Study to Show Yourself Approved (Part 2 of 3)
The Purpose of Teaching
The ultimate goal of a teacher or preacher should be to create disciples that are equipped to go out and create new disciples. The final words of Jesus to His disciples in Matthew is known as the great commission. Look at Matthew 28:18-20
All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 "teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.
Notice that Jesus did not say, ‘make converts’. You have not fulfilled your commission until you have made disciples. A disciple is someone who has been taught and follows all the commandments we have been given. Only the Holy Spirit can empower us to live out the commandments of God because they are spiritual; however, the word taught and preached is given to us to instruct all the nations. This begins with our local circles of influence and goes out into the world. Most churches have failed in this area because we ignore the whole commission. We get a confession and maybe baptize a new convert and then put that on our stat sheet to show how great our churches are doing.
A successful church is not one that has ten thousand members, nor is it one that has a thousand professions of faith each year. Success is measured by disciples. A disciple is someone who follows Christ. A disciple is someone who has counted the cost of discipleship and determined that forsaking their life is a small price to pay for the eternal riches of heaven. Look at the words of Jesus in Luke 14:26-33
26 "If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 "And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 "For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it -- 29 "lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 "saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 "Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 "Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 "So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.”
A profession of faith does not make you a disciple of Christ. A disciple is someone who learns the word and follows Christ. Dying to self is vital in becoming a disciple. Look at one of my favorite passages in Luke 9:23-25
23 Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. 25 "For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost?
Many have taught in error that taking up the cross means finding a way to suffer for Christ. While we may indeed suffer for His name sake (because all who live godly will suffer persecution), this is not what it means to take up your cross daily. What does the cross represent? The cross is the death of the flesh. Jesus was put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. Jesus bore our sins in His body on the cross. Do not buy into the blasphemy that Jesus had to suffer for sins in hell. Each time our debt to sin is mentioned, we are told that Jesus bore them in His body on the cross (See Ephesians 2:16 and Colossians 2:13-15).
The cross is the death of the flesh. We die to our flesh and walk in the Spirit just as Jesus bore our sins in the flesh and was resurrected by the Spirit. We are waiting for our resurrection but we continue to die to our flesh. This is why Paul said, “I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15:31). We take up our cross when we die to ourselves in the flesh and walk in the Spirit. Those who walk in the Spirit will not fulfill the lust of the flesh (Galatians 5:16) and if you walk in the Spirit, you are free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2). This also will take a another study to explore fully but for this study it is important to note that to take up your cross means to crucify your flesh and walk in the Spirit.
While the era of ‘greasy grace’ has attempted to make everyone into a disciple, Jesus made it clear that there are conditions on discipleship. Unless you are willing to die to yourself and forsake all, you can’t be a disciple of Jesus. People my call themselves disciples but this does not change the Word. As a true disciple, we must first follow Christ and as we do so, we teach others to follow Him in obedience as well.
Another important goal of any teacher of discipleship is to get believers off the milk of the word and onto the meat. Look at Hebrews 5:12-13
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
Consider what is being said in this passage. Who are the ones on the milk? It doesn’t matter how deep the teacher’s knowledge is, you are on the milk if you are in need of someone to teach you the first principles of God. What are the first principles? Faith in Christ, forsaking all and following Christ. Most in the church do not understand these basic things. Those who are on milk are dependent on the milk-giver. They are not able to feed themselves but are in need of someone else to feed them. As a believer matures, he or she begins to search the scriptures for themselves and learn of God. As a disciple grows, they are less in need of feeding sessions and are guided and inspired by teachers rather than lectured on truth. We never become so independent that we can forsake assembling together or being challenged by the taught word; however, a disciple will begin to be skillful in the word and able to disciple others. Those who are mature in the word are challenged by the word by being brought into remembrance of the truths they already know (2 Peter 1:12-13, 2 Peter 3:1, and 1 John 2:21).
My goal as a teacher and preacher is not to teach others what to think or believe. I cannot make someone understand, though I can impart my understanding with the goal of guiding someone else to understand as well. Understanding comes from the Lord. Proverbs 2:6 states:
6 For the LORD gives wisdom; From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
As a teacher, my goal is to stir in each hearer the desire to know God, equip the saints, remind you of the truths of scripture, and to persuade others not to resist the work of God in their lives. This is what discipleship is all about. It is better to have ten disciples than ten thousand members.
