Week 24

Joshua 6-7
A victory and a defeat

Jericho was not a large city, but was well fortified and strategically placed. Jericho has been identified archeologically on the banks of River Jordan. 

Spiritually, what is the Jericho in my life that is blocking my path to Christian maturity?

God's strange battle plan for the battle of Jericho 
a) highlights the importance of faith; 
b) the glory for the victory goes to God alone; 
c) it emphasized the importance of complete obedience. 

Joshua placed a curse on Jericho - Joshua 6:26. This curse is fulfilled in 1 Kings 16:34.

The defeat at Ai
Joshua did not consult the Lord first. 
The sin of one person (Achan for instance) can interrupt the flow of God's power and blessing to a whole congregation. The remedy: 1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."

Joshua 8-9
Destruction of Ai

Israel leaves no survivors. They appear so cruel. Why should everyone be destroyed and killed - young, old, women, men, children? The God of the NT seems so different, and he says, love your enemies. What does this mean? It's a complicated theological question.
http://www.gotquestions.org/Canaanites-extermination.html
http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=1630

How do we deal with the severity of God and the Israelites in dealing with their enemies?

Acknowledging that our thoughts and feelings don't like the severity we see here and knowing that we must “bring every thought into captivity to the Word of God (2 Corinthians 10:5):
1) We need to understand that God and the religion He has revealed are not comfortable to our image…“Truth is what it is, not what we wish it to be.”
2) We need to see that God's wrath is a real thing.
   a) He does give time to repent.
   b) His wrath will eventually fall.
   c) See Ecclesiastes 8:11 and Romans 2:4, 5
   d) The only way to escape His wrath is through the finished work of Jesus Christ on the                   cross. 
3) The struggle between God and evil, God and Satan, God's people and God's enemies, is a struggle to the death, though the outcome of the struggle is not in jeopardy.
4) Since we do not generally like to fight, we are often tempted to compromise.

What can we learn from Gibeon's deception: 

1) Things are not always what they seem to be.
2) Joshua 14:9: “They sampled the provisions but they did not inquire of the Lord.”
3) Israel's promise to Gibeon, though given under false pretenses, was inviolable. (See Psalm 15:4)

Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim, which will be looked at more closely when we study Deuteronomy, show us the importance of worship. In the midst of a military campaign, Joshua took time out to worship God.

Joshua 10
Sun stands still

Chapter 10 is an awesome passage of Scripture:
It shows God's omnipotence and highlights Joshua's audacity and faith in asking God to make the sun stand still.

Adoni-Zedek, the leader of the forces that came against Israel, was King of Jerusalem. He is the second King of Jerusalem that we have seen. The contrasts between Melchizedek, the first King of Jerusalem, and Adoni-Zedek, the second one- Melchizedek means King of Righteousness; Adoni-Zedek means Lord of Righteousness; Melchizedek was the friend of God's chosen leader, Abraham; Adoni-Zedek was the enemy of God's chosen leader, Joshua. Melchizedek was honored by Abraham; Adoni-Zedek was hanged by Joshua. Melchizedek was a “type” of Christ.

Joshua and his army rushed to the defense of Gibeon and it shows the importance of keeping their oath to the deceptive Gibeonites. Joshua talked to God about it first - “Pray first and then decide what you are going to do.”

Joshua, knowing that he had not yet finished the task, asks God to “make the sun stand still…” - an astonishing request! God answers and accomplishes that miracle. Joshua's faith was audacious, bold and risky. This, the greatest miracle that God ever performed for the nation of Israel, has little to do with winning the battle; it had to do with finishing everything He had told Joshua to do.

Joshua 11-13
Military power under God's protection

This section concludes the brief history of Israel's military campaigns.
Chapter 11 records the northern campaign. Northern kingdoms mentioned are Hazor, Madon, Shimron, Acsaph, the Canaanites, Perizzites, Jebusites and Hivites. Their armies consisted of 300,000 foot soldiers, 100,000 horses (Israel had none) and 20,000 chariots (Israel had none). Israel marched 5 days from Gilgal and their victory in the south to Merom in the north. God's promise: “Do not be afraid of them…I will hand all of them over to Israel - slain.” (Joshua 11:6)

“Do not be afraid.”
The number of times God tells Joshua to not be afraid is too numerous to count. That's the same promise that we depend on.

The Northern Confederacy fell to Joshua and his army (this may have taken 1-5 years to accomplish). Even the giants so feared in Moses' day, the Anakites, were conquered.

Joshua 11:23 and Joshua 13:1 - What do we make of the contrasting statements of these two verses? The major campaigns were concluded. There will, however, still some pockets of Canaanites remaining, scattered among the tribes of Israel.

Our own spiritual reality is paralleled here: Jesus won the war against Satan on the cross and by the resurrection. We are still securing yet unliberated territory for Christ.

Meditation question: What un-subdued areas remain in my own life? How will I address these areas?

Of the 31 kings and cities listed at the end of Chapter 12, only Gibeon tried to make peace with Israel. Their hearts were hardened. This is an example of the Doctrine of Reprobation.

Joshua 14-16
Division of the land

Joshua 14-16 deals with the division of the land among the tribes of Israel.

Caleb is the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite - not an Israelite by choice! Caleb stood with Joshua and Moses against the nation (after the spy incident) and exhorted the nation to follow the Lord. At the age of 85, 45 years after being commended for wholeheartedly following the Lord His God, his testimony is still the same “…because he followed the Lord God of Israel wholeheartedly.” 

Caleb gets to choose his inheritance. He shows great faith in choosing the yet unconquered land of the giants. He shows us that there is no retirement age in the Kingdom of Christ. Caleb drove out ALL the enemy. Caleb's strength had not abated in those 45 long years.

