Introduction to Philemon
Author: The apostle Paul. The reason Philemon is placed last among Paul's epistles is because they are arranged according to length, from longest to shortest, rather than by date.
Date of writing: A.D. 61, during the imprisonment described at the end of Acts.
Theme: People are equal. This brief letter to Paul's "beloved friend" (1:1), Philemon, concerns a runaway slave named Onesimus. Every large Roman household had slaves, including that of Philemon. It was a capital offense for a slave to run away. To compound matters further, Onesimus had stolen from Philemon (v. 18). Somehow, he journeyed to Rome and found Paul. The apostle led him to faith (and freedom) in Christ. But, not to presume on the good graces of Philemon, Paul sends Onesimus back with the insistence that Philemon receive him, not as a slave but as a beloved brother (v. 16). Tradition says that Onesimus went on to become the bishop of Ephesus. In this brief letter, Paul puts the ax to the practice of slavery among Christians, for in Christ, all are brothers and sisters.
Purpose: Paul wrote to ease the reentry of Onesimus into the household of Philemon. But the occasion also gave him the opportunity to set forth his views on slavery. The influence of this letter has been out of proportion to its length.
1) The grace and peace that comes from God belongs to the believer.
2) We should pray and thank God for one another.
3) As believers our faithfulness to God and our love for each other should be known and talked about.
4) We must share our faith, and come to a complete knowledge of every blessing we have in Jesus Christ.
5) Our love for all of God’s people, and each other should give our Pastor joy and encouragement.
6) We should be bold enough to always do what is right. This strength comes to us through Jesus Christ.
7) Love must be the foundation for all we do.
8) When we surrender our lives to God that which was useless becomes useful.
9) We must spread the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.
10) We should consider one another in our actions and responses.
11) If we do something for someone it should be of our own freewill, not because we feel forced.
12) Let us seek to comfort each other because of Jesus Christ.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Keys of Truth: Titus (Chapter 3)
1) Believers are to be subject to the ruling authorities, to be obedient, and prepared to do something helpful and good.
2) We are not to slander or be cruel to anyone; not quarrelsome, but gentle and kind to everyone.
3) At one time or another we ourselves were thoughtless, disobedient, led astray, slaves to our passions and pleasures of all sorts, wasting our time being nasty and jealous, horrible, and hating one another.
4) God our Saviour showed us how good and kind He is. He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good that we have done.
5) God has washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us a new birth and fresh beginning.
6) God sent Jesus Christ our Saviour to give us His Spirit.
7) The believer is made righteous by God’s grace, and made heirs, in accordance with our hope of eternal life.
8) The abovementioned teachings are true, being helpful and useful for everyone. The leaders must insist that the people follow them, so that all who have faith in God will be sure to do good deeds.
9) Believers should not have or get involved in stupid arguments about family (relatives). Also, stay away from disagreements and quarrels about the Word of God, because such arguments are useless and senseless.
10) Those that make trouble should be warned once or twice. After that, don’t have anything else to do with them.
11) Because their minds are twisted, perverted and they go on sinning; these people condemn themselves.
12) We are to help those that preach and teach the Word of God as much as we can, so that they won’t have need of anything.
13) We must learn to spend time doing something useful and worthwhile.
14) We are to pray that God be kind to everyone that shares in our faith.
2) We are not to slander or be cruel to anyone; not quarrelsome, but gentle and kind to everyone.
3) At one time or another we ourselves were thoughtless, disobedient, led astray, slaves to our passions and pleasures of all sorts, wasting our time being nasty and jealous, horrible, and hating one another.
4) God our Saviour showed us how good and kind He is. He saved us because of his mercy, and not because of any good that we have done.
5) God has washed us by the power of the Holy Spirit. He gave us a new birth and fresh beginning.
6) God sent Jesus Christ our Saviour to give us His Spirit.
7) The believer is made righteous by God’s grace, and made heirs, in accordance with our hope of eternal life.
8) The abovementioned teachings are true, being helpful and useful for everyone. The leaders must insist that the people follow them, so that all who have faith in God will be sure to do good deeds.
