Showing posts with label Gentile. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gentile. Show all posts
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Issue of Gospel and Culture
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
All nations
The
singular use of ethnos in
the New Testament always refers to a people group. The plural use of ethnos sometimes must be
a people group and sometimes must refer to Gentile individuals, but usually can
go either way.
The phrase panta ta ethne must refer to Gentile individuals only once, but must refer to
people groups nine times. The remaining eight uses may refer to people groups.
The combination of these results suggests that the meaning of panta ta ethne leans
heavily in the direction of “all the nations (people groups).”
In
Genesis12:3 and 28:14 the Hebrew phrase for “all the families” (kol mishpahot) is
rendered in the Greek Old Testament by pasai
hai phulai. The word phulai
means “tribes” in most contexts. But mishpaha can be, and
usually is, smaller than a tribe. For example when Achan sinned, Israel is examined in decreasing
order of size: first by tribe, then by mishpaha
(family), then by household (Josh 7:14). So
the blessing of Abraham is intended by God to reach to fairly small groupings
of people.
The globe has been circumnavigated by God’s messengers, but there remain untouched areas geographically. The annual discovery of previously unknown languages elongates the noble task of getting the message into all the world’s tongues. And by no means has the gospel reached all the earth’s “peoples,” regardless of how they are defined.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Peoples
"For if I preach the Gospel, that gives me no ground for boasting. For necessity
is laid upon me. Woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel!" (1 Cor 9: 16)
My direct contact with peoples who do not know Christ has convinced me even more of the urgency of missionary activity.
My direct contact with peoples who do not know Christ has convinced me even more of the urgency of missionary activity.
The
words of our Lord are crucial for understanding the missionary task of the
Church. Specifically, the words “make disciples of all nations” must be closely
examined. They contain the very important phrase “all nations” which is often
referred to in the Greek form panta
ta ethne (panta = all, ta = the, ethne = nations). The
reason this is such an important phrase is that ethne, when translated as
“nations,” sounds like a political or geographic grouping. That is its most
common English usage. But we will see that this is not what the Greek means.
Nor does the English always mean this. For example, we say the Cherokee Nation or
the Sioux Nation. This means something like: people with a unifying ethnic
identity. In fact, the word “ethnic” comes from the Greek word ethnos (singular of ethne). Our inclination then
might be to take panta ta ethne as a reference to “all the ethnic groups.” “Go and disciple all
the ethnic groups.”
Our immediate
concern is with the meaning of panta ta ethne in Matthew 28:19, “Go and make
disciples of all nations.”
Out of the 18 uses of panta ta ethne (or its variant)
only the one in Matthew 25:32 would seem to demand the meaning “Gentile
individuals.” Three others demand the people group meaning on the basis of the
context (Acts 2:5; 10:35; 17:26). Six others require the people group meaning
on the basis of the Old Testament connection (Mark 11:17; Luke 21:24; Acts 15:17;
Gal 3:8; Rev 12:5; 15:4). The remaining eight uses (Matt 24:9; 24:14; 28:19;
Luke 12:30; 24:47; Acts 14:16; 2 Tim 4:17; Rom 1:5) could go either way.
What can we
conclude so far concerning the meaning of panta ta ethne in Matthew 28:19 and
its wider missionary significance?
The singular use
of ethnos in the New Testament always refers to a people group. The plural use
of ethnos sometimes must be a people group and sometimes must refer to Gentile
individuals, but usually can go either way. The phrase panta ta ethne must
refer to Gentile individuals only once, but must refer to people groups nine
times. The remaining eight uses may refer to people groups. The combination of
these results suggests that the meaning of panta ta ethne leans heavily in the direction
of “all the nations (people groups).”
Tuesday, December 18, 2012
The cross is a victory
The Kingdom of God is God's reign defeating His enemies, bringing people into the enjoyment of the blessings of the divine reign. The final victory occurs at the end of the Millennium when death, Satan, sin are finally destroyed and the Kingdom is realized in its ultimate perfection.
"As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God. On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying. Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: "We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us: "'I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.'" When the Gentiles heard this, they
were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed." (Acts 13:42-
48)
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Importance of a Biblical Foundation for Missions
The Bible provides vital theological truth that shapes a person’s understanding of humanity and cities. God’s Word reveals that all people are fallen and hopeless apart from Christ, that Jesus died to save people from God’s wrath and unite them to Himself by grace through faith, and that one day He will return to establish His kingdom on earth. This foundation shows that the greatest enemy is sin, the greatest need is salvation, and the greatest hope is Jesus Christ.
God wants to speak - He speaks through His Word
Several examples will demonstrate that New Testament world-wide missions were based on Old Testament foundations. For instance, in Acts 13:46-49, Paul and Barnabas, having been rejected by the Jews in Antioch, explain their decision to preach to the Gentiles in the future by citing Isaiah 49:6 (Acts 13:47) “For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.”
James uses Amos 9:11-12 in his closing speech at the Apostolic Council to justify Paul’s right to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles (Acts 15:13-2; Isa. 61:4; Ps. 22:27-28; Zech. 8:22). He believes the Church to be the “tabernacle of David that is fallen,” which will join the remnant of Judah with the heathen Gentiles.
Peter combines the Great Commission with a reference to the Old Testament as an argument for his preaching the Gospel to Cornelius. “And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:42-43).
The Bible was used as a mine from which “missionary texts” could be extracted. Most of the Bible, especially the Old Testament, was undoubtedly “particularistic” and therefore hardly usable as a foundation for a world-wide mission. If, however, we searched carefully and persistently among the rocks and rubble we would find small nuggets of real gold-stories of pagans such a Ruth and Naaman, who accepted the faith of Israel, “universalistic” expressions in the Psalms and in Deutero-Isaiah, encounters between Jesus and non-Jews, such as the Roman centurion, etc. Sometimes there are no such clearly visible nuggets of gold, then the ore would have to be melted carefully and the invisible gold meticulously extracted for it via the elaborate processes of exegesis.