The keys to his remarkable life: a) Faith b) Obedience (I John 5:3,4)

Judah could not dislodge the Jebusites in Jerusalem, nor Ephraim the Canaanites in Gezer. The land is divided by the drawing of lots. There are other examples of this in Scripture: The choosing of Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot in Acts 1 and the choosing of which priest would offer the sacrifices in the Temple (Luke 2)
Proverbs 16:33 says: “The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposing thereof is from the Lord.”

Week 23

Acts 23-24Paul in Caesarea - 2 years in house arrest

Few random points about Paul.
- Although he knows that Ananias, the high priest, is an unworthy man, he respects the office of the high priest.

 Acts 23: 5 Paul replied, “Brothers, I did not realize that he was the high priest; for it is written: ‘Do not speak evil about the ruler of your people.'
- Several epistles were written during the two years Paul was in house arrest.

About Marcus Antonius Felix 1) He was a freed man who had once been a slave in the household of the daughter of Mark Anthony and Octavia, the sister-in-law of Tiberias Caesar. 2) His brother Pallas was a high official under the emperor Claudius. 3) His wife was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa, through whom he gained a “rather accurate knowledge of „The Way‟” 4) He had the unrest between the Gentiles and Jews in Caesarea Philippi to manage. 5) He kept Paul under guard for 2 years and did nothing to resolve the case.

The Significant differences between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: a. The belief in the resurrection of the dead angels, demons and immortality – the Pharisees believed in these things; the Sadducees did not. b. The commitment to the law and religious rituals – the Pharisees were fanatical about keeping the Law and all the rituals and the Sadducees were not. c. The way the people viewed them – the Pharisees were respected; the Sadducees were hated.

Paul's shrewdness
Acts 23: 6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee,descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.” 
The above portion shows Paul being very shrewd, just as Jesus commanded us to be.
I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves. (Mat 10:16)
This blog post explains it very well: http://pilgrimwatch.com/shrewdness-and-wisdom/

“The Way” 
 a. Christianity is not a set of doctrines that you intellectually assent to 
 b. Christianity is a way of living.

Acts 25-26
Paul makes his case before Agrippa

Felix is recalled to Rome and replaced by Festus. He had no knowledge of the Christian belief system. He wanted to ingratiate himself with the Jews he was now governing. But Paul appeals to Caesar. Meanwhile, Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice are interested in hearing about Paul's case. His opinion was that Paul could have been released had he not appealed to Caesar. Maybe Paul did this for the opportunity to preach Christ in Rome. In fact, during the trial, Paul tried to induce Agrippa to personally respond to the Gospel.

Paul's says, “I put many saints in prison and when they were put to death I cast my vote against them.” Two possible meanings for this statement: a) Paul agreed with the death penalty. b) Paul was a former member of the Sanhedrin.

The clarity of Pauls' call from God and the role it played in his life led him to display tremendous perseverance. God still calls individuals to specific tasks and specific places.

Acts 27-28
Paul stays in Rome awaiting his hearing

We are in the last chapter of Acts. Luke does not tell us the outcome of Paul's appeal to Caesar.

The voyage from Caesarea to Rome was eventful:
- Luke and Aristarchus elect to go with Paul to Rome
- The Roman centurion, Julius, and Paul quickly develop a relationship of friendship and respect
- Paul was asked to play a part in the decision's made aboard ship

The story of the storm is like the story of Jonah in reverse; The presence of an obedient servant of God in the midst of unbelievers is often a great blessing to them.

The snake that bit Paul on Malta was a “sign” – “…(they) will pick up snakes with their hands and when they drink deadly poison it will not hurt them at all.”

“The First Man of Malta - title given by Publius” is an actual title verified by archaeology. It just shows how much Luke is a reliable historian.

When Paul arrives in Rome, he follows the same strategy as a prisoner that he did as a free man. He quickly convened the Jews and starts to reason with them. He then turns to the gentiles to proclaim the good news.

What happened to Paul? Tradition tells us that Paul died in Rome after the great fire (probably set by Nero himself) in 64 A.D., which Nero blamed on the Christians. The quote from Tacitus shows the hatred some had for the followers of “Christus.”

It is believed that Paul was released from his first imprisonment in Rome. Clement says Paul reached the limit of the west, which may mean he got to Spain.  If so, Paul returned to Rome from Spain and Nero's persecution had begun. Paul was a primary target. He wrote his letters to Timothy and Titus during his second imprisonment. Then he was executed. Peter had already been crucified, but since Paul was a Roman citizen, he was most likely beheaded.

Joshua 1-2
Be strong and courageous

Joshua wrote most of the Book of Joshua. Joshua's name was originally 'Hoshea' meaning 'salvation'. Over the course of the exodus, his name is changed from Hoshea to Joshua, which means 'The Lord saves.' The Greek form of that name is Jesus.

God chose Joshua to be Israel's next leader. God always chooses his own leaders - the children of Moses did not succeed him. You may aspire to be a leader, but the decision is upon God.

God prepared Joshua to be the next leader of the nation of Israel. He did not wake up to be a leader, rather he was prepared as an apprentice by Moses.

The Book of Exodus records the story of how God brought Israel out of Egypt. The Book of Joshua records the story of how God brought Israel into the Promised Land. God always prepares you to go to a better place. 

Knowing how Joshua felt when called upon to replace Moses, God gave Joshua 3 resources:
a. He reminds Joshua of the promise that went all the way back to Abraham: “I am about to give you every piece of land where you will set your foot...”
b. God gave Joshua a plan to follow.
c. He gave a promise: “I will be with you wherever you go.”

