Category: Blog

My family and I recently attended a powerful conference at a church in a suburb of Dallas, Texas. The central theme for this conference on essentials of the Christian life was fellowship. 

At first, it sounds odd to think of fellowship as an “essential” of the Christian life. Had they already run through all of the important things to discuss and this was all that’s left? 

Far from it. In three days of consecutive expository messages from excellent preachers, the subject became crystal-clear as Scripture was opened and explained. 

Biblical fellowship means much more than just gathering in the same room with other Christians.  It’s more than simply meeting together for a common cause, or to share a meal, or to hear about one another’s life experiences. 

We may do all of those things and yet never experience biblical fellowship. 

Biblical fellowship is a group of diverse Christians who voluntarily open their lives to one another as a loving family because of their common love for Jesus Christ. 

We learned from the expositions that true fellowship isn’t automatic; it’s actually difficult regardless of your personality type. It takes work. It’s challenging for small churches as well as for larger churches.

The difficulty is that in either case you’re still dealing with sinful people. 

Some of the common obstacles to biblical fellowship are:

• It opens our lives up to exposure and examination; it makes us more accountable…
• We’re afraid people will notice the differences between what we say and what we really are…
• We love doing other things more than obeying what God says about our fellowship…
• We’re lazy and don’t want to make the effort to get into the nitty-gritty with fellow believers…
• We may think we’re already “strong” and outgoing in that area and thus never learn its true biblical meaning…
• Or it may indicate that we aren’t true believers if we have no love for the brethren… (1 John 3:10, 14)

When all has been said and done, not everyone in the church will participate in true biblical fellowship. It’s one of the sad realities of our human nature.

There will always be some who refuse to sit at the table with their family regardless of how many “fellowship sermons” they hear. 

But for those who come, it’s an important aspect of our spiritual growth and health. It enables us live in authenticity with one another and keeps us walking the walk of faith for the long haul. This is Christ’s revealed will for us as His people. 

We need each other — our family in Christ.

For the unity of Christ’s people,
Pastor Kevin

In the body of Christ, everyone who is born again has at least one spiritual gift.

Some Christians have more than one gift, but every Christian has at least one gift from the Spirit. All of the gifts of the Spirit have one purpose: to build up the other members of the Body of Christ for the glory of God. That’s it.

God’s glory is seen and savored in our exercise of these gifts as the gathered Body of Christ.

When you and I use our Spirit-given gift or gifts to build-up, encourage, or edify other Christians, then God gets the glory. Plus, our joy in Christ increases in the use of our gifts.

However, not all Christians have the same gifts.

Even in society, not all individuals have the same talents or strengths, naturally or spiritually. Likewise, different members of the body have their own unique strengths and also those areas where they must rely on the giftedness and strengths of others.

What would happen if every person in the church had to have the same gifts and strengths as everyone else? In 1 Corinthians 12:15-20, Paul addressed the subject:

“If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.^ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.^ If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing?

If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell?^ But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? ^ As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.” [ESV]

Every member of the body of Christ is needed by every other member of the body. When every member functions according to their gifts and strengths, we all benefit and God gets the glory.

Some time back, the Springfield, Oregon Public Schools Newsletter published an article that makes my point in a colorful and, I think, memorable way. It’s a parable of the animal kingdom.

Many years ago, the animals decided they should do something to meet the growing problems of the world in the 21^st century. So they organized a school.

They adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying. To make it easier to administer the curriculum, all the animals were required to take all of the same subjects.

The duck was excellent in swimming. In fact, he was even better than his instructor! But he made only passing grades in running and was very poor in climbing. Since he was so behind in climbing, he had to drop swimming and stay after school to practice climbing.

This caused his web feet to be badly worn, so that he eventually became only “average” in his using his gift of swimming. But average was quite acceptable here, so nobody worried about that – except the duck.

The rabbit started at the top of the class in running. But he soon developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscle because of so much make-up work in swimming.

The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered great difficulties in both his swimming and flying classes. That’s because in flying class he was required to start from the ground up instead of from the treetop down. He developed “charlie horses” from overexertion, and so only got a C in climbing and a D in swimming.

The eagle was a problem student from the beginning. He was severely disciplined for being a non-conformist. In climbing classes he beat all the others to the top of the tree, but he insisted on using his own way to get there. So even though he was excellent in flying, he had to be expelled for not doing the assignments like everybody else.

