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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
THINGS MOST ASSUREDLY BELIEVED AMONG USTHINGS MOST ASSUREDLY
BELIEVED AMONG US
INTRODUCTION
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TEXT This is a letter written to a
government official who had beenconverted to Christ. Luke writes
toassure Theophilus of the certainty ofthe things he has believed.
Thisintroduces to us the essentiality ofbeing certain, or
confidently sure, of thetruth of the Gospel. Doubt, or a lack
ofconfidence in the basis of faith isdisastrous, even though it is
quitecommon in our time. This Gospel willalso shed light on the
seriousness oftampering with the text of Scripture,and saying
things that cause seeds ofdoubt to rise in the hearts of
people.When great stress is placed on theoriginal language,
principles ofinterpretation, an inordinate emphasison contextual
considerations, etc,spiritual jeopardy is invited into theheart.
Certainty will be found to be inaffirmation.
The things embraced by those inChrist are not simplistic, and
they arenot held loosely. God has not called usinto a religious
system in whichthoughts of Himself are few and farbetween. There is
no guesswork ortheorizing in true faith. Philosophizingand
hypothesizing are given no place ofentrance, and human opinion is
lockedout as well. In Christ there is thedominating presence of
assurance,confidence, knowing, and certitude.The saints know “whom
they havebelieved” (2 Tim 1:12), as well as whatthey believe (Lk
1:1). There is noprovision for doubt, distrust, orsuspicion – all
of which are evidencesof unbelief, not faith.
Today, with a new breed of“Christians,” there is an
alarmingpresence of confusion, ignorance, andunbelief in the
churches. It is the direct
result of skewed preaching and a lackof faith. The fundamental
knowledge ofGod and Jesus Christ, which are whatcomprise eternal
life, are at anunacceptable level. This is the cause ofthe outbreak
of sin in the modernchurch, the urgent need of behaviorcorrection,
and the blight of mediocrityand disinterest.
The key religious leaders of ourday, with very few exceptions,
haveaccommodated themselves to thedisinterest of the people.
Althoughphysical campuses of staggering sizeand cost exist, and are
falsely called“churches,” the assemblies are largelytailored for a
single gathering weekly,with a few scattered and smallsubgroups
once a week. The meetingsare generally relatively brief, at
themost, perhaps, two hours, includingpraise, prayer,
announcements,
TRANSLATION LEGEND: ABP=Apostolic Bible Polyglot m(1992);
ALT=Analytical-Literal Translation (2005), AMPLIFIED=Amplified
Bible (1965), ABP=Apostolic Bible Polygot with Greek Interlinear
(2003); ASV=American Standard Version (1901), BBE=Biblein Basic
English (1949), BRENT=Brenton’s English Septuagint; CEB =Common
English Bible (2011); CEV=Contemporary English Version(1995);
DRA=Douay-Rheims (1899), EMTV =English Majority Text (2002); ERV
=English Revised Version (1885), ETRV = Easy to Read(1999),
ESV=English Stand Version (2001), GENEVA=Geneva Bible (1599),
GNB=Good News (1966), GSNT =Goodspeed (1923), GWN=God’s Word
(1995), IE= International English (1973), ISV=International
Standard Version (1967), JPS=Jewish Publication Society
(1917),JUB=Jubilee Bible (2003); KJV=King James Version (1611),
LITV= Literal Translation of the Bible (1976), LIVING=Living Bible
(1971),MESSAGE=The Message (1993), MKJV= Modern KJV (1962),
MONTGOMERY=Montgomery’s New Testament (2001), MRD=Peshitta-James
Murdock Translation (1852), NAB=New American Bible (2002), NASB=New
American Standard Bible (1977), NAU=New AmericanStandard Bible
(1995), NIB=New International Bible, NIV=New International Version
(1984), NJB=New Jerusalem Bible (1985),NKJV=New King James Version
(1979), NLT=New Living Translation (1996), NRSV=New Revised
Standard Version (1989), PHILLIPS=JB Phillips New Testament (1962),
PNT=Bishop’s New Testament (1595), RSV=Revised Standard Version
(1952), TNK=JPS Tanakj(1985), WEB=Webster Bible
(1833),WEYMOUTH=Weymouth’s New Testament (1903), WILLIAMS=William’s
New Testament (1937),TYNDALE=Tyndale’s Bible (1526),
WYCLIFFE=Wycliffe New Testament (1382), YLT =Young’s Literal
Translation (1862)
---------- GREEK LEXICON LEGEND ----------- LEXICON LEGEND:
FRIEBERG = Friberg Lexicon, UBS = Barclay-Newman, LOUW-NIDA =
Louw-Nida Lexicon, LIDDELL SCOTT
Lesson Number 1
The Book of Luke, 09/05/2014
A MINISTRY INITIATED INMAY 1993, AND DEDICATEDTO STRENGTHENING
THOSEWHO ARE IN CHRIST, BYBUILDING THEIR FAITH,ENHANCING THEIR JOY,
ANDSTABILIZING THEIR HOPE, ENABLING THEM TO WORKOUT THEIR SALVATION
WITHFEAR AND TREMBLING.
P E R S U A D E D O F T H ENECESSITY OF KNOWING THECERTAINTY OF
THE THINGSWE BELIEVE, LUKE MAKES USMORE FIRM BY BUTTRESSINGO U R F
A I T H , A N DCONFIRMING WE HAVE NOTEMBRACED FABLES.
DISCLAIMER: The quoting of other translations is not to be taken
as a condoning of them. My purpose is rather to show the remarkable
diversity, and sometimes outrightcontradictions that exist among
these various versions of Scripture. Our understanding of the Word
of God ultimately depends upon our comprehension of the LordHimself
and His eternal purpose. Where this understanding is not present,
we are shut up to scholasticism and conjecture, both of which are
of the world, not of God.
LUKE 1:1 "Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in
order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed
among us,2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the
beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed
good to me also,having had perfect understanding of all things from
the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent
Theophilus, 4 That thoumightest know the certainty of those things,
wherein thou hast been instructed.” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Luke 1:1-4
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 1 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
Luke labors to dispel the kind of hindranceswith which the
nominal church has learned tolive.
specials, the Lord’s Table, collections,and, what is called, a
sermon. For mostof the people that is enough.
Compare this with the disciplesbeing with Jesus – all day every
day.Everywhere He went, except for timeswhen He prayed alone, they
were withHim. None of them complained aboutthis. I realize that it
not intended to bea fixed standard. Yet, I wonder howthey were able
to endure so much, ascompared to the modern people whosay they are
with Christ, who canendure so little. Of course, if people cansee
it, now that Jesus has ascendedinto heaven, and is filling all
things (Eph4:10), His disciples can be with Him allof the time.
Luke labors to dispel the kind of hindrances with which the
nominalchurch has learned to live. He isparticularly writing to an
apparentlyrecent convert – a political dignity. Yethis word is very
relevant in our time. Hewants Theophilus to know the thingsthat are
heartily embraced, believed,and known by those who are really
in
Christ Jesus. I say “really in Christ,”because it is
questionable that thosewho lack a prevailing interest in,
andappetite for Jesus Christ are “in Him” atall. Critical evidence
is sorely lacking inthem. Further, this is not an
acceptablecondition in which those professing tobe Christians ought
to be found, andScripture does not condone that stance.
AN INTRODUCTION TO LUKE
LUKE WAS NOT AN APOSTLE OFCHRIST
Like Mark, James, and Jude, Lukewas not an apostle. Yet, he was
givento see the working of the Lord with adiscerning eye. Yet he
wrote tomeaningful letters of Scripture.
Luke wrote the Gospel of Luke,which we are now considering,
sendingit to the same man to whom the book ofActs was written. In
that book he didnot present any doctrine, he did reportthe
activities of the early church withremarkable precision. There is
questionabout it being inspired by God, as is allScripture (2 Tim
3:16-17). Think of this:
- His is the only account of thereplacement of Judas (Acts
1:16-26).
- The only record of the actualconferment of the Holy Spirit
aspromised by Jesus (Acts 2:1-4).
- The first preaching of the Gospel.
- The first Jewish converts.
- The commencement of the church.
- The first incarceration of theapostles.
- The first purging of the church.
- The turning of the entire city ofSamaria to Christ.
- The first conversion of someone
returning their native country.- The first persecution of the
church.
- The conversion of Saul of Tarsus.
- The first conversion of Gentiles atthe house of Cornelius
(Acts 10:1-48).
- The first doctrinal issue over thematter of circumcision (Acts
15).
- The only documented record ofPaul’s travels (Acts 13-28).
LUKE WAS A GENTILEThe name “Luke” is only
mentioned two times in the Scriptures,both by Paul (Col 4:14; 2
Tim 4:11).The KJV refers to him also as “Lucas,”a transliteration
of the Greek word“Loukas.” With that single exception,the word is
always translated “Luke.”
Because “Luke” is a Greek name,it is assumed he was a Greek,
for, sofar as we know, the Hebrews did notname their children with
Greek names.This is also supported by the fact thathe was not
recognized by Paul as beingamong “the circumcised” – "And
Jesus,which is called Justus, who are of thecircumcision. These
only are my
CONTENTS CONTENTS || INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION || AN
INTRODUCTION TO LUKEAN INTRODUCTION TO LUKE|| AN INTRODUCTION TO
THEOPHILUSAN INTRODUCTION TO THEOPHILUS|| MANY HAVE TAKEN IN HAND
TO SETMANY HAVE TAKEN IN HAND TO SET
FORTH IN ORDER (1:1a)FORTH IN ORDER (1:1a)|| THE THINGS MOST
ASSUREDLYTHE THINGS MOST ASSUREDLY
BELIEVED AMONG US (1b)BELIEVED AMONG US (1b)|| THEY DELIVERED
THEM TO US (1:2a)THEY DELIVERED THEM TO US (1:2a)|| THEY WERE EYE
WITNESSES (1:2b)THEY WERE EYE WITNESSES (1:2b)|| IT SEEMED GOOD TO
ME (1:3a)IT SEEMED GOOD TO ME (1:3a)|| HAVING HAD PERFECTHAVING HAD
PERFECT
UNDERSTANDING FROM THE VERYUNDERSTANDING FROM THE VERYFIRST
(1:3b)FIRST (1:3b)
|| TO WRITE IN ORDER (1:3c)TO WRITE IN ORDER (1:3c)|| KNOWING
THE CERTAINTY OF THOSEKNOWING THE CERTAINTY OF THOSE
THINGS (1:4a)THINGS (1:4a)|| WHEREIN THOU HAST BEENWHEREIN THOU
HAST BEEN
INSTRUCTED (1:4b)INSTRUCTED (1:4b)|| CONCLUSIONCONCLUSION
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 2 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
fellowworkers unto the kingdom ofGod, which have been a comfort
untome. Epaphras, who is one of you(Colossae), a servant of Christ,
salutethyou, always laboring fervently for youin prayers, that ye
may stand perfectand complete in all the will of God. ForI bear him
record, that he hath a greatzeal for you, and them that are
inLaodicea and them in Hierapolis. Luke,the beloved physician, and
Demas,greet you" (Col 4:11-14).