Friday, November 9, 2012
Blessing as a theme
He was the most beautiful and the most intelligent being that God ever created. Human eyes have never beheld an angel in all his glory, and when Satan walks the streets of the cities and towns of earth, performing miracles and claiming to be Christ, practically the entire world will fall down and worship him. Satan will raise his hands in blessing the people, and the people will prostrate themselves before him, worshiping him, believing that he is Christ. Almost everyone will be hypnotized by the overwhelming glory, beauty, and power which the devil will display. He will repeat in a soft, comforting voice many of the words which Jesus spoke when He was on earth. He will heal the sick and perform other miracles and great works, claiming that he is Jesus Christ. His demonstration will be thoroughly convincing to virtually everyone on earth.
The reason that deception exists is because the curse came into effect the day Adam and Eve sinned. They allowed curse into the world, at every level and area. The Bible has to talk about blessing: because God wants to bless the people against this back drop! He wants to make Abraham blessed, to make a distinction between the blessing and the curse.
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us, so that the blessing of Abraham may come on us.
What's more, the Scriptures looked forward to this time when God would declare the Gentiles to be righteous because of their faith. God proclaimed this good news to Abraham long ago when he said, "All nations will be blessed through you." -- Galatians 3:8 NLT
People—alienated from their Creator, unaware of His love and work—wander off to seek after their own way. By their own efforts, they try to find meaning and purpose in life. They are on a path that leads nowhere. They become corrupt in their thinking and behavior. They exchange a lie for the truth of who they are and why God created them (Romans 2:25).
Humanity’s deepest need is to turn away from seeking after its own way and return to the way of the Creator God. Returning to God gives us new identity as members of His household. This identitygives us honor. It gives us value. It also gives us purpose: to connect others to the Great Story.
Monday, July 30, 2012
A God of global purpose
Through Christ Jesus, God has blessed the Gentiles with the same blessing he promised to Abraham, so that we who are believers might receive the promised Holy Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:14)
Secondly, God did not create robots. That would have brought very little glory to God. Because His creatures were not robots, there was the risk of a negative choice. But God, by His sovereign will, purpose, and foreknowledge, determined to allow this, indeed, He ordained it by His own eternal wisdom.
There are inescapable cravings in the core of every human heart that cannot be ignored, denied or pacified: they must be satisfied. When we wake up in the morning, whether we realize it or not, we are being driven by innate desires that demand answers and refuse delay. These longings are inherent to us as human beings. We have longings, yearnings, placed deep within us by God, for the purpose of wooing us into His grace and presence. As we understand their origin in God, we begin to cooperate with these longings in accordance with His will. We find the answer to our longings in the One who put them in us. His master plan extends even into the realm of our emotions.
In order to please God, we need to sacrifice our own lives to God just as Christ did. And how do we live our lives as a sacrifice like Christ did for us? We need to sacrifice our own will to the will of God. We need to stop thinking of what is best for us and think instead of fulfilling God’s larger purpose with the Earth. Jesus’ faithful life of service and willing crucifixion are the perfect living examples of the faith God is calling us to have. It isn’t until we give ourselves fully to God, rather than our own selfish desires, that we will begin to understand what it is God wants from us.
Monday, July 9, 2012
The first followers of Jesus
Many aspects of an envisioned future can be influenced or changed by decisions and actions you make today. For the church, this is not simply projection-based planning but the realization that through prayer and obedience you can be a catalyst to help bring about a future that is in alignment with God’s will. Through prayer, the framework for plan is established. Implementing strategy requires continued daily prayer for direction accompanied by obedient action in response to what God reveals.
There are two conversions in Acts 10, the conversion of a gentile named Cornelius and an apostle named Peter. Both were necessary for the mission of God to go forward. The inclusion of gentiles into the Christian family would become a thorn in the flesh for many, and eventually it lead to a complete rejection of Christianity by Jews. But it started here, and it was brought about by God. As far as Luke was concerned, this was Peter’s climactic sermon, and he would always be known as one who, though sometimes reluctant, was determined to do what God wanted.
What a change! The Law can enslave us; the Gospel sets us free to live for Christ. The message puts a new joy in our hearts and new smiles on our faces. The Gospel ushers in a new day.
If we follow Peter’s logic, we will see that Jewish believers do not have to keep the laws of Moses, either. They are saved by grace through faith, just as the Gentiles are. The old covenant is obsolete, so its laws are no longer required for anyone, and that is why Peter could live like a Gentile (Gal. 2:14).
Having accomplished salvation for the elect, God now applies it to us by faith. Justification is the primary and foundational act of God in applying our salvation because it is the bestowal upon us of the right to all the blessings Christ has won on our behalf and will thus progressively apply to us—such as sanctification and glorification. Justification means and seeks to demonstrate that it is received by faith alone.
There is certainly to-day amongst many of our missionaries a tendency to encourage their converts to teach others from the moment of their conversion. That may seem a very strange thing to say, and it would be a very strange thing to say unless it were still somewhat rare, and was not even now checked and hindered, often by those who desire it most sincerely.
The term “passion” is used to describe everything from romance to hunger pangs. I don’t know what it means to you, but for me passion means whatever a person is willing to suffer for. In fact, that’s the
root meaning of the word. It comes from the Latin paserre, to suffer. It is what you hunger for so intensely that you will sacrifice anything to have it.
http://youtu.be/AX_mA93jtgo
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