Sharing in the Life

Quote of the Day

2007-07-14T11:04:00.000-05:00

"What Christ asks of His disciples is not so much exposition of doctrine about Him as witness to His power. Now witness to His power can be given by the most illiterate if he has had experience of it. It does not require long training for a man to say: 'Whereas I was blind now I see', even though he may be compelled when asked: 'What sayest thou of Him?' to answer: 'I know not.' Such a man was quite prepared to say: 'I believe' and to worship, when told that his Healer was the Son of God. Christ did not require any long training in doctrine when He said to the Demoniac of Gadara: 'Go and tell how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and how He had mercy on thee.'

I remember a missionary in India telling me that most of the converts in his district were brought in by extremely illiterate men. He said: 'The villagers look at them and say, "We know what you were, we can see what you are; what has made the difference?" These men cannot preach sermons,' he said, 'but they know enough to answer, "Christ", and the result is men are converted to Christ.' I do not remember that he told me that many evil results followed, or that doctrine suffered from such witness. The truth is that such witness is a preaching of the doctrine, and of the true doctrine. The doctrine is implied in the witness, though it may not be intellectually apprehended. It is far more true preaching of the doctrine than a long discourse on the Divinity of Christ."

From The Spontaneous Expansion of The Church by Roland Allen pp. 53-54

Christians Recently Killed in Turkey

2007-05-01T23:48:00.000-05:00

Many of you have probably heard on the news some information about the believers who were killed recently in Turkey. I ran across a letter tonight that describes the death of these three men and the response of the church in Turkey to these deaths. It is titled A letter to the Global Church from The Protestant Church of Smyrna. I have been to Turkey and have seen firsthand the great lostness in this nation. The lives of the believers mentioned in this letter were a great encouragement to me. I hope they will be to you as well.

Our Anniversary

2007-04-28T22:33:00.000-05:00

Today was mine and my wife's sixth anniversary. We had a wonderful day helping some strangers move into their house, spending some time at the Black's farm for their student day, and we just returned from an amazing fondue dinner. Now, contrary to some of the claims made by some of my blogging friends lately about their wives being the greatest, I definitely have the greatest wife in the world. :)

Ryan Bolger on George Barna's "Revolution"

2007-04-24T21:58:00.001-05:00

Ryan Bolger at Fuller Seminary has written a follow up to his review of George Barna's book "Revolution." His follow up post is called "From little c to Big C church." In this post he makes the following statements,

"In terms of community, do we experience community within our “official” local church, or do we share connections with many others, including friendships, occasional gatherings, and online
conversations? Indeed, we are formed by the many activities of which we are a part – and our connections of church are global and go beyond the 'brick and mortar' of Sunday morning."

"Christians continue Jesus' mission in diverse ways, both locally and globally, through face-to-face and faceless commitments. To call one 'real' church and the other secondary belittles the significance of the global body of Christ."

I think he makes some great points here. If we only subscribe to the church being lived out in an "official, local" sense, then I think we will miss out on much that God has to teach us through the "Big C church." I know I have learned much through reading what others, who I may never meet in person, have written. In response to the quotes above: Is a local/universal church distinction seen in Scripture? If so, how would "local" be defined scripturally? If not, how does the Scripture view the church?

Unstructured (Fluid? Spirit Led?) Gatherings - My Responsibility

2007-04-23T12:35:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday night I gathered with Alan and his family along with some other friends at Alan's house. For Alan's recap of this meeting see here. This was the first time I went to this gathering since Alan began opening up their home several weeks ago. My wife and I arrived about 6:10 and people kept showing up until about 6:45. We had dinner together and then gathered in one room to share with each other. Since this was my first time at this gathering, I was paying close attention to how it was structured. Having talked with Alan before, I know his desire is to keep these gatherings as unstructured as possible in order to allow the Holy Spirit to lead the body to encourage and edify one another. Though the meeting was less structured than most of the gatherings I have been to, Alan was still guiding the conversation throughout our time together by asking questions about some different things he has been studying. Even though Alan asked these questions there were still times of silence and awkwardness because no one was saying anything. As I have reflected on our time that evening, I have come to a couple of conclusions.

First, as I pondered the question of why I didn't have more to say, I realized that I would have more to share with my brothers and sisters if I spent more time in the Scriptures than I actually do. Now, I had spent time reading the scriptures during that week, but I had not spent time meditating on them, searching them out, and seeking to learn from God what he wanted to teach me. Hindsight shows that even though I read the scriptures desiring to hear from God, I didn't wait around long enough in reading them to actually hear from Him. I just read them and went about my busy life. So, if I am going to have something to build up others with, then the way in which I am relating to and learning from God must change.

Second, I realized that it is real easy to hide behind structure. A common example of this might be having one teacher who teaches the entire time a group gathers. Since the responsibility to speak, share, or teach is placed on only one person. The others who are there can either study up beforehand and listen actively or they can just show up and not really listen. It is very difficult to tell the difference between the two since there is no interaction during the gathering. (though the difference might become apparent in any interaction after the speaker is finished) It was pretty apparent as we gathered as to who had been studying and seeking God and who had not. Even though it was apparent that I had not spent the time needed to be prepared to edify my family in Christ, the fact that it was apparent has functioned as a motivator in my life to draw closer to God.

All this to say that my awareness of my own responsibility to come prepared when I gather with other believers has become much more clear to me this week. What are your thoughts on how the structure of our gatherings affects the way we live out our responsibility toward other believers?

