Category: Christian Life and Gospel Leadership

August 4 2023

Follow the Leader: The Biblical History of Elders

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Leadership Bible, Bible Study, elders, eldership, Gospel, history of eldership, Jesus, ministry leadership, Old Testament, Old Testament Survey, presbyteros, presbytery, Scripture 0

Part 2: The Biblical History of Elders

In Part 1, we looked at the biblical mandate which God has established whereby believers are called to “submit” (hypotassō) to various people (i.e. government leaders in Romans 13:1) and concepts (i.e. God’s righteousness in Romans 10:3).

We also observed some other biblical guidelines for submission in which Christians may willingly yield (hypeikō) ourselves to certain people if their life and teaching are worth being followed.

The High Call of Mutual Submission

On a broader scale, I pointed out that within the Body of Christ, God has commanded all believers to live in “mutual submission” to one another (Ephesians 5:20-21). This does not require us to bow ourselves to every whim or desire of our fellow believers. Yet it frees us to observe one another’s manner of life, and work in unity, as the body of Christ, to encourage and build each other up into Him.

Needless to say, living in mutual submission places a big responsibility on each of us to come to the body of Christ with honor, respect, and humility. It is a call to recognize that we are all made of the same dirt, and therefore, we all live fully dependent on the grace of the Lord, no matter our perceived status in the body of Christ. Therefore, not only do I submit to the Holy Spirit in me, but I must recognize and submit to the Holy Spirit working through other members of the Body of Christ, too!

Mutual submission is a partnership of love!

Remember, we are a family, not a business or a social club.

As we saw before, within the “mutual submission” of the church, Jesus has also commanded us to submit to those who have faithfully preceded us in the faith (see 1 Corinthians 16:15–16). In terms of a family, we might say this is like following the example of our older brothers and sisters in the church. They may not be perfect, but they are still ahead of where we are in our own life and growth.

Let’s also note that every family also has fathers and mothers who lead in the home. In the same way, in addition to all of this talk of mutual submission in the church, there is still a seemingly higher level of leadership within the Church for which the Biblical writers hold special regard. This is when the Bible says we are called to submit to the appointed “elders” in the church (see Acts 14:23, 1 Peter 5:5).

Before I move forward, please let me preface this article by saying that this is NOT the view of church leadership which I was taught in my Baptist Bible college and denomination, nor is it the broadly held view of the charismatic/neo-pentecostal denomination I currently belong to. It is still a widely held and practiced form of church leadership in many other denominations, though, and I think its something we need to explore and restore in the broader body of Christ. Everything I am writing here has come through a deep study of these scriptures over the past few years. Just know that I am not writing to argue against any Christian tradition or group. I am writing to expound on what I have found the scriptures to teach, and welcome deeper conversations on the subject going forward.

WHO ARE THESE “ELDERS” IN THE BIBLE?

The Greek word for “elders” is the word πρεσβύτερος (presbyteros), transliterated “presbyters” in many English church settings.

As we said in the last post, this Greek word can simply mean someone who is elderly in age. However, whenever the Bible uses this word in conjunction with leadership in the church, it is not used to mean older or even more mature people in the church (though maturity is assumed). Rather, it means those who hold “seniority”¹ within the church.

Throughout the New Testament, we learn that these “elders” are a specific kind of leaders in the church who meet three criteria:

They have been appointed by God;
They meet the personal qualifications laid out for the oversight of the church, and
They are publicly recognized to an appointed leadership position by the local body of Christ.

The word “presbyteros” is used throughout the New Testament, almost synonymously with the word “episkopos” (ἐπίσκοπος), meaning “overseer.” (This is also where we get the modern word “bishop.”)

As the Assembly of God denomination has stated:

“After research, we conclude, because of the use of the word in the original Greek (Acts 20:17, 28; 1 Timothy 5:17; James 5:14, etc.), that the words “elder” or “eldership” refer to the office of pastor, bishop, or overseer.”²

These “elders” work in unity as a “council” to lead the church (see 1 Timothy 4:14). In fact, the word “elder” is never used in a singular sense when talking about the role of church leadership. It is always “the elders” or “an elder” of the church, not “the elder” of the church (see Titus 1:5, for example).

We will look specifically at the oversight role of elders and the requirements placed upon them in a future post, but first, I want us to do a little background study of this whole concept.

Where Did the Idea of “Eldership” Originate?

The use of the word “elders” in the New Testament to describe the institutional leadership in the local church or local assembly of God is an idea carried over from the Old Testament.³ The Jewish people recognized a group of leaders within their local and religious community who were appointed to lead their local congregations as well as govern more broadly in the nation.

Eldership First Developed in Families

The idea of eldership is established early in the Old Testament, and seems to naturally form through the growth of families into clans, then tribes, then nations. As R. Alastair Campbell wrote:

“Israelite society was tribal and patriarchal. The nation consisted of tribes, which themselves consisted of clans which in turn consisted of extended families, and each of these units and sub-units looked to the senior males among them for leadership.”⁴

From the beginning, God appointed the man to lead his wife; and the father and mother to lead their children and others who would become joined to the family (daughters-in-law, servants, etc.). This is where we first get the idea of a person’s household (first used in Genesis 7:1, and see Genesis 15:3).

To use a modern vernacular for our purposes, we might say that the man was to be the “Senior Elder” in the family, but he worked as a team with his co-equal, yet different “helper,” his wife, to lead the family. The father was the “senior elder,” but mom and dad together would be the “elders” of the family.

As children grew and produced grandchildren and great-grandchildren, they would then serve as the “elders” in their own immediate family. However, the living grandparents would still be viewed as the “patriarch” and “matriarch” of the extended family or clan. As the “senior elders” of the clan, these patriarchs would work with the parents in every home(especially the father) to lead the whole extended family together. This formed a kind of “council of elders” over the extended family (or extended household).

Even though a man and wife had the autonomy to lead their own family and household as they saw fit, they would join the other family ‘elders’ within their extended family (clan) to form the leadership (primitive government) of their “village.” Thus, civics was born.

As Campbell goes on to write:

“The head of the house made decisions within his own home and also represented the family in the counsels of the village community…These are the people described as the elders, and they are often, and by implication always, said to be the elders of something or somewhere…The functions performed by the elders are accordingly deliberative, representative and judicial.”⁵

Families Became Clans, and Clans Became Nations.

As these clans and villages began to multiply, they eventually grew to become tribes and cities. As they did, this system of communal leadership continued to grow and develop as well. The “senior elders” or patriarchs of each clan would come together to form a council of elders to lead the tribe or the city. (see Joshua 20:4, Ruth 4:2)

In his studies of ancient near-east communities, Henri Frankfort writes that there were “clan and community organization under elders who apparently exercised judicial as well as executive functions.It was a primitive democracy, uncritical and unconscious, for there is no ground to suppose other than that every senior member of the group was admitted to the governing body purely on the basis of his age.”⁶

This was not a formal, parliamentary style of government, which many of us think of today. Rather, as Henri goes on to point out, it was an informal, community of elders who simply worked together to lead. A good example can be seen in the negotiations concerning the redemption of Naomi’s property by Boaz in Ruth 4:1-2.

As tribes began to multiply and become a nation, it was from these small informal beginnings that national government would begin to form. It was “the stress of circumstance” that “compelled the coalescence of the smaller groups of clans and tribes into some approximation of a national unity.”⁷

The “senior elders” of each tribe would come together to form a council of elders to lead the nation. The same system developed for local family government grew into “national” governments.

This idea was not limited to Israel alone. We see the same idea of “elders of a household” in Egypt (Genesis 50:7). Fathers and mothers of one family would become elders to the clan. Those who led their clan well would become elders to the entire tribe, and eventually, those with the best leadership abilities would be recognized as leaders to the nations (the entire extended family). This story is repeated throughout the development of almost all ancient people groups around the world.

As communities grew, so did the development of the eldership.

A father would lead in the home and represent his family outwardly to the clan.
The senior patriarch of the clan would lead the elders in the village and also represent the clan outwardly as an elder to the tribe.
“Chiefs” would be appointed among the tribal elders to lead the group and would also go to represent the tribe more broadly at the national level.
And eventually, the patriarchal authority of a father to a single family developed and led to the role of judges and kings as heads of nations.

Living in rural Africa, I can personally testify that this same system of “family elders” and “clan leadership” is still alive and functioning in the world. I have been privileged to sit with the elders of clans to discuss the Word of God, and I have been honored to meet the Omukuka (King) of the Bamasaba people I live among.^**

This family-derived eldership was well in place among the Jews well before God instituted the Jewish religious law and leadership through Moses.

Side Note: Eldership was Not an Achievement of Personal Status, but a Service to the Community

In the modern world, politicians are known for seeking governmental office as a means of personal gain. And unfortunately, this attitude of status-seeking has not remained in the secular realm but has infected the church as well.

One major element in understanding the call of biblical leadership and what it means to “follow your leader” is to see that from the earliest iterations of eldership, it was viewed as a work of service intended for the betterment of the entire community. It was never about personal gain and social status.

As Campbell writes: “How did people become elders in Ancient Israel? It is nowhere recorded, but… clearly there can be no candidacy nor procedure leading to such a position of honour” because “elders represent leadership from below, not from above.”⁸ He goes on to say that although a person’s family position would play a part, so did a person’s “gradual acquiring respect” within the broader community.

If a person’s motivation for seeking leadership were self-serving and status-seeking, the community would rightfully choose not to follow them.

Anyways, let’s get back on track…

Eldership Expanded with Continued National Development

As the family of Abraham became the nation of Israel, other leaders were added to the “elders” of the people. It moved away from only including the patriarchal leaders of the home, clan, and tribe and came to include other leaders viewed as vital to the community as a whole. Again, this was true both inside and outside of Israel. For example, the role of historians and legal scholars would often be added to the group to oversee the continuity of the nation’s culture, traditions, and system of justice (such as scribes and lawyers).

Religious leaders came to be included with the elders to oversee the spiritual guidance of the nation. This would include the prophets and priests of Israel, but also the witchdoctors, shamans, and mystics in other pagan people groups.

We can watch this development take place in ancient Israel.

By the time we finish reading Genesis and move into Exodus, Abraham’s family has grown from one household to become a nation of people numbering in the millions. However, Exodus still begins with a kind of reverence for the patriarchs of the twelve tribes of Israel (see Exodus 1:1-7). These men and their firstborn heirs would be recognized as the “elders” of Israel. It is these elders who Moses speaks to about God’s promise of deliverance in Exodus 4:29.

However, after God brings the nation of Israel out of the land of Egypt, it became clear that these heads of families were not enough to maintain quality governance outside of Egyptian oversight. Therefore, upon the advice of his father-in-law, Moses appoints “judges” and “chiefs” over different numbers of people (“of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens”) in addition to the existing patriarchal leaders. (see Exodus 18:25-26).

These judges were led directly by Moses, who not only served as a kind of “chief justice” but also became known as the greatest prophet in Israel’s history. His brother, Aaron, served as Israel’s first “Chief Priest,” and his family and descendants became the priesthood of the nation.

Then, according to Clowny, “Among the thousands of judges appointed under this system, seventy were singled out as the elders of the nation, to represent all the people, much as the elders of a tribe or city would represent their constituency.”⁹

Moses was first led by God, and in turn, he led these 70 elders to govern, guide, and direct the nation. These leaders, too, were Spirit-filled and were expected to lead the nation physically AND spiritually (Numbers 11:24-25).

No Longer was the Nation Only Goverend by the Presiding Patriarchs of the Family.

Yes, familial leadership was still honored and involved at every level of Jewish leadership. After all, they were still one family. Yet the broader system of government grew and eventually came to include the prophets, priests, judges, and eventually (though it was never God’s plan for Israel) a king.