Study for Yourself
This is my personal opinion but I believe that if you are going to own a Study Bible, buy a Thompson Chain reference. No, I don’t have a business interest in the company that makes this Bible but I do have a good reason for my opinion. The Thompson Chain Reference does not have any commentaries. It only has references, resources, maps, a glossary, a concordance and other helpful tools. Over the years I have lost confidence in the study Bible because I have seen it become more of a hindrance than a tool. I can’t tell you how many times I have been in a study where someone looks at the notes at the bottom of their Scofield Study Bible and says, “my Bible notes say verse x means….”. I realize that most people do this and it is meant to be helpful. The reason most people rely so heavily on commentaries is because they are taught that way. Pastors do not dig out messages, they use sermon helps, sermon websites, ready made sermon outlines and other resources. Most people never read scriptures in context but instead they have a devotional that gives them a small portion of scripture and a page or two of commentary explaining what to think or giving an inspirational thought.
When I hear someone share in a Bible study, I don’t want to hear what John McArthur study Bible, Henry Blackaby, Ryre, Scofield or other biblical scholar wrote about the passage. I want to hear what God has revealed to you concerning the passage. While commentaries can be helpful when you are seeking a second opinion, it should not be how you formed your opinion. We have been taught NOT to listen to the Spirit of God, so we never see God revealing truth directly from His word. A few years ago I attended a Bible conference with 125 pastors from all over the world. While I did not meet each person, of those I did meet, not one of them wrote their own sermons. Each person expressed an interest in locating sermon sources to find messages to preach. We must allow God to speak directly to us through His word. When I read a passage, I don’t mind seeing what someone else said about the topic but I do not want to go to a scholar first. Let God speak to me.
This adaptation of the beliefs of others is how doctrinal error is replicated. When pastors are dumbed down, they are unable to search the scriptures and understand the context of passages and therefore they cannot recognize error. When one person comes up with a good sounding slant on a passage, it is not long before it is repeated and then believed to be true by the masses. Once a belief is widely accepted, any questions to that belief are frowned upon. Let me give you a modern example. Look at this common but misinterpreted passage in 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.
This has become one of the proof-texts for the prosperity gospel and was made popular by the book, “Prayer of Jabez”. While the book and its author has many doctrinal flaws, it has become a marketing goldmine to both the church and the secular culture. As of this writing there are over 50 different books, videos, music CDs and novelty gifts on the market for Jabez seekers. On Amazon you can even by t-shirts and mugs saying “I love Jabez”. The only thing missing is a shrine where we can worship this man.
The account of Jabez is not a promise that we will be guaranteed prosperity. One person told me that they pray the prayer of Jabez 10 times a day in order to be blessed. It has become a mantra and is no prayer. The pagans believe that if they say certain words repeatedly their words will create reality. In Christianity we do not use pagan mantras, in fact, Jesus warned against this very thing when He said, “Do not do as the heathen do and use vain repetitions” (Matthew 6:7).
In truth, the prayer of Jabez is the gospel message revealed in the life of a man born under a curse. To fully understand this, let us take a brief look at the prophetic meaning of names in the Old Testament. In the Old Testament, God revealed His plan of salvation over a 4,000 year period. The gospel began in Genesis and is echoed throughout the Old Testament. God used the fathers of the family as the spiritual authority and revealed the future through the proclamations of the father. An example of this is in Genesis 49. On his deathbed, Israel gathered his sons and foretold their futures. God inspired all the patriarch fathers to speak blessings and give names that would foretell their future.
Israel is an example of the significance of names. Israel was born with the name of Jacob. The name Jacob means ‘supplanter’, or one that takes the place of another by scheming. This was prophetic because Jacob persuaded his brother to give up his birthright by tempting him with food when he was very hungry. He then cheated him out of his blessing by deception when his father was blind and on his deathbed. His whole life was lived out in this manner until he wrestled with the angel of God. He would not let go until he received a blessing and his name was changed to Israel. Israel means, “God prevails”. This is also prophetic because in the nation of Israel, God has shown that His plan does indeed prevail even against all odds.