The moral of the story is a simple one. God has made each of us with wonderful gifts and strengths to be used in harmony with one another.

If everyone in the Body of Christ plays their strength, the weaknesses of any individual will be consumed within the giftedness of another.

Each Christian is uniquely gifted for God’s glory. Run your race. Play your strengths!

For His glory,
Pastor Kevin

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   As the old year draws to a close and the New Year dawns, the body of Christ reviews and celebrates the theology of Christ’s incarnation at this special time.

Christmas is a bright light in the otherwise dark season of winter. As in life itself, the darkness of the season makes light all the more brilliant and delightful.

We can never exhaust the truth contained in Scripture, especially around the subjects of the virgin birth and incarnation of the second person of the Trinity. That mine of truth is so rich with gold that it will never fail to produce fresh wonder and awe with every new exploration.

This season at Providence, we are exploring the virgin birth, the incarnation, and the kingship of our Savior. Each is related to the other and each shines with radiant light by itself.

However, we must also remember that if it weren’t for the resurrection of Jesus, we would never have had anything to celebrate at Christmas. It’s only the resurrection of Christ that gives Christmas any significance at all. 

So the reason we celebrate the Savior’s birth at Christmas is all because of what happened on that first Easter Sunday. Jesus rose from the dead… defeating our sin and our death. 

In the coming year, Providence will be continuing to study through the Gospel of Mark in the morning services — and on Sunday evenings, we’ll be going through the epistle to the Romans. 

We pray that 2014 will be a phenomenal year of spiritual growth in God’s Word and growth in spiritual fruit with new followers of Christ as well.

Praying to that end,
Pastor Kevin

 

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The reformers had a saying that bears repetition in the dispute about Christ’s lordship. They said, “While faith alone justifies us, the faith that justifies us never remains alone.”

Or to put it another way: the faith that justifies (or saves) us is the same faith that also sanctifies us. In short, if we don’t have sanctifying faith, we likely never had justifying faith.

Those who insist that Jesus can be one’s Savior without Him being their Lord, have at the very least an inadequate view of saving faith.

They’re saying that faith merely justifies us, but it doesn’t go beyond that to produce works of righteousness or any conformity to the image of Christ.

The no-lordship advocates insist that discipleship, repentance, and obedience to Christ are a “second-level” of Christian maturity that is optional for those who have already been saved.

Yet Scripture joins all of these works of God to the saving work He produces within us.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [Eph. 2:8-10, ESV]

It’s not as though justification is the only part that God does and then sanctification and repentance and submission and obedience are our part to carry out by our human will.

No… the Bible teaches that every aspect of the Christian life is the work of God within us.

Everything about salvation, from election before the foundation of the world all the way to glorification is entirely the work of God on our behalf.

No-lordship theology cannot accept biblical views of election, predestination, and divine foreknowledge either. All of these doctrines become distorted in no-lordship theology.

If salvation is really a work of God, how could it be totally without the fruit of sanctification? Is surrender to Christ really a human work, or is regeneration with all its effects a sovereign work of God?

How is it possible for a believer whose heart has been supposedly renewed by divine grace to have no growth, no repentance, and then refuse to bow to Christ’s lordship?

Even more disturbing is the distorted view of eternal security held by no-lordship advocates.

In his book, Absolutely Free, no-lordship author Zane Hodges, even denied that faith itself was a gift from God…

“Faith is a human act, not a gift from God (AF 219). It occurs in a decisive moment but does not necessarily continue (AF, 107). True faith can be subverted, be overthrown, collapse, or even turn to unbelief” (AF 111).     

Or what about the no-lordship view that even those who apostatize and completely turn away from Christ without repentance–like Judas Iscariot–are still assured of eternal salvation? Hodges writes…

“It is possible to experience a moment of faith that guarantees heaven for eternity (AF 107), then to turn away permanently and live a life that is utterly barren of any spiritual fruit (AF 118-19). Genuine believers might even cease to name the name of Christ or confess Christianity” (Zane Hodges, Absolutely Free, 111).

Yet Scripture teaches that those who turn away from Christ without repentance do so because they were never truly saved in the first place. This is the apostolic position on apostasy without repentance. 

If someone was truly saved, God would bring them back to Himself and not allow them to remain in apostasy, or any continual sin, without repentance. 

The apostle John was writing about the antichrists in the church when he said in 1 John 2:19,

“They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.”

Apparently, this still isn’t plain to everyone about those who apostatize from the faith.

