Tag: Scripture

January 31 2024

Return to The Word

A. Scott Ingram Bible Study, Christian Life, Gospel Leadership, Personal Discipleship, Spiritual Disciplines Bible, Bible Study, Jesus, Scripture, Word of God 0

One of the most significant calls on my life as an apostolic leader in a small corner of the church is not to lead leaders or plant churches. It is to make disciples.

I love discipleship. I love helping believers in Jesus learn to “grow up” in Him (Ephesians 4:15). After all, the goal of discipleship is to become like Him in the maturity of our faith and through a transformed life.

The problem with discipleship is that it is often a slow process and never a straight line from lost sinner to mature saint. There are, of course, significant leaps forward that people take. There are also seasons of baby steps and seasons of stumbling backward.

A true disciple-maker knows that although some seasons may be discouraging, the fruit of following the Holy Spirit and helping someone grow in Christ is a delight and will come with eternal rewards.

However, the challenge for us in 2024 is that with modern information technology, including instant access to everything on our smartphones and the immediate and effortless knowledge base provided by AI technology, it has become increasingly tedious to walk someone slowly and patiently through personal transformation.

We live in an age where a few moments of digital exploration can deliver almost anything humanity has ever known to us. While this is majorly beneficial in many aspects of life, it also increases our temptation of Christians to fall into the Renaissance-era foundations of modernity, believing that knowledge of truth alone is the goal. This is modern-day Christian Gnosticism.

We have thousands of self-proclaimed theologians who never even crack open the Bible because they, instead, have read every book and received endless teachings about the Bible, and they believe that is enough.

In the same way, we have self-proclaimed Christians who have learned so much about Jesus – through TikTok preachers and social media memes – yet they do not know Jesus! They never pray. They never wait on Him in the presence of the Holy Spirit. They know all about Jesus but don’t have time to slow down and get to know Him personally.

That is not, and cannot, be considered discipleship!

Jesus gave a two-part mandate to some of the early Jewish believers who followed Him in John 8:31-32:

“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, ‘If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.'”

The first part of this mandate is: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”

The Greek word here is “logos,” which can mean either “word” or “message.” Jesus was telling these Jewish believers that to be His disciples, they not only had to know the scriptures but also conform their thinking and faith to His understanding of the scriptures.

Jesus was a Rabbi in the Jewish culture. Being a disciple of any particular Rabbi meant that you would live with them, learn from them directly, observe their walk of life, and conform your own lifestyle according to that Rabbi’s interpretation of the scriptures.

Notice that Jesus doesn’t tell them they must “know my word.” He said you must “abide” in it. This distinction gives us clarity on how the mandate is to be received.

The Greek word for “abide” is “menō,” which means “remain, stay, reside,” and, in some uses, is translated as “wait.” When Jesus says His disciples must “abide” in His word, it implies we must intentionally and continually live in His word and live out His word.

Jesus was not offering an instant transfer of His message from the Bible to their brains before moving on to something else. We are not transformed by what we know. We are transformed by what we continually and diligently focus on and meditate on. (Romans 12:2)

This leads to the second part of Jesus’ mandate: “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

At a surface level, this seems to imply that our freedom in Christ comes from our knowledge of the truth. Therefore, we could assume, as do many in our culture, that the more truth you know, the freer you should be. The problem is that a mental understanding of the truth of God’s word has never actually set anyone free from the power of sin, death, and the devil. Just ask the Jewish people!

The nation of Israel had the sole revelation of God’s word in the Old Testament, which God had revealed over thousands of years through Moses and the prophets. They built their whole culture around these scriptures, and their scholars knew every “jot and tittle” of the law. Yet transformation into God’s righteousness never came to the nation, nor the individual Jewish people.

Paul makes this case repeatedly in the book of Romans when He speaks of “the law,” which refers to the Teachings of Moses in the first five books of the Bible:

“For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. (Romans 3:20)

Paul is saying that no knowledge of the law cannot transform you. All it can do is show you how deeply lost you are by revealing your sinfulness.

So what’s the point?

Jesus says if you will abide in My word, or “My understanding and teaching of the word,” then you are “My disciple.” But when you do that, He says that something else will happen that has never happened to any other disciple of any other Rabbi. Others only taught “knowledge” of the scriptures and a legalistic dedication to self-discipline. Jesus said that when you abide in “My word,” you will know the truth, and this truth will actually set you free from sin’s power and to live righteously before God.

So what makes this different?

Without spending too much time explaining the Greek language here, let me give you my summary of what Jesus says: “If you put your faith in My teaching, and you make it your goal to live continually in what I reveal to you, you will have an intimate experience with the only truth there is, and it will reshape your reality, setting you free.”

So, what ” truth ” would we encounter that sets us free? It is Jesus Himself!

“Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.'” (John 14:6)

Jesus’ message regarding the purpose of the scriptures was always that they would point people to Himself.

In John 5, Jesus tells the religious leaders of Israel that although they think they know the scriptures, something is missing in how they approach them. They do not honestly know the God of the scriptures, nor does God’s word “abide” in them (transforming and saving them), because they ignore all the evidence that the scriptures point to Jesus directly! (John 5:37-40)

He tells these scholars, without mincing words, that their theological studies are fruitless to save them because they are not leading to faith or a transforming encounter with Him!

“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 5:30-40)

In contrast, whenever Jesus covertly approached the disciples on the road to Emmaus, after His resurrection, the Bible tells us that “beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). When later recounting this event, though they didn’t recognize Him personally in that moment, they knew something deeper was going on than just hearing a sermon. Something inside them was being drawn to Him. “They said to each other, ‘Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?'” (Luke 24:32)

For Scriptures to be rightly known, they must lead us to know Him!

So, what does all of this have to do with discipleship?

My point is that while you can gain all the possible knowledge there is about the scriptures — about God, about Jesus, about His saving grace, about the Holy Spirit — it will not be enough to make you a disciple of Christ, nor will it set you free from sin, death, and the devil.

You cannot just know about these things. You must abide deeply in the Word of God with faith, expecting it to lead you deeper in your relationship with Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit so that you can know the reality of the Gospel and be set free.

If you do not abide in the Word of God, being transformed by the power He provides, then you are not His disciple. You are not saved. You are not born again. You are not free. You are deceived, just like the Jewish leaders were for centuries.

We live in a world that believes information is power. The more you know, the more data you collect, the more information at your disposal, the more power you are believed to have. Yet Jesus says it is not information that matters. It is intimate, personal, relational knowledge of the Truth: Him.

We cannot be discipled by 90-second TikTok videos. We cannot grow in Christ through memes and algorithmic revelation. We reach maturity in Him daily – slowly and tediously – by studying His revelation in scripture and asking Him to enlighten our minds and hearts to come closer to Him. As we get close to Him, we will become like Him! (2 Corinthians 3:8) As we become like Him, we will be set free from the grip of sin, from the devil’s domination, and the fear of death, because we know that eternity with Him awaits.

If you want to be His disciple, get in His Word and let it bring you into an encounter with Him. Anything less is fruitless.

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

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

Tithing Explained (Q&A Series)

A. Scott Ingram Christian Life, Christian Life Q&A, Personal Discipleship Bible Study, Christian and money, financial stewardship, giving, Scripture, stewardship, tithing 0

Earlier in the week I asked on social media for your questions about the #ChristianLife and the things you still don’t understand about our faith. I will be answering them over the next few weeks as time allows. This first question came to me through LinkedIn, and I hope it answers clearly. If not, that’s what the comments are for!

By the way, if you don’t follow me on social media, I welcome you to my little community, and it’s not too late to submit your own questions, too: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads.

Down to business. The first questions I was asked was simply to discuss tithing, so here goes.

What is Tithing?

Basically, tithing is a practice originating in the Old Testament, whereby faithful adherents to Judaism were commanded to give 10% of their income toward God’s work, including funding the priesthood, the temple, and care for the poor. When Israel began as an agricultural society, God commanded them to give a tithe (meaning a tenth) of their annual harvest and newborn livestock back to Him as an offering. Later on, as the nation of Israel was established and modernized, this commandment extended to a tenth of a person’s income, no matter their trade.

The law of Moses states:

“Every tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the trees, is the Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord. And every tithe of herds and flocks, every tenth animal of all that pass under the herdsman’s staff, shall be holy to the Lord.”
Leviticus 27:30,32

The giving of the tithe was an act of obedience, which was to demonstrate a person’s faith that everything comes from God and then to honor His provision through their obedient giving back to Him.

In the Old Testament, a tithe was exactly 10% and this offering was the first priority from a person’s income. Any giving beyond that was considered a secondary offering, usually in response to another life circumstance (sin offerings, thanksgiving offerings, etc.).

Is Tithing a New Testament Requirement?