Another example of this is King David’s enemy, Nabal. Before becoming king, David was in hiding from King Saul who tried to kill David. During his time of hiding, David and his friends fed themselves by watching over and protecting the herds of land owners. After faithfully serving Nabal, David asked for provision for him and his men, but Nabal went on a tirade of insults and curses against the men. David became angry, armed his men and would have slain Nabal, but his wife brought provisions for David and pleaded on her husband’s behalf. While she was appeasing the situation she made an interesting statement in 1 Samuel 25:25-27
25 "Please, let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal. For as his name is, so is he: Nabal is his name, and folly is with him. But I, your maidservant, did not see the young men of my lord whom you sent. 26 "Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. 27 "And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord.
As his name is, so is he. The name Nabal means ‘fool’. Whether he was born with this name or his childhood behavior earned him this name, we do not know. We do know that Nabal is an example of why names are significant in the Old Testament. Another great example is found in the genealogies from Adam to Noah. Always keep in mind that God is revealing Christ in the Old Testament. The Apostle Paul calls it a great mystery that has been revealed. Until Jesus dwelled on earth, the key of interpreting scripture was missing. After His revelation, we can now go back and unlock the mystery of God’s plan. The generations between Adam and Noah preach the gospel message. Adam was created in God’s image but because of sin, he and those after fell short of the glory of God. The earth was corrupt and filled with violence, therefore God sent judgment into the world. Prior to judgment, God sent preachers to proclaim judgment and salvation. All those who entered into the ark (which is a picture of Christ) were taken out of the world that was judged and returned to the earth after judgment.
What do the scriptures teach about our generation? Look at Matthew 24:37-39
37 "But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. 38 "For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, 39 "and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.
We have the same message that was preached in Noah’s day. God will again judge the earth but we have salvation in Christ. Those who are in Christ, will rise above the earth while judgment is being poured out and we will return with Christ after sin has been punished on the earth. The message is the same and the result is the same. Many will hear, but few will be saved. Even though Noah preached for 120 years, the culture still did not know judgment was coming until the flood took them away. Now look at the gospel message again preached through the names of the generations from Adam to Noah:
Hebrew / English translation:
Adam - Man
Seth - Appointed
Enosh - Mortal
Kenan - Sorrow
Mahalalel - The Blessed God
Jared - Shall come down
Enoch - Teaching
Methuselah - His death shall bring
Lamech - Despairing
Noah - Rest, or comfort.
Now put it all together and see the gospel! When you recite the names of these generations, you are actually preaching the gospel. The names of these generations say, “Man is appointed to mortal sorrow. The Blessed God shall come down teaching. His death shall bring the despairing comfort.” Who is the Blessed God that came down? The mystery is no longer a mystery but was revealed in Jesus Christ. All of the Old Testament preaches the message of Jesus Christ and is clearly revealed with eyes of faith and the knowledge of the cross.
Now let’s take this back to the message of Jabez. Look again at 1 Chronicles 4:9-10
9 Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." 10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested.
Is this the message of ‘God the dispenser of wealth’? Not even close. This is the message of the gospel tucked away in the genealogies of Israel. Jabez was born under a curse. At birth, he was given the name, ‘Pain’. He was appointed for sorrow. Jabez grew up under the burden of the curse given to him at birth. He cried out to God to overcome that curse with His blessing so that he would not live under sin or cause pain. God answered his prayer.
What is the message of the gospel? We are born under the curse of sin. Anyone who has ever had children or lived with one knows that they are born with sin in their heart. A child is greedy and selfish. You don’t have to teach a child to hit, throw fits, take things or act unruly. It comes natural. At some point in every Christian’s life, they realized that they were born under the curse of sin and they cried out to God to overcome that curse with blessing. Jesus Christ is the blessing. Without Jesus there is no blessing. Anyone outside of Christ already abides under the curse. We don’t cry out to God for a new car, lands, and money. Wealth is still a curse if we are dying in our sins. We cry out for the true riches and true blessings – our new life in Christ. The next time you hear the prayer of Jabez, don’t thing about greed and covetousness – remember that his prayer preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ. Anything short of Christ is still under the curse.
Go to Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3
Eddie Snipes
Exchanged Life Outreach
http://www.exchangedlife.com
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