However, the Bible affirms that true faith is a wholehearted trust in Christ personally (Gal. 2:16 ; Phil. 3:9 ). Not just facts about Jesus, but trust in Jesus Himself.

Those who have genuine faith will love Christ (Rom. 8:28 ; 1 Cor. 16:22 ; 1 John 4:19). They will also want to do His will, since their hearts have been renewed by God.

Of course, our love and obedience will never be perfect until we are in His presence. But even now, there will be ongoing evidence of spiritual life and growth in every true believer.

Salvation is the gift of God, entirely without works, that no one may boast. But this gift of God goes beyond just justifying us. His gift includes our repentance and turning from sin.

Rejecting this, many advocates of no-lordship theology have turned aside to a form of antinomianism, which rejects all aspects of God’s holy and righteous law.

And worse, they are doing this under the label of “free grace.”

But the only Savior for sinners like ourselves is the One Scripture reveals as Lord of all.

He is Lord… and there’s no way for anyone to divorce His perfect attributes without creating a false idol that cannot save and then wrongly calling the idol their “Christ.”

“Little children, keep yourselves from idols.” – 1 John 5:2 

In His Grip,
Pastor Kevin

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As we prepare to celebrate Reformation Sunday, I’ve asked my wife, Jennifer, to share her testimony of coming to faith in Christ and leaving Roman Catholicism.

Her personal story puts a human face on the need to evangelize Roman Catholic friends and family while there’s still time. Here’s what she wrote:

“I come from a long line of Catholics. Catholicism was part of my heritage, my upbringing, it was part of the very fiber of who I was.

Of course I went to Catholic school. I was baptized as an infant, made my First Holy Communion and was confirmed in the Catholic Church.

I remember when I participated in the World Youth Day when Pope John Paul II came to America. I wanted to buy a bumper sticker that read “100% Catholic.”

I was just that. I believed it all–that you had to be a good person to go to heaven; that nobody can know for sure that they are going there; that baptism and attending Mass and all the other sacraments and participation in Holy Days of Obligation were vital to obtaining God’s favor. 

I was a good Catholic, and proud of it. I never committed any “mortal” sins, just the “venial” sins like lying. I thought I was pretty good. By appearances I was. I was moral, and like most Catholics, I was lost.

Meanwhile one of my friends who called herself “just a Christian” would quote the Bible to me. She told me there was no such place as purgatory, that Mary wasn’t immaculate, and most importantly, that people are only saved by grace through faith in Christ and not as a result of our good works [or attending Mass] (Ephesians 2:8-9). 

That’s the true gospel. We are all sinners. Sin is an attack on a holy God. He requires that sin must be punished. Romans 3:23 teaches: “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And Romans 6:23 says that the “wages of sin is death.”

Jesus Christ came to pay for the sins of all who would believe. Period. We must trust in Jesus alone for salvation. No works can save us; no sacraments; no moralism. Only trust in Jesus, the promised Messiah. That’s the gospel. 

I thought that sounded too good to be true and I rejected it. I thought my friend needed that more than I did because I was so prideful… and in my mind, I lived a better life than she did.  

I eventually understood that a true follower of Christ, true Christianity, is not predicated upon living a clean and moral life or being the best person we know how to be. Nor is it about being baptized for our salvation.

No one is good enough to earn salvation. Baptism doesn’t save. A true Christian believes in Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross as the full and final payment for our sin. It’s Christ plus nothing.

“And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (Colossians 2:13-14).

I told my parents and extended family that I’d become a true Christian and was no longer a Catholic—on Easter Sunday no less. I was 17.

My parents required me to continue going to Mass though while I lived under their roof. They called it “getting your ‘meat and potatoes.’”

So I would attend the early service at a Christian church then zip over to the Catholic Church. And what Jesus said about serving two masters was certainly true in my case: I loved one and hated the other.  

One Sunday, the priest was encouraging everyone to go to confession. He said, “Go to confession. Just don’t go to hell.” At that, I walked out of church, never to return.

My parents asked me to meet with a priest and talk about my new beliefs. I agreed to meet with the priest. I knew the Truth and that that Truth was not in the Roman Catholic Church.

Bible in hand, I met with Father Michael. He was annoyed that I brought my Bible, and said as much. He explained that only the Catholic clergy could interpret the Bible properly.

He ended our conversation by encouraging me to “go by what’s in here” (pointing to my heart), and not by “what’s in here” (pointing to my Bible).

