Signs and Faith- John 4 and 5

“If I could just see a sign, I would believe Jesus was the Son of God.” Statements like this have plagued the world since Jesus walked upon it. Are these statements true? The answer is, “Not necessarily.” The New Testament has examples of both results—people who saw a sign and believed as well as people who saw and refused to believe.

So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things that He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they themselves also went to the feast. -John 4:45

The signs Jesus performed in Jerusalem prompted the Galileans to welcome Him. As a nobleman came seeking healing for his dying son, Jesus meets the people with a scathing remark.

Unless you people see signs and wonders, you simply will not believe.

-John 4:48

After the man presses the issue, Jesus tells him, “Go your son lives” (John 4:50). Arriving home, the man discovers that his son was healed the same moment that Jesus had told him to go home. This sign produced belief.

and he himself believed and his whole household. -John 4:53b

Unfortunately belief is not always the result of a miraculous sign. In John 5, Jesus heals the man at the Pool of Bethesda who had been sick for 38 years. After this man gets in trouble with the Jews for carrying his mat on the Sabbath, he encounters Jesus in the temple. Jesus has some very pointed words for him as well.

Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you. -John 5:14

Jesus had given the man the physical healing he desired. However, spiritually the man’s heart was sick. This healing did not produce faith. Judging by the outcome, this healing did not even produce gratitude.

The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. -John 5:15

For those who did not want to believe, signs and wonders simply did not help. In His parable about the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16:19-31, Jesus warned that no matter how grandiose the sign some will not believe. This warning was proven correct upon Jesus’ resurrection.

Although according to 1 Corinthians 13:8-13, the age of miraculous signs has come to an end, the desire for signs as evidence still exists today. Even if they were still available though people have not changed. If they do not want to believe, they simply will not do so “even if someone rises from the dead” (Luke 16:31).

Who is Jesus? It Matters- Matthew 16 and 1 Corinthians 15

Who is Jesus? Gallons of ink have been spilled, wars have been fought, people have been and continue to be killed, families have been torn apart over this simple, yet vital question.  Was He simply a “good, moral teacher” or something much more? Jesus’ identity was a hot topic in His day and continues to be one nearly 2,000 years later.

Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, He was asking His disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” -Matthew 16:13

Even in His day, people were divided.

And they said, “Some say John the Baptist; and others, Elijah; but still others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.” -Matthew 16:14

Overall, it did not matter what the “people” as a group thought. It mattered primarily who each person believed Jesus to be.

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” -Matthew 16:15

In one of his better moments, Peter speaks up to identify Jesus.

Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

-Matthew 16:16

Following Peter’s confession, Jesus had this say.

And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.

-Matthew 16:17-18

Today, the answers revolving around Jesus’ identity are different yet the division still exists. In today’s world the majority of non-believers say, “Jesus was a good, moral teacher.” His teachings and actions recorded throughout the gospels illustrate that Jesus clearly believed Himself to be the Son of God. If He is wrong, the idea of Him being merely a “good, moral teacher” is crazy. Jesus would have been believing, living and teaching a lie not to mention leading His followers to their deaths by commanding they follow suit. That eliminates both good and moral!

Jesus’ identity is eternally important. His resurrection and the aftermath show Jesus was not a liar. Paul says that everything is given meaning through this single historical event.

Now if Christ is preached, that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, not even Christ has been raised; and if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is vain, your faith also is vain.

-1 Corinthians 15:12-14

Who is Jesus? He is no mere man. His identity—shown through His teachings, miracles, and resurrection—reshaped the world. The Son of God, murdered for the sins of the world, did not remain in the tomb. Living the  Christian life hinges on our faith and response to this very fact. Not to mention, mankind’s salvation.

Increase Our Faith- Luke 17 and James 5

“Increase my faith.” Most of us have prayed this prayer before. We are not alone; the apostles asked about this too (Luke 17:5) After mentioning the power faith possesses, Jesus answers their request.

Which of you, having a slave plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come immediately and sit down to eat’? But will he not say to him, ‘Prepare something for me to eat, and properly clothe yourself and serve me while I eat and drink; and afterward you may eat and drink’? He does not thank the slave because he did the things which were commanded, does he? So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.’ -Luke 17:7-10

We do not have record of how the apostles responded to this statement. Imagine what they might have been thinking! After all they appear to be looking for a magic faith pill. Yet Jesus’ answer is, “Do your job like a servant.” Some of the things God asks His people to do are counter-cultural and tough. There has to be an easier way! There’s not.

We had a professor at Harding that modeled how faith is increased. For the longest time, he lived with a car held together by duct tape. As he saved money for a new vehicle, a need would become apparent within their local congregation. This man would simply withdraw the money and take care of the need. It took so long to actually buy this much needed car that he began calling his duct taped vehicle the “Jesus-mobile!” This reoccurring financial sacrifice helped him to see both God’s hand in caring for his needs, and how he was God’s hand in caring for the needs of others.

