The pages of Scripture are chocked full of the most cogent truths ever known to man.  Regardless of the power and beauty of these words, however, one fact remains that is shared by all of written revelation—that they are checked by the limitations of human language.  A little over a year ago my brother and I, along with our wives, attended a Trans-Siberian Orchestra concert.  We could speak or write volumes in an effort to describe our experience at that event, but there are literally no words or combination of words that can adequately get that message across.

This is precisely why the disciples thought Jesus was often speaking in some kind of secret code when he illustrated what the kingdom of God was like by talking about farming(Mark 4:3-9), or why he explained forgiveness and repentance by way of a story about a wayward son and forgiving father(Luke 15:11-32).  It was as if a light bulb illuminated above their heads when they found that mastery of Jesus’ figurative language was a milestone in their Christian maturity(John 16:25-33).  Often Jesus used his own actions to demonstrate spiritual truths.  Matters of hygiene become teachable moments through the mastery of Jesus’ teaching when he conveys that he must be allowed to wash Peter’s feet in order to fulfill righteousness and make him clean, both physically and spiritually(John 13:1-20).

God’s revealed truth is not just found in parables and other representative stories of Jesus in the Gospels.   In fact, if I may be so bold as to suggest, the entire Old Testament narrative is an object lesson that paints a picture of God’s nature, the human condition, and His plan for all of His people.  The symbols of Scripture, while creative in their utilization, are not designed to be subject to wild flights of imagination without parameters.  Instead, symbols depict what is already known as Scripture interprets Scripture.   Parables, for example, should be read as having just one or two major points and should not be broken down into complex allegorical explanation whereby every character and/or object is representative of a higher spiritual truth.  This latter phenomenon is what Martin Luther referred to as affen spiele, or “monkey tricks,” and it can get messy in a hurry!

One of the earliest symbols, from a canonical order perspective, is the depiction of Satan as the deceptive serpent.  God announces that because of the cursed fall “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel (Genesis 3:15, ESV).”   Even a cursory glance provides the astute reader with a foreshadowing of both the physical act of the crucifixion, as well as Paul’s later reference in Romans 16:20.

The Abrahamic blessing of Genesis 22, illumined in Galatians 3, pronounces a global acceptance into God’s kingdom even before Israel‘s  birth.  This conveyance of blessing follows a rich symbolic picture of Christ’s vicarious work for us as a ram takes Isaac’s place as a sacrificial offering.  Passages about the tabernacle are loaded with depictions of various details of the life and work of Jesus Christ.    The prophetic books are comprised of both a narrative component and a message component.  The narrative portions of the prophetic books use the life stories of men like Hosea, who—at  God’s command– marries a prostitute as a way of illustrating Israel’s unfaithfulness and Ezekiel, who is sent out among the people with the appearance of a hobo to demonstrate the coming exile.

The prophetic messages often include apocalyptic visions of many kinds.  These are visions that upon a cursory reading seem at times to be rather odd.  They are the subject of much speculation and even debate as the sometimes arduous task is set before us to figure out how these visions translate into a meaningful message for modern day readers.  In any case, it should be clear to any adept
Bible reader that apocalyptic visions are always found in the context of an extremely important time or event in the history of God’s people.  Old Testament apocalyptic visions depict impending judgment or eventual restoration.  This judgment often includes defeat and exile at the hand of foreign nations.  Conversely, images of restoration include such concepts as descriptions of a creation that is “made right” and whereby domicile and wild components are made compatible(Isaiah 11:6) and the wolf lives in harmony with the lamb.  Without the use of any kind of visual or auditory media to convey these pictures, prophets must depend solely on their language skills to paint some of the most important pictures known to mankind.

In reading apocalyptic literature in the Bible, it is essential to keep the main and plain things the main things.  In other words, although many questions about interpretations will arise, begin with what is known by way the rest of the Bible.  Don’t put stock in code-cracking efforts based on seemingly ambiguous passages of Scripture.  It is quite possible, for example, that Ezekiel’s vision that describes a temple not yet realized up to this point in history simply points out that there is a future for God’s people that is beyond comprehension.

