Deurpost

The simple answer to this question should be because we should love Jesus, who is the fulfillment of the Torah (Matt. 5:17-18). “The law [Torah] of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul;” (Psalm 19:7). Jesus, the Torah, is perfect and restores the soul, bringing us back into relationship with the Father. We should delight in the law of the LORD and set our heart on studying and meditating on it day and night (Joshua 1:8; Psalm 1:2; Ezra 7:10). That person “will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.” (Psalm 1:3)

But, man, what a challenge it is to love Jesus with all my heart, soul and mind! How I would love to study and meditate on Him day and night and to be firmly planted, in other words, be like Abraham who “did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform.” (Rom. 4:20-21). I want to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). It is all about His faithfulness, not mine. And that is comforting to know…

Yet at the moment I feel like an Ephesian, having left my first love, and I trying to figure out ways to remember, repent and do the first things again. It is a challenge, but I want to do it, because He is more precious than anything. So I guess I should start meditating on the Torah, get close to Jesus again in my heart so my love can grow and my soul can be restored.

The dangers of a divided heart are:

1. You can’t really love (1 Tim. 1:5)
2. You can’t really draw near to Him (Heb. 10:22)
3. You can’t really seek Him (Ps. 27:8)
4. You can’t really speak truth (Ps. 12:2)
5. You can’t really stand in His holy place (Ps. 24:3-4)
6. You can’t really sing praises (Ps. 57:7)
7. You can’t really see God (Mat. 5:8)
8. You can’t really treasure Christ (Mat. 6:21)
9. You can’t really be precious in God’s eyes (1 Pet. 3:4)

No, our prayer should be to say yes to God’s question: “Give me your heart, My son, and let your eyes delight in My ways” (Pro. 23:26) and ask Him to “create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Ps. 51:10), so that “the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phi. 4:7) and that the law of my God is in my heart and my steps do not slip (Ps. 37:31). Then we can say to God: “Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart” (Ps. 26:2). “You have tried my heart; You have visited me by night; You have tested me and You find nothing; I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.” (Ps. 17:3), and “as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.” (Col. 3:12-13)

“‘Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And He said to him, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF. On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:36-40)

I would say that Jesus added two things to the Shema:

1. You shall love the Lord you God with all your mind
The Greek word for mind is ‘dianoia’ and could be translated as ‘will power.’ We receive this will power when we are born again as the Lord at that moment puts the Law into our minds (Hebrews 8:10; 10:16). This addition matches the addition of the porch to Solomon’s temple to the original tabernacle. The porch represents the entrance or doorway between our life into our hearts, and thus determines which direction we take, ours or God’s.

2. You shall love your neighbor as yourself
This is echoed in John 13:34-35 where He says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Greek word for new (kainos) here implies freshness rather than recent or different. It’s for instance also used in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation“). It’s not that Jesus just invented this command, but that He presents it in a new and fresh way. So what’s so fresh about it? Whereas the Old Testament demanded that men should love their neighbors as themselves (Lev. 19:18), the New Commandment is that they should love the brothers better than themselves, and die for their friends. The command to love wasn’t new, but the extent of love just displayed by Jesus was new, as would be the display of the cross. Love was newly defined from His example.

To love as Jesus loved results in to serve as Jesus served. The key verse here is Galatians 5:13-14: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” Clearly, we can choose to use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. That option (or danger) is open to us. We can take the glorious freedom Jesus has given us, spin it, and use it as a way to please ourselves at the expense of others. This is the antidote for using freedom as an occasion for the flesh. The flesh expects others to conform to us, and doesn’t care much about others. But when we through love serve one another, we conquer the flesh. This is exactly the pattern set by Jesus. He had more freedom than anyone who ever walked this earth did. Yet He used His liberty to through love serve one another. The idea is that as we naturally take care of ourselves, we should also take care of others.

The key text about the Restrainer is 2 Thessalonians 2:6-8, which says, “And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. Then that lawless one will be revealed whom the Lord will slay with the breath of His mouth and bring to an end by the appearance of His coming.“

Paul is apparently surprised that his own teaching on the end times had not stopped the Thessalonians from believing the false claim, so he rehearses that teaching. The man of lawlessness cannot be unveiled while what is restraining (Greek ‘to katechon’, neuter participle of ‘katechō’, ‘to prevent, hinder, restrain’) him now is at work. In verse 7 Paul refers to he who now restrains (Greek. ‘ho katechōn’, masculine participle of the same word). This implies that the restrainer is neuter, yet the personality is masculine, in other words the restrainer is the Holy Spirit, and He prevents the premature manifestation of the man of sin as the very embodiment of iniquity. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit assumed a special relationship to the Church as its indweller, who would be there forever (John 14:16-17). And as Jesus said in John 16:7 that if Jesus doesn’t go away the Holy Spirit doesn’t come, likewise, at the end, if the Holy Spirit doesn’t go away the man of sin doesn’t come. In other words, as the Holy Spirit and the Church are forever bound to each other (the Church is sealed in Him – Ephesians 1:13-14), the restraint can only be lifted when the restrainer removes Himself, and thus the Church removes herself, which happens at the rapture. This would imply that the people who are saved between the rapture and the final hour will experience the Holy Spirit in a similar matter as the saints before Pentecost, i.e. on a personal basis and not as a collective unified body.

“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:16-19)

This is an amazing piece of text by the apostle Peter. Can you imagine being Peter, witnessing all the miracles Jesus performed, seeing the Holy Spirit ascending on Jesus like a dove, literally hearing the voice of God come out of heaven twice (both at the baptism and at the transfiguration), seeing Jesus in all His glory at the transfiguration, seeing the empty tomb, sticking His fingers in the nail prints, seeing Jesus go back up to heaven? And what does Peter say here?! Oh well, that’s all fine and dandy, but I tell you that the prophetic word is even a better testimony than me being an eyewitness! Crazy!! The prophetic word, which prophesied all the things which Peter witnessed up close, has come true indeed, which means that all the other prophecies are thereby also validated to be sure to be fulfilled as written. And this is amazing news! And what is Peter’s instruction? To pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. In other words, we are commanded to invest time in figuring out all the prophetic words because they will bring light in a dark place, comfort and joy where there is not, and it confirms and builds our hope until our hope is fulfilled at the end.

Amazing!

Why did the disciples have a problem recognizing the resurrected Jesus? I have been reading all the different verses which tell the story after the resurrection, trying to reconstruct what happens. And I am confused by the first appearance to Mary Magdalene in the garden. According to Matthew (Mat. 28:1-10), she met Jesus outside of the tomb when she was already on her way back to the disciples, and it seems like she recognized Him immediately for she worshiped at His feet. Mark (16:1-10) doesn’t really say much about it for the reference is outside of the story at the garden. Luke doesn’t recount the meeting with Jesus, but John 20:11-18 tells that she met Jesus while still at the tomb (so before she was on her way back to the disciples as Matthew tells) and she doesn’t recognize Him immediately. My guess is that John’s account is most accurate and that Matthew’s account could actually match within this.

Some other interesting observations:

1. In Matthew 28:10, Jesus said to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, “Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” You can interpret this verse in different ways. It definitely meant seeing Jesus physically, as His physical appearance to the disciples is recorded many times. But, if it also meant seeing Jesus spiritually, then this is a prophecy and a promise!
2. In Mark 16:10-11, Mary Magdalene “went and told those who had been with him, as they mourned and wept. But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it.” It seems that just hearing about His resurrection (although Mary had seen Him) did not avail to much for the other disciples who had not seen Him yet (also many did not even believe when they also say Him).
3. In Mark 16:12-13, Jesus “appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them.” I wonder what this means (Jesus appearing in another form), but this is the story of the Emmaus road where in Luke 24:16 it is said that “their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” It is clear from this verse that Jesus is sovereign over who really sees Him and not, yet Jesus also said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25). Something similar is written in Mark 16:14, where Jesus “rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen.” Believe is always a heart issue! Then later “when he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him.” (Luke 24:30-31), “and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.” (Luke 24:35). Again a beautiful verse displaying the sovereignty of the LORD!
4. In John 20:20, Jesus “showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.” Thomas likewise needed to see the marks in His hands and side. Although it seems that “seeing is believing” applies here, I do believe that Jesus opened their heart first, because there are many occasions where “seeing is believing” does not apply.
5. In John 21, “Jesus stood on the shore; yet the disciples did not know that it was Jesus.” (v.4), and “that disciple whom Jesus loved therefore said to Peter, ‘It is the Lord!‘” (v.7) only recognizes Jesus after He repeats the miracle of the great catch (see Luke 5:1-11). Was this a not knowing as in that they weren’t aware someone was watching them in the first place? Or that they saw someone standing there, but did not physically recognize him (not so much because of scars etc, but because He was standing too far off or it was early in the morning so maybe foggy or still not fully day? Or that hey did not recognize Him spiritually? In any case, later on in the story we read in John 21:12 that, “none of the disciples dared ask him, ‘Who are you?’ They knew it was the Lord.“
6. In Luke 24:12, after being told by Mary Magdalene that Jesus has risen, Peter “rose and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; and he went home marveling at what had happened.” Although Peter had to see with his own eyes that the tomb was empty, it seems that seeing the empty tomb himself did do the trick for him.

What to say from all of this? It seems to me that it is primarily a matter of the heart that the disciples did not recognize Jesus:

• Mary Magdalene mistook Jesus for gardener not so much because of His mutilated physical appearance (although a plucked beard indeed could make someone unrecognizable – by the way, do you think this was on purpose, to enhance the spiritual aspect of seeing Him?), but because she believed that His physical body was stolen (i.e. she did not believe He would resurrect);
• Peter accepted Jesus’ resurrection just seeing the empty tomb (i.e. he did believe without seeing Jesus);
• The two disciples on the Emmaus road were spiritually blinded by Jesus (by the way, do you think this was in order to give Jesus the opportunity to tell the whole history in a nutshell?) before their eyes were opened by seeing the nail prints when Jesus broke the bread;
• Jesus on several occasions rebuked the disciples for their hard hearts;
• Although John recognizes Jesus, it did take a realization that He repeated an earlier miracle;

There is definitely a component of His physical mutilation which hindered them from recognizing Jesus, but to me this only emphasizes even more their hardheartedness. “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” (John 20:29)

The first time we read about Barnabas is in Acts 4:36-37, where we read that “Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” From the start, Barnabas is displayed as an example of his giving spirit (in comparison to Ananias and Sapphira talked about next), and is thereby encouraging the other believers.

