6/8/15

From Mark Copeland "EQUIPPING THE SAINTS FOR MINISTRY" The Providential Necessity 





                  "EQUIPPING THE SAINTS FOR MINISTRY"

                       The Providential Necessity

INTRODUCTION

1. In Ep 4:7-16, we see where Christ has given "gifts" to His church...
   a. These "gifts" are such functions as apostles, prophets,
      evangelists, pastors, teachers
   b. Some of these "gifts" were temporary
      1) Such as apostles and prophets
      2) For their work relates to the establishing the foundation of
         the Lord's church - Ep 2:19-22
      3) Once the foundation had been laid, their work as such was
         completed
   c. Other "gifts" are permanent
      1) Such as evangelists, pastors, and teachers
      2) For their work of adding to and building up the body of Christ
         continues to be needed
      3) Building upon the foundation laid by the apostles and
         prophets, this work is ongoing - cf. 1Co 3:9-11

2. The purpose of these "gifts" (offices, if you will) is defined by
   Paul in Ep 4:12...
   a. "for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry"
   b. "for the edifying of the body of Christ"

3. "Equipping The Saints For Ministry", then, is an important function
   of those who serve as evangelists, pastors, and teachers...
   a. Indeed, it is a major reason why we assemble together - He 10:24-25
   b. Titus, a young preacher, was instructed by Paul time and again to
      work toward this end:
      1) "Remind them...to be ready for every good work" - Tit 3:1
      2) "...these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those
         who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good
         works." - Tit 3:8
      3) "And let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet
         urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful." - Tit 3:14

4. As a minister of the gospel of Christ...
   a. I certainly have a responsibility in the area of evangelism - cf.
      2Ti 4:5
   b. But if I am to "fulfill my ministry", I must think in terms
      beyond my own personal work as an evangelist
   c. I must also give thought to how I can contribute toward
      "equipping the saints for ministry"

5. Thus with this lesson, I begin a series of studies designed to...
   a. Point out the "necessity" for a local church to focus on
      "equipping the saints for ministry"
   b. Stress the need for, and the value of, diversity of function in
      the body of Christ
   c. Provide direction on how we, as a local congregation of Christ,
      can facilitate "equipping the saints for ministry"

[In the first two lessons, I want to emphasize the "need" for a
congregation to be concerned about equipping its members for service.
For unless we appreciate the necessity, we are not likely to possess
the motivation required to carry through with the challenge we face.

There is first of all, "The Providential Necessity" for equipping the
saints for ministry.  To understand what I mean by that, consider
that...]

I. THE LORD IS BUILDING HIS CHURCH

   A. "I WILL MY BUILD MY CHURCH"...
      1. Jesus made His promise in Mt 16:18
         a. Certainly this promise pertains to the "establishment" of
            the church
         b. But I believe we have good reason to say that Jesus is
            still building His church
      2. As the "head" of the body, the church (Ep 1:22,23), we should
         not be surprised to see that He is very much involved in the
         "expansion" of the church!
      3. In fact, in nearly every example of conversion recorded in the
         book of Acts, the Lord worked in some way to create the
         opportunity for the person to hear the gospel

   B. EXAMPLES OF THE LORD'S INVOLVEMENT...
      1. The Lord waited until thousands were gathered in Jerusalem to
         pour out the Spirit and let Peter preach the first gospel
         sermon - Ac 2
      2. Philip was sent toward Gaza where he would meet the Ethiopian
         eunuch - Ac 8:26-28
      3. The Lord saw to it that Saul and Ananias would get together
         - Ac 9:10-18
      4. Likewise, it was the Lord who saw to it that Cornelius would
         have an opportunity to hear the gospel from Peter - Ac 10
      5. The evangelization of Europe (beginning with the conversion of
         Lydia and the Philippian jailor) occurred after the
         "Macedonian Call" led Paul and his companions in that
         direction - Ac 16

