All posts filed under: Teaching

Was Junia a woman apostle?

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7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my countrymen and my fellow prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also were in Christ before me. (Romans 16:7 NKJ) At the end of February 2023, the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) announced it had kicked out Saddleback church. The reason for its removal is that the California megachurch, founded by Rick Warren, had appointed three women as pastors, which the SBC did not believe was Biblical (1 Timothy 2:12). While this is part of growing discussion about the role of women in church. A verse from the book of Romans cited above adds to this, because the Apostle Paul suggests that a woman might have been an apostle in the early church. In an article for Christianity Today, Professor Nijay Gupta of Northern Seminary writes that Junia was a popular female name in Roman times. Meanwhile, the male equivalent (Junias) is extremely rare, essentially non-existent, leaving little doubt this was describing a woman The verse seems to imply that she was looked upon as an apostle. According to …

Transformed by a touch  

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By Dr. Harold Sala Jesus reached out His hand and touched… Luke 5:13 When Elisabeth Elliot was visiting Dohnavur fellowship in South India to do research for a book on the life of Amy Carmichael, she met a remarkable woman who was working with the mentally challenged. The woman herself was greatly handicapped by the loss of one eye. “I have no professional training,” she explained, adding, “The Holy Spirit gives me new wisdom each day to deal with them. Some are like wild animals but the Lord Himself is my helper. I can’t see on one side, but even in my weakness He has helped me.” When Elizabeth Elliot inquired as to how she had become involved in such a work, Pungaja explained that one day, tremendously burdened by life, she went to Amy Carmichael, who was affectionately known as “Amma” by nationals of India. “When she hugged me,” she said, “all my burdens went away!” The Indian men and women who followed in her footsteps serving others have been a powerful witness to …

It’s Time for You To Stop Acting Like You’re a Victim!

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And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it — Colossians 2:15 By Rick Renner We can count on the fact that there are unseen evil forces that have been assigned to kill, steal, and destroy everything good in our lives. The Bible clearly teaches that these devilish forces band together to commit acts of aggression against the saints — and that includes you and me! This truth is quite evident in Scripture, for Paul wrote many verses about spiritual weapons, spiritual armor, and how we are to resist these unseen, demonic forces. Yet it is very important that we approach this subject with the right attitude! Because of Jesus’ death on the Cross and His resurrection from the dead, the forces of hell are already defeated. However, even though they have been legally stripped of their authority and power, they continue to roam around this earth, carrying out evil deeds like criminals, bandits, hooligans, and thugs. And just like criminals who refuse to submit to the law, …

The Spirit of Anarchy Is Not from Above but from Below

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By Dr. Michael Brown

The Greek word anomia occurs 13 times in the New Testament and it literally means “lawlessness.” As defined in one major Greek dictionary, anomia means “to behave with complete disregard for the laws or regulations of a society — ‘to live lawlessly, lawlessness, lawless living” (Louw-Nida Lexicon). The spirit behind anomia is not from above, but from below.

Spreading Manure: The Stench of Gossip

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By Julie Barrier    My brother-in-law, Bud Wright, is my hero. He’s a committed Christian leader, a savvy businessman and a wonderful father. I love him deeply because he has managed to put up with my feisty, fireball little sister Kathy for thirty years. And, believe me, she’s a handful! We all call him “Rich Bud” because his real moniker, Maryatte Steele Wright III, is too difficult to pronounce and it sounds like a stuffy English butler. “Rich Bud” toodles around town in his fire-engine red Ferrari and has never met a stranger. But the real reason I adore him is because I have never, ever heard him say a disparaging word about anyone-friend or foe. He may vent to his three cats when I’m not around, but Bud spreads kindness wherever he goes. He sees the best in people. My pastor-hubby Roger always uses Bud as a sermon illustration when he preaches on gossip. Most folks delight in the flaws of others, but Uncle Bud sees the potential for good in those he knows …

God Uses Imperfect People

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By Dr. Michael Brown It is not just outside the Church, in the secular realm, that God uses imperfect people. Even within the Church, in the spiritual realm, God uses imperfect people. But there’s a simple reason for that. Imperfect people are the only kind of people that exist. Who else can God use? There’s an old joke about someone who is looking for the perfect church. They tell a friend, “If I could just find that church, I’d attend regularly and become a member.” The friend replies, “But the moment you join it would become imperfect.” Exactly. That is the state of the human race. In that same spirit, it has been said that heaven will be at one and the same time a great eye opener and a great mouth closer. You will be shocked to see certain people there, and they will be shocked to see you. Of course, we can smile at these anecdotes and jokes, but when the rubber meets the road, it can be a little unsettling. We wonder …

Is It Time To Make a Change In Your Environment?