As we obey God’s commands and allow Him to mold us, we will appear weird to the world. Active Christians build faith—their own and others. James compares Christians to farmers.

Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near. -James 5:7-8

As a farmer provides food for himself through his patient, constant effort, he also provides for those who buy his crops. Building a Christ-like faith requires patience in careful study, prayer, self-examination, taking of others and elimination of sin. While this is not easy, it is necessary if we are to become the people God wants us to be.

There is no shortcut to a stronger faith. No magic pill exists. The formula God supplies requires constant, daily sacrifices. We must be dedicated to serving God personally and helping others to do the same. Through this painstaking practice, our faith increases. There is no other way.

 

Unity Throughout the Church- Psalm 133, Ephesians 4, and Acts 2

Last week Tassie and I had the pleasure of going to the White Pines Ski Area with the Green River congregation. Even though we did not ski, we had a wonderful time fellowshipping with them. Too often unity between congregations is an unfortunate afterthought. This was never God’s plan.

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! -Psalm 133:1

In this short psalm, David writes about the blessing of being unified. Israel was spread out, and yet the Jews viewed themselves as a single nation, a unified people, God’s people. The people of God are called to a similar type of unity today.

with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all. -Ephesians 4:2-6

Paul’s concern is two-fold here, the local Ephesian congregation and the church as a whole. Unity within a local congregation is good but incomplete. As we spend time together sharing our spiritual convictions, we bless and are blessed in our walks with God. This is not only true in a local congregation but in all the congregations of God’s people.

Fellowship and humility preserve and promote the unity of the Spirit. The newly formed church shows this by its actions after Pentecost.

So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. -Acts 2:41-47

The 3,000 new Christians from Pentecost did not constitute a megachurch. They were meeting in many small groups.  Yet competition for the largest congregation was not a concern. The church sought unity through its fluidity. This unity was not a blind acceptance, however.  Its basis was the hope of their calling. Their faith was increased as they “[devoted] themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship.”

Unity matters to God, but not only within the local congregations. The church must be unified in our cities, states, and countries. Only then will we be able to be truly pleasing to God and a light to the fallen world.

Thankful Obedience- Luke 17

The Bible contains ample evidence that obedience matters to God. So obedience is obedience, right? Not exactly. Jesus’ healing of the 10 lepers sheds some light on what God desires.

As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

-Luke 17:12-13

Leprosy’s severity and contagiousness made these men outcasts. Special communities were set up for these people to keep the healthy population safe. They were required to announce their illness to anyone approaching. The 10 lepers believed Jesus could give them their lives back and so they begged for help. Jesus’ response was direct yet simple.

Go, show yourselves to the priests. -Luke 17:14

Luke records that as these men were obeying Jesus’ command, they were healed. When this occurs, one of them technically (temporarily) disobeys and makes a u-turn.

One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

-Luke 17:15-16

Jews were supposed to be inspected by the priest and upon being pronounced clean, he was to offer the necessary sacrifices and washings (see Leviticus 14:1-32). The Samaritans had a version of the Law of Moses that they were expected to follow as well. Whether the requirements for cleansing were identical or not, one thing is certain. Jesus’ command was directed at this man as well as the other 9. He had given these men a direct order from the Pentateuch (1st five books of the Old Testament) concerning the healing of a leper yet this man’s obedience is stopped in its tracks. Overcome with gratitude, this Samaritan returns to thank Jesus. What Jesus says next is surprising.

“Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” -Luke 17:17-19

Were the other 9 not grateful for what Jesus had done for them? After all, He returned them to their families, brought them back into the community, and healed them of a deadly disease. True, they were obeying the Law. This grateful returner probably still had to go to the priest afterward. The cleansing carried a message that only 10% of those lepers discovered. Obedience for obedience sake is not enough. God wants thankful obedience for the things He has given mankind.

Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. -Colossians 3:17

God does want His people to obey, but not all willingness is the same. Jesus’ encounter with the 10 lepers highlights the type of compliance God wants. Our desire to obey needs to be based on a thankful spirit for all God has done for us. All other types are merely compliance.

Reaching the Opposition- 2 Timothy 2 and 3

In 2 Timothy 2, Paul contrasts two types of people, those who bear the Lord’s seal and those who do not. He tells Timothy how to deal with those who do not bear the seal and thus oppose the Lord’s message.

The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

-2 Timothy 2:24-26

When dealing with those inside or outside the church that are in opposition to the truth, seeking an argument is not the godly course of action. Patience and gentleness should be our teaching standards. Maybe, they will turn to God and be freed from sin. However, what Paul says next is disturbing, beginning with the proverbial “but.”