   C. THE WONDERFUL PROVIDENCE OF GOD...
      1. Granted, the above examples are in keeping with the miraculous
         events surrounding the establishment of the Lord's church
      2. However, I propose that they illustrate a principle that is
         just as valid for us today...
         a. The Lord knows the hearts of all men, and still seeks those
            who are seeking Him - cf. 2Ch 16:9
         b. He will make sure that those who "hunger and thirst for
            righteousness" will somehow be "filled" - cf. Mt 5:6
      3. This is where the providence of God comes in...
         a. If someone, somewhere, is seeking to do God's will (as was
            the eunuch, Cornelius, and Lydia)...
         b. ...the Lord will give the one seeking truth an opportunity
            to come across one prepared to do the teaching
      4. Thus Paul viewed those who taught others as "God's fellow-
         workers" - 1Co 3:5-9
         a. They are simply servants through whom the Lord gave
            opportunity
         b. It is God who is giving the increase

[So the Lord is very much involved in the "expansion" of His church,
and can do much through His providential workings in the affairs of
men.

Of course, how useful "we" can be to the Lord in His providence is
dependent upon our willingness to prepare and be available for
service...]

II. THE LORD "OPENS DOORS" FOR THOSE PREPARED TO SERVE

   A. THE SCRIPTURES OFTEN SPEAK OF "AN OPEN DOOR"...
      1. Some doors the Lord opened...
         a. An "open door" for Paul at Ephesus - 1Co 16:9
         b. Another "open door" at Troas (though not fully utilized by
            Paul) - 2Co 2:12-13
      2. But these doors are opened only when there are those prepared
         to be used by the Lord - cf. Re 3:8

   B. IF WE DESIRE TO HAVE DOORS OPENED, WE MUST PREPARE OURSELVES...
      1. To be useful to the Master, we must be prepared for every good
         work - cf. 2Ti 2:20-22
      2. This applies to congregations as well as individuals...
         a. Individuals must prepare themselves to be able to teach, or
            to lead souls to those ready to teach
         b. Congregations must be ready to assimilate new converts into
            the family of God where they can be nurtured during a vital
            stage of their new life in Christ
      3. What if we as individuals and as a congregation are not prepared?
         a. Can we really expect the Lord to use us in His providence?
            1) Who can He use to teach?
            2) Who can He use to encourage?
            3) Who can He use to serve?
         b. Can we really expect Him to "open a door" for a
            congregation if it is made up of uncaring, and therefore
            unprepared, Christians?

CONCLUSION

1. And so there is "The Providential Necessity" for us to be concerned
   about "Equipping The Saints For Ministry"
   a. If we wish to be a "light" for the Lord in our community, we must
      develop our ability to "shine"
   b. If we wish to be "salt" that He can use, we must develop our "flavor"

2. In our next lesson, we shall examine the "necessity" from another
   angle, what I call "The Practical Necessity" for equipping the
   saints for ministry

Dear brother or sister, are you doing what you can to make yourself
"useful to the Master"?

Executable Outlines, Copyright © Mark A. Copeland, 2011

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Don't Touch Dead Bodies! by Kyle Butt, M.A.



http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=13&article=836


Don't Touch Dead Bodies!