That sums up Catholicism. It’s what fallen people want it to be, not what God has designated His church to be in His Word. The priest was so wrong. Catholicism is so wrong.

“As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received [the gospel of grace alone], let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:9 ESV).

Catholics regularly pray for the dead and to the dead for that matter. They worship Mary. They believe the Pope has the same authority as the Bible. Catholics can never know if they are saved because the answer is based on them and how good they are, not on the finished work of Christ.

A lot of evangelical leaders and even friends in mainstream Christianity are now embracing Catholics as Christians. No need to evangelize them. “They are on the same team,” they say.

That is false. They are a different team with a different Jesus, a different source of authority, and a different gospel. If we tell ourselves that Catholics are Christians, then no one will preach the true gospel to them.

“And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’ But  they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says,  ‘Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?’ So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ” (Romans 10:14-17).

Yes, some Catholics are moral and socially-minded people. They pray and believe in God. So how do we know if a Catholic is saved? Easy. There’s a simple test. Just use the gospel.

What are they trusting in for their salvation? Are they trusting in the finished work of Christ on the cross for their sin—alone? Or are they trusting in Christ and their good deeds and the revelations from the Pope, and their prayers to Mary and the sacraments and so forth?

Only Christ alone can save someone. If we put our hope in anything else along with Him, then our trust is not in Him.

Pray for Catholics. Evangelize Catholics. Proclaim the true gospel of Christ alone. Christ plus nothing. That’s the gospel. Thank You, Lord!” 

In Christ Alone,
Jennifer

 

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Providence Baptist Church is hosting its Fall Bible Conference beginning on Sunday morning, October 6. I’m really excited about this 3-day conference and our special guest, Dennis Gundersen.

Year ago, Dennis and his wife Naomi had a dream. Long before the Internet existed, they wanted to open a Christian bookstore to distribute God-glorifying materials.  

Originally, a missionary friend of theirs came to them wanting to publish his story about bringing the gospel to the people of Papua New Guinea. Dennis helped publish his true story.

Since then, Dennis and Naomi, along with the help of their four sons, have published more than 60 titles. And in total fulfillment of their dream, they opened an online Christian bookstore, GraceAndTruth.com.

Grace and Truth doesn’t just sell the latest Christian trendy books. They only sell books that are theologically sound and promote strong, godly character.

Dennis is going to present four messages for our Fall Bible Conference this year under the heading: “Teaching Your Children the Fear of the Lord.”

At 9:30 (during the Sunday School hour), we will have a time of fellowship and refreshments as we listen to Dennis tell us about his ministry.

During our Sunday morning 10:45 a.m. worship service, we will hear a message titled, “When There’s No Fear of God” from Psalm 36:1-4. On Sunday evening at 6:00 p.m., the message will be on “Teaching Our Children the Fear of the Lord” from Psalm 34:11-14.

On Monday evening at 7:00 p.m., the message will be “Fearfully Forgiven” from Psalm 130:4. And finally, on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m., the message will be “Fear and Faithfulness” from Philippians 2:12-13.

This conference is free and open to the community. And it’s not just for parents, but for all of us to learn more about what it means to fear the Lord in a biblical sense.  

I hope to see you there!
Pastor Kevin

 

 

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    There is a kind of “spiritual terrorism” within the church today.

It takes the form of unbiblical teaching, spreading false doctrine, and twisting Scripture.

It’s nothing new. Even in the Apostle Paul’s day there were false teachers like this. 

Even within the influential church at Ephesus, there were corrupt elders who departed from the truth and had to be excommunicated from the church. The biblical response to unrepentant sin is clearly prescribed in Scripture. 

“By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, ²⁰ among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.” [ESV]

These men were “handed over to Satan.” Let’s consider what this means. 

First, the failure of these two men was rooted in their rejection of “a good conscience.”

The plural in the New International Version’s “Some have rejected these” is misleading because the word “rejected” in the Greek refers to “a good conscience” as it’s only antecedent. It’s not referring to faith and a good conscience.

Hymenaeus and Alexander willfully and deliberately rejected their conscience. And by rejecting or violating their conscience by teaching what they knew to be error, they made shipwreck of the faith. So the former effected the latter.

The literal rendering here is they made shipwreck of not “their faith” in the subjective sense, but the faith in the objective sense. That’s a picture of spiritual terrorism.