Your pastor might not like me telling you the answer to this, but… No.

The New Testament does not teach that a Christian must give a tenth (tithe) of their personal income back to the Lord. Look through the scriptures all you want. It’s just not there.

What the New Testament Does Command is Generosity and Financial Stewardship.

While Christians are not commanded to give a “tithe,” the New Testament clearly calls us to be generous givers as stewards of the resources given by God.

Though I hear it often, today, when Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about their financial giving, he never pointed to a legal rule and said, “well, you know you have to give at least ten percent as a minimum. That is the starting point.” What Paul actually said is that each Christian must decide what to give for themselves, in response to God’s provision for them:

“The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
2 Corinthians 9:6–7

Please notice, however, that although Paul did not declare a certain amount that should be given, he still says that believers “must give” something. Once again, the expectation that we would give back to God comes from an understanding that God is the source of all we have. In this way, the principle of giving does extend from the heart of the Old Testament tithe.

Another thing to note is that verse 6 makes giving sound transactional, like the more I give to God (sowing), the more I will receive in return (reaping). Before you jump to that conclusion, however, look at the very next verse:

“And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8

Paul is NOT saying that we should give money in order to be blessed in return. Rather, Paul is teaching that when we invest in God’s Kingdom and work, the Lord will see our faithfulness and provide even more for us, to enable us to continue investing in His Kingdom and work. He doesn’t bless us for our own sake but does so to enable us to keep blessing Him in return! This is why Paul goes on to write:

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness. You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.”
2 Corinthians 9:10–11

What Did Jesus Say About Giving?

When Jesus discussed the Old Testament law, such as in the Sermon on the Mount, the truth is He never throws out the commands of God. Instead, He shows how the law only lays a foundation of righteousness, and then He calls His followers to live at a higher standard than the law ever did.

For example, the law says, “do not kill,” but Jesus elevates this commandment to “do not even hold anger and hatred toward someone” (Matthew 5:21–22). The law also says, “do not commit adultery,” but Jesus elevates this command to “do not even look lustfully after her”(Matthew 5:27–28).

If Jesus’ standard requires us to set the bar higher, what does that mean for our financial giving?

Perhaps the reason the New Testament never commands us to tithe is because Jesus assumes our generosity will naturally go beyond a measly 10%. After all, He did say:

“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. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”
Matthew 5:17–18

He then goes on to say:

“For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:20

The truth is thatscribes and Pharisees gave their tithes perfectly, all the way down to 10% of their herb garden, but it did not make them righteous! They only gave because they had to according to the law. They didn’t do it with joy, to fulfill the work of God’s Kingdom (see Mathew 23:23).

The point is that in the Old Testament, giving the tithe was a legal obligation for the Jews. For the New Testament believer, however, there is no need for a commandment to give financially because as we are transformed into Jesus’ image, generosity is our nature! When we ask Him to be our Lord, we are giving Him our whole life as a sacrifice (Romans 12:1)! Our new passion as Christians is to show love, live in service to others, care for the poor, evangelize the lost, and see His justice and mercy at work in the world around us. And because those are our passions, we will cheerfully give funds to the cause of Christ.

Maybe I can say it this way:

As a Christian you are NOT commanded to give a tithe of your finances to the Lord. However, a refusal to give financially to support God’s work with a cheerful and generous heart may actually demonstrate that you are NOT a Christian at all. When you truly give Jesus your heart, you are willing to give Him all. True Christians (no matter how rich or poor they are personally) are the most generous people the world has ever seen because they are made in the image of a generous God.

We don’t give to get something back.

I need to emphasise this point. Giving to the Lord was NEVER a transactional agreement in the Old Testament or in the New! Remember, God does not need your money. He already owns it all (see Psalm 24:1).

Christians do not give our tithes and offerings in order to get God to do something for us in return. God is not obligated to do anything He does not want to and you can never do a big enough service for Him to get him into your debt.

Our giving is all about stewarding what God has already given to us, and showing our appreciation for it. It is also a declaration of dependence as we are committing our trust in Him to continue providing for us in the future. Malachi says when God’s people honor God through obedience in giving, He will continue to supply all our needs. (He doesn’t say all our wants, desires, and dreams.) Then, once our needs are met, God will continue to bless us so that we can be faithful in meeting the needs of others.

“Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.”
Malachi 3:10

The prosperity gospel teaches that when we give our money, God is indebted to us, and He owes us a bigger blessing in return. The more we give, the more we get.

Biblical giving, on the other hand, teaches that we are fully indebted to God for everything we have, and in response, we give back to Him in honor and obedience. As we do, He will continue to bless us in order to see His Kingdom continue to grow and other people to come to know Him just as we do.

God is not an investment account with a guaranteed 100-fold increase on the tithes and offerings you give. God is Jehovah Jireh (“I AM Provider”) in all things big and small. Tithing is an acknowledgment of, and a “thank you” for, that reality.

So What Does All This Mean?

Christians are not commanded to tithe but are by nature generous givers, especially to the work of the Lord. Since God is our first priority, we will naturally want to honor Him first with our money (and our time, talents, and other resources).
Since Jesus has our heart, He is also where we want to put our money (Matthew 6:21). In Him, we find our provision and our contentment; rather than in our bank accounts.
Money is NOT our first love. Jesus is! So it is a natural outflow of our love for Him that we will contribute our money into the things He loves. This is not so we get more money in return, but so that we get more of Him – His heart and His delight.

If You are a Christian, but You Do Not Give Financially to the Lord and His Work:

I encourage you to take time right now and do some soul searching. It might be tough, but we need to truly check our hearts and the excuses we give.

Why don’t you give to the Lord?

Is it because you don’t think you have enough to give and still take care of yourself? Maybe that shows you trust yourself to be your provider more than you trust Him. (See Mark 12:41-44.)

Is it because you have too many other debts or you are saving up money for your future or for a bigger purchase? Maybe Jesus isn’t really your first love or the source of your joy. Maybe possessions are.

Is it a matter of greed? You have what you need, but you still want more, so you save, invest, and do all to accumulate wealth. You might need to check your salvation because you might actually find that money is the god you worship (see Matthew 6:24).

After an honest self-evaluation and maybe some repentance, then I suggest you take time to pray, listen to the Holy Spirit, and see where God is asking you to invest in His Kingdom. Where does he want to you give? When? And how much?

I try to make this kind of prayer my practice every time an opportunity to give arises. Whether it is preparing to give an offering in church, an opportunity to support a good Christian cause, to help out a person in need, or meet another need in my community, I want to pause and ask the Holy Spirit what He would have me do.

I don’t give out of guilt or manipulation. I don’t give just because its a good cause or a real need. But I do give ever time the Holy Spirit prompts me to do so.

Truthfully, I cannot give to everyone who asks me, and I am unable to support many people and causes that I’d really like to help. Yet, because we know Jesus has called us to be givers, like He is a giver, my wife and I have determined a certain amount of our income that we give every month to the ministry we serve under, as well as a baseline amount to the in whichever Sozo church we are in each week. We view those regular, set amount of giving as our “tithe” to the Lord, although it is certainly not limited to 10%.

After that, we do often give to individuals, programs, causes, and charities as the Lord leads us. We pray about it. We discuss it. And then we give as God directs us. And truthfully, it is sometimes painful to do so. We have given money many times that we really could not afford to give. Sometimes we have given money that we didn’t initially want to give. But we obey the Lord because we love Him more than we love our money.

And we want to be like Him.

Remember, God gave His most prized possession – His Son – for us. Even though Jesus didn’t want to die, He willingly gave His life for us so we might live forever. If that is the fact on which I hang my eternity, then what sacrifice can He ask me to make that is too much to give?

Nothing.

Thank you for taking time to read what I have written. I would love to hear your feedback in the comments, below!

One other quick note, as I’ve shared about my own giving habits. Please be aware that I do not give to solicitations for money through this website or through social media. I cannot, in good conscience, give money to someone or something I do not know. That would be very bad stewardship.

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

October 29 2021

Acts

A. Scott Ingram Bible Basics, New Testament Survey Acts, Acts Outline, Acts Themes, Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Bible Survey, Book of Acts, Gospel, Jesus, new testament, New Testament Survey, Scripture, Summary of Acts, Survey of Acts 1

Author

The book was written by Luke, who was an associate of the Apostle Paul, traveling with him often. Luke was a Gentile (non-Jew), and a physician by trade. The book of Acts is Luke’s sequel to the gospel which bears his name (Acts 1:1).

Date

It is impossible to get an exact date for the writing of Luke and Acts, however, if we look at the content of Luke’s writings, he does not include any references to major events which took place after 64A.D., including Nero’s persecution of Christians, the fall of Jerusalem (70A.D.), or even to Paul’s letters, many of which were written from prison in Rome. Even the book of Acts ends without resolving what happened to Paul, leading to speculation that at the time of Luke’s writing, Paul was still alive in prison. For these reasons, the early 60s seems likely.

