Compassed About Me

Acts 2 Gospel

First, I would note that, for Peter, this coming of the Holy Spirit is rooted in the prophecy of the OT. He cites Joel, from the Septuagint, as the basis for what the people are hearing and seeing.

Peter clearly sees, in the preaching of the Gospel, a great eschatological event.

The Gospel is a sign of this event, and the miracles and wonders are people being brought into the Kingdom of God by it.

Chris

This thread will be devoted to an exegetical consideration of the substance and intent of the preaching of the Gospel message as found in the book of Acts.
The first passage is this:

(Acts 2:14 [NET])
But Peter stood up with the eleven, raised his voice, and addressed them: “You men of Judea and all you who live in Jerusalem, know this and listen carefully to what I say.

(Acts 2:15 [NET])
In spite of what you think, these men are not drunk, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning.

(Acts 2:16 [NET])
But this is what was spoken about through the prophet Joel:

(Acts 2:17 [NET])
​​​ ​​​​‘And in the last days it will be,’ God says, ‘that I will pour out my Spirit on all people, and your sons and your daughters will prophesy, and your young men will see visions, and your old men will dream dreams.

(Acts 2:18 [NET])
​​​​​​​Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.

(Acts 2:19 [NET])
​​​​​​​And I will perform wonders in the sky above and miraculous signs on the earth below, blood and fire and clouds of smoke.

(Acts 2:20 [NET])
​​​​​​​The sun will be changed to darkness and the moon to blood before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes.

(Acts 2:21 [NET])
​​​​​​​And then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

(Acts 2:22 [NET])
“Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus the Nazarene, a man clearly attested to you by God with powerful deeds, wonders, and miraculous signs that God performed among you through him, just as you yourselves know –

(Acts 2:23 [NET])
this man, who was handed over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God, you executed by nailing him to a cross at the hands of Gentiles.

(Acts 2:24 [NET])
But God raised him up, having released him from the pains of death, because it was not possible for him to be held in its power.

(Acts 2:25 [NET])
For David says about him, ‘I saw the Lord always in front of me, for he is at my right hand so that I will not be shaken.

(Acts 2:26 [NET])
​​​​​​​Therefore my heart was glad and my tongue rejoiced; my body also will live in hope,

(Acts 2:27 [NET])
​​​​​​​because you will not leave my soul in Hades, nor permit your Holy One to experience decay.

(Acts 2:28 [NET])
​ ​​​​​​You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of joy with your presence.’

(Acts 2:29 [NET])
“Brothers, I can speak confidently to you about our forefather David, that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day.

(Acts 2:30 [NET])
So then, because he was a prophet and knew that God had sworn to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants on his throne,

(Acts 2:31 [NET])
David by foreseeing this spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that he was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did his body experience decay.

(Acts 2:32 [NET])
This Jesus God raised up, and we are all witnesses of it.

(Acts 2:33 [NET])
So then, exalted to the right hand of God, and having received the promise of the Holy Spirit from the Father, he has poured out what you both see and hear.

(Acts 2:34 [NET])
For David did not ascend into heaven, but he himself says, ‘The Lord said to my lord, “Sit at my right hand

(Acts 2:35 [NET])
​​​​​​​until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”’

(Acts 2:36 [NET])
​​​​​​​Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond a doubt that God has made this Jesus whom you crucified both Lord and Christ.”

What I am after is a distillation of the message the Apostles preached.

It seems to me that if they thought something was important, then we should too.

Feel free to comment.

Chris

(Eph 1:4 [NET])
For he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we may be holy and unblemished in his sight in love.

How did our state of being blessed with EVERY spiritual blessings come about?

This clause says three things:

1. God chose us for these blessings.

2. God chose us in Christ. This is very important given the content of the later chapters in the letter regarding the essential unity of Jews and Gentiles. There are no blessings that arrive to us from God apart from Christ.

3. God chose us before the foundation of the world. Our salvation was marked out before God said the first word of creation. Even though human beings were created last, they were thought of first.

The fact that we are in Christ provides the basis for the last part of the verse. IN CHRIST, we are holy and blameless in His sight. HIS sacrifice has been applied TO US, so that God no longer sees our sin, but Christ's righteousness!

Just as God intended from before the beginning.

Chris

Blessed...

(Eph 1:3 [NET])
Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.

There's no verb for 'is' in the text, so it could be 'is' or 'be' and neither one is really wrong. I like 'is' because it indicates God's state of being, rather than a statement of what we think about Him.

He is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which indicates His priority in the functioning of the Trinity:

It is by His will that we are blessed, even as the blessing itself is delivered by Christ. And Christ does not hold back even ONE blessing that the Father has lavished on Him. We have them ALL, right now.