LUKE WAS A PHYSICIANPaul referred to Luke as “the
beloved physician” (Col 4:14). Otherversions read, “dear friend
Luke thedoctor,” NIV "well-loved medical friend,”BBE "dearly loved
physician," CEB and "themost dear physician." DOUAY
It is generally assumed, and rightlyso I believe, that Luke
ministered toPaul in the bearing of his infirmities (2Cor 11:30l
12:5,9,10; Gal 4:13).
LUKE WAS ONE OF PAUL’S PREMIERCOMPANIONS
Luke was the only companionwith Paul at the close of his life.
Afterwriting to Timothy that his departurewas at hand, he added
"Only Luke iswith me" (2 Tim 4:11). QuickVerseBible notes says of
this verse, “Luke isthe only companion of Paul at the end.This is
sad, but not surprising. It is clearthat an especially tender
relationshiphad developed between the two menover the years. It is
possible that Lukemay have served as the amanuensis(secretary) for
the penning of thisepistle (as well as for 1 Timothy
andTitus).”
Throughout the book of Acts,Luke states his presence in the
eventschronicled therein by the word “us.” Hispresence with Paul
appears to begin atthe point where Paul received a visiondirecting
them to go to Macedonia.From that point on Luke uses the word“us”
apart from quoting what someoneelse said–i.e. Acts 13:33,47;
14:11,17;15:7-9,24,25,28,36; 16:9). From thatpoint on we read:
- THE CALL TO MACEDONIA. “And afterhe had seen the vision,
immediately
we endeavored to go intoMacedonia, assuredly gathering thatthe
Lord had called US for to preachthe gospel unto them."
(Acts16:10)
- PRESENT IN MACEDONIA. "And acertain woman named Lydia, a
sellerof purple, of the city of Thyatira,which worshiped God, heard
us:whose heart the Lord opened, thatshe attended unto the things
whichwere spoken of Paul." (Acts 16:14)
- THE HOUSEHOLD OF LYDIA."And whenshe was baptized, and
herhousehold, she besought us, saying,If ye have judged me to be
faithfulto the Lord, come into my house,and abide there. And
sheconstrained us." (Acts 16:15)
- THE WOMAN WITH THE SPIRIT OFDIVINATION. "And it came to pass,
aswe went to prayer, a certain damselpossessed with a spirit of
divinationmet us, which brought her mastersmuch gain by
soothsaying: Thesame followed Paul and us, andcried, saying, These
men are theservants of the most high God,which show unto US the way
ofsalvation." (Acts 16:16-17)
- THE TRIP TO ASIA. "And thereaccompanied him into Asia So
paterof Berean; and of the Thessalonians,Aristarchus and Seconds;
and Gaiusof Derbe, and Timotheus; and ofAsia, Tychicus and
Trophimus.These going before tarried for US atTreas." (Acts
20:4-5)
- SAILING TO ASSES AND MITYLENE. "And
we went before to ship, and sailedunto Asses, there intending to
takein Paul: for so had he appointed,minding himself to go afoot.
Andwhen he met with US at Asses, wetook him in, and came to
Mitylene." (Acts 20:13-14).
- SAILING FROM MITYLENE. "And whenwe had accomplished those
days,we departed and went our way; andthey all brought US on our
way,with wives and children, till we wereout of the city: and we
kneeleddown on the shore, and prayed." (Acts 21:5)
- WHEN AGABUS PROPHESIED. "And aswe tarried there many days,
therecame down from Judaea a certainprophet, named Agabus. And
whenhe was come unto us, he took Paul'sgirdle, and bound his own
hands andfeet, and said, Thus saith the HolyGhost, So shall the
Jews atJerusalem bind the man that owneththis girdle, and shall
deliver him intothe hands of the Gentiles." (Acts21:10-11)
- WHEN THEY CAME TO JERUSALEM."There went with US also certain
ofthe disciples of Caesarea, andbrought with them one Mnason
ofCyprus, an old disciple, with whomwe should lodge. And when
wewere come to Jerusalem, thebrethren received US gladly."
(Acts21:16-17).
- WHEN PAUL WENT IN TO JAMES. "Andthe day following Paul went in
withUS unto James; and all the elders
were present. And when he hadsaluted them, he
declaredparticularly what things God had
Throughout the book of Acts, Luke states hispresence in the
events chronicled therein by theword “us.” His presence with Paul
appears tobegin at the point where Paul received a visiondirecting
them to go to Macedonia.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 3 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
Irenaeus (16th century)“Luke, the companion of Paul, put down in
abook the gospel preached by him.” He alsosays, “Luke was not only
a companion, butalso a fellow-laborer of the apostles,especially of
Paul.”
Origen 185-253“The third is that according to Luke, thegospel
commended by Paul, published forthe sake of the Gentile
converts.”
COMMENTS ON LUKE wrought among the Gentiles by hisministry."
(Acts 21:18-19).
- WHEN SAILING TO ITALY. “And when itwas determined that we
should sailinto Italy, they delivered Paul andcertain other
prisoners unto onenamed Julius, a centurion ofAugustus' band. And
entering into aship of Adramyttium, we launched,meaning to sail by
the coasts ofAsia; one Aristarchus, a Macedonianof Thessalonica,
being with us." (Acts 27:1-2).
- WHEN CONTINUING TO ITALY FROMLYCIA. "And when we had
sailedover the sea of Cilicia andPamphylia, we came to Myra, a
cityof Lycia. And there the centurionfound a ship of Alexandria
sailinginto Italy; and he put US therein." (Acts 27:5-6)
- DURING THE STORM AND SHIPWRECK."And when neither sun nor stars
inmany days appeared, and no smalltempest lay on us, all hope that
weshould be saved was then takenaway." (Acts 27:20)
- ON THE BARBAROUS ISLAND. "And thebarbarous people showed US
nolittle kindness: for they kindled afire, and received US every
one,because of the present rain, andbecause of the cold." (Acts
28:2)
- WITH THE CHIEF OF THE ISLAND,PUBLIUS. "In the same quarters
werepossessions of the chief man of theisland, whose name was
Publius;who received us, and lodged USthree days courteously."
(Acts28:7)
- WHEN MANY OF THE ISLAND WEREHEALED. "So when this was
done,others also, which had diseases inthe island, came, and were
healed:Who also honored US with manyhonors; and when we departed,
theyladed US with such things as werenecessary." (Acts 28:9-10)
- WHEN PAUL ARRIVED IN ROME. "Andfrom thence, when the
brethrenheard of us, they came to meet USas far as Appii forum, and
The threetaverns: whom when Paul saw, hethanked God, and took
courage. Andwhen we came to Rome, thecenturion delivered the
prisoners tothe captain of the guard: but Paulwas suffered to dwell
by himselfwith a soldier that kept him." (Acts28:15-16)
SOMETHING TO NOTICEIn Luke’s writings, both in His
Gospel, and in the book of Acts, Lukenever draws attention to
Himself. Amodern writer would probably havemade a number of
observations, citingwhat it was like to personally be in
ashipwreck, make it to shore in a storm,and be among a tribal
people. Luke wasaware that, in their travels, Paul wasthe primary
person, and not himself. Hiswork was the more weighty one.
Because of his extensive travelswith, and companionship of,
Paul, manyof the church fathers felt the Gospel hewrote was a
record of the Gospel Paulpreached. While that is no doubt true, Ido
not prefer to state such a thing. Itseems to me to detract from the
bookbeing written through the inspiration ofGod, as was all
Scripture (2 Tim 3:16-17). Also, Luke confessed he had a“perfect
understanding” of the thingshe recorded. That is how I prefer
tothink of this book.
It is evident that Luke devoted hislife to the Lord. From the
first recordedtime that he was with Paul in Troas.(Acts 16:8-11),
until Paul arrived inRome (Acts 28:16), was approximatelyten years
– a solid decade with theapostle Paul, with no record of him
everleaving him. What a sterling testimonyto the reliability and
devotion of thisman. Being a physician, it is more thanlikely that
he had extensive education.However, in the interest of the work
ofthe Lord, he appears to have largelyforfeited that advantage in
order todevote himself to the work of Paul,
ministering to him, and recording thegeneral activities of the
church from theascension of Christ until Paul’s arrival inRome.
The period of time from theascension of Christ until the
officialjoining of Luke with Paul was aboutseventeen years – a
period filled withholy activity, persecution, and thespread of the
Gospel. It is distinctlypossible that Luke was present duringthat
entire period, which would accountfor him saying he had a
perfectunderstanding “from the beginning.”
Some are of the opinion Luke was one of the “seventy,” sent out
by Jesus (Luke 10:1-12). JEROME Others think hewas the companion of
Cleophas, which iswhy the companion is unnamed in theaccount
recorded in Luke 24.THEOPHYL Alegend recorded by the
increduloushistorian Nicephorus Callisus (died1450) states Luke was
acquainted withthe art of painting, and provided thefirst portraits
of the Lord, His mother,and His chief apostles.