Other scholars, however, based on the idea that Mark’s gospel had already been widely distributed and read by the time Luke was writing, put the date later; possibly into the early 80s.

Audience and Purpose

As is the book of Luke, Acts is addressed to “Theophilus” (Acts 1:1), whom most historians believe to be Luke’s patron (meaning he funded Luke’s work and published his writings.) Some, however, have speculated that Theophilus was not a real person. Instead, as the Green name means “God-lover,” they believe it was a sneaky way for Luke to write the book for any believer who would read the book.

The book of Acts is Luke’s continued account of the ministry of Jesus, after His ascension, through Spirit-empowered men and women. The goal is to show that not only did Jesus rise from the dead, but His work did not stop (Acts 1:1-5). Containing the stories that followed Jesus’ ascension, including the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, through the gospel’s spread throughout the Roman empire, the book of Acts is the first book of church history ever written.

Major Themes

The Activity of the Holy Spirit, especially regarding His filling men and women with gifts for ministry.
The Church.
Global Missions/Evangelism. The book of Acts shows that the gospel did not remain among the Jews. Once the Holy Spirit launched the church at Pentecost, the door to grace was open to the gentiles and God sent missionaries throughout the Roman empire.
Prophecy Fulfilled. See for example Joel 2:28-29 and Acts 2:16.

Key Scriptures

Acts 1:8 — “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 2:2-4 — “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.”
Acts 28:28 — “Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen.”

Outline

Acts 1:1-3 — Luke’s Introduction
Acts 1:4-6:7 — The Acts of the Holy Spirit in the Church at Jerusalem
Acts 6:8-9:31 — The Acts of the Holy Spirit through Religious Persecution and Dispersion
Acts 9:32–12:25 — The Acts of the Holy Spirit through Peter
Acts 13:1–28:31 — The Acts of the Holy Spirit through Paul
- Acts 13:1-14:28 — Paul’s First Missionary Journey
- Acts 15:1-35 — Apostolic Council in Jerusalem
- Acts 15:36-18:22 — Paul’s Second Missionary Journey
- Acts 18:23-21:16 — Paul’s Third Missionary Journey
- Acts 21:17-28:31 — Paul’s Arrest, Trials, and Imprisonment at Rome

Gospel Summary

Whereas the four gospels show the price that Jesus paid to establish the gospel and His Kingdom, the book of Acts shows us how, through the power of the Holy Spirit, God began to flood the world with the good news of salvation. Everywhere Jesus’ disciples went the gospel was proclaimed, people were saved, the church was established, and the Holy Spirit testified with signs, wonders, and miracles.

It is through the book of Acts that we get our first glimpse of the power of the gospel at work in the world. This is because the preaching of the gospel is central to the book of Acts. In fact, the Greek word “euangelizo,” where we get the term “evangelize,” is used more in the book of Acts than any other book of the New Testament. The book records sermons preached by Peter, Paul, and others, as the good news was shared.

It is also in the book of Acts where we see that the Kingdom of God would not be limited to the nation of Israel; nor would earthly powers be able to withstand its spread. Throughout the book, we see the church established as an embassy of God’s eternal Kingdom “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10).

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October 22 2021

John

A. Scott Ingram Bible Basics, New Testament Survey Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Bible Survey, Book of John, Gospel, Jesus, John, John Outline, John Themes, new testament, New Testament Survey, Scripture, Summary of John, Survey of John 0

Author

Clarity on who, exactly, wrote the book of John is quite limited. The first and most common view leans toward John, the son of Zebedee, who is attested to be the author by most ancient church writers, beginning with Ireneus (circa 180A.D.). This would make the author one of the 12 apostles and one of the three in Jesus’ inner circle.

More recently, however, some scholars have said a different John is more likely. A second possibility is another disciple of Jesus who was not one of the 12 apostles, identified as “John the Elder” by Papias.

Whoever wrote the gospel of John is likely the author of First, Second, and Third John. Since that writer calls himself “the Elder,” then this later John is a possibility.

Within the book itself, John, the son of Zebedee is called “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” If he was not the writer of the book, it is clear that he was an influence on the person who was (see John 21:24) and earned this title after his death.

Still, since tradition records that both John the son of Zebedee and the man known as John the Elder are buried in Ephesus, some have concluded they were likely the same man.

Date

Dating the book is troublesome, but most scholars agree that late in the first century (between 70A.D. and 100A.D.) is likely. Some of the book’s references, such as Christians being excluded from Jewish synagogues (John 9:22), would lead to a date in the 90s when tensions between Jews and Christians were high.

Audience and Purpose

Though John writes in such a way to be accessible by the Greek culture, his gospel is almost undisputedly written with those from a Jewish background in mind. We can safely assume that John’s primary audience was the Jewish-Christian community, especially those living in and around Ephesus.

Near the end of the gospel, John states that his purpose in writing was to offer proof that Jesus was the Messiah and Savior, “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:30-31).

Major Themes

Gospel.
Jesus as Savior.
The Activity of the Holy Spirit.
Eternal Life. See John 1:34, 49; 3:18; 5:25; 10:36; 11:4, 27; 19:7; 20:31.

Key Scriptures

John 1:1 — “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God.”
John 1:14 — “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 3:16 — “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
John 14:6 — “Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Outline

John 1:1-18 — Prologue: Opening Hymn
John 1:19-11:57 — The Signs of the Messiah
John 12:1-17:26 — The Final Teachings of Jesus
John 18:1-21:23 — The Arrest, Death, Burial and Resurrection of Jesus

Gospel Summary

As with the other gospels, it is difficult to give a gospel summary of John since the book itself is a “gospel” and a summary of the life of Jesus Christ.

However, the focus and style of John’s gospel set it apart from the other three (called the synoptic gospels). Clement of Alexandria called it “the spiritual gospel,” and John definitely shows a deeper understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit in Jesus’ life and ministry than the synoptic writers (John 3:3-9; 4:10–15, 21–24; 7:37–39; 14:16–17, 26; 15:26; 16:7–11, 13–15; 20:22).

John’s larger focus seems to be on the various proofs of the gospel, including four witnesses, listed in John 5:31-40), as well as the miracle “signs” which Jesus performed (John 20:30-31). In fact, the narrative of John’s gospel flows through 7 distinct miracle “signs” that point fo Jesus as the promised Messiah. This has earned the book the title of “The Book of Signs” by some Christian scholars. These signs are:

John 2:1-11 — Changing Water into Wine
John 4:46-54 — Healing the Official’s Son
John 5:1-15 — Healing the Paralytic
John 6:5-14 — Feeding the 5000
John 6:16-24 — Walking on Water
John 9:1-7 — Healing the Blind Man
John 11:1-45 — Raising Lazarus from the Dead

Some scholars add that Jesus’ resurrection should be considered the 8^th miracle sign, to which all the others point.

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October 15 2021

Luke

A. Scott Ingram Bible Basics, New Testament Survey Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Bible Survey, Book of Luke, Gospel, Jesus, Luke, Luke Outline, Luke Themes, new testament, New Testament Survey, Scripture, Summary of Luke, Survey of Luke 0

Author

The book was written by Luke, who was an associate of the Apostle Paul, traveling with him often. Luke was a Gentile (non-Jew), and a physician by trade. Luke is also the author of the book of Acts.

Date

Other scholars, however, based on the idea that Mark’s gospel had already been widely distributed and read by the time Luke was writing, put the date later; possibly into the early 80s.

Audience and Purpose

The book is addressed to “Theophilus” (Luke 1:3), whom most historians believe to be Luke’s patron (meaning he funded Luke’s work and published his writings.) Some, however, have speculated that Theophilus was not a real person. Instead, as the Greek name means “God-lover,” they believe it was a sneaky way for Luke to address the writing to any believer who would read the book.

Luke’s goal in writing was to gather a complete account of Jesus’ life and ministry by interviewing as many living witnesses as possible (Luke 1:1-2).

The book is one of the synoptic gospels (with Matthew and Mark), in that the three books have a very similar structure and recount many of the same stories. It is likely that Luke had read Mark’s gospel and used it as one of the witnesses for his own writing. In fact, St. Augustine wrote that Luke was the last of the synoptic gospels and that he used both, Matthew and Mark, in his writings.

