Bible Quiz: Each week this blog will begin with two questions. The answers are at the end of the blog. Have fun!!
According To the Bible 1. The “Via De La Rosa,” or the way of the cross, became of special significance to the early church. This observance also included such rituals as the “Stations of the Cross” which were venerated and put into place by the Apostles in the early church. 2. The Crucifixion caught Jesus by surprise.
Dear Prayer Warriors,
As I minister in the harvest fields of the world, I find it a greater and great novelty, albeit an embarrassing one, that our ministry is that of the Word of God. Whether evangelism, discipleship, building up the church or supplying pastors and ministers with quality leather study Bibles - our ministry stands or falls on the holy, eternal, inerrant, written Word of God, as taught by adult men to adult men and women in the church. I say “novelty” because more and more men tend to be chaperones of youth, who primarily minister to children or do service projects. Or teams of adults go out to dig wells, build structures and do good works. I’m not opposed to these types of mission trips. All of our children participated in summer mission projects and were blessed by the opportunity to serve. Many good things are accomplished by these types of trips—but I am concerned with the current emphasis on such endeavors to the exclusion of teaching the Bible.
When I first became a Christian, the preoccupation with “good works” was seen as a ministry of liberal churches - a necessity, since they did not believe the Word of God. Now, however, I find the men I take with me on mission trips have to defend themselves to fellow church members because all they are doing is “teaching the Bible.” The fact is, though, that God can use any non-believer to dig wells, distribute food or help shore up infrastructure, but only born again, trained disciples of Christ can engage in the preaching and teaching of His holy, written Word.
The Word of God, the Holy Scriptures, the Bible (even when reluctantly referred to) has fallen into disfavor among those who minister. Whether in evangelism or in discipleship, the Word of God is seen as, at best, confusing and, at worst, as alienating those we seek to reach.
It is a common teaching today that we can teach the Bible or witness without crediting our words to God the Holy Spirit. With man this is called “plagiarism” (using the words of another without giving proper credit), and such an act carries with it a civil penalty. I remember sitting on an airplane next to an executive with Exxon. He had a PhD in Chemical Engineering and was coming to Houston to present a paper to a professional association to which he belonged. When I shared the gospel with him he was particularly disturbed by the Christian influence among high school and university students. He said, “I think there are many good values to be learned in the teachings of Jesus. I just think they should be taught without mentioning Jesus. Just glean the truths and leave Jesus out of it.” I could not believe my ears. I asked him what would happen if right before he stood up to speak, he was surprised to see one of his subordinates stand to read a paper. In this paper were many, if not all, of his discoveries. They were presented with no reference to him. How would he feel? You could see the emotion in his face as he decried such an action. However, when I pointed out that he was proposing the same thing concerning Jesus, the point was lost on him. Unfortunately the current teaching on witnessing and “incarnational living,” where we talk of biblical truths and events without crediting God the Holy Spirit nor the authors He chose to use, is no different. Both are blatant spiritual plagiarism. The penalties for secular plagiarism can be severe. The penalty for doing this with God is far worse – "On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them. The people kept crying out, 'The voice of a god and not of a man!' And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died" (Acts 12:21-23).
As I travel and teach, I find more and more so-called “enlightened” men and women telling Christians they do not have to quote the Bible - just give the truth. They do not have to tell where the truth is from (Bible), just tell the story. This, however, is a very dangerous precedent. We do not say to God the Holy Spirit, "Crediting You only makes things worse. You stand in the background; I will fix this for You." We do not teach or use the Words of God the Holy Spirit without giving credit to God the Holy Spirit. We do not "fix" the Word of God the Holy Spirit, rather we are ambassadors - we deliver the Words of God the Holy Spirit with 100% accuracy, always making sure the listener knows that we are the ambassador and not the author.
This tendency for spiritual plagiarism goes hand-in-hand with the current fad of turning witnessing into “your story.” Sharing your life’s journey is fine in the context of Christian fellowship. It can be a real blessing. However, let there be no mistake – witnessing is not about you; it is about Jesus Christ and the great doctrinal truths that accompany the witness as revealed by God the Holy Spirit in the holy, eternal, inerrant, written Word of God. God the Holy Spirit expresses this best in 1 John 5:11-13 by exhorting us that “the testimony is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.“ The testimony is about God, Jesus, eternal life, Hell, the decision that must be made and the written Word of God, by which we both believe and are assured of the outcome of our faith in Christ. Man is the picture frame, man testifies to the Work of God, of Jesus, of eternal life, of eternal damnation, of his assurance in Christ, but the story is not about man and his journey but about Jesus and His work on the cross. I know this is difficult to hear, but it is not about your story in your words - rather evangelism is about Jesus as revealed in the written Word of God. I know it is hard to hear, but your words and your story are as transient as the grass that appears for a brief time and withers and dies, but the Word of God endures forever (1 Peter 1:23-25).
That is why in Zambia we have been presenting our testimony with a concise five-minute presentation which contains some 12 Bible verses quoted and referenced. That is why in Zambia Mike Daily has led four adults to Christ in the last two weeks. That is why others, who have given up talking about their story and begun witnessing of Christ with the written Word of God, are now leading people to Christ (as a result of Mike’s testimony and exhortation in this area).
Please continue to join us in praying for the Word of God to bear fruit in repentance and righteousness among His church in Zambia.
By His mercy, II Corinthians 4:1 Rev. John S. Mahon Director – Grace Community Int. Lusaka, Zambia – loving God, hating sin and preaching Jesus with the holy, eternal, inerrant written Word of God
Answers to this week’s Bible Quiz
1. False - Surprisingly enough, this is false. I say “surprisingly” for two reasons. First, because you would think that the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles would be replete with examples of pilgrimages to the locations of Christ’s last days, trial, death, burial and resurrection. But this is simply not the case; there is no mention in the Scriptures of any of these actions. Secondly, the church places such an emphasis on pilgrimages and celebrations that you would assume that it is Scriptural rather than simply man’s idea. But, again, that is all these emphases are - man’s ideas. They are not necessarily wrong, but they have no basis in the teachings of Holy Scripture nor in the practice of the early church.
2. False - This premise (e.g. that Jesus was really just a compassionate reformer, who was not only surprised but shaken by the harsh reaction he received from the religious leaders and rulers of the day) has its popular roots in the blasphemous musical "Jesus Christ Super Star." Nothing could be further from the truth. Jesus knew and taught from the earliest times in His ministry concerning His death, burial and resurrection. Nor was the end ever in doubt. The prophecies concerning Jesus’ sinless life, death, burial and resurrection would be fulfilled. There was never a time of doubt concerning the outcome and Christ Himself never doubted. God the Father who sent Him; God the Son who gave His Life and God the Holy Spirit who faithfully recorded both the prophecies and their fulfillments, all knew and none doubted (see Acts 2:22-23 & 4:27-28). Below are an accounting of these truths from the Gospels:
Now ask yourself – what other things about the Bible do I believe which are, in reality, false? From now on when something is taught about the Bible your first questions will be – “Which Book, Chapter and Verse establish this as truth?”
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