We know that Hymenaeus was in error in his eschatology, of all things, because 2 Timothy 2:17, 18 mentions “Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some.” So faith becomes the victim whenever false teaching goes unopposed.

Perhaps Alexander was also crazed by this “over-realized” eschatology. The point is, they wandered away from apostolic truth, which is biblical revelation — and it all began with the deliberate rejection of their conscience.

They knew something was wrong and they taught it anyway.

Yet Paul models for us the redemptive course for the faithful church to follow to the end. Verse 20 is a picture of church discipline for erring and unrepentant elders.

These men weren’t written off by the church. Rather, they were placed into a remedial situation so they would learn not to blaspheme. He says they are “Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

This act of handing someone over to Satan in the NT context refers to excommunication; this is excommunication from the fellowship and influence of the church. This gives a sinning Christian no protection or solace from the assaults and devices of the enemy.

All church discipline presupposes an official registry of membership with each local church. The apostles or elders couldn’t put someone out of the church if they were never officially part of the church.

Neither apostles nor elders can excommunicate “non-communicate” people from the church. They didn’t put visitors out of the church. They didn’t remove guests from the church. That’s because guests and visitors aren’t under the charge of the church.

But neither are guests and visitors under the care of elders within that church; nor can they obey the NT command to submit to their overseers as non-members.

According to Luke’s history throughout the book of Acts, names were added to the list and numbers were counted as people were saved and baptized and names of the unrepentant were removed from the registry as discipline until they repented.

Paul forcefully removed Hymenaeus and Alexander from the church—away from God’s visible care and protection and thus under the power of Satan.

It was Paul’s intention that these sinning men be buffeted by Satan and that their separation from God and His people and the preaching of the Word in this way be brought home to them by their forced removal from the local church.  

That may sound harsh and even brutal in our day where truth is treated so casually and the church is regarded by many as a sterile religious institution with no practical relevance for today. But Paul’s attitude was actually one of grace, severe grace.

Paul explained this redemptive process in a different circumstance in 2 Thessalonians 3:14-15, where he wrote:

“If anyone does not obey what we say in this letter, take note of that person, and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. ^15 Do not regard him as an enemy, but warn him as a brother.” [ESV]

Our Lord taught in Matthew 18 that those who continue in sin are to be put out of the church. Such people who are excommunicated are delivered to Satan.

It is in this context of confronting a brother and putting a sinning member out of the church (binding and loosing) that Jesus said “For where two or three are gathered in My name, there am I among them.” It’s about Jesus’ presence in excommunication.

That doesn’t mean a true believer can forfeit their salvation; it means they become subject to the full assaults and terrors of the enemy while being deprived of fellowship for the purpose of bringing them to repentance. It’s to purify the church.

That is precisely what Paul called for in the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 5:4–5) and what he did to two of the false teachers in leadership at Ephesus, and what by implication he invites Timothy and us to continue to do. This is built into the church’s DNA.

To hand someone over to Satan indicates that they had not before been fully in his power while they remained in the church. The church is God’s protection for His flock.

In 1 John 5:19 we learn that “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.”

Unbelievers walk “according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2).

Those who are to be delivered to Satan must, therefore, have been under the umbrella of protection provided by the church and the boundaries set by God’s Word.

Even unbelievers receive a certain amount of protection and blessing from their association with the community of redeemed people. That’s why Paul advised a believing spouse not to divorce an unbelieving spouse if they’re willing to stay.

The influence of blessing and protection for God’s own people overflows even to the unredeemed who externally oppose the truth and all that Christ offers.

Handing someone over to Satan removes the insulation and protection provided by the believing community. The unrepentant who are removed from the church are out from under God’s hand of blessing and they are fully under Satan’s influence.

There are times when, in the sovereign purpose of God, believers are turned over to Satan for positive purposes. There are several illustrations of this in the Scriptures.

This happened to Job. It happened to Simon Peter. And even the Lord Jesus Himself was turned over to Satan to prove His perfect obedience and character under fire.

As illustrated by these lives, God’s people can be handed over to Satan for positive purposes. It may be to show the genuineness of saving faith, or to keep them humble and dependent on God, or to enable them to strengthen others, or to offer praise to God. But in each case God receives the glory and His people are delivered.

However, there is another category of people delivered to Satan. These people are handed over to Satan not for positive purposes, but for judgment. This is what we have in 1 Timothy 1:20 with two sinning elders in the church at Ephesus.