Chris

The Deliverer...

(Eph 1:2 [NET])
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

An implicit acknowledgment of the equality of the Father and the Son.

But what of the Spirit?

The Spirit never draws attention to Himself.

He is the one DELIVERING the grace and peace from the Father and the Son TO the saints!

Chris

Ephesians

(Eph 1:1 [NET])
From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints [in Ephesus], the faithful in Christ Jesus.

Breaking it down:

The letter is from Paul

He is an apostles of Jesus Christ

He is an apostle by the will of God. No doubt a reference to his salvation experience on the road to Damascus. There's no doubt that Paul has a very high view of God's sovereingnty, especially as it relates to salvation.

The letter MIGHT be to the Ephesians, or it might not, being intended as an enclyclical letter to ALL the Churches.

Either way, that's what it turned into. As did ALL the letters Paul wrote. It was their acceptance of these that led to their inclusion in the Canon.

Anyway, the letter is to the SAINTS, which is a crucial point in understanding the themes of the letter. Who are the saints?

The faithful in Christ Jesus.

Not those who simply say they believe, but the ones who live like it.

Chris

Snow!

Yes, I know for those of you who live up North snow is not a big deal, but here in NC it is relatively rare to get 1 snow event a year, much less 2. 

So, when it comes, we must take pics:

 

We're supposed to get a little more sleet today but probably not much more accumulation. 

Beautiful, isn't it?

Chris

All Decked Out...

I did a small job at my parent's house this week, part of the start up of my new construction company:  Leacris Construction.  [Pronounce that: Lee-a[as in bat]-kris].

Here's what where I started on Day 1:

After the deck was taken out and the bad siding was removed, I found the 2x10 under the door was pretty well rotted out.  So I cut out the bad area and banged home some treated 2x10 behind the existing, lapping them so the new wood could be attached to the old:

 

You may not be able to see the ends of the boards very well, but they took a beating!  It's a good, tight fit. 

I then put in another 2x10 to cover that gap and put a whole bunch of screws in it to hold everything in place:

 

With that part repaired, it was a simple matter to install new siding and paint:

 

Day 2 found me installing the deck.  I should have taken more pictures but I was so intent on the work it was nearly dark when I finished. 

Day 3 found Lea and I back on the job.  Well, Lea was inside playing with our nephew Evan:

He looks a lot like his dad did at that age, which is a good thing!

Meanwhile, I completed the deck.  Here is the finished product:

 

 

I think it turned out very well.  If you have any small construction projects in the Raleigh Durham Metro area of North Carolina, and you need someone who will pay attention to detail, please email me at comitatus1@fastmail.fm.

Jesus, Our High Priest

John 17

Jesus, Our High Priest

His Purpose, His Work, His Intercession

This is just meant to be a simple outline, breaking down the various facets of Jesus' priestly prayer found in John 17.  If you will notice, the subheading is broken down into 3 sections, where the underlined words are descriptive if Jesus' purpose here on earth, the bold words describe the work He did to fulfill that purpose, and the italicized words are His continuing intercession on our [the Church's] behalf.  

The Hebrews quote merely sets the stage by helping us understand Jesus' role as High Priest.

Rather than bore you with what I think about all this, I believe it is far more valuable to you to simply see the patterns in what Jesus said, and let Him speak to you personally about it.

I will be presenting this at Church this morning.  Have a blessed Sunday!

(Heb 7:15 -25[NET])

And this is even clearer if another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest not by a legal regulation about physical descent but by the power of an indestructible life. For here is the testimony about him: You are a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek. On the one hand a former command is set aside because it is weak and useless, for the law made nothing perfect. On the other hand a better hope is introduced, through which we draw near to God. And since this was not done without a sworn affirmation – for the others have become priests without a sworn affirmation, but Jesus did so with a sworn affirmation by the one who said to him, The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind, ‘You are a priest forever’! accordingly Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. And the others who became priests were numerous, because death prevented them from continuing in office, but he holds his priesthood permanently since he lives forever. So he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.

(John 17:1 [NET])

When Jesus had finished saying these things [the things from chapters 13-16!], he looked upward to heaven and said, Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, so that your Son may glorify you

(John 17:2 [NET])

just as you have given him authority over all humanity, so that he may give eternal life to everyone you have given him.

(John 17:3 [NET])

Now this is eternal life that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.

(John 17:4 [NET])

I glorified you on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

(John 17:5 [NET])

And now, Father, glorify me at your side with the glory I had with you before the world was created.

