Understanding the Holy Spirit–Part Three

   V.        The Nature and Relationship of the Word and the Spirit

1. The Word of God—as used here relates to the written revelation commonly known as the Holy Scriptures, the Bible, etc.
2. The function of the Spirit in the origin of the Word—

i.      2 Peter 1:20-21—

1. “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is on any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” (KJV)
2. “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” (NRSV)
3. Scripture does not originate with human beings, but the speaking of prophecy which is the first activity originates and is animated by the Holy Spirit. The second activity is the accurate recording of the events, which is also the activity of the Holy Spirit.
4. “The idea is, that in what they spake they were carried along by an influence from above. They moved in the case only as they were moved; they spake only as the influence of the Holy Ghost was upon them. They were no more self-moved than a vessel at sea is that is impelled by the wind; and as the progress made by the vessel is to be measured by the impulse bearing upon it, so the statements made by the prophets are to be traced to the impulse which bore upon their minds. They were not, indeed, in all respects like such a vessel, but only in regard to the fact that all they said as prophets was to be traced to the foreign influence that bore upon their minds.” (Barnes Commentary on Scripture—Barnes is a baptist but his comment on the meaning of the word for carried along/moved is pretty decent and I thought it worth sharing).
5. The text of the Scripture, and the originally spoken prophecy, are inseparable from the work and person of the Holy Spirit, since it is the Spirit who gave them the speech and who supervised the recording of it so that there would be no “private interpretation.”

ii.      2 Timothy 3:15-17—

1. “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.” (KJV)
2. “and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” (NRSV)
3. The phrase here translated as “by inspiration of God,” or “inspired by God,” comes from the word theopneustas (yeopneustav)—this can be translated as God-breathed, but contains the thought that it is through the agency of God’s breath, or through God’s Spirit, that the Scriptures came into existence. The Greek and Hebrew words for “spirit” being the same words also for “breath,” and “wind.” (Hence the delightful play on Genesis 1 by Jesus in John 3—a later discussion though for that).
4. The short of it is the fact that the hagiographa, the holy writings, came by the breath of God, or were breathed out by God through human vessels. The record then of Scripture is one of Divine activity, and thus the Divine activity precedes the revelation to and through humans. The Divine Agent who guided and moved these human vessels then to write the Scriptures cannot be the same as the Scriptures since He is the origin of them. Thus the Spirit is superior to the written revelation, yet at the same time since the written revelation discloses the mind and person of God, originates in the mind of God, and is transmitted by God through man, the Scriptures themselves have an inherent Divinity while not being in and of themselves Divine.

iii.      The threefold identification—

1. Hebrews 3:7, 15, and 4:7
2. Note that it is the Holy Spirit who says in 3:7
3. Note the generic citation and common knowledge of the Scripture in 3:15
4. Note the specific human to whom it came (David), and through whom the Spirit spoke, and by whom the Spirit made the written record in Psalm 95:7-11.
5. We have within two chapters a New Testament writer identifying the human, the Divine, and the generic knowledge as recorded on the physical page.
6. This point is crucial—When the prophet speaks, it is the same as God speaking through His Holy Spirit. When the Scripture records God speaking by His Holy Spirit, such communication is Divine in the Scripture. Any point at which the Holy Spirit speaks, or records a Divine mandate through human vessels, the impact is equally binding and valid as if God had spoken it directly at that moment.[1]

iv.      The use of the Word by the Spirit—

1. Ephesians 6:17—“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” (KJV)
2. It must be acknowledged that in the context the “word of God” here is not the person of the Jesus the Messiah. The word of God here is the same as the word of God utilized by the Word of God when He put satan to flight during the wilderness temptations. The word of God is the revelation of God as recorded in the Scripture, and is the means by which the enemy is put to flight.
3. The word of God is the Spirit’s sword, it is not the Spirit, nor is the Spirit the word of God. As outlined previously the two are inseparable, yet they are not the same.

v.      Parallel passages—Ephesians 5:17-21 and Colossians 3:15-17

1. Examination of Ephesians 5:17-21—having told them that the days are evil and they are to redeem the time, the apostle gives them Divine guidance about how that is achieved.
2. Vs 17—the wise understand what the will of the Lord is, and this is in contrast to and expanding upon the statement in verse 15.
3. Vs 18—here, as a practical truth demonstrating the path of the wise and the path of fools, the apostle informs them that they can be filled with two kinds of spirits—one in which is found excess and foolishness, and the other which redeems time and is wise.
   1. We know that time spent in drunkenness is a waste, that it almost never leads to anything wise or beneficial, and frequently creates more problems and further enslaves us to sin.

i.      Pr 4:17 For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

ii.       Pr 20:1 ¶ Wine [is] a mocker, strong drink [is] raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.

iii.       Pr 21:17 ¶ He that loveth pleasure [shall be] a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. {pleasure: or, sport}

iv.       Pr 23:30-31 They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, [when] it moveth itself aright.

