by Terry Laughlin | Apr 20, 2016 | The Bible
For Correcting
2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God Breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training for righteousness, so the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”
The Bible is the Word of God and is useful for correcting. The Greek word for “correcting” (ἐπανόρθωσις epanórthōsis ) is only used in 2 Timothy 3:16. “Correcting” here means “to set right again, to correct faults, to reform manners, literally how to get right. (The Complete Word Study of the New Testament; Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament; Theological Dictionary of the New Testament; The Greek English Dictionary; Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament Based on Semantic Domains; The Bible Exposition Commentary)
Visionaries who succeed in their dreams strive for correction. They have learned through life’s experiences to seek out trainers who are thoroughly equipped for the task at hand. The NFL is full of successful players who out of college sought out trainers/teachers/coaches who can define their weaknesses, correct their faults and reform their game. College football programs send their most gifted players to training camps that begin with affirmations and give corrections before camps close.
In the horse business it is not uncommon to find horse lovers, who spend hours at club meetings, trial rides and other horse events. These wannabes talk about their hopes, dreams and adventures. However, horsemen seek out proven trainers who can and will correct wrong ideas and practices to succeed in the business. True horsemen are very concerned with the horse’s physical and mental welfare, thus they sacrifice time, pride and expenses to be corrected. These sacrifices benefit the horses, riders and owners.
True Bible teachers know the truths of Scripture – mankind’s “heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9) They are fully aware of Proverb 14:12, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.”
In modern times, America is a full example of what happens to a nation that refuses to be corrected by the Word of God, for she is suffering many of the curses found in Deuteronomy 28:15-59. Marriages and families throughout America are splintering apart for not seeking to be set right by the whole counsel of God’s Word. The Bible contains many written corrections to the people of God about their irregularities.
1 Corinthians 12-14 gives correction to the Corinthian Church because a self-indulgent spirit was creating chaos. (Matthew Henry Commentary; The Preachers Outline & Sermon Bible; The Bible Knowledge Commentary; A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory on Old and New Testament Commentary) The opening verse in chapter 12 says, Now, about spiritual gifts… I do not want you to ignorant.” Para-church ministries have been raised up by the Lord to restore that which is being broken in the institutionalized church.
True born again Christians seek correction in God’s Word so they can have their faults fixed and get right before God and Christ, so through the enabling of the Holy Spirit they can be effective during the journey of life. Do you seek to read and study the Bible so you can be corrected?
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 20, 2016 | The Bible
Intrigue Them
Literally thousands are searching outside of their local churches to find answers about today’s issues. Most in this country assume that the Bible is irrelevant for today. Many self-appointed ministries use enough Scripture in their writings to appear religious, but fail in the art of exegesis of Scripture. Exegesis means “exposition or explanation,” therefore Biblical exegesis involves the examination of a particular text of Scripture in order to properly interpret it. Exegesis is a part of the process of hermeneutics, the science of interpretation. A person who practices exegesis is called an exegete.
Good Biblical Exegesis is actually commanded in Scripture. 2 Timothy 2:15 says, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” Those who are called to “Preach the Word” are also commanded to give careful instructions. (2 Timothy 4:2) We are given this promise in Scripture, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” (Hebrews 4:12) We are told in the Old Testament, “so is My word that goes out from My mouth: It will not return to Me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:11) Matthew Henry wrote, “That according to the different errands on which the word is sent it will have its different effects. If it be not a savoir of life unto life, it will be a savoir of death unto death; if it do not convince the conscience and soften the heart, it will sear the conscience and harden the heart; if it does not ripen for heaven, it will ripen for hell.”
With such a command to preach the Word and considering the awesome promise of God, why wouldn’t any Bible teacher want to diligently search the Scripture and inform people what God has to say about today’s issues? People want more than the usual Sunday morning message; they want to be prepared by Christ-appointed preachers (Ephesians 4:11) to teach others what the Bible says about modern issues, such as the 2nd Amendment, fiscal issues, Biblical marriage, work ethics to name a few. Whether it is propeller or not (2 Timothy 4:2) preachers have the responsibility to lead people to the written Word. Preachers will one day give an accounting on how well they gave careful instructions (2 Timothy 4:2) about the issues people face as they live in this sin-cursed world.
Religious slogans cannot feed the human soul; Jesus said, “It is written: `Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
Are you diligently searching the Scriptures, learning what God’s Word has to say about the hot issues of the day? Christians want to know what He has to say about the presidency, the armed forces, paying taxes, as well as living in these days! Pastors, ministries, Bible teachers and all soldiers of Christ must work hard to intrigue others to consider God’s perspective on the issues people face.
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 20, 2016 | St. Patrick's Day
Faith in Turbulent Times
One of the great leaders of New Testament is the Apostle Paul and he gives us this exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1) Psalm 116:8-9 says, “For you O Lord, have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling, that I may walk before the Lord in the land of the living.” (Psalm 116:8-9)
A saint has been defined as “a man in whom Christ lives.” The real leader of the church preaches and lives in Christ. Men are captivated by Christians who live out what they believe. Mankind will not necessarily agree with what a man preaches, but they will take note of how he lives.
Around this time of the year, one should consider the life of St. Patrick, especially since there is a day dedicated in his honor.