(John 17:6 [NET])

“ have revealed your name to the men you gave me out of the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have obeyed your word.

(John 17:7 [NET])

Now they understand that everything you have given me comes from you,

(John 17:8 [NET])

because I have given them the words you have given me. They accepted them and really understand that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.

(John 17:9 [NET])

I am praying on behalf of them. I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you.

(John 17:10 [NET])

Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, and I have been glorified by them.

(John 17:11 [NET])

I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one.

(John 17:12 [NET])

When I was with them I kept them safe and watched over them in your name that you have given me. Not one of them was lost except the one destined for destruction, so that the scripture could be fulfilled.

(John 17:13 [NET])

But now I am coming to you, and I am saying these things in the world, so they may experience my joy completed in themselves.

(John 17:14 [NET])

I have given them your word, and the world has hated them, because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world.

(John 17:15 [NET])

I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe from the evil one.

(John 17:16 [NET])

They do not belong to the world just as I do not belong to the world.

(John 17:17 [NET])

Set them apart in the truth; your word is truth.

(John 17:18 [NET])

Just as you sent me into the world, so I sent them into the world.

(John 17:19 [NET])

And I set myself apart on their behalf, so that they too may be truly set apart.

(John 17:20 [NET])

I am not praying only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe in me through their testimony,

(John 17:21 [NET])

that they will all be one, just as you, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they will be in us, so that the world will believe that you sent me.

(John 17:22 [NET])

The glory you gave to me I have given to them, that they may be one just as we are one

(John 17:23 [NET])

I in them and you in me that they may be completely one, so that the world will know that you sent me, and you have loved them just as you have loved me.

(John 17:24 [NET])

Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they can see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

(John 17:25 [NET])

Righteous Father, even if the world does not know you, I know you, and these men know that you sent me.

(John 17:26 [NET])

I made known your name to them, and I will continue to make it known, so that the love you have loved me with may be in them, and I may be in them.

The Past

One the one hand:

Those who ignore history tend to repeat it.

On the other hand:

Those who live in the past tend to repeat it.


Chris

Letting Go...

(Phil 2:6 [NET])
who though he existed in the form of God did not regard equality with God as something to be grasped,

(Phil 2:6 [KJV])
Who G3739, being G5225 in G1722 the form G3444 of God G2316, thought it G2233 not G3756 robbery G725 to be G1511 equal G2470 with God G2316:

Paul says it clearly enough:

Before the Incarnation, Jesus was in the FORM [G3444=MORPHE] of God and was not taking anything [robbing] that didn't belong to Him by being in that position. Nevertheless, He did not hold onto that position because it was God's will that He take the FORM [G3444=MORPHE] of a servant in order to redeem the world.

So, really, in one sentence, Paul affirms that Jesus was the same 'stuff' [or whatever word you want to use that describes the nature and essence of God] as God and then reaffirms that this condition naturally means that Jesus is EQUAL to God.

Beautiful language to be sure, and fills out the understanding we get from John in the first couple of verses of his gospel.

[Although, on second thought, John probably wrote his gospel later so the process of that revelation was reversed in the early churches...]

Chris

The Word Became a Baby...

John 1:14 Now1 the Word became flesh2 and took up residence3 among us. We4 saw his glory – the glory of the one and only,5 full of grace and truth, who came from the Father. 

Col 1:19 ​​​​​​​For God1 was pleased to have all his2 fullness dwell3 in the Son4

1Tim 3:16  And we all agree, our religion contains amazing revelation: He was revealed in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.

Thy mystery of the Incarnation is indeed great but let's not let that get in the way of the simple, stunning fact:

Jesus lived as one of us:

    from birth to death,

    manger to grave,

    baby to man

And in all that time....

Did not sin even once.

He did not simply MAKE a way to God...

He SHOWED the way.

Merry Christmas!

Chris

Oh Christmas Tree!

Wrapped up in twine

Their branches tight

Displayed for all the people

Stuffed into cars

Or SUV's

They take the ride back 'home'

.....................................................

Cut free and planted

Trimmed and shaped

In stands of steel and plastic

The tree stands proudly

Lit and draped

With ornaments and tinsel

......................................................

The light atop it

Beckons all

Like a star up in the sky

So bright with promise

Felt by us

Who spend much time in darkness

.......................................................

We gather near it

Drawing strength

The promise of it's presents

But day's soon gone

The tree is stripped

Dead, lying by the curb

........................................................

This doesn't bother

Those of us

Who understand the tree

Without it's dead

And lifeless frame

There'd be no Calvary

Foreshadowing...