Early Christian Mission

2007-04-19T21:33:00.000-05:00

For some time now I have wanted to read the two-volume work by Eckhard Schnabel, "Early Christian Mission." In these books Schnabel seeks to explain the rise and expansion of the mission of the early Christians. The first volume examines the mission of Jesus and the twelve while the second volume looks at Paul and the early church. I have just begun reading the first volume and have found it to be well written and engaging so far. I hope to continue to post my thoughts and favorite quotes from this book as I read through it. I expect that it will generate some great questions for discussion. Here are some of my favorite quotes from the preface:

"Missiologists, missionaries, and representatives of missionary societies seek to promote interest in cross cultural dialogue and witness and to encourage and develop the involvement of Christians, young and old, in active outreach to non-Christians. As laudable as these endeavors are, their proponents have not always sought to provide exegetical explanations or to engage in theological discussion when presenting models for missionary work and paradigms for effective evangelism."

"Typically, understanding among evangelicals about the early Christian period and about the endeavors of the earliest Christians is, more often than not, unconsidered, and sometimes naive or romanticized."

"Views that fail to take into account the historical and social conditions of life in the first century are potentially problematic."

"One example is the view, naive despite the notice in Acts 4:32, that the early Christians were a united group of activists, uniform in their theology and thick as thieves in their relationships, who were willing and eager to subordinate differences of opinion and behavior to the missionary mandate. This view fails to recognize, for example, that the conflict whose solution is recorded in Acts 15 evidently was not supported by all missionaries based in Jerusalem, or that Paul was willing to separate from missionary coworkers as a result of differences of opinion, or that churches recently established by Paul were visited by Jewish-Christian missionaries whose goal was to influence them theologically and institutionally."

"Before we can develop 'lessons' for Christians today, we need to heed the facts as they present themselves in the New Testament."

"Scholars need to attempt comprehensive descriptions of the history and proclamation of Jesus and the early church so that the church that carries the name of Jesus Christ and accepts the witness of the apostles as normative criterion of faith and practice may render an account of its identity, purpose, and goals."

I have already been challenged by these few short quotes. I expect that these books will help me to think more critically and accurately about the mission that Jesus has called us to. In addition, I hope the quotes and thoughts I will post concerning these books will edify you as well.

Last Twelve Verses of Mark Conference

2007-04-14T15:49:00.000-05:00

This weekend SEBTS hosted a conference on the last twelve verses of Mark. The conference featured five wonderful scholars presenting different views on whether these verses are original to the text of Mark. The scholars included Keith Elliott, Darrell Bock, Daniel Wallace, David Alan Black, and Maurice Robinson. Summaries of their presentations can be found here or here. Rather than recounting all the details of the speakers presentations, as Alan and Lew have already done a fine job of, I want to give my reaction to the conference as a whole.

The conference was one of the best conferences I have been to. All of the speakers presented their views well even throwing in some humor from time to time. I was challenged by what Daniel Wallace had to say regarding presuppositions and how they can drive us to certain conclusions. His words definitely caused me to reexamine my presuppositions as I listened to each speaker.

I came into the conference holding to the position that the last twelve verses of Mark are part of the original text. And although I still hold that position afterwards, I have gained a much greater appreciation for those who hold to those verses not being original. I can easily see how two scholars can come to differing possible (or even probable) solutions to this isssue. It is just not as simple as I would sometimes like it to be.

I also came into the conference believing that the internal evidence for a variant cannot determine which reading is the original since the internal evidence can often be argued legitimately for both sides of the issue. Because of this, internal evidence can only support other evidence that we have. This view was confirmed as I listened to the speakers. They were all using the same internal evidence and coming to different conclusions. It was not that one person was making a bad argument while the other made a good one. They all had good arguments. It was helpful to see this aspect of the internal evidence illustrated as the presenter gave their different views.

For those readers who have read Alan's or Lew's summaries of the conference, my view is closest to David Alan Black's. Maurice Robinson presented some great verbal and thematic parallels, but I am just not to the point of giving priority to the Byzantine text type (though I do see it as equal to the others). Dr. Black and Dr. Robinson come to the same conclusion, but methodologically I am closer to Dr. Black's position. As for Keith Elliott's suggestion of there possibly being a lost ending of Mark, I am not to the point of accepting conjecture as a solution to the problem in these verses. Darrell Bock and Daniel Wallace would both argue that the gospel does not include these verses in the original. My biggest issue with accepting this position is that it seems to place too much weight on Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. I wonder whether anyone would argue for the omission of these verses (as most scholars do) if either Sinaiticus or Vaticanus happened to contain them.

Finally, I really appreciated how Dr. Black and Dr. Bock made it a point to say that while the types of questions that were asked at this conference were interesting and important, we still need to keep the Gospel primary and focus on taking it to a lost world.

These are just a few of my thoughts regarding the conference. I would love to hear from others who were able to attend.

Ministers

2007-03-29T19:32:00.000-05:00

Mael over at The Adventures of Mael and Cindy has begun a series on pastors. His first post is on the use of the word "minister." He raises some interesting points on how this term and others are used in the New Testament. I am looking forward to reading these posts.

Encouraged and Edified

2007-03-29T14:43:00.000-05:00

It has been quite a while since I posted on my blog. Though I have not posted much, I have been reading the blogs of others and have been encouraged by the way I see God working in His church.

I wanted to share with everyone how encouraged I was yesterday evening as I gathered with some fellow believers. Most Wednesday's we gather to continue studying through the book of Acts (the book we are in at this point) and to pray together and encourage one another. The Spirit is always faithful to teach us from God's Word whenever we meet. However, sometimes I think we have gotten so focused on making sure we complete the "activities" we normally do on Wednesday, that we actually miss what is going on in each others lives. Last night was different though.