The next time we read of Barnabas is in Acts 9:27 when Barnabas “took [Saul] and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.” Again, Barnabas is encouraging the other believers by being an example of his loving spirit (in comparison to the other disciples who were afraid of Saul). Barnabas exemplifies 1 Corinthians 13:7 (“Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.“)

Then we read about Barnabas in Acts 11:22-24 when the church in Jerusalem hears about the great things happening in Antioch, and they send Barnabas to check it out. “When [Barnabas] came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.“

After that, in Acts 11:25-30, Barnabas, seeing the advancement of the gospel, goes to Tarsus to get Saul and go back to Antioch to further instruct many people. And when prophets came to Antioch with news that a great famine would come, Barnabas (with Saul) is sent to the brothers in Judea to sent relief.

Then, Barnabas accompanies Paul on his first missionary journey (Acts 13-14) to Cyprus (Barnabas’ home), Perga, Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, and Derbe.

It is Barnabas (with Paul) who is appointed to go to the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:2), and brought great joy to the brothers in Phoenicia and Samaria on his way (Acts 15:3). During the council, Barnabas (again with Paul) encourages the council by telling about all the great “signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.” (Acts 15:22). Barnabas gets to take the letter back to Antioch to encourage the believers there about the great news of the outcome, and “teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also” (Acts 15:35)

The last we hear from Barnabas is when he stood up for the young John Mark when Paul did not want to take him with him on the second missionary journey.

In summary, Barnabas is a great example of how, filled with the Holy Spirit, one can be a great example in giving, loving, teaching and preaching, exhorting, and defending other believers and the faith. He is truly a son of encouragement, and I feel greatly convicted (yet encouraged) by his example. But praise the LORD for Barnabas and the opportunity to always grow in walking in the Spirit. And what Paul said of himself, Barnabas can surely say about himself too, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

Felt an urge to post a little video where someone’s singing the Shma (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). Something to be reminded of daily!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

I believe the value of Leviticus is huge and highly overlooked by most Christians because on the surface it seems like a boring list of laws and regulations which do not apply to us. But I think that with that attitude you bypass a beautiful book.

Two words come to mind when I think about Leviticus: holiness and worship. In those days the holy LORD was present in the midst of the people (Ex. 40:34, Lev. 1:1). The people of Israel must therefore properly address their sin and impurity and must strive for personal holiness. In order to approach God, worshipers must be wholehearted in their devotion (1:1–6:7; 22:17–30). The same applies to us today. We are called and commanded to worship the LORD. In order to do this we need to present ourselves appropriately. By the grace of God, through Jesus, are able to come before the LORD with confidence (Heb. 4:16, 10:19-22, 10:35). Yet, this does not mean that we don’t have to worry about our holiness! We, like in the old days, are still called to strive for personal holiness, to sanctify ourselves completely (1 Thess. 5:23), and in the truth (John 17:17), through the work of the Holy Spirit (1 Peter 1:2), and have Jesus reign in our hearts as LORD (1 Peter 3:15).

The book of Leviticus gives us a picture of the seriousness of sanctification, the utter holiness of the LORD, the utter separation we have through sin, and the foreshadowing of Jesus in the midst of it all, as it is impossible from the human side to present ourselves clean before the LORD.

The book of Leviticus gives us these pictures as it discusses the need for offerings (ch. 1-7), the need for a priesthood (ch. 8-10), the need for explaining cleanness and uncleanness (ch. 11-15), the need for atonement (ch. 16), the need for blood to atone (ch. 17), and the need for holiness (ch. 18-22). This all builds up to Jesus in chapter 23 where the holy feasts are explained prophetically for the appointed times and the ultimate redemption (jubilee and the law of redemption). The book closes then off with a series of blessings and curses (ch. 26) and vows and dedications (ch. 27).

In other words, the whole book is a picture the need for holiness as the LORD is holy, with the purpose of worshiping the LORD in all we do and are.

“Vindicate me, O LORD, for I have walked in my integrity, and I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Examine me, O LORD, and try me; Test my mind and my heart. For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth. I do not sit with deceitful men, nor will I go with pretenders. I hate the assembly of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked. I shall wash my hands in innocence, and I will go about Your altar, O LORD, That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving and declare all Your wonders. O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells. Do not take my soul away along with sinners, nor my life with men of bloodshed, in whose hands is a wicked scheme, and whose right hand is full of bribes. But as for me, I shall walk in my integrity; Redeem me, and be gracious to me. My foot stands on a level place; In the congregations I shall bless the LORD.” (Psalm 26)

If I would have to choose a psalm which has/had the most impact on my life it would have to be Psalm 26. Why? Simply because I would love to be able to say this for myself. I long for it! David’s statements are incredible! I mean, to ask the LORD to prove his innocence?! Come on, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” (Psalm 53:3b). I think verse 8 is my favorite: “O LORD, I love the habitation of Your house and the place where Your glory dwells.” This is an amazing verse to meditate on and to be used for when you want to worship God, when you are thankful to God, when you feel the beauty of Christ’s completed work in your life, when you repent, etc. I need to be reminded often of this psalm and its beauty and its truth, and renew my mind with it. Wouldn’t it be a great testimony to God for generations to come if my epitaph would say something like: “Here lies Marc. A godly man who walked with integrity and trusted in the LORD without wavering”? Oh well, there is a long way to go, but “I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in [me] will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 1:6)

Starting point
I think a good starting point in answering this question is Isaiah 43:11, which says, “I, even I, am the LORD, and there is no savior besides Me” (which means they are inextricably connected!) and the words of the angel Gabriel, who said, “do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11), and “to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.” (Jude 1:25)

Some tidbits

• In the NASB, the word ’savior’ appears 37 times in 37 verses (13x OT; 24xNT). In Hebrew the word for ’savior’ is ‘yasha`’ which can mean ‘to save, to deliver, to help, to preserve, to avenge, to be victorious’. In the Greek the word is ’sōtēr’ and comes from the root ’sōzō’ which means ‘to save, to make whole, to heal, to be whole’.
• In the NASB, the word ‘LORD’ appears 7873 times in 6679 verses (6063x OT; 616x NT). In Hebrew the word for ‘LORD’ is mostly ‘Yĕhovah’ which means ‘the existing One’. In the Greek the word is ‘kyrios’ and comes from the root ‘kuros’ which means ’supremacy’.
• Peter is the only New Testament writer you uses the term ‘Lord and savior’ (in 2 Pet. 1:11; 2:20; 3:2; 3:18).

Savior
To me, there is a huge difference between God being my savior or God being my Lord. He is first of all my savior in that He saved me, delivered me (redeemed me) from from so many things. From God’s wrath in the first place and from myself in the second place. He also rescued me from the domain of darkness and transferred me to the kingdom of Jesus (Col. 1:13). It goes without saying that all of this is fully by His grace and all accomplished by justification (the past tense of being saved) and will be fully completed ultimately by glorification (the future tense of being saved). For a lot of people, who see God only as their savior, this is where it ends. God saves as a once-and-for-all deal, they continue living without change, and they will be glorified at the end.

LORD
But, He is also my savior on a day-to-day basis. This is sanctification (the present tense of being saved), a process which will take a lifetime. By the power of the Holy Spirit, through the completed work of Jesus Christ, becoming more and more like Jesus, continuously being purified until God the Father sees His image in my life. This process, through faith, is what can only happen when you see God not only as savior but also as Lord. In my research for this question I came across the following verse, which I think says it all. It’s Isaiah 48:17 which says, “I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you in the way you should go.” Do I need to say more? I don’t think so. How can I not want to follow Him?! “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Mat. 11:28-30). But, although His yoke is easy, that doesn’t mean it will be easy. We must allow the dead to bury the dead (Mat. 8:22), we must deny ourselves (Mat. 16:24), we must serve Jesus (John 12:26), and we must be like sheep (John 10:27).

This to me is the difference between seeing God as savior and seeing God as Lord. And boy, what a challenge it is! Maybe that’s the reason why the word ‘Lord’ appears 213 times more in the Bible than the word ’savior’?

The Ten Commandments are listed in Exodus 20:3-17 and Deuteronomy 5:7-21, and I think, even without Jesus making them even more intense, they are a huge challenge. Everyone fails daily at the first commandment. I know I do. There are many different “gods” that I hold before me; things that I put in front of God, thinking they give me more than I need in Him. I have carved images in the form of laptops, photo cameras, televisions, guitars, books, etc. I try to keep the Sabbath, but I think I need a lot more knowledge on what that really means for it be a holy day. I don’t think it is now. I try to honor my parents, but fail regularly by putting my own interest above theirs. OK, I have never murdered, but have committed adultery in my mind (sadly!). I do not steal literal objects, but do steal for instance from the boss’ time on occasion. I don’t think I bear false witness, but there are the occasional items in my neighbor’s house that I covet. No, anyone who thinks that the Ten Commandments are easy has not read them well. It’s just another example to show us that we are sinners in need of a Savior. And He has come and His name is Jesus! Hallelujah!!!

But with regards to not taking the name of the LORD your God in vain, I think there may be some confusion. I don’t think this has to do with use of words but with ambassadorship; how well do I represent Him in my daily life. It reminds me of Colossians 3:1-17. Maybe it’s good to dig into this a little bit.