      1 ​​​​​​​A shoot will grow out of Jesse’s1 root stock,

       a bud will sprout2 from his roots.  Isa 4:2; Acts 13:22-23;

      2 ​​​​​​​The LORD’s spirit will rest on him1 –

       a spirit that gives extraordinary wisdom,2

       a spirit that provides the ability to execute plans,3

       a spirit that produces absolute loyalty to the LORD.4  Isa 9:6;

Have you ever stopped to think that verse 2, if you believe Jesus is the Son of God and you trust in Him for your salvation, applies to you?  The same Spirit that rested upon Him rests upon you in EXACTLY the same manner! 

Chris

Priceless...

Two heavy timbers: 12 denarii
4 Iron Spikes: 1 denarii


The Victory Jesus won on the Cross: Priceless.

Prayer Optional?

This verse has been making the rounds lately as a 'prayer' for the President:

Psa 109:8  May his days be few!

    May another take his job!

Not only is this kind of thing un-American [there's an election every 4 years...exercise your right to vote and learn how to be mature when your side loses] but it is incredibly un-Christian.  To whit:

Mat 5:43 Love for Enemies

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor'52 and 'hate your enemy.'
Mat 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and53 pray for those who persecute you,
Mat 5:45 so that you may be like54 your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Mat 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors55 do the same, don't they?
Mat 5:47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don't they?
Mat 5:48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.56

Rom 13:1 Submission to Civil Government

Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except by God's appointment,1 and the authorities that exist have been instituted by God.
Rom 13:2 So the person who resists such authority2 resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will incur judgment
Rom 13:3 (for rulers cause no fear for good conduct but for bad). Do you desire not to fear authority? Do good and you will receive its commendation,
Rom 13:4 for it is God's servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be in fear, for it does not bear the sword in vain. It is God's servant to administer retribution on the wrongdoer.
Rom 13:5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of the wrath of the authorities3 but also because of your conscience.4

Rom 13:6 For this reason you also pay taxes, for the authorities5 are God's servants devoted to governing.6

Rom 13:7 Pay everyone what is owed: taxes to whom taxes are due, revenue to whom revenue is due, respect to whom respect is due, honor to whom honor is due.

Believe me, I think my fellow citizens who voted for Obama made a colossal mistake, but the [mis]use of this verse could not be more antithetical to what Jesus teaches us.  

Chris

Overcome...

For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son...to overcome it.

Chris

7 Words to Peace

I heard this at church this morning from Len Sweet:

Php 4:6  Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God.

Php 4:7  And the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds5 in Christ Jesus.

Anxious, nothing
Prayer, everything
Thanksgiving, anything

Peace

Repeat as necessary.

Chris

Dispensational Interpretive Problems...

This is something I posted on a message board recently concerning Dispensationalism:

I will apologize in advance for offending anyone. 

Here is a typical and I would say fairly common outline Dispensationalists say they adhere to.

Rule of Interpretation of the Scripture:

1 ) Take the Bible literally where it is at all possible; if symbolic, figurative, or typical language is used, then look for the literal truth it intends to convey.

2 ) Interpret what is implied by what is specifically taught in Scripture.

3 ) Interpret the Scriptures in it's historical context.

4 ) Check your findings by comparing it to Commentators of the Scriptures in the Old Testement Hebrew and New Testament Greek.

Not a bad list, really. It does lack any mention of interpreting Scripture by using Scripture, although point 2 does sort of allude to it. It also make no mention of the value of word study, i.e. looking up a word [the Greek word in the NT or the Hebrew word in the OT] and finding out EVERYWHERE it occurs in either testament as a means of finding out the range of the meaning of the word by seeing how it is used in various contexts. This is, to my mind, the single most important interpretive tool and should be used FIRST.

On a related note, I also see that there is no mention of CONTEXT at all. Here's how context is supposed to work:

A word is checked in the context of how it is used in the rest of a testament.

The meaning of a verse is determined by assembling words together.

The verse is then looked at in the context of the immediate passage.

The passage is looked at in the context of the immediate chapter.

The chapter is looked at in the context of the current book.

The book is looked at in the context of the Testament.

The Testament is looked at in terms of the Bible.

As you can see, by the time you get to the last phase, you have covered context very well, from both ends, and should have come to a conclusion that is correct.

Be that as it may, what is wrong with the Rules above?

Well, aside from the shortcomings I pointed out, not much.
The problem, as you might expect, is in the APPLICATION of the rules. Or should I say the MIS-Application?

Here are the problems:

1 ) Take the Bible literally where it is at all possible; if symbolic, figurative, or typical language is used, then look for the literal truth it intends to convey.