St. Patrick said “Am I willing to draw closer to God in turbulent times.” It was during St. Patrick’s time in slavery that he grew to have faith in prayer. He wrote, “I would pray constantly during the daylight hours… and faith grew… During the day I would say as many as 100 prayers and at night only slightly less.” God helped St. Patrick find his freedom from six years of slavery. St. Patrick writes, “I use to pasture the flock each day. Praying in the icy coldness, in rain… And it was there of course that one night in my sleep I heard a voice saying to me, ‘You do well to fast; soon you will depart for your home country.’ …a short time later there was a voice prophesying, ‘Behold, your ship is ready’ And it is not close… two hundred miles away… …Shortly thereafter I turned and fled… …by the power of God who directed my route until I reached that ship.”
Mark Driscoll wrote about St. Patrick’s faith in troubled times, Patrick’s unorthodox ministry methods, which had brought so much fruit among the Irish, also brought much opposition from the Roman Catholic Church. Because Patrick was so far removed from Roman civilization and church [body politics] he was seen by some as an instigator of unwelcome changes. This led to great conflicts between the Roman and Celtic Christians.
The Romans considered these and other variations by the Celtic Christian leaders to be acts of insubordination. In the end, the Roman Church should have learned from Patrick, who is one of the greatest missionaries who has ever lived. (These truths are substantiated in Patrick’s Biography; Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; Times Herald; Mark Driscroll, Church History; The quote above was taken from a message I read years ago, the preacher was unknown to me)
Perhaps St. Patrick knew Luke 18:6, “…And will not God bring about justice for His chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly…” (Luke 18:6)
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 20, 2016 | St. Patrick's Day
The Great Commission
One of the great leaders of New Testament is the Apostle Paul and he gives us this exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
A saint has been defined as “a man in whom Christ lives.” The real leader of the church preaches and lives in Christ. Men are captivated by Christians who live out what they believe. Mankind will not necessarily agree with what a man preaches, but they will take note of how he lives.
Around this time of the year, one should consider the life of St. Patrick, especially since there is a day dedicated in his honor.
Matthew 28:18-20 says, “Then Jesus came to them and said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in of the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’” This is the heart that is reflected in the life and speech of St. Patrick who said, “Am I willing and able to forgive those who have caused pain in my life? Am I willing to follow the call of God and even give my life to those who enslaved me?”
St. Patrick had a unique missionary strategy:
“In faith, the forty-something year-old Patrick sold all of his possessions, including the land he had inherited from his father, to fund his missionary journey to Ireland. He worked as an itinerant preacher and paid large sums of money to various tribal chiefs to ensure he could travel safely through their lands and preach the gospel. His strategy was completely unique, and he functioned like a missionary trying to relate to the Irish people and communicate the gospel in their culture by using such things as three-leaf clovers to explain the gospel. Upon entering a pagan clan, Patrick would seek to first convert the tribal leaders and other people of influence. He would then pray for the sick, cast demons out of the possessed, preach the Bible, and use both musical and visual arts to compel people to put their faith in Jesus. If enough converts were present he would build a simple church that did not resemble ornate Roman architecture, baptize the converts, and hand over the church to a convert he had trained to be the pastor so that he could move on to repeat the process with another clan. Patrick gave his life to the people who had enslaved him until he died at 77 years of age. He had seen untold thousands of people converted to Christ. Of the 150 tribes, 30-40 of them became substantially Christian. He had trained 1,000 pastors, planted 700 churches, and was the first noted person in history to take a strong public stand against slavery.” (Mark Driscroll, Church History)
by Terry Laughlin | Apr 20, 2016 | St. Patrick's Day
Genuine Conversion
One of the great leaders of New Testament is the Apostle Paul and he gives us this exhortation in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1)
A saint has been defined as “a man in whom Christ lives.” The real leader of the church preaches and lives in Christ. Men are captivated by Christians who live out what they believe. Mankind will not necessarily agree with what a man preaches, but they will take note of how he lives.
Around this time of the year, one should consider the life of St. Patrick, especially since there is a day dedicated in his honor. St. Patrick had a season of bondage that opened his eyes to Christ. When he was about sixteen, he was captured from his home in Great Britain and taken as a slave to Ireland, where he lived for six years before escaping and returning to his family. (Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; Times Herald; Mark Driscroll, Church History; Patrick’s Biography)
His confession, “I, Patrick, a sinner, a most simple countryman, the least of all the faithful and most contemptible to many, had for a father the deacon Calpurnius, son of the late Potitus, a priest… I was taken captive about sixteen years of age. I did not, indeed, know the true God; and I was taken into captivity in Ireland with many thousands of people according to our sins. We were quite drawn away from God. We did not keep His precepts, nor were we obedient to our priests who used to remind us of our salvation. The Lord brought down on us the fury of His being and scattered us among many nations, even to the ends of the earth, where I, in my smallness, am now to be found among foreigners. And there the Lord opened my mind to an awareness of my unbelief, in order that, even so late, I might remember my transgressions and turn with all my heart to the Lord my God, who had regard for my insignificance and pitied my youth and ignorance. And He watched over me before I knew Him, and before I learned sense or even distinguished between good and evil, and He protected me, and consoled me as a father would his son.” (These truths are substantiated in Patrick’s Biography; Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; Times Herald; Mark Driscroll, Church History; The quote above was taken from a message I read years ago, the preacher unknown to me)
One truth worth grasping, St. Patrick had a genuine conversion, a man making no excuses for his past, a person who realized his need for the Lord. Will you imitate his faith in Christ?
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