You see what men are prone to dowith a little revelation. Not
content withthe Spirit’s record, they seek to develophistory to
suit their own liking, anddraw attention to themselves. Thistrend
is very prevalent in our time.Strictly speaking, the Word of God
isnot for scholars, but for believers. Itmust be recognized that
scholarship,however valuable it may appear to be,takes a back-seat
to believing.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 4 of 17
-
A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
AN INTRODUCTION TO THEOPHILUS
Theophilus is mentioned onlytwice in Scripture, both of them in
thewritings of Luke. The Gospel of Luke,as stated in the text, was
written tothis man. Additionally, the book of Actswas written to
him in order todocument what happed after “the dayin which He was
taken up, after that Hethrough the Holy Ghost had givencommandments
unto the apostleswhom He had chosen: To whom alsoHe showed Himself
alive after Hispassion by many infallible proofs, being
seen of them forty days, and speakingof the things pertaining to
the kingdomof God" (Acts 1:2-3).
The name Theophilus means“friend” (philus) of “God (theo).
Someof the “church fathers” take theposition that this is not a
person at all,but is addressed to all believers, whom,they say, are
friends of God. However,the expression “most excellentTheophilus”
(Luke 1:3) seems to me toforbid such a contrived explanation.
For
myself, it will suffice to say that Thisman was apparently a
believer, hadoccupied some high office, and was anacquaintance of
Luke. It is thought,with reasonable support, that theGospel of Luke
(56 A.D.) was writtenabout seven years before the book ofActs (63
A.D.). Whether precise or not,that suggests some obvious devotionon
the part of Theophilus over thatseven-year interval of time. He did
notlose his interest in the things of Godover that period of
time.
MANY HAVE TAKEN IN HAND TO SET FORTH IN ORDER
" LUKE 1:1a Forasmuch as many havetaken in hand to set forth in
order. . . ”
FORASMUCH. “Forasmuch as.”Other versions read, “inasmuch,”
NKJV
“Since,” NRSV "As," BBE "Now,” NET
"Seeing that," NJB and “since [as is wellknown].” AMPLIFIED
The lexical meaning of the word“forasmuch,” is “Conjunction:
seeing that,forasmuch as; since now,” THAYER “a causalconjunction
with reference to a well-known factsince indeed, inasmuch as,
considering that,”FRIBERG “because, since, for, inasmuch as.”
LOUW-NIDA
Luke will now cite a circumstancethat had encouraged him to
write thistreatise to Theophilus. One of the traitsof a godly mind
is that of holydeliberation – being moved along bythoughtful and
proper incentives.
MANY HAVE TAKEN IN HAND“. . . many have taken in hand...”
Other versions read, “Many haveundertaken,” NASB "a number of
attemptshave been made," BBE "Many peoplehave already applied
themselves," CEB
"many have been disposed to" MRD
"Many people have set out to," NLT
“many people have tried to,” IE “Manypeople have tried to,” CEV
“Many peoplehave done their best.” GNB
Early on, there had been a
plethora of writings about Jesus.Actually, most of them
eventually fellby the wayside of erroneous thought.Perhaps some
were needlessredundancy, or the writer did not seeenough to write
about Jesus, having avery limited and rudimentary view ofthe
Savior. We have a similarphenomenon today – many
preachers,teachers, and writers that have a verylimited view of the
truth. There is aneed for someone to rise up and throwdown modern
imaginations.
This also involves the awarenessof how others have treated the
subjectof dissertation. Some things that arewritten are incorrect,
perhaps skewed,and may even be a deliberatemisrepresentation of the
truth of God.There is a need for such writings to beexposed so they
will not lead othersastray. Other things need to beconfirmed in
order to establish theunanimity that exists among those whoare
living by faith. Still others areclumsily stated and need
clarification.
- Jesus Himself dealt with things likethis. In the teaching of
His discipleson a mountain, He four times saidthe following: “Ye
have heard that ithath been said . . . But I say untoyou” (Matt
5:31-48–esp. verses31,33,38, and 43). Two times Hespecifically
addressed certain
sayings: “Ye have heard that is wassaid,” then providing a
morethorough view of things Matt5:21,27).
- Jesus rebuked the church inPergamos for having some amongthem
that held to the doctrine ofBalaam, and the doctrine of
theNicolaitanes, which He hated (Rev2:14-15).
- He warned His disciples about “thedoctrine of the doctrine of
thePharisees and of the Sadducees”(Matt 16:6,11-12).
- Jesus spoke of the blind leading theblind, and both falling
into the ditch(Matt 5:14).
- The apostles and elders cametoge the r to co r r ec t
themisconception that some fromJerusalem were teaching: "Exceptye
be circumcised after the mannerof Moses, ye cannot be saved"(Acts
15:1).
- In his letter to the churches inGalatia, Paul decimated some
falseteaching concerning circumcisionthat they had been taught
(Gal5:6,12; 6:13,15).
- Paul addressed the erroneous saying
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 5 of 17
-
A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
that some had credited to him: “Letus do evil that good may
come”(Rom 3:8). He challenged some inthe church in Corinth who
weresaying, “There is no resurrection ofthe dead” (1 Cor
15:12).
- Paul warned the Colossians aboutdoctrinal encroachments
thatinvolved the observing of Jewishfeasts, and heathen philosophy
(Col2:8-10).
- Jude warned his readers aboutcertain men who had crept in
amongthem unawares, and were subtlyturning them away from the
Lord(Jude 1:4).
Luke sees a need to provide somemore focused and precise
writingconcerning Christ Jesus and the thingsrelated to Him.
TO SET FORTH IN ORDER"1:1b . . . to set forth in order.”
Other versions read, “set in order anarrative,” NKJV “compile an
account,”NASB “draw up an account,” NIV “setdown an orderly
account,” NRSV “to puttogether in order an account, BBE
“Several biographies of Christ,” LIVING
“arrange a narrative,” ABP “tried to tellthe story of what God
has done amongus,” CEV “compose accounts of themovement which has
developed amongus,” GOODSPEED and, “put in order anddraw up a
[thorough] narrative.” AMPLIFIED
The mind of man, as I see things,is intended to think in an
orderly andpurposeful manner. This is whyimaginations,
self-exalting thoughts,and unreasonableness are intrusionsinto the
mind rather than trulyproductive considerations. These arethings to
be thrown down, else soundthinking and profitable reasoning will
beimpossible. This is the reason for theunfortunate existence of
skewedpreaching and for formation offundamentally flawed bodies of
religiousthought.
When Paul declared the truth, heoften “reasoned” with the people
(Acts17:2; 18:4,19; 24:25). He was settingforth truth within the
context of Divine
purpose, and the totality of God’srevelation. When he
confrontedopposition and had seen hostility, it wasbecause the
objectors had adopted an erroneous line of reasoning. They hadread
and valued the Scriptures,combined them with human tradition,and
come up with inaccurateconclusions that actually were set
inopposition to the truth of God.
Godly reasoning postulates theorderly integration of
thoughts.Sometimes, but not always, thisinvolves perceiving the
proper sequenceof things:–i.e., first law, thentransgression (Rom
4:15); first theputting away of sin, then justification(Rom :8-9);
first justification, thenglorification (Rom 8:30).
In saying “many have taken inhand,” Luke is not speaking of
apostleswho had written an orderly account ofthe events he will
describe (Matthew
and John). Those two could hardly bereferred to as “many.”
Rather, he isreferring to spurious gospels thateventually faded
away. The specificones to which he refers had apparentlyalready
been tried by the apostles,found wanting, and removed, for whichwe
give thanks. That was part of theresponsibility of the apostles –
toensure that the truth of God was in thehands and minds of the
people, andcompeting and fragmentary gospelsremoved. They
buttressed this by theirfaithful proclamation of the truth ofGod,
especially as revealed in theGospel. Paul, as the apostle to
theGentiles, did the same thing, pointingout heresy, showing its
inconsistency,and lifting up the truth of God.
Later, a plethora of false gospelswere distributed, which were
alsothrown down by those leaders whoembraced and comprehended the
truth ofGod. Among them are the following. This
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 6 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
is not a pleasant ministry, but it is aneedful one – and
spiritual weaponry hasbeen provided to do it (2 Cor 10:3-4).
TAKEN FROM
http://www.biblicaltraining.org/library/apocryphal-gospels
- Acts of Paul- Gospel of Thomas and Gospel of the
Egyptians (both of these taught thatsexual acts within marriage
werewrong, and that salvation is notobtained through faith, but
throughmystical knowledge) – Gnosticgospels
- Gospel of Judas (taught that Jesusasked Judas to betray Him so
thatHis spirit would be liberated from Hishuman body)
- The Gospel of Thomas- Gospel of the twelve apostles- Gospel of
Barnabas- Gospel of Bartholomew- Gospel of Mary- Gospel of
Egyptians- Gospel of the Hebrews
- The Gospel of the Nazarenes- The Gospel of Marcion (deleted
the
baptism and temptation ofJesus)–200 A.D.
- The Ebionite Gospel- The Apocalypse of Peter (200 A.D.).
SOME OBSERVATIONSAs time continued to march
toward the consummation of all things,the caliber of Christian
leaders began todeteriorate. This was largely owing tothe g rowing
dominance ofinstitutionalization, and reliance uponacademics , and
educat iona laccreditation. Even though theseformalizations were
imagined to be themeans of plugging up the entrance oferror, they
became the conduit throughwhich it came. Instead of error
beingthrown down as soon as it surfaced,men formed symposiums to
examinethe error with nothing more than humanunderstanding. This
tardy andineffectual manner of dealing with erroractually allowed
for the formation of
sects, or denominations. In this wayerror eventually came to be
tolerated,because those who embraced it choseto call themselves
“Christians.” Ratherthan a strong militant stance againsterror, a
new tolerant attitude wasadopted in the interest of not
offending“the weaker brother.” The result of thisaccommodating
attitude is a splinteredand ineffective Christendom that hasbrought
disgrace to God and His Son,an emaciated and powerless church,
ahidden Gospel, and a dominatingspiritual ignorance of the things
of God.
In my understanding, this isprecisely the thing that Luke wrote
tocounteract. He had the understandingthat was required to lay out
the Gospelin an orderly and God-glorifying manner.He also perceived
that knowing thetruth set men free from religious erroras well as
moral contamination andalienation from God. An ignorance ofthe
things of God is always devastating,and therefore harmful to
believers.