The story of Rahab gives us a few principles - there was no military reason for the spies to go into Jericho, instead God chose to save a family out of Jericho to show His love. The one He chose was a prostitute, who responded in faith. Interestingly, God honors that women and makes her a direct ancestor of Jesus Christ.

The scarlet cord points to the Cross. The story of Rahab is each of ours too. We are marked by the scarlet cord. We were chosen by God for his redemption. Not only does he rescue us from death in sin, he gives us the hope of an eternal life with him.

Joshua 3-5
Memorial stones

Israel had to camp before the Jordan River for 3 days before getting any specific instructions from God. The biggest question in everyone's mind must have been on the means of crossing the river Jordan. How will they get 2-3 million people across to the other bank?

The miracle of the drying up of the Jordan River is significant. Why did God do it? Why did he repeat the red sea miracle?
a. God did it for Joshua - he said "I will exalt you". What better way to prove that.
b. God did it for the nation of Israel.
c. God did it to impact the heathen nations in Canaan. He did this to demoralize the enemy.

What do the Memorial Stones teach us?
a. They were simple, but powerful, reminders of what God had done for them.
b. It is important to remember. Memorials are just as important for us as it was for Joshua's generation.

The whole army was circumcised before going into battle - seemingly such a stupid plan. The entire men are left incapacitated for a period of time, and supremely vulnerable. Why did God insist that they be circumcised? It was the mark of the covenant of God. It is analogous to baptism.
 Colossians 2:11-12 Both circumcision and baptism mark a person out as bearing the covenant sign of God upon them – “This person is part of the family of God."

It is important to feed oneself from the Word of God, to study it, to be lead and guided by the Holy Spirit, and from that to be able to say, “This is what I believe and this is why I believe it.” 

  

Week 22

Acts 18
Conclusion of Paul's second journey - at Corinth

Paul's missionary strategy - The key to effective evangelism
- Paul gravitated by design to the principal cities in each region. He knew that the trade and commerce will help spread the word from there.
- He then located the most receptive people in that city. In this case, the God fearing gentiles who worshiped week-by-week in the synagogue. Look out for receptive groups of people.
- Identify key webs of influence - Lydia, Crispus, Titius (may have been the same person mentioned in Romans 16:23 - Gaius) etc.

Acts 18: 9 - "One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.  For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
 
Aquila and Priscilla are seen to be of tremendous encouragement to Paul. When he arrived in Corinth, he may have been truly overwhelmed. God sends these two wonderful couples to help him.

Why does visions not occur frequently nowadays? Likely because the canon is closed, or in other words, scripture is completed.

Apollos is an apologist. His theme is 'Jesus is the Christ'. He had great speaking skills. Aquila and Priscilla were not intimidated by his skills and chose to teach him some basics of Christianity. Apollos on the other hand was humble enough to receive their instructions. There is some great teaching for us here.

1 Thessalonians 1-3
A church Paul loved

When Paul was in Corinth, he wrote a letter to the Thessalonians - a church he founded. Timothy returned from Thessaloniki and updated Paul about that church.

Paul focuses on three aspects of the Thessalonian church that he wants to develop in our lives.
1. Work of faith
2. Labor of love
3. Steadfast hope 

God wants us to be people of faith, love and hope. This is the hallmark of a New Testament Christian. How should we assess a Christian's maturity?
By their biblical knowledge or the rules and legalism we follow or the experiences we have - speaking in tongues? Apostle Paul does not think these are measures of a good christian.

Do you believe in the promise of God?
Do you love the Lord, and love your neighbor?
Do you longingly await the second coming of Christ?
These are the most important signs of a good Christian.

Paul focuses this letter on the second coming of Christ. Do you live your life awaiting his coming?
1 Thess 3:13 - May you be blameless and holy, when he comes again.

Paul also focuses on mentoring; imitating. The church became imitators of Paul and Silas, and thereby of the Lord. Through that they became a model to all believers in Macedonia and Achaia. Similarly, we are at one instance mentees, and also mentors. Who are you following? Who are you mentoring? Are you accountable to anyone?

Finally, a glimpse from Paul's life as a good mentor - Paul considered his disciples his glory and joy (1 Thess 2:20). He says he lives only when his disciples stand firm in the Lord (1 Thess 3:8).

1 Thessalonians 4-5
Live a Holy life

Although Gallio made the expansion of Christianity easier because he chose not to outlaw it, it does not mean that there was no persecution or suffering. All who live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. While we suffer at the hand of persecutors, we will be totally delivered from the wrath of God (1 Thess 5:9). We will never have to face the anger of the Lord, for it has been finished at the cross.

The biggest reason Paul wrote these two letters was to answer some important questions about the return of Christ at the end of the church age:
1. Christ will return physically, visibly and triumphantly at the end of the age.
2. That fact is meant to be a motivating force in the life of every believer, causing us to strive for holiness and righteousness.

- Jesus is coming - you be ready!
- Christ's return is always tied to an exhortation to holiness.

Jesus is coming - be pure, encourage one other, work hard, turn from idles, take pride in helping others, build up other believers

- We are not to try to figure out the timing of Christ's return - it is foolishness. 

"Let me live as though Jesus died for me yesterday, rose for me this morning, and is returning for me tomorrow"   - Richard Baxter

3. When Christ does return, all His saints will be caught up to be with Him.
4. The "parousia" (the Greek term for the second coming) will come suddenly.
5. The parousia will not occur until after the Antichrist (man of lawlessness) appears.
6. The present work of the Spirit is to restrain the influence of evil and the antichrist in our world.