1. The apostle advocates his readers/hearers should be filled with the Spirit, which Spirit he has been teaching them about. (read please Eph 1:13, 1:17, 2:18, 2:22, 3:5, 3:16, 4:3-4, 4:30, 5:9)

i.      There are indicators of which spirit inhabits his readers, we know the signs of the alcoholic spirit—violence, discord, etc.

ii.      This Spirit, the Holy Spirit, marks us that we belong to God, provides access to the Father by the Son, builds us up into His holy habitation, strengthens us, and many other things.

iii.      The apostle has given solid grounds for why they should choose to be filled with the Spirit.

iv.      Among the consequences of being filled with the Spirit is that they are able to sing with melody in their hearts to the Lord through the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs to each other; to give the Father thanks through the Son, and to submit to each other in the fear of God.

1. The meaning of the word “filled”—

i.      The verb for “be filled” is plhrousye—which is a present passive imperative 2^nd person plural.

ii.      Now the imperative is a command for the one who hears or reads to obey, thus Christians are commanded to be filled with the Spirit, here it would be all Christians since the verb is a 2^nd person plural, and has the effect of “ye” or “y’all.”

iii.      Passive however is that which is done to us by an outside party and cannot be done by us to ourselves. Thus the act of the filled, the actual work is being achieved by someone other than ourselves.

iv.      The present tense does not mean “right now” like in the English, but carries with it the attitude of a continual action.

v.      PUTTING IT TOGETHER—The apostle by inspiration is commanding the readers/hearers, all of them being individually responsible, to be filled continually with the Holy Spirit, without being the actual workers in their own filling. The readers are to allow an “external” agent to perform the act/work of filling them, but if they are not willing to be filled and submit to the process, then the “external” agent cannot do its work.

1. Colossians 3:15-17—answers the question of how one is filled with the Spirit
   1. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Colossians 3:15-17 KJV)
   2. The reader here is commanded to allow the word of Christ to dwell in them—This is a present active imperative, which means the reader has to continually actively take and allow the word of Christ into themselves.
   3. The difference between the passages and the verbs is a subtle but fascinating one: the passive of Ephesians manifests in the pouring out of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs from a heart upon which the melody can be “plucked,” whereas the way the active manifests in Colossians is in the filling of each other with the Word of Christ through those same psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs being sung with grace to the Lord.
      1. The means by which one is filled, or is indwelt richly, is through the medium of the Word.
      2. This is not to imply that reading the Scripture “gives” one more of the indwelling of the Spirit.

i.      Consider that every person who wants a Bible can have one is a fairly recent and modern event in the overall history of humanity.

ii.      If the reading of Scripture is the means to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, then what of the illiterate, the blind, or those who do not have a written Bible in their language?

iii.      Also consider that on the day of Pentecost, the approximately 3000 souls that were baptized into Christ received the gift of the Holy Spirit, and that Peter said God gives the Spirit to those who obey Him. THERE WAS NO NEW TESTAMENT IN THE FIRST 12-18 YEARS AFTER PENTECOST![2]

iv.      It is therefore a fallacious argument to claim that the way the Ephesians were “filled” with the Spirit was by reading the Word of Christ, or to claim that is the full limit of what God was commanding.

This article was written by Brian Hull-Reagan for publication in the 19 February 2012 bulletin of the North Oak Church of Christ in Mineral Wells, TX.

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[1] This raises the topic of which commands are valid and binding. It is sufficient to say here that until, unless, and except a command of God is abrogated by a later one, or unless it was event specific and the event has been completed, the command has a perpetual effect.

[2] This is generous and assumes that the first book written is the letter to the Thessalonians in the late 40’s.