Major Themes

Gospel
Jesus as Savior. See Luke 19:10.
God’s Sovereignty. See Luke 1:14–17, 31–35, 46–55, 68–79; 2:9–14, 30–32, 34–35; 4:16–30; 13:31–35; 24:25–27, 44–49.
The Activity of the Holy Spirit. Luke points out, many times, that the Holy Spirit was at work in the life of Jesus (Luke 1:32-35, 41-45; 2:25-32, 36-38; 3:21-22; 4:1, 14, 18). This theme sets the foundation for Acts, when the Holy Spirit would become prominent in the life of the church, as well.
Discipleship and Heart Transformation.

Key Scriptures

Luke 4:18 —“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 9:23 — “And he said to all, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.’”
Luke 19:10 — “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Outline

Luke 1:1-4 — Luke’s Introduction
Luke 1:5-2:52 — Jesus’ Birth
Luke 3:1-4:15 — Jesus’ Preparation for Ministry
Luke 4:16-9:50 — Jesus’ Ministry Around Galilee
Luke 9:51-19:27 — Jesus’ Journey to Jerusalem
Luke 19:28-21:38 — Jesus’ Ministry in Jerusalem
Luke 22:1-23:56 — Jesus’ Trial and Crucifixion
Luke 24:1-53 — Jesus’ Resurrection and Ascension

Gospel Summary

As with Matthew and Mark, it is difficult to give a gospel summary of Luke, as the book itself is a “gospel” and a summary of the life of Jesus Christ.

A key difference is that Luke’s style of writing imitated other Greek writing of the day, and seems to target even those who may not have a Jewish understanding of the Old Testament. Whereas Matthew goes in-depth to show that Jesus was the fulfillment of Old Testament, Jewish prophecy, Luke focuses instead on the inward heart change that comes to anyone who choose to follow Jesus as Lord.

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October 13 2021

Orthopraxy: Fellowship

A. Scott Ingram Gospel Leadership, Practical Ministry Bible, Bible Study, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, koinonia, love, Scripture, unity 1

As we continue working our way through the practical side of church ministry, we have already looked at corporate prayer and intercession, which are foundational to the life of the church. As we read in Acts 2, following the day of Pentecost:

“So those who received (Peter’s) word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
^{Acts 2:41-42}

When the church began, and thousands of new believers were added, the first thing Luke (the author of Acts) wants us to know is that there was great unity among them. They joined together around the Word of God (a topic we will get to in a few weeks), fellowship and sharing meals, and the prayers (which we have already looked at).

Today, we will turn our attention to biblical “fellowship,” as this word means something much different than the average 21st-century understanding demonstrates.

What is Fellowship

In Acts 2:42, the Greek word for fellowship is “koinonia.” If you have been around church very much, this is likely a word you have heard thrown around at various times when discussing an upcoming fellowship event, such as a church luncheon or a men’s meeting.

Usually, when we use the word fellowship, we imply a social gathering of believers. So we tell people, “make sure you get to church early, to have a time of fellowship before the service.” We encourage people to join a cell group or a Sunday school class, not only for the teaching but for fellowship. The idea being promoted is that if we are going to be believers together in the same “church,” then we need to take time to make friends with one another.

Can Friendship Be Forced?

The problem with many “fellowship” activities planned by church leaders is that they don’t always work the way we hope. Of course, we desire that believers would come to know one another deeply. However, when everyone comes together, people tend to sit with their family or existing friends instead of getting to know others. Even when we do mingle with people we don’t know, our “small talk” is usually very shallow and limited.

I don’t mean to imply that we must know every person deeply. Even if it were possible, it goes against our natural human inclinations. Most people would rather have a small group of people they know well, trust, and can be vulnerable around. It isn’t natural to fully expose our inward self to the masses. And that is okay.

Even as a senior ministry leader, myself, responsible for thousands of believers in the Sozo Ministries network of churches, I still tend toward introversion and take a long time to build deep friendships. I don’t necessarily want to have an intimate relationship with every person I meet just because they are Christian, and that is fine.

But the question is, then, what is the goal of fellowship, if not to be friends with everyone in our church?

The Foundation of Fellowship

The first answer is that true, biblical koinonia is grounded on our shared faith in Jesus Christ. It is “unity of faith” that the New Testament writers point to as the thing that holds us together as a body.

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.”
^{1 John 1:6-7 (emphasis mine)}

According to John, we cannot have fellowship with one another unless we all walk in the light with Jesus Christ. He is our first partner in fellowship. As the head of the church, He is the one we seek intimacy with, which opens the door to intimacy within His body. Just look at how the Apostle Paul speaks of this relationship toward Jesus and one another in his letter to the Corinthians:

“I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you — so that you are not lacking in any gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ, who will sustain you to the end, guiltless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”
^{1 Corinthians 1:4–9 (emphasis mine)}

Not only were you called into fellowship “with” Jesus Christ, but you were placed in the fellowship “of” Jesus Christ – that is with the community of believers who are with Him as well!

Fellowship in Unity

This means that when we come together as the body of Christ, we are not gathering because we are all friends with one another. Instead, we are gathering because we are all friends of Jesus, and together we can make more of our relationship with Him!

Think about it like this: have you ever been invited to a birthday party for a friend, only to arrive at the venue and discover you don’t know any of the other guests? I’m sure you didn’t turn around and leave just because your friend has made other friends throughout their life. Instead, I’ll bet you joined the party, met a few new people, and took part in celebrating the birthday boy or girl’s life together.

Every conversation you had with the other guests would be centered on this unity of celebrating your mutual friend: “How did you meet our friend?” “When did you meet them? “What stories can you tell me that I don’t know about our friend?” This is precisely what unity around Jesus looks like as well.

As we come together in fellowship as the church, we gather to celebrate our mutual friend, Jesus. We may not be friends with everyone in the room — in fact, we may not know another person there at all. That doesn’t matter because He is the focus. As we look at Him, discuss Him, sing to Him, share stories (testimonies) about Him, etc., the unity built among everyone in the room will be tangible. Unity in our love for Him is the foundation of our fellowship.

The Extention of Fellowship

I know as some of you read this, you are getting frustrated with me. Sure, we might not be capable of being friends with everyone in our church, but shouldn’t we at least try? Isn’t living as part of the faith community important?

The answer is yes, being a part of the community is very important. But, it isn’t the foundation. What I mean is that we should never encourage people to join our church “for community.” We are not a social club. We are the fellowship of Jesus Christ. Knowing Him is the foundation for which we gather in koinonia.

However, the extension of our fellowship becomes love for one another as we see Jesus’ love for each other. As the Apostle John tells us:

“We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother.”
^{1 John 4:19-21}

I love verse 19! “We love because He first loved us.” Love for others is an extension of our fellowship with Him. As we live in intimacy with Him, the Bible tells us we become like Him (2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 John 3:2), and therefore, we begin to love others just as he loves them.

The Fruit of the Spirit

One biblical evidence that we are transforming into the image of Christ is that “the fruit of the Holy Spirit” will shape us and be demonstrated through our lives.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”
^{Galatians 5:22-23}

What is interesting about this list is that we cannot demonstrate any of these fruits outside of a relationship with others.

Love must be shown to others.
Joy, in the Greek understanding, is the publicly shared celebration of gladness. Although we might be joyful in ourselves, the fruit of joy comes when it is shared.
Peace, again in the Greek understanding, means a cease to war. It is peace among people or harmony between parties who might otherwise be opposed to one another.
Patience and kindness are attitudes expressed toward others.
Goodness simply means we set our mind toward the public good in all things.
Faithfulness deals with both our commitment to faith in God, as well as our trustworthiness. As we live by faith in Christ, other people should be able to trust our integrity when they meet us.
Gentleness, again, is demonstrated in how we interact with people.
Self-control simply means keeping a level head and restraining our passions, sinful desires, and extreme emotions. Again, this ability to discipline ourselves is best demonstrated in our public life.

As a friend recently pointed out to me, many of these “fruit” are also mentioned in “the love passage” of the Bible:

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
^{1 Corinthians 13:4–7}

The point is that the character of Christ, which is formed in us through fellowship with Him, is outwardly demonstrated in our love for other people. Thus, love is the extension of our fellowship.

The Expression of Fellowship

If fellowship is founded on our unity in Christ and is extended as our love for others conforms to His love, then there must be a tangible expression of that fellowship when we come together as the body of Christ.

How are Jesus’ work in us and His love coming through us demonstrated in the church? Biblically, it was shown in the valuing of people over possessions. As Craig Keener writes in his book, Gift and Giver:

“Besides the numerical growth of the Christian community, the community grew in its cohesiveness through the believers’ commitment to one another. The Greek term for “fellowship” (Acts 2:42) could mean economic sharing as well as spending time together. When we go out to dinner with friends from our church, we often think we are doing well; and to be sure, such fellowship is better than the isolation many churchgoers feel today. But the first Christians were far more serious about fellowship in the biblical sense than we are. The believers “shared all things in common” (Acts 2:44).”¹

Giving 100% In The Offering

Now, we must understand that this sharing of all things literally meant all of their worldly possessions.