But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come. For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of godliness, although they have denied its power; Avoid such men as these. For among them are those who enter into households and captivate weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses, always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. -2 Timothy 3:1-7

His message to Timothy is clear. Timothy will be fighting a losing battle in most cases because people are narcissistic pleasure-mongers. The responsibility to try and reach them still remains though. How is Timothy supposed to reach these people?

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy 3:16-17

Paul says that these “sacred writings” (2 Timothy 3:15) are useful for many things—reproof, correction, training, adequacy, and equipping. The word translated as “reproof” can also be translated as “conviction.” This does not carry the meaning of “condemn” but rather to “make a sinner feel guilty” moving them to seek a change of behavior. “Correction” can also be translated “restoration.” The power to move someone from disobedience and captivity to repentance and restoration dwells in the Scriptures.

Whether the opposition is inside or outside the church, we must use the Scriptures gently to reach them. It does little good to club them over the head with God’s Word. Patiently and prayerfully reasoning with them from Scripture can not only free this person from Satan’s traps but also strengthen us so we are not led astray. Let us seek to be proficient in God’s Word so we can be “equipped for every good work.” People’s souls depend on it!

Growing Spiritual Scholarship- 2 Timothy 4

In his last known letter to Timothy, Paul gave his young coworker instructions to continue the spreading of the gospel.

preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

-2 Timothy 4:2-5

Although Paul was writing to Timothy, these commands were not only directed to him. Paul had already told Timothy to “entrust [the things he heard from Paul] to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2). This requires knowledge, biblical and extra-biblical (i.e. archaeology and cultural study), so we are prepared “in season and out of season.” Another term of this is biblical scholarship.

Too often, the church has the wrong idea of what a biblical scholar is. Scholars, we imagine, are formally trained academics. True biblical scholarship only requires a love of God’s Word combined with a desire to know everything we can about it.  As we pursue this, our faith and understanding is strengthened which means we will be less likely to “turn aside to myths.” Christians need to be more informed about what the Bible says than the latest television series or what their sports teams are doing. We need to be “hungering and thirsting for righteousness.”

However, since we are separated from the Bible times and cultures, we need outside information to help us better understand some things in Scripture. Scholarship that is not growing is dying.  As information is discovered and updated, it is our responsibility to update our information too. Consider archaeology. Much work has been done over the past few decades that clarifies Ancient Near Eastern culture and history. If we only rely on 1970’s archaeology, our understanding will be off-track and possibly incorrect. Each and every Christian is responsible to pursue a clear up-to-date understanding of findings related to the Bible.  Thus our congregations will be able to answer the criticisms of the non-believing communities around us.

There are well-educated people who force their ideas into the Bible; this is not true Biblical scholarship but arrogance instead. God’s people must be humble students of the Word. No matter how much we learn, our opinions do not matter. God’s opinions do.  The purpose of growing in scholarship is to understand God better not to look smarter to others. We must be “sober in all things.” Keeping a clear head is necessary. If our minds are so full of God’s Word that we seek His will in all things, the world’s allure will not tempt us as easily.

Biblical scholarship is not only for those in academia but for every Christian. It should lead us to a growing love for God and His people. It should help us to serve God better because we will understand more about who He is. This understanding does not have to lead to arrogance as long as we use it to promote God and not ourselves. Failure to grow in our biblical knowledge could have dire consequences.

God's Firm Foundation- 2 Timothy 1 and 2, Ephesians 1, and Acts 2

Life’s challenges can shake anyone’s walk with God. To combat this, we must build our faith properly.

Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, “The Lord knows those who are His,” -2 Timothy 2:19a

The foundation God provides for His people is solid and the seal is certain. According to 1 Corinthians 3:11, the foundation is Jesus. According to Ephesians 1:13, the seal is the Holy Spirit. Paul addresses a number of things that God used this immovable foundation to accomplish in 2 Timothy 1.

Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, -2 Timothy 1:8-10

Through the gospel, God saved and rescued those who would be obedient to Him. We were given a purpose as well as grace through the sacrifice of Jesus.  Through the gospel story God eliminated death and shone a light on true life and immortality. The obstacles built by mankind’s sin were broken apart by God’s foundation. This enabled us to be sealed with His identifying mark, the Holy Spirit.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

-Ephesians 1:13-14

When do we receive this seal? Peter answers this question on Pentecost.

Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” -Acts 2:38-39

God has provided forgiveness and the seal of the Holy Spirit so what is our responsibility as Christians? Eliminating sin in our lives so we can be useful to Him.

“Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness.”

-2 Timothy 2:19b

God has given us a firm foundation so that we can stand strong no matter what life throws at us. He marked us as His at our cleansing. After all He has done for us, getting rid of sin in our lives is the least we can do!