In 1st Century Ephesus, there seem to have been several women seizing authority to teach in the Church, without first qualifying. Paul’s instruction to the young Pastor, Timothy, is not a permanent restriction on women teaching men in the Church, but a temporary silence of some until they learn how to better teach the faith
Should Women Keep Silent?
March 20, 2022 • Brandon Ball
The role of women in the church has been argued for two thousand years, and it doesn’t appear to be letting up. Missing the mark on this conversation could potential silence ½ of the world’s spiritual communicators. The conclusion I have thoughtfully come to from my study is that women have been given the same ministry opportunities as a man.
God is Truly Among You
March 13, 2022 • Brandon Ball
The greatest experience that the uninformed or unbelievers (see notes for definitions) can draw from visiting the church is to hear a succinct communication about who Jesus is as the Christ. In fact, the measure of whether God is even among a church is based on Jesus being clearly proclaimed.
Speaking into the Air
March 6, 2022 • Brandon Ball
Paul’s deep concern for the spiritual communicators in Corinth was that they brought clarity to the work of Christ. And while using the gift of tongues to communicate was quite popular in Corinth, it was never to be used without an interpretation. Why? Because the gift was intended to bring life and freedom to the church as they heard the Gospel preached in their own language. Communicating in tongues, without an immediate interpretation, was as bad as preaching to the air.
The Mighty Works of God
February 27, 2022 • Brandon Ball
Prophecy, the clear communication of who Jesus is and what He’s done, is the result of speaking in tongues with an interpretation. The point of 1 Corinthians 14 is not for more people to speak in tongues. Rather, it’s to make sure, beyond any other intention, that Jesus is well communicated to the Church. May the Church excel at declaring the mighty works of God to the world!
Love Never Ceases
February 20, 2022 • Brandon Ball
Love will never cease. It has use in this life and the life to come. Faith and hope will one day expire. As the body of Christ grows in the revelation of our perfected nature, the love of God will naturally and logically be reflected in our relationships with each other.
Remover of Mountains
February 13, 2022 • Brandon Ball
Paul opens 1 Corinthians 13 using hyperbole, a common Hebrew communication tool intended to draw your attention to a specific point. Keeping this common writing style in mind will free you from trying to keep impossible standards and instead enjoy the profound points being made by Jesus and His followers that bring life to the hearer.
The Body of Christ is one body, made up of many members. No gift, or member, of the body is better than another. In fact, every single member is designed to assist every other member. In Christ, you have nothing to prove. Be the best version of yourself and your gift will be evident to all. The immature works hard to prove they are gifted. The mature proves they are gifted by working hard.
"Lord, Lord"
January 30, 2022 • Brandon Ball • Psalm 119:113–115, Galatians 5:22, Matthew 7:21–23, Matthew 25:1–12, 1 John 5:13
It’s not “doing the gifts” that saves you or proves that you’re saved. These gifts are intended to demonstrate and clarify the essence of the Father, as seen in Jesus. As the Church consistently and relentlessly teaches who we are because of Christ, we will no longer struggle with finding our gift. Rather, we’ll enjoy the best parts of ourselves being the gift.
The list of gifts from the Holy Spirit is not intended to be an exhaustive list, but rather a list of examples – ways in which we communicate Jesus as the Christ to the church and the world. Instead of adding pressure for believers to identify their gifts we should maximize their awareness of the Christ in them. Growing in your identity in Christ will always result in clearer reflection of Him in your everyday lifestyle.
Having the “mind of Christ” doesn’t mean you think thoughts like Jesus thinks. Nor does it mean your memory is better than average. Instead, it’s Paul saying that the mystery of Christ has been made known to the Apostles, who can now teach all believers just how marvelous this new covenant is!
The Mystery of God
January 9, 2022 • Brandon Ball • Romans 16:25–26, 1 Corinthians 2:1–2, Ephesians 1:7–9, Matthew 13:34–35, Colossians 1:25–28
The revelation of God’s mystery, kept secret since the dawn of time, does not result in greater physical or temporal knowledge. Instead, His mystery is revealed in the crucified Christ. Through the NT epistles we come to find that the mystery of God is explained by the profound plan to save not just Israel, but the entire world from sin!
In this New Covenant, God’s power is demonstrated in the death of the Christ. This is an utter contradiction to how humanity would expect triumph to come, and entirely supports God’s plan for salvation to come by faith alone, with no credit given to the flesh.
Jesus is the wisdom of God in the flesh. God’s plan of salvation culminated with the death of Jesus, bringing to fruition the world’s long-awaited salvation through the Christ. The world considers death a foolish strategy when promising life. Yet God chose something so foolish that righteousness, holiness, and forgiveness could only be received by faith.
God has entrusted the communication of His precious Gospel to the mouths of humans. In turn, He insists that ministers get the new covenant message right. Instead of bringing a diet of “wood, hay, and straw” (traditions of men), we must be preaching “gold, silver, and marble,” declaring the pure and undefiled heart inherited by the believer because of the work of Jesus as the Christ.