We had several people who could not be there and were trying to decide if we should continue in Acts or wait until next week. I decided to ask everyone what the Lord had been teaching them over the past week and what the Lord had done in their lives during the time we had with Dr. and Mrs. Black last weekend. We ended up spending three hours talking about anything ranging from sins we were struggling with, to missions, to prayer, to giving. We even discussed how different generations view things like "church buildings." We talked about reaching out to those in neighborhoods that are not like the ones we live in and how it takes faith for God to lead us into something we wouldn't naturally be comfortable with.

I was encouraged and edified in hearing about my brothers and sisters struggles and what the Lord had taught them from Scripture. I also went home knowing how to more specifically pray for my brothers and sisters. The evening definitely did not go as I had planned, but it was so amazing to be part of what the Spirit had planned and led us to do. How has the Spirit been leading you lately?

Saturday...

2006-12-16T10:05:00.000-05:00

Today is going to prove to be busy but productive day. I will be going to help some friends who are working on their house while my wife works on some preparations for a martial arts class she teaches. Afterward's my wife and I have a few more Christmas gifts to buy...The traffic at the stores should be fun to navigate :)

BTW, I am working on a post concerning the question of whether the Sunday gathering of believers should be more important than other gatherings that we have. Also, I am looking at how 2 Cor. 12:13 relates to the question of honoring elders. Have a blessed day.

Reading Luke...

2006-12-16T09:52:00.000-05:00

Last night my wife and I gathered with about 20 other believers to read through the book of Luke together. A family we have recently come to know has been doing this for several years now. It was our first time gathering with them. Reading through a whole gospel at one time was extremely encouraging to me.

Everyone chose a chapter number at random to read. We read eight chapters at a time and then would take a 15 minute break to talk and have some food. When we got the chapter 22 we celebrated the Lord's supper together. Throughout the night, there were great conversations going on about what God was teaching people while we were reading His Word. As I reflect on our time together last night, I can't help but think about how beautiful it is to see the church built up and encouraged in such a simple way. May God build you up and encourage you as you spend time in His Word today.

Acts 9:31

2006-12-13T23:16:00.000-05:00

This evening I studied part of Acts 9 with a group of friends. Verse 31 was very interesting to me. After Paul was taken to Tarsus, Luke writes "So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being build up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase."

A couple of things grabbed my attention:

1. The verb for increase in an imperfect passive. So the increase was brought about not by the church, but by God. (see Mt. 16:18)

2. The church experienced growth during a time of peace. This made me think of the current peace that many Christians experience, especially in the U.S. However, we are not seeing the kind of increase that the book of Acts speaks of here. The difference, I think, is that these believers were "going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit." Even though they enjoyed peace, they continued to trust and rely on God instead of themselves.

This seems to fly in the face of many church growth and church planting strategies out there. I wonder...do we sometimes try to produce what only God can bring about?

Honoring Elders

2006-12-13T11:19:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been studying 1 Tim. 5:17-18 and other related passages. Paul instructs Timothy to consider the elders who lead well worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in word and teaching. There are two questions that I am still trying to answer about this instruction.

First, who is responsible to honor an elder? Is it the individual believer, the organization/institution, or something else I haven't thought of?

The second question is what is the best way to express that honor to an elder? Is the best way through a salary, through only respect, through individual gifts of time and material resources as the Holy Spirit leads? Are there other options?

I have some thoughts on these questions. But before I share them, how do you answer them?

Hospitality...

2006-12-12T13:45:00.000-05:00

I have always struggled with defining hospitality. Sharing a meal with someone is typically the only thing that would come to my mind. Duane Elmer in his book Cross-Cultural Servanthood provides a definition of hospitality that greatly helped me. I hope it helps you as well. He says,

"In North America, hospitality conjures images of inviting someone, usually friends, neighbors or relatives, into the home for a meal, perhaps overnight. Showing hospitality and providing a meal seem synonymous, especially toward friends or relatives. Yet the Scripture expands the idea considerably.
Hospitality refers to an attitude that prevails in a person's lifestyle, an attitude of extending grace to people, including the stranger, the person who is different. It certainly includes inviting people to your home, but if that is the extent of it, we have missed the core meaning.

Hospitality is extending love to those we don't know and who may be of a different ethnic or cultural history. It is the idea of being gracious to all people, welcoming them into your presence and making them feel valued. A true servant is characterized by hospitality - one who welcomes and embraces those who are unlike us - just as Jesus embraced us across our radical differences.

Hospitality is rooted in the word hospital, which comes from two Greek words meaning "loving the stranger." It evolved to mean "house for strangers" and later came to be known as a place of healing. Eventually, hospitality meant connecting with strangers in such a way that healing took place. Therefore, when we show openness toward people who are different from us, welcome them into our presence and make them feel safe, the relationship becomes a place of healing. As we welcome people just as they are and invite them to join us just as we are, it becomes a sacred event reflecting what Jesus did for us - providing us with a healing relationship."

The Role of Organization in a Body of Believers.

