Fundamentals of a Healthy Church (part 2)

Pastor Ryan broke down the fundamentals of the local church as found in God's Word. He challenged the class to do the work of an evangelist. Do you know what that entails?

DOWNLOAD HERE --> Fundamentals of a Healthy Church (part2).mp3

During the second hour I fielded questions based on the message presented during the first hour. I also explained how it should look like when a person is trusting in God. Experience tells us that this is not always the case, but then again it's solely up to us whether or not we will trust Him. It's a volitional act that hinges upon information (Bible doctrine). The more we know, the easier it is to trust in God. The less we know, the harder it becomes to trust Him with anything.

DOWNLOAD --> Q&A on the Gospel.mp3

The Doctrine of the Gospel

The "Doctrine of the Gospel" has been a much heated discussion lately among those holding to a free-grace perspective with regards to soteriology. Ryan defined in context how the word "gospel" was used in relation to salvation, believers, and unbelievers. He concluded that the primary use of the word leans heavily on those who are believers in Jesus Christ. In other words, the gospel (good news) is primarily for believers! All of this was taught in ten minutes.

You can download the message onto your computer, ipod, mp3, etc...

DOWNLOAD --> Doctrine of the Gospel.mp3

Matthew 5:13-16

13 ¶ “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 ¶ "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 "Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:13-16 NKJV

Last Thursday at our Bible class we covered the topic of "Consultation." Dr. Hendricks gave us some excellent resources to consult with when studying the Scriptures for ourselves. I brought along some personal reference material and passed it around so that everyone can see what I use when doing research.

We concluded our class by observing the passage which is found in Matthew chapter five. Listen to the entire class by downloading the teaching HERE:

Steadfast in the Word,

Freddy

Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked...

Thursday nights are always stomping grounds as far as discussions are concerned. This is generally expected as we provide an environment conducive for growth while challenging each person to test their personal convictions and understanding on a given passage. Students usually grab a cup of coffee and wait for the appropriate time to pitch in and give their fifty cents.

51 ¶ Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, 52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; 53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!" Matthew 27:51-54

The students know me for purposely giving them a hard time. I'll many times challenge them to "think outside of the box" in order to get them out of their comfort zone. I have always believed that a good teacher will do whatever he can to stimulate the class to "think." For me, the discussion does not necessarily have to be logical nor do people have to understand the concept or proposition initially. My goal is to encourage individuals to think things through so that they can learn how to use the scriptures for themselves. Rarely will I give a deductive type study where answers and details are provided along the way. Rather, I prefer that the students mine the gems for themselves (inductive approach) so that they can fully appreciate their discoveries together. Sometimes when Jesus would speak it wouldn't make sense at all. There was even a time when the disciples said that it was too difficult to understand what Jesus was teaching (John 6:60). Difficulty often precedes learning as clearly seen in the lives of the disciples.

I asked the class to see if they could ascertain the significance of the veil being torn from top to bottom. There were a mixture of answers and several insisted that we leave it alone since it's not clearly stated as to why it the veil tore. Of course, I had my own thoughts.

I'd like to cite some views held by scholars who we may or may not agree with. My reason for doing this is to show that there have been others who have attempted to make sense of this portion of scripture. I believe that there is significance which can be deduced when comparing scripture with scripture. In seminary this is sometimes called "systematizing." Sometimes the obvious is not clearly stated. Only through a careful comparison with other books of the Bible can one arrive at a conclusion. Though the significance may not be explicit regarding the torn veil, through the systematizing of verses we can get its implicit meaning from combined passages. We know for example the following truths gleaned from the Old Testament:

*Behind the veil was the presence of God
*Access to God was limited to the priest
*Confession of a nation or a people were done through the agency of a priest

Questions that will help us stay in keeping with the overall context and thrust of God's Word:

1. Is God behind a veil today? Why or why not?
2. Is access to God limited today? Why or why not?
3. Do we need a priest in order to confess sins to God? Why or why not?

When thinking biblically, one should strive to ascertain the meaning whether or not the meaning is clearly stated in the text. This requires work. This is where the break-down usually occurs with other ministries. Most of the time it's the text itself which is distorted away from it's true meaning. I realize that some at this juncture may feel a little uneasy, but our safeguard is in making sure that whatever we conclude will flow consistently with the rest of scripture.