THE THINGS MOST ASSUREDLY BELIEVED AMONG US
“ 1:1c . . . a declaration of thosethings which are most surely
believedamong us."
At once, you should be able to seethe disastrous effects of
divisionswithin the professing church, withcontradicting
persuasions andmessages, the lack of brotherly love,and cloisters
that have gathered aroundmere human opinion.
The present condition ofChristendom is a flagrant
contradictionof what is stated in this text. Officiallythere are
about 41,000 “Christian”denominations. The Roman Catholicchurch
affirms it is the one true church.The Apostolic church, and the
Orthodoxchurch also make the claim of being theoriginal church.
Some segments of theRestoration Movement also claim
thisdistinction, together with some factionswithin the Baptist
church and other“Apostolic” groups.
Luke will now address somethingthat sets “the body of Christ”
apartfrom all human institutions. He willspeak of those in Christ
as separatefrom all other peoples. He will affirmthey hold to a
“declaration” that is heldby no other body of people. Part of
theinfluence of the truth is the oneness ofthose who embrace and
proclaim it.
This has always been true. Whenthe custodians of truth fail to
proclaimit, the effect of the truth itself fails.
Under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,the prophet Isaiah
proclaimed this,which actually took place in Israel."And judgment
is turned awaybackward, and justice standeth afar off:for truth is
fallen in the street, andequity cannot enter. Yea, truth
faileth;and he that departeth from evil makethhimself a prey: and
the LORD saw it,and it displeased Him that there was nojudgment"
(Isa 59:14-15). Otherversions express those highlightedphrases in
this way: “truth has
At once, you should be able to see thedisastrous effects of
divisions within theprofessing church, with
contradictingpersuasions and messages, the lack ofbrotherly love,
and cloisters that havegathered around mere human opinion.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 7 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
stumbled in the street . . . truth islacking,” NASB “truth has
stumbled in thestreets . . . truth is nowhere to befound,” NIV
“truth stumbles in the publicsquare . . . truth is lacking,”
NRSV
"stumbles in the public court. . . truthis missing," CJB "truth
hath been feeblein the street . . . and the truth islacking" YLT
“Truth falls dead in thestreets . . . truth is gone,” LIVING
and“Truth has fallen in the street (the city’sforum) . . . yes,
truth is lacking” AMPLIFIED
I suppose there are some naivesouls who do not think truth can
fall orfail, but the Holy Spirit says otherwise. The truth of the
matter is that God willnot allow such conditions to
remainindefinitely. Rather, He will do what Hesaid through Amos
–send a famine ofHEARING the Word of the Lord. Here isthat salient
prophecy. "Behold, the dayscome, saith the Lord GOD, that I
willsend a famine in the land, not a famineof bread, nor a thirst
for water, but ofhearing the words of the LORD: Andthey shall
wander from sea to sea, andfrom the north even to the east,
theyshall run to and fro to seek the word ofthe LORD, and shall not
find it. In thatday shall the fair virgins and young menfaint for
thirst" (Amos 8:11-13). This isthe circumstance of our time. The
Wordof God still exists. However, it is theHEARING of it that is no
longercommon. The pulpits have largely driedup, and been given over
to cheap andineffectual counseling at the best, andraw
entertainment at the worst.
This general condition is largelyunknown because the attention
ofprofessing “Christians” has been drawnto lesser things. Now, few
professingbelievers have a clear and cogent ideaof the things to
which Luke now refers:“those things which are most surelybelieved
among us."
Now Luke will labor to keep sucha thing from happening. He knows
thatif the truth is not understood, it will notbe proclaimed, and
it will not betranslated into life. If there is nocertainty, there
will not be a consistentdeclaration. Therefore, he will, underthe
direction of the Holy Spirit, putthem down in writing.
A DECLARATION“ 1:1c . . . a declaration . . .” Other
versions read, “a narrative,” NKJV
“compile an account,” NASB “draw up anaccount,” NIV “set down an
orderlyaccount,” NRSV "put together in order anaccount," BBE "draw
up a relation," DARBY
"draw up accounts of the events," NJB
“biographies,” LIVING “a narrative of thefacts,” WEYMOUTH and
“put in order anddraw up a [thorough] narrative. AMPLIFIED
John Gill writes this explanation ofthe verse: “that is, they
undertook to write andpublish a very particular and exact narrative
of thebirth, life, actions, doctrines, miracles, sufferings,death,
resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ;things which Luke, and
other Christians, had thefullest and strongest evidence, and were
confidentlyassured of, and most firmly believed, even with a
fullassurance of faith.” JOHN GILL
The point Luke is making is thatthese various accounts did not
presenta clear record to the people. In somecases, this might have
been a deliberateattempt to malign the Christ and thosewho believed
on Him. However,although that is possible, it does notappear to me
that this is thecircumstance to which Luke refers. Irather see this
as referring to theattempts of relative novices to set forththe
Christ. They did not have enoughunderstanding to present the facts
ofthe case, taking into account thefollowing.
- That the facts men sought to reportwere actually the working
of “thewonderful works of God” (Acts2:11; John 14:10).
- That the facts were done infulfillment of God’s “will”
(John4:34; 6:38).
- That they were done in fulfillment ofthe law and the prophets
(Matt5:17).
- That the end of Christ’s life wasmore meaningful than what He
didas He “went about doing good, andhealing all who were possessed
ofthe devil” (Acts 10:38) – Rom 8:34.
- That men needed more than an
example of how to live.
- That Christ’s greater ministry was inheaven, following His
death andresurrection (Acts 2:33-36; 5:31Rom 8:34; Eph 1:20-22; Heb
7:25;8:1).
- That Jesus did not come to bringpeace (Matt 10:34).
Men still have this tendency ofpresenting the truth of God in
thewrong manner.
- As though Jesus came to solidifydomestic families.
- As though He came so men mightbe in good health, and have
muchwealth.
- As though He came so men could bethe head, and not the tail,
be lendersinstead of borrowers, and functionas leaders in
governmental circles.
In all of these emphases, anunshakable body of reality is
notrequired – but such is required for mento stand by faith, and
prepare for theend of the world and the coming ofChrist.
THOSE THINGS“ . . . of those things . . .” These
things relate specifically to Christ Jesus– the reason for His
entrance into theworld, what was accomplished whileHe was in the
world; and what He isdoing now that He has been seated atthe right
hand of God. All of thecontrived purposes of men are notsupported
by facts, but bysuppositions. They do not rest upon thedeath,
burial, resurrection, andexaltation of Christ – and that isbecause
those realities were driven bya high and God-ordained purpose.
MOST SURELY BELIEVED “ . . . which are most surely
believed . . .” Other versions read,“which have been fulfilled
among us,”NKJV “things accomplished among us,”NASB “been surely
believed,” NIV FOOTNOTE "those events which took place amongus,"
BBE "the matters fully believed
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 8 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
among us" DARBY "those things, whereofwe are fully persuaded"
GENEVA "thoseevents, of which we have fullassurance," MRD "things
which are surelyknown among us," TNT "matters thathave been fully
assured among us," YLT
“the certainties which have taken placeamong us,” IE “the facts
which arereceived with full assurance among us,”WEYMOUTH “those
matters which havebeen fully established among us,”MONTGOMERY
“having full assurance amongus,” ABP “the story of what God hasdone
among us,” CEV “the things thathappened among us to complete
God'splan,” ERV “accounts of the movementwhich has developed among
us,”GOODSPEED “those things which among ushave been most certain,”
JUB and “thesurely established deeds which havebeen accomplished
and fulfilled in andamong us.” AMPLIFIED
I do not know when the imaginedmeaning of “what God has done
among us” was thought to be correct (ascompared to “surely
believed.” Thiswas not representative of the thinkingin the past.
Below are some examplesof how this text was viewed byrespected
commentators. This does notconstitute proof of the matter, but
onlysubstantiates that a change in thinkingtook place in the
Christian community.
PULPIT COMMENTARY. “There was evidently noquestioning in the
Church of the first days about thetruth of the story of the
teaching and the mightyworks of Jesus of Nazareth.”
JOHN GILL. “That is, they undertook to write andpublish a very
particular and exact narrative of the
birth, life, actions, doctrines, miracles, sufferings,death,
resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ;things which Luke, and
other Christians, had thefullest and strongest evidence, and were
confidentlyassured of, and most firmly believed, even with a
fullassurance of faith.”
JOHN CALVIN. “It looks, therefore, as if he wereexpressing a
resolution to do what had been alreadydone. I reply, though he
deals gently with those whohad written before him, he does not
altogetherapprove of their labors. He does not expressly saythat
they had written on matters with which they wereimperfectly
acquainted, but by laying claim to certaintyas to the facts, he
modestly denies their title to fulland unshaken confidence.”
ALBERT BARNES. “That all Christians do “mostsurely believe” the
truth of the gospel. It is theirlife, their hope, their all. Nor
can they doubt thattheir Savior lived, bled, died, rose, and still
lives;that he was their atoning sacrifice, and that he is Godover
all, blessed forever.”
ADAM CLARKE. “Facts confirmed by the fullestevidence- twn
peplhroforhmenwn pragmatwn.Every thing that had been done or said
by Jesus Christwas so public, so plain, and so accredited
bythousands of witnesses, who could have had nointerest in
supporting an imposture, as to carry thefullest conviction, to the
hearts of those who heardand saw him, of the divinity of his
doctrine, and thetruth of his miracles.”
MATTHEW HENRY: “That the things he wrote of werethings that were
most surely believed among allCHRISTIANS, and therefore things
which they ought tobe instructed in, that they may know what they
believe,and things which ought to be transmitted to posterity(who
are as much concerned in them as we are); and,in order to that, to
be committed to writing, which isthe surest way of conveyance to
the ages to come.”
This by no means is offered asundeniable proof of the meaning of
thepassage. I only intend to point out achange took place in the
thinking ofpurported language experts.