2006-09-18T09:31:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been thinking about the role of organization within a body of believers. Is organization good or bad? Is it neutral? How should we approach the different types of organization a group of believers might want to use? The following paragaph is some of my thoughts. I am still learning and studying so I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

The church (believers in Jesus Christ) can be served by organization (specifying a time to meet for example). However, problems arise when the church serves the organization instead of being served by it. Organization is beneficial when it aids in carrying out the commands and purposes that God has given us in Scripture (for example, organizing a trip overseas to spread the Gospel). We must be careful when implementing a form of organization in order to understand the demands that that particular form of organization requires. For example, purchasing a building will require a budget of some kind to pay for it. So the decision to buy a building is also a decision to have a budget. Because of this, we must be wise and discerning as to the types of organizational measures that we implement. We must not put into place any type of organization that would draw us away from following the Scripture as well as organization that would cause us to serve it rather than being served by that form of organization. In addition, any form of organization that we seek to implement must be weighed against the Scripture. For we believe that the Scripture is sufficient for all that we need to know to live as the church. Therefore, when a form of organization is found to be in conflict with the command or pattern of Scripture, it would not be wise to implement that form of organization.

Should Pastors Be Paid?

2006-08-02T14:15:00.000-05:00

How does the New Testament answer this question? In this post I want to start a discussion as to whether pastors should be paid or not. I will offer my thoughts as the discussion progresses, but I would like to hear from you first.

Determining if Scripture is Prescriptive or Descriptive

2006-07-28T09:14:00.000-05:00

Lately I have been asking myself how to determine if a particular passage of Scripture is only descriptive of the first century believers or if it is prescriptive for the church today or if it is both. I do not claim to have all the answers to this hermeneutical issue, but it is one I think is important for us to answer in order to properly interpret and apply the Scriptures.

One approach to this question is to ask whether the action we see modeled in scripture is cultural to that time period or supracultural applying to all cultures. For instance, in Acts 2:42 the believers devoted themselves to prayer. This passage is clearly descriptive of the live of the early church. Is it prescriptive for believers today? Are we to devote ourselves to prayer? I would say yes, because prayer was not something that was unique to the Roman culture. In fact prayer is found as far back as the book of Genesis. It appears then that prayer is rooted in God's plan for how man would communicate with Him. Therefore, I would conclude that prayer is supracultural and devoting oneself to prayer is prescriptive for believers today.

The question becomes more difficult when we try to apply this principle to other patterns seen in Scripture. For example, Paul traveled from city to city to spread the Gospel. He went to the places with large populations instead of the towns and villages. Are we to see this as a pattern for how we are to spread the Gospel. Should we make it a point to concentrate on the cities first and then let the Gospel spread to the surrounding towns and villages from those cities? Another example would be that believers gathered in homes rather than in "church" buildings in the first century. Is this practice prescriptive for us today? (I do think principles of stewardship come in to play here as well.)

I would enjoy hearing your thoughts as to how you deal with these types of interpretive issues in the Scripture.

Currently Reading...

2006-07-10T10:34:00.000-05:00

I am currently reading Ideas Have Consequences by Richard Weaver. So far I have been enjoying the book. In one paragraph he makes the following statement:

"Man is constatly being assured today that he has more power than ever before in history, but his daily experience is one of powerlessness. Look at him today somewhere in the warren of a great city. If he is with a business organization, the odds are great that he has sacrificed every other kind of independence in return for that dubious one known as financial. Modern social and corporate organization makes independence an expensive thing; in fact, it may make common integrity a prohibitive luxury for the ordinary man, as Stuart Chase has shown. Not only is this man likely to be a slavey at his place of daily toil, but he is cribbled, cabined, and confined in countless ways, many of which are merely devices to make possible physically the living together of masses. Because these are deprivations of what is rightful, the end is frustration, and hence the look, upon the faces of those whose sould have not already become minuscule, of hunger and unhappiness."

This book was written 58 years ago yet it stll rings true today. I have felt this sacrifice of independence for the financial return in my own life. Now don't misunderstand, I do believe that I should work hard to provide for my family. However, something does appear to be wrong with the current way that most organizations are set up to run their business. Many people will work 50 weeks a year, at least 40 hours a week, with only two weeks for time off. I do believe that someone's place of employment is a mission field for them. However, it is not the only place they can or should seek to spread the Gospel. What if someone desires to spend several weeks overseas spreading the Gospel? In the current corporate structure, they are imprisoned in such a way as to not be able to do this type of ministry. Have we sacrificed too much for financial gain? Are we devoting ourselves to the wrong pursuits? Working to provide for one's family is the right thing to do, but there must be other ways to do so beyond the slavery that Weaver speaks of above. I have a few thoughts in my mind of ways to accomplish this, but would love to hear from you on ways to have independence from "the man" in order to pursue taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth.

Zealotry

2006-07-07T08:50:00.000-05:00

Scot McKnight has written some great posts on zealotry lately. I agree with him that believers should be free to walk in the Spirit and follow Him wherever He lead. You can read his three posts

Here
Here
Here

Believers Loving One Another

2006-06-30T13:36:00.000-05:00

This week one family in our church moved out of our community to go overseas as missionaries. For months they have been selling and paring down their possessions. Well, Tuesday was the day of the big move. They rented the smallest truck they could get and invited our church to help load up. That evening thirty people showed up at their apartment to load their things. It only took about thirty minutes to load it all! Their neighbors happened to be moving the same day. So once we were done moving our friends, all of us helped the neighbors load their truck for about an hour. The neighbors that were moving as well as others in the apartment building could not believe the love that our body showed them by laboring in this way. Now keep in mind, this was seminary housing so these were all believers. What was amazing to me was that believers loving one another in a real practical way was so foreign to other believers. May we never forget the impact that loving one another as the church has on those who are watching.