There are certainties in Scripture toward which some wonderfully-crafted imagery points, and that symbolism is best employed when it is interpreted through the lenses of Gospel message basics.  This is not to suggest that opinions should not be formulated in terms of details, as any thinking reader will do so.  These fine-tuned viewpoints, though, need to be seen at a different level than the essential truths. Reading John’s Revelation, however, becomes so much more liberating and rewarding when it is read through the lenses of the other 65 books of the Bible rather than interpreted by way of the New York Times.

Written by Brian Nall

Matt will be joining us here in the next few weeks to lead Valley Mills into a new place as we strive to see where God is leading us.  Matt is excited about the chance to come to Valley Mills and join in the great things that are happening here already. He really believes that his gifts and abilities will help us grow in the worship area and bring some direction to a team that has been faithful without leadership.

The worship team has had the opportunity to meet with Matt and get to know him. They have asked questions and some have even had the chance to lead with him. The current worship team is excited about Matt coming on board and looks forward to seeing where we go from here.

Please join us on Sunday, September 2, as Matt and his family comes to worship with us that weekend!

In His Grip,

David

Many of us, including myself, find ourselves in the same circumstances as the faithful leader of the church—not prayed up.  Our lives are so busy that it seems that there is just not enough time in the day to “stay prayed up.”  Between family, work, sports, church, entertainment, and other social activities we just do not spend much time in prayer.  We resolve to spend more time praying but things keep getting in the way or distracting us from praying.

Prayer is an essential part of a Christian’s life.  Why is this so?  First, God has commanded us to pray…Luke 18:1 and Luke 21:36 to name just a few.  Since God had commanded us to pray, as Christians we will spend as much time as we can in prayer.  The twelve disciples knew how important it is to pray.  These men were actually walking, eating and living with Jesus, when they said “Lord, teach us to pray,” Luke 11:1.  How much more should it be for us who do not have the physical presence of Jesus, God in the flesh?  How much more should we be praying to the Heavenly Father in the name of the Son, Jesus?  God knows our hearts, minds and desires even before we do, but He wants us to express ourselves to Him just as an earthly father who knows what his child needs or wants but waits for his child to ask before taking care of the need or want.

The United States of America is going through a very rough time in history.  Listening to the politicians we hear that there are so many things wrong with our nation that they have a plan to lead us out of the destructive path we are on.  Each plan is different and some are even opposite of what other politicians are saying.  God gave us a path a few thousand years ago that still holds true today.  It is found in 2 Chronicles, the seventh chapter, verse fourteen.  The verse essentially says that if God’s people humble themselves, pray to Him, seek Him, and turn from our wicked paths, He will hear from heaven then forgive our sins and heal our land.  This reason alone should cause us to spend more time in prayer.

There is a group of scientists who are studying prayer and its effect upon the human brain.  This field of study is called “neurotheology”.  The results of these studies are that people who spend time in prayer and meditation are different.  These people are more focused than other people and seem to have a heightened sense of a world beyond our five senses.  It has been theorized that they are sensing God more like the men of God of ancient times.

Finally, one of the most compelling reasons that we should pray is that Jesus Christ Himself prayed.  If He needed to spend time in prayer to the Heavenly Father, how much more is our need?  Jesus was God in the flesh, a human being yet God at the same time.  Yet, He spent hours in prayer.

Whatever reason you choose to commit yourself to spend more time in prayer is up to you.  My challenge is to make prayer a more essential part of your life, just like eating, sleeping and working.

Written by Paul Elledge

Perhaps the greatest assurance held by evangelical believers is the confidence they have before the judgment seat. They often fail, however, to realize that Christ’s return and subsequent judgment has not occurred as of yet. What this means is that while those in Christ who have preceded them in death will one day inherit eternal life, it has not been bestowed on them because the judgment has not yet happened! Songs and poems that depict loved ones “looking down” at them through “holes in the floor of heaven” may in fact be of good sentiment, but they are theologically inaccurate. It could very well be that the greatest culprit to this misconception is the understandable avoidance of the teachings of the Catholic Church on purgatory and of the prayers for the dead in Mormonism. In an effort to keep any notion of an intermediate situation from even crossing their minds, there is no provision for the period between death and judgment.
A primary component of Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians is assurance concerning the future of believers who die before Christ returns. Little did he or they know, of course, just how many would be in that number! At one time Paul had been with the Thessalonians at their church (Acts 17), but had to flee suddenly without getting them well grounded in accurate doctrine. So he takes this opportunity by way of letter and explains to them, concerning the coming of the Lord, that, “…the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (1 Thess 4:16b,17a NIV84)