The lexical meaning of the wordtranslated “believed” is as
follows: “tobear or bring full, to make full; to cause a thing to
beshown to the full; to fulfil the ministry in every; tocarry
through to the end, things that have beenaccomplished; to fill one
with any thought, conviction,or inclination; to make one certain,
to persuade,convince one; to be persuaded, persuaded,
fullyconvinced or assured; c3) to render inclined or benton; Usage:
AV - be fully persuaded 2, be most surelybelieved 1, be fully known
1, make full proof.” THAYER
I therefore conclude that, from thestandpoint of etymology,
there is nojustifiable reason for not accepting thestandard
reading, “those things whichare most surely believed among us."
More Suitable ContextuallyIn my judgment, the words “surely
believed,” blend in better with the text.Luke’s Gospel is
estimated to have beenwritten between 60-70 A.D. The bookof Acts
contains records of Paul arrivingin Rome, which was close to 60
A.D.All of this being true, at least thirty,and as many as forty,
years had passedsince Jesus ascended into heaven. Tome, it is
inconceivable that “us” islimited to those who actually
witnessedthe events chronicled in this Gospel.Notwithstanding,
because this cannotbe conclusively proved, I must let thematter
rest there, stating that this ishow I understand it.
AMONG US“ . . . among us." The vast
majority of the versions read “amongus.”I understand this to
mean Luke iswriting to Theophilus about the thingsof which
believers of that time werepersuaded.
WHAT ABOUT “AMONG US” TODAY?What would a person say today
about what is “most surely believedamong us?” – and who would
“us” be?If one was to attempt to speak for allbelievers – which is
who Luke wasspeaking for– I cannot begin to imagine
I cannot begin to imagine the kind ofanswers that might be put
forward. As awhole, Christendom cannot even agree onwho Jesus is,
why He came, what Heaccomplished, what He is doing now, and
thethings related to Him coming again.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 9 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
the kind of answers that might be putforward. As a whole,
Christendomcannot even agree on who Jesus is,why He came, what He
accomplished,what He is doing now, and the thingsrelated to Him
coming again. In fact, it
is my persuasion that if any localcongregation was asked to put
forwardthe things concerning which everyonewas persuaded, there is
no question inmy mind but that the people wouldattempt to defend
their sect – and, even
at that, they would probably be able tomake only a relatively
brief statement.This kind of language – “most surelybelieved” is
simply not the waycontemporary Christians speak.
THEY DELIVERED THEM UNTO US
“ 1:2a Even as they delivered themunto us . . .”
THEY“Even as they . . .” Other versions
read “those.” NKJV As Luke will clarify,these were the apostles
– menpersonally chosen by the Christ Himself.Throughout His
ministry, from thebeginning to the end, they were withHim. They are
declared to be the “first”in rank that were placed within
thechurch, which is the body of Christ:"But now hath God set the
membersevery one of them in the body, as ithath pleased him . . .
"And God hathset some in the church, first apostles,secondarily
prophets, thirdly teachers,after that miracles, then gifts
ofhealings, helps, governments,diversities of tongues" (1 Cor
12:18).The “prophets” placed “secondarily” inthe church are not the
“prophets”classed with Moses –i.e. “Moses andthe prophets” (Luke
16:29,31; 24:27;John 1:45). Insofar as preeminence wasconcerned,
Jesus said, "For all theprophets and the law prophesied untilJohn"
(Matt 11:13). Their ministry wasto prepare for Christ. The prophets
thatare secondary in the church are thosewith gifted insight into
the things ofGod, who consistently speak “untoedification,
exhortation, and comfort”(1 Cor 11:3). There were men of
thiscaliber in the church at Antioch ofSyria: "Now there were in
the churchthat was at Antioch certain prophetsand teachers; as
Barnabas, and Simeonthat was called Niger, and Lucius of
Cyrene, and Manaen, which had beenbrought up with Herod the
tetrarch, and
Saul" (Acts 13:1). Also, note that“teachers” are third in rank
in thechurch (1 Cor 12:28).
It is what the apostles taught thatLuke described as “those
things whichare most surely believed among us.”
DELIVERED THEM TO US “ . . . delivered them unto us . . .”
Other versions read, “just as,” NKJV "basedon," CJB "According
as" DOUAY "Theyreceived their information from,” GWN “onthe
authority of,” WEYMOUTH “They wrotewhat we had been told,” CEV
“What theyhave written agrees with,” “They wrotewhat we have been
told,” GNB and “usingreports handed down.” MESSAGE
You see what a tangled web hasbeen woven by those who
representthe text as saying “things accomplishedamong us,” NIV
instead “things that aremost assuredly believed among us.” Inthe
first instance, we have men writingabout things that took place
amongthem, but their report is not what itought to be. Therefore,
Luke is requiredto write some additional things, and todo so in an
orderly manner.
The “done among us” is not at allLuke’s meaning. He is going to
accountfor the things that are surely believedamong the saints,
tracing it back to whatthe apostles had made known aboutwhat was
accomplished by Jesus.
It is the doctrine of the apostlesthat is to be preached, and
taught withinsight. The early church was faithful incontinuing
“steadfastly in,” first of all,“the apostles doctrine” (Acts
2:42).
What is referred to as the “greatcommission” was delivered
specificallyto the apostles (Matt 28:18-20; Mk16:15-16). It is true
that, by inference,this is to be done by others: “Teachingthem to
observe all things whatsoeverI have commanded you: and, lo, I
amwith you alway, even unto the end ofthe world. Amen" (Matt 28:20)
–although no inspired man every saidsuch a thing. No one should
preachwho is ignorant of “the apostles’doctrine.” Further, no man
is sanctionedto preach any “doctrine” or “gospel”that was not
taught by the apostles.Any message that does not center in,and is
not summed up in, the LordJesus Christ, is neither gospel nor
truth.
Notwithstanding this ratherobvious conclusion, there is such
adiversity of gospels, saviors, andsalvation being preached that it
is mind-boggling. Professed “Christianity” ismore divided than any
other body ofreligious thought. Even though believersare told, "Now
I beseech you, brethren,by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,that
ye all speak the same thing, andthat there be no divisions among
you;but that ye be perfectly joined togetherin the same mind and in
the samejudgment." (1 Cor 1:10), men haveinsisted on causing and
maintainingdivisions, not having the same mind,and not using he
same judgment. Thatsimply means they have not taken thisadmonition
seriously, and that is a sinof the greatest gravity.
Notwithstanding this rather obvious conclusion, thereis such a
diversity of gospels, saviors, and salvationbeing preached that it
is mind-boggling.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 10 of 17
-
A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
THEY WERE EYE WITNESSES
“ 1:2b. . . which from the beginningwere eyewitnesses . . .”
Other versionsread, “from the first wereeyewitnesses,” NIV “those
who sawthem from the first," BBE "the originaleyewitnesses" CEB
"those who from thestart were eyewitnesses," CJB "whichfrom the
beginning saw them theirselves,” GENEVA "They used theeyewitness
reports circulating among usfrom the early disciples," NLT
"whichfrom the beginning saw themthemselves with their eyes," PNT
"whofrom the beginning became eye-witnesses," YLT “and those who
fromthe [official] beginning [of Jesus’ministry] were
eyewitnesses.” AMPLIFIED
It is possible to read this andimagine that anyone who was an
eyewitness to the working of those thingsmost assuredly believed
among us, wasqualified to be a witness. But this is notat all the
case. This very fact is whatcasts the shadow of doubt on men’suse
of, what they have chosen to call,“the great commission.”
These men were hand-picked bythe Lord Jesus Himself. Luke
himselfgives the account: "And when it wasday, He called unto him
His disciples:and of them He chose twelve, whomalso He named
apostles; Simon, (whomHe also named Peter,) and Andrew hisbrother,
James and John, Philip andBartholomew, Matthew and Thomas,James the
son of Alphaeus, and Simoncalled Zelotes, And Judas the brother
ofJames, and Judas Iscariot, which alsowas the traitor" (Luke
6:13-16).
Mark’s Gospel adds this: "And Heordained twelve, that they
should beWITH HIM, and that HE MIGHT SENDTHEM FORTH TO PREACH, and
to havepower to heal sicknesses, and to castout devils" (Mark
3:14-15). Everyonewas not free to be with Jesus all of thetime.
There were people He “sentaway” (Matt 15:39; Mk 4:36; 6:45;8:9).
But it is never said of His apostles,“and He sent them away.”
Jesus told “the twelve” things Hedid not say to anyone else
(About Elijahand John the Baptist, Matt 17:10-12).He explained
things to them He did notexplain to anyone else (expounding
theparable of the sower, Mk 4:11-20). Hetook them places to which
He took noone else (Gethsemane, John 18:1).They were permitted to
be with Him,when no one was allowed to be withthem (the Last
Supper, Lk 22:15). Theircalling, experience, and purpose
wereabsolutely unique.
The qualifications for an apostlewere spelled out by Peter, as
they wereawaiting the promise of the Father:"Wherefore of these men
which havecompanied with us all the time that theLord Jesus went in
and out among us,Beginning from the baptism of John,unto that same
day that he was takenup from us, must one be ordained to bea
witness with us of his resurrection." (Acts 1:21-22). Even at that
time, twowere found who met the qualification:"Joseph called
Barsabas, who wassurnamed Justus, and Mathias" (Acts1:23) – but
only one was chosen,Mathias. The inspired record says “hewas
numbered with the twelve” (Acts1:26), and “the twelve” are
mentionedas being in place before Saul of Tarsuswas called (Acts
6:2; 1 Cor 15:5). Paulwas the exclusive apostle to theGentiles (Rom
11:13; 1 Tim 2:7; 2 Tim1:11).
There were things revealed to theapostles that were not directly
revealedto anyone else. For example, no other
people were told, "Howbeit when He,the Spirit of truth, is come,
He willguide you into ALL TRUTH: for He shallnot speak of Himself;
but whatsoeverHe shall hear, that shall He speak: andHe will show
you things to come. Heshall glorify Me: for He shall receive
ofMine, and shall show it unto you. Allthings that the Father hath
are Mine:therefore said I, that He shall take ofMine, and shall
show it unto you" (John16:13-15).