The exercise of church discipline along with the preaching of God’s Word, baptism, and the regular observance of the Lord’s Table are considered to be four pillars that distinguish every true church of the Lord Jesus Christ.

To embrace these truths is life and health and peace for us; to reject them is death and sorrow and turmoil.

These four pillars are how we guard the church from spiritual terrorism so that Christ’s sheep may grow strong while keeping the faith and a good conscience. 

For His Glory,
Pastor Kevin

 

Confusion over the roles of men and women is epidemic in our society.

A growing number of adult men are shirking responsibility, playing video games, and letting women do all the work.

And likewise, a growing number of women have open scorn and disrespect for men in general.

Neither scenario brings honor or glory to God. 

We need a biblical reformation of gender roles in our day. Understanding God’s Word is the only remedy for the confusion of the roles of men and women.

God’s Word to us on the conduct and responsibilities of men and women is correct. It is the root of joy and ultimate fulfillment; even though the opinion of culture and society says the opposite… and sadly, that happens to be the loudest message in our world.

God’s counsel to us is always for our benefit and our blessing.

It isn’t to diminish our fruitfulness or our capacities, but rather to direct them through eternal channels for the maximum good of the greatest numbers. 

The key to reforming the roles of men and women in society begins with our spiritual design intended by God. This effects both the church as well as society in general. 

In First Timothy 2:8, God addresses this situation through the Apostle Paul. This verse begins with the words, “I desire…” This is a strong word for desire. 

The word is boulomai – it’s a word for desire as in a command. Since this is the first word in the Greek translation of verse 8, it controls this whole passage.

In other words, verses 9 and 10 are still functioning under this verb; “Likewise also [I desire or I intend] that women…” and it still functions under that strong verb Boulomai mentioned at the beginning of verse 8.

I mention this grammatical marker to remind you that these words of instruction are not cultural preferences by the apostle Paul; these are divine orders for how the church is intended to function in every age and every culture.

In verse 8, the application of God’s desire for the lost to be saved through the evangelistic witness of His people is that “in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling.” 

Men are intended by God to be spiritual leaders, both at home, in the church, and in society. It’s a responsibility not to be taken lightly. 

The word translated “men” in verse 8 is from anēr; this doesn’t refer to mankind in general, but always refers to males as opposed to females. Men are to take the lead when the church gathers for corporate worship. This word can only refer to men.

When prayer is offered for the lost during those times of corporate worship, the men are to do the praying; their heart for the lost is to set the tone for the church.

The women and other men who are not leading are to corporately unite their hearts in submissive agreement as prayers for the lost and for rulers and those in high positions are being offered by the men who serve as overseers in the church.

Of course, both men and women are to pray for the lost. But in the public gathering of the church for corporate worship, only biblically qualified men are charged with leading the way in prayer for the spiritual needs of Christ’s church.

Are women permitted to pray? Of course! By all means.

However, in the context of the public gathering of the church, only men are to take that responsibility in the worship service of the church. Anyone can and should pray in a group Bible study, a Sunday school class… or anywhere else.

Are women permitted to teach the Bible? Of course! By all means.

However, they are to teach the Bible to other women and to children both within and outside the corporate worship of the church. Women aren’t to lead men spiritually as Bible teachers, pastors, elders, ministers, etc. 

Men are held responsible by Christ for teaching His Word, for reading the Word, and for praying in the public gathering of His church; and every man is held responsible by God for the spiritual oversight of his own household regardless of his occupation.  

The phrase “in every place” occurs four times in Paul’s writings (cf.. 1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 2:14; 1 Thess. 1:8). All four times it refers to the official gathering of the church. So this instruction has to do with the public assembly of the local church in every place.

Women are permitted to pray and proclaim the Word, but not “in church”—that is, when the church meets for its corporate worship services.

This in no way marks women as spiritually inferior (cf.. Gal. 3:28). Not even all men proclaim the Word in the assembly, only those so called and ordained by God. 

Men are to be disciplined spiritual leaders, servant-hearted, and honorable. And women are to respect the men in their lives and whenever possible, to speak well of them. 

This is pleasing in the sight of God and better reflects His design for men and women.

For His Glory,
Pastor Kevin

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     In our study of Mark 7, the members of Providence have been considering what Jesus taught about the perils and dangers of false religions.

Jesus was very confrontational when truth was at stake. 

