1 UNDERSTANDING GOD S WORD IN TODAY S CULTURE: PART II Dr. Kenneth W. Jones, Pastor, Practical Living Ministry
Why People Don t Study or Teach 2 the Word Whenever I ask a believer about teaching or sharing the Word of God, they offer so many reasons why they can t do so. The Bible says We Should Study the Word Meditate the Word & Preach the Word
People Responses: Spells Lip Service 3 Life I got too many things going on right now Intent Some people only want to teach to prove a point, correct people or they have the wrong motive in doing so Preparedness They need months to prepare; never ready Study I need more time to study the Word in order to teach it Error I don t want to teach something that s in error or not true Rooted I m not rooted and grounded in the Word like you Vocal I don t feel comfortable sharing in front of people Interest I really am not interested in doing so at all Calling I don t have the Calling on my life like you to do that Evade Responsibility Never can find them to do anything
Part II 4 Is the Term Minister a Servant Word, A Ministerial Word or both? 2 Timothy 2:24-26 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
What is a Servant? 5 A servant is one who gives himself up to another's will; those whose service is used by Christ in extending and advancing his cause among men And the servant of the Lord - Referring here primarily to the Christian minister, but applicable to all Christians; for all profess to be the servants of the Lord. The reason I am asking is that most Christians think that preaching and teaching God s Word is only a minister s requirement Who is this Servant of he Lord?
Why We Must Teach the Truth 6 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves - That is, those who embrace error, and array themselves against the truth. The Servant of the Lord must teach and instruct in the Word of God: God perhaps will grant them repentance (Romans 1:16) So that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses: So many people today are deceived, and must come to their senses and awareness of God s truth And escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him. This means to help people recover from satanic attack, deception, and strongholds
Avoiding Counterfeit Doctrine & Religion 7 Every bank teller is trained how to spot counterfeit money by handling nothing but real money, consistently. They come to know what really money feels like, intuitively. So when a fake bill comes into their hands, they know something isn t right.
Scripture 8 Therefore seeing we have this ministry [and] have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the Word of God deceitfully we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord (2 nd Corinthians 4:1-5). As Christ s Disciples and Ministers of the gospel we are called to preach and teach sound doctrine and most of all undiluted truth
Let s Break This Down 9 Therefore seeing Responsibility and Accountability This Ministry The responsibility of teaching people how to become right with God and to be governed by the Spirit of God We have received mercy - to help the afflicted, to bring help to the wretched; Part of Luke 4: 18,19 We faint not - to be utterly spiritless, to be wearied out, exhausted
The Importance of Ministry 10 It is mandated to every believer We have been given this obligation by the Father This is not something we should neglect or take lightly nor to become weary in the exercise of it Most importantly, having renounced the things hidden because of shame, the believer must walk in personal and spiritual integrity
Accountability to Teaching God s Word 11 Nor handling the word of God deceitfully - Not using the doctrines of the Gospel to serve any secular or carnal purpose; not explaining away their force so as to palliate or excuse sin; not generalizing its precepts so as to excuse many in particular circumstances (Clarke s Commentary) Not walking in craftiness This means not resorting to something simply to make your own point.
The Word of God 12 God s Word should never be used as a tool to condemn, coerce or manipulate thought and behavior God s Word is transformative If you are faithful to speak and declare it, the Word will do the rest Some religious groups take Scriptures out of context in order to support their beliefs. They isolate proof texts and cherry pick verses to persuade the uninformed that their interpretation is right, even to the extent of claiming they alone have the truth and everybody else is wrong.
Why People Manipulate Scripture 13 Some denominations use scholastic dishonesty to manipulate and establish their own doctrine or spiritual premise Some individuals manipulate Scripture for their own personal benefit. (Philippians 2:3) An authoritarian husband might demand that his wife submit to him as the head of the house quoting Ephesians 5:22( Wives, submit to your husbands ). But that same man might purposefully overlook verse 26, which says, Husbands, love your wives,
Why People Manipulate Scripture 14 Control Over People Some churches and cults twist Scripture to give more authority to the leadership and keep the members under their control. Some may add to scripture saying "The Lord has told me that...." This phrase essentially shuts down the conversation because it implies that, since God has spoken a word, there can't be any further discussion. Many people manipulate Scripture to justify their way of living or to justify their sin
Examples of Scripture Manipulation 15 FORCED SUBMISSION Hey! What About Ephesians 5:22,23? Don t Question My Authority! Just Hold up My Shield FORCED SUBMISSION ARMOR- BEARER TEACHINGS Hebrews 13:17
Examples of Scripture Manipulation 16 ABUSE OF GOD S GRACE THROUG WILLFUL DISOBEDIENCE PROSPERITY MESSAGE Titus 1:10,11: For there are many disorderly and unruly men who are idle (vain, empty) and misleading talkers and self-deceivers and deceivers of others. [This is true] especially of those of the circumcision party [who have come over from Judaism]. 11 Their mouths must be stopped, for they are mentally distressing and subverting whole families by teaching what they ought not to teach, for the purpose of getting base advantage and disreputable gain. (Amplified)
Scripture Ezekiel 13:22 - Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life: We can become disheartened by looking at this world s system and how false teachers harden men in sin, by giving them hopes of eternal life, though they continue in their evil ways
Making the Righteous Sad Ezekiel Admonishes the False Prophets as we see today by making the righteous sad through false teachings By teaching such doctrines as depreciate the love and grace of God the Father; Making one s love dependent on the creature; God s covenant conditional, and salvation to be by works, and not by grace (Religion and tradition) Denying God s deity and divine sonship through Christ; making light of his blood, and setting up man's righteousness against the work of Christ: and such as are injurious to the Spirit's work; Ascribing regeneration and conversion to man's free will and not the Will of the Father
Guzik s Commentary 19 Paul preached his gospel honestly. The ancient Greek word translated to deceitfully is a verb only found here in the New Testament, meaning "to dilute or adulterate." Paul didn't preach a concealed gospel (renouncing the hidden things of shame) or a corrupted gospel (craftiness... deceitfully), mixing the message with human ingenuity or watering it down to accommodate his audience.