I Understand this to mean that ourunderstanding must begin with
thetestimony of the apostles. The Spiritwill illuminate their word
to us, but wewill not know what they knew until wehave been exposed
to what they said.That is the way Jesus intends for thisto work. It
is why He kept the twelvewith Him all the time. It is why He
toldthem things no one else heard.
It was necessary for an apostle tohave seen everything Jesus did
in Hisministry, and hear every revelation orexplanation of the
truth that came fromHis mouth. They had to have beenexposed to all
of the events of Christ’sministry, from the beginning to the
end.The role of the Holy Spirit toward themwas to breathe life into
all of thesethings, bringing them to theirremembrance, and opening
them totheir understanding. Thus, they coulddeclare them with
insight and power.
This is how the body of Christworks. Various gifts are given
topeople, as determined by the Lord
I Understand this to mean that ourunderstanding must begin with
the testimonyof the apostles. The Spirit will illuminatetheir word
to us, but we will not know whatthey knew until we have been
exposed towhat they said.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 11 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
Himself. These gifts are to be used forthe edifying of the body
of Christ, inorder that the body may function as it isintended. In
this arrangement certainbenefits are enjoyed through othermembers
of the body, who have
become the means through whichJesus ministers to His brethren –
thechurch. The apostles are the appointedmeans through which the
“doctrine” isexpressed – the record Luke will nowset before
Theophilus, and ultimately us
also, in an orderly and precise manner.His understanding of what
the apostlestaught, given to him by the Head of thechurch both
qualifies and enables him todo this. Luke’s record is about
whatJesus began to do and teach (Acts 1:1).
THEY WERE MINISTERS OF THE WORD
“ 1:2C . . . and ministers of theword."
Luke is still writing concerning theapostles, in whose doctrine
the earlychurch continued steadfastly.
MINISTERS“. . . and ministers . . .” Other
versions read, “servants of the Word,”NASB "preachers of the
word," BBE
"proclaimers of the message," CJB
"attendants on the Word" (Luke 1:2DARBY "servants of God's
word,” GWN
"reports circulating among us," NLT
"officers of the Word,” YLT “preachedthe story,” IE devoted to
the service ofthe divine Message,”WEYMOUTH “ministersof the
message,” WILLIAMS “assistantshaving been of the word,” ABP
“servedGod by telling people his message,” ERV
“teachers of the message,” GOODSPEED
“who served this Word with their verylives,” MESSAGE and
“ministers of theWord [that is, of the doctrineconcerning the
attainment throughChrist of salvation in the kingdom ofGod].”
AMPLIFIED
The word translated “ministers” isnot the same word that is
ordinarilytranslated “minister,” or “servant”(doulos), which means
slave, orsomeone on subjection to another.Here, however, the Greek
word usedhere is “hoop-ay-ret-ace,” which means“in the NT of the
officers and attendants ofmagistrates; any one who aids another in
anywork.” THAYER It is more the idea of anofficial that is laboring
together with theHead, rather than one who is merelycarrying out
orders.
Some notable commentators areof the opinion that anyone
andeveryone who witnessed the work ofJesus, including the seventy
that were
sent out, are included in this text. I do not subscribe to that
view. In fact, itappears that Luke’s narrative suggeststhat is
exactly what had producedincomplete accounts of what wassurely
believed among the brethren. Thethings Jesus promised to the
apostleswere not delivered to every believer.
- “He shall teach you all things, andbring to your
remembrancewhatsoever I have said unto you”(John 14:26).
- "But when the Comforter is come,whom I will send unto you from
theFather, even the Spirit of truth,which proceedeth from the
Father,he shall testify of me: And ye alsoshall bear witness,
because ye havebeen with me from the beginning." (John
15:26-27).
- "Howbeit when he, the Spirit oftruth, is come, he will guide
you intoall truth: for he shall not speak ofhimself; but whatsoever
he shallhear, that shall he speak: and he willshow you things to
come. He shallglorify me: for he shall receive ofmine, and shall
show it unto you."All things that the Father hath aremine:
therefore said I, that he shalltake of mine, and shall show it
untoyou" (John 16:13-15).
A similar order is found in therevelation given to John on the
Isle ofPatmos. Here is how it is stated. "TheRevelation of Jesus
Christ, which Godgave unto Him, to show unto Hisservants things
which must shortlycome to pass; and he sent and signifiedit by His
angel unto His servant John: Who bare record of the word of God,and
of the testimony of Jesus Christ,and of all things that he saw . .
. Johnto the seven churches which are inAsia: Grace be unto you,
and peace,from him which is, and which was, andwhich is to come;
and from the sevenSpirits which are before his throne" (Rev
1:1,2,4). Notice the hierarchy.
- God gave the Revelation to Christ. - Christ gave it to His
angel.- The angel gave it to John.- John delivered it to the
messengers
of the seven churches to whom themessage was to be
delivered.
- The churches were told that themessages was spoken by the
HolySpirit to the churches (Rev2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22).
There was a thoroughness in theministry of the Holy Spirit to
theapostles that was unique. It wasbecause their work was unique.
They
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 12 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
put the foundation in place, while allothers built upon it. That
foundationhad to be flawless, so it was andremains, strictly
managed from heaven.
OF THE WORD “ . . . of the word." In this case,
the “word” is used in its general sense– a message, as opposed
to a singleword. However, there is a sense inwhich this message is
single and
unchangeable. It is not one of severalequally valuable messages,
but standsby itself, over and above all othermessages. It is not a
word that isadapted to times and circumstances,but is a message
that addresses men atthe levels where everyone is the same– either
saved or lost, righteous, orunrighteous, in Christ, or outside
ofChrist. This is a message that will neverrequire updating. It is
from an
unchangeable God (Mal 3:6), concernsan “eternal purpose” (Eph
3:11), and“eternal salvation” (Heb 5:9), with“eternal life: (Tit
1:2), and “eternalglory”(2 Tim 2:10). It offers “eternalredemption”
(Heb 9:12), and promisesan “eternal inheritance” (Heb 9:15).That,
dear reader, is a “great salvation,”and no one can afford to
neglect it (Heb2:3). No discerning person will want todisregard the
salvation of God.
IT SEEMED GOOD TO ME ALSO
" 1:3a It seemed good to me also...”Other versions read, “it
seemed fitting,”NASB “I too decided,” NRSV "I thought itwould be a
good idea," GWN “it seemedproper," MRD “I determined also,” TNT
“itoccurred to me that it would be well,”LIVING “it has seemed
right,” WEYMOUTH “feltimpressed to,” WILLIAMS and “It seemedgood
and desirable to me.” AMPLIFIED
John was led by God to providesome additional details about the
thingsmost assuredly believed among thefollowers of Jesus. All of
the factsrelated to the life of Jesus upon theearth would not be
recorded by a singleman. This would allow for multiplewitnesses of
the life of Jesus that werein some ways different, yet
perfectly
harmonious. The true nature of Jesuswas revealed in all four
Gospels, withnone of them competing with anotherone. It appears to
me that this wasnecessary because of the astoundingnumber of things
Jesus said and did,the number of individuals that wereimpacted by
His Presence, and thescope of the things that He said anddid. I
gather that no single person wascapable of containing and recalling
suchsheer volume.
The inspiration of God transcendshuman reasoning, but, in some
ways,the capacity of created beings remainslimited to some degree.
There is even acertain transcendency to theseconsiderations that,
for me, dictates
limited comment. It will suffice to saythat, for Luke, it made
perfect sense torecord events related to the life ofJesus,
informing Theophilus of thequantity and nature of the things
thatwere most assuredly believed amongthe followers of Jesus.
Within a sectarian environment,this kind of thing situation
would rarely,if ever, be presented. For one thing,sectarianism does
not allow for such avolume of considerations. Additionally,the
theology of the factionist tends tointellectual and spiritual
simplicity.Varying, yet valid, perspectives are notallowed in a
sectarian environment.,which, by its very nature, is bothnarrow and
bigoted.
HAVING HAD PERFECT UNDERSTANDING FROM THE VERY FIRST
“ 1:3b . . . , having had perfectunderstanding of all things
from thevery first . . .”
Other versions read, “havinginvestigated everything
carefullyfrom the beginning,” NASB “I myselfhave investigated
everythingthoroughly from the beginning,” NIV
“having followed all things closelyfor some time past,” RSV
"havingtraced the course of all thingsaccurately from the first,"
ASV
"made observation, with greatcare, of the direction of events
intheir order," BBE "having traced the
course of all things accurately from thefirst," ERV "as soon as
I had searched outperfectly all things from the beginning,"GENEVA
"after carefully going over thewhole story from the beginning,"
NJB
"having followed from the first after allthings exactly," YLT
“it occurred to methat it would be well to recheck allthese
accounts from first to last andafter thorough investigation,”
LIVING and“after having searched out diligentlyand followed all
things closely andtraced accurately the course from thehighest to
the minutest detail from thevery first.” AMPLIFIED
I must confess that I do not at allagree with the majority of
thesetranslations. They present a picture thatis wholly lacking.
Most of theseversions present Luke’s Gospel, as athough it was
merely the result of adetailed study of all of the documentsand
witnesses that had been incirculation. Such expressions do nottake
into consideration the inspiration ofthe Holy Spirit, who doubtless
movedLuke to write this account. The HolySpirit also must have
given himunderstanding, as Jesus did before Heleft the world, and
as the Spirit didwhen He recalled the words of Jesus to
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 13 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
the apostles (John 14:26), andguided them into all truth
(John16:13). How is it that God wouldopen the eyes of the
understandingof all believers to the truth of theGospel, but would
allow Luke togain understanding by an academicexercise? Has an
academicapproach to the Scriptures everbeen the mode of the
Kingdom. Isit remotely possible that theprodigious ministry of
Jesus couldbe summed up by merely reviewingthat has been written
about Jesus?And then, would God make such arecord part of “the
Scriptures?”
Therefore, I reject theseversions of Luke 1:3, countingthem as
nothing more than theexpression of human imagination.
But it is not enough to merelyd i s a g r e e w i t h t h e s
erepresentations. I intend to showyou their utter absurdity.
If Luke’s Gospel is really asort of compilation of
otherdocuments and reports that wereextant during that time, then
hisGospel would be unique only in thematter of order, or
sequence.However, this is not at all the case.