These groups of elders still governed in their respective clans, tribes, and cities. And at the national level, among all of these highly respected leaders, a select group was consistently organized together to make up the highest-ranking council of elders who served in unity under a “senior elder,” generally the presiding High Priest.

Following the Babylonian captivity, which destroyed all of Israel’s governmental infrastructure, Ezra, the priest, and Nehemiah, the governor called together a group of returnees to re-form the religious law of life in Israel (Nehemiah 8-10). Among this group were a number of already-recognized leaders (Nehemiah 8:4) as well as a number of teachers (Nehemiah 8:7). This group developed into a new council of elders which Rabbinic tradition calls “Great Synagogue” (“Knesset HaGedolah”) who would continue to lead Israel throughout the 5th and 4th centuries.¹⁰ Some of the leaders historically listed as members of the Great Synagog were Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, Azariah, Mordechai, and Zerubbabel.¹¹

By the time we get to the New Testament, the Great Synagogue had gone away, but elder-led government remained active in Israel, now in the form of the “Sanhedrin.” Every village and city had its own council of 23 elders (called a “lesser Sanhedrin”), as did the nation as a whole with the 71 member “Greater Sanhedrin.”¹² Each Sanhedrin council was led by the “nasi” meaning “prince” or captain” (or what I would call the “senor elder.”

Though the prophets had been silent for 400 years, and the royal family was dethroned since captivity, the “elders” of the nation remained as the leaders of the nation, including the High Priest, priests, scribes, rabbis, Sadducees, and Pharisees.

How Did Eldership Incorporate into the Church?

Well, that is where we will turn our attention in the next post.

But just to whet your appetite a bit, just think of these familiar New Testament themes in light of what we have discussed in this post:

Jesus has brought us into the family of God, crying out, “Abba Father.”
Jesus is our King, and we are His “holy nation.
Jesus is our great “High Priest,” and we are His “royal priesthood.”

It should come as no surprise, then, that when Jesus decided to establish a type of leadership in His family, Kingdom, and priesthood, He would follow the same model developed throughout Israel in the Old Testament (and in some form, every other nation on earth).

We will discuss what that looked like, next time. Stay tuned…

If you’re enjoying the content I produce, a little caffeine to keep me going would be appreciated!

Footnotes

^** Side Note: The move of the enemy to destroy families is not just an attack on the home, but on the leadership structures put in place by God in humanity

¹ Strong, James. A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek Testament and The Hebrew Bible. (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2009).

² The General Council of the Assemblies of God. Assemblies of God: Position Papers. (Springfield, MO: The General Council of the Assemblies of God, 1972–2017).

³ Edmund P. Clowney, The Message of 1 Peter: The Way of the Cross, The Bible Speaks Today (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 232.

⁴ Campbell, R. Alastair. The Elders: Seniority within Earliest Christianity. (London; New York: T&T Clark, 2004), 21.

⁵ Campbell, “The Elders”, 21.

⁶ Frankfort, Henri. The Intellectual Adventure of Ancient Man. (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1946), 343. Available from Archive.org <https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.283260 >. [2 August 2023].

⁷ Frankfort, Intellectual Adventure, p. 344.

⁸ Campbell, “The Elders,” 26–27.

⁹ Clowney, “Message of 1 Peter”, 232–233.

¹⁰ Youngblood, Ronald F., F. F. Bruce, and R. K. Harrison, Thomas Nelson Publishers, eds. Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1995.

¹¹ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Assembly

¹² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanhedrin

Exposing The Heart of Idolatry

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Spiritual Warfare Bible, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Old Testament, repentance, Scripture, worship 0

For the last couple of weeks, I have been looking at idolatry (here and here) and how many times our hearts are captured by things that are not God, nor are they worthy of our worship. I have received a lot of great feedback from some of you, sharing your own struggles with idolizing ministry and other things. Some have shared how the Lord has been speaking to them some of these same things for this season of life. And some of you have written emails to discuss some of the nuances of idolatry. I am grateful for all of it!

I want to take some of this feedback (questions, comments, and advice) I have received and go a little deeper into what idolatry is and how we guard our hearts and minds against getting to that place.

Old Testament Idols

Throughout the Old Testament, discussions about idolatry were centered on actual carved idols, made of wood or stone. These were human-created images representing the various gods of the nations. In some cultures, idol-making was a huge business.

Concerning one question I was asked, my personal belief is that the pagan gods whom the idols represented were not just figments of human imagination. I believe they were actually heavenly beings, given authority to rule in the earth, but were acting in rebellion against God. (For examples, see Luke 4:5-6, Deuteronomy 32:8, and Psalm 82. I also recommend the book “The Unseen Realm” by Michael S. Heiser for deeper study on this topic.)

Whether these were real demonic beings or simply human creations, we must understand that people really did worship these idols. They really prayed to them and trusted them for their own security and blessing. They really sacrificed to them, sometimes even their children (2 Kings 17:31, Isaiah 57:5).

These idols had so captured the people’s hearts that they would give or do anything in worship of them.

What Makes Something An Idol?

This kind of veneration and service to these false gods goes beyond a surface level of sinfulness. This was not that people would occasionally give lip service to a false god or would just go to enjoy a party that might have been thrown in some false god’s name.

No. What raises this to the level of idolatry rather than simply sin is that the people came to love their idols. Their whole lives were wrapped around that thing. This is why over and over again when speaking to the issue of idolatry, the Lord condemns His people as prostitutes and whores! (You can find examples in Psalm 106:39, Jeremiah 3:1, Ezekiel 16:16, Hosea 4:12, et al.)

Though the form our idols take has changed over the millennia, the fact that we love things in the place of God has not!

Idolatry is a Love Issue.

One of the pushbacks I received from the first post on ministry idolatry was that as Christians, our hearts have been fully restored by the Lord in salvation. Therefore, our hearts are not where the problem lies, but it is a problem of mindsets. We must “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” and “set our minds on things that are above” (Romans 12:2 and Colossians 3:2).

The problem is that other places in the New Testament continually remind us to establish, purify, and guard our hearts! Just look at Romans 1:21-25; 6:17, 10:10; Ephesians 1:18, 3:17; Philippians 4:7; Colossians 3:15; 1 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:17, 3:5; 1 Timothy 1:5; Hebrews 10:22; James 5:8; 1 Peter 3:15; 1 John 3:19-21.

Jesus Himself said that the fruit of a person’s life comes not out of the mind, but from deeper inside them; inside their hearts — the core of their being.

“The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”
Luke 6:45

Sin is a Mind Issue

I am not at all discounting that the mind has a major part to play in our sanctification. Most of our daily battles with sin come from mental temptations. Even Peter’s denial of Jesus was because his mind was in the wrong place (Matthew 16:23). This is why, when I discuss repentance, I am quick to point out that the Greek word, metanoia, carries the idea of first changing one’s mind, and their actions will follow.

In fact, just a few months ago, I wrote a whole series on spiritual warfare, beginning with an article called “the battle of the mind.”

My point here, however, is that when something goes to the level of “idolatry,” it has moved from a temptation issue to a love issue. When a person “loves” something at the level only God deserves, it becomes an idol, and begins to take control of aspects of their lives where only Christ should be ruling!

If sex becomes my idol, I move from God’s design to worshipping sex with my whole being. I will look for any willing partner. I will get addicted to pornography. I will start frequenting sexually promiscuous stores and businesses. When sex becomes god, our lives will fall in line to worship it.

When money becomes my idol, I will become greedy rather than charitable. I will exploit others to gain access to this god I worship, including shady business tactics, Ponzi schemes, and worse!

The same can be said of any idol!

Demonization Follows Idolatry

One other major issue to be aware of is that behind every false idol we prop up in our lives, there are still demonic forces attached that will seek control of our lives. For example, behind the god of sex is a spirit of lust and perversion. Likewise, behind a god of money is the spirit of mammon.

The same can be true of most things. As we give our hearts to worship and love something other than God, we open ourselves up to the spirit world and often give control of those areas of our lives to demons! (Though I intend to write more about demonization and deliverance in the future, for now, I would highly recommend the book “Healing Through Deliverance” by Peter Horrobin. It is the best resource on the subject, including the question, “Can a Christian have a demon,” that I know of.)

Core Idols

Moving back to a broad view of idolatry, then, we must be aware that even as believers, there will be temptations in our hearts to love, worship, and live for certain things as replacements for God. Though we may not worship wooden figurines, statues, or in a Parthenon of gods, our culture still has idols we give in to all the time. I won’t even dig into sports teams, celebrity culture, or political activism. I want to go broader than that.

A few years ago, when I was still on staff at a church in Texas, much of our time in personal counseling with people was spent digging below the surface level of sin to root out if there was a “core idol” operating at the heart level, which was affecting the mental level of the person toward sin. The four core idols we looked for, more than any other, were power, comfort, security, and control. These are things that people don’t just stumble into as sin. These are things people hid in their hearts as the things they live for.

Power

The idol of power encompasses a love of success, money, and social status. It is a heart that desires to be elevated above other people in pride and arrogance. This is the core idol Naaman struggled with in last week’s post.

In the church, the idol of power is very often connected with a religious spirit. There is no freedom, only rules and regulations which must be followed, or else you are “out of alignment.”

Comfort

The idol of comfort is a heart that values my own ease over anything else. Greed may be involved, but not always. It may simply be a love for “me time” over a heart to serve the Lord and others.

As a missionary, I can tell you for sure that many in the Western world struggle with the idol of comfort when it comes to getting involved in cross-cultural missions. To give financially to global missions is a “sacrifice” rather than a “privilege.” To actually go visit a “third-world” country on a mission trip is unthinkable because it directly challenges this idol.

The idol of comfort comes out in many ways. Some people live with a general sense of entitlement about their comforts. Others “work hard to build the life” they want. Both of those may still be an idol.

Security

The security idol is another major player in most of our lives. Just look at how the world has transformed in the last few decades. Warning labels have popped up on everything from heavy machinery to disposable coffee cups. Children are not allowed to do many of the things I did as a child in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s.

In the realm of faith, where the early church boldly went into the world, facing persecution and martyrdom, our fear of creating enemies keeps us quiet about the gospel in the least-confrontational environments.

Security isn’t just about not getting physically hurt, either. Emotional wounding, traumatic experiences, or just the risk of getting offended has shut down people’s lives and love for God. Instead of resting in the shadow of His wings, we create safe spaces where we can hide so nothing can hurt us.

Control

Probably the biggest core idol of the four, the need to be in control is the one worshipped universally by people, at one time or another, in life. I will go anywhere or do anything so long as I remain in control. As soon as I am no longer in charge of myself and my faculties, then this idol begins to fight back.

I cannot think of any other false idol worshipped in the American church as that of “control.” After all, it is the American spirit — independence and self-reliance. It is the promise of having “my rights,” and no one else can tell me what to do. Just look at any “Karen” video on social media, and you will see this idol at work.

Guarding Our Minds and Hearts

For the Christian, then, whose heart is supposed to be captivated by Jesus and whose mind is being transformed by His Holy Spirit, we must come to understand that we must guard both!

We must fill our minds with righteous and holy things, just as the Word of God instructs (Philippians 4:8). So much of our battle with sin, temptation, and the devil has to do with letting our minds wander and, at least in the moment, forgetting who we are in Christ. Where we allow our minds to go, our lives will follow.

Still, though, at a deeper level, we must do a heart check from time-to-time, to make sure that it is still Jesus sitting on the throne.

Returning to First Love

My mind goes to Christ’s rebuke of the church of Ephesus in the book of Revelation. The Lord says:

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance, and how you cannot bear with those who are evil, but have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and found them to be false. I know you are enduring patiently and bearing up for my name’s sake, and you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.”
Revelation 2:2-4

The Lord recognized that the church had a hatred of sin and evil and had gone out of their way to protect themselves from being infected from false teachings and lies from the enemy at the mental level. However, His condemnation comes at the heart level. “You are losing your love for Me!”