Set Your Mind On Things Above (Col. 3:1-4)
The starting point is to keep seeking the things above, which we do by setting our mind on things above. A transformation of the mind is what’s needed. In other words, “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection” (Phi. 3:10) and step away from appetite being my god because I set my mind on earthly things (Phi. 3:19). See also Colossians 2:8 and 2 Corinthians 10:4-6. Our mind needs to be fixed on heaven. To seek the things above is to be desire it, to have a passion for it. We need to develop a passion for Christ. Without it we won’t seek Him and keep setting our mind on earthly things as we are used to. I think it’s also interesting that it says that Christ is our life. This can be taken literally (John 11:25, Galatians 2:20, Romans 8:10), but also figuratively, where if something is your life then it is the main thing in your life, your passion. Think about a hobby or so. The best way to describe this is of course how Paul says it in Philippians 1:21, “for to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.”

Putting Off The Old Self (Col. 3:5-9)
Now this is quite the list! Consider yourself dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed. Wow! What do these things lead to? Idolatry (i.e. the first commandment). Also put aside anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech, and lying. As if the first list wasn’t enough conviction! Couple of things stand out to me in this long list. Impurity makes me think of getting ourselves refined like gold until all the impurities are out of our character and God sees Himself reflected in us. Things like anger, wrath, malice and slander make me think about getting back at someone or reacting to wrong being done against you. What we need to realize in those circumstances is that Christ died for their sins as well, and He will set everything right at the end. In other words, leave it up Him to deal with injustice as He will do a much better job at it than we can, considering He is both just and the justifier.

Putting On The New Self (Col. 3:10-17)
Again Paul makes it clear that it starts with “being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of [Christ]” (Col. 3:10). This is quite a list as well! A heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another, forgiving each other, and love. This list resembles the listing of the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. I think verses 15-17 are the perfect summary:

• Let the peace of Christ rule in your heart;
• Be thankful;
• Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly;
• Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the LORD Jesus;
• Give thanks through Jesus to the father;

The latter two is the ambassadorship and a reflection of Commandment #3. Even if you would things in accordance with this list but you don’t do it in the name of Jesus, then it is all in vain. In summary, by renewing our mind we are putting off the old self after which we can put on the new self and make ourselves available to God to really be His ambassadors. Wow, what a challenge!!

This all also reflects what Jesus says are the two greatest commandments:

• “You shall love the lord your god with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)
• “You shall love your neighbor like yourself” (Matthew 22:39)

“The preacher with a humble mind will avoid omissions and additions. He must refuse to manipulate the Biblical text in order to make it more acceptable to our contemporaries. For to attempt to make it more acceptable really means to make ourselves more acceptable in regards to popularity.” – John Stott, In Between Two Worlds

A short clip from John Piper´s sermon “Go, Your Son Will Live” (John 4:43-54), on the importance of using a Bible with all the words (in other words, a word-for-word translation like KJV, NKJV, NASB or ESV, rather than a thought-for-thought translation like NIV, TNIV, or NLT). Why? Although though-for-thought translations are good for devotionals and getting the idea of the text, word-for-word translations cause you to really need to understand it (wrestle with it).

The weapons of our warfare are really important in our daily walk with God, especially if we are living in light of being in the world but not of the world. The apostle Paul encourages us in 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 when he says, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.” Wow! Taking every thought captive. That’s a challenge! So many thoughts throughout the day. In order to do this constantly I think you have to become both very self-aware and very Spirit-aware, as to letting the Holy Spirit work on all of our thoughts. I think I still have lots to learn to really make effective use of these weapons.

The classic text on the weapons of warfare is Ephesians 6:14-18. They can be subdivided in three different sections. It is interesting to see that the order as they are listed is also the order in which the soldier puts on the armor.

The Spiritual Armor To Have
These pieces of the armor are the bare necessities. They are foundational, but they also always should be present. They all three indicate some sort of readiness to move forward.

1. Have Your Loins Girded With Truth (Eph. 6:14)
Technically speaking the belt of truth is not part of the armor, but is put on beforehand. When a man sat down and was relaxed, he took off his belt. Putting on the belt prepares you for action, it frees your movements, and it put him in a battle frame of mind. The belt of truth can be described as the whole of what you believe about Christ. It is a foundation you live upon all the time, your understanding of and confidence in the basic doctrines of the faith. In effect we should never take off the belt of truth. We should always be ready for action. The same idea is conveyed in Luke 12:35 (“Be dressed in readiness, and keep your lamps lit.“) and 1 Peter 1:13 (“Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.“)

2. Have The Breastplate of Righteousness Put On (Eph. 6:14)
The breastplate provides protection for the vital organs. Important to here is to understand that it is Jesus’ righteousness (received by faith), not our own, that we have to put on. It is our defense against spiritual depression. It gives us a general sense of confidence, an awareness of our standing and position. Abraham believed in the LORD and He reckoned it to him as righteousness. “It will be righteousness for us if we are careful to observe all this commandment before the LORD our God, just as He commanded us” (Deu. 6:25). “How blessed are those who keep justice, who practice righteousness at all times!” (Ps. 106:3). We read in Proverbs 2:1-10 all the prerequisites to discern righteousness.

3. Have Your Feet Shod With the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace (Eph. 6:15)
The idea here is a readiness for action, to take the Gospel out to the world. They are combat boots, ready not only for action, but also for longevity it is good to have good shoes. “How lovely on the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who announces peace and brings good news of happiness, who announces salvation, and says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns!’” (Is. 52:7). Although good news is brought, you have to stand firm in your shoes to withstand the opposition. It reminds me of Galatians 1:6-9 and Paul’s call to not let the Gospel get perverted. “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!” It is “always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you” (1 Pet. 3:15)

The Spiritual Armor To Take
The next three pieces of armor, on top of those you always have on (truth, righteousness, gospel), depend on the situation for them to be used.

4. Take the Shield of Faith (Eph. 6:16)
Faith is represented as a shield, protecting us from the arrows of the devil. It makes me think of the movie “300″ where the Spartan in close formation completely protect themselves from the enemy. No arrows come through. It is also interesting that Paul specifically talks about arrows. These are not weapons for close combat, and they were often used for surprise attacks from far off. The attacks which are less obvious. It is our faith that protects us here as a shield.

5. Take the Helmet of Salvation (Eph. 6:17)
The helmet of salvation protects us against discouragement, against the desire to give up, giving us hope not only in knowing that we are saved, but that we will be saved. It is the assurance that God will triumph. When we are properly equipped with the helmet of salvation, it’s hard to stay discouraged.

6. Take the Sword of the Spirit – the Word of God (Eph. 6:17)
The Word of God is the only piece of armor used for attacking the enemy. “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12). I think that’s interesting. It reminds me of Jesus in the wilderness and how three times in a row he uses Scripture. It seems like he is defending Himself instead of attacking, but the devil did leave Him, like James says, “Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jam. 4:7). Think of a soldier or a gladiator in training, practicing sword thrusts and moves and positions. Now, he must practice them ahead of time, and if he is a superior fighter, and has a great fighting instinct, at the time of battle he will instantly recall which thrust, which position suits the precise moment. He will never be able to use the thrust in the fight if he has not first practiced it, but he still needs to make the move at the moment. Therefore, effectively using the sword takes practice. Lots of practice.

The Spiritual Strength
The whole armor comes together in one thing: prayer.

7. Pray in the Spirit (Eph. 6:18-20)
The weapons for warfare are spiritual because they are rooted in prayer, which is our most powerful resource. Prayer is to permeate believers’ lives as a universal practice. There are three aspects here: when (at all times), how (with all prayer, alertness and perseverance), and for whom (for all the saints). “In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” (Rom. 8:26-27). And prayer for what? To make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, that in proclaiming it I may be be spoken boldly, as it ought to be spoken!

I cannot help but note that there is an interesting order in Genesis 5:21-24.

1. Enoch lives a normal life for 65 years
2. Enoch gets a son and calls him Methuselah (meaning: his death shall bring)
3. Enoch walks with God for 300 years, and then God takes him

So, Enoch walks with God after he begot Methuselah. Considering the name of his son you would think that God revealed Himself to him, and His plan, and that after his birth he becomes a prophet because of it. Interesting is that Enoch means “teaching” and he is a prophet. Now, the only prophecy we have of Enoch is recorded in Jude 14-15, and from what he said I can imagine he was not the most popular guy around. Enoch knew about the coming judgment (upon the death of his son), Enoch knew about the final judgment. I believe that these things compelled him to believe God, obey God, fear God, and walk closely with Him. Methuselah was born to die, and his death would usher in the wrath of God. His dad knew it. And he lived differently because of it. I think that is why Enoch walked with God. “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; And he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.” (Heb. 11:5). And what’s the verse straight after that? “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” (Heb. 11:6).

To me, walking with God means walking by faith (2 Cor. 5:7), walking by the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), walking in the Light (1 Jhn. 1:7) and walking in agreement with God (Amos 3:3), walking with integrity (Ps. 15:2; Pr. 2:7), walking in newness of life (Rom. 6:4), walking in love (Eph. 5:2), walking as wise men (Eph. 5:15), walking in Christ (Col. 2:6), walking in a manner worthy of God (1 Thess. 2:12), and walking in the truth (3 Jhn. 1:4)

Lately I feel more and more convicted about my walk with God. Sometimes it feels like it’s a long distance relationship and He sends me long love letters and I send Him post-it notes or Twitter notes (i.e. short notes) in return. It’s not that I am not spending time in the Word, but it’s that I tend to have an intellectual pathway to God and forget the step from head to heart. I sometimes think if it would be an idea to leave the Bible as a book for a little while and spend time just talking, walking and meditating on God (like in the “old days” when people didn’t have their own copy of the Bible). All I want to say is that knowing is not enough, I must apply; and talking is not enough, I must walk.

I was recently reading through Ephesians 4:11-16, and noticed that when writing this down in a different way helps grasp the concept better I think. Something usually helpful with Paul’s writing considering his long sentence structures. Hope this helps.