by Kyle Butt, M.A.
In their book, None of These Diseases, physicians S.I. McMillen and David Stern discussed how that many of the hygienic rules established by God for the children of Israel still are applicable today. To illustrate their point, they recounted the story of Ignaz Semmelweis.
In 1847, an obstetrician named Ignaz Semmelweis was the director of a hospital ward in Vienna, Austria. Many pregnant women checked into his ward, but 18% of those women never checked out. One out of every six that received treatment in Semmelweis’ ward died of labor fever. Autopsies revealed pus under their skin, in their chest cavities, in their eye sockets, etc. Semmelweis was distraught over the mortality rate in his ward, and other hospital wards like it all over Europe. If a woman delivered a baby using a midwife, then the death fell to only 3%. Yet if she chose to use the most advanced medical knowledge and facilities of the day, her chance of dying skyrocketed to 18%!
Semmelweis had tried everything to curb the carnage. He turned all the women on their sides in hopes that the death rate would drop, but with no results. He thought maybe the bell that the priest rang late in the evenings scared the women. So, he made the priest enter silently, yet without any drop in death rates.
As he contemplated his dilemma, he watched young medical students perform their routine tasks. Each day the students would perform autopsies on the dead mothers. Then they would rinse their hands in a bowl of bloody water, wipe them off on a common, shared towel, and immediately begin internal examinations of the still-living women. As a twenty-first-century observer, you probably are appalled to think that such practices actually took place in institutes of what was at the time “modern technology.” What doctor in his right mind would touch a dead person and then perform examinations on living patients—without first employing some sort of minimal hygienic practices intended to kill germs? But to Europeans in the middle-nineteenth-century, germs were a foreign concept. They never had seen a germ, much less been able to predict its destructive potential. According to their theories, disease was caused by “atmospheric conditions” or “cosmic telluric influences.”
Semmelweis ordered everyone in his ward to wash thoroughly his or her hands in a chlorine solution after every examination. In three months, the death rate fell from 18% to 1%. Semmelweis had made an amazing discovery. Or had he? Is it possible that Dr. Semmelweis simply “rediscovered” what had been known in some circles for many years?
Almost 3,300 years before Semmelweis lived, Moses had written: “He who touches the dead body of anyone shall be unclean seven days. He shall purify himself with the water on the third day and on the seventh day; then he will be clean. But if he does not purify himself on the third day and on the seventh day, he will not be clean.” Germs were no new discovery in 1847; God had known about them all along. If only we would learn to give the Holy Scriptures the respect they deserve, we could save ourselves from so much sin, heartache, and death.

Comical Contentions on the Ear by Evolutionists by Dave Miller, Ph.D.