Being the Church (It's more than changing our terminology)

2006-06-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

Over the past several years my thinking has changed on the concept of Church. I used to think that I go to church. Now I realize that I am the church along with they rest of the Body of Christ. Throughout this process of changing my thinking to line up with Scripture, I have seen the need to change the terminology I use when referring to the Church. I don't go to church, I am the church (at least part of it). However, there seems to be much more that needs to be changed than just my terminology. If I start speaking differently but continue doing the same old thing, then has anything really changed at all? (e.g. the emerging church, although they do add a few candles) My life must be conformed to the way the Scriptures say I should live. This involves how I relate to God and how I relate to others. Many things must change. This is good though because we are not taking the Gospel to the ends of the earth by continuing to do business as usual.

Decisions, Decisions

2006-06-16T10:24:00.000-05:00

One year from now I will be graduating from Southeastern Seminary with an M.Div. degree. Over the past three years I have developed a passion for Biblical studies, discipleship, and spreading the Gospel to the ends of the earth. The question that has constantly been on my mind recently is "What next?" There are many avenues I could go down and many options I could pursue. My passion for Biblical studies has me thinking about pursuing a PhD degree from Southeastern. However, my passion for missions and discipleship has me wanting to be free of school to have more time for these pursuits. So I have been asking myself, in light of this tension, what God is leading me to devote myself to for the rest of my life. Will I continue working in the IT field as a means of providing for my family? Should I pursue a PhD in Biblical studies and seek to teach in a Bible college or seminary? Should I seek another bachelor or masters degree in a different field to equip myself to teach at a high school level as a profession?

One question I have been asking as well (I do not mean to offend here. I am only asking the question.) is the effectiveness of teaching in a Bible college or seminary. I do not doubt that the students of these institutions grow and mature in their faith as they study alongside their professors. The limitation I am seeing is that a Bible college or seminary will only minister to a limited segment of the general population. Typically it is those people who are "called to ministry" meaning those who see themselves becoming religious professionals. (Just a side note: All believers are called to ministry. Eph. 4:16) Since my desire is to be a part of discipling the whole body of Christ, I am having a hard time committing to a PhD in Biblical studies since it appears to lead naturally to teaching in one of these institutions. From what I have seen, the great things that are taught in a seminary rarely if ever trickle down to the common man since there seems to be a great divide between academia and everyday life. Well, enough rambling about this topic.

So if I do not go that route, then I am faced with what to do next. Maybe another bachelors in a romance language in preparation of teaching high school and developing relationships with students and their families. Maybe a masters in IT or business and continuing to work in the business world. Maybe a PhD in Biblical studies for personal edification. At this point only the Lord knows and I am thankful that He knows and desires to reveal His will to me.

Church Planting?

2006-05-17T14:08:00.000-05:00

One interest that I have is in the spread of the Gospel and the multiplication of churches (bodies of believers). I have read many books on church planting from modern authors. There seems to be a common thread among the books. It seems as if church planting is being defined as the replication of an institution.

Many of the books teach you how to find a building to meet in, how to secure finances, and how to market the new church. These things are presented as essential to the proper functioning of a church. The problem I am having is that the Scripture does not indicate that these types of concerns are essential to a church. There seems to be a difference between the Scriptural portrayal of the Church and modern day methods of starting a church. So I have some questions for you.

Is church planting a biblical concept? If so, how should it be defined? What are believers called to reproduce (more believers, an institution, or something else)? How do churches maintain relationships with other churches the way it is modeled in Scripture (for example, the churches in Macedonia and Achaia were involved with the church in Jerusalem despite the geographic distance)? I am still working through these questions and would like to hear from and dialogue with others about them.

Update

2006-05-12T10:36:00.000-05:00

The past couple of weeks have been extremely busy. I was finishing my paper on the textual variant in Acts 2:42. While this work consumed almost all of my time, it was very productive since I learned a great deal from the research.

My conclusion was that the "and" should be included in the verse for a couple of reasons. First this reading has the most geographically widespread attestation. It was found in all the text types while the omission was found in two text types. Also, the inclusion of "and" seemed to match Luke's theology given his expanded definition of koinonia in the verses that follow.

Luke portrays the early Christians as sharing their lives with each other in a wide variety of ways. They shared meals together, prayed together, and even sold their posessions to help those in need. I finished my paper with the question of whether these activities that the early believers devoted themselves to are normative for Christians today. I argue that they are not only normative but also essential to the proper functioning of the body of Christ.

Progress on Acts 2:42

2006-05-02T08:30:00.000-05:00

I am currently making slow but steady progress on my paper to resolve the variant in Acts 2:42. One interesting thing I have found is that in modern English translations of the verse, the only translations that include the "and" were produced between 1534 and 1899. Any translation produced after 1899 does not include the "and." This means the the KJV and NKJV are split in the way they deal with this variant even though they are both based off the Textus Receptus (which includes the "and"). I wonder what could cause such a drastic change in the way the verse was translated. I propose some things in my paper...but I will leave you in suspense for now.

Last Weekend

2006-05-02T08:22:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my wife and I spent some time at the farm of Dr. David Alan Black for his and Mrs. Blacks student day. We had a wonderful time sharing each others lives. We took a tour of the farm, shared a meal together, and even tried some Ethiopian food. I love to try food from other cultures so this was quite a treat. Thank you Dr. and Mrs. Black for your hospitality. We truly felt at home while we were at your home.

2006-04-25T20:55:00.000-05:00

Alan Knox has some great postings on church discipline and the bodily resurrection over at Assembling.

Textual Variant in Acts 2:42

2006-04-25T20:27:00.000-05:00

I am currently working on a research paper on the texual variant in Acts 2:42. There are actually two variants in the verse. The one I am working on is the inclusion or exclusion of the "kai" between "fellowship" and "the breaking of bread." Your may be asking, why does it matter whether the word "and" is present in this verse or not? (The editors of the UBS New Testament must have thought the same thing since they did not include the variant in the textual apparatus.) If we are to understand the life of the early church, this variant needs to be dealt with.