We seem to be comfortable with the following doctrines/concepts even though the words themselves do not appear in scripture nor are they ever defined apart from a systematized approach (as I have done to arrive at my conclusion regarding an alternative way of understanding the significance of the torn veil)to making sense of the word or doctrine itself. Consider the following:

*Trinity (considered a key doctrine among evangelicals)
*Atheism
*Divinity
*Incarnation
*Monotheism
*Rapture
*Omniscience
*Omnipresence
*Omnipotent

Interestingly enough, none of these words ever appear in the Bible and neither are they defined. And yet we have volumes upon volumes of books shedding light on these subjects.

Something does not have to be clearly formulated in the Bible to be considered valid. Not all things in the Bible are perfectly clear. Consider the book of Revelation. It contains many things that are cryptic that must be interpreted after examining all of God's Word.

During class, I mentioned how we should be able to determine the significance of the veil being torn based on what we know. I mentioned how even if we stayed in the book of Matthew alone as the primary text we have enough info(as clearly seen and shared among the group)to be able to conclude what the significance was. Of course, if we did not have a basic understanding of the veil and it's significance or meaning, we would have to seek additional information in order for us to come up with any conclusion. I tend to believe that there are several meanings we can conclude with. That night I highlighted the fact that God is no longer behind the veil based on what I know to be true.

Here are the other views:

The tearing of the veil signified that the way into God's presence was now open to all through a new and living way (Heb. 10:19-22). The fact that it tore "from top to bottom" showed that no man had split the veil, God did it. John Macarthur Study Bible

This symbolizes the permanent opening of God's presence to us, giving us direct access to God through the atoning death of Christ (Heb. 10:19-20). Tim LaHaye Prophecy Study Bible

The fact that this occurred from top to bottom signified that God is the One who ripped the thick curtain. It was not torn from the bottom by men ripping it. God was showing that the way of access into His presence was now available for everyone, not simply the Old Testament high priest (Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-22). The Bible Knowledge Commentary

By splitting the veil "from top to bottom" God the Father dramatically showed His complete satisfaction with the Son's work on the cross. This showed that believers may now "enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh" (Heb. 10:19-20). Salvation by Dr. Earl Radmacher


The tearing of the veil from top to bottom followed soon after Jesus Christ completed the work on the cross. This points to the very fact that God no longer dwells within the confines of a tabernacle made from hands, but rather inside each and every believer who has believed in Jesus Christ for salvation.(Heb. 4:14-16; 10:19-22). A.I. Cortez, Jr.

You can get the audio teaching of last week's Bible class by clicking here:

http://tinyurl.com/5xmjmd

Freddy Cortez

The Doctrine of the Church

The Doctrine of the Church explained in 10 minutes

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The Doctrine of Discipleship

The Doctrine of Discipleship explained in 10 minutes.

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Matthew 18:10

"Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 18:10

Last Thursday night during our Bible class, we went over Matthew 18: 1-5 passage one last time. I asked the class to see if they could come up with any comments from outside sources as to what this passages was teaching. After several minutes of interacting we concluded once again with the following:

1. The disciples wanted to know who was going to be the greatest (best) in the kingdom of heaven (this is a reference to the 1000 year Millennial kingdom). This was not a reference to the kingdom of God or how to get into heaven as some would understand it. This is a different kingdom altogether which would arrive on earth during the return of Christ (2nd Coming). The greatest disciple will mirror the child's humility. It was an attitude of humility rather than arrogance that would promote one to greatness. The life of Christ demonstrated this very fact.

2. If the disciples would humble themselves (v.4) like the little child they would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

3. In (v.5) I pointed out that whoever receives one little child (believer that has humbled himself like a child) in My name receives Me. In other words, when a believer receives another believer who has humbled himself, then he receives/welcomes Christ. This should encourage us to extend grace to our brother or sister in Christ, especially if they (according to this verse) humble themselves. I can see how this will help strengthen relationships within the church during disagreements. James chapter four has a lot to say about this.

After examining this passage, we continued with the next several verses. We ended on a verse that is often cited to show that children have guardian angels watching over them. I'm referring to verse 10, of course.

When you follow the flow of the passage, you'll notice that Jesus is still referring to the humble believer! I'm sure kids have a special place in God's heart but we are not told that children have guardian angels watching over them. What the text says is that the angels are observing (watching) the face of God not watching over kids.