In the midst of their toil to live faithfully to the gospel, Jesus was losing His place at the center. That is idolatry.

For us, today, we must check our hearts and make sure Jesus is really the one we love. Jesus, who is our King, must be given the power over our lives rather than holding it for ourselves. The Holy Spirit of God must be our comfort, just as Jesus promised He would be. The covering of God’s love must be our security. And when we call Him our Lord, we must lay down our control and let Him be the one who guides our every step.

The Bible says, “love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8). Jesus loved us so perfectly that all of our sin has been covered and dealt with. Now it is time for us to find complete freedom from idolatry, as we love Him back completely.

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July 8 2021

Naaman and the Idols of Our Hearts

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Spiritual Warfare Greed, Healed, Idolatry, Idols, Leprosy, Money, Naaman, repentance, Social Status, Success 4

In my last post, we looked at the various idols of ministry, including the worship of ministry itself, idolizing God’s blessings toward us, or even idolizing our own public recognition, and the fact that we need to repent. As I have had several conversations with people who were touched by that post and some who were hearing the same thing from God at the same time, I have continued to look at how ministry can become an idol, alongside many other things in our lives.

Truly, idols can be made of anything. We can idolize fame and fortune, success, money, houses, cars, clothing, status in society. We can idolize our family, spouse, kids, or names. We can idolize celebrities, politicians, and sports teams. So, though last week I was speaking primarily to ministers, I want to go a little broader this week in exposing the idols of our hearts.

To do this, I want us to look at a particular passage found in 2 Kings 5. It is a story I studied and shared about a few years ago but has a lot of value for us as we look at this topic today.

The Story of Naaman

Naaman was a commander of the Syrian army, a warrior of great standing who had won many battles. Because of his success, he had found great favor with his King, and they had become close. The only negative mark found on Naaman’s life is that he suffered from leprosy (2 Kings 5:1). In those days, leprosy was a death sentence, and given the Jewish law (though Naaman was not a Jew), made you ritually unclean and an outcast from society. This makes Naaman’s journey into Israel a questionable idea from the start.

In the story, an Israelite slave girl tells Naaman about the prophet Elisha, living in Samaria, who has the God-given ability to heal him of his leprosy (2 Kings 5:2-3). Naaman, therefore, goes to his king and requests to go and see this prophet. The king, however, sends Naaman with a letter to the king of Israel instead, asking him to heal Naaman (2 Kings 5:4-5). At this, the king of Israel goes into a rage. This letter asks him to do the impossible. Rather than looking to his God for the miracle, he tears his clothes and makes a public showing that his kingdom is intentionally being set up for an attack by the king of Syria (2 Kings 5:7).

Elisha hears what happened and sends a note to the king for Naaman to be sent to him, seemingly promising to heal him (2 Kings 5:8). Naaman goes, but instead of meeting Elisha, he is greeted by a messenger who tells him to dip himself in the Jordan river seven times, and he will be healed (2 Kings 5:9-10). Instead of rejoicing in the news that he will be healed, Naaman throws a fit. “Does this prophet know who I am,” he seems to ask. “And are not the rivers back in Syria much better than the Jordan.” Naaman, feeling that his own personal status has been attacked because the prophet wouldn’t look him in the eye, and had sent a messenger telling him to do some detestable thing, ignores the message and starts to return home (2 Kings 5:11-12).

Fortunately for Naaman, there are men with him who did not share his level of pride, and they press him to “do this simple thing.” Naaman does and is immediately healed from his leprosy (2 Kings 5:13-14). He returns to Elisha’s house bearing gifts of silver and gold and many new clothes, but Elisha refuses to accept them (2 Kings 5:15-16). Naaman then takes some dirt from Israel home with him and vows never to worship any god but the God of Elisha (2 Kings 5:17). He then makes this request: “Please forgive me, because when I return home, I must go into the temple with the king, and as he bows to worship, I will bow also.” Elisha sends him away in peace (2 Kings 5:18-19).

Shortly after Naaman is gone, Elisha’s servant, a man named Gehazi, decides that Elisha had made a great mistake by not taking the gifts. He goes after Naaman, makes up a story as to why Elisha had changed his mind, returns with the gifts and hides them for himself (2 Kings 5:20-24). The problem for Gehazi is that his boss is a prophet, and God had shown Elisha exactly what went down (2 Kings 5:25-26). Elisha then tells Gehazi that his punishment for what he had done is that from now on, he and his children would carry Naaman’s leprosy (2 Kings 5:27).

Each Man Had His Idols

As I studied this story out, thinking about heart-idols, each of the four characters caught my attention because of where they focused their attention, to build and maintain their identity.

The Idol of Power and Success

The first character is the King of Israel. He is the king of God’s people. He knew the stories of how God had delivered them over and over again. He knew the law and the promise of God. Yet, when time came to look to God, he doesn’t. He instead laments that his Kingship is being threatened.

For the king, his identity comes through his success as a leader and his ability to maintain peace. When it seems that may be taken away, the King cannot handle it. His relationship with God is hurt by his desire for power and success. This was his idol.

The Idol of Wealth

The second character that sticks out to me is Gehazi. He is a prophet and had served under the leadership of Israel’s greatest prophet for some time. He wasn’t even the “lead pastor” in their ministry. Anyone in full-time ministry knows that it is safe to assume his pay isn’t that great.

Unfortunately, when the opportunity to get rich quick comes his way, Gehazi throws everything he has away. His mind is angry about Elisha’s wasted financial opportunity. His eyes are fixed on the treasure walking away. Yet as his heart becomes consumed with getting the money, his relationship with God is hurt by his greed. Wealth was his idol.

The Idol of Social Status

The third character, and the one that stands out so prominently to me, is Naaman himself.

Naaman has attained great social status in Syria. He is friends with the King, and can do or have anything he wants. He is a national hero. A celebrity of sorts. When he comes to Israel, he is offended when the King can’t give him what he wants, and then the prophet refuses to even see him face to face. This is one of those “do you know who I am” moments.

Still, God does an awesome work in his life, to the point that Naaman vows to never worship any other god. The one thing Naaman refuses to do, however, is to live that out in front of others in such a way that it might remove him from among the elites in Syria.

It is clear that he has no intention of letting his newfound ‘love’ for God get in the way of his social status. He will go through all the motions necessary to maintain his friendship with the King and his celebrity status in Syria, even if it means making the appearance of worship in the temples of Syria’s false gods. Naaman’s relationship with God is hurt by his idolization of social status.

True Worship Overpowers Idolatry

The final character in the story is, of course, Elisha the prophet.

Elisha has a history of committing himself to his relationship with God. He spends time in fellowship with the Lord, and his life exemplifies that, no matter what anyone thinks.

Elisha could have publicly embarrassed the King of Israel by making a show of what he could do. His own “power” was greater than the king’s.

He could have made a great friend of Naaman, the commander of the army of Israel’s enemy, and never worried about an attack on himself. This could have opened the door to nations and Kingdoms, and all the fame that comes with it.

Elisha could have used what God was doing through him to, televangelist style, make a name for himself and get very very rich, even greater than what Gehazi could have imagined.

However, through it all, Elisha cared more about his relationship with God, than he did for money, success, or status. His worship of the Lord trumped all the allure of these false idols in the hearts of other men.

Where are Our Hearts?

Just as all of these men had made decisions regarding what they would pursue above all else, the challenge for our lives comes when we, too, have to make the decision of who or what we will love more – our creator, God, or the stuff He created.

The truth is there is nothing wrong with success, or money, or status, so long as you can still fully submit yourself to God. But if those things hinder your relationship with Him, they have become idols of your heart, and need to be destroyed. That is the lesson Gehazi learned the hard way. What is it going to take for us to learn it ourselves?

So, sincerely, I want to encourage you. What is your highest pursuit right now? Maybe its one of these three things, or maybe its something else completely. If it isn’t the Lord, then the truth is your life is heading the wrong way, and only by returning to Him for relationship will turn it around!

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Photo by Gary Meulemans on Unsplash

(An earlier version of this article was first published February 24, 2011, which has been revised and edited for this post.)

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June 28 2021

Exposing Ministry Idols

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Spiritual Warfare Bible, Gospel, Jesus, ministry leadership 0

We are currently on another lockdown in Uganda; one which caught most of us off guard when the announcement was made. While we cannot drive personal vehicles, use public transportation, or cross district borders in an attempt to curb the rise of the India-strain of this pandemic, the biggest hit we are taking is that churches, once again, cannot meet together for worship and preaching.

Reactions to this cross a broad spectrum of opinions, which I do not intend to add to in this post. Rather, what I have observed in myself and others over the past few weeks is that our personal responses to these lockdowns are often not “Christian” at all. In fact, what I am discovering is that for many, our reactions are actually revealing the idols of our hearts, rather than drawing us closer to the Lord in intimacy.

Idol Worship in the Old Testament

When we read through the Old Testament, and look at the nation of Israel, we see a lot of idol-worship taking place. What I find interesting about their idol worship was that it was often a slow turning from the Lord toward the false gods and cultural idols of other nations. Idol worship was not normally a momentary decision. It was the slow introduction of false worship through personal compromise and willful participation.

As I am currently reading through the book of Jeremiah, I am struck by images the Lord gives to discuss the infection of idolatry in the nation.

“How can you say, ‘I am not unclean, I have not gone after the Baals’? Look at your way in the valley; know what you have done— a restless young camel running here and there, a wild donkey used to the wilderness, in her heat sniffing the wind! Who can restrain her lust? None who seek her need weary themselves; in her month they will find her. Keep your feet from going unshod and your throat from thirst. But you said, ‘It is hopeless, for I have loved foreigners, and after them I will go.’”
Jeremiah 2:23-25

The Lord goes on to say,

“(They) say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’ and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’ For they have turned their back to me, and not their face. But in the time of their trouble they say, ‘Arise and save us!’ But where are your gods that you made for yourself? Let them arise, if they can save you, in your time of trouble; for as many as your cities are your gods, O Judah.”
Jeremiah 2:27–28

It is clear that the children of Israel had not forgotten God. They still discuss themselves as being “clean,” which is to reference the moral law of God. Though they were mistaken, they still believed they were living faithful.

When times got rough, the people would cry out to God for salvation, likely recalling the stories of Exodus and how He delivered the land to them from the pagan nations.

Still, though they gave lip-service to God, their hearts, minds, and pursuits were not toward Him. Their daily lives were full of selfish pursuits and the worship of things which are not God.

Idol Worship in the New Testament

Although most of us today want to pretend that Christian believers are different than those foolish people in the Old Testament, and that our own hearts are much more clean before the Lord, the truth is idol worship was just as prevalent among believers after the cross, as it was before the cross.

Writing to believers in Rome, Paul gives a warning against idolatry.

“For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”
Romans 1:21-25

What I find most interesting about idolatry in both the Old and New Testament is that God goes out of His way to show that the things being worshipped are created by men and in the image of men. (See Leviticus 19:4; Psalm 115:4-8; Jeremiah 3:9; Acts 19:24-25). Idolatry is, at its core, worship of ourselves and the works of our hands. As Habakkuk clearly states:

“What profit is an idol when its maker has shaped it, a metal image, a teacher of lies? For its maker trusts in his own creation when he makes speechless idols!”
Habakkuk 2:18

Idol Worship Today

Now, I hear what you’re already thinking. “I don’t worship wood and stone idols.” Which is true of most of the modernized world (though I have been in many indigenous cultures around the world who still used idols and tokens as part of their tribal worship). The problem is that although the modern age has left behind the worship of sticks and stones, we still have not shed the heart which worships our own accomplishments and the work of our hands.