http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=12&article=722

Comical Contentions on the Ear by Evolutionists

by Dave Miller, Ph.D.
Humans are proficient masters of self-deception. Many tend to believe what they want to believe, and see what they want to see. Especially when it comes to our own actions, we generally believe and defend those ideas that enable us to behave the way we choose. “I desire to engage in same-sex relations—so homosexuality is genetic;” “I don’t want a child—so a ‘fetus’ is not a human and abortion is okay;” “I want another woman—so God will accept my divorce.”
The essential contention of evolution is that the God of the Bible does not exist and, therefore, the Universe and all life forms came about gradually by blind, non-intelligent, non-purposive, mechanistic forces over millions and billions of years. Hence, all value—including moral value—is merely and strictly the product of subjective human inclination. Right and wrong are purely relative. Such thinking is attractive and convenient to some, since it allows man to think and act as he pleases, without any interference from a higher Power.
Yet, with all their intellectual prowess, academic attainment, and sophisticated scientific jargon, the evolutionists frequently express themselves in such a way that the honest person of average intelligence can see the foolishness of their theory. Indeed, the theory of evolution is downright laughable. Take, for instance, the explanation advanced for the evolution of the human ear. Renowned evolutionist Richard Dawkins is typical of the comical contention of evolutionists that the human ear evolved over millions of years by means of the chance, mindless, naturalistic forces of evolution: “If you think about the evolution of a really complex adaptation like an eye or an ear, then precisely because it cannot have come about as a single chance step it had to have come about as a gradual improvement” (see Brown, 2004, emp. added). It could not have just happened on its own—“a single chance step.” So with what options are we left? An all-powerful, transcendent God? Absolutely not—not even an option! So it just had to have come about gradually by multiple chance steps. A single chance step? Impossible. But multiple chance steps? Certainly! Rational, or comical gobbledygook?
Consider the claim by two evolutionists at Uppsala University in Sweden: “The structure that became the sound-conducting middle ear of land animals began as a tube that permitted ancient shallow-water fish to take an occasional breath of air out of the top of their heads” (Brown, 2006). Sounds reasonable—the nose became the ear. Why not? Given enough time, maybe your nose will do the same.
Then we have an article, appearing in a Turkish newspaper, by evolutionist Veysel Atayman claiming that “[o]ur hearing organ, the ear, emerged as a result of the evolution of the endoderm and exoderm layers, which we call the skin. One proof of this is that we feel low sounds in the skin of our stomachs” (1999, emp. added). The BBC televised a special on “The Human Body” advancing the notion that the common evolutionary ancestry of man and fish is seen in the evolution of the human ear from the bones associated with the gills of fish (“Evolutionary Tell...,” 2002).
And we mustn’t omit the shrewd observation by Michael Benton who holds the Chair in Vertebrate Paleontology at the University of Bristol, England: “At a certain point, in the Late Triassic, the reptilian jaw joint had shifted function. We can still detect the legacy of this astonishing transition: when you chew a hamburger, you can hear your jaw movements deep inside your ears” (2001, emp. added). Did you catch that? You hear yourself chewing because parts of your hearing structure evolved from reptilian jawbones.
Let’s recap: the human ear evolved from a breathing tube. No, it was from skin layers connected to the stomach. No, it was from fish gills. Wait a minute, actually your ear came from a jaw. It all makes perfect sense—if you’ve been educated beyond your intelligence. Observe that evolutionists not only disagree among themselves on such matters as the evolution of the ear, the sheer speculation they advance consists of very specific scenarios in which they describe imaginary events as if they really happened. Even then, often their conjuring is laced with very telling admissions that concede their lack of substantive evidence. For example, consider the admissions that riddle an article titled, “The Evolution of the Human Ear,” by the “Senior House Officer” at the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton, England: “Much of the story of the evolution of the human ear is controversial” (Bhutta, 2004, 13[5]:50, emp. added); “These early steps are conjecture” (13[5]:50, emp. added); “Evolution is a poor method of design” (13[5]:50, emp. added); “We actually know little of the early amphibian ear” (13[5]:51, emp. added); “Why this change occurred...is a matter of debate” (13[5]:51, emp. added). Observe: the evolution of the ear is controversial, conjecture, and a matter of debate. Yet we are supposed to be assured that it nevertheless happened.
This is self-delusion—not science. The explanation of the Bible is sensible and rational: “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, the Lord has made them both” (Proverbs 20:12).

REFERENCES

Atayman, Veysel (1999), “Maddeci ‘Madde,’ Evrimci Madde” (“Materialist ‘Matter,’ Evolutionist Matter”), Evrensel Newspaper, June 13, [On-line], URL:http://www.darwinismrefuted.com/irreducible_complexity_08.html#359.
Benton, Michael (2001), “Evidence of Evolutionary Transitions,” American Institute of Biological Sciences, [On-line], URL: http://www.actionbioscience.org/evolution/benton2.html.
Bhutta, Mahmood (2004), ENT News, 13[5]:50-52, November/December.
Brown, David (2006), “Evolution of Ear is Noted in Fossil,” Washington Post, A03, Thursday, January 19, [On-line], URL: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/18/ AR2006011802159.html.
Brown, Doug (2004), “Richard Dawkins: The Biologist’s Tale,” Author Interviews, [On-line], URL: http://www.powells.com/authors/dawkins.html.
“Evolutionary Tell Tales from BBC (2)” (2002), September 25, [On-line], URL: http://www.darwinism-watch.com/bbc_evolutionarytales_02.php.