“And He gave:

• the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers:
  • to equip the saints for the work of ministry
  • for building up the body of Christ
• until we all attain:
  • to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God
  • to mature manhood
  • to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
• so that we may no longer be children:
  • tossed to and fro by the waves and
  • carried about by every wind of doctrine,
  • by human cunning,
  • by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
• Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way
  • into him who is the head,
  • into Christ,
• from whom the whole body,
  • joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped,
  • when each part is working properly,
• makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.” (Ephesians 4:11-16)

What struck me in this section is that it all starts with the apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds, and teachers who apparently have two tasks within the body to bring to whole body to maturity in Christ (meaning no longer children), and that a major key in this is to speak the truth in love in order to build the body up in love. Another major key is that the whole section starts off by saying that it is Jesus who gives.

“If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not Jesus, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have a prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not Jesus, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not Jesus, I gain nothing.

Jesus is patient and kind; Jesus does not envy or boast; Jesus is not arrogant or rude. Jesus does not insist on His own way; Jesus is not irritable or resentful; Jesus does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Jesus bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Jesus never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when Jesus comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

So now faith, hope, and Jesus abide, these three; but the greatest of these is Jesus.” (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)

Peter and John Get Arrested
So, Peter is speaking at Solomon’s Portico to the men of Israel. Among those men are a group called the Sadducees. Between the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and Peter’s sermon the power within the Sanhedrin changed from the Pharisees, who were the legalists, to the Sadducees, the rationalists or modernists or aristocrats. They did not believe in the resurrection. They did not believe in the supernatural and had a strong emphasis on free will. They were very oriented in ethics, not theology, and even held the Pharisees in contempt. The fact that Peter is constantly mentioning Jesus’ resurrection is really getting to them, and so we read that they got “greatly annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming n in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:2). And so they arrested Peter and John and put them in custody because it was already evening and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, comes together in the morning (although they did not do so with Jesus’ trial). Yet Peter’s sermon achieves the desired result as “the number of men came to about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). And so Luke continues cataloging the growth from 120 (1:15) to 3,000 (2:41) and now the men alone were about five thousand, suggesting that the total number of Christians would have been well in excess of 10,000. The incredible growth of the church occurred in response to two activities empowered by the Holy Spirit: the powerful preaching of the gospel message about Jesus and the “many wonders and signs.”

Before the Sanhedrin
The Jewish high court consisted of 71 members (70 elders according to the pattern of Numbers 11:16 plus the high priest as presiding officer). It was dominated by the priestly Sadducees with a Pharisaic minority, represented mainly by the scribes (lawyers) of the court. Annas was of the Aaronic priesthood, but he was deposed by the Romans, and Caiaphas was put in his place. Caiaphas was the acting high priest, but appointed by the Romans; he was not of the line of Aaron. Caiaphas was in power for the Romans, but not really accepted by the Jews. Annas is still of powerful influence, although not officially in power. When Peter and John are brought before the Sanhedrin the next morning, they are asked by what power or name they do their work. Again it’s Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, who takes charge and speaks up, saying that if they are being charged for doing “a good deed done to a crippled man, by what means this man has been healed, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead – by him this man is standing before you well.” (Acts 4:9-10). Peter doesn’t point to himself for healing the lame beggar. He also doesn’t just point to Jesus. He makes it perfectly clear that it is the Jesus whom the Sanhedrin crucified and whom God raised from the dead. Again Peter is pointing to the finished work of Jesus Christ and also putting the finger where it hurts. He says to the Sadducees that Jesus was raised from the dead and alive as they speak. Then Peter continues by quoting from Psalm 118:22, which is the psalm the Jews sang on Palm Sunday, and is also a reference to Isaiah 28:16, where Peter points out again that the miracle is because of Jesus Christ. He is answering their question twice. A double whammy!

And then Peter tops it off by verse 12: “And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved“. Wow, talk about directness and boldness. He is definitely not beating around the bush here. Peter’s statement that there was salvation in no other name was an implicit invitation to the Sanhedrin to place their faith in Jesus. It was Jesus’ name that brought physical deliverance to the lame man, the same powerful and exclusive name that brings eternal salvation to all who call upon him. Peter emphasizes this by saying that it is the only name under heaven by which a person can be saved. Further, there is no other name among men that saves. This echoes the words of Jesus on all sides, who said that “all things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27), and who said “I am l the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Boldness, and More Boldness
“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus. But seeing the man who was healed standing beside them, they had nothing to say in opposition” (Acts 4:13-14). The boldness of Peter and John, combined with the fact that they were uneducated common men who had been with Jesus, shut the Sanhedrin up. They had nothing to say. After they conferred with each other, the Sanhedrin cowardly don’t even confirm publicly that a miracle has happened, while the lame beggar is standing right there! Instead they command Peter and John not to talk or teach in the name of Jesus anymore. Peter is really on a roll here and continues his attack against the Sanhedrin saying, “whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.” (Acts 4:20)

Now when Peter and John return to their friends and explained what had happened, what do you think they did? They not only pray for even more boldness (Acts 4:29-30), but they also pray for the Sanhedrin! They are praying to God who made the very material world which the Sadducees rely upon! Their prayer for boldness in witness shows a determination to directly disobey the command of the Sanhedrin. They do not pray against those who persecute them but pray for their own faithfulness in witness. They quote Psalm 2 which is a dialogue between the world (we have no king but Caesar), God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And in light of that they define the world as Herod (the Hebrew authority), Pontius Pilate (the Roman authority), the Gentiles (all nations), and the peoples of Israel (Acts 4:27). So basically everybody. Their prayer is based on the sovereignty, wisdom, and active government of God. And what happens? The LORD grants their prayer, and “they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.” (Acts 4:31).

The Sanhedrin was the leading Jewish authority at that time. Do you stand up against our current day authorities when the finished work of Jesus Christ is put into question? Do you pray for the authorities you have to deal with? Do you pray for more boldness to stand against any opposition to Jesus Christ? Are you expectant of being filled by the Holy Spirit and your dependence on Him? This is a call for boldness. Do you accept the challenge?

A couple of weeks ago I preached in church on King Jehoshaphat as part of a series on the kings of the Old Testament. When reading the story of king Jehoshaphat was what struck me his apparent tolerance in dealing with the evil king Ahab. The sin of tolerance is an ever increasing aspect in the world, and Amsterdam and the Netherlands in particular.

Here is the second part of my teaching notes:

So What Is the Point?
So, what can we learn from Jehoshaphat’s life so far? It seems that overall Jehoshaphat was a pretty good guy. At the end of the story it is even said that he was “doing what was right in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 20:32). From his point of view, helping out Ahab was just an honest mistake, motivated by his desire for peace. He was not trying to be rebellious or do evil. But was it “just” a mistake? He was forgetting that his dependence needed to be on God. He not only willingly helped his pagan friend Ahab in war, he even arranged for his own son to marry one of the daughters of Ahab and Jezebel. And for what?! Political gain; an artificial peace which is little more than the absence of hostility. His “honest mistake” carried much more weight than he probably realized. When we continue to read what happened after the battle we come to the key verse in the story of Jehoshaphat. The Bible says it like this in 2 Chronicles 19:1-2: “Jehoshaphat the king of Judah returned in safety to his house in Jerusalem. But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, ‘Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.’” It is important to note here that ‘love’ denotes not emotion but the commitment to support a treaty. Here’s the point I want to make: Jehoshaphat went too far in developing a friendship with his buddy Ahab, whose lifestyle and faith opposed everything he stood for. And in that he crossed the line of legitimate tolerance into an unacceptable endorsement or approval. Should Jehoshaphat not have been friends with Ahab? Of course not, but he took it too far. It is okay to be tolerant, but endorsing it, supporting it (like Jehoshaphat did) is quite another thing.

Now, what does this mean for us? I think that we too should heed the warning of Jehu: Where do we “help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord”? Where do we exercise rightful tolerance or intolerance? Where do we endorse or support or approve of sin in our friendships, and in our own lives? Where do we draw the line before our tolerance goes too far? I think the answer to that question is: where Jesus draws the line. We should be tolerant where Jesus is tolerant; We should be intolerant where Jesus is intolerant.

But let’s talk about tolerance a bit before looking at what Jesus has to say about it. Tolerance can be described as having “a fair, objective, and permissive attitude toward those whose opinions, practices, race, religion, nationality, etc., differ from one’s own” or to have an “interest in and concern for ideas, opinions, practices, etc., foreign to one’s own” or to have “a liberal or broad-minded viewpoint.” It is a good word which, in one sense, implies the compromise of one’s convictions, and to yield ground on important issues. Yet, an over-tolerance (if I can say it like that) in moral issues makes us soft or devoid of a conviction, almost indifferent maybe. Think about the “gedoogbeleid” (tolerance policy) of the Dutch drug use or the euthanasia policy. Tolerance (or broadmindedness) has sort of overruled our convictions!

Jesus’ View on Tolerance
Now, Jesus was very tolerant when it came to sinners. He was actively engaged with (and loved) tax collectors, sexually-immoral people, and foreigners. His grace and mercy are evidence of His tolerance. And I love Jesus’ tolerance, because I am a sinner. We all are sinners. But Jesus still loves me. Jesus still loves us. But Jesus was also intolerant…

Jesus was intolerant about the way of salvation
“Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” (Matthew 7:13-14). He plainly pointed out that there are two roads in life. One is broad – lacking in faith, convictions and morals. It is the easy, popular, careless way. It is the way of the majority, the way of the world. He said, “those who enter by it are many.” But he pointed out that this road, easy though it is, popular though it may be, heavily traveled though it is, leads to destruction. And in loving, compassionate intolerance He says, “Enter by the narrow gate… For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life“

Jesus was intolerant toward hypocrisy
He pronounced more “woes” on the Pharisees than on any other sect because they claimed outward reverence for God but inward pretend. In Matthew 23, Jesus addresses 7 woes against the scribes and Pharisees (in contrast of the 7 beatitudes or blessings in the Sermon on the Mount), and each of them Jesus starts with “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!” Matthew 23 is a great chapter to read… unless you’re a Pharisee of course (and yet we all, to a certain extent, are a Pharisee. It might be a lot closer to home than we want to admit).