As someone in ministry who is once again in a season where the work of ministry is extremely limited, the Lord is revealing this sort of idolatry in myself and others around me. It is a call to repent — a call no different than those given by Jeremiah, Habakkuk, or the Apostle Paul! The question is, will we hear the call, or will we – like the nation of Israel – declare ourselves clean, and continue on ignoring what God wants to do in and through us?

Exposing Ministry Idols

It is obvious that the heart of Christianity is relationship with the Lord. After all, when Jesus revealed Himself it was as Emmanuel — “God with us.” John writes very eloquently about His appearing in the world as “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). Paul writes how Jesus, though He was God, emptied Himself and took on flesh and lived among us in order to die for us (Philippians 2:5-8). The author of Hebrews calls Him our High Priest who was tempted in every way, just as we are, so that He can sympathize with our weakness (Hebrews 4:15). Jesus was God with us, in relationship with mankind, in order to redeem us to Himself for eternity.

When Jesus went away, His plan was that our intimacy with Him would go deeper! So deep, in fact, that He said it was better for Him to go away, so that the Holy Spirit would come and live inside of us (John 16:7). He would come to speak to us, and guide us in everything Jesus directs Him to say to us (John 16:13).

The problem is that although we are meant to live in relationship with Him, our hearts are continually diverted to worshipping the things of God, rather than God Himself. In His grace, the Lord wants to expose the idols of our hearts, so that we can return to Him completely!

1. The Idol of Ministry

I love ministry! I love preaching and teaching. I love training and equipping leaders. I love helping people discover their ministry gifts and praying for impartation. I love seeing people get saved, healed, and set free from demonic torments. The privilege of ministry work is awesome, and I wouldn’t trade the life I get to live for anything. However, the danger of my life is that I would begin to worship the ministry itself, rather than worshipping the Lord through my ministry.

The idol of ministry rears its head whenever we get more focused on doing the works of ministry rather than keeping our focus on the One we are called to minister for.

See, for a minister, doing the work of ministry is not actually our calling by God! Our lives are supposed to be oriented toward what God is doing, and how we can partner with Him, rather than what we can do for Him.

Doing the ministry is secondary. Being with Him is supposed to be our highest goal.

This idol of ministry gets exposed when we are limited in our ability to do the ministry (as in this lockdown season). Rather than simply resting in God’s presence and listening for His voice in how to respond, we immediately begin to complain, fight, or even to struggle with anxiety and depression. We excuse it by declaring that we are just zealous for the work of the Lord, but the truth is, deep in our hearts, we are struggling because our idol has been taken away from us.

It is a dangerous place when we begin to worship our service to the Lord instead of worshipping Him alone, yet it is a very real temptation. We must be aware of it, and we must be ready to repent as soon as it becomes evident.

2. The Idol of Blessing

For many of us, ministry itself is not the idol we are tempted to worship. Instead, it is the blessings which come from the Lord that capture our hearts and minds. I see this over and over again when people spend their Christian lives seeking the next blessing, the next breakthrough, or the next mantle and anointing.

While these things definitely come from the Lord, the danger is that we begin to seek Him only to receive from Him, rather than simply to receive Him.

I believe this idol, for many, actually stems from their initial salvation experience. Too often people are told, “if you put your faith in Jesus, you will go to heaven when you die.” The salvation exchange takes place, simply to receive a reward from Jesus (heaven), rather than to receive Jesus Himself.

He is the true blessing of our salvation. When we get saved, we get Him! When we go to heaven, it is to spend eternity with Him. Our focus won’t be on the pearly gates or streets of gold. He is the central focus of eternity!

“I Just Want Your Stuff”

This is the message of Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11-32. In that story, the younger son demands his inheritance from the father. Simply stated, the young man says, “I wish you were dead. I don’t want you, old man. I just want your stuff.”

After some time of licentious living, the young man once again begins to look to his old father as a means of “blessing,” though he knows he is no longer worthy to be called a son. Instead, he returns to become a servant. Still not looking for relationship, he rehearses his speech, looking how to get material gain from his dad. However, the father is not worried about the stuff. Instead, he is thankful to have his son back. He throws a party to celebrate. The moral of the story is that we sinners need to come to God for relationship, not blessing.

However, there is another character in the story; one not representing the sinner, but representing the religious people in the crowd — the older brother. When he draws near and hears the party going on, he refuses to come inside. In his anger toward what is happening, he shouts at his father, “I have been here with you the whole time, serving you in every way you asked, and you never even gave me a goat to celebrate with my friends.”

Though the hearts of the two brothers were different – one a rebel and one obedient – their goal was the same. They wanted the father’s stuff; not the father himself!

While this happens with regular believers all-too-often, there is a danger for those of us in ministry, who, like the older brother, are only serving the Lord while looking for a blessing.

This is idolatry — worshipping the things of God rather than God — and we must repent when God reveals it in our hearts.

3. The Idol of Esteem

A third idol I am seeing exposed in this season is the idol of esteem. As churches cannot meet and ministers must sit down out of the public eye, the idol of public recognition is getting exposed.

This is a topic I have dealt with many times before, yet one that I am sensing now, in bigger ways.

What is happening is that many ministers who have spent years “making a name for themselves,” are now being overlooked. Pastor and Apostle are not “essential services” and therefore not being exempted from government restrictions. The temptation to declare, “do you know who I am?” is looming on the lips of many (and I am even hearing stories of pastors using their titles and status to get sympathy from police when they are not following the mandated protocols.)

The truth is that being a minister of the Gospel does not make you special or important, above anyone else. Instead, you are called to go to the lower place, as a servant of all. In fact, when Paul spoke of his apostleship, he used words like “dead,” “weak,” “fools,” and as those in “disrepute” (1 Corinthians 4:9-10).

He never spoke of his ministry as a means of attaining celebrity status or of having special privileges, yet that is the growing trend and expected outcome for many who serve in ministry today.

Serving the Lord is not intended to make you famous. It is meant to make Jesus famous! Just as John the baptizer said, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30).

When ministry becomes about our own fame and recognition, we are actually worshipping ourselves at the Lord’s expense, and we must repent. We must humble ourselves so that He can be lifted up in our hearts and lives.

Repenting of our Idols

The truth is that all of us deal with idolatry in one way or another. It usually begins unintentionally, with just a small amount of compromise. Yet as it takes hold in our hearts, it grows, often without our realizing the slippery slope we are going down.

It is God’s grace to expose our idols. It is His grace which draws us back to worshipping Him alone. However, it is one of the hardest things to do to lay down our habits and our ingrained mindsets, openly admit that we have been wrong all along, and return to Him. The embarrassment and shame that can come from this kind of confession is, unfortunately, enough to keep many people living in their sin. It seems easier, and is definitely more comfortable.

However, the call to repentance is the same call which brought us to Christ in the first place. A call to die. A call to lay down everything, take up our cross, and follow Him. As always, He will be our reward when we do, and it is so worth it to have Him, only and fully.

I encourage you, do a heart check today, and let’s lay down all the idols we have built in our lives and ministries.

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April 27 2021

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Bible, Church, heal the sick, Healing, Kingdom of God, Mission Trips, Missions, Missions Opportunities 0

Last week we looked at the “apostolic” mission of the church, which, simply stated is this: Jesus conquered sin, death, and the devil (Colossians 2:15) and reclaimed all authority over the earth (Matthew 28:18). It is now the job of the church to announce that there is a new King on the throne and to bring the culture of this new kingdom into the world.

In this post, we will look at exactly how that mission was passed from Jesus, to His first disciples, and carried by the church throughout every generation.

Obedience to Jesus’ Commands

In our previous look at the word “apostle” in the Greek language, we looked at one definition that said being an apostle “signified not merely a messenger but a delegate, bearing a commission, and, so far as his commission extended, wielding his commissioner’s authority.”¹

It is with this in mind I want us to look at Jesus’ first commissioning of His disciples with an apostolic assignment.

Luke’s gospel does not give much clarification on what the word “apostle” meant. He assumes that the reader would understand the cultural implications.

In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God. And when day came, he called his disciples and chose from them twelve, whom he named apostles…
^{Luke 6:12-13}

In similar fashion, Matthew discusses the authority Jesus gave to the disciples to do the work, then passively refers to them as “apostles,” without directly saying Jesus used the word.

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles are these…
^{Matthew 10:1-2}

It seems as though the commissioning with authority assumed the word apostle. However, when we read Mark’s gospel, it brings it all together.

And he went up on the mountain and called to him those whom he desired, and they came to him. And he appointed twelve (whom he also named apostles) so that they might be with him and he might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons.
^{Mark 3:13-15}

Jesus called the twelve, naming them “apostles” and gave them a two-part assignment.

Assignment 1: To Be With Jesus

The first thing expected of these disciple-apostles was that they would be with Jesus, learning from Him how to live in His Kingdom as well as how to demonstrate it when they would go out from Him.

Following the Jewish tradition of a rabbi and his disciples, it was understood that these twelve men would follow Jesus closely, learning from Him how to live under God’s law. Now, however, this law would not simply be the law of Moses, but the law of the Spirit (see Romans 8:2 and 2 Corinthians 3:4-18).

In Jesus, they would learn the ways of heaven, and what it means to live under His Kingship as citizens of this new reality. They would hear His teachings, for sure. More than that, however, they would be with Him in the secret moments, watching Him pray, learning how to hear God speaking, and seeing His obedience, even unto death.

This private relationship was key to their ability to publicly represent Him effectively.

Assignment 2: To Be Sent Out By Jesus to Preach and Have Authority

Once the disciples had learned key lessons, Jesus would then send them out to do the ministry themselves. Their assignment was to proclaim the gospel in word and in demonstrations of power. They were to heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead back to life (Matthew 10:5-11, Mark 9:1). And they did!

Not only did they have the commissioning to go, but they carried the authority of heaven to fulfill this assignment.

The Commission Expands

Later, after the 12 had effectively begun fulfilling their apostolic assignment, Jesus expands this commissioning to other disciples who were close with Him. In Luke 10, He sends out 72 other disciples with the same responsibility of preaching the Gospel and performing signs of the Kingdom’s authority among the people.

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. And he said to them, “…Heal the sick in (the town) and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’”
^{Luke 10:1-2, 8-9 (emphasis mine)}

Once again, they did! The went out preaching, healing the sick, and casting out demons, just as Jesus had taught them to do.

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
^{Luke 10:17-20}

Satan Fell Like Lightening

I believe that when Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven,” He was not talking about in ancient times. I fully believe Jesus was telling them, I have been watching what is happening in the unseen world and as you were casting out demons, I have been watching “the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12)” lose their power over the cities you were in. As the disciples went out, the devil’s strongholds were being destroyed.

However, Jesus tells them not to rejoice that these spirits have come under their authority. While that is amazing, it is not the most amazing thing. He tells them that their rejoicing should be that their citizenship has been transferred from the devil’s kingdom into heaven’s!

The command on all the disciples, beyond just the 12 apostles, was to represent God’s Kingdom in this world.

Jesus’ Multiplying Commission

After training up His disciple-apostles and establishing them, then dying on the cross to bring the final victory over Satan and his demons, Jesus gives the Great Commission. This mandate is that the disciples — the citizens of His Kingdom — are to continue preaching, working in power, bringing the culture of heaven to earth, and raising up future generations of disciples who will all obey the same commands Jesus had given to them (see Matthew 28:18-20 and Mark 16:15-18).

Jesus’ great commission is a multiplying commission. He had conquered the devil and taken authority over the earth. Now the world must hear this gospel!

The Two-Part Mission Is The Same

When Jesus commissioned the disciples, the (perceived) downside was that Jesus would no longer be with them. He was leaving. However, He made a promise to them that He would send His Spirit to live in each one of them. This infilling of the Spirit would actually make intimacy with Him easier and deeper than before. This is why He told them it was “better” for them that He leaves (John 16:7)!