There are two possible readings to this verse:

1. And they were devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

2. And they were devoting themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to fellowship and to the breaking of bread and to the prayers.

Now, if reading 2 is the original, then Luke is speaking of four distinct activities that the early church devoted themselves to. If reading 1 is original, then there are two possibilities or how it can be read. First, Luke could be referring to two distinct activities, the apostles teaching and fellowship, with fellowship being explained by the breaking of bread and prayer. Second, Luke could be referring to three distinct activities, the apostles teaching, fellowship, and prayer, with fellowship being explained by the breaking of bread.

Since none of these aspects of the life of the early church were bound by the culture they lived in, the proper interpretation of this verse has great significance on our practice as a community of believers today.

I will continue to post on how I resolve this variant over the next few weeks. Please pray that the Holy Spirit would guide my mind as well as my pen.

The Past Two Weeks...

2006-04-25T20:21:00.000-05:00

The past two weeks have been quite busy. My wife and I have been on a trip to Atlanta to visit family and friends. We had a good time catching up with everyone and even had some opportunities to minister to some of our family while there. When we returned to Wake Forest, I participated in a week of training with my job. It was a fruitful week no matter how exhausting it was. Anyway, it is good to be back and blogging again.

Structural Diagramming in Bible Study!

2006-04-13T09:10:00.000-05:00

We continued our Wednesday Bible study last night in the book of Philippians. We began by creating a structural diagram on 1:27-30. This was the first time we had done something so "academic" in this group of people. Everyone loved it. As we diagrammed the passage on a white board, people could visually see Paul's intended meaning in the passage. We even spent time discussing Paul's use of politeuomai instead of peripateo in verse 27. A harder issue that we tackled was the use of the neuter demonstrative pronoun touto at the end of verse 28. What is the "that" that Paul is pointing back to? There were several options given. What do you think?

After finishing the diagram and discussing the argument, we talked about how this passage applies not only to our lives individually, but also to our life as a body of believers. The passage is clear: it has been given to us to suffer on behalf of Christ not for evil things we do, but to suffer unjustly for the fact that we follow Christ and obey Him. However, we do not suffer alone. In our suffering we are to live worthy of the gospel by standing firm in four ways: in one Spirit, with one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, in no way terrified by our adversaries. Notice the emphasis on unity among the body in this passage.

It was a great evening helping people see the joy of digging deeper into the Scriptures and training them to dig in themselves.

Are Seminaries in Need of a Reformation?

2006-04-11T20:48:00.000-05:00

Before raising some questions about the current state of seminaries, some preliminary thoughts. I am currently a masters level seminary student who is eternally grateful for the education I am receiving. There are many godly men who have meant a great deal to me during my education. I in no way wish to downplay the influence they have had on my life, but to raise some questions as to the effectiveness of today's seminaries. With that said, on to the questions...

During the Protestant Reformation, one of the issues that the reformers faced was the fact that the common people did not have the Scriptures in their own language. Only those with special training in Greek or more likely Latin were able to read the scriptures for themselves. The reformers sought to remedy this by translating the scriptures into the languages of their day. I wonder if we are facing a similar situation in seminaries today?

Now, I do not mean to say that the Scriptures need to be translated into another language. What I am getting at is this: the seminary, more often than not, is designed to prepare the "professional minister" to preach and teach to a congregation. This "professional" gets wonderful training in Greek, Hebrew, Hermeneutics, New & Old Testament, and Systematic Theology. He gets to delve deep into God's Word and grows in maturity in Christ. However, this wonderful knowledge that he has gained usually does not get passed on to the congregation he becomes a part of. The "minister" continues to be enriched through his studies, while the congregation continues to eat "previously chewed food."

Therefore, there is a new divide that has been created between the "professional minister" and the common people. There is a dearth of biblical knowledge and reflection among many Christians. There is the "minister" who grows in his faith, while the others have not been taught to read and understand the Scriptures for themselves, but have been trained to get their spiritual nourishment from another man instead of the Word of God.

We must bridge this divide. We must show people how to study the Scripture for themselves. (yes, this even means teaching them Greek and Hebrew!) The church will never be what it is called to be by relying on a few good human leaders. The whole body must be transformed by a deep love for and study of the Word of God.

So how can we reform our seminaries and our churches to reconnect all believers with the deep riches of God's Word? Is it just through pastors making the effort to teach these things? Should the seminaries make an effort to go out and train whole congregations? Are there other ways? You comments are most welcome.

Rethinking Systematic Categories

2006-04-06T15:19:00.002-05:00

I have been pondering the idea recently as to whether we need to redefine our typical systematic theology categories. I have particularly been thinking in the area of ecclesiology.

When we talk about the doctrine of ecclesiology, what do we mean by the term ecclesiology? Are we speaking only of the assembly or gathering of God's people? This is what the term ecclesiology would imply since the greek word ekklesia carries the meaning of gathering or assembly. So, are we only seeking to define what happens within the context of the assembly of believers? Or are we seeking to define something larger than the assembly?

Perhaps we need to change the labels that we use. Maybe instead of the Doctrine of Ecclesiology we should use the title the Doctrine of the People of God.

I am still working through this, but there appears to be some basic presuppositions that come to mind when we use the word church. Some people would immediately think of a physical building or of a Sunday morning "worship" service. The Scripture, though, does not define the church in this way.