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By Rick Renner

Your biggest potential enemy in life (besides your own wrong thinking and the devil himself) is the environment in which you live. For instance, if you constantly live in an atmosphere of doubt and unbelief, it’s just a fact that you’ll have a much more difficult time maintaining a walk of strong faith. That doubt-filled environment will try to rub off on you!

God knows your name

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Having someone mention your name indicates a level of familiarity, perhaps even friendship. And we understand from Scripture, that God not only knows us, but he knows our name. Perhaps the most famous involved the Apostle Paul, who while in his previous life was persecuting Christians, God called him by name as he was on the road to Damascus to arrest more Christians: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4 NASV) Many have this perception, that God is indifferent to what is happening to us, but that is not true. God is personally interested in what is going on in your life. And Jo Hargreaves shared how similar to Paul, God called her by name, transforming her life. Hargreaves’ mother had divorced twice and this included a second marriage to a church vicar, that left a bad taste in Hargreaves mouth about Christianity. By the time she arrived at university, Hargreaves had abandoned any semblance of a Christian faith and started dabbling in paganism and even signed up with classes that pushed those …

Rabbi Pesach Wolicki explains what Jehovah means

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In an article for Israel365 News, Rabbi Pesach Wolicki had an interesting read on what the name of God, pronounced Jehovah (spelled YHVH) actually means. He starts off by turning to Exodus 6:2-3, when God revealed His name to Moses, explaining that His actual name was different from the name that the patriarch knew God as: God spoke to Moses, and He said to him: I am the Lord (YHVH). I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty (El Shaddai), but with My name “the Lord,” (YHVH) I did not make myself known to them. (Exodus 6:2-3) So what does YHVH actually mean? Wolicki explains that at its root, YHVH means “to exist.” But a closer examination of the various elements of this word provides a different picture. Wolicki writes: “The form or conjugation of this root that is the name YHVH is an impossible mix of past, present, and future tenses. We can see where God’s name YHVH comes from if we consider three words: #1 YEHYEH        Will be …

Turning One’s Ears From the Truth to Fables

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And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. — 2 Timothy 4:4 By Rick Renner In our home in Russia, Denise and I have several black, lacquered boxes that are precious Russian works of art. They were painted using a centuries-old technique, and each box contains up to 16 layers of papier-mâché. The work is so intricate, in fact, the scenes on these boxes were painstakingly painted with a brush containing only one hair! Then when the painting was finished on one of these boxes, the artist would burnish it with the tooth of a wolf. Four main schools taught and performed this method, and when the art form first began in Russia, the intricate scenery on these boxes primarily consisted of religious icons and scenery depicting religious events and nobility. But the art changed after the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Under Communism, the artists who masterfully created these works of art were no longer allowed to paint religious themes because atheism had become the “religion” of the …

God uses, even anoints, imperfect people

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There is a story in David’s life that reveals how God uses imperfect people. In fact, God not only uses them, but He will also anoint them. I am referring to King David’s decision to build a permanent structure, a temple, to house the Ark of the Covenant on which the presence of God rested. At this point, the Ark was inside a tent in Jerusalem, called the Tabernacle of David, after David had moved it from its original location in the Tabernacle of Moses. When David realized that while he lived in a palace, the Ark resided inside a tent, he came up with the idea to build a temple. When he approached the Nathan about the idea, the prophet responded that David should do what was on his heart. However, that night, God spoke to Nathan in a dream, stating that God never wanted a temple, and was quite content to reside in a tent. Through this dream, God said that instead of David building a house for God, the Lord would build …

Why did God give Moses two practice signs?

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When God encountered Moses at the burning bush, the Lord not only commissioned Moses to deliver Israel out of Egypt, but also gave Moses three signs to convince them they were to be delivered, two of which he actually practiced. The Hebrews had flourished for decades in Egypt after being brought there by Joseph, but after a change in government (Exodus 1:8), they were now beaten down and enslaved, much of it due to how the Hebrews thought and perceived their masters. The public relations firm working with the Egyptian pharaohs had successfully built up a mystique around them. We even see hints of it in the book of Isaiah, where the prophet directly attacked the wrong perceptions that the Jews had about Egypt: The Egyptians are man, and not God,    and their horses are flesh, and not spirit. (Isaiah 31:3a ESV) Even though this prophecy was given years after Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, there was still this mistaken perception of how powerful the Egyptians were. I suspect that Isaiah was addressing the stories that were …

Proof that God can Reach Anyone!