FIFTY TWO THINGS LUKEREPORTS THAT ARE NOT IN ANY
OF THE OTHER GOSPELSHere are fifty-two things
recorded by Luke that are not inany other section of the
Scriptures.No other Gospel reports them.They include thirteen
parables, anumber of Jesus’ miracles, andevents related to His
betrayal,death, resurrection, and postresurrection appearances.
This isprobably not a complete index, butwill confirm the magnitude
of atask that could simply not beaccomplished with the
humanintellect and discipline alone.
- The birth of John the Baptist (Lk 1:5-23,57-80).
- Mary’s contact with Elizabeth (Lk1:39-45).
- Mary’s song of praise (Lk 1:46-56).
- The taxation at the time of Jesus’ birth (Lk2:1-3).
- Joseph and Mary going to Bethlehem (Lk2:4-5).
- The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem (Lk 2:6-7).- Angel’s
appearance to the shepherds (Lk
2:8-20).- The circumcision of Jesus (Lk 2:21).- The presentation
of the baby Jesus to the
Lord (Lk 2:22-24).- The record of God’s word to Simeon, and
Simeon’s prophecy (Lk 2:25-35).- The record of Anna the
prophetess (Lk
2:36-38).- The growth of Jesus (Lk 2:40, 52).- The trip of Mary,
Joseph, and Jesus to
Jerusalem when he was twelve (Lk 2:41-51).
- The counsel of John the Baptist to thosewho asked him
questions (Lk 3:10-14).
- The genealogy is traced from Adam to Jesus(Luke 3:23-38).
- Jesus’ sermon in Nazareth (Lk 4:16-30).- Mentioned a time when
“the power of the
Lord was present to heal them” (Lk 5:17)- Healing of the woman
bowed over for
eighteen years (Lk 13:10-17).- Healing of the man with dropsy
(Lk 14:1-6).- Healing of Malchus’ ear (Lk 22:49-51).- Details of
His appearance to the two on the
road to Emmaus (Lk 24:15-45).- Opening of the understanding of
two of His
disciples, that they might understand theScriptures (Lk
24:45).
- The ascension of Jesus (Lk 24:51).- Parable of the two debtors
(Lk 7:41-47).- Women who supported Jesus (Lk 8:3).- Parable of the
rich fool who tore down his
barns (Lk 12:16-21).- Parable of servants waiting for their
Lord,
who came to them and served them (Lk12:35-40).
- Parable of the barren fig tree (Lk 13:6-9)- Parable of the
good Samaritan (Lk 10:30-
37).- Parable of the man whom, at midnight,
asked to be lent three loaves (Lk 11:5-8).- Parable of a man who
prepared a great
supper (Lk 14:15-24).
- Parable of the lost coin (Lk 15:8-10).- Parable of the
prodigal son (Lk 15:15-31).- Parable of the unjust steward (Lk
16:1-9).- Account of Lazarus and the rich man (Lk
16:19-31).- Parable of the importunate widow (Lk 18:1-
8).- Parable of the prayers of one Pharisee and
a publican (Lk 18:9-14).- Parable of the pounds (Lk 19:1-17).-
Ten lepers healed, with only one returning
(Lk 17:11-19).- About counting the cost (Lk 14:28-33).- Account
of Zacchaeus (Lk 19:1-10).- Account of two disciples getting the
colt
tied, and bringing it to Jesus (Lk 19:30-35).- The identity of
the two who prepared the
Passover on the eve of Christ’s betrayal –Peter and John (Lk
22:8-12).
- Jesus telling Peter of Satan desiring tosift him, and that He
would pray for him (Lk22:31-32).
- An angel appearing in Gethsemane andstrengthening Jesus as He
prayed (Lk22:43).
- Jesus sweating, as it were, great drops ofblood (Lk
22:44).
- Healing of Malchus’ ear, that Peter cut off (Lk 22:51).
- Pilate and Herod becoming friends (Lk23:12).
- Jesus saying to the thief, “Today shalt thoube with me in
paradise” (Lk 23:43).
- The report of Cleopas and his companion tothe eleven and those
who were with them(Lk 24:33-35).
- The opening of the understanding of theeleven and those with
them after Hisresurrection (Lk 24:44-49).
- After Jesus’ ascension, the disciplesreturning to Jerusalem
with great joy,continuing in the Temple, praising andblessing God
(Lk 24:51-53).
Permit me to emphasize that I willnot accept the postulate that
such arecord could possibly be accomplishedwithout the illuminating
ministry of theHoly Spirit.
Permit me to emphasize that I will not acceptthe postulate that
such a record couldpossibly be accomplished without theilluminating
ministry of the Holy Spirit.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 14 of 17
-
A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
TO WRITE IN ORDER
“ 1:3c . . . to write unto thee inorder, most excellent
Theophilus."
Other versions read, “an orderlyaccount,” NKJV “in consecutive
order,”NASB "the direction of events in theirorder," BBE "carefully
ordered account,"CEB "write to thee with method," DARBY
"from point to point," GENEVA "a carefulaccount," NLT “I put it
in order,” IE “aconnected account,” WEYMOUTH “exactlywhat took
place,” CEV “in orderlyfashion,” EMTV ““from the highest tothe
minutest detail.” AMPLIFIED
This does not suggest thatMatthew, Mark, and John were
notwritten in precise order – for theywere so written. Luke is
rathercomparing his writing with thewritings of “others” who had
takenupon themselves to record the thingsassociated with Jesus,
relying upontheir own understanding. Thosespurious gospels had
obvious left outsome critical things, and that becausethey were not
inspired. Of course,those who imagine that Luke’s Gospelis the
outworking of his own
understanding and analytical skillshave unwittingly classed him
withthose who wrote spurious gospels.
The working of the Lord,
particularly in salvation, is notcharacterized by randomness or
a lackof order. That He does things in anorderly manner is seen in
the creation,and even more so in salvation.
Jesus portrayed this in one ofHis matchless parables. "For the
earthbringeth forth fruit of herself; first theblade, then the ear,
after that the fullcorn in the ear" (Mark 4:28).Orderliness allows
for progression.
This kind of order is seen in theaccomplishment of
salvation.
- First foreknowledge, thenpredestination, then calling,
thenjustification, then glorification (Rom8:29-30).
- First come, then learn (Matt 11:28-29).
- First keep, then do (Deut 26:16).
- First deny self, then take up yourcross, then follow Jesus
(Matt16:24).
- First repent, then be baptized (Acts2:38).
- First the schoolmaster, then faithcomes (Gal 3:24-25).
- First suffering, then reigning (2 Tim2:12).
Even so, there was a certainorderliness in reporting the life
ofJesus.
- The birth and preparatory ministryof John the Baptist.
- The birth of Jesus.- The growth of Jesus.- The baptism and
setting apart of
Jesus.- The ministry of Jesus.- The appointed growing
opposition
of His enemies.- The betrayal of Jesus.- The death of Jesus- The
resurrection of Jesus.- The appearance of the risen Jesus.- The
ascension of Jesus.
All of this is summarized inJesus saying He had to “finish”
thework He had been given to do (John4:34; 5:36). Of course, a
progressivework, and the finishing of anassignment, assumes an
objective – inthis case, the fulfilling of God’spurpose.
It is imperative that this be seen– that Jesus was fulfilling
anassignment, and purpose of HisFather. This is comprehended
bydeclaration, and by observing theorderliness with which Jesus
carriedout His Father’s commandment.
There is a sense in which theorderliness of the Gospel confirms
thatit came from God Himself. God is aGod or order and
precision.
KNOWING THE CERTAINTY OF THOSE THINGS
" 1:4a That thou mightest knowthe certainty of those things . .
.”
Other versions read, “the exacttruth,” NASB “the truth,” NRSV
"certain
knowledge," BBE "the soundness of theinstruction," CEB "how
well-founded arethe things," CJB "the verity of thosewords," DOUAY
"that what you've beentold is true," GWN "so you can be
certain of the truth," NLT “to reassureyou of the truth,” LIVING
and “that youmay know the full truth andunderstand with certainty
andsecurity.” AMPLIFIED
Of course, a progressive work, and the finishing ofan
assignment, assumes an objective – in this case,the fulfilling of
God’s purpose.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 15 of 17
-
A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST year
Our next Hungry Saints Meeting will be held on Friday, 9/19/14.
We will continue our series of lessons in theGospel of Luke. The
second lesson will cover verses 5-17 of chapter 1: “AN ANGEL
REVEALS SOMETHING TOZACHARIAS.”It had been a long dry spiritual
period, and Israel was not in good shape. They were living under
thepower of Imperial Rome, and were being allowed to conduct their
religious routines. Although was a high priestand priests, there
had been no prophet for many years – even centuries. But the time
had now arrived, longprophesied by the holy prophets of old, when a
Messiah would be sent to Israel. He would, according to
theprophets, be preceded by a power messenger from God. Now
Zacharias learns this involves him and his aged wife.Our meeting
will begin at 7:00 P.M. You are invited to bring your family and
friends for fellowship around theWord of God. Refreshments are
served afterward, with a time of extended fellowship for
everyone.
Here is an area where themodern church has not done well –making
sure the people know thecertainty, or absolute truth and reality,of
what they have believed.
And how does Luke go aboutestablishing the “the certainty
ofthose things ”which have beenbelieved?” He does not use
argumentsto establish the truth. He does notappeal to some form of
human logic,or the original language, or the originalmanuscripts.
He does not cite somehermeneutical principal, or rely
uponlinguistic expertise. or declare that he
has omniscience. Neither, indeed,does he claim, logical
aptitude, orreasoning superiority. Such thingsmay be highly valued
by men, butthey do not appear to have beenconsidered valuable by
Luke.
Luke simply affirms whathappened, without even makingeditorial
remarks. He relies upon thepower of the Gospel itself. Heapparently
knew that he was beingdirected by the Holy Spirit, whichmade his
record something that couldbe used by the Holy Spirit to
establishconfidence in the truth of the Gospel.