In fact, throughout the ministry of Jesus, nothing received more of our Lord’s anger and fury than self-righteous, legalistic, ceremonial religion.

Jesus called the leaders of apostate Judaism “hypocrites and vipers.” He called them “sons of hell” and referred to their converts as “twice as much children of hell” as themselves!

Jesus never attacked anything with as much force as He attacked empty religion. 

People need to know the difference between the authority of Scripture and endless man-made customs that often displace Scripture in the hearts of those who practice them.

One thing is very clear in Scripture: man-made religious traditions are not harmless, or inconsequential, or neutral in how they affect people. 

False religions and their man-made traditions are damning in their influence. Satan uses every form of Christ-less religion to blind the eyes of unbelievers. 

It wouldn’t be an overstatement to say that some of the enemy’s most destructive work is conducted through the structures of religious hierarchies.

However, the true worship of the one true God is driven by what is internally true, not by what is externally seen. Hypocrisy flaunts the externals and hides what is internally true. 

Apart from the true gospel, nothing can forgive your sin or change your heart. Regeneration is solely a work of God on the sinner’s behalf. We can’t save ourselves. 

Traditions, and rituals, and ceremonies, and all other external fanfare has nothing whatsoever to do with rightly worshiping God in spirit and in truth. 

It’s a terrible thing to worship the wrong god. But it’s an equally terrible thing to worship the right God in the wrong way. How does your worship line up with Scripture?

Every man-made tradition or custom or ritual that has ever been held as “equal to Scripture,” has eventually become superior to Scripture in common practice.

This is true in Judaism. It is true in Roman Catholicism. 

It’s also true in various protestant denominations where traditions and customs have come to displace the Bible in terms of authority. These traditions are very subtle in their danger. 

Almost every religious tradition comes in through the front door disguised as a hero. They are embraced by the devout as instruments of righteousness. But they soon become devils that overturn Scripture and beguile the hearts of men.

Traditions and all man-made rituals are have no real authority. The Word of God is what governs the true church. The Bible is what feeds the true sheep of Christ.

At the bottom of everything is the heart. It’s all about your heart. That’s what determines whether you are worshiping God or not… and correctly or not.  

Put your confidence in the finished work of Christ alone for your salvation and not in the man-made traditions of your religion or your church. Only Christ can save you.  

Jesus is mighty to save and He will save you even now. 

With love in the Truth,
Pastor Kevin

     In reading through the Gospels, it’s very interesting to note the statements made by God the Father to those who stood around His Son at critical moments during our Lord’s earthly ministry. 

We hear one such statement at the Lord’s baptism in Matthew 3:17. It is here that the Father says to the onlookers, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.”

This is a great descriptive statement. It is rich with instruction all by itself. 

But another statement where the Father addresses those around His Son is more directive in terms of counsel. This occurred moments after the Transfiguration.

This is where the Father counseled Peter, James, and John with the words, “This is My beloved Son, listen to Him” in Mark 9:7. What amazingly complete and engaging counsel this one statement is! 

Listening to Jesus is the key to right thinking in every situation. This is the source of having the mind of Christ within ourselves. We must first of all listen to Jesus. 

We listen to Jesus in our day with our eyes as we read His Word, the Bible. We also listen to Jesus as we hear His Word taught by Spirit-enabled teachers and preachers. 

The Father’s counsel to all people, but especially to believers is this, “Listen to My Son!”

But Jesus also had a mother.

Although Mary was a sinner like ourselves and in need of a Savior herself (Lk. 1:47), she nonetheless gave magnificent counsel to those around her Son. 

In John 2:5 at the wedding at Cana, she gave such wise counsel to the stewards at this wedding. This is counsel that would be the death-knell of all hypocrisy if obeyed. 

What Mary said to these stewards is just as important as what the Father said at the Transfiguration. She told them, “Whatever My Son tells you to do, do it!” 

What supreme parental counsel is contained in these two statements from the heavenly Father of our Lord as well as from the earthly mother of our Lord! 

The Father’s statement points us to the Source of all truth and how we gain access to that truth. We must listen to Jesus. And the statement by Mary, the mother of Jesus points us to the application of what Jesus says to us. We must do what Jesus says. 

First, we must listen to Jesus who is the beloved Son of the Father. And second, we must do whatever He tells us to do. In these two statements is the substance of all obedience. 

Listen to Jesus and do what He says.

This is the best parental counsel you will ever hear. 

With love in the Truth,
Pastor Kevin

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