Paul was bold in talking about his beliefs and pointed out that it was because of his faith that he was brought to trial, it piqued Felix’s curiosity and he asked Paul to return a few days later to explain in more detail about faith in Christ to him and his wife Drusilla, who according to Josephus was the daughter of Herod Agrippa I, the same Herod who killed James, the brother of John, and died not long after James’s martyrdom.

As Paul expounded on the gospel of our Lord Jesus, the scripture says “he reasoned.”  This means he gave a well-thought-out discussion.  In his discussion, Paul spoke of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come.  And his reasoning was done so well that Felix, the powerful Roman governor, trembled with fear at what he heard.  So what could Paul have said that made Felix shake in his shoes?

Obviously Paul gave to Felix the full counsel of God and didn’t hold back.  He preached in accordance with how God taught him to preach.

Paul’s preaching on righteousness

According to what we see in the New Testament, preaching on righteousness encompasses several important topics.  Preaching about righteousness means that one has to explain that God wants us to be in good standing with him.  And when speaking about being in good standing with God, one would have to point out that without Jesus Christ as our Lord, we are spiritually dead in our sins and cannot make ourselves right with God, for we all have sinned and come short of the glory of God [Romans 3:23].  Making feeble attempts to purge ourselves of sin without God is being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and by going about to establish our own righteousness, we have not submitted ourselves to the righteousness of God [Romans 10:3].

Preaching about righteousness then must also include the fact that God sent his only begotten son Jesus to be the perfect, sinless sacrifice for the sins of mankind.  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him [2 Corinthians 5:21]. He is the only one who has the power to counteract the sin nature we inherited from Adam.  So if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.  For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation [Romans 10:9-11].

Paul’s preaching on temperance

Temperance is self-control, or the ability to master one’s ungodly desires and passions.  Temperance is what God wants all men everywhere to have so this world will be a better place than it is when fallen mankind selfishly does what is right in his own eyes regardless of the negative affects on others.  It results from having faith in Christ and demonstrates to God that a person is serious about living a life that pleases God.  Having temperance is a clear message to God that one considers a relationship with him of the utmost importance.

Paul’s preaching on the judgment to come

Earlier in Acts 24, Paul spoke of the resurrection both of the just and the unjust.  And tied to the resurrection of the dead is the purpose for their resurrection–the judgment to come.  According to the scriptures, it is a time when people will be rewarded by the Lord if they have lived in his righteousness with temperance.  The benefits they will receive will include reigning with Christ over the earth.  But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.  This is what the judgment to come holds for all who choose not to follow Christ.

These are the things Paul probably touched on and it convicted Felix so deeply that he trembled.  But unfortunately he didn’t tremble enough to get saved.  And it is doubtful Drusilla his wife did either.  During the time of Titus’s reign, Drusilla and her son Agrippa perished in the eruption of Vesuvius.

Was Paul spot on?

Paul apparently gave Felix and Drusilla what they needed to hear.  It’s perfectly fine to tell people “God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life” or that “You have a God-sized hole in your heart that only Jesus can fill,”  but sometimes people need to be told something different and we must use God’s wisdom as to when those times may be.

I recently received a comment that I chose not to display from a gay rights activist who claims Paul’s teachings were not in line with Christ’s since Christ never spoke against homosexuality and the person implied that his writings should not be in the New Testament.  This is a common argument from critics of the New Testament.  So were Paul’s teachings spot on or way off?

I covered in a previous post about the historical and scientific accuracy of the New Testament, including Paul’s writings.  Luke, Paul’s biographer, is the writer who introduces us to Paul and commends Paul as a genuine Christian and genuine apostle.  History has proven that Luke wrote the truth about people, places, and events such as Ananias being the high priest, Felix being a Roman governor, Festus being the governor who succeeded Felix, that the Greeks actually had a temple in Athens dedicated to the “Unknown God”, and that the Roman emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome.  Luke has shown himself to be accurate in his history and science in his gospel and the book of Acts, so since he has proven to be trustworthy in earthly things, we can also trust him on the spiritual things.  Therefore, since Luke trusted Paul’s integrity and genuineness as a true Christian, so can we.

Paul also has a second witness in the New Testament.  Peter the apostle, who history has proven was a genuine follower of Christ and genuine writer in the New Testament, said– “And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;  As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.” [2 Peter 3:15-16]

Not only did Peter call Paul a “beloved brother”, acknowledging him as a genuine Christian, he verified that Paul’s writings were scripture when he criticized Paul’s critics for twisting what Paul said like they twist “other scriptures.”  He would not have used “other” if he did not consider Paul’s writings scripture since the word is an inclusive word.