9) Believers should not have or get involved in stupid arguments about family (relatives). Also, stay away from disagreements and quarrels about the Word of God, because such arguments are useless and senseless.
10) Those that make trouble should be warned once or twice. After that, don’t have anything else to do with them.
11) Because their minds are twisted, perverted and they go on sinning; these people condemn themselves.
12) We are to help those that preach and teach the Word of God as much as we can, so that they won’t have need of anything.
13) We must learn to spend time doing something useful and worthwhile.
14) We are to pray that God be kind to everyone that shares in our faith.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Keys of Truth: Titus (Chapter 2)
1) Those that are believers must live the kind of life that is guided by the accurate teaching of God’s Word.
2) The elders and men that are older must be sober, of good character, users of good judgment, well grounded in faith, love and endurance.
3) The older women must live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. They should not be gossipers or users of alcoholic drinks, but examples of virtue.
4) The older women are to teach the younger women how to love their husbands and children; how to use good judgment and be morally pure. Also, the older women must teach the younger women how to be homemakers, to be kind and to place themselves under their husbands’ authority. Then no one will be able to speak evil of God’s Word, and the women under its influence.
5) Young men must be encouraged to use good judgment, making the right choices.
6) A good example is always set when good things are done. The leaders must be examples of moral purity and dignity (self-respect).
7) An accurate message of truth cannot be condemned. Those that oppose the truth will be made ashamed.
8) Employees that are believers must respect their employers, not argue with them, or steal from them. The believer is taught to be a good and loyal worker, proving that our lives are influence by the teachings contained in God’s Word.
9) God’s saving kindness has appeared for the benefit of all people.
10) The believer is taught to avoid ungodly living (living trying to fulfill worldly desires) so that we can be self-controlled, moral, and godly in this present world.
11) We can expect what we hope for – the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
12) Jesus Christ gave himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be His special people, who are enthusiastic about doing what’s good and right.
13) These truths must be shared with all believers. The leaders must encourage and correct with all authority. Do not allow anyone to ignore the truth.
2) The elders and men that are older must be sober, of good character, users of good judgment, well grounded in faith, love and endurance.
3) The older women must live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. They should not be gossipers or users of alcoholic drinks, but examples of virtue.
4) The older women are to teach the younger women how to love their husbands and children; how to use good judgment and be morally pure. Also, the older women must teach the younger women how to be homemakers, to be kind and to place themselves under their husbands’ authority. Then no one will be able to speak evil of God’s Word, and the women under its influence.
5) Young men must be encouraged to use good judgment, making the right choices.
6) A good example is always set when good things are done. The leaders must be examples of moral purity and dignity (self-respect).
7) An accurate message of truth cannot be condemned. Those that oppose the truth will be made ashamed.
8) Employees that are believers must respect their employers, not argue with them, or steal from them. The believer is taught to be a good and loyal worker, proving that our lives are influence by the teachings contained in God’s Word.
9) God’s saving kindness has appeared for the benefit of all people.
10) The believer is taught to avoid ungodly living (living trying to fulfill worldly desires) so that we can be self-controlled, moral, and godly in this present world.
11) We can expect what we hope for – the appearance of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
12) Jesus Christ gave himself for us to set us free from every sin and to cleanse us so that we can be His special people, who are enthusiastic about doing what’s good and right.
13) These truths must be shared with all believers. The leaders must encourage and correct with all authority. Do not allow anyone to ignore the truth.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Lucifer: Who Is He?
The name "Lucifer" in Isaiah 14:12 presents a minor problem to mainstream Christianity. It becomes a much larger problem to Bible literalists.
Lucifer makes his appearance in the fourteenth chapter of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, at the twelfth verse, and nowhere else: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!"
The first problem is that Lucifer is a Latin name. So how did it find its way into a Hebrew manuscript, written before there was a Roman language? What Hebrew name was Satan given in this chapter of Isaiah, which describes the angel who fell to become the prince of the power of the air {Ephesians 2:2}?
In the original Hebrew text, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah is not about a fallen angel, but about a fallen Babylonian king, who during his lifetime had persecuted the children of Israel. It contains no mention of Satan, either by name or reference. Some early Christian scribes, writing in the Latin tongue used by the Church, had decided for themselves that they wanted the story to be about a fallen angel, a creature not even mentioned in the original Hebrew text, and to whom they gave the name "Lucifer."