Jesus was intolerant toward selfishness
To the rich young man, Jesus said: “‘If you would be perfect, go, sell what you possess and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions.” (Matthew 19:21-22) It wasn’t the giving of his goods that Jesus demanded, but his release from selfishness and its devastating effect on his personality and life. “Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.’” (Matthew 16:24-25) Self-centeredness is the basic cause of much of our distress in life. Most of us suffer from spiritual near-sightedness. Our interests, our loves, and our energies are too often focused upon ourselves. Jesus was intolerant of selfishness. The ‘life’ which Jesus urges us to lose is the selfishness that lives within us, the old nature of sin that is in conflict with God. So, in your life and mine, ’self’ must be crucified and Christ enthroned. He was intolerant of any other way, for He knew that selfishness and the Spirit of God cannot exist together.

Jesus was intolerant toward sin
To the adulteress Jesus said: “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.” (John 8:11) He forgave her because he loved her; but he condemned sin because He hates it. Some more examples: “Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning” (1 Corinthians 15:34, NASB). “Everyone who sins is breaking God’s law, for all sin is contrary to the law of God. And you know that Jesus came to take away our sins, and there is no sin in him. Dear children, don’t let anyone deceive you about this: When people do what is right, it shows that they are righteous, even as Christ is righteous. But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Those who have been born into God’s family do not make a practice of sinning, because God’s life is in them. So they can’t keep on sinning, because they are children of God.” (1 John 3:4-5,7-9, NLT)

Jesus is intolerant about the way to salvation, hypocrisy, selfishness and sin… but He is tolerant toward the sinner. And so should we…

What Does This Mean for Us?
As Christians we owe it to each other in love to correct on another, to rebuke each other when it is necessary, and to encourage one another in our desire to live authentic Christian lives, faithful to the Word of God. We must love the sinner, but we must hate the sin. We must recognize that we are sinners, and love ourselves, but we must hate the sin that is in us. The same is true of our neighbor. Paul says in Galatians 5:14 that “the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” We must love our neighbor always, but we must hate the sin that is in them. Hating the sin is necessary if we are to truly love them. If we do not hate our neighbor’s sin, we do not love our neighbor at all. If we do not hate our own sin, we do not love ourselves at all. It was perfectly fine for Jehoshaphat to be friends with Ahab, but he should have continued to be faithful and obedient to God and in that way not only be an example to Ahab (love the sinner), but also to point out Ahab’s disobedience to God (hate the sin), instead of going along with Ahab in his sin. Although being friends with people like Ahab is okay, we should aim in building our strongest friendships with people who will encourage us to obey God’s Word and follow His plan for our lives. In 2 Corinthians 6:14, Paul says that we should “not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?” This verse is most commonly used in relation to marrying an unbeliever, but Paul means much more here than only marrying an unbeliever. It really applies to any environment where we let the world influence our thinking. When we are being “conformed to this world” and are not being “transformed by the renewal of your mind” (Romans 12:2) , we are joining together with unbelievers in an ungodly way. This unequal yoke, or ungodly influence, may come through a book, a movie, a television show, a magazine, or even through worldly Christian friends. We all like to believe that we can be around ungodly things as much as we want, and that we are strong enough to resist the influence. But we must take the words of Scripture seriously: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals.’” (1 Corinthians 15:33). As Christians, we must bring every aspect of our lives under God’s control and authority. Otherwise, we can hinder our walk greatly and suffer consequences God never intended for us to experience.

What Did Jehoshaphat Do?
What did Jehoshaphat do in response to the rebuke of Jehu the prophet? He repented and starts reforming the whole country. “He went out again among the people… and brought them back to the Lord, the God of their fathers” (2 Chronicles 19:4). He instructed the nation’s judges to “consider what you do, for you judge not for man but for the Lord“(2 Chronicles 19:6). He told other leaders: “Thus you shall do in the fear of the Lord, in faithfulness, and with your whole heart” (2 Chronicles 19:9). And then, in the defining moment of his life, Jehoshaphat demonstrates great trust in God in the face of overwhelming circumstances. When a colossal coalition of three large armies marched against Jerusalem, Jehoshaphat called all Judah to prayer and fasting and publicly confessed to God, “For we are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chronicles 20:12). We too are powerless against the sin of the world, yet we have Jesus, who died to take away our sin and give us new life through the Holy Spirit to overcome power that sin has in our lives.

Jehoshaphat wins the battle because the Lord is with him, and overall it is said that “he walked in the way of Asa his father and did not turn aside from it, doing what was right in the sight of the Lord” (2 Chronicles 20:32), but ultimately Jehoshaphat made some unfortunate choices that blemished his otherwise good legacy.

In closing, let me give you three questions to think about, in light of all of this:

1. Who or what is the Ahab in your life? Who is the person in your life which you may have let influence your choices a bit too much, and who you could serve better by being an example to instead? What is the thing in your life that pulls you away from Christ, and be unequally yoked?
2. What is your motivation for joining in with the Ahab in your life? Jehoshaphat’s motivation was political gain. He wanted peace where maybe there shouldn’t have been. What is your motivation? What do you want to gain or achieve by this?
3. Are you as tolerant as Jesus? Have you drawn the line of tolerance where Jesus draws it, or are there areas in your life in which you are being too tolerant toward hypocrisy, selfishness or sin?

A couple of weeks ago I preached in church on King Jehoshaphat as part of a series on the kings of the Old Testament. When reading the story of king Jehoshaphat was what struck me his apparent tolerance in dealing with the evil king Ahab. The sin of tolerance is an ever increasing aspect in the world, and Amsterdam and the Netherlands in particular.

Here is the first part of my teaching notes:

Who is King Jehoshaphat? Quick Facts
Okay, let me start by setting the scene for Jehoshaphat’s story. The story of Jehoshaphat can primarily be read in 2 Chronicles 17 – 21. Now, it can never hurt to repeat that there used to be a unified kingdom called Israel, but that after the reign of Solomon the kingdom was split in two. Judah is the southern kingdom, with Jerusalem as its capitol, and that Israel is the northern kingdom, with Samaria as its capitol. The story of Jehoshaphat starts 61 years after the split up of the kingdom, and in total he reigned for 25 years and his reign overlaps greatly with King Ahab’s reign of the southern kingdom. The crossing of their paths as kings will be the center piece of our time together. But first, to get a good picture of Jehoshaphat, let’s read 2 Chronicles 17:1-13.

“Jehoshaphat his son reigned in his place and strengthened himself against Israel. He placed forces in all the fortified cities of Judah and set garrisons in the land of Judah, and in the cities of Ephraim that Asa his father had captured. The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the earlier ways of his father David. He did not seek the Baals, but sought the God of his father and walked in his commandments, and not according to the practices of Israel. Therefore the Lord established the kingdom in his hand. And all Judah brought tribute to Jehoshaphat, and he had great riches and honor. 6His heart was courageous in the ways of the Lord. And furthermore, he took the high places and the Asherim out of Judah. In the third year of his reign he sent his officials […] to teach in the cities of Judah; and with them the Levites […] and with these Levites, the priests Elishama and Jehoram. And they taught in Judah, having the Book of the Law of the Lord with them. They went about through all the cities of Judah and taught among the people. And the fear of the Lord fell upon all the kingdoms of the lands that were around Judah, and they made no war against Jehoshaphat. Some of the Philistines brought Jehoshaphat presents and silver for tribute, and the Arabians also brought him 7,700 rams and 7,700 goats. And Jehoshaphat grew steadily greater. He built in Judah fortresses and store cities, and he had large supplies in the cities of Judah. He had soldiers, mighty men of valor, in Jerusalem.” (2 Chronicles 17:1-13)

So far so good, right? He walk in the ways of David; He sought God; He ways courageous; He strengthens the nation’s military capabilities (most likely because of the border conflicts with the northern kingdom which marked the previous reigns). The next couple of verses mention that the mighty men of valor sum up to a total of 1,160,000 soldiers! He also carries out a national program of education of God’s Word by sending out officials, Levites and priests to instruct the nation in the Law of Moses; The result was that the Lord was with him (v3), the Lord establishes his kingdom (v5), he had great riches and honor, and all of Judah and surrounding peoples like the Philistines and the Arabians brought him many gifts. It is said that the kingdom prospered most under the reign of Jehoshaphat. Jehoshaphat is off to a good start. What do you think? Will he screw it up?

Despite his high standing (even with someone as hard to impress as the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 3:14)), Jehoshaphat ultimately made some unfortunate choices that blemished his otherwise good legacy. How? By cozying up to the evil king Ahab!

Jehoshaphat’s Alliance with Ahab
“Now Jehoshaphat had great riches and honor, and he made a marriage alliance with Ahab. After some years he went down to Ahab in Samaria. And Ahab killed an abundance of sheep and oxen for him and for the people who were with him, and induced him to go up against Ramoth-gilead. Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Will you go with me to Ramoth-gilead?’ He answered him, ‘I am as you are, my people as your people. We will be with you in the war.’” (2 Chronicles 18:1-3)
Ahab was the evilest king Israel ever had, and was king of Israel while Jehoshaphat was king of Judah. Now why would Jehoshaphat make a marriage alliance with Ahab? What has happened that would cause a good king like Jehoshaphat to make an alliance with a king as wicked as Ahab? Jehoshaphat agreed for political reasons though he should not have done so for spiritual reasons; he was a godly king, faithful to the Lord. It was intended to seal peace between the kingdoms after 50 years of hostilities. Although I can see why Jehoshaphat would choose for peace, it was unwise of him. The wise strategy would have been to continue to rely on obeying God for the protection of his kingdom instead of compromising it. The marriage between Jehoram, Jehoshaphat’s son, and Athaliah, the daughter of Ahab and Jezebel had disastrous effects on the kingdom of Judah, and it’s only due to God’s faithfulness to His promise to preserve the house of David is it that Judah survives. Jehoram “walked in the way of the kings of Israel, as the house of Ahab had done, for the daughter of Ahab was his wife. And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord.” (2 Chronicles 21:6). The Bible reports that Jehoram “departed with no one’s regret” (2 Chronicles 21:20). But, for now, Jehoshaphat is at peace with Ahab and the northern kingdom.

