Monthly Archives: February 2018

Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

What Is the Church Part 02

And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God — Matthew 16:16
‘What is the church?’ ‘How does it work?’ Most importantly, ‘why does it make a difference in our world?’
In our first part, we attempted to answer these questions by focusing on the founder of the church, Jesus Christ Himself. While the world has debated Jesus’ identity for the last 2,000 years, it can be neatly summarised in Peter’s declaration above. Jesus is the Christ/Messiah, the Son of David who will sit on his throne. He is also declared as the Son of God.
While ancient Israel had anointed prophets, priests, and kings, the anointing of Jesus is unique. He is ‘the anointed of the anointed:’ Anointed
1.      A Prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15);
2.      A Priest like Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:6, 10; 6:20; 7:11, 15, 17, 21); and
3.      A King: like David (Psalm 18:50; 89:20; Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Hebrews 1:9).
Only Jesus of Nazareth fits this description and Peter affirmed it in his confession. It is on this confession that the church is built. Jesus, doing a play on words regarding Peter’s name, calls him petros meaning a detached or boulder stone, or ‘little stone,’ that can be cast down. But on this confession, called petra,[1] an unmovable ‘mass of rock’ that is used for a sure foundation to build the church.
In other words, Jesus calls Peter a detachable, throwable stone, but on this unmoveable foundational rock Christ will build His church. It is the confession of Jesus’ identity as Christ, Son of David, Son of God, not the person of Peter himself, which is the foundation stone for the church.[2]
God purchased the church with the shed blood of His Son (Acts 20:28). Jesus Christ is head of the church (Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). Christ loves, nourishes, and cherishes the church (Ephesians 5:25), which He will present blameless in glory on day (v. 27). Christ prime responsibility is to build His church (Matthew 16:18), and one of His methods is by spiritual gifts (Ephesians 4:12).
Defining ‘The Church’
Now that Jesus’ true and complete identity is revealed to Peter and the disciples by the Heavenly Father (Matthew 16:17), it is time to ‘talk church.’ First, note that this is first out of 77 times that the word is used, all in the New Testament. So what does the word actually mean?
‘Church’ comes from the Greek word is ekklesia (Greek: ἐκκλησία). It means those who are ‘called out’ from their normal dwelling and/or the world into a special assembly. In its most basic sense, ekklesia, (from where we get the word ‘ecclesiastical),’ means an an organised assembly of citizens in some public place. From the spiritual view, it is a gathering of Christians for the purpose of worship and service.
Yet it does not stop there. Ekklesia/church is every person, redeemed by faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ, from the day of Pentecost until the second coming of the Lord. Even those who have died in faith are very much part of the church and may very well constitute the ‘great cloud of witnesses’ spoken of in Hebrews 12:1. This is the universal church. Church also is referred to as Christ’s body (Ephesians 1:22; 5:23; Colossians 1:18), of which He is the head.
As one person aptly put it, the church in the Old Testament was concealed, but in the New Testament revealed.
Summary
In summary, the church of the New Testament is built on the confession of Jesus being the Christ, Son of David who will sit on his throne forever. He is also Son of God (Matthew 16:18). Those that believe this confession are grafted into the church. We note that:
1.      Christ is building His church;
2.      This church-building program uses people. God’s method is a person, not a program;
3.      Anyone can join the church through repentance from dead works, faith, and confession towards Christ, Son of God, Saviour, Lord of all;
4.      The New Testament church built on the confession that Jesus is Christ, Son of God (Matt. 16:18). As Bob Gass says, Christ had to be God to save us and man to die for us.
In our next instalment, we will learn what does the church do.


[1] “G4073 – petra – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 22 Dec, 2017. https://www.blueletterbible.org//lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4073&t=KJV
[2] “G4073 – petra – Strong’s Greek Lexicon (KJV).” Blue Letter Bible. Accessed 22 Dec, 2017. https://www.blueletterbible.org//lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G4073&t=KJV
Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Britain’s Contribution to the World Part 02