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By Rick Renner

Sometimes I hear people say, “I just don’t know if So-and-so can come to Christ. They are so hardhearted and far from God!” If you’ve ever said this about a person in your life, today I want to give you hope. We’re going to look at what kind of person Paul was before he came to Christ — and I believe you’ll see and understand that if God could save Saul of Tarsus (who became known as the apostle Paul), then He can save anyone!

Who was the first person to recognize Jesus as the Jewish Messiah?

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Have you ever wondered who was the first person to understand that Jesus was the Jewish Messiah? Well, as Ben Witherington explains in his article for Biblical Archaeology, it probably wasn’t Mary, the Lord’s mother. When the angel told her that she was to bear the Messiah, Luke writes that Mary was perplexed (Luke 1:29) and when the shepherds visited after being told of Christ’s birth, we are told that Mary pondered these events (Luke 2:19). Pondered means she was literally still trying to put things together. In fact, at one point Mary joined with her family when they wanted to put Christ away, thinking He was mad (Mark 3:21, 31). Witherington argues that the first person to understand that Jesus was the Messiah, was most likely Simeon an old man who was told by the Holy Spirit that he would see the Messiah before he died (Luke 2:26). Moved by the spirit, Simeon was told to go to the temple on the same day, that Mary and Joseph took Christ to the temple to …

The Effect of Strife

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For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. — James 3:16 By Rick Renner During our early years in the former USSR, Denise and I were invited to minister at three European conferences in Austria, Switzerland, and Germany, and I decided to bring our sons to give them the experience of ministering in Europe. When the day finally arrived for our long-anticipated trip, things got a little hectic, to say the least. The clock was ticking, and it was time for us to depart to the airport so we wouldn’t miss our flight. However, instead of getting ready, the boys were just poking around, and Denise hadn’t even finished packing. I knew that if we didn’t leave on time, we’d miss our flight. So in the midst of it all, I lost my temper and began to yell and threaten everyone to get downstairs immediately and pile in the car, or I was going to leave without them! Our ministry administrator at that time had agreed to housesit for us …

A weird answer to prayer for Bukayo Saka?

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Have you ever had a thought pop into your mind that you should pray for someone? I did recently, and it was kind of weird. My daughter and I were watching the World Cup soccer match in Qatar between Britain and France over the weekend. It was a quarter-final game, with the winner going on to the semifinals. France would win the game 2.-1. France was leading 1-0, and a British player was dribbling the ball down the right wing, when I felt the Holy Spirit impress me to pray for him, which I quickly did. At that point, I didn’t even know who the player was. I can’t remember exactly how I prayed, but it was something along the lines that God would help him, and bless him. After I uttered this brief prayer, the player continued down the right side and then turned sharply towards the goal and was fouled after he entered the penalty box, sending him tumbling to the ground. This led to a penalty kick, that was taken by another …

The power of miracles

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Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. And there was great joy in that city. — Acts 8:5-8 By Rick Renner On April 12, I told a bit of this story, but it so impacted my life that I want to share it in greater detail today and give you the reason why miracles often occur on a massive scale, or among large crowds of people. It was the conclusion of five amazing days of meetings — the first large public meeting that Denise and I had ever conducted in the former USSR. Of the 32,000 people who attended the event, 7,000 people came forward to receive Christ and 926 people received water baptism — and we witnessed scores …

Controlling Cults: How do you get out?

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Have you ever been in a cult? Do you know anyone who is, or was? The word “cult” is actually an insult and a label. It is shorthand for ‘stay away from them.’ Using the word “cult” too much is cult behavior. Telling people how to think, without explaining why, is controlling behavior, and that is what cults do. So, let’s find a better description. Who wants to control you? Who is telling you what to think, but not how to think? Are you doing this to yourself? Are you looking for a shortcut to the truth from some authority, with all the answers that you need? Our own laziness is an important part of the mix. Or are you doing this to other people? Is the truth so essential that they just need to agree? If this makes you think about religious “cults”, controlling groups are not always religious, as we understand religion. They are a “cheat” a short and easy route to some profound truth. ‘Someone else did the thinking, and I just …

Deal with fear by dealing with your worry

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YouVersion, one of the world’s most popular Bible apps, has been downloaded 545 million times worldwide. And it just released its most popular verse for 2022, and it may be a sign of the times we live in as it deals with fear. “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” (Isaiah 41:10 The world is being shaken and there are a lot of things to fear. And if this verse in Isaiah is any indication, many people are struggling with fear. So how do you deal with it, well, we must cut it at its root? You must first deal with fear’s evil first-cousin worry. If you are worrying about little things, then you are creating the perfect seed-bed for fear to grow. Your first step in dealing with fear starts by tackling its underlying cause, worry, and anxiety. There are things you can do: Make sure it …

Supernatural Patience and Endurance

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By Rick Renner

Here is an important fact to know about the apostolic ministry: God didn’t leave it to us to guess who is a true apostle and who is not! I’m thankful for that! In Second Corinthians 12:12 the apostle Paul wrote by the Holy Spirit about the signs that will help us discern correctly whether an apostle is in our midst. He said, “Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds.”