Of course the message in Thessalonians could be understood as the dead in Christ immediately go to be with God in heaven, followed by those who are yet to leave this earthly existence. This would make sense, except that it does not fall in line with the pervasive theme of the second coming. This is a triumphant event that John the Revelator describes with so much beauty that it hardly makes provision for a perpetual judgment session. In fact, the first half of 1 Thess 4:16 reminds us that, “…the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God…” The resurrection of the saints, then, is to follow.

So what is the nature of this existence? Obviously, the exact details are not known, but maybe it is best understood by looking more closely to the words which are often used to designate a place reserved for believers. The first is the Greek word translated as “Paradise.” There are two occurrences of this in the New Testament. The first is Luke 16:19-31, where in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus there is a depiction of the rich man in torment and Lazarus in Paradise. The other is in Luke 23:43, where Jesus assures one of the thieves on the cross that, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.” Beyond this the other word, translated as “Heaven,” is used in the sense of a place of eternal existence or the cosmos (it is the same word from which we get the English word “Uranus”). A similar distinction is made between Hades and Hell. Hades is simply the “abode of the dead.” If the account of the rich man and Lazarus is an actual event and not an allegory, it is possible to conclude that, at least to some extent, Hades and Paradise are one and the same, albeit different experiences based on eternal destiny. Gehenna is a place of eternal torment (whether composed of literal fire or not) and is translated as “Hell.” The bottom line is that while the second coming is a certainty, it is still a future event, for which all those in Christ are waiting.

by Brian Nall

One area of psychological research that really took off in the 1980’s was that of twin studies.  The Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research was created “…to identify genetic and environmental influences on development and psychological traits” (mctfr.psych.umn.edu).   In layman’s terms, they function to see what happens when two people with very similar genetic structure are placed into different environments.  They try to discover what remains constant and what changes over time.  Of course it’s much more involved than that, but you get the idea.  I’ve often wondered about this as it translates to the various responses people have to the gospel.  I’m not necessarily talking about genetic factors–though that may be a part of it—but everything that goes in to making two different people respond differently to the same message.

What got me thinking about this most recently was the reading of a lecture presented by Bible skeptic Bart Ehrman.  It is in the first pages of a book entitled, The Reliability of the New Testament: Bart D. Ehrman and Daniel B. Wallace in Dialogue edited by Robert B. Stewart.   Unfortunately, because of his take on the manuscript evidence is “shockingly” unorthodox and novel, he is able to capture the limelight (i.e. appearances on talk shows and on all of the major and cable networks) better than scholars who have been working with the same material for many, many years with a much different interpretation.

I had heard of Ehrman’s work for years, but frankly I wondered if I had the stomach for it.  However, I determined that I would begin finding out firsthand what he has to say, if only for the sake of being informed.  So, when I began reading Ehrman’s opening lecture in this book I braced myself for some information that I would have to work through in order to prevent a total meltdown of my belief system.  What did I find? Everything that he put into the lecture I already knew!  In fact, it was common knowledge among most serious Bible students.

The point is that presented with the same set of facts, completely different interpretations result.  Ehrman is certainly not uninformed, a college professor holding both an M.Div. and Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary.  Neither is Wallace, who is also a professor and has a Th.M. and Ph.D. from Dallas Theological Seminary.   And not only are they in discussion over the same set of facts, it seems that they agree that they are in discussion over the same set of facts!  Take this for example.  Almost all scholars are in agreement over the following:

1)     We have no original manuscripts (autographs) of any of the New Testament writings.

2)     There are somewhere in the neighborhood of 5500 to 6000 manuscripts in existence today, ranging from the early second century to the invention of the printing press and beyond.