Now let's talk about a premillenial view of Christ's return.
There are three schools of thought:

A) pre-tribulational school - A secret rapture happens quietly, and all the believers will be taken up to be with him. The restrain of the Holy Spirit is removed. The Antichrist appears after this event.

B) mid-tribulational - two stage coming - one stage when he comes for His saints, the second stage is when he comes with His saints. This view holds that the rapture occurs during the middle of the tribulation, after the church has suffered persecution at the hand of the antichrist.

C) post-tribulational - neither first or second. The church is on earth during the entire period of the tribulation. The saints are protected from the wrath of God much like the Israelites during the Pharaoh times.

Keep these ideas in the mind as we will soon deal with other sections in the Bible that teaches us about eschatology.

Acts 19-20
Focus on the church in Ephesus

Paul spent 3 years in Ephesus - the longest time he spent in any one place. In this chapter, Paul encounters a group of people who had heard enough to be disciples, but their knowledge, and therefore their practice, was seriously deficient. Paul asked them if they received the Holy Spirit. They admitted that they were followers of John the baptist, who apparently knew Jesus as the savior and Lord. Paul then lays hands on them and they receive the Holy spirit. This gives us some theological dilemma. Some believers use this passage to suggest that the gift of Holy spirit is accompanied by the speaking of tongues. Some say Holy spirit comes only with the laying of hands.

Remember that this incident is really an unusual one. These people were believers of John the baptists, and probably were not the average Christian believer today. They had not even heard of the Holy spirit. Paul sensed something was wrong. He then goes fishing with a diagnostic question. Read what John Stott has to say about this passage.

Paul is then expelled from the synagogue after 3 months of preaching. We then see power encounters between Paul and a society filled with the occult and sorcery. Demetrius and the idol makers suggest that Christianity is not good for their economy. The raising of Eutychus from the dead and Paul's farewell to the Ephesian elders are interesting to read.

Acts 21-22
Paul leaves Ephesus and arrives Jerusalem

The first section describes the parting of Paul from Ephesus elders. Paul's determination to go to Jerusalem was linked to the relief offering he had been collecting from the Gentile churches for the Jerusalem church. There were numerous prophecies warning Paul not to go to Jerusalem. Was Paul ignoring God's word? Did Paul forfeit a longer period of ministry? We do not know. But this is again a testament to the providence of God (Romans 8:28). If it was a mistake, God overruled that, and made Paul's trip a blessing. Paul ended up in Rome, via Jerusalem - this illustrates the doctrine of providence.

Women in NT were just as much as gifted as men - see the description of the daughters of Philip. Agabus also shows us another aspect of prophesy. What really did the prophets do? Forth-telling and fore-telling.

The leaders of the church in Jerusalem must have been both pleased and distressed to see Paul arrive in the city. Paul joins some of the men who have taken vows and are undergoing cleansing rituals, with disastrous results. One of the great principles of Paul's ministry is again revealed here - culturally acclimatized evangelism. He was a gentile in that territory. He was a Jew when it mattered. This is not hypocrisy. He does not break any moral principles, or twists his own words.

Chapter 22 contains Paul's testimony. His Roman citizenship plays an important role here and will for the rest of the book of Acts.

Week 21

Acts 14 - 15:35
Paul's first missionary journey & the first Jerusalem council

This portion deals with the end of Paul's first missionary journey that won plenty of Gentiles over to Jesus. But then this led to another crisis - should Gentiles have to follow the law of Moses? The first crisis in the church was when the Hellenistic Jews were not treated equally; the second was when the persecution started with the stoning of Stephen.

Note verse 4 where it says "apostles". It appears that Barnabas is also considered as an apostle along with Paul. There is debate whether there are apostles in today's world. It appears that the apostles had a direct link to Jesus; and there are not many; and that they were able to perform great miracles.

Paul and Barnabas boldly proclaims God's word and suffers incredible persecution. In the process, they refuse to take glory for the miracles they performed in Iconium.

Acts 14:22 is answer to the question of prosperity gospel:

“We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God,” they said.

Paul's work among Gentiles won him many enemies among the early church. A section of the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem creates a false doctrine and tries to divide the church. But the early church under Peter and James' leadership aptly counters it.

Acts 15:19: “It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.

This is relevant for today's church as well. Let's not make it difficult for new believers to come to church. 

Another great debate in today's church:
FAITH + WORKS = SALVATION versus FAITH + Nothing = SALVATION > which produces WORKS
The answer is in the statement of the first Jerusalem council. The simple statement of Acts 15 is that you (the Gentiles) do not have to be like us (the Jewish Christians) to be followers of Christ. 

 

See below for some further references:

Are there apostles for today?

by Matt Slick

This depends on how apostles are defined. Biblically, the word "apostle" literally means "one who is sent." So, anyone who was sent by the Lord to do something would be an apostle. But, such a liberal definition is not a sufficient answer.  Biblically, an apostle was someone who was involved with Jesus and/or knew of Jesus before His crucifixion and after His crucifixion. Consider the following two sets of verses.

• Acts 1:21-26, “It is therefore necessary that of the men who have accompanied us all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us--22 beginning with the baptism of John, until the day that He was taken up from us--one of these should become a witness with us of His resurrection. 23 And they put forward two men, Joseph called Barsabbas (who was also called Justus), and Matthias. 24 And they prayed, and said, You, Lord, who know the hearts of all men, show which one of these two You have chosen 25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. 26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.”
• 1 Cor. 9:1, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?”

Notice that in Acts when the apostles are deciding on a replacement for Judas, Peter speaks of the necessity of someone who had been with Christ from the beginning. In 1 Corinthians Paul defends his apostleship by claiming to have seen the risen Lord. Therefore, we can conclude Biblically that a true apostle in the New Testament style is no longer possible because it would require that the person had been with Christ and/or have seen the risen Lord.