Ancient Nitwits or Knowledgeable Ancestors? by Eric Lyons, M.Min.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=9&article=438

Ancient Nitwits or Knowledgeable Ancestors?

by Eric Lyons, M.Min.
Were our forefathers the ignorant, unlearned nitwits that many evolutionists today make them out to be? Did they resemble the brutish, club-carrying cavemen that Hollywood movies show—savages who communicated by using grunts and groans rather than real language? Absolutely not!
Research shows that many of our ancestors were very intelligent. Take, for instance, the ancient Egyptians. More than 4,000 years ago, they built great pyramid-shaped “tombs” in which to bury their dead kings. One of these tombs, known as the Great Pyramid, stood nearly 500 feet high (almost as tall as the Washington Monument—the tallest stone structure in the world!) The Great Pyramid was made of over two million blocks of stone that had to be cut, transported, and assembled to create the almost six-million-ton structure. To this day, modern man still does not know exactly how the Egyptians built these great pyramids.
The ancient Mayans are another example of our “finely tuned” forefathers. More than one thousand years before astronomers found that the length of a year was precisely 365.2422 days, the Mayans (without computers or modern measuring devices) calculated it to be 365.2420 days long. They also figured the orbit of Venus to be 584 days, when current science shows it at 583.92 days. Without question, the Mayans were an intelligent people.
As you would expect, the Bible verifies these types of historical facts. By reading just the first six chapters of Genesis, we learn that: (1) Adam was created with the ability to speak a language (naming all of the animals God brought to him the very day of his creation—2:19); (2) Jubal, one of Cain’s descendents, “was the father of all those who play the harp and flute” (4:21); (3) Tubal-Cain, Jubal’s half-brother, formed tools out of bronze and iron (4:22); and (4) Noah built an ark bigger than many modern-day cruise ships. Furthermore, Job chapter 28 indicates that our early forefathers were capable of tunneling through rock, and mining precious metals from deep within the Earth. All of these things were accomplished without modern-day power tools or lightening-fast computers.
Truth be told, our ancestors were no dummies; man has been intelligent since the beginning of time. God made us that way. He created us in His own image (Genesis 1:26-27), and crowned us with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5).


Apple® CEO Tim Cook Claims His Homosexuality Is a Gift from God by Kyle Butt, M.A.