Main thing is that Ahab enticed Jehoshaphat to go into battle with him. This was a smart move by Ahab. Ramoth-gilead was a city southeast of the Sea of Galilee, some 65 kilometers from Jerusalem where Jehoshaphat lived, although deep into Israel’s territory. It was captured by the Syrians during the reign of Ben-hadad, and he promised to return certain cities to Israel (1 Kings 20:34) in exchange for leniency after defeat in battle. Apparently this was a city Ben-hadad had never returned to Israel. Ahab wants it back because it was in strategically important location (it was one of the cities of refuge – Joshua 21:38). What then is told in rest of the chapter is a most amusing story which I would encourage you to read on your own, but the main jest is that Ahab’s false prophets prophesied that Jehoshaphat and Ahab will triumphantly win the battle, and a prophet of God prophesied that not only that God put a lying spirit in the mouths of the false prophets, but that they will lose the battle, and that Ahab will actually die. Do you want to guess what happens? Ahab is enticed into battle, as the spirit had promised (v. 20). So, Jehoshaphat and Ahab go out to battle, but events turn out the opposite of what Ahab intended: Jehoshaphat is delivered in battle as a consequence of his desperate prayer (v. 31), while Ahab dies from an apparently random arrow (v. 33), which is clear evidence of God’s sovereign direction of events. The irony of the situation is that Ahab is told the truth but does not recognize it as such, even though he had insisted that Micaiah the prophet tell him the truth, and so Ahab says, “Put this fellow in prison and feed him with meager rations of bread and water until I return in peace.” (2 Chronicles 18:26)

Here are some verses and questions for when you are getting together with your small group.

Transformed Mind
Read: Colossians 2:8; Colossians 3:1-4; 2 Corinthians 10:4-6

• What are some of these philosophies or human traditions that we have to deal with?
• What kind of weapons has Jesus given to us to destroy these arguments?

Transformed Character
Read: Matthew 4:1-11

• What does Jesus’ reaction on the three temptation say about His character?
• How do the three temptation relate to 1 John 2:16, and what does that mean for us?

Transformed Relationships
Read: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, Jude 1:20-21

• How does 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 relate to the Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)?
• What does it mean to “keep yourself in the love of God”?

Transformed Habits
Read: 2 Timothy 2:3-6; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

• What do the three analogies of the soldier, athlete and farmer mean?
• How do you exercise self-control in all things?

Transformed Service
Read: Matthew 6:24; Titus 3:14

• What are possible masters in your life that you need to get rid off?
• What are good works that are needed in your city or neighborhood?

Transformed Influence: Lead the Way Jesus Led
Read: John 13:1-11; Acts 4:5-13

• What does Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet tell you about influence and/or leading?
• How did the apostles’ discipleship by Jesus affect their mission?

These are my teaching notes of yesterday evening.

Back in March I gave a teaching called “Discipleship 101″ where I tried to provide a definition for what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. The teaching notes for this can be found here:

• Discipleship 101, Part 1 – Old School
• Discipleship 101, Part 2 – Jesus Made It Unique
• Discipleship 101, Part 3 – Paul, An Example
• Discipleship 101, Part 4 – New School
• Discipleship 101, Part 5 – What Shall We Say Then?

In summary, a disciple of Jesus can be defined in the following five points:

• A disciple is a reborn follower of Jesus (Matt. 4:18-20; Matt. 8:18-22; Jn. 10:27);
• A disciple submits to at least one other person who teaches him how to follow Jesus (1 Pet. 5:5; 2 Tim. 3:10-11; 2 Tim. 2:2; 1 Cor. 4:15-16; Eph. 5:21);
• A disciple learns Jesus’ words (Jn. 18:31-32; Ps. 19:7-8; Ps. 1:1-3; Ps. 119:11);
• A disciple imitates Jesus’ life and character (2 Cor. 3:18; 1 Tim. 4:7; Gal. 5:22-23,25; Lu. 14:25-27,33);
• A disciple finds and teaches other disciples who also follow Jesus (Matt. 28:18-20; Matt. 9:36-38);

This teaching can be considered the follow-up, Discipleship 201, and discusses the transformational aspects (or marks) of when you imitate Jesus’ life and character.

Beholding the Glory of the Lord
According to John 15, we need to be abiding in Jesus, in order to bear fruit, we so we can become like Him, be transformed in His image. Since we are in Christ, we have a new regenerated heart from which we can live, with the help of the Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18 says it like this: “And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.“

I think there are three questions that Paul wants to answer for us here:

How are we being transformed? – “with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord“
We are transformed into His image by looking at His glory. How do we get an unveiled face? Paul tells us two verses earlier: “But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed” (2 Corinthians 3:16). You become what you constantly behold. It is about fixing our gaze on Him, look at Him, think about Him, and put Him before us again and again. This is key to becoming like Him.

To what are we being transformed? – “transformed into His image“
As we look into God’s mirror, we will be changed into the same image of the Lord. When we spend time beholding the glory of the God of love, grace, peace, and righteousness, we will see a transforming growth in love, grace, peace, and righteousness. We are being transformed – progressively, degree by degree – into the image of Christ the Lord. This work of transformation is a process. We are becoming like Christ. We are growing in our capacity to show Christ by being like Christ. That is God’s will for us. That we be progressively be conformed to the image of Christ.

Who is doing the transforming? – “For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit“
With these last words, Paul is emphasizing two things. First, this access to God and His transforming presence is ours by the new covenant, because it is through the new covenant we are given the Spirit of the Lord. Secondly, this work of transformation really is God’s work in us. It happens by the Spirit of the Lord, not by the will or effort of man. We don’t achieve or earn spiritual transformation by beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord. We simply put ourselves in a place where we can be transformed by the Spirit of the Lord.

So if we are to be transformed into the image of Jesus, what is it that will be transformed:

1. Transformed Mind: Believe What Jesus Believed
2. Transformed Character: Live the Way Jesus Lived
3. Transformed Relationships: Love as Jesus Loved
4. Transformed Habits: Train as Jesus Trained
5. Transformed Service: Minister as Jesus Ministered
6. Transformed Influence: Lead the Way Jesus Led

Transformed Mind: Believe What Jesus Believed
We need to be transformed to have the same mind as Jesus. Believe what He believes. It’s one thing to believe in Jesus. It’s quite another to believe what Jesus believed. And the first cannot be what it should be without the second. The key verse here is Romans 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” The world (in other words, the popular culture and manner of thinking which is in rebellion against God – will try to conform us to their pattern, yet we need to resist this process. Renewing the mind has not as much to do feeling nor with doing. A life based on feelings says: “How do I feel today? How do I feel about my job? How do I feel about my wife? How do I feel about worship? How do I feel about the preacher?” A life based on doing says: “Don’t give me your theology. Just tell me what to do. Give me the four points for this and the seven keys for that.” It is not that God is against either feeling or doing, but rather we should ask “What is true here? What does God’s Word say?” It also not necessarily mean to get more knowledge (or better knowledge), for Ephesians 4:23 says that we should “be renewed in the spirit of your minds,” but it is the ability to set our mind on the right things.

Some more verses for personal study on the mind: Psalm 26:2; Proverbs 28:26; Matthew 16:23; Luke 24:45; 1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:2, 4:7; Colossians 3:2; 1 Peter 3:8.

Transformed Character: Live the Way Jesus Lived
We need to be transformed to have the same character as Jesus. Character being defined best in this case as maturity. The key verse here is Romans 5:3-4, which says, “More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope” From suffering to endurance to character to hope. This is sort of a golden chain of Christian growth and maturity. One virtue builds upon another as we grow in the pattern of Jesus. We build character through endurance (or perseverance) which comes through suffering (or trial). James says it like this: “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” (James 1:2-4). When it comes to daily worldly opposition trials fall under the three categories of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (2 John 2:16). And if you think this is a new thing, consider that these three were exactly what caused Eve to sin in the garden. We read in Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food [lust of the flesh], and that it was a delight to the eyes [lust of the eyes], and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise [boastful pride of life], she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.“

Some more verses for personal study on character: Matthew 4:1-11

Transformed Relationships: Love as Jesus Loved
We need to be transformed to show the same type of love in our relationships as Jesus did. The key verse here is John 13:34-35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The Greek word for new (kainos) here implies freshness rather than recent or different. It’s for instance also used in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation“). It’s not that Jesus just invented this command, but that He presents it in a new and fresh way. So what’s so fresh about it? Whereas the Old Testament demanded that men should love their neighbors as themselves (Lev. 19:18), the New Commandment is that they should love the brothers better than themselves, and die for their friends. The command to love wasn’t new, but the extent of love just displayed by Jesus was new, as would be the display of the cross. Love was newly defined from His example.

Some more verses for personal study on love: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a; 1 John 4:7-21; 1 John 5:3-4; Jude 1:17-21

Transformed Habits: Train as Jesus Trained
We need to be transformed to incorporate the same habits as Jesus. The key verse here is Luke 6:40: “A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher.” Training is not trying. We must not try, but train. Training means that we commit to rearrange our lives around the practices of Jesus. We don’t try to practice spiritual disciplines, but we train ourselves to implement them into our lives because Jesus did. And over time, through a patient process, we allow the positive effects of discipline to change us. We need to train hard, be disciplined, so that we will be perfected in unity with Jesus Christ (John 17:23), perfected in holiness (2 Corinthians 7:1), perfected in patience (1 Timothy 1:16), perfected in faith (James 2:22), perfected in love (1 John 4:12). We get encouragement for training and discipline by reading Paul’s statement in Philippians 1:6, “And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.“

Some more verses for personal study on training: Proverbs 22:6; 1 Timothy 4:7-8; 2 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 1:5-7; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Transformed Service: Minister as Jesus Ministered
We need to be transformed to have the same servant heart as Jesus had. The key verse here is Galatians 5:13-14: “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’.” Clearly, we can choose to use freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. That option (or danger) is open to us. We can take the glorious freedom Jesus has given us, spin it, and use it as a way to please ourselves at the expense of others. This is the antidote for using freedom as an occasion for the flesh. The flesh expects others to conform to us, and doesn’t care much about others. But when we through love serve one another, we conquer the flesh. This is exactly the pattern set by Jesus. He had more freedom than anyone who ever walked this earth did. Yet He used His liberty to through love serve one another. The idea is that as we naturally take care of ourselves, we should also take care of others.