Rightly Handling the Word of Truth 20 But by manifestation of the truth - By making the truth manifest; explaining spiritual things, not in the words of man's wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit of God.
Scripture 21 1 Corinthians 2:1-5: And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. 3 And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. 4 And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Attitude of a Teacher of the Word 22 A skilled teacher must have an attitude of humility. To teach the truth with an arrogant attitude would only serve to undermine the very truths being taught Overconfidence in one s ability can lead to error. Trusting in the One who gives us the ability can bring about anointing teaching and sharing of God s Truth 1 Peter 4:11- If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Speaking the Oracles of God 23 Let him speak as the oracles of God - As the oracles of God speak; to wit, in accordance with the truth which God has revealed, and with an impressive sense of the responsibility of delivering a message from him. The word rendered oracles means, properly, something spoken or uttered ; then anything uttered by God - a divine communication - a revelation IF any man minister means if you are ministering the Word of God to save, deliver, heal, encourage, correct or exhort. There s a responsibility to do it lawfully and in truth
Value God s Word 24 We must Value the Word of God in order to teach and share properly 2 nd Timothy 3:15-17 And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works. If you value the Word, you will take care how you handle it, teach, and read it
God s Word is Profitable 25 Profitable for doctrine: telling us what is true about God, man, the world we live in, and the world to come. It is also for teaching or communicating instruction Profitable for reproof and correction: The Bible convinces us of what is right and wrong in the eyes of God Profitable for instruction in righteousness: it tells us how to live in true righteousness and with a righteous mindset So that we may be complete: God s Word changes us - it makes us complete and transforms us. It is more profitable when we understand it literally, which means that we take it as true according to its literary context. The goal is not merely to convince and to convert him; but to furnish all the instruction needful for one s entire spiritual perfection or maturity
Points of Emphasis 26 A skilled teacher must have a deep understanding of doctrine (1 st Tim 4:6) 1 Timothy 4:6 - If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. A skilled teacher must avoid error. Paul repeatedly warned Timothy to avoid false doctrine (1 st Tim 4:7; 1 st Tim 6:20; and 2 Tim 2:16)
Wait A Minute! 27 Pastor Jones, I don t know that Word like you and I don t feel comfortable with sharing the Word of God with people when I am not sure what I am talking about
Question 28 If you were committed to save someone, wouldn t you want to have the right equipment and the right instructions to accomplish it? Give care to the ministry of the Word. People lives depend upon it
29 You Have a Responsibility to Know God s Word Ephesians 4:14,15: So then, we may no longer be children, tossed [like ships] to and fro between chance gusts of teaching and wavering with every changing wind of doctrine, [the prey of] the cunning and cleverness of unscrupulous men, [gamblers engaged] in every shifting form of trickery in inventing errors to mislead. 15 Rather, let our lives lovingly express truth [in all things, speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly]. Enfolded in love, let us grow up in every way and in all things into Him Who is the Head, [even] Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). To remain biblical illiterate is to remain the prey for false teachers
Your Responsibility 30 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. (Acts 17:11) 1 Thessalonians 5:21 - But test and prove all things [until you can recognize] what is good; [to that] hold fast. (Amplified) Your responsibility to know and teach God s Word goes beyond the Bible Study or Church Service
What We Are Seeing Today
A Common Mindset
Conclusion 33 There is a degree of responsibility and accountability to meditate, study, and teach God s Word Take time to get to know the Father through the Word and share God s Word effectively so that others can experience Him properly also
Practical Living Ministry 34 Practical Living Ministry mission is to impact the lives of God s people by providing biblical concepts for practical, spiritual, living. To fulfill the Great Commission appointed to us by the Lord Jesus Christ through witnessing, discipleship, and equipping the saints of God. You can reach us on our website at: www.practicallivingministry.org