July 31st 2010
Loving To Be First
9th in a series based on 3 John
“I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will have nothing to do with us.”
3 John 9 (NIV)
Not everything goes smoothly in church.
Here we find that one of the leading members, some speculate a longstanding elder, Diotrephes, refused to have anything to do with the Apostle John. Note that John said he had written previously to the church—was this the first biblical epistle of John? In it he had warned against false teachers who refused to preach that Christ was fully God and man (see 1 John 4:2). Did Diotrephes reject the humanity and divinity of Christ?
It seems certain that Diotrephes undermined the ministry of John and Gaius and the brothers who were sent out as missionaries. It is unlikely that he wanted the church to be hospitable to them and for the church to work together in support of them.
One of the noteworthy points is that, although there may have been administrative and/or doctrinal disagreements, the main problem was much more personal. It was to do with position and power. Diotrephes liked to be first, and to be seen to be so, in the congregation. John, Gaius, the brothers, and the church members who looked to them were a threat to him.
Pastoral supervisors sometimes are presented with similar problems today. From time to time, but thankfully not very often, a congregational leader opposes openly the work or the teachings of the church. Sadly, as John pointed out about Diotrephes, the underlying issue can be one of influence and status. Sometimes it is also about money, which, the Bible explains, was the case with Judas Iscariot.
John was so concerned that he mentions the danger of Diotrephes to Gaius, and thus warns church members via his letter. It may have been that the believers involved had been deceived by Diotrephes into thinking that John was the problem.
Please pray for the unity of our fellowship and congregations, and that people like Diotrephes do not gain the pre-eminence.
Prayer
Father, thank you for scriptures like 3 John 9 and for the warning they bring to us. Please protect our congregations from people who love to be first. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by James Henderson
July 30th 2010
Jesus Actually Died
“Jesus called out with a loud voice, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.’ When he had said this, he breathed his last.”
Luke 23: 46 (NIV)
Jesus died on the cross.
Four separate historical sources, called the gospels, record his death. Even though the gospels were religiously motivated, they still describe the details of the crucifixion in slightly different ways, thus adding to the authenticity of his death on the cross. First century non-Christian writers such as Josephus, Tacitus, Lucian of Samosata, and Mara Bar-Serapian, also refer to Christ’s execution.
Despite this strong historical evidence, opponents of Christianity have claimed that Jesus did not die on the cross. They say that probably he was near death but was later resuscitated by his disciples.
In actuality very few people have been recorded as surviving the ordeal of Roman scourging and crucifixion. There is a reference to some victims who were pardoned after crucifixion began and who were taken down soon after they had been strapped or nailed to the cross, but even then the survival rate was low. There is no reason to suppose that Jesus was removed prematurely or that he was spared in some way. No powerful official intervened on his behalf.
The intent, as in all accounts of crucifixion, was an agonizing death. To suggest that Christ did not die goes against not only the specific historical records but also against the overwhelming evidence that crucifixion consistently led to death.
The early followers of Jesus believed he had died. His disciples, his family, those who lived within and around Jerusalem at the time of his public execution, plus those who were hostile to the faith, all could have refuted his death but none did. As the preacher Stephen said to the assembled crowds in Jerusalem just a few weeks later, in alluding to the treachery of the mock trial and to the subsequent brutal crucifixion of Christ, “now you have betrayed and murdered him” (Acts 7:52).
Why did he die? The Bible says, “he died for us” (1 Thessalonians 5:10), but that’s another story – in fact, it is the greatest story ever told.
Prayer
Great God, thank you for the reality of the death of Christ, and for the fact that he died for us. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by SEP Staff
July 29th 2010
The Most Famous Death In History
“Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.”
John 19:16 (NIV)
What is the most famous death in history?
We could think of Cleopatra and her snake. Or Julius Caesar being stabbed to death by his fellow Romans. Or the assassination of President Kennedy of the United States of America. There are a number of possibilities. Can you think of some more?
Chances are that many would say the most famous death is when Jesus Christ was crucified 2000 years ago. This death has been the subject of countless retellings, paintings, sculptures, movies, and books. Recently, in an attempt to discredit the Christian story, some have speculated that the crucifixion did not happen. After all, how can you prove it? Come to think of it, how can you prove any event in history?