Some verses for personal study on serving: Matthew 6:24; Mark 10:45; Luke 22:24-27; John 12:26; Romans 12:11; Romans 14:18; Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 4:10, Titus 3:14

Transformed Influence: Lead the Way Jesus Led
We need to be transformed to have the same influence as Jesus had. The key verse here is Matthew 5:13-16: “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Disciples are like salt because they have a preserving influence. Salt was used to preserve meats and to slow decay. Disciples are like salt because they add flavor. Christians should have a preserving and flavorful influence on their culture. We are not only light-receivers, we are also light-givers. Jesus never challenged us to become salt or light. He simply said that we are – and we are either fulfilling or failing that given responsibility. The world will see the light of the kingdom through the good works done by Jesus’ disciples (and believers today), with the result that the Father who is in heaven will be glorified.

Some more verses for personal study on influence: Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 26:9-23; Philippians 2:5; Acts 4:5-13

The Healing of the Lame Beggar
We read in Acts 2:46 that they were attending the temple every day. On one day when Peter and John were going to pray at 9 pm in the evening (which is apparently the hour of prayer) they saw a man lame from birth at the temple gate. We read that the beggar asks for alms, not healing, but that Peter replies that he will give him something far better instead. There are two ideas here to be identified. First, we need to recognize that this is a natural continuity of the work of Jesus Christ. In this case through the Holy Spirit through Peter and John. It is a continuation of what Jesus started in the Gospels. Secondly, this event could be considered the first miracle of the Church period. Both of these are comforting ideas. Another idea is that the lameness of humanity is the Church’s opportunity. Christianity came to give men life, to put them on their feet and to enable them to do without alms. They did not just give him an handout, they empowered him. They gave him a gift that canceled disability, communicated ability and created worship.

Peter’s Second Sermon
Peter’s second sermon is a response to the fact that all who witnessed the healing of the lame beggar were “were filled with wonder and amazement at what had happened to him.” (Acts 3:10). Again, like in his first sermon, Peter is addressing the Jews. He starts off by asking why the Jews are so amazed at this for Jesus performed all sorts of miracles when He walked the earth. Thereby saying that this miracle should not be ascribed to them but to Jesus. Again, he addresses that the Jews denied and killed Jesus (remember, Pilate tried to let Jesus go, but the crowd wanted Barabbas). Pharisees are the legalists, the literalists. They, to a fault, tried to take every detail of the Law and make a burden out of it. They were the extremists. The Sadducees were the opposite kind, they were the modernists, the liberals. They did not believe in the resurrection, and did not believe in angels, and did not believe in the supernatural. So during the life of Christ His conflict seemed to be in large measure with the Pharisees, because that was the power ruling block at the time. In the time shift here between that era and now, the primary power group were the Sadducees in the Sanhedrin. They were the ones that got unglued with a display of the supernatural. Certainly, the healing was a problem; but even more so the presentation that Jesus Christ rose from the dead was something that the Sadducees clearly could not handle. It went completely contrary to their whole position.

But then Peter says that the Jews “acted in ignorance” (Acts 3:17), although they were responsible and held accountable. Remember that Jesus says on the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34). The significance behind this idea is that ignorance makes the difference between premeditated murder and manslaughter. For manslaughter the remedy is the City of Refuge (Numbers 35:9-34). The principle here is that in ancient Israel there were no prisons or police force, and so six cities were appointed to where one could flee in case of manslaughter. A close relative thus became responsible to serve as the “avenger of blood,” (verse 12) and execute the divine sentence on a murderer. The cities of refuge were necessary, for fear that an angry relative take revenge on a person who killed a loved one inadvertently. This wise and humane system not only protected the innocent, but also secured Israel from the dangerous rounds of blood feuds common in many societies. One could hide in a City of Refuge until the High Priest died. Remember that all of Scripture talks about Jesus? Put Jesus in the center here and you will see that we all by our sins are responsible for the manslaughter of Jesus, that we should be kept safe from the Avenger of Blood (God the Father), and are in need of a City of Refuge. Who is our City of Refuge? Jesus. Who long can we stay there? Until Jesus (our High Priest) dies. When is that? Never! Once you are in the City of Refuge you are kept safe forever from the penalty of sin. Wow, what a security!

Peter then promises three results of repentance: (1) forgiveness of sins; (2) times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord; and (3) the sending of Jesus Christ, which refers to His Second Coming of which Peter then continues to talk about. In Luke 4:16-20, at the start of His ministry, Jesus quotes from Isaiah 61:1-2, but notice that when you read Isaiah 61:1-2 that Jesus does not finishes the second verse, but stops at the comma. Jesus did not include “and the day of vengeance of our God” because the display of his wrath awaits Christ’s second coming. But to “proclaim liberty to the captives” is a reference to the Year of Jubilee (Leviticus 25:10). The Jubilee year is very important to God. The Sabbatical year was so important the God put Israel into slavery for 70 years for not obeying the law. (2 Chronicles 36:21). In any case, Peter makes it clear that Jesus will remain in heaven until the times of restoration of all things, and since the repentance of Israel is one of the all things, there is some sense in which the return of Jesus in glory will not happen until Israel repents. Peter is essentially offering Israel the opportunity to hasten the return of Jesus by embracing Him on a national level, something that must happen before Jesus will return (Matthew 23:37-39; Romans 11:25-27). The main thrust of Peter’s sermon is that this is the natural outcome of their history. To the extent that they understood the Old Testament, they should not be surprised.

Pentecost and Leaven
It is the day of Pentecost, which is not only one of the seven Feasts of Israel, it is also one of the three feasts which requires that every able-bodied Jewish male was required to in in Jerusalem. This means that Jerusalem was crowded with people from all over to celebrate this feast. Now without going into an extensive study on the feast of Pentecost, it may be a good idea to give some background to get a better picture. The first three feasts are in the spring, which are Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the Feast of Firstfruits. The last three feasts are in the fall, which are the Feast of Trumpets, The Day of Atonement, and the Feast of Tabernacles. In the middle there is the Feast of Pentecost (meaning the fiftieth day), which is 50 days after the Feast of Firstfruits. Each feast has a ceremonial role, a historic commemorative role, and also a prophetic role. Without going into much detail, the first three feasts were prophetic to Jesus’ First Coming (respectively, His death, His burial and His resurrection). The last three feasts are prophetic to Jesus’ Second Coming.

The Feast of Pentecost is prophetic for the birth of the Church (being the spiritual Body of Christ). It is described in Leviticus 23:15-17, which says: “You shall count seven full weeks from the day after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering. You shall count fifty days to the day after the seventh Sabbath. Then you shall present a grain offering of new grain to the Lord. You shall bring from your dwelling places two loaves of bread to be waved, made of two tenths of an ephah. They shall be of fine flour, and they shall be baked with leaven, as firstfruits to the Lord.” Now you have to be aware of Jewish customs to notice something peculiar here, namely that the breads are baked with leaven. All the other Jewish feasts and offerings are dealing with unleavened bread. In Exodus 12:15; 12:19-20; 13:7 it is actually described that leaven should be removed from the house during these feasts, except for Pentecost. The idea of leaven is always used negatively for the reason that leaven corrupts the dough by puffing up and is therefore symbolic for sin. So, the symbol for the Church is leaven. Now it is said that this is because the Church is not perfect (yet who is!), but I think it also has something to do with the fact that the Church are Gentiles, which are considered unholy from a Jewish viewpoint.

The Holy Spirit is Coming
Now all the disciples (about 120) were all gathered in one place, which is mostly likely the upper room where they were regularly met, and is most likely close to the temple grounds (for we will see that they will be baptizing 3,000 new believers soon – which would be quite hard in the upper room). Now, in John 3:8 Jesus makes reference to the Holy Spirit as wind, but it seems that this wind is much wilder. So strong that it causes attention throughout the town. When they are filled with the Holy Spirit they are speaking in tongues, but this must not be seen as a gift of the Spirit (as in 1 Corinthians 14), but must be translated as speaking in other languages as they were understood by various people present in Jerusalem. Could the fact that they could all understand each other have something to do with lifting the curse of Babel? Who knows… Now there 16 countries listed here which are present in Jerusalem, but I assume more countries are actually represented for Pentecost is one of the mandatory festivals and it mentions men “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5)

Peter’s First Sermon
Peter’s sermon answers their question, “What does this mean?” (Acts 2:12), and it’s is a very intricate masterpiece. We also see here that the Holy Spirit is indwelling Peter. In the Gospels Peter is often speaking without thinking, but here he is being skillful and elegant. Although the sermon answers the question about what does this [the Holy Spirit] mean, it is in fact not a sermon about the Holy Spirit, but about Jesus, the Son of God. It is important to recognize that Peter is addressing the Jews here. The sermon is built on three sections of the Old Testament, namely Joel 2:28-32, Psalm 16:8-11 and Psalm 110:1.