The “certainty” is established bya witness, by a proclamation –
bypreaching! This perfectly accords withthe statement of Paul, with
whomLuke spent considerable time. "Forafter that in the wisdom of
God theworld by wisdom knew not God, itpleased God by the
foolishness ofpreaching to save them that believe" (1 Cor 1:21).
This statement providesample proof for the fact that Luke’sGospel
is not the result of anintellectual exercise, or the mereperusal
and summarization of recordsand testimonies that were extant atthat
time.
WHEREIN THOU HAST BEEN INSTRUCTED
“ 1:4b . . . wherein thou hast beeninstructed." Other versions
read,“about things you have been taught,”NASB “Thing of which you
have beeninformed,” RSV "those things aboutwhich you were given
teaching," BBE
"the soundness of the instruction youhave received," CEB “the
things whichyou have been taught by word ofmouth,” WEYMOUTH
“doctrines of thefaith of which you have been informedand in which
you have been orallyinstructed.” AMPLIFIED
It is estimated that Luke wrotethis Gospel in the reasonable
vicinityof 56 A.D. If that supposition isanywhere near correct, it
provides uswith the kind of preaching andteaching that was
considered normalin those days. There were falseteachers, to be
sure, as First
Corinthians (2 Cor 11:4), GalatiansGal 1:6), Philippians (Phil
3:18-19),Colossians (Col 2:8), Jude (Jude 1:4),and Revelation (Rev
2:14-15; 2:24)confirm. But even then, these werenot yet the
standard things beingpreached. They were departure fromthe norm.
For the most part, peoplewho were said to have believed theGospel,
had believed the true Gospel(Acts 9:42; 13:48; 16:1; Rom 13:11;1
Cor 3:5; Eph 1:13; 2 Thess 1:10;Heb 4:3).
However, in our time, it cannotbe assumed that those who say
theyhave believed have responded to thetrue Gospel of Christ. Now,
both thepreaching and the hearing of theGospel has to be
questioned, and thatis largely owing to the fruit that
suchpreaching has produced.
Suffice it to say, when a personhas believed the Gospel that is
“thepower of God unto salvation” (Rom1:16), a legitimate effort can
beexpended to ensure they know thecertainty of what they have
beentaught. In fact, it is imperative, that ifthe intended growth
up into Christtakes place (Eph 4:15), the peoplemust be brought to
the point wherethey can confidently confess, "For thewhich cause I
also suffer these I knowwhom I have believed, and ampersuaded that
he is able to keep thatwhich I have committed unto himagainst that
day" (2 Tim 1:12). Or, asJohn states in his first epistle, "thatye
may know that ye have eternallife" (1 John 5:13). That is
theultimate reason for Luke’s Gospel.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 16 of 17
-
A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#1, Meeting #532– in its 21ST yearPARTICIPATING BROTHERS AND
SISTERSPARTICIPATING BROTHERS AND SISTERS
SPEAKING/LEADING/MINISTERING IN THE ASSEMBLY
SPEAKING/LEADING/MINISTERING IN THE ASSEMBLY The Word of Truth
Fellowship, Joplin, MO
DURING AUGUST, 2014
1. Blakely, Benjamin (AM Opening).2. Blakely, Given O. (PM
Sermon, PM Sermon).3. Blakely, Hannah (Read AM Sermon Text).4.
Blakely, Jonathan (AM Table Meditation, AM Sermon, Lead
AM Singing).5. Blakely, June (Lead PM Prayers, Teach AM
Class).6. Blakely, Mattie (Lead PM Singing, PM Introduction)7.
Blakely, Michael (Play Piano, Teach AM Class, AM Table
Meditation, PM Table Meditation, PM Exhortation, PM
TableMeditation).
8. Blakely, Michele (Play Piano (Opening Word).9. Blakely, Paul
(Lead Scripture Shower).10. Blakely, Roxanne (Lead AM Scripture
Shower).11. Cobb, Matthew (AM Exhortation, AM Sermon).12. Cobb,
Justin (Lead Scripture Shower, PM Table Meditation).13. Cobb,
Nicole (Lead PM Singing).14. Cobb, Robert (AM Table Meditation, AM
Exhortation, AM
Calling, PM Table Meditation, PM Sermon).15. Cobb, Seth (Read AM
Sermon Text)16. Dill, Sarah (Closing Scripture/Benediction).17.
Hutchcraft, Aaron (AM Exhortation, AM Sermon, AM Table
Meditation, PM Introduction, PM Exhortation).18. Hutchcraft,
Adah (AM Opening, PM Introduction)19. Hutchcraft, Aleia (Read AM
Sermon Text, Closing
Scripture/Benediction)20. Hutchcraft, Barbara (Lead AM Singing,
Lead Scripture
Shower, PM Introduction).21. Hutchcraft, Debbie (Play Piano, AM
Calling, Lead PM
Singing, L:ead PM Singing)22. Hutchcraft, Gene (AM Sermon, Teach
AM Class, PM Table
Meditation, PM Exhortation).23. Hutchcraft, Jason (AM
Exhortation, AM Calling, AM
Exhortation, PM Sermon, PM Exhortation).24. Hutchcraft, Judah
(Play Piano Specials, Read PM Sermon
Text, Introduction to PM Sermon, Introduction top PMSermon).
25. Hutchcraft, Silas (Read PM Sermon Text).26. Miller, Enoch
(Closing Scripture/Benediction).27. Parker, Melissa (Lead Scripture
Shower, AM Calling, Lead
PM Singing).28. Parker, Tony (AM Table Meditation, Teach AM
Class).29. Sims, Annie (Read PM Sermon Text).30. Sims, Baylie (Read
AM Sermon Text).31. Sims Girls – Annie, Hannah, Rachel ().32. Sims,
Rachel (Closing Scripture/Benediction) 33. Sims, Ricky (PM Table
Meditation).34. Sims, Tasha (Lead PM Singing, PM Introduction).35.
Williams, Emma (Read PM Sermon Text).36. Williams, Jeremy (AM
Calling, AM Sermon, AM Exhortation).
Williams, Levi (Read AM Sermon Text,
ClosingScripture/Benediction).
37. Williams, Logan (Play Communion Music, Lead AM
Singing.Introduction to PM Sermon).
38. Williams, Nichole (AM Opening).39. Williams, Sydnee (Read PM
Sermon Text)40. Preparing Lord’s Supper (Various sisters).
A DESCRIPTION OF THE VARIOUS MINISTRIES DURING OUR
GATHERINGS“Openings and Introductions” = 7-10 minute exposition of
truth to promote spiritual focus; “Lead Singing” – AM Songs
selected by Leader, PM SongsLead in favorites by the
brethren;“Calling” = 7-10 minute exposition of truth designed to
provoke disciplined thought; “Sermon” = 45 minute expositionof the
things of God as revealed in Scripture; “Exhortation” = 5-8 minute
challenge to act upon the truth we have heard; “Table Meditation” =
8-12minute exposition of matters relating to Christ’s role in
salvation; “Lead Scripture shower” = Leading of the quoting/reading
of Scripture withoutcomment; “Lead prayer session” = Presentation
of three matters for prayer that are taken from the Word of God;
“Lead Intercessory Prayer” =A time of focused prayers for personal
needs; “Closing Scripture/Benediction” – Closing of the AM
Gathering
THE BODY OF CHRISTIt is a fact: “But now hath God set the
members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased Him” (1
Cor 12:18). He did not set them in the home, but “in the body.” He
did not placethem in society, but “in the body.” They are
functioning members of the body who fill necessary functions –
edifying roles in the solemn assembly (1 Cor 12:19-27). The
functioning valueand ministry of “the body” is realized when it is
“together,” not when the people are separated. The ministry of each
member is determined by their faith – “a measure of faith” that
hasbeen given to them in order to the “profit” of the entire body
(Rom 12:6-8; 1 Cor 12:7). This is how the Lord has put together
“the church, which is His body” (Eph 1:22-23). We make noapologies
for the ministry of the entire body – publicly, in the assembly,
and in order to the edification of the saints. This is all done in
an orderly manner, with due thoughtfulness and regardfor those who
are in Christ Jesus, and who, in faithfulness to God who gave these
various abilities. Our assemblies are designed to allow for the
various expressions and insightful responsesof all who are of
honest and good heart, have faith, and are in, and living for, the
Lord Jesus.
As the famine increases, Egypt and Canaan faint. Joseph gives
all the money to Pharaoh. Grain was then sold for cattle and land.
– Given O. Blakely The Famine Reaches Its Apex 17 of 17
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A Ministry for Hungry Saints, Series on the Book of Luke, Lesson
#2, Meeting #533– in its 21ST year
AN ANGEL APPEARS TO ZACHARIASAN ANGEL APPEARS TO ZACHARIAS
INTRODUCTION
A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE TEXT Luke commences his Gospel
record by affirming his objective is toestablish the certainty
of the thingsmost surely believed by those who arein Christ Jesus
(Lk 1:1-4). I am
persuaded he approached it in the samemanner as Mark, who began
his Gospel,"The beginning of the gospel of JesusChrist, the Son of
God" (Mark 1:1).Mark also commences with the ministryof John the
Baptist (Mk 1:1-4).
Matthew begins his Gospel with thegenealogy leading up to Jesus
(Matt1:1-17). John begins his Gospel bypointing out how Jesus was
“the Word”before the world began (John 1:1-3)then focusing on the
Ministry of John
TRANSLATION LEGEND: ABP=Apostolic Bible Polyglot m(1992);
ALT=Analytical-Literal Translation (2005), AMPLIFIED=Amplified
Bible (1965), ABP=Apostolic Bible Polygot with Greek Interlinear
(2003); ASV=American Standard Version (1901), BBE=Biblein Basic
English (1949), BRENT=Brenton’s English Septuagint; CEB =Common
English Bible (2011); CEV=Contemporary English Version(1995);
DRA=Douay-Rheims (1899), EMTV =English Majority Text (2002); ERV
=English Revised Version (1885), ETRV = Easy to Read(1999),
ESV=English Stand Version (2001), GENEVA=Geneva Bible (1599),
GNB=Good News (1966), GSNT =Goodspeed (1923), GWN=God’s Word
(1995), IE= International English (1973), ISV=Internati