3)     Because most of the manuscripts are copies of copies of copies, etc., there are somewhere around 30,000 variants in the texts.

For Ehrman, this is faith-shattering information, for how can we believe in a Bible that is the Word of God but hasn’t been preserved?  For Wallace, these variants are no big deal.  Wallace puts these numbers in perspective.   There are approximately 2.5 million pages of manuscripts in existence today, with only 30,000 variants (none of which are relevant to matters of faith and practice).  One has to draw his own conclusion as to what that means, but by my calculations that’s 99.988% accurate!

If this point-of-view factor plays into the academic world, does it not also figure in other presentations of the Gospel message?  For some the fatherly image of God reminds them of their loving earthly fathers.  For others, they are haunted by the thought of an abusive or even absent dad.  Some come to a saving faith with few evidences of the truth.  Others require a lengthy investigation before taking a leap such as accepting Christ.

While everyone needs to hear the good news of Christ (Romans 10:14), everyone has a built in sense of their need for it (Romans 1:18-23).  What this means to us is that the choice is mostly on the hearer to respond.  While Peter exhorts us to have an answer when presented with a question (1 Peter 3:15),  if we are faithful, God will honor our obedience even though we may not get the visible result for which we were looking.

by Brian Nall

This should be the approach that we as followers of Christ should take in every aspect of our lives.  I’ve been told that those in the banking industry are best trained to spot counterfeit bills not by looking at all of the examples of fakes, but to constantly handle authentic currency.  In this way they will know when a bill is not real just because it does not look and/or feel right.

I have been intentional in my commitment to help others to be able to find the truths of Scripture for themselves.  I get discouraged when I find that in individual or corporate Bible study we often remain content with a surface level glance at the life-altering words that are worthy of the effort it takes to find out what God wants us to know.

The Bible is by no means impossible to understand.  In fact, the plan of salvation–while certainly profound—is simple and straightforward.  But this doesn’t mean that we should not put effort into Bible study.  Those who are entrusted with teaching God’s Word with others should never be content to gloss over the material or not prepare at all in hopes that the group will collectively get the job done.  Often a group study goes a lot like this:  a passage of Scripture or an excerpt from another book is read and the group takes turns sharing what it means to them.   When I was a student at Lincoln Christian University, one of my professors referred to this as the wagon train method, after the powwows that occurred among the travelers of the old west.  The actual name for this approach is called serendipity.

There is certainly nothing wrong with encouraging participation by any and all members of the group.  In fact, discussion is a vital component of a group Bible study.  A leader or teacher does not have to know all the answers, as no one will ever attain to that level.  The problem, though, occurs when comments veer off a Scriptural course without any redirection.  There is no place in the church for hostility or lack of tact, but there should be someone on hand who has done enough homework to make sure everyone takes away a Biblically sound message.

For some helpful insight in getting the most out of Bible reading, a couple of books that I recommend are “How to Understand Your Bible” by T. Norton Sterret and “How to Read the Bible for All Its Worth” by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stewart.  There is also a related article on the VMCC Website entitled “How Can I Interpret the Bible?”

In order to make an impact on the world around us, we must wed what James says:  “…but be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves (1:22, ESV)”  and “ What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? (2:14, ESV)” in light of what Peter says:  “ …but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you… (2:15, ESV)”

While it is difficult to provide a cookie-cutter guide to help in speaking with people about what the Bible says, here is a most basic level approach that has been around for years but is seems to be seldom discussed.  It is called the Roman Road and—as the name suggests—uses Paul’s letter to the Romans, a very theologically rich and systematic New Testament book, as a path for leading someone through the message of the Gospel.  It may not be as in depth or cover specific challenges as does  When Skeptics Ask, but it should provide some guidance just the same.

First, as was recently discussed in the message about “just walking across the room,”  the first step is almost literally to “take a step.”  After an investment has been made in the life of a non-believer there may be a time at which we are asked to spell out the message of the Bible succinctly and in a way that makes sense.  A possible scenario would look something like this—perhaps on a napkin over coffee or a related setting a simple road is drawn.  Starting at one end of the path and periodically throughout write a synopsis of the following verses and in the following order:

• Romans 3:10-12
  As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

• Romans 3:23
  For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

• Romans 5:12
  Therefore,  just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned.