The Foretelling of the Holy Spirit (Joel 2:28-32)
Peter picks out a section of the Old Testament which is not the earliest nor the latest, but the most crisp passage on the promise of the Holy Spirit. Interesting detail maybe is that whilst in “our” Bible this section of Scripture is part of the second chapter, in the Hebrew Bible this section gets its own chapter and thus stands out quite a bit. This section of the promise of the Holy Spirit is followed by some end-time prophecy. Peter speaks of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as what was prophesied by Joel, but he also implies that not the complete prophecy has come to pass yet. The start of this section will probably shock every Jew as Peter says that God will pour His Spirit on all flesh (meaning also the Gentiles!). Furthermore, the idea of prophesying is no longer limited to the prophet (as they were used to having a prophet and a priest), but that it will be made available to everybody. Verse 19 and 20 obviously speaks about end-time prophesy as this clearly hasn’t happened yet. In Matthew 24:29-31 Jesus says that “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” It may be that one of the reasons that Peter includes this prophecy which is still to come because he wants to get to the closing line which says that “it shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Acts 2:21), which give him the opportunity to say that “Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know – this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.” (Acts 22-24)

Hope of Everlasting Joy (Psalm 16:8-11)
Peter then moves on by using a psalm by David to be used as a prophecy of Jesus, where it first talks about life (Psalm 16:8,9a), then death (Psalm 16:9b, 10) and then resurrection (Psalm 16:11). Peter’s point here is that this cannot apply to David for “he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.” (Acts 2:29), but that Jesus is “exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out” (Acts 2:33). Peter’s central theme is the study of the person of Jesus Christ: His role, mission, character, and nature of the Messiah.

Sit at My Right Hand (Psalm 110:1)
Peter’s final verse is to point out that David’s body did not ascend into heaven, but that it is Jesus who ascended back into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father until He makes His enemies His footstool. Jesus Himself refers to this same verse in the Psalms. Notice that it says “until.” Christ’s enemies will definitely be made His footstool. What a great promise!

What’s the Point?!
Peter has now quoted from three portions of the Old Testament, building his sermon on Jesus Christ. The result? The Jews were cut to the heart and ask Peter what to do. Peter’s answer? “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). In the subsequent verse Peter says that this call is not only for Israel, but also “for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” (Acts 2:39)

Some Background
Although not explicitly stated, the writer of this book is Luke, who also wrote the Gospel according to Luke. Both books are also written to the same person, Theophilus. Now there are some speculations as to who Theophilus was. His name means ‘lover of God,’ but this may have been a nickname. One speculation states that both Luke volume 1 (the Gospel) and Luke volume 2 (Acts) were written as official documentation for Paul’s appeal to Rome. As a Roman citizen Paul was allowed to hand in written documentation in defense of his arrest. Considering the title of Theophilus (most excellent – which is a title generally used for a Roman official), he could have been the official who prepared the necessary appeal documentation. In defense of this speculation it is said that the book of Acts never shows Paul as an instigator of the riots (not even with Stephen’s murder) and that also throughout the book the Romans are never portrayed as the bad guys. So, both the gospel according to Luke and the book of Acts are written by the same person, to the same person, but also with the same subject, namely Jesus Christ. Yes, the Holy Spirit is very prominent, but as is consistent with His mission He bears only testimony of the Son, Jesus Christ (John 15:26). The book of Acts is the transition between the Kingdom message and the Church. The Kingdom was offered to Israel first, but they rejected it, which opened the door to the Gentiles. The book of Acts is the continuing story of God’s plan and promise to all flesh, not just Israel or the Church. If the book of Acts is the transition between the Kingdom and the Church, then the book of Revelation is the transition between the Church and the Kingdom.

Forty Days of Ministry
The book of Acts is the only place where it mentions the exact number of days between the resurrection and the ascension, namely 40 days (Acts 1:3). In those days Jesus was talking to His disciples about the Kingdom of God. Some of these accounts are recorded in the Bible, such as the Great Commission (Matthew 28:16-20; Mark 16:14-18) and the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), but I can only imagine how great it must have been to sit in on those private Bible studies where Jesus is explaining the Kingdom of God.

Jesus also told them to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come. It is not that the Holy Spirit is making His first appearance in Acts for He is already there from the beginning in Genesis 1:2. But there are some special considerations regarding the Holy Spirit’s appearance in Acts 1:2 besides the fact that He will baptize (indwell) the Body of Christ (not just those who happen to be there!) on Pentecost. This has to do with what Jesus said to His disciples in John 16:7, where He says: “Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.“. Here Jesus implies that He and the Holy Spirit basically cannot be there at the same time (which has nothing to do with His omnipresence, for at Jesus’ baptism the Holy Spirit is there), but this is maybe a topic for another blog.

The Ascension
At the ascension the disciples ask Jesus whether He is going to restore the Kingdom to Israel, which was a natural question to ask as a lot of the Old Testament prophesies were pertaining the restoration of the Kingdom. The Jews however were thinking about a political kingdom and that Jesus would overthrow the Roman oppression and rule Israel. Yet Jesus was talking about a totally different Kingdom. The Jews did not know of His plans, nor where they really equipped for what was coming. Jesus’ answer was that it was not for them “to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8). Notice the small difference between what Jesus says here and in Matthew 24:34 or Mark 13:32 where He says: “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). The verses in both Matthew and Mark say that no one knows, not even the Son (Jesus). Yet here in Acts, Jesus does not mention Himself to not know. Was Jesus informed by the Father between then and now, in the three days maybe between His death and resurrection? It could be accidental, but I don’t think that anything in God’s plan is accidental. Still, it is conjecture.

Notice also that Jesus does not cancel the Kingdom of Israel. It is about timing, not an event. In Matthew 10:5-6, Jesus sends His disciples on a small field trip with the following instruction: “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” This is in complete contrast to the mission He is about to send them on in Acts, which is to go not only go to Jerusalem and Judea, but then also to Samaria and to the end of the world, which are the Gentiles. The Kingdom message was first exclusively for Israel. John 1:11 says that Jesus “came to His own, and His own people did not receive him.“. Israel rejected Him, and Jesus “drew near and saw the city, He wept over it, saying, ‘Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down to the ground, you and your children within you. And they will not leave one stone upon another in you, because you did not know the time of your visitation.’” (Luke 19:41-44). Because of this Israel has been set aside for a time, for Romans 11:25 says that “a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.” The Book of Acts is a transition between the Kingdom message, which is the primary thing we see in the Gospels, and that mystery which is called the Church. Then the book of Revelation is going to be a transition from the Church (chapters 2-3) back to the Kingdom.

The Two Men
Who are the two men? A topic of wide debate. Are they Moses and Elijah (like with the transfiguration)? Are they the same two men who accompanied the Lord in Genesis 18 with Abraham? Are they the two witnesses in Revelation 11? In any case they give an interesting prophecy that Jesus will come back the same way as He went, of which Zechariah 14:4-9 says, “On that day His feet shall stand on the Mount of Olives that lies before Jerusalem on the east, and the Mount of Olives shall be split in two from east to west by a very wide valley, so that one half of the Mount shall move northward, and the other half southward. And you shall flee to the valley of my mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach to Azal. And you shall flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. On that day there shall be no light, cold, or frost. And there shall be a unique day, which is known to the Lord, neither day nor night, but at evening time there shall be light. On that day living waters shall flow out from Jerusalem, half of them to o the eastern sea and half of them to the western sea. It shall continue in summer as in winter. And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day the Lord will be one and his name one.“

The Upper Room
The rest of the chapter deals with the disciples going back to the upper room to pray, and to find a replacement for Judas to complete the eleven remaining apostles. After casting lots (which is a biblical principle – see Proverbs 16:33) they chose Matthias as the new twelfth apostle. There are scholars who say that choosing Matthias was a big mistake, and that Peter (like in the Gospels) was speaking to quickly here. The reason being that Paul (Saul) would be the twelfth apostle, and that’s the reason why Paul in nine of his fourteen epistles is beginning with defending his apostleship.

He who carries the Sword.

May you wield it with grace and mercy.

May your heart be filled with the power and love of God so that you have the strength to love and serve all.

May the Lord be your wisdom.
May He be your leader and teacher.
May your heart be humble and contrite, trembling at His Word and fearfully obeying His decrees.

Let the glory of the Lord ring forth from Jerusalem, that all may declare His praises.

In Christ our Lord.

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings good news of happiness, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion, ‘Your God reigns.’” (Isaiah 52:7)

This will be the first post in what is quite likely going to be a very long series…

Over the last couple of months the topic of Calvinism versus Arminianism has become an item in many conversations both in personal as well as church settings. Those that have invested some time in reading up on either of them will quickly come to the conclusion that this has been a hot and debated topic for the last couple hundred years, and still is. And although the seems to be that lately the Calvinists are “winning” (do a Google search on “New Calvinism”) this doesn’t mean they are right (although I am not saying that they are wrong either). In order to get a basic feel for the debate I have read some documents and studies, listened to some teachings, and I can say that from what I have read and heard and from personal knowledge of the Bible you could say I am a Calvinist. But, this doesn’t mean that I am one hundred percent convinced of this, nor that I understand fully why (and/or could argue against). At first I thought I would call this series “Calminianism,” for it is quite certain that neither John Calvin nor Jacob Arminius was one hundred percent right in their statements and so the truth is to some extent a mixture of the two, but I want to avoid the assumption as a starting point.

In any case, it is always good to come to your own convictions on any teaching in the Bible, and thus this is also the case here. But I must admit that I was, and maybe still am, hesitant to study this one for it is a doctrine that is not only spread throughout the whole Bible (which means I have to read through the whole Bible from the angle of this doctrine), but is also often implicit in the text (meaning that many if not all of the verses which are used to defend either side always have to been seen in the context of the Bible as a whole, and cannot be viewed isolated). So, this is quite the study, but I have decided to take it on nonetheless.

My Approach
My approach is going to be a bit unusual maybe, hence my statement that this will be a very long series over a very long time. In my studies and subsequent blogs I am not going to defend or attack either Calvinism or Arminianism. I am also not going to study the verses which are commonly listed in their defense and build my conviction from that. I am also not going to do biographical studies on the two main characters (although maybe I will do that at the end). But here is what I am going to do: I will start off this series with just a generic study on these five points and whether these doctrines are central or peripheral; then I will take a look at the Bible as a whole in light of these five points; then I will study out each individual book of the Bible in light of these five points; and then at the very end I will start drawing conclusions on what the Bible says about these five points.

So, I am looking forward to this series, but please don’t expect a new blog post on this every couple of days as most of this study will take a long time.