In our first part, we looked at the unique and powerful contribution Great Britain has made on civilisation. Areas of parliamentary democracy, constitutional monarchy, and even technology, were cited.
One article is not enough, thus we continue to explore this important topic.
Cause of Freedom: Britain has made 2 major contributions to the cause of freedom. First was the abolition of the slave trade by committed Christian William Wilberforce. Through immense perseverance, Wilberforce was able to turn the tide on this lucrative but iniquitous practice. Yet there is more – twice in the 20th century Britain played a key role in the defeat of euro-fascism, during the first and second world wars. History would have been greatly altered had they lost!
The Commonwealth of Nations: This 52 nation association, mostly from former British colonies, cooperates in trade, defence and fraternity. The Queen is the symbolic head and the Secretary-General has executive power. The commonwealth is a unique concept in post-colonial history.
Economic contributions: These include free-trade, free-market, mercantilism, capitalism London was and still is a great global financial hub. The British Empire in the 19th Century started the process we now know as globalisation, or more accurately, ‘Anglo-globalisation,’ which sought the free movement of goods, services, capital, people, and ideas worldwide. Britain’s contribution to the luxury car market include Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, developed by British engineers.
Sport: Yes, the British gave the world cricket, bridge, and snooker. Yet it can also be argued that many of the sports involving kicking a ball around the field also came out of Britain. It helped to standardised the structure and rules of many famous sports, like with football, rugby, and tennis, giving it an oversized role in modern sport. It is fascinating how former British colonies, now independent nation-states, are addicted to British-derived sports like cricket.
Newton’s laws: Sir Isaac Newton was a famous British mathematician and physicist. In the field of physics, he documented and outlined 3 important laws of motion: Law One: A ‘resting’ inanimate object remains so unless provoked or prompted by an external force; likewise, an object in motion will remain so unless interfered by an external object. Law Two: An applied force on a given object equals the rate of change at its momentum. Law Three: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. He also documented the phenomena of universal gravitation. Newton is arguably one of the greatest scientists in history, along with Albert Einstein.
The English language: This is one of the greatest of exports of Britain. Though it is the mother tongue of 450 million, it is spoken fluently by over 2 billion worldwide. English is the true modern-day lingua franca, the international language, as Greek was in the ancient world.
English literature: Along with English language is world-shaping English literature. The most famous, of course, is William Shakespeare, but don’t forget Britons Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, John Milton.Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Donne, Samuel Johnson, Joseph Conrad, Christopher Marlowe, Jonathan Swift, and John Keats. This is only a partial list.
In this department, it needs to be said that the single-greatest contribution to English language and literature is not the Oxford English Dictionary, valuable as it is. It is the King James Bible, which, more than any other literary piece, has helped to shape the English language as we know it. KJV is replete with idioms that we used on a regular basis. Here is a partial list

•   A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush;
•   A drop in the bucket;
•   A fly in the ointment
•   A house divided against itself cannot stand
•   A leopard cannot change its spots
•   A man after his own heart;
•   A multitude of sins;
•   A sign of the times
•   A two-edged sword;
•   A voice crying in the wilderness;
•   A wolf in sheep’s clothing;
•   All things must pass;
•   All things to all men
•   Am I my brother’s keeper?
•   An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth;
•   As old as Methuselah;
•   As old as the hills;
•   As white as snow;
•   As you sow so shall you reap;
•   Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
•   At his wits end;
•   Baptism of fire;
•   Beat swords into ploughshares;
•   Bite the dust;
•   Blessed are the peacemakers;
•   Born again;
•   Breath of Life;
•   By the skin of your teeth;
•   Can a leopard change his spots;
•   Cast the first stone;

Even famous atheists sing high praises of the King James Bible and its role in forming modern English. One commented that ‘Not to know the King James Bible is to be, in some small way, barbarian.’
Though there are at least two dozen other English translations in the modern vernacular, two-thirds of all Americans who own a Bible (89%) have a King James. In addition, of those who actually read their Bibles, a whooping 82% read KJV. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-04-21-king-james-bible.htm#
In the developing world, especially those which were part of the British Empire, KJV is the beloved version of choice. It’s role in literature and church life has been incalculable.
Protestant Christianity and Mission
Being initially a reluctant leader of the reformation, Britain gave the world Anglicanism, Methodism, and Scottish Presbyterianism. It hosted the world-impacting Welsh Revival in 1904. Men and women of God from Britain include Charles Spurgeon, Rees Howell, George Mueller, Thomas Beckett, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, William Wilberforce, Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Fry, JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis, Eric Liddell, John Stott, famous British missionaries Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Dr. David Livingstone, Jackie Pullinger, and Gladys Aylward. All these, and more, have left a God-size legacy to the nation and the world.