Question: "Is God restoring the offices of apostle and prophet in the church today?"

Answer: The movement to restore the offices of apostle and prophet bases the claim that apostles and prophets are to be a part of the church on Ephesians 4:11-12. These verses say, "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

During the first century of the church, there was an office of apostle and there was a spiritual gift of apostle. The office or position of apostle was held by the 12 disciples of Jesus plus Matthias, who took Judas’ place, and Paul. Those who held the office or position of apostle were chosen specifically by Christ (Mark 3:16-19). The replacement for Judas is seen in Acts 1:20-26. Note in this passage that Judas' position was called an office. It should also be noted that Paul was chosen by Christ (1 Corinthians 15:8-9; Galatians 1:1; 2:6-9). These men were given the task of setting up the foundation of the church. It should be understood that it was for the universal church that these men were a part of the foundation (Ephesians 2:20). The foundation of the church (universal church) was laid in the first century. This is why the office of apostle is no longer functioning.

There was also a spiritual gift of apostle (this is not to be confused with the office—they are separate). Among those who had the spiritual gift were James (1 Corinthians 15:7; Galatians 1:19), Barnabas (Acts 14:4, 14; 1 Corinthians 9:6), Andronicus and Junias (Romans 16:7), possibly Silas and Timothy (1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2:7), and Apollos (1 Corinthians 4:6, 9). This latter group had the gift of apostleship but not the apostolic "office" conferred upon the Twelve and Paul. Those who had the gift of apostle, then, were those who carried the gospel message with God’s authority. The word "apostle" means "one sent as an authoritative delegate." This was true of those who held the office of Apostle (like Paul) and those who had the spiritual gift (like Apollos). Though there are men like this today, men who are sent by God to spread the gospel, it is best NOT to refer to them as apostles because of the confusion this causes since many are not aware of the two different uses of the term apostle.

 

 

Galatians 1-2
Paul bats for the Gentiles

Paul fights for what he believes is right.  The critical issue for Paul is justification by faith alone. There are doctrines and differences of opinion that are not worth fighting to death for. But, for Paul, this is a matter of critical importance.

 Galatians 2: 15-16: “We who are Jews by birth and not sinful Gentiles ¹⁶ know that a person is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ. So we, too, have put our faith in Christ Jesus that we may be justified by faith in^[d] Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law no one will be justified.

What's Paul's issue with the Jewish Christians? 
1. "Doing things" can never make you right with God. 
2. Only be justified by faith in Christ can make us right with God. 

Galatians 1: 9 - "If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!"
It is the message not the messenger that is important evaluate the messenger in light of the message; do not evaluate the message in light of the messenger. This is one of the reasons why we need to “know the Word”.

Galatians 2:11-19 is very important in understanding how two strong personalities behave when they are under Christ's love. Paul identifies a mistake in Peter's behavior and corrects him. Also note how Peter responded to it. 

Paul felt the need to confront and rebuke Peter.
a. Paul took the risk because a fundamental principle was at stake.
b. He was obeying the New Testament injunction to “admonish one another”.
c. Peter responded positively to Paul’s rebuke.
1) He accepts it.
2) He did not hold it against Paul - he is still his dear brother in the Lord.
  

Galatians 3-4
Justification by faith

Faith in Jesus Christ justifies us in front of God. Not legalism, and certainly not observance of laws.

Gal 3:2  I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard?
This verse shows us that the reception of Holy Spirit is something all Christians have experienced. If you can be a Christian without the Holy Spirit, Paul would not have asked this question. Receiving the Holy Spirit coexists with salvation - but it comes with faith.

Indwelling of the Holy Spirit and Filling of the Spirit are two different experiences though. All Christians have the Holy Spirit (indwelling). They may not have the filling of the spirit though.

Gal 3:6 - "So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
See how Abraham trusted God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Law was given to make a man aware of his transgressions. By faith, we are saved. He redeems us; then adopts us as heirs.

Gal 3:16 - The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. Scripture does not say “and to seeds,” meaning many people, but “and to your seed,” meaning one person, who is Christ.

Note how Paul mentions "seed" and not "seeds". This is another instance which points to the divine inspiration of the Bible. God foreknew that mankind would be redeemed through that seed - the one man - Jesus Christ.

Gal 4:21-29 is an allegory. Paul does not use allegory elsewhere. Then why did he say this here - how should we interpret it? Read this explanation written by John Piper to understand this passage -
http://www.desiringgod.org/messages/hagar-and-slavery-vs-sarah-and-freedom

 

Galatians 5-6
Freedom in Christ & the Fruits of the Spirit

1-2 - personal part of the argument
3-4 - the main theological argument
5-6 - practical chapters - helps us work out the implications of theology in living the life.

Paul presents such a pattern in all of his letters. He adds a practical section to the epistle after stating the theological argument.

a) Live in freedom. Stand firm. Don't yoke yourself with the ceremonies and the laws. We should not be driven by fear and be bonded to slavery. Christianity is a relationship with God. Keeping rules means bondage; Faith means freedom. If you have placed your faith in Lord Jesus, there is nothing more you have to do. You are free. Instead of living in freedom, there are thousands who live out their life, trying to work out their faith.

b) Use that freedom to serve one another in love.

Gal 5:22 - "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."

Fruit of the Spirit is given more prominence than gifts. All of us have all the fruits. But we all do not have all the gifts of the spirit. The gifts of the spirit used outside the context of the fruits can be dangerous. We cannot exercise the fruits of the spirit on our own - it has to come from Him. 