Why Lucifer? In Roman astronomy, Lucifer was the name given to the morning star (the star we now know by another Roman name, Venus). The morning star appears in the heavens just before dawn, heralding the rising sun. The name derives from the Latin term lucem ferre, bringer, or bearer, of light." In the Hebrew text the expression used to describe the Babylonian king before his death is Helal, son of Shahar, which can best be translated as "Day star, son of the Dawn." The name evokes the golden glitter of a proud king's dress and court (much as his personal splendor earned for King Louis XIV of France the appellation, "The Sun King").
The scholars authorized by ... King James I to translate the Bible into current English did not use the original Hebrew texts, but used versions translated ... largely by St. Jerome in the fourth century. Jerome had mistranslated the Hebraic metaphor, "Day star, son of the Dawn," as "Lucifer," and over the centuries a metamorphosis took place. Lucifer the morning star became a disobedient angel, cast out of heaven to rule eternally in hell. Theologians, writers, and poets interwove the myth with the doctrine of the Fall, and in Christian tradition Lucifer is now the same as Satan, the Devil, and --- ironically --- the Prince of Darkness.
So "Lucifer" is nothing more than an ancient Latin name for the morning star, the bringer of light. That can be confusing for Christians who identify Christ himself as the morning star, a term used as a central theme in many Christian sermons. Jesus refers to himself as the morning star in Revelation 22:16: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
Lucifer makes his appearance in the fourteenth chapter of the Old Testament book of Isaiah, at the twelfth verse, and nowhere else: "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!"
The first problem is that Lucifer is a Latin name. So how did it find its way into a Hebrew manuscript, written before there was a Roman language? What Hebrew name was Satan given in this chapter of Isaiah, which describes the angel who fell to become the prince of the power of the air {Ephesians 2:2}?
In the original Hebrew text, the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah is not about a fallen angel, but about a fallen Babylonian king, who during his lifetime had persecuted the children of Israel. It contains no mention of Satan, either by name or reference. Some early Christian scribes, writing in the Latin tongue used by the Church, had decided for themselves that they wanted the story to be about a fallen angel, a creature not even mentioned in the original Hebrew text, and to whom they gave the name "Lucifer."
Why Lucifer? In Roman astronomy, Lucifer was the name given to the morning star (the star we now know by another Roman name, Venus). The morning star appears in the heavens just before dawn, heralding the rising sun. The name derives from the Latin term lucem ferre, bringer, or bearer, of light." In the Hebrew text the expression used to describe the Babylonian king before his death is Helal, son of Shahar, which can best be translated as "Day star, son of the Dawn." The name evokes the golden glitter of a proud king's dress and court (much as his personal splendor earned for King Louis XIV of France the appellation, "The Sun King").
The scholars authorized by ... King James I to translate the Bible into current English did not use the original Hebrew texts, but used versions translated ... largely by St. Jerome in the fourth century. Jerome had mistranslated the Hebraic metaphor, "Day star, son of the Dawn," as "Lucifer," and over the centuries a metamorphosis took place. Lucifer the morning star became a disobedient angel, cast out of heaven to rule eternally in hell. Theologians, writers, and poets interwove the myth with the doctrine of the Fall, and in Christian tradition Lucifer is now the same as Satan, the Devil, and --- ironically --- the Prince of Darkness.
So "Lucifer" is nothing more than an ancient Latin name for the morning star, the bringer of light. That can be confusing for Christians who identify Christ himself as the morning star, a term used as a central theme in many Christian sermons. Jesus refers to himself as the morning star in Revelation 22:16: "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star."
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Keys of Truth: Titus (Chapter 1)
Introduction to Titus
Author: The Apostle Paul. This is the third of his so-called Pastoral Epistles, giving advice and guidance to a young pastor.
Date of writing: A.D. 66. Paul was probably released from his first Roman imprisonment (described in Acts) around A.D. 62. He then traveled about freely, writing First Timothy and Titus. He seems to have been arrested suddenly in Troas (2 Tim. 4:13) and sent back to Rome from which he wrote Second Timothy. Nero put Paul to death in A.D. 67.