“And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.”
^{Acts 2:44-45}

Remember, this was also centered in Jerusalem, the capital city of conquered Israel. The Roman Empire was taxing the average person at 90% of their income! “Selling their possession and belongings” wasn’t a believer deciding to give up a second television for the family or forego a new vehicle this year in order to tithe a little more. This meant taking the last 10% of their income (after the government took everything else) and still putting it into the offering plate at church. The expression of their fellowship meant keeping nothing for themselves, and in turn, trusting that the local community of faith would take care of them.

The love for others, created through their unity with Christ, inspired them to give all they had for each other. Unfortunately, this is a level of “fellowship” not seen in most of our churches today.

Love Feasts

Another expression of their fellowship came in “the breaking of bread” together, as they “received their food with glad and generous hearts” (Acts 2:46). These large communal meals became known as “agape feasts” or “love meals” and were an everyday part of the early church’s life. Sometimes they were coupled with taking communion (another part of celebrating Jesus together, which we will discuss in a future post). Other times, they were simply about sharing a meal as the family of God.

Because people had given everything they had to the church, it bound them to life together with other believers. Even if they were not friends with everyone in the church, there was a commitment to one another that went deeper than most family ties would today.

Things were not always perfect at these love feasts. For example, in Acts 6:1-7, we see that some groups within the church felt excluded by other groups and that the shared food was not being fairly distributed. However, the church leaders were quick to fix the issue, so that fellowship would not be broken. In fact, as much as we elevate deacons in the church today, the first deacons in the church were tasked with serving tables to ensure that the fellowship was maintained.

Another issue can be seen in Jude 12 concerning false spiritual leaders taking advantage of these love feasts. Nevertheless, love feasts continued as part of the life of the church for centuries.²

Creating Fellowship Today

The challenge we have today is that our world is entirely different from that of the early church 2000 years ago. Whereas the early church was limited by their location — there was no mass transit or mass communication — globalization has given us unending access to everything at any time. With the internet, I have access to all earthly knowledge in seconds. With YouTube tutorials, I can learn any skill I want. With modern transportation, I can be anywhere in the world in 48 hours or less.

Naturally, this access has shifted the focus of most modern individuals far beyond life in our local communities. Even as I write these words, I am continuously aware they will be read by believers all over the world — in the U.S., Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East — many of whom do not share my cultural background. (I still don’t have a noticeable readership in South America or Australia, but maybe one day.)

As society’s focus has moved beyond the ties of physical location, the church is faced with a new set of challenges that the early church did not have. If our people live globally, how do we ground them with a fellowship locally?

I think the answer lies in returning to the foundation. We must lift up Jesus in our lives and seek to build relationships with others around Him. (And I mean face-to-face relationships, not online.) Of course, this will require a willingness to share our faith with unbelievers in personal evangelism. More than that, however, it requires a willingness to put ourselves out there and be vulnerable with other believers. We will never see a thriving local fellowship until we lead the way ourselves.

Let’s Get Practical

Inherent inside every Christian believer is a desire to be part of the body of Christ. As His character is developed in us and as the Holy Spirit releases gifts for service through us, the desire for fellowship is natural. Therefore, as leaders in the church, we must simply follow the process of Unity -> Love -> Expression to create a true biblical fellowship in our churches.

1. Celebrate Jesus

Any time the body of Christ comes together, we must make Jesus central.

Of course, we need to take time to greet our visitors and do other social things as the church. However, our primary focus must remain Jesus. Preach Jesus. Talk about Jesus. Share testimonies of what Jesus is doing. Invite people to know Jesus deeper.

We may never all become best friends, but we can all live in unity around Him. If the focus of the church ever leaves Him, true fellowship will be broken.

2. Encourage Love

As we lift up Jesus, we also aim to disciple people into His image. While the process of sanctification will take place internally in the lives of believers, as leaders, we ought to create opportunities for the fruit and gifts of the Spirit to be demonstrated externally.

Make room in your service for people to serve one another. Give time for those who have discovered their spiritual gifts to use them (and give opportunity for those who have not yet discovered their gifts to seek the Holy Spirit and try something).

I remember the first time I visited a friend’s church in college. When we arrived, I met the pastor, who asked me about my story and why I chose to come that night. Then, as if I belonged to the church already, he asked if I would help serve drinks to people as they arrived. I no longer felt like just a visitor because I had a job to do, serving everyone else who would come. Though it was a small act, it invited me to become part of the fellowship the church had been building for years.

3. Facilitate Corporate Expressions of Fellowship

For the early church, giving generously to the community and joining together in love feasts became regular and expected expressions of fellowship. Though these things can and should be part of our modern-day practice as well, I would also encourage you to consider your own church and see what other “expressions” of fellowship you can maintain regularly to keep people engaging with one another.

What can you do as a church that will give people the opportunity to gather in unity around Jesus and serve one another at the same time? Though I could give many examples in my own cultural context, I will leave this as an open-ended question for you to ponder for yourself.

Let’s Connect

If you want more than just a blog, join me on social media for more #ChristianLife and #Gospel Leadership insights throughout the week. I can be found on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn, and would love to see you there.

You can also make sure to never miss any future posts by subscribing to my newsletter below. I promise never to spam your inbox or share your info with others.

Endnotes

¹ Craig S. Keener, Gift & Giver: The Holy Spirit for Today, Repackaged Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020), 85.

² https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agape_feast

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

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October 6 2021

Orthopraxy: Intercession

A. Scott Ingram Gospel Leadership, Practical Ministry Bible, Bible Study, Gospel, Holy Spirit, intercessory prayer, Jesus, Old Testament, prophetic prayer, Scripture, what is intercession 0

In the last post, we took a deep dive into corporate prayer — what it is and isn’t. We saw in that post that prayer is an essential practice for the Body of Christ to grow in. Just as God said, His household should be a “house of prayer” (Isaiah 56:7, Luke 19:46). In the New Testament, the Apostle Paul commanded that the culture of the church ought to be unceasing prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

As we continue to look at prayer as a church practice, however, there is another side we must explore. There is corporate prayer, which we discussed, and of course, there is the private life of prayer for the believer (which we will not discuss much in this series.) Then, there is a middle ground, where the private prayer life of an individual believer has significant, practical implications on the public body. I am referring to what most of us would call “intercession.” To be more specific, I am talking about what many modern charismatic believers refer to as “prophetic prayer.” I believe the biblical definition points to this wording, too, as we shall soon see.

Intercession in the Old Testament

In the Old Testament, there are generally two Hebrew words translated as “intercede.” They both carry the general idea of being an arbiter or mediator, seeking to bring two parties together in agreement or reconciliation, though they each come at this purpose with a different approach. (Unfortunately, both of these words are difficult to transliterate for English readers. One is פלל or pll, and the other is פגע or pg’.)

Intercession is Based on God’s Decree

The first of these two – פלל – is a judicial word. It emphasizes making an appeal based on an objective or legal truth. Biblically speaking, this would typically be the objective truth of God’s word or a decreed judgment of God. For example, we see this word used twice in 1 Samuel 2:25:

“If someone sins against a man, God will פלל (mediate) for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can פלל (intercede) for him?”
^{1 Samuel 2:25}

The viability of each use of פלל in this verse is dependant on the target of a person’s sin – whether it be against man or against God. This means that the effectiveness of intercession is directly based on a preexisting determination in God’s law.

The point is that for intercession to be effective, it must rely on revealed decrees and judgments of the Lord. A person cannot simply “intercede” for anything they desire and expect to receive it. Intercession prayer must be according to His will (1 John 5:14).

Intercession is Based on Human Willingness

The second Old Testament word – פגע – emphasizes the process of meeting with a person and “pleading” with them or “entreating” them toward reconciliation. The effectiveness of this intercession has to do with a person’s willingness to be the arbiter or mediator for reconciliation. For example, Isaiah 59:16 speaks of the Lord’s wonder “that there was no one to intercede…”

In Jeremiah 27, we see a group of false prophets challenged due to their lack of intercession. God had already decreed that the Temple’s holy vessels would remain in Babylon for some time (27:22), yet these false prophets were prophesying that they would be returned shortly (27:16). Jeremiah calls them out:

“If they are prophets, and if the word of the Lord is with them, then let them intercede with the Lord of hosts, that the vessels that are left in the house of the Lord, in the house of the king of Judah, and in Jerusalem may not go to Babylon.”
^{Jeremiah 27:18}

He says, if they are prophets and have received God’s decree, then let them show a willingness to do the work of intercession in the Lord’s presence. Unfortunately, their willingness wasn’t there.