Paul states his CV at the end of the letter - in verse 11-18. 
"for I bear on my body the marks of Jesus." - scars from all the stoning and persecution he received.
He writes the last part of the letter in his own handwriting - he uses large letters probably because of poor eye sight. And that's probably the thorn in his flesh that he talks about in another portion.    

 

Acts 15:36-17:34
Paul's second missionary journey

This great work of God starts with a feud between Paul and Barnabas. The latter wants Mark to be given another chance; but Paul does not want to do it. So they split and leave in different paths. Here are two spirit filled apostles - who do not agree, and are in conflict. Being good Christians does not mean we will agree in all matters. Unity in Christ does not always mean unanimity. The disagreement did not make them enemies. Paul subsequently used the example of Barnabas as a perfect Christian. By opposing Paul, Barnabas taught us this invaluable lesson. In fact, Mark does not fail Barnabas. His patience and willingness to give Mark the second chance led to him being the author of one of the gospel. Why did not God show Paul this aspect of Mark's transformation? We do not know. But this we know that it led to two powerful missionary movements rather than just one team.

Next we see how Paul picks up young mentees. Why did Paul get Timothy circumcised? Paul has previously spoken against it. This speaks volumes about Paul. He was adamantly principled, but was also practical. Timothy was half Jew and raised a Jew. So, he ought to be circumcised to gain credibility with the Jewish believers.

Paul is then directed away from certain places; and led to some other locations. God directs Paul's paths. He also uses the unknown God in Athens to bring the focus of the good news of Jesus to the learned Greeks. Very dramatic passages.

------------------------------------------
Why was Timothy circumcised and Titus not? - John Piper 

Was Paul inconsistent when he had Timothy circumcised in Acts 16:3? After all, he had absolutely refused to let Titus be circumcised in Galatians 2:3-5. He said that the truth of the gospel was at stake. To concede that Titus should be circumcised would be tantamount to abandoning the gospel of justification by faith apart from works of law.
But what about Timothy? Acts 16:1-3 says,

Paul came also to Derbe and Lystra. A disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer; but his father was a Greek. He was well spoken of by the brethren at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted Timothy to accompany him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in those places, for they all knew that his father was a Greek.

There are three differences between the Timothy situation and the Titus situation.
1) Titus was a pure Greek (Galatians 2:3). Timothy was born of a Greek father and a Jewish mother. According to 2 Timothy 3:15, from childhood Timothy had been taught the Old Testament scriptures. In other words, his Jewish mother brought him up as a Jew. But his Greek father had not allowed the circumcision. For Titus the pressure was to become Jewish. Timothy was already very Jewish by race and by training. For him to be circumcised would not have had the implication of moving from Gentile status to Jew status.
2) The people Paul resisted in Galatians 2:3-5 were false brothers. The Jews to whom he catered in Acts 16:3 were not even Christians. The pressure in Galatians 2:3-5 was from professing believers upon another believer to perform a work of law in order to be accepted. But Acts 16:2 says Timothy was “well spoken of by all the brethren at Lystra and Iconium.” No Christians were pushing for Timothy’s circumcision. Rather it was “because of the Jews that were in those places” (16:3) that Paul had Timothy circumcised. “Jews” is used over 85 times in Acts and almost without exception refers to unbelievers. And here they appear to be distinct from “brethren.” So it appears that Timothy’s circumcision was not motivated by “Christian” pressure from within but by a missionary strategy from without.
3) Titus was a “test case” in Jerusalem (Galatians 2:1), but Timothy was to be a constant travel companion (Acts 16:3). Therefore, in Titus’ case a clear theological issue was at stake. But in Timothy’s case, what was at stake was how unbelieving Jews might best be won to Christ. So just as Christian freedom caused Paul to resist Titus’ circumcision, this same freedom allowed him to remove the stumbling block of Timothy’s lack of circumcision. Paul applied his principle from 1 Corinthians 9:20, “To the Jews I became a Jew in order to win the Jews.”
On the basis of these three differences, then, I would say Paul was not inconsistent when he resisted Titus’ circumcision but sought Timothy’s. 

 

 

Week 20

Numbers 28-29
Sacrifices and feasts

The Book of Numbers is divided into 3 parts:

  Num. 1–10: Israel at Mt. Sinai preparing to enter the Promised Land

Num. 11–21: Israel on the short trip to Kadesh Barnea, after which they wander in the desert for 38 years due to their disobedience.

Num. 22–36: Israel again on the threshold on entering the Promised Land.

 

The message of these sacrifices and offerings is that God desires the worship of his people. 

 

The guilt and sin offerings are mandatory. They were for the purpose of atoning for sin. There were different economic levels of offerings that could be brought. 

The burnt, fellowship and grain offerings were voluntary. They were directed toward God. The grain offering involved no blood. The fellowship offering involved the worshipper and his family in a festive celebration. 

The 

God tells Joshua which sacrifices should be offered at each of the different feasts:

1. The passover

2. The feast of weeks

3. The feast of trumpets

4. The day of atonement

5. The feast of tabernacles

 

Celebrations are important to God and his people. We should remember his favor, his granting of grace and his mercy, in our lives. 

 

Remember that sacrifices are made to please the Lord. 

They were costly. 

Numbers 30-31

Vows

Chapter 30 sounds like a male chauvinist talking. But look into the context. These were set into place to protect women. The bible gives us a family model in which the husband is the head of the family.

Note how much importance is placed on a VOW. Vows are voluntary. Jesus talked about the importance of keeping our word. The vow of a young lady still living at home - she was under her father's protection. Once she marries, she is under her husband's protection. The bible places a high value upon women. Read Ecclesiastes  5:1-7. We ought to measure our words much more carefully than we do. Let your YES be yes and your NO be no.