Jesus Christ did, in fact, speak against homosexuality when he explained marriage and God’s original and ongoing intentions for it–”But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” [Mark 10:6-9]

God meant for males to join in marriage to females.  That means those with xy chromosomes are intended by God to be married to those with xx chromosomes.  A man should leave his parents to marry a wife, a female.  This is the type of union God has joined together and man should not put it asunder by adultery, unjustifiable divorce, or homosexuality.

–posted by Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on July 3, 2010  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Paul the Apostle, preaching, religion
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Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on July 3, 2010

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2010/07/03/pauls-powerful-preaching/

Is the apostle Paul one of the 12 disciples?

Having grown up going to church, I have often been taught by Sunday School teachers, preachers, and pastors that the apostle Paul was the real replacement for Judas Iscariot among the 12 disciples.  Part of their reasoning was that he had such an impact on the first century church with his missionary journeys and has influenced the church throughout its history with his powerful letters.  Additionally they claim that in Acts 1 when the disciples made the decision to choose Matthias, they were not yet filled with the Holy Spirit and were in error for relying on the superstitious custom of casting lots when they should have waited for the Holy Spirit to reveal to them who the replacement should be.  Is this reasoning correct?  Should the apostle Paul be considered Judas Iscariot’s true replacement?

How Matthias was chosen

The circumstances in Acts 1 were such that the disciples “continued with one accord in prayer and supplication” (Acts 1:14).  They were in godly fellowship with each other and with God while waiting for the Holy Spirit to come.  Out of this fellowship, Peter was given knowledge from God about the Old Testament prophecy stating “[h]is bishopric let another take” (Acts 1:20 quoting Psalm 109:8) when he addressed the 120 disciples who were gathered together.  He also understood that Judas’ replacement would need to be a firsthand witness of Jesus’ entire ministry (Acts 1:21-22).

There were apparently only two who met this requirement–Barsabas and Matthias.  When the two were nominated, all 120 disciples prayed to the Lord for him to reveal who his choice should be for replacing Judas.  Since they were in fellowship with the Lord, God must have heard their prayer.  So they cast their lots, and Matthias was chosen by the lot.

Are casting lots worthless superstition?

When we think of casting lots today, the picture that comes to our mind is a bunch of seedy characters in an alley throwing dice or lottery numbers being randomly selected to reveal a winner.  Casting lots in Biblical times had nothing to do with gambling.  It was very similar to drawing straws and was an acceptable practice with God and men.

The lot is cast into the lap; but the whole disposing [decision] thereof is of the LORD.  Proverbs 16:33

The lot causeth contentions to cease, and parteth between the mighty.  Proverbs 18:18

These scriptures tell us that godly men understood that God’s hand was involved in making decisions by casting lots.  It was known that everything in life happened for a purpose, whether good or bad, even if we don’t completely understand and that man did not have complete control over every situation in life.  Therefore, when the disciples cast lots they were within God’s will to do so.

Why didn’t the disciples wait on the Holy Spirit?

The disciples knew that there were matters that had to be taken care of even while they waited for the Holy Spirit’s arrival.  The ministry they were called to do–being witnesses for Christ–would require some immediate preparation, such as the prayer, supplication, and fellowship they were participating in every day.  They knew the Holy Spirit was going to arrive soon and that he would empower them to get to work preaching the gospel immediately.  There was no time to waste because souls had to be saved and they had to obey Christ’s instructions without hesitation. 

According to the timeline in the scriptures, it was probably several years after Pentecost before Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was actually saved.  Waiting several years to replace Judas would not have been within God’s will.

Is there proof in scripture that Paul was not numbered with the twelve? 

Besides what I have just stated, let’s examine what else is said in the New Testament to help our understanding.

And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.  Then the twelve called the multitude of the disciples unto them, and said, It is not reason that we should leave the word of God, and serve tables.  Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.  Acts 6:1-4

For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve… 1 Corinthians 15:3-5

So we see here that Luke, who wrote Acts, knew that Paul was not numbered with the twelve and Paul even did not consider himself one of the twelve.  There were many other apostles other than the twelve apostles like Barnabas, Paul, and James the Lord’s brother.  They all did miracles and preached like the others, but were not numbered with the twelve and that didn’t make them any less important than the twelve.