Understanding the Holy Spirit–Part Two

1. How was the Spirit imparted in the book of Acts?
   1. By Divine fiat in response to human obedience—Acts 2:38-40—there were two consequences of the crowd repenting and being baptized into Jesus. Execution of the command to repent and be baptized is the condition which must be fulfilled prior to the consequences being made effective.

i.      The forgiveness/remission of sins

ii.      The gift of the Holy Spirit

iii.      The promise was not limited in time and scope, nor to race, gender, or socio-economic conditions

iv.      What Peter promised to them is not the same as what Peter says, by inspiration of the Spirit, that the miraculous events are the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 as he quotes it in Acts 2:14-22.

v.      Please note that NOWHERE does it say that the whole crowd who was baptized manifested miraculous signs, rather they began a life of worship, faith, prayer and love/fellowship (Acts 2:41-47).

1. Acts 5:29-32—this text makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is given by the Father to those who obey Him. This would connect with the obedience of submission to God in baptism and to the promise that the Spirit would be given as the gift to the one obedient to Christ in repentance and baptism.
2. Acts 8:12-19—This is the text where the people of Samaria obeyed the Gospel by being baptized into Christ, but they sent for Peter and John to lays hands on the people and impart the Holy Spirit.

i.      Now is this in agreement with the statement that God gives the Spirit to those who obey Him?

1. If yes—then how do we obey God to summon the apostles back from the dead to lay hands on us to receive the Spirit?
2. If no—then is there a contradiction in Scripture?

ii.      OR—each statement is valid when we understand that the laying on of hands as related to the direct impartation of the Spirit was to confirm the teaching/preaching/word and manifested in visible and immediate miraculous signs (cf. Hebrews 2:1-4).

1. Consider that the result of Peter and John laying hands on the people was that Simon the former sorcerer “SAW” the impartation of the Spirit and the immediate manifestations.
2. Thus it is possible to be personally indwelt by the Spirit and not manifest miraculous signs.
3. Note also that Philip the evangelist, who is different from Philip the apostle, was not able to impart the miraculous gifting of the Spirit the way Peter and John did and needed for them to come from Jerusalem to perform this work. Philip however was a man full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit and was one of the seven previously chosen for the ministry to the widows (cf. Acts 6:1-9). Also note that not every instance of laying on of hands had to do with imparting the Spirit, since those men were already filled with the Spirit prior to laying hands on them and appointing them to the ministry of widows.
4. The conversion of Saul/Paul—Acts 9:17-18

i.      Ananias was sent to give Saul/Paul back his sight

ii.      Ananias included commanding Saul/Paul “to be filled” with the Holy Spirit—this is a passive command which means that Paul was to yield/submit, and it would be done to him.

iii.      Consider that as soon as he received his sight Saul/Paul arose and was baptized, which agrees with what we have already seen in Acts 2:38 and 5:32. Note that when Saul/Paul offers more details of his conversion in Acts 22:16 we find out that Ananias specifically told Saul/Paul to get his sins washed away.

iv.      This strongly implies that Saul/Paul was active in having baptism performed on himself, which is a passive act on the part of the one to whom it is done, and that the consequence of being baptized and washing his sins away was for the Father to fill Saul/Paul with the Holy Spirit, since Saul/Paul was obedient to God.

1. What are the Works of the Spirit on behalf of Christians?
   1. The Spirit is the earnest of the Christian

i.      Earnest– 1. Money paid in advance as part payment to bind a contract or bargain. 2. A token of something to come; a promise or an assurance.[1]

                                       ii.    The good faith deposit by which God has bound Himself to all Christians is the Holy Spirit–2Corinthians 1:22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

                                      iii.     Similar thought to the above–2Corinthians 5:5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing [is] God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

                                      iv.     The Holy Spirit is the good faith deposit and promise that the Father will complete the contractual process of redemption in those whom He purchased by the blood of the Son–Ephesians 1:14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

v.      The simple truth of this fact that God has placed Himself as the good faith deposit, the earnest, of His paln of redemption and final completion of glorifying and changing the saints into the image of His Son for all eternity (imago dei) is that if God fails to do what He promised—THEN GOD CEASES TO BE GOD AND GOD CEASES TO EXIST!