Next, God asks Moses to show vengeance on the Midianites. It seems horrible for God to say. Some people may say that the God of the NT is different in morality than the God of the OT. But God said, "I am the Lord, I do not change." Then why does it seem that God does not exhibit his love in chapter 31. God is love! But he is also holy at the same time. God had put off the judgement for over 400 years. In Genesis 15:16, he tells Abraham that the Israelites will wait for years before they can reach the promised land, because the 'wickedness of the nations had not become complete'. Vengeance is actually justice.

Christ's first coming was the fullest possible expression of his love. His second coming at the end of this age will be the expression of his righteousness. 

 

Numbers 32-34
Settling for the second best

Gad, Reuben and Manasseh ask permission to stay on the east side of Jordan. But God has promised the other side of Jordan. Why did they do it? They were tired, it was safe, and the land was good for grazing. And, they got distracted by what they saw and forgot God's calling and promise. The got what they wanted. But, this was clearly not God's best for them. Does this happen to us?

Please imagine Moses' anguish upon hearing this request? He for one has been waiting to go to the promised land, but now God has refused him permission to go. Here are the people who God has approved for the passage to the promised land, and they instead want to settle for the second best.

 Chapter 33 lists at least forty different camps. The geography and chronology is charted out here. But, we have little hard evidence to trace the actual route apart from the origin and the end point. Why did God allow this to happen? Did he want people to exercise faith rather than settle on evidence?

Why did God want the present inhabitants of Canaan to be driven out from the land?  Two themes emerge - separation from the people, so that the idols of Canaan does not get into the people of God; obedience to God's commands. Incomplete obedience will always come at a cost.  

 

 Numbers 35:1-5; 36; Psalms 106
Summary of Numbers

God provides special towns for the Levites to live in. The Lord itself is their inheritance. But he provides them with a place to live - 48 cities in the promised land. Around 10% of all the males were Levites. There were a lot of people set apart for worship ministry.

The inheritance of Zelophehad's daughters usually only sons inherited, but Zelophehad had died without sons and a decision needs to be made. This was a new case for which no precedent already existed, so it shows us how case law developed in the theocratic society of Israel.

Psalm 106 is a psalm of confession and hope. The plea to be saved and the end note of triumph, the record of the rebellions against God. It notes down five incidents of rebellions against God, and verses 34-39 recalls the incidents after they enter Canaan. The Psalm is written after the first exiles returned to Jerusalem from Babylon.

The book of Numbers provides a historical account of the trek from Sinai to Jordan; a sobering reminder of how God's people forget and disobey; and a reminder of God's faithfulness and commitment to his promise.

Psalm 106 teaches us:
- sin is awful
- judgement follows sin
- when repentance is genuine, forgiveness follows
- God's faithfulness endures.
 

 Acts 13 Church in Antioch
The church in Antioch was different from the church in Jerusalem. The latter responded to events. Whereas the church in Antioch was an initiator. However, it was a church that regularly prayed and fasted.
The church was a real conglomeration of all sorts of people. The Jerusalem church was mostly homogenous, comprising mostly of Palestinian Jews, and some Hellenic Jews. The church in Antioch had plenty of gentiles as well. Acts 13:1 gives us some hint of the composition of the church. Barnabas was a native of Cyprus, Saul was a Hellenistic Jew from Tarsus; Simeon called Niger could have been from Africa; Lucius of Cyrene is likely from Libya, and may have been the son of the Simon of Cyrene who carried Jesus' cross; and Manaen was the foster brother of Herod. It had all sorts of people - rich, poor, different ethnicity. The church sent the best they had when they were asked to send out people in an evangelistic mission. 
The incident with the sorcerer Elymas is a power encounter - this is the only way Proconsul Sergius Paulus could be convinced that the way of Saul is the right way. In fact, archaeologists have found evidence of the Proconsul Sergius Paulus in Cyprus. With this incident, Saul becomes Paul, the leader.
Now let's examine Paul's strategy.When he went to a new city in Asia Minor, he would first go to the synagogue. He first offered the gospel to the Jews. He knew that the God-fearing gentiles found at the synagogue would be more receptive to the gospel of Jesus Christ. His message was that Jesus had done what the Law could not do. 
"All who were appointed to eternal life believed." Acts 13:48
The mystery of election is something we can never understand. No one will ever come to Christ until we consciously confess our sins and accept him. But this passage also teaches us that the first movement should come from Christ - he appoints those who should hear the good news. Whether we believe or not will decide our hope for eternal life. That responsibility is fully upon us.

 
  

Week 19

Numbers 15-16:41

Sacrifices for sin & the rebellion of Korah

God is giving Moses instructions about sacrifices that should be practiced when they start living in the promised land. He is talking about the sacrifices that the next generation will need to produce in worship, when they are in Canaan. Why is he doing this? One, to say that He will be with Israel moving forward. Second, He is probably telling Israel that his promises are everlasting. If they did not obey and therefore lost the grace of God, another people will rise up to take that place - in this case, the children of these people are those who will enjoy the promised land.

Leviticus and Numbers show us the seriousness of sin. But, does it stand true in today's era of grace period? Well, the New Testament shows that sin is serious even in the finished work of grace - read Hebrews 10:26:

If we deliberately keep on sinning after we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left,  but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses.  How much more severely do you think someone deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified them, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  For we know him who said, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” and again, “The Lord will judge his people.”It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.




Moses handled this beautifully, he did not defend himself. He fell face down and prayed. When someone challenges you, get out of the way, let God defend you. 