These two words show us that effective intercession always seeks reconciliation between two parties and requires two things. First, it requires the declaration of the Lord. Then, it requires the willing involvement of man to agree with God’s decree through both prayer and action.

As we will see, this same idea carried over into the New Testament as well.

Intercession in the New Testament

There are various forms of the Greek word “entynchano,” translated as “intercede” in the New Testament. Specifically, “entynchano” and “hyperentynchano.” This word means “to appeal” or “plead,” with the pleading usually done before the Lord, on behalf of someone else.

Entynchano is not pleading with people to be reconciled to God. Instead, it is pleading with God to remember His promises toward a person. (Remember, Jesus saves. It is His work, not ours.)

This form of intercession, then, is a continuation of what we saw in the Old Testament language. “Entynchano” means that we have heard the decree of God over someone or something and have the willingness to come into His presence and plead for His declaration to come to pass.

While my sovereignty-minded friends will struggle with the idea that human pleas can impact the effectiveness of God’s will, it is a very biblical idea.

Abraham Shifted God’s Plans

For one example, look at God’s declaration of judgment on Sodom in Genesis 18. Before He sent His angels to bring about destruction, God decided to hear what Abraham would say!

“The Lord said, ‘Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I have chosen him, that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring to Abraham what he has promised him.'”
^{Genesis 18:17–19}

Abraham thinks through this judgment in light of the character and grace He has seen in the Lord, and He begins to bargain with Him. “God, if you find 50 righteous men in the city, will you spare it?” God relents. “40?” “30?” “20?” Again and again, God’s plans change according to the request of Abraham, until finally, they come to the final plea:

“Then he said, ‘Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak again but this once. Suppose ten are found there.’ He answered, ‘For the sake of ten I will not destroy it.’ And the Lord went his way, when he had finished speaking to Abraham, and Abraham returned to his place.”
^{Genesis 18:32–33}

God had already decreed destruction, but Abraham’s intercession on behalf of the city gave an acceptable change of plans if only ten righteous might be found there. But, unfortunately, Abraham did not understand the depth of Sodom’s sinfulness before the Lord, the ten righteous were not found, and the angels destroyed the city anyways.

Moses Effectively Interceeded for Israel

We see another example of this intercession in the book of Exodus. Moses had led God’s people out of Egypt, with God working many signs and wonders along the way and giving Moses step-by-step instructions. Once the people reach Moun Sinai, God calls Moses up the mountain to receive the ten commandments. Meanwhile, the people of Israel backslide away from the Lord and begin worshipping a golden idol.

God gets very angry and decides that rather than delivering the people, He should destroy them where they stand:

“And the Lord said to Moses, ‘I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people. Now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them, in order that I may make a great nation of you.'”
^{Exodus 32:9–10}

Moses quickly intercedes for the people, not requesting anything based on the people’s deservedness but on God’s revealed character and plans!

“But Moses implored the Lord his God and said, ‘O Lord, why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you have brought out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ‘With evil intent did he bring them out, to kill them in the mountains and to consume them from the face of the earth’? Turn from your burning anger and relent from this disaster against your people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, your servants, to whom you swore by your own self, and said to them, ‘I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have promised I will give to your offspring, and they shall inherit it forever.'”
^{Exodus 32:11–13}

Look at how Moses calls on the Lord to remember His plans as far back as Abraham and see how far they had come in His goodness. If God were to destroy the people now, it would not reflect poorly on the people. They were clearly deserving of wrath. Instead, it would appear that God’s promises are invalid. He promised to rescue a people He already knew was sinful. Now, He must uphold His decrees!

“And the Lord relented from the disaster that he had spoken of bringing on his people.”
^{Exodus 32:14}

In the next chapter, we see Moses’ intercession continue. God agreed not to destroy the people but then decided to send them on their way without Him. Moses reminds God that their identity as God’s chosen people is wrapped up in His presence with them. Again, God relents and agrees to go with Moses as He had previously promised (Exodus 33:1-5; 12-16).

God Released Wrath When There Was No Intercessor

Recalling Moses’ prayer on behalf of the people in Exodus, there is one other example of the effectiveness of intercession given in the Old Testament, which seems appropriate.

In the book of Ezekiel, God gives a long list of the sins of His people, including false prophecies and injustice to the poor. Once again, God decides He is going to bring wrath on the people. However, there is a brief pause before He does. He speaks:

“And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.”
^{Ezekiel 22:30}

God says before He brought destruction, He looked for a man who would put themselves into the gap between Him and the sinful nation to plead for grace.

The Hebrew phrase is intense. It literally means He wanted someone to “get in My face” on behalf of the land. It is the same Hebrew language used to describe Moses’ intercession in Psalm 106:23. Yet, in Ezekiel’s day, there is no one to intercede.

“Therefore I have poured out my indignation upon them. I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath. I have returned their way upon their heads, declares the Lord God.”
^{Ezekiel 22:31}

God’s Decree and Human Action in Jesus

As a final example of a life of intercession, we must look at Jesus. It was prophesied in Isaiah 53 that to fulfill God’s decree, Jesus would offer not only His prayers but also his actions as “intercession” for the lost:

“Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.”
^{Isaiah 53:12}

The entirety of Jesus’ life would be about reconciling the lost back to God. He would be the promised Lamb of God, who would pay the price for sin and release those who would trust Him from God’s wrath. The fulfillment of God’s promise of salvation through His sinless death in their place would be the final objective truth by which reconciliation could take place.

Based on God’s judgment which would fall on Him on the cross, the purpose of His earthly ministry, teachings, and prayer life (John 17) would be about entreating people back to God. In all ways, Jesus would be the mediator pulling both sides back toward each other (1 Timothy 2:5). This was the life of intercession.

In the same way, intercessory prayer is about partnering with God on behalf of others — the church, the lost, and the world. Intercession is not meant to be a part of the church service. Rather, intercession should be a core practice in leading the church to take its place in the ministry of reconciliation between God and man. This is the heart of the gospel and the fundamental mission of the church.

Let’s get practical.

As we can see, intercession is something much different than what takes place in our usual corporate prayer times. In corporate prayer, we join together as a body to celebrate what God is doing among us and pray with expectation for His faithfulness toward us each day. That is NOT intercession.

Intercession is where members of the body engage with the Holy Spirit to hear what is on His heart and then pray with Him to see His will come to pass. This is key. This is why I believe the definition of “prophetic prayer” is applicable.

First You Need God’s Decree

For someone to intercede, biblically, they must first hear God’s will: be it a decree, a promise, or a judgment. While this can and does take place by spending time in His written word – the Bible – those with a calling toward intercession will go deeper into specific practical matters as the Lord speaks to them (John 10:17, John 16:12-15). They need to be able to hear God’s Holy Spirit clearly.

Since intercession depends on hearing God’s voice, I find it difficult for most congregations to truly have an effective time of intercessory prayer during a regular church service. Many of the people attending do not understand what they are being asked to do. Those who do may not have the maturity to take part in biblical intercession as a brief, passing moment in a broader worship service.

For this reason, I would encourage pastors to create intercessory teams who meet at specific times outside of the regular service. They should take time together to hear from the Lord, pray into His will, and inform the leadership of what God is speaking before the regular service takes place. For some events, such as crusades or revival services, having the intercessory team in place, praying quietly throughout the service is also quite effective and strategic.

Second You Need A Willing Intercessor

This process of sitting and hearing from the Lord takes diligence and patience. Intercession, while vital to the life of the body of Christ, is not a spiritual practice everyone will engage in. This is where the willingness comes into place.

Again, this is why I believe it is a mistake for a pastor to invite every church member onto an intercessory team. It takes maturity as a believer, specifically in the area of hearing the Lord speak. For people unwilling to take the time needed to hear and pray effectively, it will be a waste of time and energy with little benefit to the church. For this same reason, there may be people who go through seasons of life where they will step on and off your intercessory team. This is ok. Just make sure that those who are there are mature, able, and willing to stand in the gap for the body and ministry.

Third You Need To Release Them With Boldness

People willing to step into the intercessor role as part of their life in the body of Christ need to be released by their leadership to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading completely. While there will definitely be times church leadership will give guidance around a specific need to pray for (an upcoming event, a needy individual, or anything else), it will ultimately be up to the Spirit in how the need is covered.

They must have the freedom and the boldness to take what they hear from the Lord and go deeper into His presence (“in My face”) with the things He shares. While the leadership can guide how some ministers in the church do their work, the intercessor cannot be directed at all times. Instead, the leadership must be willing to flow with the intercessory team as the Lord guides them along.

If we do intercession well, the church will be fruitful in the mission of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18).