TO BE CONTINUED:
Articles, Education, Prophecy, Teaching

Britain’s Contribution to the World Part 02

In our first part, we looked at the unique and powerful contribution Great Britain has made on civilisation. Areas of parliamentary democracy, constitutional monarchy, and even technology, were cited.
One article is not enough, thus we continue to explore this important topic.
Cause of Freedom: Britain has made 2 major contributions to the cause of freedom. First was the abolition of the slave trade by committed Christian William Wilberforce. Through immense perseverance, Wilberforce was able to turn the tide on this lucrative but iniquitous practice. Yet there is more – twice in the 20th century Britain played a key role in the defeat of euro-fascism, during the first and second world wars. History would have been greatly altered had they lost!
The Commonwealth of Nations: This 52 nation association, mostly from former British colonies, cooperates in trade, defence and fraternity. The Queen is the symbolic head and the Secretary-General has executive power. The commonwealth is a unique concept in post-colonial history.
Economic contributions: These include free-trade, free-market, mercantilism, capitalism London was and still is a great global financial hub. The British Empire in the 19th Century started the process we now know as globalisation, or more accurately, ‘Anglo-globalisation,’ which sought the free movement of goods, services, capital, people, and ideas worldwide. Britain’s contribution to the luxury car market include Aston Martin, Bentley, Rolls Royce, Jaguar, developed by British engineers.
Sport: Yes, the British gave the world cricket, bridge, and snooker. Yet it can also be argued that many of the sports involving kicking a ball around the field also came out of Britain. It helped to standardised the structure and rules of many famous sports, like with football, rugby, and tennis, giving it an oversized role in modern sport. It is fascinating how former British colonies, now independent nation-states, are addicted to British-derived sports like cricket.
Newton’s laws: Sir Isaac Newton was a famous British mathematician and physicist. In the field of physics, he documented and outlined 3 important laws of motion: Law One: A ‘resting’ inanimate object remains so unless provoked or prompted by an external force; likewise, an object in motion will remain so unless interfered by an external object. Law Two: An applied force on a given object equals the rate of change at its momentum. Law Three: For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. He also documented the phenomena of universal gravitation. Newton is arguably one of the greatest scientists in history, along with Albert Einstein.
The English language: This is one of the greatest of exports of Britain. Though it is the mother tongue of 450 million, it is spoken fluently by over 2 billion worldwide. English is the true modern-day lingua franca, the international language, as Greek was in the ancient world.
English literature: Along with English language is world-shaping English literature. The most famous, of course, is William Shakespeare, but don’t forget Britons Charles Dickens, Rudyard Kipling, John Milton.Charlotte Bronte, Emily Bronte, Agatha Christie, Geoffrey Chaucer, John Donne, Samuel Johnson, Joseph Conrad, Christopher Marlowe, Jonathan Swift, and John Keats. This is only a partial list.
In this department, it needs to be said that the single-greatest contribution to English language and literature is not the Oxford English Dictionary, valuable as it is. It is the King James Bible, which, more than any other literary piece, has helped to shape the English language as we know it. KJV is replete with idioms that we used on a regular basis. Here is a partial list

•   A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush;
•   A drop in the bucket;
•   A fly in the ointment
•   A house divided against itself cannot stand
•   A leopard cannot change its spots
•   A man after his own heart;
•   A multitude of sins;
•   A sign of the times
•   A two-edged sword;
•   A voice crying in the wilderness;
•   A wolf in sheep’s clothing;
•   All things must pass;
•   All things to all men
•   Am I my brother’s keeper?
•   An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth;
•   As old as Methuselah;
•   As old as the hills;
•   As white as snow;
•   As you sow so shall you reap;
•   Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
•   At his wits end;
•   Baptism of fire;
•   Beat swords into ploughshares;
•   Bite the dust;
•   Blessed are the peacemakers;
•   Born again;
•   Breath of Life;
•   By the skin of your teeth;
•   Can a leopard change his spots;
•   Cast the first stone;

Even famous atheists sing high praises of the King James Bible and its role in forming modern English. One commented that ‘Not to know the King James Bible is to be, in some small way, barbarian.’
Though there are at least two dozen other English translations in the modern vernacular, two-thirds of all Americans who own a Bible (89%) have a King James. In addition, of those who actually read their Bibles, a whooping 82% read KJV. http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/religion/2011-04-21-king-james-bible.htm#
In the developing world, especially those which were part of the British Empire, KJV is the beloved version of choice. It’s role in literature and church life has been incalculable.
Protestant Christianity and Mission
Being initially a reluctant leader of the reformation, Britain gave the world Anglicanism, Methodism, and Scottish Presbyterianism. It hosted the world-impacting Welsh Revival in 1904. Men and women of God from Britain include Charles Spurgeon, Rees Howell, George Mueller, Thomas Beckett, John Wycliffe, William Tyndale, John Wesley, Charles Wesley, William Wilberforce, Florence Nightingale, Elizabeth Fry, JRR Tolkein, CS Lewis, Eric Liddell, John Stott, famous British missionaries Hudson Taylor, William Carey, Dr. David Livingstone, Jackie Pullinger, and Gladys Aylward. All these, and more, have left a God-size legacy to the nation and the world.

TO BE CONTINUED: