Though verse 42 reveals more than “fellowship” as that which the early church committed themselves to, this particular discipline is clearly the authors’ emphasis given its focus in the remaining verses (vv43-47). As such, it behooves every church (and Christian) to know what God is telling us about it. What (then) these verses teach us about this important discipline:
We must be committed to fellowship…
(42) “devoted” [προσκαρτεροῦντες] = a constant and frequent loyalty or commitment (Act 1:14, 6:4, 10:7; Col 4:2).
2 things must be acknowledged based on what the author is communicating to us about the members of the early church’s commitment to fellowship:
They had less “free time” for other things since this is the obvious implication of commitment – especially one that is frequent in nature (e.g. web dictionary definition of commitment = an engagement or obligation that restricts freedom).
The restriction/constriction placed on the freedoms/free-time of the early Christians by their commitment to frequent fellowship should not surprise us given how Jesus describes the Christian life (Mat 7:13-14) “hard” [θλίβω] = restrictive/constrictive; to crowd against (Mar 3:9).
1.2. The paradigm/pattern of frequent fellowship established by the members of the early church is what God expects us to adopt as our paradigm for fellowship (as well).
IOW: God expects us to adopt the same pattern of commitment in our own fellowship.
(How do we know that?) = B/C such biblical patterns/paradigms are authoritative (or mandatory) versus optional (e.g. Mat 19:3-6 w/Gen 1:27, 2:18, 21-24).
So then, we must be committed to fellowship…and the frequency w/which we are to give ourselves to that – will mean less free-time for other things. This, however, is what it means to be a Christian.
“The family of God is where I lose my life in order to gain it.” – Joseph Hellerman (When The Church Was A Family)
We must be committed to fellowship with our church family…
(42-44) “were together” = The members of the early church were not committed to fellowship w/unbelievers but Christians – or more specifically, the other members of their (particular) church.
“The [covenant] community must take precedence…for we are born for fellowship, and he who sets its claims above his private interests is specially acceptable to God.” – Josephus (Contra Apion, 2.197)
In establishing this truth, 3 implications follow:
2.1. It wb the members of the church whom I will seek for wisdom and choose to have the greatest influence over my thinking, decisions and life.
This is what Luke is getting at when he says that the early church members were of “one heart and soul” (Act 4:32 = same mind/way of thinking, decisions made in conjunction/conformity w/the community, life centered on the needs of the Body – Act 4:32b w/2:44b-45; Jer 32:39; 2Chr 30:12; 1Co 1:10; Phi 1:27, 2:1-4; Pro 15:22; Gal 2:1-2; 1Co 12:21; CONTRA the concerns/thinking/advice of the world – Rom 12:2; 1Co 3:18-19; Col 2:8).
“In a church imitating those found in biblical times the person perceives himself or herself to be a member of a group, and responsible to the group for his or her actions, destiny, career, development, and life in general. The individual person is embedded in the group and is free to do what he or she feels right and necessary only if in accord with group norms and only if the action is in the group’s best interest. The group has priority over the individual member, and it may use…the members of the group itself to facilitate group-oriented goals and objectives.” – B. Malina (Christian Origins And Anthropology)
2.2. It wb the members of the church whom I will seek to know best and will choose to open up to in relation to my own life.
This is where the Corinthian church members struggled and may have caused many of them to forfeit heaven since God views those we are closest to (relationally thru getting to know them and them us) as a sign of our holiness and relationship w/Him (2Co 5:11-7:1 = commitment/closeness to our church family is how we live for Christ, complete holiness and remain the people of God).
2.3. It wb the members of the church to whom I choose to give my greatest loyalty (Mar 3:31-35)
“The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb”
“The loyalty conflict [in Scripture] is not about making a choice between God and people. Rather, it is about choosing between one group of people and another – between our natural family and our eternal family.” – Joseph Hellerman
We must be committed to fellowship with our church family that includes getting together weekly with limited and varying members in the personal setting of our/their individual homes…
3.1. Whereas “the apostles’ teaching…the breaking of bread and prayers” (v42) refer to those commitments carried out in the context of the Lord’s Day/Sunday assembly (i.e. learning through preaching/teaching, cleansing through the Lord’s Supper/Table [e.g. 20:7; 1Co 11:20] and supplication through corporate prayers), the commitment to “fellowship” (v42) involves a different scope and setting. It was to take place w/limited and varying members in the personal setting of their individual homes (v46 – “breaking bread in their homes”). Consider the phrase:
3.1.1. “breaking of bread…” = This phrase is not a reference to the Lord’s Table (as is the phrase, “the breaking of bread” found in verse 42). It instead refers to the meals shared by the early Christians as they frequented each other’s homes in fellowship. This is evidenced by: 1) its anarthrous construction (κλῶντές…ἄρτον versus τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου)[1]; 2) the specific meaning associated w/the word “food” used to further describe the activity (“they received their food”[τροφῆς] = food for physical nourishment/sustenance (Mat 3:4, 6:25; Luk 12:23; Joh 4:8; Act 9:19, 27:33; Jam 2:15)[2].
3.1.2. “…in their homes” = We can be assured that such gatherings in “their homes” required limited numbers and therefore also a rotation of varying members from week to week given the size of the Jerusalem church. At this point in their history, they were over 3,000 people (v41), an impossible number to accommodate all at once given the size of the first century home (850-1800 sf.).[3]
3.2. When we consider the frequency of the other disciplines/obligations (as discussed, they occur weekly on Sundays or the Lord’s Day), the exact frequency w/which we are to be getting together (in these limited and special formats as an aspect of fellowship) immediately emerges. IOW: it (too) should be weekly. This we can be confident was the commitment of the early church based on:
3.2.1. God’s expectation that His leaders establish a clearly defined/specific metric (or standard) for all of His precepts/principles that is objective (based on the biblical evidence/instruction available and respectably relevant to the culture and time of the church’s existence – 1Co 7:25-26; Act 15:19-21; Deu 17:6-13 w/19:15 w/Mat 18:15-20 w/1Ti 5:19-21) and equitable (achieving/requiring the same for all – Num 15:16) versus subjective (based on preference) – including (especially in re: to ) those precepts/principles which are deliberately more general (or less specific) in their communication (e.g. Exo 22:1; Heb 10:24-26).
3.2.2. The discipline of fellowship’s close and integrated grammatical grouping w/the other disciplines and equal association with a unique form of devotion (one whose frequency of commitment we know to be weekly).
3.2.3. No mention by the author (Luke) or other writers of Scripture offering an alternative or contesting this view.
3.2.4. Anything (therefore) other than this position would be presumption (and sin) (acting on what you don’t know – i.e. w/o prescribed/proper evidence – Deu 17:6-13 w/19:15 w/Mat 18:15-20 w/1Ti 5:19-21).
CLOSING CONTEMPLATION/CHALLENGE: (1Th 3:12, 4:10; 1Pe 4:8-9) = Getting to heaven/remaining a Christian requires more than simply being on the right path. It requires also that we are running at the right pace – 1Co 9:24 = we must run to win; e.g. Leadville 100 = cut off time of 30 hrs to be “win” – be considered among those who have accomplished such a task; Is your pace/commitment to fellowship where it needs to be to get to heaven?
[1] “In Acts 2:42 there is a reference to the disciples ‘breaking the bread.’ Notice the article preceding ‘bread’ (not translated in our common versions, but present in the Greek text). The article indicates that a special ‘bread’ is under consideration, i.e., the Lord supper (cf. Acts 20:7 ‘the breaking of bread’ and 1 Corinthians 10:16 ‘the bread which we break’). However, in Acts 2:46 there is no article in connection with ‘bread,’ hence a distinction seems to be drawn between the ‘bread’ of 2:42 and 46.” – A. Campbell (The Christian System, pp. 272-273). Numerous scholars do not believe that the Lord’s supper is referred to in Acts 2:46 (cf. R.C.H. Lenski, A.T. Robertson, J.W. McGarvey, W. E. Vine, etc.).
[2] “The term ‘breaking bread’ in this passage does not refer to the Lord’s Supper rather, it denotes a common meal. This is evidenced by the fact that they are paralleled with “eat their food” in the same clause. The word ‘food’ translates the Greek ‘trophe’, which essentially means nourishment . The term (employed some sixteen times in the Greek New Testament) is never used of the communion, for such was not designed to nourish the physical body – F.W. Danker (Greek-English Lexicon, p. 1017); “Here [‘food’] means all kinds of sustenance; that which nourished them – ‘trophes’ – and the use of this word proves that it does not refer to the Lord’s supper; for that ordinance is nowhere represented as designed for an ordinary meal, or to nourish the body” – Albert Barnes (Commentary on Acts, p. 59).
[3] It is not an oversight on this author to make no mention of the phrase “day by day” which begins verse 46 since it has no bearing on the fellowship meal but only as to their daily attendance of the activities at the Jewish temple. This is supported by: 1) the grammar (the phrase modifies only the action of temple attendance); 2) the examples found in chs. 3 and 6; 3) Second temple Jewish history (Herod’s temple was daily attended by the Jews living in Jerusalem).
Church Fellowship - Part 1
November 4, 2018 • R. Scott Jarrett • Acts 2:42–47
Demons and Demon Possession - Part 5
April 5, 2020 • R. Scott Jarrett
The abundance of biblical and extrabiblical evidence regarding demons and demon possession should leave no doubt of their existence. The religious (or Christian) community is not the only one who acknowledges the existence of demons and demon possession. Demons and demon possession are also confirmed in the research and observation of many within the scientific community including those in the fields of philosophy, social science, psychiatry and physics. (Who then are the demons?) The Bible seems to indicate that demons are cherubs or priestly angels, who because of their rebellion, forfeited not only their position as anointed guardians of God’s throne, earthly kingdom and people, but also the privilege of possessing third-dimensional, material or physical bodies. The loss of these bodies is among the main contributing factors to the demons becoming “body-snatchers” (i.e. seeking to possess the bodies of other sentient/reasoning beings – humans) (In re: to possessing their physical bodies – Gen 3:1-15; Eze 28:12-18). The combination of losing of their physical bodies (in Eden) along with their (later) defeat by Christ (in a heavenly war), has intensified the demons’ efforts in destroying God’s kingdom and people on earth. (Rev 12:1-17 – “the devil has come to you in great wrath, because he knows his time is short.”) The best way to accomplish the demons’ mission of destruction against the church (God’s kingdom and people) is through bewitching and possessing Christians. IOW: Christians can be 1) bewitched = under a demon’s persuasive power/listening to them and 2) possessed = under a demon’s persuasive power and physical control. We are Satan and the demonic realm’s number one target for bewitching/possession (1Pe 5:8). How can we be demon possessed if we are already “possessed” by the Holy Spirit? B/C we can “quench the spirit” (1Th 5:19). Two anecdotal accounts from missionaries (Burma and Melanesia) “Another individual had a [demonic] spirit…but, on hearing the Gospel, he professed to become converted and had no more communication with the spirit. It had left him, he said; it spoke to him no more. After a protracted trial I baptized him. I watched his case with interest, and for several years he led an unimpeachable Christian life; but, on losing his religious zeal, and disagreeing with some Church members…it was soon after reported that he was [possessed again] by the [demonic] spirit. The man said [however] it spoke very differently. Its language was exceedingly pleasant to hear, and produced great brokenness of heart. It said, ‘Love each other; act righteously-act uprightly’ with other exhortations as he had heard from the teachers [of Christianity].” – Dr. Mason (Burma) “There was a certain man at Lo who would…descend into Panoi, the abode of the dead. The first thing was to assemble twenty young boys…and to shake over them leaves…powerful and magical with charms. In the meanwhile the subjects [the boys] began to be moved…then the [spirits] entered [these boys]….Much possessed they seemed to have lost their senses…This was done once after a Christian teacher had come to Lo, and two of his scholars whom he let go to prove that it was a deception were possessed.” – Codrington (The Melanesians) Since possession affords demons respite from incarceration in Hades, they will also possess non-Christians. (Zec 9:11 w/Luk 11:14 = Place without rest; Luk 16:22-23/2Pe 2:3 = Place of fiery torment). “The foregoing documents have placed beyond doubt the wide distribution of the phenomena of possession over the habitable globe. However much [the evidence] may differ in detail, at bottom they are all identical…The dominant conception of the present time is that no psychic life [spirit] supervenes [interacts w/the material world] except in the presence of a material vehicle and that no spirit, either pure or possessed only of an etheric body [spiritual body alone] exists in this [material] world.” – T. Oesterreich (ibid) “The loa (demons possessing people in Haitian voodoo rituals) apparently have no corporeal existence apart from the persons they are possessing. While paintings of Catholic saints are sometimes used in voodoo sanctuaries to represent some of the more well-known loas, these loas only appear when they have a human body to utilize.” – Herbert Culbertson (“Biblical Demon Possession And Haitian Loa Possession”) Demon possession usually manifests itself through mental illness. God promised to strike people w/mental illness as punishment for their rebellion. The source of such mental illness however can be demon possession (Deu 28:28 w/Rev 18:2 w/Mat 12:43-45; e.g. 1Sa 16:14 w/18:10); e.g. Mar 5:1-9; Luk 4:31-35). Demonic bewitching is most likely the cause of demon possession. Bewitching is the means used by the demonic realm to take full possession. The longer a person listens, is persuaded by or carries out those sins associated with bewitching in Scripture, the more control the demon is assuming of their person (1Sa 15:22-23 w/16:14 w/18:10; Joh 13:2 w/27). Demonic bewitching is the result of practicing the sin of idolatry, sorcery or apostasy. When a person practices the sin of idolatry, sorcery or apostasy they are listening to/being bewitched by demons – which means they are on the path/vulnerable to demon possession. These sins are likewise (also) the cause of such bewitching. How (then) to avoid being bewitched (and ultimately demon-possessed) is by never being guilty of practicing these sins. 8.1. Idolatry (What is idolatry?) 8.1.1. Serving/worshipping/possessing/tolerating a false god/religion because of what you believe or do (Exo 32:1-8 w/1Co 10:7, 14//Deu 32:16-17, 21 and Psa 106:36-38; Psa 135:15-18; 1Co 10:16-21) 8.1.2. Embracing a false gospel (Gal 1:6; 1Pe 4:3//Ga 3:1; 1Ti 4:1) 8.1.3. Being sexually active/intimate with someone outside the covenant community of God’s people (sexual idolatry) (1Co 6:13-20, 10:8 w/14 w/Num 25:1-2, 9//2Co 6:14-16). 8.2. Sorcery (What is sorcery?) 8.2.1. Directly practicing or being involved with those who practice methods/means for accessing power or knowledge from the spiritual/metaphysical/supernatural realm outside those methods/means prescribed by God and given exclusively to His covenant community: 8.2.1.1. God’s prescription to the covenant community (for accessing/harnessing spiritual power or special knowledge): 1) faith (Jam 5:15; Mat 9:22-29, 15:28; Mat 21:21 w/Luk 10:17-19; Contra – Mat 13:58), 2) prayer (Jam 5:16; Luk 11:5-13; 1Ki 8:28-53), 3) the Bible (Rom 12:2 w/2Pe 1:19 w/Joh 17:17; Deu 4:6-8, 39-40), 4) the sacraments and keys given to the church’s elders (Mat 28:19 w/1Pe 3:21; Mat 26:28 w/Joh 13:1-15; Mat 16:18-19 w/18:18-20 w/Joh 20:21-23), 5) God’s house (Psa 36:7-9, 84:4, 133:3, 134:3). 8.2.1.2. God’s prohibitions = The practice or involvement in anything outside those things listed above (God’s prescription) including but not limited to: 1) casting spells and all unbiblical forms of spiritual warfare: witches/warlocks/wiccans/witchcraft, witch-doctors/voodoo/black/white magic, shamans/shamanism, diviners/divination/alchemy, Pentecostals/Pentecostalism/charismatic forms of binding and loosing, slaying in the spirit and contact miracles, miracle-workers/faith-healers (e.g. Num 22:1-7, 23:23; Isa 47:10-12; Deu 18:10), 2) clairvoyance: psychics/psychic discovery, Pentecostal/charismatic prophets/post-canonical prophecy; false (e.g. Act 16:16; 1Co 13:9-10; Deu 13:1-3), 3) consulting the dead or other beings in the spiritual realm: necromancer/mediums/necromancy/mediumship, astrology (i.e. spirits in the sky), Ouija boards (Lev 19:31, 20:1; Deu 18:11; Isa 8:19), 4) all forms of fetishism (def.) Using non-ordained material objects to access/activate powers or knowledge available in the spiritual realm/fourth dimension through fixed rituals/procedures/practices/actions: reading palms/tarot cards/dice/tea leaves/chicken bones/blood sacrifices/burnt offerings, etc., employing magic wands/potions, spiritual chanting and unbiblical forms of meditation or positivity empowerment, the vast majority of those working in the CAM or Holistic industry where things are used to harness “energy” in the body for the purpose of healing (chiropractic, yoga[1], massage-therapy, energy-therapies, aromatherapies, essential oils/herbs, acupuncture[2], spiritual cleanses, etc.) (Deu 18:11; Jer 44:16-20; Eze 13:18, 20; e.g. Exo 7:11-12 or Eze 21:21; Heb 9:8-10), 5) practicing God’s prescription w/o being a part of His covenant community (e.g. Act 19:11-16) 6) Possessing/participating in books, games, movies or other mediums that promote sorcery in any of its various forms: the books/movies of C.S. Lewis’ The Lion, The Witch And The Wardrobe, J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord Of The Rings, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter, Walt Disney’s Frozen, Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella (Acts 19:17-20 = Notice they do not attempt to sell their books. Why? They realized that any involvement w/such things – even for curiosity/education is forbidden and damning; Act 19:19 – “magic arts” [Literally, “curious arts”] w/1Ti 5:13 – “busybodies”[same word] = Curious/involved in things forbidden; Rev 2:24 – “deep things of Satan” = ML a euphemism for sorcery since it is associated w/”Jezebel” – v20 w/2Ki 9:22). 8.2.2. IMPORTANT FACT NOT TO MISS: Sorcery is real – i.e. prohibited spiritual power or special knowledge is being – or attempting to be, accessed/harnessed by those who practice it in all its various forms (e.g. 1Sa 28:5-16; BTW: saying that this is not what you are doing – though what you do falls under the definition of sorcery, does not make it any less sorcery/attempting to access/harness prohibited spiritual power). The words of Arthur Pink, former preacher and one-time spiritist/medium are worth mentioning again in regard to this point, “Many were attracted to the occult simply by curiosity and then by a desire to investigate the proof it offered of the existence of the spirit world. Nearly every spiritist I have met, began being a blank unbeliever in its phenomena. Then when they see its phenomena is real, they accept the explanation given…The whole phenomenon cannot be accounted for on natural grounds. Many of the spirit-communicated messages were real…” 8.2.3. Sorcery’s connection to idolatry = B/C it is attempting to access/activate special knowledge or power from the spiritual (non-material realm), it is also the practice of false religion (since how again it attempts to do so, is not according to true religion – or God’s prescription – Exo 23:13). 8.2.4. Sorcery’s connection to the demonic realm = Since all false religion is demonic, all special knowledge or spiritual power made available through sorcery (in its various forms) must also be coming from demons/demonic realm (Act 16:16-18) = Demonic spirit producing the special knowledge/clairvoyance. “It would be…completely erroneous to believe that the [early] Christians regarded the oracles [of sorcerers] as priestly trickery or morbid psychic exaltation; there can be no question of this. Like the non-Christians they believed them to be inspired, but held that the spirit who produced inspiration was not divine but a demon.” – Oesterreich (ibid) An example of demonic involvement in both false Christian religion/idolatry and sorcery/special knowledge and healing, “The [ancient Christians] were obliged to recognize that the demons in the temples of the oracles…uttered true prophecies and wholesome warnings and also worked cures; but the truth to tell, only in order by these apparent benefits to do the greater injury to those [people in] seeking the true God by their insinuation of false ones. [These ancient Christians] explained the fact of demons knowing the future by stating that as former servants of God they were acquainted with his designs.” – Friedlander (Possession And Exorcism) “America’s greatest psychologist…William James’ lifelong work with [sorcerers]…convinced Dr. Oesterreich that [sorcery] is a form of possession and that the scientific study of [sorcery] …has provided authentic evidence of a paranormal nature.” – Charles San (editor, Preface to Possession And Exorcism) “It seems clear from the literature on possession that the majority of cases have had involvement with the occult…” – Dr. M. Scott Peck (The People Of The Lie) CLOSING CONTEMPLATION = In addition to the possibility of demon possession, not repenting of sorcery (including destroying all things associated w/it – Act 19), affords you this promise from God, “But as for the…sorcerers, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur.” [1] A general term for a wide range of body-mind exercise practices, traditionally referred to as the art of “yoking” or hooking up the lower consciousness with the higher consciousness. (Complementary and Alternative Medicine in the United States; http://www/ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) [2] The Chinese art of stimulating the pathways of [spiritual] energy (14 main meridians plus branches) by puncturing, pressing, heating, using electrical current, or using herbal medicines (ibid)
Hospitality And Charity
August 9, 2021 • R. Scott Jarrett
The common denominator between hospitality and charity (and the reason I am discussing them together) is that both refer to the generous sharing of our wealth w/others: hospitality is what it is called when it is in regard to entertaining others – most especially God’s people, and charity it is what I am calling it when such sharing is in relation to the God (i.e. His church). God expects His people to practice both: hospitality and charity (Rom 12:13; 1Pe 4:9; Luk 12:21 – we are to be “rich toward God” – most specifically, His church/covenant community or house – Deu 16:9-17 = At the center of two of Israel’s most important Sabbatical Feasts was the giving of a free-will offering from each family’s wealth to the church/covenant community. This is the context of 2Co 8-9. As it re: to God’s house, see Hag 1:3-4, 9; 2Sa 24:24). The word to describe those who fail to be generous w/their wealth (who are neither hospitable or charitable) is “stingy” (Pro 23:6 = Literally, “evil eye”. Hebrew idiom referring to a person who is characterized by stinginess or lack of generosity when it comes to sharing their wealth w/God or others). The greatest temptations we will face in life are those related to three areas: sex (e.g. temptations toward immorality), family (temptation toward idolatry or putting our “water family” above our “blood/covenant family” and God – i.e. “the blood of the covenant is to be thicker than the water of the womb”) and money (being stingy w/our wealth). The area that is most dangerous or difficult is money – i.e. being hospitable and charitable (Mat 19:23-24 “easier for a camel to go thru the eye of a needle”) = Hyperbole indicating the level of difficulty Jesus is associating w/those who are rich and getting into heaven. On a scale from 1 to 10, the difficulty is a 10. Jesus reveals that possessing an “evil/bad eye” (i.e. being characterized by stinginess) indicates that you are filled w/spiritual “darkness” and serve the false god of “mammon” (Mat 6:24 “money”) = Mammon – which is more than just our money. It refers to earthly riches or resources. A person serving mammon as their god, is a person who does not generously share those resources (e.g. food, clothing, lodging, money). Both Jesus and Paul reveal that what causes a person to be stingy is lack of trust/refusal to trust in God for their future (i.e. they don’t believe God will take care of them; they look to their wealth as their security rather than God) (1Ti 6:17-18; Luk 12:16-19 “tear down my barns and build larger ones…you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax” = Rather than view his present windfall as the God ordained opportunity to be “rich toward God” [v21], he instead uses it to remove his dependence upon God in the future). What stingy people (those not practicing hospitality or charity) fail to realize: 6.1. The source of all their wealth is not themselves (i.e. their effort or ability) but God (Deu 8:18). 6.2. One of the biggest reasons God gives wealth is so that we can use it to get to heaven: as the means to “buying a place in heaven” (1Ti 6:19 w/Mat 6:19-21) = Where we invest our wealth will determine where our affections/loyalty/future ultimately resides (heaven or earth, heaven or hell?). 