So is there a path to receiving the grace of God? 1 John 1:9 gives us the answer:"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."

The rebellion of Korah is a gripping tale - he takes 250 elders with him. And, all of them suffer death and destruction. Satan brings the thought that Moses has violated Korah and his people. Such a thought leads them to sin and suffer the consequence of sin. When such thoughts happens to you, stop - think - pray. It may lead you to destruction, if it is brought on by Satan.

Numbers 16:42-18:32
More purging

God continues to purify the camp of Israel. Another 14,700 people dies from plague. These portions in Numbers continues to show us His seriousness about sin. He intends to purify the congregation. How does this matter today? Our willingness to tolerate sin in our churches make us less powerful in exercising God's promises. It does not mean we have to identify the sin in individual persons. But it means that the emphasis of our church teaching should be to make it's members a holy community.

The story of Aaron's staff proves once again that the leadership in church is elected not by a committee, but by God. If God is not in the decision making process, the leadership is without His support.

Next, let's focus on giving a portion of our income - it maybe prudent to read Malachi 3:6 onward. I have erred (continue to) in this area. May God bless you and me to open our wallets without any reservation. 

Numbers 19-21
Aaron and Miriam dies, and the return to Kadesh (End of wandering)

Numbers 19 is confusing. Note that the sacrifice in this portion is not on or at the Tabernacle. It also sacrifices the entire animal, including the blood. Four commentators interpret this in different manners. This is a typical example that Biblical interpretation should not be entirely dependent on one teacher or theologian.

Numbers 20 resembles Exodus 17. In Ex 17, he hit the rock as commanded by God. In this passage, he disobeys God's command to speak to the rock, and instead strikes it. For this act of commission, he paid the price - He is unable to set foot on the promised land. The Lord tells Joshua, the next leader, to do everything as He commands, to the letter.

Moses may have been angry with the people, and maybe even with God. It appears from verse 12 that He may have offended God. When you are angry, you end up committing sin one way or the other. Godly faith is not just believing him, but obeying him.

Aaron dies and his garments and responsibilities are passed on to Eleazar, Aaron's son. Moses' responsibilities are passed on to Joshua. Hebrews reminds us that Jesus is our great high priest, and unlike Aaron, he never dies. He abides as our high priest forever.

Israel now moves to the present day Jordan, almost at the entrance of the promised land. But they face two kings and God gives them victory. Still, Israel grumbles. God sends the vipers. But God uses a symbol of sin to bring healing - through the bronze snake. It appears that the bronze serpent could be a signpost that points the old testament believers to Christ, who became sin on that cross at Calvary. All who looks to Him are saved. 

Numbers 22-24
Baalam, his donkey and King Balak

When God has prepared to bless someone, NOTHING can change it to a curse!

This is one of the most mysterious passages in the Bible. Here are few questions that this passage raises:
1. Is Balaam a prophet of Jehovah?
- It appears that Balaam was selling his services to people. Otherwise, the King may not have tried to buy him of. Again, Peter, Jude, Revelations and Deutronomy confirm that Balaam was not Jehovah's prophet.
He was likely negotiating with the princes rather than saying an outright No. Also, he was into sorcery (24:1), which God has out-rightly banned.

2. Did the donkey really speak? Why didn't Balaam see the angel of the Lord?
- the donkey may or may not have audibly talked. That's besides the point. What is important is that Balaam did not have the spiritual maturity to see the angel of the Lord.

3. Did Balaam intend to bless or curse Israelites?
- He definitely shows every inclination to be able to adjust his words based on what the princes and the King would say. But God makes him do the opposite and instead bless the Israelites. This is one instance where God uses the unrighteous to bring forth blessing.

4. Is there a contradiction in Numbers 22:20 and 21? Didn't God ask Balaam to go, and then He is being stopped from going?
- Verse 20 actually states that "if the princes comes, then go". But according to verse 21, Balaam did not await the princes and instead sets off on his journey, therefore, disobeying God. This is not a contradiction, if this account can be held true (Matthew Henry). This is another instance where the NIV leads us in a wrong interpretation of the bible. Malayalam bible again provides the correct translation, likely from the KJV.

5. Is 24:17 a prophesy about Jesus?
- God uses Balaam to pronounce a prophesy about Jesus. Simon, the three wise kings et al, interpreted this correctly and waited in eager expectation of the Lord's coming.

6. How does Balaam say the right things about God and His promises (see 23:19)?
- Again, another instance of God using the unrighteous to speak the right words. He causes the wicked to often do good deeds or sometimes miracles, or He gets the message correct. That does not mean that the messenger is an anointed man of God.

Numbers 25-27

Moses sees the promised land

In chapter 25, at the gates of the promised land, Israel can be seen joining the same people they opposed - they indulged in sexual sins with the Moabite women.  Israel did not have to worry about the kings or the tribes. God had promised his protection on the people. But the only people who could destroy them is within themselves. The false prophet that Moab hired was unable to curse Israel, but the Moabite women slowly caused Israel to sin. It's the same for us. It's not the enemy outside that will trouble us most, and separate us from God. It will be ourselves, our pride and our sins. 

There are two strong commands, or themes in the OT and NT - first, sexual intimacy should be within the marriage, not outside. Second, one should chose a believer as his/her partner in marriage. 

In chapter 26, one can see the second census. Only Joshua and Caleb remain from the original generation that initially came to the boundary of promised land. 

Finally, Moses is unable to enter the promised land due to his previous sin of disobedience. God chose Joshua as the new leader. It is important to note that the choice was not by popular election, instead God made the election. He had been preparing Joshua for this moment.