 –posted by Harry A. Gaylord– 

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by Harry A. Gaylord on August 4, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, Holy Spirit, New Testament, Paul the Apostle, religion

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on August 4, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/08/04/is-the-apostle-paul-one-of-the-12-disciples/

Father of mercies and God of all comfort

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.  And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.  And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.”  (2 Corinthians 1:3-7)

In the process of spreading the gospel, Paul and his companions suffered many things which he lists in 2 Corinthians 11.  There must have been plenty of times where he thought it was the end for him, but God carried him through whether it was lack of food and shelter, physical assaults, wrongful imprisonment, or threatening weather.  Paul was able to look back and see how God was merciful and gave him comfort no matter what hardships life threw at him.  The comfort he received was encouragement for him personally in his walk with Christ, but it was also for the benefit of other believers.  He was able to testify from personal experience to other Christians who faced difficult times that God would deliver them no matter what their circumstance.

If we live long enough on this earth we will face some kind of trouble.  Job testified to this when he said “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble.”  But as a follower of Christ it’s a joy to realize that we don’t go through trying times all by ourselves.  Whether we have to face the death of a loved one, hatred from racists, persecution for being a Christian, sickness, loss of a job, or whatever bad thing life hurls our way, God has a comfort to match it and surpass it.  He’s the God of all comfort.  The Lord loves us enough to be concerned about everything that concerns us, so he comforts our spirits by his Holy Spirit to encourage us to press on.  Once we make it through, we can give him the glory he deserves and our faith in him grows stronger.

However, the Lord doesn’t just give us comfort for our own benefit.  The comfort we receive is like a spiritual gift to be shared with others.  Now that we know God has power to deliver us from trouble, when our paths cross someone who is going through the same or similar situation (which it will), we can tell them how God is a very present help in the time of trouble.  We can testify to the fact that weeping may endure for a night, but hold on, because joy comes in the morning!  We can give testimony of how the Lord is our shield and the lifter up of our head!  Praise God!

Our testimony can be much needed encouragement to a fellow saint, but can also be a tool to introduce Jesus Christ to someone who is lost.  This is why it is so important for us to be alert of who is around us and what their needs may be.  The Holy Spirit could prompt us at any time to approach someone to speak a word in season or to be swift to hear them and slow to speak, depending on the situation.

“Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.”  (Psalm 34:19)

–Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on February 22, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Christianity, God, hardships, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Paul the Apostle, persecution, spiritual strength

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on February 22, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/02/22/father-of-mercies-and-god-of-all-comfort/

A little leaven leavens the whole lump

“It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father’s wife.  And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. … Your glorying is not good.  Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump?

“I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators: Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. … Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” (1 Corinthians 5:1-2, 6, 9-11, 13b)

As the church of the living God, Christians are called to be holy because God is holy.  God loves us so much and wants what is best for us as individuals and as a body.  However, if we allow sin to go unchecked in our assemblies we are hindering some of the blessings God has for us.  This is why church discipline is so important.

The Corinthian church was very proud and gloried in the fact that God blessed them with all the spiritual gifts being manifested in their church.  Nevertheless, there was a big blemish in their midst.  There was a man who called himself a Christian and was openly in an incestuous sexual relationship with his stepmother.  Paul admonished them to take immediate action by excommunicating him from their midst so his fleshly nature could be destroyed by Satan in order for his spirit man to be saved. 

Why was such harsh action necessary?  Paul, like God, loved the church so much that he did not want anyone to perish (including the man committing such a sin) for eternity as a result of this ungodliness.  You see, Paul knew that if this man were to get away with his sin, others in the church who were spiritually weak would say to themselves, “Well, if he’s allowed to sleep with his stepmother, then I might as well go and give in to this temptation I’ve been fighting for so long.”  And before you know it, there would be a thief in the church over here doing his dirt, an idolater over there worshipping Buddha or Allah, or a drunkard in that corner of the congregation getting high from his Southern Comfort.  In other words, “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”

Although many churchgoers are in denial about this simple spiritual fact, one person’s sin can have a negative affect on the whole congregation.  There are several examples of this in the Bible (see Joshua 7, for example).  This is why church discipline is of the utmost importance.  Our Lord gave us clear steps on handling church offenders in Matthew 18.  The one who sees an offense should go to the person one-on-one first to confront the sin.  Then if the offender refuses to listen, the witness should take one or two more church members to confront the person.  If they still refuse to listen, the whole congregation should confront them, and if they still harden their heart, they should be excommunicated.  We see in Corinthians that Paul explained in more detail what Christ had already spoken about.