Theme: Truth silences error. Paul sent Titus to the island of Crete (1:5) to silence deceitful men who apparently had done great damage to the church (1:10-11). Titus was to carry out his assignment by appointing elders in each church (1:5) who were able to teach sound doctrine (1:9), and by Titus himself engaging in sound teaching (2:1).
Purpose: Paul wrote to Titus to teach him how to deal with the dissension and deceptions within the church at Crete, particularly to tell him the caliber of people needed as church leader.
1) Pastors and other church leaders are called to lead God’s people to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to a godly life.
2) We must have the confidence of eternal life. God, who never lies promises the believer this.
3) The truth of eternal life must be share in every era, by the spreading of God’s word.
4) We must develop a genuine child like faith.
5) Leaders that are appointed in the Church must be spiritual.
6) The chosen spiritual leaders must have a good reputation; have one spouse and children who are believers and respectful. The leaders’ children should not be known for living wildly and being rebellious.
7) The person chosen for leadership must not be stubborn, irritable or violent.
8) The leader cannot be known for making money in shameful ways.
9) Those in leadership must be kind, love what is a good, a user of good judgment, fair and honest and have self-control.
10) The leader must be devoted to the message taught in the Word of God.
11) The leader must be able to use the Word of God to encourage and teach people; correcting those that oppose the Word of God.
12) Some that say they believe will be rebellious; speaking nonsense and being deceived.
13) However, these people must be silenced before whole families are ruined.
14) The leader must correct people so that they continue to have faith that is alive and well.
15) Do not pay attention to lies, fables and myths, told by people who openly reject the truth.
16) To corrupt unbelievers nothing is right, clean or holy.
17) These people claim to know God, but they deny Him by what they do; they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good.
Author: The Apostle Paul. This is the third of his so-called Pastoral Epistles, giving advice and guidance to a young pastor.
Date of writing: A.D. 66. Paul was probably released from his first Roman imprisonment (described in Acts) around A.D. 62. He then traveled about freely, writing First Timothy and Titus. He seems to have been arrested suddenly in Troas (2 Tim. 4:13) and sent back to Rome from which he wrote Second Timothy. Nero put Paul to death in A.D. 67.
Theme: Truth silences error. Paul sent Titus to the island of Crete (1:5) to silence deceitful men who apparently had done great damage to the church (1:10-11). Titus was to carry out his assignment by appointing elders in each church (1:5) who were able to teach sound doctrine (1:9), and by Titus himself engaging in sound teaching (2:1).
Purpose: Paul wrote to Titus to teach him how to deal with the dissension and deceptions within the church at Crete, particularly to tell him the caliber of people needed as church leader.
1) Pastors and other church leaders are called to lead God’s people to faith and to the knowledge of the truth that leads to a godly life.
2) We must have the confidence of eternal life. God, who never lies promises the believer this.
3) The truth of eternal life must be share in every era, by the spreading of God’s word.
4) We must develop a genuine child like faith.
5) Leaders that are appointed in the Church must be spiritual.
6) The chosen spiritual leaders must have a good reputation; have one spouse and children who are believers and respectful. The leaders’ children should not be known for living wildly and being rebellious.
7) The person chosen for leadership must not be stubborn, irritable or violent.
8) The leader cannot be known for making money in shameful ways.
9) Those in leadership must be kind, love what is a good, a user of good judgment, fair and honest and have self-control.
10) The leader must be devoted to the message taught in the Word of God.
11) The leader must be able to use the Word of God to encourage and teach people; correcting those that oppose the Word of God.
12) Some that say they believe will be rebellious; speaking nonsense and being deceived.
13) However, these people must be silenced before whole families are ruined.
14) The leader must correct people so that they continue to have faith that is alive and well.
15) Do not pay attention to lies, fables and myths, told by people who openly reject the truth.
16) To corrupt unbelievers nothing is right, clean or holy.
17) These people claim to know God, but they deny Him by what they do; they are detestable, disobedient, and unfit to do anything good.
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