Certainly death by crucifixion is a well-documented historical fact. Archaeologists have unearthed many victims of crucifixion from the decades surrounding the date of Christ’s death (between 30 and 33AD). Crucifixion was regarded as a Roman method of execution, much abhorred by the Jews. Quintilius Varus, a Roman leader, had 2000 people crucified in punishment for the rebellion that followed the death of Herod the Great. The Emperor Titus had thousands crucified, some sources say as many as 500 a day, during the Roman siege of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
What about the crucifixion of Jesus? How do we know it took place? In the Bible we have slightly conflicting reports about the details of the crucifixion. They are called the Gospels. The fact that they differ a little adds to their historical credibility. What if four people had to give an account of something that happened ten years ago: they may not recollect all the details in the same way, but they could confirm the main events. If the Gospel writers had conspired to deceive people about the crucifixion and the resurrection, it is likely that they would have agreed on all the specifics.
One first century writer who refers to the crucifixion of Christ as a fact was Josephus, a Jewish historian. The Roman senator, Tacitus, also wrote about it. Josephus records that “Pilate, upon hearing him (Jesus) accused by men of the highest standing among us, had condemned him to be crucified” (Antiquities XVIII.64).
Nowadays, although there are some dissenters, most serious historians do not deny the historical accuracy of the crucifixion of Christ.
Prayer
Almighty Father, thank you for the crucifixion of Jesus. Please help me to contemplate what that means. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by SEP Staff
July 28th 2010
Jesus Is Unique
“We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
John 1:14 (NIV)
Is the Jesus story unique or are there others like it?
Some scholars of the 19th and 20th centuries suggest that the accounts of Jesus are a collection of myths borrowed from other cultures and religions.
A well-know example, much publicized via television and the worldwide web, is the idea that the biblical Jesus is founded on the cult of Mithraism. The contention is that, among other suggested parallels, Jesus, just like Mithras, was born of a virgin, was a great teacher, sacrificed himself for the world and was resurrected. Any casual investigation would show that the first recorded texts about Mithras occurred well after the writing of the gospels, and therefore the copycat idea can be dismissed. What’s more Mithras, according to the legends, was born out of a rock, not a woman; was not a teacher who walked among the people; and did not sacrifice himself – in fact, he did not die and therefore there is no resurrection story.
There are also fables about agricultural and fertility gods that die in the winter only to rise again in the spring. Was the Jesus story based loosely on them? Again, the similarities do not stand up to close inspection. Jesus did not die in winter. He does not die and get resurrected every year on some seasonal basis. “Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people” (Hebrews 9:28).
A major point to note about Jesus Christ is that he is a historically documented real person, not some mythical fabrication like Mithras or the Egyptian deity Osiris or the Greek Adonis.
And the story of Jesus is unique. Only Christianity discusses how the gracious and compassionate “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Prayer
Glorious Father, thank you that the one and only Jesus died for me in order that I may live in your fellowship forever. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by SEP Staff
July 27th 2010
Ghost Writer
“All scripture is God-breathed and is useful….”
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV)
Ghost writers make big money.
I heard recently of a young sports personality who is likely to make hundreds of thousands of dollars for his biography. The story was that he himself would not write a word – his book would be written by professional “ghost writers”.
The Bible is a bit like that. The Bible was written by human beings and inspired by the Holy Spirit, who is sometimes called the Holy Ghost. Thus, in the text, not only do we have divinely inspired thoughts and content but we also see the passions, weaknesses and sometimes the faulty research and questionable memory of the authors.
Archaeology has been helpful in establishing that the Bible is consistently historically authentic in its settings it outlines. In other words, the descriptions of places and customs were first hand accounts written by people who lived in or near the time involved.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 is probably the most well known passage connected with inspiration. It discusses the biblical context of inspiration and what it is all about – how inspired Scripture is profitable for the purposes of spiritual teaching, convicting of wrong-doing, and instructing on how to live a holy life.
No matter how we interpret the idea of inspiration, there is no doubt among Christians that God himself through the Holy Spirit was involved in the creation and sanctification of the Bible.
Sometimes we are asked what God wants Christians to do. There is a fairly obvious answer. The Bible was God-breathed. Surely, in wanting to know what God wants, the Bible is the place to start.
Prayer
Glorious Father, thank you that the Spirit inspired the writing of the Bible, and please help us to be inspired by it to follow you. In Jesus’ name.
Amen
Study by SEP staff