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September 15 2021

Orthopraxy: Corporate Prayer

A. Scott Ingram Gospel Leadership, Practical Ministry Bible, Bible Study, Church, Church Ministry, church training, Gospel, Holy Spirit, Jesus, ministry leadership, ministry training, orthopraxy, Scripture 1

I grew up in the American “bible belt;” an area where there is a church building on nearly every street corner and a social expectation that you are a member of one of these churches, even if you never attend. Growing up outside of the local church, therefore, caused various relational challenges for me when people would ask the question, “where do you go to church?”

A few decades later, I now live in Uganda, where there is a similar cultural expectation of religious affiliation, though the divisions are different. Back in the U.S., the divide was denominational — baptist, methodist, pentecostal, church of Christ, etc. The religious lines here, however, are whether you are Catholic or “protestant,’ meaning Anglican (government recognized churches), a “mulokole” or “a born-again,” meaning evangelical/charismatic (not government recognized churches), or you are a Muslim.

Due to this different background, the question people ask here is also much different. Instead of being asked, “where do you go to church?” you are much more likely to hear, “where do you pray from?” While this also implies the question “which god do you pray to,” I still like this question much better. After all, as we discussed last week, the church is not a place you go; it is the community of believers with whom you gather. Prayer, however, is one of the biggest reasons why the church gathers, so the question “where do you pray from” is entirely appropriate.

As we continue our practical dive into what the church does and why, I want to dig deeper into the practice of prayer, or more specifically, “corporate prayer” as the body of Christ. Next week, we will go further into prayer by looking at the role of “intercession” as a ministry of the church.

What is Prayer?

According to the Lexham Bible Dictionary¹, prayer is “communication with God, primarily offered in the second-person voice (addressing God directly). May include petition, entreaty, supplication, thanksgiving, praise, hymns, and lament.”

From the Jewish and Christian perspective, the concept of prayer is much different from that of many other cultures. It comes down to one critical theological difference between the personality of Yahweh versus the deities of other religions. Yahweh is an intimate God who wants fellowship with His creation. Since the first man was formed in Genesis, human history has been marked by people’s relationship (or lack of relationship) with God. Relationship is one of the primary biblical characterizations that define our faith. We are the people of God because we know Him and live in relationship with Him.

Our God is a Relational God

The Bible is full of intimate and relational language when it talks about human interaction with God. For example, Moses was called a friend by God (Is. 41:8; James 2:23). The book of Hosea demonstrates God’s unfailing love for His people as a husband’s pursuit of his unfaithful bride. Jesus is called “Immanuel,” meaning God with us, and when He had to leave the earth, He sent His own Spirit to dwell inside of us. These are only a few examples, but they make the point well.

This intimate view of deities was not common in most of the pagan cultures of the first century. Instead, the gods that people worshipped were silent and distant. Prayers and offerings were made to appease them but never to know them. This is why when Paul preached to the gentiles, his gospel often emphasized the closeness of our God (Acts 17:26-28).

God is personal! Although it’s been said thousands of times before, it bears repeating: “Christianity is not a religion. It is a relationship!”

To summarize this point very candidly, to be a Christian is to know Christ. We do this first through His revelation of Himself in scripture, but we go deeper in intimacy with Him through prayer and fellowship with the Holy Spirit inside of us.

What is Corporate Prayer?

“Corporate prayer” is simply a way of saying that when we come together as a congregation (or in a small group), we are praying in unity with one another. There is cooperation in how we lift our voices to the Lord and agreement in our prayer focus.

This unified seeking of the Lord — especially for more of His presence and power in our lives — is one of the main reasons we gather as a local church. And there are several components that ought to be included when we come together in corporate prayer.

1. Worship

Though there is a strong misconception that “worship” means singing to the Lord, this is not the case. Instead, worship means recognizing and acknowledging the praiseworthiness of God, whether in song, prayer, proclamations, or deed.

Worship, therefore, should be one of the primary goals of our corporate prayer time. As we gather together, our purpose should be to behold Him and, together, publicly display our adoration of Him. That is worship.

We see worship as a vital part of prayer throughout history. Just read through the book of Psalms and see how often God’s character traits are celebrated. Also, notice how Jesus begins His model prayer by acknowledging that God’s name (character) is “hallowed” or wholly set apart, high above all other names (Matthew 6:9). (Remember, the revealed names of God represent His personal character and relational promises: Jehovah Jireh, “God who provides.” Jehovah Rapha, “God who heals.” Et al.)

If worship and adoration are not a priority in our church services, both in our singing AND in our corporate prayer, we are missing the point.

2. Thanksgiving

Whereas worship is closely related to celebrating who God is, thanksgiving celebrates all that God has done. It is gratitude for His faithfulness.

In a future post, we will see why sharing testimonies should be a regular part of our church practices to encourage others to trust the Lord more. However, as we seek to keep a record of what the Lord has done and is doing among us as the local body of Christ, we must make saying “thank You” to Him a regular practice as well.

Remember, prayer is vital for living in relationship with the Lord. It hurts His feelings when He blesses us so abundantly, but we refuse to acknowledge it through praise and thanksgiving. We must be like the Samaritan leper in Luke 17:11-19, who made the return journey to Jesus, just to say thank you. When we pray, we must take time as a body to thank Him for all that He does.

A second way we should incorporate thanksgiving into our church prayer times is to thank God for one another. We see this demonstrated in almost every pastoral letter from the Apostle Paul. He takes time, in each letter, to pray for the recipients and makes it a point to give thanks to God for individual people and their God-given gifts and roles in the church (1 Thessalonians 1:1-2; 2 Timothy 1:3; Romans 1:8; et al.). Remember, when we receive one another as a gift from God, with honor and gratitude, we will also receive the blessing from one another, as God intends (Matthew 10:41).

3. Community Petitions

Another vital element to our corporate prayers is that we should be lifting the needs of one another to the Lord.

Of course, we do this privately. Paul tells us:

“The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”
^{Philippians 4:5b-6}

He also tells us to “pray without ceasing,” which implies that this is not only when we are together with the church.

However, when we walk together in unity as the body of Christ, we share in one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and through our prayer, we become instruments of grace to each other. As James writes:

“And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
^{James 5:15-16}

Therefore, it is good to give members time to make their requests known to the congregation and for the church to take time to pray specifically for those needs.

4. Blessings and Impartations

Beyond just lifting the stated needs of church members, however, our times of corporate prayer should also be opportunities to bless one another in the Lord. We should make time, as the body, to lay hands on each other, to see an impartation of God’s grace and gifts onto others; to see God’s power come alive in their lives; and to see the Holy Spirit fill them in new, fresh ways.

In the Old Testament, God commanded the Jewish priests to bless the people by putting God’s name upon them (Numbers 6:22-27). (Again, referencing God’s name implies believing in His revealed character and claiming the related promises on behalf of the person.)²

In the New Testament, we see Jesus putting a blessing onto people by embracing them (Mark 10:16), laying His hands on them, and imparting the Holy Spirit to them (John 20:22). This example was followed by the 12 Apostles (Acts 8:17) and the Apostle Paul (Acts 19:1-6).

This shared time to seek the Lord for the benefit of one another, for more of God’s presence and power in their lives, ought to be a central goal of our times in corporate prayer.

What Corporate Prayer Is Not

As you can see from the four elements we have listed above, a time of corporate prayer must be God-focused and purposeful. With that in mind, let’s take a quick look at a few things corporate prayer is not.

1. Corporate Prayer is Not Mindless

Worship, thanksgiving, petitions, and blessings all require us to pray with mindfulness. This means that when we enter into a time of corporate prayer, we must take time to explain the intended focus so that everyone is unified in seeking the Lord. It may even be necessary, at times, to give clear instructions on how to pray with or for one another.

What we never want is to say, “let’s begin to pray,” without an explicit reason. If you’re going to lead people deeper into worship through a time of prayer, or if you want to spend time praying for the empowerment of the Holy Spirit in some way, you must explain this clearly. Otherwise, you will have confusion in the prayers and declarations being made by various members of the body.

When people are home, praying in their secret place with the Lord, they should pray as the Spirit leads them. However, in corporate prayer, we must be unified in the Spirit and in agreement with one another in our requests. This unity is what will make our prayers effective.

“Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
^{Matthew 18:19-20}

2. Corporate Prayer is Not Religious Ritual

Many more traditional forms of Christianity use liturgical prayers both in and out of their services. For most of us, the best example would be the praying of “The Lord’s Prayer” when we fellowship together. For others, there are standard prayers to be prayed over various aspects of a church service or at various times and seasons of the year.

Some Catholics and traditional protestants recite prayers like the “Jesus Prayer,” which says, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”

Some denominations use liturgical books, such as “The Book of Common Prayer,” used by the Anglicans, or other forms of prayer books. In fact, many of the hymnals used in many evangelical and charismatic churches contain a section of pre-written prayers to be recited, as well.