• Romans 6:23
  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord/

• Romans 5:8
  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

• Romans 10:8-11
  But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

• Romans 2:4
  Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?

• Romans 6:3-7
  Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. For he who has died has been freed from sin.

The questions that are asked may involve more in-depth or challenging topics and even, at times,  be quite unusual.    For example, as I was sharing with a young man who was professing (at least tentatively) to be an atheist.  When I asked him how he came to that conclusion he said that he believed that Moses was schizophrenic (explaining some of his experiences) and since that diagnosis did not exist until 1911 there was no way Moses’ encounters with God could be real!  It is possible that not all of their questions will be answered at that particular time, but at least the main points of the gospel are presented.  It’s usually better to be real with them and let them know that you may not have all of the answers and to sound like you don’t know what you are talking about.

Based on Jesus’ statement we can infer that there is somehow a substantive difference between the role of the Son as opposed to the role of the Holy Spirit.  Whenever we look at Scripture to draw out the meaning of a particular passage we have to look at the Bible as a whole, taking every verse in its context.  Throughout the Bible we are reminded of the effectiveness of Christ’s work on the cross and its power to make us appear righteous and holy before the Father.

Considering what the Bible says about salvation and the work of the Holy Spirit, we can be assured of the following:

• While we were yet sinners, Jesus died for the sins of the whole world (Romans 5:6-11; John 3:16-21)
• The Holy Spirit was given to us as a consolation for Jesus’ ascension and subsequent absence from us in the flesh (Acts 1:8)
• The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin (John 16:8-11).
• The Holy Spirit is a gift bestowed at baptism (Acts 2:38).
• Jesus drove out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit, not by the power of Satan (Mark 3:22-27)

Absent a belief in what is known as universalism (the notion that everyone is or will be saved without exception),  we can be assured that salvation, while not earned, is conditional from the standpoint of the receiver.  In other words, the receiver of a gift does not benefit from that gift unless it is accepted. When posed with the question of “How do I know I have not committed the unforgivable sin?”  Hank Hanegraaff, president of the Christian Research Institute, replied  “If you are truly concerned, you have not committed the unforgivable sin.”

One who has attributed the work of Christ and the Holy Spirit to Satan (Mark 3:22-27), has no sense of regret (2 Cor 7:10), and willingly, knowingly, and continually rejects the Gospel (1 John 5:16) is hardly a candidate to benefit from the grace that has been so freely given to all of mankind.   As long as a blasphemous state against the Holy Spirit persists, there can be no forgiveness.   We can rest assured, however,  that God is just and will be true to His Word, and that if anyone is seeking to be right with Him Jesus has made it all possible!

by Brian Nall

• The first part of this prayer is a prayer that Jesus prays on His own behalf, though it’s not a selfish prayer by any means.  Just prior to this chapter, in John 16:32, Jesus assures his disciples that even though they will be separated in the near future, He would not be alone because the Father is with Him:   John 17:1-5  Although He prays for Himself to be glorified, this is ultimately so that He would invoke the authority that brings about eternal life and glory to the Father.  And the very first reference to unity in this section is found in verse three, where He prays that they (meaning His followers) would know the “only true God.”

• A second component of the prayer, found in verses 6-19, is specifically for His immediate circle of influence in His ministry—His disciples.  John 17:6-19  He prays for their protection in the world from the evil one and that the unity He enjoys in His relationship with the Father would be reflected in them.

• His third focus, in verses 20-26, is a prayer for all believers John 17:20-26.  Using the same example of the Godhead, He uses this comparison on four different occasions—twice in verse 21, verse 22, and verse 23.

We can find numerous New Testament teachings on unity, but little in the way of worthy examples.  Unfortunately it is the disunity of the early church that is the occasion for the New Testament writers to have to bring it up.  May we share in Jesus’ desire to see the Father and the Son as the standard.

by Brian Nall