6.3. Being poor is often God’s merciful judgment of those who are stingy since such stinginess is a sign of what such people would be if they had more money resulting in greater (or more serious judgment) (Jam 4:2-3; 2Co 9:6; Pro 11:24, 28:22; Luk 12:42-48). What (then) is required/what it looks like to be hospitable and charitable: 7.1. Hospitable (or generous in the entertainment of others – most esp. God’s people) (Mat 14-21, 15:32-38) = What do we see in both accounts? There was lots of food leftover. Jesus knew exactly how much food needed to be made to satisfy the hunger of every single person, yet each time purposely made more. And since they lacked the technology to preserve such items (they didn’t have fridges), that meant much of it would go to waste (the amounts listed were more than Jesus and the disciples could have eaten before some of it went bad). So Jesus not only made more than enough, He deliberately knew that much of what was left would rot (or go to waste). The point (then) not to miss = This is how we are to practice hospitality. Never should anyone leave hungry or there be so little left that everyone feels awkward (e.g. the chip bowl is empty, there is only one piece of meat left, there is only enough for everyone to have one cookie for dessert). To be hospitable means to have plenty of leftovers (waste!). If you have a problem w/that then it’s b/c your view of what it means to be responsible w/your resources, or the money God gives you is not biblical and needs to change. What you think is prudence is stinginess and lack of trust in God. God wants us to be “wasteful” when it comes to hospitality. Also, in respect to hospitality consider (Heb 13:2 w/Gen 18:1-8) = We should not be feeding our guests the leftovers or what we had lying around in the pantry – or even the cheap crap we may like to eat during the week. We are instead to give them the kind of food they consider to be among the best and/or a delicious feast. 7.2. Charitable (or generous toward God/God’s church/covenant community) (Luk 12:13-21) “rich man” = Person possessing most of what he gains (hence the reason he even has some/a little for the future – or enough to build “barns” [small storage units]); “land…produced plentifully” = His income that year was far beyond its normal yield (i.e. a windfall). He was like a person receiving an “inheritance” (v13). How then we are to view such situations of abundance: 1) consistent w/the theme of the free-will offering (e.g. those made during the Feast of Weeks and Booths), we are to interpret all such yields as God wanting us to give above and beyond our normal tithe – i.e. we are also to provide a free-will offering (to His church/covenant community) in respect to that abundance, 2) God expects that free-will offering to be the majority of our windfall (it is God who is supposed to get “rich” – i.e. be the one possessing most of the gain/abundance, in this scenario – not us. Consider again the definition of “rich” in respect to the man in this example [see italics]), 3) such windfalls/abundance are a test from God since “one’s life (one’s judgment before God) does not consist in (will not be determined based on) the abundance of his possessions” (or laying “up treasure” for self) but in being “rich toward God.” Like the rich man (and as discussed earlier), many people will end up condemned by God (i.e. go to hell) b/c they failed this most important test: when they received an abundance, they failed to practice charity (toward God) and were instead stingy – keeping the majority (or all) of the money for themselves.
Bearing The Image Of God
July 18, 2021 • R. Scott Jarrett
1. Image bearing was God’s PURPOSE in creating us. 2. Image bearing is, therefore, how we WORSHIP God. 3. Being God’s image-bearers is an immense and rare PRIVILEGE. 4. Image bearing is why God SAVES people. 5. Image bearing is, therefore, what will determine where we spend ETERNITY. 6. To be made in the image of God is to reflect, imitate, and copy Him in FUNCTION, not form. 7. Attempts to reflect God in FORM are the basis of history’s first two sins. What being an image-bearer of God looks like: 1. Like God, we put all things under our care, in their proper order. 2. Like God, we develop or cultivate the raw materials we possess. 3. Like God, be most committed to the church. 4. Like God, we respond in kind. 5. Like God, mercy/forgiveness/grace never negates justice. 6. Like God, we view the apostate as a spouse who left for another lover and murdered our children. 7. Like God, we are only willing to have relationships with those who seek Him. 8. Like God, we don’t care what the wicked thinks of us. 9. Like God, we make his Law our highest authority. 10. Like God, we view all truth, even the smallest, as most essential.