1. The Spirit functions as an intercessor on behalf of the Christian and unites with the Son in His mediatorial work of presenting all petitions of the children of God to the Father. (cf. Romans 8:26-27, I Timothy 2:5)
2. The Holy Spirit in us is the proof that we belong to God—I John 3:24, 4:12-13; Romans 8:9.
3. The Holy Spirit in us continually calls upon the Father, and enables us to call upon the Father, the same way that Jesus did (Mark 14:36 is part of Jesus’ passion prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane)—

i.      Galatians 4:6—The proof of Sonship, meaning that the Father regards us in the same light and position of the Eternal Son, is only because of the Holy Spirit who is SENT into our hearts who calls out to the Father on our behalf as ABBA.

ii.      Romans 8:15—If we have genuinely been adopted by God through the work of the Spirit who does the adoption process, thus effecting a change in our legal status, then we are legally able to call upon the Father in heaven as ABBA.

iii.      Consider this—if the reading of Scripture gives us the Holy Spirit, but not every church had every apostolic letter or Gospel at the time that the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write both Romans and Galatians, then how did they receive and have the Spirit dwelling within them?

iv.      Also, Paul speaks by inspiration of the Holy Spirit that both the Christians in Rome, whom he had never met personally, and the Christians in Galatia, were already recipients of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit separate from and prior to their reception of Spirit inspired letters from the apostle. Thus, God must mean what Paul wrote that “Because you are sons, GOD HAS SENT the SPIRIT of HIS SON into your hearts. . .” This means that the coming of the Spirit into believers is by Divine fiat, and that it happens to everyone who believes and is baptized in obedience to God. This is exactly what the apostle Peter, speaking by the same Holy Spirit said in Acts 2:38 and Acts 5:32.

 

This is an original series by Brian Hull-Reagan. This section will be published on 12 Feb 2012 in the North Oak Church of Christ Bulletin, Mineral Wells TX.

PLEASE excuse the outline challenges, as  the formatting from the original did not hold.

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[1] http://www.thefreedictionary.com/earnest

Understanding the Holy Spirit–Part One

The topic of the Holy Spirit is one that gives considerable difficulty to many in religious circles, primarily because they lack sufficient training in logic, grammar, and common sense. However, as you read what I write with an open Bible and to consider what is set forth, determine if it is grammatically correct (and faithful to the context), if it is logical, and if it meets the basic rules of common sense.

First we must acknowledge that there are numerous passages that deal with the Holy Spirit/the Spirit/the Spirit of God/Spirit of the Lord/Spirit of Christ. For simplicity I will use only Spirit or Holy Spirit when addressing these topics.

1. I.            Was the Holy Spirit promised to those in the age of the kingdom of Christ, the Church?
   1. a.    Jesus spoke of the coming of the Holy Spirit to be a living water that would flow out of believers (John 7:37-39).
   2. b.    Jesus promised the apostles the Spirit would be with them as another Comforter, and that the Spirit would dwell within them (John 14:16-17)

                                         i.    Point of fact the apostles were able to do miracles and exorcise demons prior to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit purely because they received command from Christ to do so.

                                       ii.    The apostles received the indwelling of the Spirit after the resurrection of Christ, but prior to His ascension, and prior to the descent of the miraculous manifestations of the Spirit on Pentecost (John 20:21-23)

1. c.    Jesus’ promise in Luke 24:44-49 was concerning the power of the Spirit as given by the Father. (cf. Jesus taught the Spirit would be sent from the Father, which would be the fulfilling of the Father’s promise of power, along with the other works of the Spirit, in John 14:26).
2. d.    CONCLUSION: The fact the apostles did miracles by the command of Jesus, the fact they had the indwelling of the Spirit prior to the Spirit’s impartation on Pentecost, shows that the giving and indwelling of the Spirit are not necessarily connected to the miraculous. Thus the promise of the Spirit need not be connected to miraculous manifestations of His presence.
3. II.          Is there a record of miracles being done apart from the indwelling of the Spirit at any other time than the apostolic age?
   1. Judges 3:10 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the LORD delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim.
   2. Judges 6:34 But the Spirit of the LORD came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him.
   3.  Judges 11:29 ¶ Then the Spirit of the LORD came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over [unto] the children of Ammon.
   4.  Judges 13:25 And the Spirit of the LORD began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol.
   5.  Judges 14:6 And the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and [he had] nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done.
   6.  Judges 14:19 And the Spirit of the LORD came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father’s house.
   7.  Judges 15:14 [And] when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and the cords that [were] upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands.
   8. Numbers 22:21-30 {read the whole passage—at the end the donkey rebukes the human prophet for his insanity—a miraculous jackass, I hope the irony isn’t wasted here}
   9. Conclusion: It is possible for miracles to occur, although these instances are exceptional[1], separate and apart from the indwelling of the Spirit, whether one is human or animal.
4. How was the Spirit imparted in the book of Acts?
   1. By Divine fiat in response to human obedience—Acts 2:38-40—there were two consequences of the crowd repenting and being baptized into Jesus. Execution of the command to repent and be baptized is the condition which must be fulfilled prior to the consequences being made effective.

i.      The forgiveness/remission of sins

ii.      The gift of the Holy Spirit

iii.      The promise was not limited in time and scope, nor to race, gender, or socioeconomic conditions

iv.      What Peter promised to them is not the same as what Peter says, by inspiration of the Spirit, that the miraculous events are the fulfillment of the prophecy of Joel 2:28-32 as he quotes it in Acts 2:14-22.

v.      Please note that NOWHERE does it say that the whole crowd who was baptized manifested miraculous signs, rather they began a life of worship, faith, prayer and love/fellowship (Acts 2:41-47).

1. Acts 5:29-32—this text makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is given by the Father to those who obey Him. This would connect with the obedience of submission to God in baptism and to the promise that the Spirit would be given as the gift to the one obedient to Christ in repentance and baptism.
2. Acts 8:12-19—This is the text where the people of Samaria obeyed the Gospel by being baptized into Christ, but they sent for Peter and John to lays hands on the people and impart the Holy Spirit.

i.      Now is this in agreement with the statement that God gives the Spirit to those who obey Him?

1. If yes—then how do we obey God to summon the apostles back from the dead to lay hands on us to receive the Spirit?
2. If no—then is there a contradiction in Scripture?

ii.      OR—each statement is valid when we understand that the laying on of hands as related to the direct impartation of the Spirit was to confirm the teaching/preaching/word and manifested in visible and immediate miraculous signs (cf. Hebrews 2:1-4).

1. Consider that the result of Peter and John laying hands on the people was that Simon the former sorcerer “SAW” the impartation of the Spirit and the immediate manifestations.
2. Thus it is possible to be personally indwelt by the Spirit and not manifest miraculous signs.
3. Note also that Philip the evangelist, who is different from Philip the apostle, was not able to impart the miraculous gifting of the Spirit the way Peter and John did and needed for them to come from Jerusalem to perform this work. Philip however was a man full of wisdom and the Holy Spirit and was one of the seven previously chosen for the ministry to the widows (cf. Acts 6:1-9). Also note that not every instance of laying on of hands had to do with imparting the Spirit, since those men were already filled with the Spirit prior to laying hands on them and appointing them to the ministry of widows.
4. The conversion of Saul/Paul—Acts 9:17-18

i.      Ananias was sent to give Saul/Paul back his sight

ii.      Ananias included commanding Saul/Paul “to be filled” with the Holy Spirit—this is a passive command which means that Paul was to yield/submit, and it would be done to him.

iii.      Consider that as soon as he received his sight Saul/Paul arose and was baptized, which agrees with what we have already seen in Acts 2:38 and 5:32. Note that when Saul/Paul offers more details of his conversion in Acts 22:16 we find out that Ananias specifically told Saul/Paul to get his sins washed away.

iv.      This strongly implies that Saul/Paul was active in having baptism performed on himself, which is a passive act on the part of the one to whom it is done, and that the consequence of being baptized and washing his sins away was for the Father to fill Saul/Paul with the Holy Spirit, since Saul/Paul was obedient to God.

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[1] Exceptional is used here to mean that which is not normative, not the normal occurrence of events, thus it is the exception—or exceptional.

 

by Brian Hull-Reagan, originally published in the February 5th and 12th 2012 bulletins of the North Oak Church of Christ, in Mineral Wells TX

Intercession and Prayer–Part 3

As we have considered different passages relating to prayer, specifically intercession, over the past weeks there are some points for us to apply in our daily lives.  The first point is that our intercession before God can and does change the outcome of events. We saw in the intercession of Moses on behalf of Israel that God intended to destroy them because of their sin and wickedness, but Moses stood in the gap (cf. Psalm 106:19-23). The larger issue for us is to answer how determined, how passionate, or how fervent our prayers are, and whether or not we really have an interest in seeing God move and act. Moses was filled with passion, intensity, and fervency for the children of Israel, and God responded and changed the course of His plans.

The second point is for us to recognize that a failure to pray is very likely an occasion of sin in our lives. Samuel told Saul that it would be a sin if he failed to pray for Saul (I Sam 12:23). Often times as Christians we like to talk about how “we are all priests before God,” while we fail to recognize the obligations that such an honour and distinction places upon us. If we are priests in practice and deed, not just by proclamation and word, then we have a solemn and holy obligation before God, the Church, and all humanity to unite our lives and ministry into the work of Christ as the eternal and perfect High Priest. God’s priests offer sacrifice, praise, intercession, and dispense the graces of God—but only as an extension of what Jesus already did in those areas. Our failure to intercede and to offer prayer is to limit the extent to which the work and person of Jesus is made manifest in a fallen world.

The third point is for us to remember that our prayers demonstrate our hearts. When God sought out someone to stand in the gap in Ezekiel’s day, He found no one because the people were past caring (Ezekiel 22:30-31). Jeremiah lamented the situation of apathy when he cried out, “Is it nothing to all you who pass by?” Prayer is an indicator of our hearts, since the things we speak betray of what the treasure inside consists (Luke 6:45). Why should we expect God to care about the things we cannot even be passionate about? What we pray, and how we pray reveals our true motives to us, and can oftentimes be an indicator of why our prayers are not effective. James 5:16-17 make it clear that it is the fervent prayer that is effective, and that we like Elijah, can pray with passion/significant emotional investment.

As we close this short series on intercessory prayer we want to remind ourselves that God is the one who originated prayer. God is the one who wants to speak with His children. That means God is invested in us, in His creation, and He expects us to invest ourselves in the process too. This is the means by which God intends to work in our lives and to allow us to participate in His works for others. This week, when you pray, remember that God is inviting you to unite your heart with that of Jesus in praying for others, for the Church, for families, and the world at large. Invest your life and time into Christ with passionate prayer to see the world change.

by Brian Hull-Reagan, published originally in the 29 Jan 2012 North Oak Church of Christ Bulletin

Intercession and Prayer–Part Two

 

 

Last week we introduced the topic of intercession. So what difference does intercession make? First, we have to realize the important place intercession has occupied among the people of God. Samuel tells Saul, “Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way” (I Sam 12:23). It would appear that failing to pray for others, is on some level, a SIN.

Now we don’t think of failing to pray as a sin, yet that is how Samuel by Divine inspiration regards it. James 4:17 reminds us that to know the good thing to do and then fail to do it is sin. Among the more important things we can do for others is the work of prayer. Paul says that we are to be, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints” (Eph 6:18).

Prayer is the one thing we all have access to at any time or place. Prayer is the means by which we wage our warfare. Scripture emphasizes, “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;” (2 Cor 10:3-5). Prayer, and the discipline of mind that accompanies it, has the ability to wage war in the heavenly realms when we cannot fight directly with the Sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17). Thus a failure to pray for others is a failure to use perhaps the single greatest power that God gives us to carry out His work through the Spirit.

Second, as we looked last week, lack of intercessors leads to the destruction of others. There may come a time when we do not need to pray any longer, as I John 5:16 suggests, “If any man see his brother sin a sin which is not unto death, he shall ask, and he shall give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto death: I do not say that he shall pray for it.” However, for the most part we ought to keep praying for others and their situations until we are essentially “told” not to pray for them like Jeremiah was, “Then said the LORD unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth,” (Jer 15:1).

Long before we reach the stage of figuring out when we have prayed enough, we should probably be more concerned that we have not done all we could have and should have. Ezekiel 13:5 notes that the reason the land is in difficulty is because, “Ye have not gone up into the gaps, neither made up the hedge for the house of Israel to stand in the battle in the day of the LORD.” The Holy Spirit commands us to, “take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand” (Eph 6:13).

Part 3—will conclude these messages

Brian Hull-Reagan originally written and published in the January 15th, 2012 North Oak Church of Christ Bulletin.

Intercession and Prayer–Part One

 

“And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him” (Is 59:16).

            Have you ever wondered about the things that God “wonders” about? God “wondered” that there was no intercessor. As you look at the above verse there are two words that need to be defined for the impact to be complete: wondered, intercessor. Webster’s 1828 dictionary defines wonder as “something that arrests the attention by its novelty, grandeur or inexplicableness,” and intercessor as “a mediator; one who interposes between parties at variance, with a view to reconcile them; one who pleads in behalf of another.”