Since the first part of the mission is to “be with Him,” Jesus instructed them to wait for the Holy Spirit to come.

And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”
^{Acts 1:4-5}

They would not be able to fulfill the apostolic mission without intimacy and clear guidance from the King.

Once the Holy Spirit came, however, part 2 of the mission would commence, and their being sent out would be immediate and massive!

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
^{Acts 1:8}

On the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon them, they immediately took to the streets, declaring the gospel, and reaping the harvest of heaven. The story begins by saying:

When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language.
^{Acts 2:1-6}

After a lengthy sermon by Peter, the story ends by saying:

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.” So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
^{Acts 2:37-41}

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

As the early disciples took the gospel to the world, there was a massive expansion of God’s kingdom on earth. They went out, being led by the Holy Spirit, preaching the gospel everywhere, with signs and wonders following them (Mark 16:20).

Jesus prophesied over the 12 apostles that as the church moved forward, revealing Christ’s Kingdom to those He died to liberate, the devil’s ability to defend himself would be useless.

…I will build my church, and the gates (defenses) of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
^{Matthew 16:18-19}

Through the mission and spread of the early church, every corner of the Roman empire (and beyond) heard the gospel and experienced heaven’s reality.

Paul writes to the Corinthian church:

For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.
^{1 Corinthians 2:2–5}

He writes to the Thessalonians:

…our gospel came to you not only in word, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction. You know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.
^{1 Thessalonians 1:5}

The actual experience of heaven was central to the early church’s proclamation of the Gospel. In fact, Paul said “the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power” (1 Corinthians 4:20). An apostolic commission requires the messenger carries authority of the sender. If there is no power behind the message, then why believe the messenger?

We Carry Heaven

With all of this as the foundation of our faith, then the realization must come to us that those early disciples and apostles are long-gone. They laid down their lives to see the gospel of the kingdom come across the whole earth. Some of them went out of this world as victors, some as martyrs, yet in either case their dedication to their King was unquestioned.

Now, however, the commissioning comes upon us. It is our time on history’s stage, and we have a job to do.

Major parts of the world have yet to hear that the devil has been defeated and that there is a new King. They don’t know they have been liberated from sin and death. They haven’t experienced the Father’s love or felt heaven’s touch on their lives.

It is our turn to take up the mantle and the mission and go.

It is your calling to go and preach the gospel. It is your time to live in intimacy with the Holy Spirit of God, hearing His voice, and obeying His direction. It is your work to heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead.

It is the job of the church:

…to preach to the [lost world] the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him.
^{Ephesians 3:8–12}

It is our job to be the ones who bring heaven to earth in our generation, so that the mission of Kingdom expansion continues!

No More Excuses

When I first became a Christian, I was raised in a stream of Christianity that denies God’s power is for today. I was taught a doctrine called cessationism and believed it very strongly. However, as time went on, both the Word of God and the grace of the Holy Spirit revealed this doctrine to be wrong. Still, in sensitivity, I would keep my “charismatic” beliefs hidden for fear of offending the “unbelieving” believers around me. I am fully convinced, however, this was sinful on my part.

Our job is to obey every command that Jesus gave to the first disciples, and any excuses we may have to keep the word or the power of God hidden is sin. It doesn’t matter what the cost, King Jesus is worth it! It is time to abide in Him in intimacy, and become a living display of heaven to the world. No excuses. No cowardice. No shrinking back.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses (listed in Hebrews 11; who have gone before us in the faith), let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
^{Hebrews 12:1-2 (emphasis mine)}

Let’s do this, together. Jesus said we can, and so we must.

Need an Opportunity?

I know this series of posts has been challenging to some people’s life of faith. Although many of you agree with the theology I am writing, you still struggle with the practical, real-life application. The truth is, there is only so much you can learn by reading. You must step out and try it for yourself.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to say I would love to help you grow in practical ways. Our ministry, based in east Africa, is always open to take ministry team members on short-term (and longer-term) trips, where we will train you to practically do the things I am teaching here. We will pray for activation and impartation, and give you opportunity to preach, pray for the sick, learn to do deliverance ministry and more. You can find out more about these opportunities here, or contact me directly to plan a personal or church-group mission trip to visit us in Uganda.

Let’s Connect

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Footnotes

¹James Hastings et al., “Dictionary of the Bible” (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1909), 44.

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April 21 2021

Kingdom Ambassadors

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God culture of heaven, devil, Gospel, Great commission, Healing, Jesus, kingdom of darkness 0

Last week we looked at Jesus’ absolute and unconditional victory over the devil as He went to the cross. The gospel — victory message — of His Kingdom has come! The devil is defeated. Jesus is King!

When Jesus finished His time on earth, before ascending to Heaven to take His throne over all creation, He made the announcement that “all authority in heaven and earth” belong to Him (Matthew 28:18). The problem, however, is that there are people on the earth who have not heard of Jesus’ victory, nor do they recognize His rule in the world, and therefore their lives remain unchanged by His grace. Jesus’ victory is undeniable, yet the world is unaware. What can be done?

The Great Commission

Of course, most Christians are familiar with Jesus’ words in Matthew 28:18-20; the passage known as “the Great Commission.”

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

The last thing Jesus did before His ascension was to send His followers out as ambassadors of this Kingdom He had come to establish. He had conquered sin, death and the devil, and taken the authority over the nations; now it was their job to be the heralds of this gospel. What did this job entail, though?

Is this commission simply to call people to put faith in Jesus and be saved? Is it only to bring sinners to repentance so that when they die they go to heaven?

I believe the answer is no! This calling involves so much more than just creating converts to the Christian faith. This commissioning was to fully bring the culture of Jesus’ kingdom into the world, to all those He had liberated from the devil’s control.

To get a full picture of Jesus’ intent, however, we must once again take a look at the Greek culture in which Jesus lived, to see the metaphors He used to lay out His plan.

Empires and Conquest

Beginning with Alexander the Great, the Greek empire set a pattern for conquest which would be followed for centuries, by many succeeding empires. Considered one of the greatest conquerors in all of history, Alexander built the largest empire the world had ever seen, up to that time. As his empire grew, however, he did not just seek power for himself, but uniformity among the people under his rule. He would gain power by military conquest, but he would achieve this uniformity through massive cultural transformation.

As Alexander’s empire grew, he would bring a unity throughout the territories he controlled by not only installing a new legal system, but also instilling a new cultural identity as Greeks into the people. Through cultural diffusion, in which conquered people were scattered throughout the empire, and syncretism, in which each people groups beliefs and practices were assimilated and blended, Alexander sought to destroy any previous cultural identity in the people, and to fully establish a unified Greek culture. (This system of cultural transformation was continued and perfected by the Romans through “hellenization.”)

According to wikipedia, the “Greek cultural influence and power reached the peak of its geographical expansion, being dominant in the Mediterranean world and most of West and Central Asia, even in parts of the Indian subcontinent, experiencing prosperity and progress in the arts, astrology, exploration, literature, theatre, architecture, music, mathematics, philosophy, and science¹.”

Greek Culture-Bearers

This conquest and hellenization of surrounding Kingdoms was a two-part strategy for Alexander and future Greek and Roman emperors.

First, the military conquest would ensue. The Greek army would set off each spring and go to battle against the neighboring countries; conquering, pillaging, and dethroning the Kings of those nations (as we discussed last week). The emperor or later, the caesar would be declared King of the defeated territory, and His legal rule would be established.

However, as the military would move on to battle the next kingdom to be overtaken, Alexander would engage part two of the strategy. Another military commander would be dispatched as a cultural emissary to convert the conquered kingdom to the Greek way of life². This “apostolos” or “apostle” would be sent with a delegation of culture-bearers (also called “apostolos” or “apostles”), who’s job was to transform the conquered kingdom to now look Greek.

The delegation would have military leaders, sure, but more importantly it would consist of lawyers, architects, educators, artists, poets, fashion designers, philosophers, entertainers, and more. Their commission from the emperor was simply this: “I have conquered that kingdom, now go transform it to look like my kingdom.”

As Walt Pilcher writes,

“Apostle” was a military term used by both the Greeks and the Romans to refer to an ambassador sent from the government of a conquering country to the conquered country. It was the apostle’s job to change the culture of the conquered country so that it resembled his own so that when the conquering ruler visited he would feel at home.
^{Walt Pilcher, “The Five-Fold Effect” (Bloomington, IN: WestBow Press, 2013), 40-41}

Apostolos

Before we get too far, I need to take a moment to give some background on this word, “apostolos,” as it is a widely debated term. According to Harper’s Bible dictionary, “apostle” is

the English transliteration of a Greek word meaning ‘one who is sent out.’ An apostle is a personal messenger or envoy, commissioned to transmit the message or otherwise carry out the instructions of the commissioning agent.
^{Paul J. Achtemeier, Harper & Row and Society of Biblical Literature, “Harper’s Bible Dictionary” (San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1985), 40.}

Based on this definition, we might say simply that a Greek apostle would simply be an ambassador for the emperor, which would be true. Yet the term is still a bit tricky.

In early Greek usage, the word apostolos did not signify a person. Rather, it was a general word that simply translated as: “to send with a particular purpose³.” There were other, more common Greek words meaning “to send,” but this word implied an intentional commissioning or specific purpose inherent in the sending.

The earliest usages of ‘apostolos’ referenced an official letter or cargo being shipped. Eventually, it was applied to a royal cargo manifest, listing all the sent items aboard a ship.

In later usage, however, the term began to be used to identify the military official given oversight of the sending operation. At times, he would be in charge of seeing that letters or items fulfilled their intended purposes. Other times, the military leader himself would be the one sent out, carrying a one-man ambassadorial assignment or being placed in charge of special delegations of people, or even entire fleets of ships, being sent as emissaries to represent the king⁴.

This usage, meaning an ambassador or emissary delegation, is that which would be used by Alexander and future emperors as they sent out their apostolos to bring Greek (and Roman) culture to the conquered nations under their rule.

This ambassadorial usage would also be the understanding and intent used by Jesus and the New Testament writers.

Apostles in the New Testament

By the time Jesus lived on the earth, most secular Greek writers had ceased to use the word. However, in Israel, in the Jewish culture, the Greek word was still being used.

According to some scholars it was viewed as an equivalent to the Hebrew word, “saliah” — “an accredited representative of religious authority, entrusted with messages and money and empowered to act on behalf of the authority⁵.” (A direct link between the Hebrew and Greek words is disputed, though a loose connection in semantic usages is obvious.)

According to one Bible dictionary, when the Hebrew culture began to use the word apostolos, it meant “one commissioned” and

signified not merely a messenger but a delegate, bearing a commission, and, so far as his commission extended, wielding his commissioner’s authority. ‘The Apostle of any one,’ says the Talmud, ‘is even as the man himself by whom he is deputed.’
^{James Hastings et al., “Dictionary of the Bible” (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1909), 44.}

Therefore, when Jesus began to use the word “apostle,” it makes sense that it was with the Greek, “commissioned for cultural transformation “idea in mind.

This intent becomes clear when we look at His sending out of the first apostles and the assignment they carried:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction. The names of the twelve apostles (sent ones) are these…
^{Matthew 10:1-2 (emphasis mine)}

It goes on to say:

These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “…proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
^{Matthew 10:5-8 (emphasis mine)}

Heaven’s Culture Bearers

As we have seen before, when Jesus came to present the Kingdom of God, He revealed it in various ways. He proclaimed the kingdom publicly in His teachings. He explained the kingdom deeply, in private to the disciples with “ears to hear.” He demonstrated the kingdom with power by healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, and working all kinds of miracles. Then He taught His disciples to seek God’s Kingdom reality to come into this world, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

What Jesus was doing in all of this was training the disciples to understand Heaven’s culture, and to live their lives in the reality of this kingdom. Every time Jesus spoke about heaven, it was an invitation to enter into heaven’s kingdom, now.