There is so much work to be done in redefining our terms to match the biblical pattern. How would you seek to define the way the Scripture portrays God's people?

Wednesday Night Gathering

2006-04-05T21:54:00.000-05:00

We just arrived home from our regular Wednesday gathering with some of our brothers and sisters from Messiah Baptist Church. We gather each week to build each other up toward maturity in Christ. Tonight we spent time sharing our lives with one another, studying the Scripture (Philippians 1:18b-26 in particular), and praying together.

Paul's outlook on life in Philippians 1:21 continues to challenge me. He found absolute fulfillment in Christ. We, oftentimes, love the world far too much. I pray that God will grow my brothers and sisters as well as myself to find that kind of fulfillment in Christ.

Next week we will study verses 27-30. These are such rich verses. Did you know that the first imperative verb in the epistle is found in verse 27?

The Byzantine Text Type

2006-04-05T13:34:00.000-05:00

Today in Textual Criticism class we read some of Harry Sturz work on the place of the Byzantine text type. While some have argued for the Byzantine text being a late conflation of the Alexandrian and Western texts, Sturz argues for an early date of the Byzantine text. He bases this on distintively Byzantine readings found in the second century papyri. Some are even readings where the Byzantine is the shorter text compared with the other two.

I think this shows that the Byzantine text is just as early as the Alexandrian and Western. Therefore, given the early nature of all three text types, it is my belief that we should give all three equal weight when attempting to resolve a textual variant. I have not yet been convinced, as Dr. Maurice Robinson has, that the Byzantine should be given priority over the Alexandrian and Western.

I am still in the process of working through all these issues. Let me know what you think.

Reaching the Cities

2005-12-18T16:29:00.000-05:00

If God were to tell you it is His will for your life to move to a large city to spread the Gospel, what would your response be? Some people might respond by saying: Lord, there is so much concrete, and the people, they are so rude. Lord, what about trees and grass, You know how much I love being outdoors. I sure would hate to leave the wide open fields and the forests where I go hunting every year. And Lord, that small church in small town, Alabama sure does need a pastor. Lord, I just couldn't go to a city.

While I do not doubt that the church in small town, Alabama needs a good pastor, I do question whether many people are ignoring God's call to go to the cities. During the past one hundred years a great shift has happened in American society and in many other parts of the world. People have become decreasingly agrarian and more industrialized. They have moved from the country to the cities, so much so that now the vast majority of Americans live in the cities. There remains a need for strong churches in the small towns of America, but there is a far greater need for churches in the cities of this nation.

My heart has been increasingly burdened for these cities lately. There does not seem to be any good reason to go anywhere other than the cities. (other than God's perfect will of course) My prayer is that millions of Christians would flood to the great cities to spread the Gospel, not with an attitude of condemnation, but with love and compassion desiring to see lost people changed from the inside out and molded into the image of Christ.

So where will you go? Will it be Miami, the gateway city to latin america and home to many who have relocated from the northeast? Will it be New York, one of the great multicultural cities of the world, with the kind of diversity to be able to send missionaries back to every country in the world. Will it be Montreal, the french capital of North America. How about Las Vegas, sin city itself? More importantly though, will you follow God whereever His perfect plan for your life calls you to go?

Does God Waste Time or Resources?

2005-12-04T19:32:00.000-05:00

I found the blog posting by Dr. Wayne McDill titled "Does God Waste Time or Resources" quite thought provoking. The posting can be found at his website http://www.waynemcdill.net under the weblog page. As one who fits into the category of person he is speaking of, I would like to respond to several questions he poses. First, I will explain some of my background.

I became a believer during my first year in college. My major in undergraduate school was Information Systems. I spent several years working as a computer technician and a network administrator. Three years ago, my wife and I, through our study of scripture and prayer, believed that it was God's plan for us to leave our jobs and move to seminary. After moving, I have worked in management for UPS and am currently working in the computer field again as an operations manager.

Now, on to the issues addressed in Dr. McDill's blog.

The answer to the question of whether my college education was a waste of time and resources should be quite clear at this point. It was definitely not a waste. I have continued to use that training and even develop it further through my employment since God moved me to seminary.

I think a more basic question is "When does a believer enter into full-time ministry?" Although I did not think about this question much as a new believer, it has been one of interest to me lately. From my study of Scripture, I have found that every believer is called to minister full-time beginning at the point that they receive salvation.(Ephesians 4:1-16) Does this mean that every believer is to leave their job, move to seminary, and become a pastor. Certainly not. This passage makes it clear that being a pastor is one of the gifts that God gives to some believers. Pastoring is not a higher calling or a more full-time calling. It is a gift from God that has an equipping role within the body of Christ. The distinction that Paul makes here is not one of full-time or part-time or no time at all, but of function within the body of Christ. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers all have equipping functions in the Body. However, every believer is called to "the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ."

All this being said, I was a full-time minister from the point that I became a believer.

Why, then, did God send my family to seminary? I am convinced that it is for me to intensely study the scriptures in a way that was not happening in the church that I came from. While I am thankful for the education I am receiving at seminary, it would not have been necessary for me to attend seminary if the church were discipling and maturing believers the way that the Scripture commands it to do. (There are many reasons why the discipleship is not happening that I will not discuss in this posting.)

I enjoy ministering the in business world. I have had many opportunities to interact with unbelievers about my faith that would not have been possible if I spent all my time working in the building where the church meets.

In regards to church planting, there is a great need for people with professional skills working in the business world. It is a great place to build relationships with unbelievers and to disciple believers. When a believer spends eight hours a day with lost people, the influence of Christ on their life should become apparent to the unbeliever.

