Ephesians 4: 11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.
---
Fivefold ministries are in vogue today, but let's keep reading past the APEPT. These five ministries are meant to do something: prepare God's people for works of service.
Read the above verses, and maybe this explanation is good:
When we are serving, the body of Christ will be built up - read "edified" or "encouraged". We will be encouraged while these leaders are leading us to service until we reach a point of actual unity (gasp) in the faith and in the knowledge of the living Jesus Christ (as opposed to straight head knowledge and pet beliefs). After being built on a foundation of this loving service that binds us together and we reach an awesome union through a strong connection to Jesus, we'll reach maturity -- attaining to the lofty fullness of Christ. Woah!
How do we prevent our churches from being tossed back and forth by trends, silver-tongued men, trials, troubles, budget cuts? It starts with equipping our people, loving on them, leading by example in serving, serving, loving service. The body that is invested in with love... that body is not disloyal (hopefully). The body that bleeds and battles together (service is bloody sometimes) ... that body is not disloyal.
How do we keep the church from being darkened in their understanding? Turn on the light! Knowledge of Jesus Christ - boom. This isn't knowing some principles, it's the actually tasting and seeing that Jesus is so so so good. It's drinking from the well that won't leave you thirsty. I mean, it's the constant encounter with Jesus Christ - the "knowing" of Jesus Christ. If He is our head, we'll quickly spot the puffed-up, haven't-suffered-for-anything, false teachers and run the other way (or convert them, ha!).
How do we keep ourselves from separating from the life of God through ignorance? Same! "Knowing" Christ. Being grown into the Head, that gives us life. It's also hard to harden a heart that has been *loved* or *served* (there's that word again).
How do we keep ourselves from being insensitve, given to sensuality, impure, lustful? The whole body has been served, it's now attaining spiritual maturity and knowing Christ, and it is building *itself* up in love. When you have that kind of awesome glory of God, the obvious fruit of the Spirit falling off the tree and hitting you all in the head - who cares about what this world has to offer? You will be insensitive to the worldly crap. You will reject sensuality, impurity, lust - because you have something way way more filling. You have Jesus and you have his holy body that has just been filled and is overflowing with love upon love upon love for one another. Hallelujah.
Of course, none of this is a question of how do "we" keep from doing such-and-such. God Himself has made peace for us, and He alone saves us. May we depend deeply on Him; only by Him saving us day-in and day-out will we resist and even... be successful.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Rough Study: The New in New Testament
Jesus is seen bringing and being the "new" fulfillment of much of the old covenant. He is the one who fulfilled Israel's mission and went way beyond:
Col
Col
Bringing a New Creation
We see John begin his gospel as if it were the beginning of
a new creation story:
Genesis 1:1 “In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
John 1:1 “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2
He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without
him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was
the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not
understood it.
John 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among
us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the
Father, full of grace and truth.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new
has come!
Ephesians 2:15
by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and
regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace,
The New Adam
Jesus is also described as the man who is wholly unlike
Adam, who brings the reversal of what Adam brought. Death came through one man,
Adam, but life and salvation through one man, Christ.
Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through
one man, and death through sin, and in
this way death came to all men, because all sinned — 13 for before the law was
given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no
law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking
a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many
died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift
that came by the grace of the one man,
Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Again, the gift of God is not like
the result of the one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought
condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,
how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of
the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Consequently, just as the result of one trespass was
condemnation for all men, so also the result of one act of righteousness was
justification that brings life for all men. 19 For just as through the
disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many
will be made righteous.
20 The law was added so that the trespass might increase. But
where sin increased, grace increased all the more, 21 so that, just as sin
reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
--
1 Cor 15:44b If there is a natural body, there is also a
spiritual body. 45 So it is written: “The first
man Adam became a living being”; the
last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46
The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the
spiritual. 47 The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. 48 As was the earthly man, so are those
who are of the earth; and as is the man
from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. 49 And just as we have
borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
50 I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot
inherit the kingdom
of God
The New Flood and the New Noah
Jesus is also the cleansing flood that cleans the earth of
its evil. And in Himself He saves men from their sins.
1 Peter 3:18 For Christ died for sins once for all, the
righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made
alive by the Spirit, 19 through whom also he went and preached to the spirits
in prison 20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of
Noah while the ark was being built. In
it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water
symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the
body but the pledge of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right
hand —with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Jesus: Symbol of The New Israel
Hosea 11:1
“When Israel
was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt
Matthew 2:15
..where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was
fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt
Just as Israel passed through the Red
Sea , Jesus passed on through baptism. Just as directly after the
Red Sea, Israel Israel
The New Moses
Deuteronomy 18:15
The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me
from among your own brothers. You must listen to him.
Acts 3:22
For Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a
prophet like me from among your own people; you must listen to everything he
tells you.
Acts 7:37
This is that Moses who told the Israelites, ‘God will send
you a prophet like me from your own people.’
Just as Moses was a deliverer and prophet to the people of Israel , Jesus was the savior and prophet to Israel
There are a New set of Twelve Tribes
(the 12 tribes will be judged by the 12 apostles)
Matthew 19:28
Jesus said to them,
“I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits
on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel
Those who came to Christ through the teaching of the
apostles can also be called adopted tribes of Israel
(How can we be Israel
Romans 2:29
No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision
is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a
man’s praise is not from men, but from God.
Romans 11:
11 Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond
recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of
their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel
13 I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the
apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry 14 in the hope that I may
somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their
rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but
life from the dead?
New High Priest
Hebrews 4:14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest
who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to
the faith we profess.
New Law and Covenant
Paul juxtaposes the old law with the new law:
Romans 8:2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the
Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.
New Covenant is shown here in the words of Jeremiah and
Jesus:
Jeremiah 31:31
“The time is coming,”
declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah
Luke 22:20
In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying,
“This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you….”
c.f.
2 Corinthians 3:6
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The Full Revelation of God the Father
If you want to know what the Father is like, look to the
Son.
John 14:9
Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I
have been among you such a long time? Anyone
who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
John 10:30
I and the Father are one.
He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all
creation.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
Col 2:9
For in Christ all the
fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form,
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