Then, when Jesus commissioned the 12, He was giving them both the authority and the assignment to take the culture of heaven, which they had seen in Him, to the rest of the world! This is what it meant to be Jesus’ apostle. He had won the military victory over the devil’s kingdom of darkness. Now they were commissioned to bring the culture of His kingdom to the nations He now rules.

As one writer says,

An apostle [is] one who is called and sent by Christ to have the spiritual authority, character, gifts and abilities to successfully reach and establish people in Kingdom truth and order, especially through founding and overseeing local churches.
^{David Cannistraci, “Apostles and the Emerging Apostolic Movement” (Ventura, CA: Regal Books, 1996), p. 29. Quoted in C. Peter Wagner, “Apostles Today” (Ventura, CA: Regal, 2006).}

When the disciples went out preaching, healing, casting out demons, and doing other demonstrations of Jesus authority working through them, it was to reveal the culture of heaven and to invite people into this new reality as they come to serve Jesus as king! They would then gather the believers together as local churches (Greek ekklesia; a term for a legislative assembly), to further establish God’s kingdom on earth, together. (We might say that the gathering of the local church is to be an embassy of God’s kingdom in the midst of a territory yet to be converted.)

When Jesus later sent out another 72 disciples to do this apostolic work, the message behind every healing, deliverance, and miracle was, “The kingdom of God has come near to you” (Luke 10:9).

The Apostolic Mission of the Church

Jesus’ apostolic assignment did not end with the twelve apostles or an “apostolic age.” It also was not limited to those who saw Jesus face to face, as some have claimed. Far from it!

Remember, in the Greek culture, the military commander given charge by the king, as well the individuals being led by that commander were all called apostolos. In the same way, the great commission given by Jesus in Matthew 28 extends His apostolic commission beyond the twelve, to the church, throughout every subsequent generation⁶.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
^{Matthew 28:18-20}

It is as if Jesus told the disciples, “I have revealed heaven to you. It is your job to bring heaven’s reality to the world I now rule, but you won’t be able to do it alone. Equip others to do the same work I am assigning to you.”

As those original 12 raised up disciples and enlisted them into the kingdom work, the apostolic mission has advanced, and continued to this day.

We live in a world that belongs solely to King Jesus. The problem is that so many people are still living as though the devil remains on the throne. Salvation, righteousness and the reality of God’s kingdom are available to all, yet they have not yet seen it.

It was Jesus’ work to defeat the devil. It is our job to reveal this new King and His kingdom to those He came to liberate.

Their Commission is Our Commission

Back to our original questions: Is Jesus’ commission simply for us to call people to put faith in Jesus to be saved? Is it only to bring sinners to repentance so that when they die they go to heaven?

No! That only scratches the surface.

The assignment on the church is not just to get people into heaven when they die. It is to get heaven’s reality to all people, now.

Mark’s version of the Great Commission reads this way:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name (or “by my authority”) they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
Mark 16:15-18

In the same way as Jesus sent the apostles, we are to go, preach, heal the sick, deliver the oppressed, work miracles, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, care for the poor, raise the dead, etc., etc., etc. And as we go, we are to declare, “this is God’s kingdom and you are invited in!”

We have the privilege of being Kingdom Ambassadors.

We do not live on earth, waiting for heaven. We now live as citizens of heaven — under the rule of King Jesus and in the culture of His kingdom — bringing our reality to the world.

Let’s Connect

Footnotes

^{1: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellenistic_period}

^{2: According to John Eckhardt, “Before (the word apostle) found its way into our Bible, it was a secular term used by the Greeks and Romans to describe special envoys who were sent out for the purpose of expanding the dominion of the empire. May of these envoys were military generals with authority to go into new territories and fight, if necessary, to establish the Greek or Roman culture in that region. They were also responsible for teaching and training the new subjects in the laws and culture of the kingdom.” (Quoted from John Eckhardt, “Moving in the Apostolic” (Minneapolis: Chosen Books, 1999), 23.)}

^{3: A. F. Walls, “Apostle,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 58.}

^{4: “After Herodotus in the 5th century BC… it generally means ‘fleet’, or perhaps occasionally ‘admiral’.” (ibid, 58)}

^{5: ibid, 58}

^{6: As Pilcher writes, “In establishing His own apostles along with the other four of the five-fold ministries, Jesus created a self-replicating ambassadorship whose mission was, and is, to represent the Kingdom on Earth and to establish its culture here so that Jesus will recognize it as His when He returns for us, His church. To Him, it will look a lot like Heaven.” (Pilcher, The Five-Fold Effect. 41.)}

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April 13 2021

The Gospel of the Kingdom

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God 2 Corinthians 2:14, Bible, colossians 2:15, Gospel, Jesus, Jesus is king, Jesus is Messiah, Jesus' Gospel, kingdom of darkness, Kingdom of Heaven, the devil is defeated, triumphal procession, understanding the gospel 2

In the last post we saw how Jesus revealed and demonstrated that His new kingdom had come into the earth in His ministry. However, the final battle in the war between His kingdom and the kingdom of darkness was yet to take place. It would be Jesus’ death on the cross, burial, and resurrection from the dead that would seal His victory for all eternity. Although we have looked at the depth of His salvation (sozo) already, in this post, we will dig deeper into the “gospel of the Kingdom.”

What is a Gospel

Before the New Testament writers began using the word “gospel” – “evangelion” in the Greek – to discuss Jesus’ work on the cross, this word was widely used in Greek and Roman culture to describe a message of victory being reported from the battle field. When a military would achieve success over their enemy, a messenger would run to bring the “gospel” or “good news” of the victory back to the home country.

As the New Bible Dictionary says,

In classical literature the word designated the reward given for good tidings. It also indicated the message itself, originally the announcement of victory, but later applied to other messages bringing joy.
^{R. H. Mounce, “Gospel,” ed. D. R. W. Wood et al., New Bible Dictionary (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1996), 426. (Emphasis mine.)}

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

Jesus takes this same, culturally-understood idea, and declared the gospel of His own victory over the Kingdom of darkness. This gospel, or good news, is that Jesus went to war with the Kingdom of darkness and won the victory, and now that message is being proclaimed.

Although Jesus had already revealed His kingdom in word and deed, when He took the punishment for sin on His body and died in our place, He put the final seal on the devil’s destruction. The cross was the final blow to the devil’s kingdom, he was defeated.

Originally, it was through the sin of Adam that the devil took authority over the earth (Luke 4:5-6) and by which death entered the world (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:19). However, it was in the sinless life and atoning death of Christ that the reign of sin, death, and the devil came to an end. The means by which the devil gained His authority was reversed! The gospel of the Kingdom is that Jesus has defeated the devil, and is the undisputed victor in the invisible battle for the world!

More Than Human Salvation

I think the biggest misconception about the Gospel is that the “good news” is only about spiritual salvation in Jesus.

Yes, Jesus died to pay the price for our sins. That is foundational to the Gospel. However, that was just the first effect of a much larger plan. God’s goal was to completely undo the effects of the devil’s global power grab at the fall of man, and the cross of Christ achieved that goal. Just take a look at the military references made throughout the New Testament.

A King is Conquered

When the Roman army would go into enemy territory and defeat that kingdom’s army, they would then plunder the nation for all of it’s valuables, and make a spectacle of the defeated king before the people.

The Roman commanders would take the defeated king and remove all symbols of his authority from him: his crown, sword, scepter, royal robes, signate rings, etc. They would then strip the fallen king naked, bind him in chains, and lead him throughout his own defeated kingdom, in front of his people, shouting that he was no longer the king. “Caesar is king!” The people would then watch as their king, other surviving military and government leaders, and all the spoils of their land would be marched out of their cities, back to Rome.

The Apostle Paul, when writing about Jesus’ victory over the devil employs this same imagery. In Colossians 2:15 we read:

He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Jesus “disarmed the rulers and authorities.” That is talking about the devil and his demons. Jesus took down their defenses, removed their weapons, and stripped them of all power and authority. He then “put them to open shame,” meaning that Jesus didn’t quietly declare his victory over the devil. It means He bound him in chains, and led him about to become a spectacle for all to see. When the name of Jesus is proclaimed, the devil has no ability to withstand. He is a defeated enemy.

The verses right before make it clear that this work was accomplished, not just by Jesus’ performing miracles and living a righteous life. It was directly through His atonement for sin on the cross.

A Victory Parade

This same imagery is used by Paul in 2 Corinthians 2:14-26:

But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life…

The Greek word here for “triumphal procession” is the same as in Colossians for “triumphing over them.” Both of these verses are discussing the same victory parade, where the devil and his demons are put on display as being defeated enemies. Where Colossians seems to discuss the beginning of the parade, as the defeated king was removed from his own kingdom, 2 Corinthians seems to picture the end of the parade, when the victorious military commander would present the enemy and the spoils of war to the Roman people.

As Freeman and Chadwick write:

A Roman military triumphal procession was one of the grandest spectacles of ancient times. It was granted to a conqueror only when certain conditions had been fully complied with. Among these it was required that the victory be complete and decisive…and that it put an end to the war… When the day arrived the people crowded the streets and filled every place from which a good view of the procession could be obtained. The temples were all open and decorated with flowers, and incense was burned on every altar. Fragrant odors from burning spices were profusely scattered through the temples and along the streets, filling the air with perfume.
In the procession were the senate and chief citizens of the state, who by their presence honored the conqueror. The richest spoils of war—gold, silver, weapons of every description, standards, rare and costly works of art, and everything that was deemed most valuable by either conqueror or vanquished—were carried in open view in the procession. The general in whose honor the triumph was decreed rode in a chariot that was of peculiar form and drawn by four horses. His robe was embroidered with gold, and his tunic with flowers. In his right hand was a laurel bough, and in his left, a scepter. On his brow there was a wreath of Delphic laurel. Amid the shouts of the soldiers and the applause of the populace, the conqueror was carried through the streets to the temple of Jupiter, where sacrifices were offered, after which there was a public feast in the temple.
^{James M. Freeman and Harold J. Chadwick, Manners & Customs of the Bible (North Brunswick, NJ: Bridge-Logos Publishers, 1998), 541–542.}

Jesus is King

In these references to a victorious military parade, Paul pictures Jesus riding at the head, clothed with royal robes and carrying the scepter of victory. Behind him are the spoils of this war; that is us — we are His reward. We are the precious things Jesus has taken for Himself.

Behind us comes the enemy, the devil and all of his demonic generals, stripped of their authority and bound in his chains. He has lost his throne over the nations. He is no longer king of the world. Jesus is the King!

As we shout our praise of Jesus, and lift our worship to God, Paul says we are the “fragrance” of death and life. Just as the Romans would celebrate with flowers and incense, our praises become the smell of life to those who are submitted to Jesus as King, but they are the fragrance of death to those who stand with the devil in sin.

The Final Declaration of Victory

Now, some will argue that the devil is yet to be defeated. Clearly, much of the world is still surrounded in darkness, and sin still has the hearts of mankind. They want to say that the devil’s defeat on the cross of Christ was incomplete, and that we must wait for Jesus return in the future to finally finish the job.

To that I must quote from so many great theologians throughout history: “the devil is a liar!”

Jesus, after He rose from the dead and spent time instructing the disciples about the future of His Kingdom, gives the Great Commission, and He begins with these words:

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
^{Matthew 28:18a}

Jesus did not mince words or misspeak. He declared that his victory in the battle was final, and that He, now, has all the authority in creation. He has the authority in heaven, which was never lost to sin; and He has all the authority in the earth, which formerly belonged to the devil (see Luke 4:5-6).