It is my opinion that we must reject the idea of some people being the "professional" clergy and every other believer being the laity. First, I have not been able to find this distinction in Scripture. Second, I see this professionalism as an impediment to the reproduction of new churches, since professional clergy must be paid as any other professional in their field. This puts a large burden on a new congregation to pay pastors that can easily go get jobs and interact with lost people while they work.

So, be comforted, my fellow believers who have spent years of your lives studying for and working in areas other than theology. Your efforts are not wasted and your Father desires to greatly use you to influence those you work with for the glory and honor of Christ.

Tradition or Theology?

2005-11-28T19:57:00.000-05:00

I read some disturbing news today. The International Mission Board trustees have approved some new policies for the selection of missionaries. The policies can be found at this link: http://www.imb.org/core/story.asp?storyID=3487&Language%20ID=1709 The policies pertain to speaking in tongues and baptism.

The first policy states that "In terms of worship practices, the majority of Southern Baptist churches do not practice glossolalia (speaking in tongues)." And "In terms of general practice, the majority of Southern Baptists do not accept what is referred to as ‘private prayer language," "Therefore, if ‘private prayer language’ is an ongoing part of his or her conviction and practice, the candidate has eliminated himself or herself from being a representative of the IMB of the SBC." The problem I have with this policy is that church practice is now determining the policies of SBC institutions. In this news article there is no Scripture cited. The evidence given for this policy is that it is the practice in the majority of SBC churches. This seems backward to me. Should Scripture determine the policies of SBC institutions? I think so. I can only think that the IMB has declared that the "perfect" has already come, since tongues have now "passed away." (1 Corinthians 13:8-10)

The second policy on baptism "establishes that candidates must have been baptized in a Southern Baptist church or in a church of another denomination that practices believer’s baptism by immersion alone. Also, the baptism must not be viewed as sacramental or regenerative, and the church must embrace the doctrine of the security of the believer." Now everything in this statement sounds good up until the last phrase. Sure, believers should be baptized by immersion. Baptism should not be viewed as sacramental or regenerative. But, when does the doctrine of the security of the believer, or lack thereof, become a factor in whether a believer's baptism is valid or not. There is no evidence in Scripture for this statement. I think that the statement arises from the idea that there must be a "proper administrator" to baptize someone, an idea also foreign from Scripture. Who can administer baptism to someone else? I believe the Scripture says that any believer can. Matthew 28:19-20 was not addressed to pastors or staff members, but to all believers. Therefore, the qualification to baptize someone is to be a believer. Can someone be a believer and not understand that they are secure in their salvation? Absolutely. My wife is a perfect example. She did not come to understand the security of her salvation until several months after she was saved. Can the members of a church teach that believers are not secure in their salvation and still be saved? Absolutely. Therefore, the baptism being administered is still valid, regardless of the poor teaching on the security of the believer. Now don't misunderstand me, I do believe that believers are secure in their salvation by the power of God. But, I do not think that it is essential to hold to this doctrine to be saved.

So why the change in the IMB? I do not understand why policies are being approved that have no grounding in Scripture. May God help us to always make His Word the foundation of everything we practice.

Who are you thankful to?

2005-11-28T19:39:00.000-05:00

Last night at our prayer service Jeff T. brought up a great point. In light of the thanksgiving weekend, he asked us to think about who we are thankful to instead of what we are thankful for. Many unbelievers and believers miss this point about being thankful. They may be thankful for their health, job, family, money, or good food. But rarely do you hear someone speak of who they are thankful to. As believers, we have our heavenly Father to thank for the mercy and grace that He pours out on our lives everyday. As you speak to your Father today, make sure you let Him know that it is to Him that you are thankful.

Dead Sea Scrolls

2005-11-22T07:24:00.000-05:00

I noticed in the newspaper this morning that the dead sea scrolls are coming to Charlotte, NC. Check out their website: http://www.discoverscrolls.org

If anyone knows of any good books about the scrolls to read before going, please let me know.

Have a great day in the Lord!

Welcome!

2005-11-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Sharing in the Life! I have been wanting a place, for some time now, not only to publish some of my ideas, but also to enter into dialogue with others on topics that interest me. What are those topics? Let me preface the answer to that question by sharing some of my life with you. First and foremost, I am a follower of Jesus Christ. The relationship that I have with Him is the most important relationship in my life. I am also the husband of a godly, loving woman who has been sharing life with me for 9 years. I also spend time working as an IT operations manager for a college. These are only a few aspects of my life, but I am sure you will come to know me better in the future.

Now, back to the original question. What are my interests? I am interested in almost any topic surrounding Christianity and the Bible. More specifically, I am interested in the church. I enjoy studying topics such as making disciples, church leadership, church meetings, church planting, and the Lord's Supper. Since I believe that church practice should arise out of a thorough study of and submission to the Bible, I am also interested in New Testament Greek, biblical interpretation, and am beginning to study textual criticism and discourse analysis. Finally, I am interested in delving further into the topics of the role of the church in the sanctification of the believer and the effect of the Lord's Supper on the unity and growth of the church.

One may ask why I have named the blog "Sharing in the Life." It is my desire not only to share in the life with God through Jesus Christ, but also to share that same life, as well as my own, with you. (1 John 1:1-3) I also desire for you to share your life with me. My hope is that this blog will be a place where we can converse over these topics already mentioned, as well as others as they arise. I want to keep the tone friendly and encouraging, yet, at the same time, challenge the presuppositions and opinions that we all have when we study the Scripture.

Again, welcome to "Sharing in the Life." I look forward to talking with you soon.