While it can be very useful to use some of these traditional prayers, which can keep us grounded in our church history and theological orthodoxy throughout the generations, we must be careful of turning corporate prayer into a weekly religious ritual we perform out of obligation.

We never want prayer to become a mindless routine or something we do simply because it is what we have always done. Even if we use some form of liturgical prayer in our services, we must do our diligence to keep the focus on Jesus and not just perform a religious exercise.

We do not pray for the sake of prayer. We pray to connect with Jesus relationally.

3. Corporate Prayer is Not Focused on the Devil

Another negative trend I have noticed often in corporate prayer is that it becomes too easy for people to take our eyes off the Lord and instead begin to engage in warfare with the devil.

Let me be clear; I do believe there is a need for spiritual warfare in the life of the church. We will cover this topic in a future post. However, the point I want to make is that we should NEVER take the time dedicated to the Lord and use it to talk to the devil. When it is time to pray, we pray to God alone. We CANNOT get distracted from Him as the central pursuit of our services!

To turn our attention to the devil when we should be in prayer actually expresses a belief that God cannot hear or answer our prayers until we get the devil out of the way. What faithlessness! Our authority over the devil comes from our relationship with Jesus! Let us never cut our intimate time with Him short to engage with an already-defeated enemy.

The Church Must Pray

Now that we have a clear understanding of what prayer is and is not, all that is left is to put it into practice. The body of Christ must pray. It should be inherent in our meetings.

As a leader, have you taught your church what prayer is and how to do it?
Do you lead your church regularly in the four elements discussed in this article?
If not, what corrections do you need to make immediately, to fulfill the biblical call to corporate prayer in your meetings?

Let’s Connect

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Endnotes:

¹ Leslie T. Hardin, “Prayer,” ed. John D. Barry et al., The Lexham Bible Dictionary (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2016).

² Joshua G. Mathews, “Blessing,” ed. Douglas Mangum et al., Lexham Theological Wordbook, Lexham Bible Reference Series (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014).

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September 10 2021

Mark

A. Scott Ingram Bible Basics, New Testament Survey Bible, Bible Basics, Bible Study, Bible Survey, Book of Mark, Gospel, Jesus, Mark, Mark Outline, Mark Themes, new testament, New Testament Survey, Scripture, Summary of Mark, Survey of Mark 0

Author

John Mark, a fellow missionary with Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary journey (Acts 12:25), is generally considered to be the writer based on a very strong early Christian tradition. He is seen throughout the book of Acts, using this combined name (Acts 12:12, 25 and Acts 15:37) or either of the individual names (Acts 13:5, 13 and Acts 15:39).

We do not know much about his life before ministry, except that he was likely from Jerusalem and that his mother was well known within the Christian community, and also a close friend of Peter and the Apostles (Acts 12:12). In 1 Peter 5:13, the Apostle Peter claims that Mark was his spiritual son. Although Mark traveled with the Apostle Paul and Barnabas on their first missionary voyage, it was this relationship with the Apostle Peter that seems to have had the greatest impact on his gospel.

Though it was already widely known that Mark penned the book, some early church fathers, such as Justin, Tertullian, Irenaeus, and Jerome desired to demonstrate a clear Apostolic authority in the book, and therefore presented it as being the gospel of Peter, with Mark simply acting as a scribe. Eusebius, also, points to the writings of Papius, “a hearer of John and companion of Polycarp,” as saying that Mark was “the interpreter of Peter.”

Other scholars point to Mark’s use of Aramaic in his writings as likely a direct influence from his time with Peter, since Paul would have used proper Hebrew and Greek as a highly educated Jew and a Roman citizen.

Little is known regarding Mark’s life and ministry after his departure from Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:13 and 15:38). However, it is clear that he remained a faithful minister to the gospel as Paul requests his help during his imprisonment in Rome (2 Timothy 4:11 and Colossians 4:10). Eusebius later writes that “Mark was the first that was sent to Egypt, and that he proclaimed the Gospel which he had written, and first established churches in Alexandria.”

Date

Mark likely wrote sometime between 55-65AD, and evidence suggests that Mark was the earliest of the gospel writers. The gospel would have been written sometime after Mark’s missionary travels with Paul. Some church historians, such as Eusebius, put the writing after Peter’s death, around 64AD, others simply suggest Mark was inspired to write after Peter’s arrest by the Romans.

The book was certainly written before the fall of Jerusalem in 70AD, as Mark 13:2 records Jesus’ prediction of the soon-coming destruction of the Temple, without the author noting that the fulfillment of the prophecy had taken place.

Audience and Purpose

Mark’s primary audience was Roman believers. He translates Hebrew/Aramaic words into Greek and takes time to explain Jewish customs which would only be necessary for those unfamiliar with the Old Testament.

It seems that Mark’s primary purpose was to affirm Jesus’ role as the promised Messiah and then to encourage the Roman believers to be transformed according to Jesus’ image, rather than conforming to Jewish customs and traditions.

Papius’ writings (again quoted by Eusebius), tell us that Mark’s primary goal, having not walked with nor heard Jesus speaking for himself, became the interpreter for Peter and “wrote down accurately everything that he remembered, without, however recording in order what was either said or done by Christ” The point being that although Mark attempted to recall all the stories and teachings of Jesus he had learned from Peter, the chronological order was not always clear, and it leaves gaps that would be filled by other gospel writers (see Luke 1:1-4).

Major Themes

Gospel.
Jesus as Messiah. (See Mark 1:1)
Prophecy Fulfilled.

Key Scriptures

Mark 8:29 — “And he asked them, ‘But who do you say that I am?’ Peter answered him, ‘You are the Christ.’”
Mark 15:39 — “And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”

Outline

Mark 1:1-15 — Introduction
Mark 1:16-8:26 — The Presentation of Jesus as the Messiah
- Mark 1:14-3:25 — Jesus’ Announcement of God’s Kingdom
- Mark 4:1-34 — Jesus’ Teachings (Parables) of God’s Kingdom
- Mark 5:1-8:26 — Jesus’ Demonstrations of God’s Kingdom (Miracles)
Mark 8:27-16:20 — The Testing of Jesus as the Messiah
- Mark 8:27-10:52 — Jesus’ Journey to Jerusalem
- Mark 11:1-15:20 — Jesus’ “Passion Week”
- Mark 15:21-47 — Jesus’ Death and Burial
- Mark 16:1-20 — Jesus’ Resurrection and Commission of the Church

Gospel Summary

As with our look at Matthew, it is difficult to write a “gospel summary” of a book, which itself is a summarization of the gospel. As Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer writes, “Like all the canonical Gospels, [Mark’s] also has the destined purpose of historically proving the Messiahship of Jesus: it seeks to accomplish this especially by setting forth the deeds of Jesus, but in doing so does not bear any special dogmatic colour.”¹ The implication is that Mark’s goal was to show that Jesus was the Messiah through the sharing of the testimonies and teachings he had learned from the Apostle Peter. He does not go out of his way to make his own opinions known.

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Endnotes

¹Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer, Critical and Exegetical Handbook to the Gospels of Mark and Luke, ed. William P. Dickson, trans. Robert Ernest Wallis, vol. 1, Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1883), 8.

Tag: Scripture

That is not, and cannot, be considered discipleship!

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The first part of this mandate is: “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples.”

This leads to the second part of Jesus’ mandate: “and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

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So what’s the point?

So what makes this different?

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So, what does all of this have to do with discipleship?

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Jump to:

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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What is Tithing?

Is Tithing a New Testament Requirement?

What the New Testament Does Command is Generosity and Financial Stewardship.

What Did Jesus Say About Giving?

If Jesus’ standard requires us to set the bar higher, what does that mean for our financial giving?

Maybe I can say it this way:

We don’t give to get something back.

So What Does All This Mean?

If You are a Christian, but You Do Not Give Financially to the Lord and His Work:

Why don’t you give to the Lord?

Author

Date

Audience and Purpose

Major Themes

Key Scriptures

Outline

Gospel Summary

Author

Date

Audience and Purpose

Major Themes

Key Scriptures

Outline

Gospel Summary

Author

Date

Audience and Purpose

Major Themes

Key Scriptures

Outline

Gospel Summary

What is Fellowship

Can Friendship Be Forced?

The Foundation of Fellowship

Fellowship in Unity

The Extention of Fellowship

The Fruit of the Spirit

The Expression of Fellowship

Giving 100% In The Offering

Love Feasts

Creating Fellowship Today

Let’s Get Practical

1. Celebrate Jesus

2. Encourage Love

3. Facilitate Corporate Expressions of Fellowship

Let’s Connect

Endnotes

Intercession in the Old Testament

Intercession is Based on God’s Decree