http://apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=5053

Apple® CEO Tim Cook Claims His Homosexuality Is a Gift from God

by Kyle Butt, M.A.
On October 30, 2014, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple®, announced to the world that he is a homosexual. Admittedly, high-profile millionaires, CEOs, athletes, and movie stars “come out” as homosexuals on a regular basis, so this declaration is not surprising. Cook made one statement, however, that is so outlandish and inaccurate that it simply cannot go unanswered. He said: “So let me be clear: I’m proud to be gay, and I consider being gay among the greatest gifts God has given me” (2014, emp. added). According to Tim Cook, his homosexuality is a blessing from God.
Tim’s misunderstanding of God and His Word cannot be further from the truth. We have discussed in numerous other places the fact that homosexuality is a sin, just like other sexual sins such as adultery, fornication, bestiality, and pedophilia. And we have shown that there is no genetic link to homosexuality (Miller and Harrub, 2004). It is a choice—a sinful way of life. It is not something that a person is; it is something that a person chooses to do.
As an analogy, suppose that a person who practices bestiality were to contend that his sexual choice is a gift from God. His bestiality has put him in the minority and allowed him to see things from a minority perspective. His bestiality helped him to develop thick skin and made him a stronger person. In addition, he looks forward to the day when our country recognizes the rights of people to legally marry animals.
While those who practice homosexuality do not appreciate such comparisons, the same arguments can be made in favor of bestiality as are made in favor of homosexuality. A person could claim that there is nothing he can do about his sexual preference for animals. He was made that way. He loves animals, and that is his way to show it. He can’t believe people are so judgmental and unloving as to claim that his choice is sinful or wrong. He is being persecuted by “bigots” who hate minorities such as those who practice bestiality.
One could make the same case for pedophilia. The person who engages in this sexual practice could claim she can’t help it. God created her as a pedophile. She is glad that God made her this way, because it helps her understand other minorities such as those who practice bestiality or homosexuality. It has given her thick skin and helped her learn to be herself. She looks forward to the day when our country understands that 12 year olds know what they want and should be allowed to give their consent.
I hope that you can see the problem with Tim Cook’s statement. It is one thing to blatantly live a sinful life of rebellion against God. It is another thing to claim that God is “blessing you” by endowing you with a sinful behavior. That is the equivalent of a thief claiming that “being” a thief is the greatest thing God ever did for him; or a habitual liar claiming that He is thankful God made him a liar; or an adulterer claiming that God blessed him with three girlfriends in addition to his wife; or a teenage boy thanking God for making him promiscuous and giving him the chance to have sex with scores of girls.
Has our “Christian” nation wandered so far from what God actually says in the Bible that it can swallow the proclamation that a person’s homosexual lifestyle is a gift from God? Have even New Testament Christians lived so long outside the Word of God that they can’t recognize such a blasphemous statement for the twisting of the truth that it is? Homosexuality is a sin, like any number of other sins such as lying, adultery, cheating, stealing, fraud, malicious gossip, etc. God loves all sinners and wants them to be saved. “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 2:15). Jesus Christ died on the cross to save Tim Cook from his choice to be a homosexual, just as Jesus died to save each and every one of us from our sins. But Jesus commands, yes demands, that we recognize that we are sinning and stop—repent of—our sins. Jesus clearly said “unless you repent you will all likewise perish” (Luke 13:3).
It may be true that our culture no longer recognizes that sex before marriage is sin, or that adultery is sinful, or that homosexuality is a violation of God’s Law. But to claim that not only are these actions not sinful, but they are gifts from God, shows an ignorance of the nature of God and of His Will that is startling. As the apostle John wrote: “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:10). The haunting words of the prophet Isaiah, written over 2,700 years ago remind us that Cook’s tactic is nothing new: “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isaiah 5:20-21).

REFERENCES

Miller, Dave and Brad Harrub (2004), “An Investigation of the Biblical Evidence Against Homosexuality,” Apologetics Press, http://www.apologeticspress.org/APContent.aspx?category=7&article=1401&topic=36.


From Gary... The Secret of...



Yesterday, I had some time to watch TV and choose one of my favorites- "Sherlock". 

Not the old one with Basil Rathbone, but the new one with Benedict Cumberbatch.  


I recommend this series highly!!! Look for it on the BBC channel on cable.  Anyway, I am always amazed at the way he solves mysteries. I can just imagine the two girls in the top picture sitting on my sofa during an episode of "Sherlock" and telling one another the "Secret" of the mystery. I wonder, are there secrets in Christianity? Then, there is this passage...

Matthew, Chapter 13 (WEB)
10  The disciples came, and said to him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 

  11  He answered them, “To you it is given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but it is not given to them.   12  For whoever has, to him will be given, and he will have abundance, but whoever doesn’t have, from him will be taken away even that which he has.  13  Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they don’t see, and hearing, they don’t hear, neither do they understand.   14  In them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says, 
‘By hearing you will hear, 
and will in no way understand; 
Seeing you will see, 
and will in no way perceive: 
  15  for this people’s heart has grown callous, 
their ears are dull of hearing, 
they have closed their eyes; 
or else perhaps they might perceive with their eyes, 
hear with their ears, 
understand with their heart, 
and should turn again; 
and I would heal them.’

Jesus did everything he could to teach them, but sometimes the disciples "just didn't get it". They had a lot to learn (hence the term, disciple) and for that matter, so do we. But, how do we do that, anyway? And what is the path to our success as Christians? In a word- Discipline!!! Frankly, there is no substitute for consistent effort in learning the things of God, whether it be daily prayer, bible reading or practicing one of the disciplines found in Mark Copeland's "Exceutable Outlines" listed below.  



NOW, you know the secret- practice and learn!!!


 http://executableoutlines.com/disc.htm
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