But, unfortunately, this rarely happens in today’s congregations.  Why?  There are several reasons.  For starters, it could be we have become very comfortable with sin and don’t see it as being wrong.  Maybe it’s that we fear men more than we fear God.  Perhaps we are afraid to turn anyone off since the church has bills to pay and we need as many people as possible contributing to the church’s bank account.  Then again, it could be that the offender is related to, or has close ties with influential people in the community and they can exact their revenge at a moment’s notice.

Whatever the excuses are, they should be null and void in comparison to God’s commands.  It’s no wonder the church is in such sad spiritual shape in spite of the fact we, like the church at Corinth, boast about all the wonderful things God is doing in our churches.  Like Paul said, our glorying is not good if sin goes unchecked in our midst.  It’s time to wake up and listen to the Holy Spirit.  If God is blessing us corporately in spite of sin in our churches, then how much more are we missing out on because we refuse to confront the adulterer, or the fornicator, or the liar?  And how long are we going to get by with it before God himself takes action because we refuse to?  Christ is coming back for a church without spot or wrinkle, so it would be better for us to cooperate now than to later have to face the terror of falling into the hands of the living God.

–Harry A. Gaylord–

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by Harry A. Gaylord on February 7, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, church, church discipline, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Paul the Apostle

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on February 7, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/02/07/a-little-leaven-leavens-the-whole-lump/

Let no man glory in men

“For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.

Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.

Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? …

For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?

Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?

I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.

So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. …

Therefore, let no man glory in men.  For all things are yours;” (1 Cor. 1:11-13; 3:3-7, 21)

We see here that Paul is addressing an issue that has plagued the body of Christ for centuries–the carnality of believers as reflected in their placing religious leaders on pedestals.  The mentality behind believers bragging about their spiritual leader is basically ungodly pride in the back of our minds which says “I’m more spiritual than that person or group because I follow this or that preacher who is superior to their favorite preacher.”

Since this is happening in just about every church, it reflects how spiritually immature modern churches really are.  It does nothing but promote envy, strife, divisions, and contentions as stated by Paul.  Although we should give honor to those who rule well in ministry, they are not be worshipped as we so often do.  Church leaders are merely examples to the flock, not lords over it (1 Pet. 5:2-3).

There is only one head of the church–Jesus Christ.  He is the only one who bought and paid for it with his redeeming blood as a sinless sacrifice.  If someone else is the head of your church, your church is not Christ’s church.  All true believers have a direct line to God through our only mediator, Christ Jesus (1 Tim. 2:5).  As Paul states, ministry leaders are nothing; it’s God that is our everything since he supplies the increase in genuine ministries.

An associate of mine once asked one of his “Christian” classmates what his beliefs were.  The classmate responded, “I don’t know.  I’ll have to ask my pastor.”  This is the spiritual state of many church folks today.  Instead of reading the Bible for ourselves to find out what God has said, we’d rather let our leaders tell us what we should think.  So we check our brains at the door as we enter the sanctuary.

As a result, we create leaders who resist the ideas of people who genuinely want to share their spiritual gifts with the body of Christ.  Unfortunately, those leaders like Diotrephes in 3 John want the preeminence since so many praises have been heaped on them.  They feel threatened (like the Jewish leaders in Jesus’ day) because someone else’s ministry in their congregation may overshadow their own ministry.  “[T]he eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee.” (1 Cor. 12:21)

In essence, this doctrine became known as Nicolaitanism–a doctrine that Christ hates.  See my post Revelations on the Book of Revelation for more about this hurtful doctrine.

Every true believer is royalty and part of the priesthood (1 Pet. 2:9).  This is why Paul told the Corinthian church in 1 Cor. 6:4 that even the least esteemed in the church should judge disputes between brothers instead of going to secular courts.

The Lord does not want us to glory in men, but to glory in the fact we know and understand him (Jer. 9:24).  Jesus commanded us in Matthew 23:8-9 not to assign lofty titles to our peers in the church.  Even Elihu, the only one to speak wisely to Job and his three friends, knew the importance of this principle when he stated:

Let me not, I pray you, accept any man’s person [by showing favoritism based on status], neither let me give flattering titles unto man.  For I know not to give flattering titles; in so doing my maker would soon take me away.  Job 32:21-22

–Harry A. Gaylord–

2 Comments
by Harry A. Gaylord on January 27, 2007  •  Permalink
Posted in Bible, Christianity, church, clergy, God, Jesus Christ, New Testament, Nicolaitans, Paul the Apostle

Posted by Harry A. Gaylord on January 27, 2007

http://sunandshield.wordpress.com/2007/01/27/let-no-man-glory-in-men/

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