It is an amazing thing to realize that God’s attention was arrested by the inexplicability of there not being found among His people a single person who would stand up to plead the cause of another. God is stunned, shocked, dazzled at this general apathy or inability of his people to care enough about each other to mediate for each other. In the passage of Isaiah 59:16-20 God does not find any who will intercede for their fellow Israelites, or anyone else for that matter, and so God announces to them that even if they do not care for each other, He cares enough for them to become their intercessor with Himself (the fulfillment of this is in Jesus Christ). God looks for those who would intercede for their fellow family members, and the world at large, even today.

How crucial is intercession for the Church, our families, our nation, and the world overall? ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL! God declares in Ezekiel 22:30-31, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none. Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.” Notice God looked for someone who would stand in the gap, who would take the open place and fill it, to plead the cause and no one was found. They were destroyed because no one cared to make intercession for the land or for the people. That is a wondrous thought that destruction came because of a lack of even one who was willing to be the mediator, to bring reconciliation.

The role of the intercessor was crucial under the Mosaic system, and remains an essential part of our ministry as priests of God even today. Timothy was reminded that among his job duties as the preacher/evangelist was to make sure “that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men . . . that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour” (I Tim 2:1-3). Paul points out that this work of ministry is shown to us in its fullness in the person of the one who is God and man—Jesus Christ—and that our participation in this work is an extension of His mediation, or peace-making (I Tim 2:4-5).

Brian Hull-Reagan  originally written and published in the 8 Jan 2012 North Oak Church bulletin

Establishing Bible Authority: Approved Apostolic Example and the First Day of the Week

Establishing Bible Authority:

Approved Apostolic Example and the First Day of the Week

                Invariably when discussion turns to the Lord’s Supper the question arises concerning the frequency with which it was observed in the Ancient Church. Many teachers in the denominations claim that the frequency of observance is not important, only that when it is done that it is done properly, or some similar type of thought. Consideration must be given though to the connection of the Lord’s Supper to the Passover, as well as other long-term principles which can be discerned from God’s Word.

The Old Testament provides a variety of guidelines for those who would observe Passover concerning their cleanliness, preparations, etc. How often were these preparations to be observed? As often as they observed the Passover, they were to observe the rules and regulations thereof. The Hebrew people were commanded to observe the Passover on the 14^th day of the first month, along with the festival of unleavened bread, and it was a perpetual standard (Ex 12). The command for its observance was limited to the fact that God specified it would take place on the 14^th day of the first month. The minimum frequency was once per year, and so was the maximum.

However, when we come to the New Testament, there is no command given concerning the frequency of observance. Jesus did say that it was a “memorial,” to be done “in remembrance of me,” but he did not say when or how often it was to be done. The Scripture informs us though that “upon the first day of the week, when the disciples were gathered (came together),” (Acts 20:7) it was with the purpose of observing the Lord’s Supper.

Which “first day of the week” is in view here? Similar to the command to “remember the Sabbath day,” it was understood that every Sabbath day was to be observed/remembered and kept holy. The reason Acts 20:7 does not make a point about this being a “special” first day of the week, and the reason Paul knew they would be assembling together on that first day of the week, was because they met EVERY first day of the week.

I Corinthians 16:2 commands the saints “Upon the first day of the week…lay by in store.” Which first day of the week were they to lay by in store? Apparently it was every first day of the week. The Corinthian saints were already assembled upon the first day of the week for worship (cf. chapter 14), and since they were already assembled at that time, they were to set aside into a collective fund their offering for the church in Jerusalem. The point is that they were assembling on every first day of the week. That means they were abusing the speaking in tongues every week, having chaos in their worship service, and that they were engaging in gluttony and drunkenness as an abuse of the Lord’s Supper, EVERY first day of the week.

Had the Lord’s Supper been a quarterly observance, or even annual, it is doubtful that it would have required such a strong response in this letter. But no doubt the question arises, “what does the phrase, ‘as often as you do this,’ mean?” It would appear from Acts 20 that the apostle Paul and his companions, in their travels, were not able to assemble in time with any local church. It is possible that they missed the Lord’s Supper due to such an instance. However, when they assembled with the saints that next week, they did observe the Lord’s Supper.  This would be a time in which “as often” since they apparently were not able to observe it the week prior.

(Preacher’s Soap Box moment—please do not use this to justify “missing” services when you travel. You have automotive transport, GPS, access to meeting times and locations, and digital alarm clocks to aid you in assembling with the saints ON TIME! Paul and his companions were onboard a sailing/rowing ship, and landed in port at a time when it was not feasible for them to assemble.)

 

In Him,

Brian Hull-Reagan