What's the point? Well, we are warned not to despise or look down on a believer who has demonstrated humility.

Freddy Cortez

For the full audio recording of this class right click and save HERE:

Note: picture taken from youarelovedchildcare.com

What is a Christian?

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Today we addressed a question that every Church member needs to answer; namely, What is a Christian? This is due to the fact that an estimated 2.1 billion, or approximately 33% of the people in the World as of 2008¬ claim to be “Christian.” The majority of these individuals believe to be “Christian” on Biblical grounds. Interestingly, the word, “Christian” only appears three times in all of Scripture and it is never defined.

1) The Disciples (followers) were first called “Christians” at Antioch (Acts 11:26)
2) King Agrippa felt that Paul was persuading him to become a “Christian” (associated with following Christ) (Acts 26:28).
3) The Apostle Peter encourages his readers to persevere and praise God for bearing the title of “Christian” despite their suffering (1 Peter 4:16).

It is hard to believe that 33% of the Worlds population would call themselves “Christian” having never though of whether or not a clear-cut Biblical definition exists. What's more, many people worldwide are eager to hold “Christian” functions in hopes of spreading the message of “Christianity.” Likewise, most of these rallies are calling people to become “Christians” without offering a clear definition of clarification of what the term means according to the Scriptures. And the result is confusion and the production of sincere yet curious and confused people.

In reality, a clash over the meaning of the “Christian” and the means by which a person attains “Christian” status has triggered one of the most mind-boggling concepts; namely, what it means to be a Christian and/or how a person can become a Christian.

An appropriate title would be “Brothers in Christ”(100+) or “Believer”(25+) simply because those terms are Scripturally more common and less ambiguous. Some Free-Grace theologians make a distinction between a "Christian" and a "Disciple", but the terms seem to be referring to the same people. For example, the Disciples (Acts 11:26) suffered persecution for believing in and following Christ (1 Peter 4:16). Moreover, the title “Christian” seemed to be downright derogatory (Acts 26:28).

There is nothing wrong with calling oneself a "Christian" so long as we know what it means and the contexts of the passages in which it is used. There is a problem with those of us who have been using the term out of context and without having considered where it even came from. All doctrine should be examined alongside the text of Scripture interpreted in its proper context. The next time somebody tells you they are a “Christian” you might want to ask with gentleness and respect to explain exactly what they mean.

The Texts
Utilizing the CHECK D.I.S.C. hermeneutic will enable a contextual conclusion on the basis of observations.

Acts 11:26 - D.I.S.C.
Discover the Context: Peter is explaining the Church in Antioch to the circumcised believers in Jerusalem. He is explaining the ministry of Barnabas and Saul as they met with the church and taught great numbers of people (v25) ending with the words, “the Disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.”
Identify Key Verbs: first called
Subject: When were the Disciples first called Christians?
Complement: The Disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.

Acts 26:28 - D.I.S.C.
Discover the Context: Paul is giving his testimony before an audience with King Agrippa, high-ranking officers and the leading men of the city (v1). Festus calls him insane (v24) and when Paul makes a great point about fulfilled prophecies, the King (possible out of conviction) stops him and asks him if he is trying to persuade him to be a Christian.
Identify Key Verbs: think, persuade, to be
Subject: How does the King respond to Paul’s point about the fulfilled prophecies about
Christ?
Complement: The King responds to Paul’s point about fulfilled prophecies about Christ by asking the question, “Do you think in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

1 Peter 4:16 - D.I.S.C.
Discover the Context: From verse 12 to 19, 8 references are made to suffering for being associated with Christ.
Identify Key Verbs: do not be ashamed, praise God,
Subject: What is Peter’s advice for his believer friends that are suffering for being
followers of Christ?
Complement: Peter’s advice for his believer friends that are suffering for being followers of
Christ is to not be ashamed to be a Christian, but to praise God for bearing that name.

Conclusion
The three texts above make no clear cut definition of what a “Christian” is; rather, they all point to the notion that a Christian is a follower of Christ who often encounters suffering some kind of pain or ridicule due to their allegiance to the person of Christ. The term Christian was and is a synonym for Disciple, which basically means follower. Since not all followers (disciples) of Christ were believers, it is safe to say that not all Christians were believers. There were curious followers, convinced yet coward followers and also convinced and committed followers. Although these three occurrences are examples of Christians who were believers in Christ, that does not warrant a permanent connection with the word Christian and believer.