The only problem we have now is that too much of the earth does not know their king has been defeated and that Jesus reigns. That is the rest of the final commission Jesus gave, and where we will turn our attention next week.

Let’s Connect

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March 26 2021

How Jesus Revealed His Kingdom

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Christian, Christian Life, deliverance, God's Kingdom, Gospel, gospel of the Kingdom, Jesus is God, Jesus is king, Kingdom of God, Kingdom of Heaven 1

When Jesus showed up on the earth, bringing His new kingdom into existence, it was evident that everything changed. The devil’s authority was overthrown (Colossians 2:15, Matthew 28:18). The penalty for the fall of man into sin was paid in full. There was now an offer to every person for salvation, healing, and deliverance, as we choose to follow this new King!

In this post, I want us to fix our attention on how Jesus revealed this new reality during His time on earth. This is especially necessary as there are many Christians who hold to a theological belief that, although Jesus launched His kingdom at His first coming, the benefits of this new kingdom cannot be experienced until His second coming. This view, however, twists or completely overlooks major portions of the gospel narrative! His kingdom is here, now, even if not yet fully realized. The question is not if we can experience it; but how much of His kingdom can we experience now, before He comes again?

Kingdom Revealed

The first thing Jesus did as He entered the public ministry, was to declare to Israel that the fulfillment of God’s promise of a new king — a Messiah — was coming to pass in front of their eyes.

According to Luke, after Jesus was baptized (Luke 3:21-22) he spent time in the wilderness overcoming the enemy’s temptations (Luke 4:1-13) and being empowered by the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14). Then, in His first act of ministry, He went into the synagogue at Nazareth and revealed Himself as the promised Messiah!

First, he stands up to read from the scriptures. He chooses to read one of the most well-known prophetic promises about the King-to-come from Isaiah 61:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
^{Luke 4:18-19}

He then puts away the scroll, and takes his seat to teach the congregation regarding the scripture. However, instead of giving an exegetical explanation of the passage, Jesus looks at the hopeful Jews and says, essentially, “Ta-da! I’m the one!” The bible says:

And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
^{Luke 4:20-21 (emphasis mine)}

For anyone who says, “Jesus never claimed to be God.” They are wrong. Over and over again, Jesus claims to be one with the Father, and the fulfillment of all the promises. For example, Jesus said:

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”
^{Matthew 5:17 (emphasis mine)}

He also said

…the Father who sent me has himself borne witness about me. His voice you have never heard, his form you have never seen, and you do not have his word abiding in you, for you do not believe the one whom he has sent. You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.
^{John 5:37-40 (emphasis mine)}

It is clear that Jesus revealed Himself as the King and Messiah of God.

Kingdom Proclaimed

From this first introduction as God’s coming King, Jesus proceeded to spend His entire earthly ministry proclaiming the good news of this new kingdom. Everywhere He went, this was His only message: the kingdom of God has come.

And he went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…
^{Matthew 4:23}

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom…
Matthew 9:35

Remember, a “gospel” is the “good news” concerning a victory which has taken place. The “good news” Jesus proclaimed, is that the Kingdom of God is here, now, replacing the kingdom of darkness which has reigned since the fall:

Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, “The kingdom of God is not coming in ways that can be observed, nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”
^{Luke 17:20-21 (emphasis mine)}

In other words, the kingdom of God is right here, within your reach. Don’t miss it!

Kingdom Explained

Beyond His public proclamations, we also see that in every teaching, Jesus had one central message: life in the kingdom of God.

He continually taught the disciples what life in the Kingdom looks like. The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5-7 has been called by some scholars, “the Kingdom manifesto,” because Jesus is demonstrating the cultural and lifestyle differences between His kingdom and the kingdoms of men.

In almost every parable, Jesus begins by saying, “the kingdom of God is like…” and “the kingdom of heaven is like…” Just read through Matthew 13 for a number of examples.

It was not enough for His disciples to know that the kingdom was present in Him. He wanted them to understand the new reality which they were being called to live in, themselves. They were being set free from the world’s rules and expectations, and must learn to see their lives through the eyes of God’s kingdom culture.

Up until His final teaching at the last supper, Jesus was explaining how life in His kingdom is different:

And he said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those in authority over them are called benefactors. But not so with you…”
^{Luke 22:25-26a}

Kingdom Demonstrated

Although the message of God’s kingdom was a continual theme in Jewish writings and teachings, in hearing it from Jesus, it was different. For the first time, the words being spoken came with authority and demonstrations of power to back them up!

Nicodemus, a Pharisee, testified to Jesus:

“Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
^{John 3:2 (emphasis mine)}

Returning to the verses already quoted above, not only did Jesus go around “proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom…” but they go on to say,

…proclaiming the gospel of the Kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction among the people.
^{Matthew 4:23}

…proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom and healing every disease and every affliction.
^{Matthew 9:35}

Matthew 8:16 says, “they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick.” Matthew 12:15 says that, “many followed him, and he healed them all.”

The point is that Jesus didn’t just do a few miracles, signs, and wonders. Everywhere He went He was healing the sick, casting out demons, and demonstrating God’s kingdom. The culture of His kingdom was different, and it was evident! In fact, responding to a challenge by the Pharisees, He declares that all of these signs prove the Kingdom of God is present!

…if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
^{Matthew 12:28}

In another place, He says that the physical manifestations also prove His ability to forgive sin, something only God can do (See Matthew 9:1-8)!

This is why the Apostle Paul, later declares,

For the kingdom realm of God comes with power, not simply impressive words.
^{1 Corinthians 4:20 (The Passion Translation)}

Kingdom Sought After

Jesus not only proclaimed the kingdom with word and demonstrated it with power in His own life; He also tells the disciples that their prayers should be seeking a greater demonstration of this power in the earth as a whole! When he taught them “the Lord’s prayer,” He instructs them to pray and ask God to manifest the Kingdom:

“Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
^{Matthew 6:10}

As long as we live in this world, our desire and prayers must be focused on His kingdom being manifested around us!

Kingdom Commissioned

Finally, after revealing, proclaiming, teaching, demonstrating, and telling the disciples to seek the kingdom, He commissioned His followers to join Him in bringing this kingdom to the world.

It began with the 12:

And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every affliction… These twelve Jesus sent out, instructing them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And proclaim as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying; give without pay.
^{Matthew 10:1, 5-8}

Later, the same commission was given to 72 other disciples:

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. (And He said to them) Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
^{Luke 10:1, 8-9}

As Jesus began to prepare for His departure from the earth, He made this incredible promise:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.
^{John 14:12 (emphasis mine)}

And in His final commission before His ascension, He commissioned the entire church, throughout future generations, to continue proclaiming and demonstrating the kingdom of God, until He returns.

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
^{Matthew 28:18-20 (emphasis mine)}

Mark’s gospel shares this same commission this way:

And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
^{Mark 16:15-18 (emphasis mine)}

And that is exactly what happened!

So then the Lord Jesus, after he had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them and confirmed the message by accompanying signs.
^{Mark 16:19-20 (emphasis mine)}

The Kingdom Is The Point

When we look at all that Jesus taught and did, it becomes clear that He had one mission while on earth, and that was to launch His kingdom among men, ushering us into the rule and reign of God.

As we will see in the next post, to limit Jesus’ gospel to simply the salvation of our souls at the end of time is a big mistake. His Kingdom came then, it is here now, and it will increase for all eternity (Isaiah 9:7). As believers, we must join Him on this mission of revealing His kingdom to the lost world, until the day He comes again (Matthew 24:14).

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March 16 2021

A New Kingdom

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Christian, deliverance, Healing 1

A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at how a new kingdom of darkness became the reality on the earth, after heaven’s departure at the fall of mankind. We saw that there was a new, innate identity in mankind – “sinner” – which had effects on all of creation, creating brokenness and bondage to the devil. However, as we will see today, all of that changed when Jesus showed up.

There were many prophecies regarding the Messiah who would come, bringing salvation to mankind. Last week, we looked at how Jesus fulfilled all of these prophetic pictures throughout the Old Testament, but what were the effects? It isn’t enough that He fulfilled prophecies, if there is not tangible evidence that anything changed.

The good news (gospel) is that Jesus brought a brand new reality into the world when He went to the cross. He pronounced that the Kingdom of God has come (Luke 17:20-21; Matthew 9:35), and demonstrated this Kingdom in miraculous ways.

God’s Plan for Restoration

All along, God’s people held to God’s promises to restore all things. Not only did He promise to renew the creation itself, but for people, God promised salvation, healing and deliverance. Just take a quick look at Psalm 103:

Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit…
^{Psalm 103:2-4 (emphasis mine)}

Yet as mankind was in bondage to sin, they struggled for generations to keep the faith and continue hoping for these promises to be fulfilled. However, when “the fullness of time” came, and Jesus made His appearance into the world, He established a new Kingdom which changed everything!

How did He do it? By restoring lost humanity to what we were before the fall!

Sozo

The Greek word for the salvation which Jesus brought into the world is “sozo” (or “sodezo,” depending on who is transliterating). It is used, in some grammatical variation, 192 times in the New Testament and is used in various ways to describe different aspects of salvation.

Salvation

In Mark 16:16 it says, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved (sozo)…” This is the same usage as when the angel prophesied to Joseph in Matthew 1:21, telling him, “[Mary] will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save (sozo) his people from their sins.” At the most basic level, “sozo” means salvation from sins.

Healing

In other places, however, “sozo” is translated to mean physical healing. In Mark 6:56, for example, it says, “And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or countryside, they laid the sick in the marketplaces and implored him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment. And as many as touched it were made well (sozo).” It is obvious, then, that sozo does not just have effect on the soul of man, to save us, but that Jesus’ salvation also carries with it the healing of our physical bodies!

Deliverance

Still, in other places, “sozo” is used to mean deliverance from bondage to demons. In Luke 8:35-36, for instance, after Jesus has cast out the legion of demons into a herd of pigs, the Bible says, “Then people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus and found the man from whom the demons had gone, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind, and they were afraid. And those who had seen it told them how the demon-possessed man had been healed (sozo).” Now, even though the English translators chose the word “healed” in this passage, this man was not sick. He was in bondage. Jesus’ salvation delivered this man from the power of the devil. “Sozo,” then, also means deliverance from the power and authority of the devil and His demons!

I could give many more examples where the biblical writers used the word “sozo,” but let’s just summarize by seeing what a Bible dictionary says about this little word:

Sozo means “save, rescue, deliver; keep safe, preserve; cure, make well.”
^{Barclay M. Newman Jr., A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament. (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft; United Bible Societies, 1993), 177.}

This is Complete Salvation

As human beings, we are made up of three distinct parts, which form our existence. We are a soul (psyche), living as a spirit, all contained within a physical body.

Your soul, at the most basic level, is you. It is your mind, will and emotions. When I say, “I am Scott,” I am speaking of my soul — the thing that makes me who I am. It is the soul of which Descartes said, “I think, therefore I am.” It is your soul that was transformed by sin, and which needs to be saved.

Your spirit, on the other hand, is the supernatural essence of your being. It is your spirit which was transferred into Satan’s custody through the fall into sin and rejection of God. Your spirit must be delivered from this bondage.

And your body, which is the physical (natural) aspect of your being, as it exists inside the creation, broken by the effects of sin and God’s curse, must be restored to health and wholeness.

To put it simply Jesus did not just die to save your soul. He died to save you completely! That is “sozo.” Let’s take a minute to look at how.

Mankind Redeemed

As we discussed before, although mankind was created in the image of God and appointed to represent Him as stewards over the creation, when we entered into sin, that image inside us was marred. Instead of “good” as God had created us, our very nature was changed and we were now “sinner.” However, Jesus’ greatest promise of salvation was that our sin could be forgiven and our hearts (psyche) could be restored back into alignment and fellowship with God. When Jesus saved our soul, our identity is changed!