Dispy's NEVER pay attention to anything after the semicolon. It's LITERAL, LITERAL, LITERAL. Even in a book like Revelation, which is FULL of symbols and is in fact a series of VISIONS, this rule is rigidly followed. Everything in the book happens in order like reading the morning paper. There's no attention paid to genre [what kind of writing it is].

There's no wonder pretrib premillenialism is so convoluted and hard to reconcile.


2 ) Interpret what is implied by what is specifically taught in Scripture.

This one is more subtle, but every bit as dangerous. The most glaring example is the whole idea of the Millennial Kingdom. There is, quite simply, no NT warrant to conclude there is a Millennial kingdom. It's all out of the OT. In other words, while there may be a reason to conclude there will be a Millennial Kingdom in the OT there is NO MENTION of it at all in the NT. Jesus is asked about the end of the age, does He mention the MK? No. Paul talks about the rapture, twice , does he mention it? No. How about Luke, Peter, James, Jude? Not a peep. It is only by applying a wooden, literal interpretation of Rev 20:1-6 that Dispys have any leg to stand on. Of course, they don't see the parallel structure of Revelation in general or that of Rev 19 and 20 in particular. They also don't see that the first resurrection is a spiritual one, although it is clear that the same writer, John, talked about it clearly in His gospel. And don't get me started about their view of the Second Coming. You know, Jesus comes back and....

Doesn't save everyone.
Let's unsaved people inhabit His kingdom.
Doesn't completely defeat evil.
Lets Satan come back, rally the whole world against Him, so that He has to clean up a big mess AGAIN.

Like Jesus needs 2 tries to get things right.

3 resurrections, 2 Second Comings, 2 judgements and a partridge in a pear tree. Sorry, it's hard to hide my incredulousness.

3 ) Interpret the Scriptures in it's historical context.

This one's easy: They don't. The fact of the matter is, this letter was written to the CHURCHES BACK THEN! You wouldn't know that from any dispy interpretation. To them it's all about some relatively small group of people at the end of the age...who, according to them, aren't even going to be a part of the CHURCH.

My incredulosity increases by the minute.

4 ) Check your findings by comparing it to Commentators of the Scriptures in the Old Testement Hebrew and New Testament Greek.

Read that backwards for how it really works. Read the commentators, only dispy ones, and then justify them.

That one is rather obvious.

Well, that's enough for now. I feel a lot better now having gotten that off my chest.

Chris

Because...

Just because you don't understand it doesn't give you the right to question it because God never makes mistakes.

It's all about GRACE. God owes man nothing and if He chooses to bestow His Grace on man, then: how, when, where, and why: are completely at His discretion.


Rom 12:1 Consecration of the Believer's Life

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters,1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice — alive, holy, and pleasing to God2 — which is your reasonable service.


THEREFORE is a big word, isn't it? When Paul says 'therefore' he is really saying that all those things he just got through talking about are not just theological abstracts.

Not at all.

They are the basis for something practical.  But first...

I would say that Paul is not simply drawing a conclusion from 11:36 or 11:33-36 nor from chapter 11 but rather the first 11 chapters of the letter!

BECAUSE God has consigned all to disobedience to have mercy on all...

BECAUSE God grafts and cuts out branches from His Root as He has seen fit to do...

BECAUSE God has reserved for Himself a remnant...

BECAUSE God has not cast off the Jews...

BECAUSE everyone, even the stubborn Jews, who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved...

BECAUSE the Righteousness that comes from God is better than the righteousness the Jews [and man] seeks to make...

BECAUSE the Jews are responsible for their own situation...

BECAUSE in order to save the Gentiles God has made the Jews vessels of wrath and they therefore rejected Christ...

BECAUSE the Potter has the right to make objects as He sees fit...

BECAUSE Mose was chosen and Pharoah hardened...

BECAUSE Jacob was chosen over Esau...

BECAUSE Isaac was chosen over Ishmael...

BECAUSE being a part of True Israel is not conditioned on one's physical descent but of God's mercy

BECAUSE Paul is heartbroken over the Jews rejection of Christ...

BECAUSE Nothing can separate us from the Love of God...

BECAUSE those He predestines He calls and those He calls He justifies and those He justifies He glorifies...

BECAUSE we have hope through the life of the Spirit....

BECAUSE we are adopted Sons of God...

BECAUSE there is now NO condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus...

Therefore I exhort you, brothers and sisters,1 by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a sacrifice — alive, holy, and pleasing to God2 — which is your reasonable service.


Well, I think you get the picture...I only went back to Romans 8, but the chain reaches all the way back to 1:1.

Chris