Onward Christian believer soldiers!
-Ryan

Living By the Book Ch 31: Context

At our Thursday night Bible class, we discussed the importance of context. I mentioned how context is the most important rule in hermeneutics (science and art of biblical interpretaion) and how we need to recognize not only the context in which the passage is found in, but the context (framework) in which we work with on an individual basis. Our experiences, views, and meanings actually come into play when we attempt to make sense out of the Scriptures.

An example I used was the following:

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6 KJV

I asked the class if they knew what the word closet meant as found in Matthew 6:6. The response was yes. One mentioned how his co-worker has a closet and occassionaly sleeps there after praying. I proceeded to tell them how a closet during the ancient world was in reference to a chamberoom which is similar to our living room arrangement. This is not in reference to a closet where we store our personal items, but rather a sizable room in which you can go to and pray. This is an example of operating from a context based on our own frame of reference which in essence is from our personal context in which we define and interpret things.

Our highlight for the night was observing the passage in Matthew 18. From research and conversations with other Christians, the typical understanding is that this passage shows you how to get into heaven. The humbling like that of a child, the expression of child-like faith, dependence on Christ as well as a willingness to obey are the key components for being born again. Is this so?

1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, "Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 "Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 ¶ "Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me. Matthew 18:1-5 NKJ

A careful look will show you that His disciples were more concerned about who would be the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. They were headed for heaven because they were already believers (cf. Matt:16:16). They wanted to see who would be the greatest in the future kingdom (millennial kingdom). This was not a question about getting into heaven but rather who would be the "best/greatest" in the upcoming 1000 year kingdom.

The child that Jesus called to Himself was instrumental in explaining to His disciples that co-ruling in the kingdom of heaven was built on humilty not arrogance. Jesus said that unless they would humble themselves like the little child in front of them they would not attain greatness in the kingdom.

It's also worth noting that Jesus also mentions that whoever receives one little child receives (Gk. decomai ) me. In other words, when a believer humbles himself he now becomes the child that Jesus was talking about in verse 3. And when another believer welcomes him, he in essence is welcoming Christ. This should motivate us in how we treat one another.

I gave the class an assignment to come up with the various ways in which this passage is explained. If you'd like to contribute to this compilation simply send me an email.

Steadfast in the Word,
Pastor Freddy

September Church Update

Dear COH & Friends,

As you know, we here at the Church of Hope have been doing everything possible to make sound doctrinal teachings available to anyone interested. Our current readership is global in scope with people representing the neighboring countries from around the world. The various formats available for our teachings include:

1. MP3- audio can be transferred onto laptops, ipods, flash drives, and memory sticks after the teaching is conducted.
2. CD- a compilation of 30 audio messages at a time
3. DVD- up to three video teachings (avi format) at a time. (HBI classes during Sunday 2nd hr are recorded in this format).
4. Download- link is sent via email so that you can download any of our teachings in mp3 audio format.
5. Ustream- You can join us live during any of our sessions and interact via the chat box. If you miss any of the classes you can log on and watch them on our Ustream link: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/church-of-hope

As you can see, one of our objectives is to offer instructional teachings in the most popular formats available. This simplifies things for those desiring to grow in God's Word. I'm especially pleased to announce our latest format: podcasting. You'll be able to subscribe to our podcast using iTunes and similar programs (though we prefer iTunes due to its robust features). Pastor Ryan will be spearheading this new approach and will be the primary speaker for now. He will tackle difficult passages found primarily in the New Testament. In fact, he coined the acronym T.M.T.N.T. which stands for Ten Minute Tough New Testament passages. Every week prior to my message, Pastor Ryan will address various subjects and passages which originates from the New Testament and will conclude his teachings in ten minutes. This will be in-depth doctrinal studies which will be available to our subscribers and archived for those researching on particular passages.

Be on the lookout for the COH podcast! I will email you when this is fully functional and up and running.

Steadfast in the Word,

Alfredo I. Cortez, Jr., D.Min
Pastor-Teacher
Church of Hope
Hope Bible Institute
churchofhopeontheweb.org
ustream.tv/channel/church-of-hope