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself…
^{2 Corinthians 5:17-18}

When Jesus died on the cross, there was an exchange that took place. Jesus took our sin into Himself (1 Peter 2:24), experienced our separation from God (Matthew 27:46), and bore the curse of death on our behalf (2 Corinthians 5:14-15). Then, as soon as we put our faith in Him, we receive His righteousness, imputed to us (2 Corinthians 5:21), as all the record of our sinful history is erased (Colossians 2:14). Not only is righteousness “imputed,” but grace is imparted to us to remain righteous moving forward (Romans 6:17-19).

In every way, Jesus saved us from our sins!

Deliverance from the Devil

As we have looked at before, when mankind sinned there was a transfer of authority that happened in the creation. In the beginning, God gave mankind the mandate to govern over creation. However, when we broke fellowship with Him through sin, our authority was transferred to the devil (Luke 4:5-7)! His kingdom of darkness consumed the creation, and we became his faithful citizens.

As we lived in sin, we were dominated by the king of sin. In the most literal sense we had been adopted into the devil’s family, which is why Jesus continually rebukes the faithless religious leaders by calling them “children of the devil” (see 1 John 3:8 and Matthew 13:38).

Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and I am here. I came not of my own accord, but he sent me. Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires.”
^{John 8:42-44}

However, when Jesus saved us from our sins, our identity changed, the Bible declares that the devil lost his rights to us!

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 1:12

He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
^{Colossians 1:13–14}

The Apostle Paul also talks about this transfer when he writes to the Ephesians. He begins by recalling the old life, lived in blind bondage to the devil:

And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
^{Ephesians 2:1-3 (emphasis mine)}

However, when Jesus saved us, all of that changed. Not only did He save us from our sins, but He spiritually removed us from the devil’s domain:

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus…
^{Ephesians 2:4-6 (emphasis mine)}

Just as our soul was saved and we were reconciled to God, our spirits are delivered from the power of the devil and are now hidden in Christ. As believers in Jesus’ gospel, we now live in a new Kingdom!

This is one of my favorite mysteries of the Gospel: that when Jesus saved us, His Spirit came to live inside of us, while our spirits have ascended to sit with Him in heaven. That is a current reality, not a future expectation! The gospels are full of stories of how Jesus delivered people from the grips of the demonic when He forgave sin and removed their authority. It is an inseparable part of His (sozo) salvation.

Healing for Brokenness

Finally, as Jesus forgave our sin and transferred us into His Kingdom reality, He brought healing to all the brokenness in our physical bodies. Since we still live in the midst of the broken world, it is true that some of His healing will not come until the final restoration of all things. However, as believers who pray like Jesus prayed (see Matthew 6:10), it should be our desire to see as much healing take place now as God wants to release!

Peter, quoting from Isaiah 53:5, declares:

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.
^{1 Peter 2:24}

Peter does not put this in the future tense. He says it is already your reality in Jesus! Just as He has already forgiven all of your sins; He has also purchased your complete healing by the marks on His physical body.

Repeatedly, everywhere Jesus went, He healed the sick. It was a physical manifestation of His (sozo) salvation, which we now share through faith in Him.

Jesus’ salvation for humanity covered us completely — body, soul, and spirit — as He saves, heals, and delivers those who believe in Him. In the next post, we will see how Jesus’ put these gifts of salvation on full display when He revealed His Kingdom to the world.

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March 9 2021

When Heaven Came Down

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life and Gospel Leadership, Gospel Leadership, Jesus & The Gospel, Kingdom of God Heaven, heaven came down, Is Jesus god?, Jesus & The Gospel, jesus christ, Jesus fulfilled prophecy, Jesus is God, Jesus is the messiah, messiah, prophecy fulfilled, Savior, son of God 2

Over the past few weeks, we have taken a close look at what happened when mankind fell into sin, the curse came upon creation, and heaven’s presence departed from the earth. We have seen the promise of heaven’s return, given through many pictures and metaphors, yet we have also seen the devastating reality of human life in the absence of heaven. However, 2000 years ago, in a moment unnoticed by almost all humanity, heaven returned to the earth, and since that day, nothing has been the same!

One of the biggest prayers in the Old Testament was “Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down” (Isaiah 64:1). As we will see, today, God did just that.

An Unlikely King

We all know the Christmas story; how the angel came to Mary and told her she would miraculously conceive a child, though she was a virgin. The angel told her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

This would not be the first son of a god in the world. There had been many before; men who had been born in great palaces, rulers of empires and conquerors of nations, who had taken that title for themselves. When Israel lived in Egypt, they served the Pharaoh, who would be called the son of Amun-Ra (the Egyptian creator-god). Later, the Jews would live in exile under the rule of Babylonian and Assyrian kings, who also took the title, “son of god” for themselves. Even at the moment of Mary’s conception, Israel was living under the authority of Caesar, who was declared the “son of god” and worshipped as divine throughout the Greco-Roman world.

Yet for the child born to Mary, this title was not self-proclaimed. Although He was not born in a palace or to a wealthy family, the testimony of His birth reveals His true nature. Not only did the angel appear to Mary, but on the day of Jesus’ birth, angelic choirs sang of His coming to the shepherds in the field (Luke 2:8-21). At his dedication in the temple, His identity was proclaimed by Simeon, through the Holy Spirit’s revelation (Luke 2:25-35), followed by the prophetic declarations of His arrival by the prophetess, Anna (Luke 2:36-40). If all of that was not enough, later, at His baptism in the Jordan River, the voice of God was heard by the crowds, “this is My beloved Son, in whom I AM well pleased” (see Luke 3:22).

Though many Kings had called themselves the “son of God,” this was different. God Himself was revealing His Son to the world, and giving Him the title of King!

Prophecies Fulfilled

As we discussed a couple of weeks ago, there were many prophetic pictures given, pointing to Heaven’s return. Though many of them were masked in mystery, the New Testament goes out of it’s way to show how Jesus fulfilled them all!

He Was the Seed of Abraham

We previously discussed how in Genesis 12:2-3 God promised Abraham a son, who would lead to a global blessing. This promise, however, was not fulfilled in Isaac, nor any of Abraham’s immediate descendants. Instead, it looked forward to Jesus, as the New Testament proclaims.

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ.
^{Galatians 3:16}

Jesus was the child of Abraham who would bless all nations.

He Was a Priest Like Melchizedek

From the days of Moses, the tribe of Levi was appointed to be the priests of the nation of Israel. This would create a problem for Jesus, who was to be born of the tribe of Judah, according to prophetic promises. However, God uses the Old Testament Priest, Melchizedek to point to Christ, who was not a priest according to the law, but according to the Spirit of God.

In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence. Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him, being designated by God a high priest after the order of Melchizedek.
^{Hebrews 5:7-10}

Although He was not a Levite, Jesus fulfilled God’s calling and design for a human priesthood, serving as mediator between God and man.

He Was God’s True Tabernacle and Temple

As we have already seen, God used various geographic locations as home to His presence among men. First, He dwelt in the Garden of Eden, where heaven literally dwelt on earth. Later, His presence came down and dwelt among Israel in the Tabernacle in the wilderness, then the Temple in Jerusalem. Yet, even these we imperfect pictures of what was to come in Christ.

Jesus made clear that His appearance marked a change in God’s relationship to humanity.

Luke writes in the book of Acts,

“Our fathers had the tent of witness in the wilderness, just as he who spoke to Moses directed him to make it, according to the pattern that he had seen. Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations that God drove out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, who found favor in the sight of God and asked to find a dwelling place for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who built a house for him. Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made by hands…
^{Acts 7:44-48 (emphasis mine)}

This is written to demonstrate that God had other plans for how to house His Spirit in the earth, and it all began with Jesus!

So the Jews said to him, “What sign do you show us for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.
^{John 2:18-22}

Jesus was the Temple for God’s Spirit — His presence and His glory — on the earth!

He was the Final Passover Lamb

Not only was Jesus God in the flesh, the Great High Priest and Promised King, but He was also given by God to be the ultimate sacrifice for humanity. Over and over again, all throughout the law and sacrificial system, God makes it clear that there must be a sacrifice to cover the sin of humanity and demonstrate their full faith in God.

Even Abraham prophetically declared to Isaac, when taking him to be sacrificed on the mountain, that “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son” (Genesis 22:8).

What we see when Jesus is killed on the cross over the passover weekend is that He truly was the Lamb of God, just as John the Baptist had spoken over Him in the wilderness (John 1:29). The night before He went to His death, He spoke to the disciples about this eternity-defining event:

And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”
^{Luke 22:14-20 (emphasis mine)}

He was Declared King and Messiah

As you read through all the Old Testament’s predictions about the One who is to Come, and then look at the life of Jesus, it is undeniable that He fulfilled them all. This was not only done in word, but His actions, which astonished both the crowds and the religious elite, proved that his was a sort of man, never seen before.

At one of His first public readings of scripture, Jesus declares Himself the Messiah:

And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up. And as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and he stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” And he rolled up the scroll and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. And he began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
^{Luke 4:16-21}

After revealing who He was, Jesus lived the life to prove it:

Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
^{Matthew 11:2-5}

Heaven Has Returned

In Jesus, Heaven made its return to the world in power and glory, and since that day, nothing has been the same. Prophecy revealed Him to all who were looking! All of the things the Old Testament used to demonstrate Heaven’s return to earth were pointing to a future reality which was fulfilled in Jesus, and He became the Savior of the World! And that is where we will turn our attention next.

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Category: Christian Life and Gospel Leadership

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Part 2: The Biblical History of Elders

The High Call of Mutual Submission

Mutual submission is a partnership of love!

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WHO ARE THESE “ELDERS” IN THE BIBLE?

Where Did the Idea of “Eldership” Originate?

Eldership First Developed in Families

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Families Became Clans, and Clans Became Nations.

As communities grew, so did the development of the eldership.

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Side Note: Eldership was Not an Achievement of Personal Status, but a Service to the Community

Eldership Expanded with Continued National Development

We can watch this development take place in ancient Israel.

No Longer was the Nation Only Goverend by the Presiding Patriarchs of the Family.

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How Did Eldership Incorporate into the Church?

Footnotes

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Old Testament Idols

What Makes Something An Idol?

Idolatry is a Love Issue.

Sin is a Mind Issue

Demonization Follows Idolatry

Core Idols

Power

Comfort

Security

Control

Guarding Our Minds and Hearts

Returning to First Love

Let’s Connect

The Story of Naaman

Each Man Had His Idols

The Idol of Power and Success

The Idol of Wealth

The Idol of Social Status

True Worship Overpowers Idolatry

Where are Our Hearts?

Let’s Connect

Idol Worship in the Old Testament

Idol Worship in the New Testament

Idol Worship Today

Exposing Ministry Idols

1. The Idol of Ministry

2. The Idol of Blessing

“I Just Want Your Stuff”

3. The Idol of Esteem

Repenting of our Idols

Let’s Connect

Obedience to Jesus’ Commands

Assignment 1: To Be With Jesus

Assignment 2: To Be Sent Out By Jesus to Preach and Have Authority

The Commission Expands

Satan Fell Like Lightening

Jesus’ Multiplying Commission

The Two-Part Mission Is The Same

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

We Carry Heaven

No More Excuses

Need an Opportunity?

Let’s Connect

Footnotes

The Great Commission

Empires and Conquest

Greek Culture-Bearers

Apostolos

Apostles in the New Testament

Heaven’s Culture Bearers

The Apostolic Mission of the Church

Their Commission is Our Commission

Let’s Connect

Footnotes

What is a Gospel

The Gospel of the Kingdom of God

More Than Human Salvation

A King is Conquered

A Victory Parade