Roman Catholic Doctrine: the veneration of Mary

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The Roman Catholic Church’s veneration of Mary started centuries ago in the church’s battle with Gnosticism, a belief that separated the spirit of a man from his flesh. Flesh was evil, and the spirit was good. As part of this belief, a person could basically sin as much as they wanted in the flesh, because the spirit remained pure, a view hinted at and condemned by Paul in Romans 6:1. The Gnostics also believed that because of the Lord’s sinless life, Jesus could not have been human or born in flesh, and that He appeared on earth in spirit form. As this heresy spread in the early church, Christ’s humanity, became a test for the spirits; 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, (1 John 4:3 NIV) To counter this heresy, the church began to push and exalt Mary, Jesus’s earthly mother, as evidence of Christ’s human birth. But by the third and fourth century, it had …

Roman Catholic doctrine: Praying to the saints

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When it comes to praying to the saints, the Roman Catholic Church knows it is walking a fine line, because of the repeated admonitions throughout the Bible against contacting the dead. Leviticus 20:6 explicitly warns that God will oppose any person who consults mediums (those who consult the dead) or familiar spirits (literally the souls of dead family members). Similar warnings are found in Leviticus 19:31, and Deuteronomy 18:10-11. So how does the Catholic Church get around these warnings? Well, first it states that people are not actually praying to dead saints, they are simply asking these saints to pray for them. Suggesting that asking the dead to pray for you is different from prayer is just a matter of semantics. In fact, they are praying to the saints, even when asking. To support their position of praying to the saints, Catholic theologians point to passages in the Book of Revelation that picture people in heaven praising, worshiping and even petitioning God (Revelation 4:10, 5:8, 6:9-11). They theorize that Mary, the mother of Jesus, can …

To the ‘Holy Ones’ in Corinth: Insights into How God’s See the Church

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By Dr. Michael Brown We are often in the habit of reading the Bible without paying attention to what we’re reading. The words are so familiar that we just gloss over them. Or the biblical terminology has lost its meaning to us, so the significance of what we’re reading fails to register. In that light, we should revisit Paul’s words to the believers of Corinth. He wrote, “To the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be his holy people . . . .” (1 Corinthians 1:2, NIV, my emphasis). Or in the old English of the King James Version, “Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints . . . .” Five more times in this letter Paul referred to the believers in Corinthians as “saints” (or “holy ones”) which was a common expression for God’s people in the Bible. Yet these believers were hardly saints (and I don’t mean that in the later, …

Roman Catholic doctrine: What is Purgatory?

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The Roman Catholic Church has several beliefs that differ from Protestant doctrine. One of them is purgatory. The American Heritage Dictionary defines purgatory this way: In the belief of Roman Catholics and others, a place of purgation in which the souls of those dying penitent are purified from venial sins, or undergo the temporal punishment which, after the guilt of mortal sin has been remitted, still remains to be endured by the sinner. Catholics believes purgatory is a place where the souls of Christians will go after death in order to pay the penalty for their ‘venial’ sins. Though the punishment can include fire (though some Catholic theologians disagree), it is looked upon more as a purifying process than a punishment, which is what hell involves. Nevertheless, it is a place where people will receive punishment for their sins, and once that punishment has been paid, they will be allowed to enter heaven. The idea of purgatory, which comes from the Latin word purgatorium and means to cleanse, was officially incorporated into Roman Catholic doctrine …

Prove all things

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By Rick Renner

I once bought a violin that I was sure was an authentic Stradivarius violin. Of course, if it was real, it was worth several million dollars. Before I purchased it, I studied documents about how to recognize a real Stradivarius compared to a well-made copy. After convincing myself that I had found a real Stradivarius in a remote antique shop in Russia, I purchased it. But after an examination by a violin expert, it proved to be nothing more than a very old, fabulous fake.

Why forgiveness is like an onion

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According to a recent survey conducted by the American Bible Society, Americans who regularly read their Bible are more able to forgive others than those who don’t. In its survey, ABS asked people to respond to this statement: “I am able to sincerely forgive whatever someone else has done to me, regardless of whether they ever ask for forgiveness or not.” The survey found that 94% of those who considered themselves to be scripturally engaged agreed with that statement, compared to only 6% who did not. Scripturally engaged people were defined as those who believe the Bible impacts their daily lives and relationship with God and others. In comparison, only 59% of the people who were not scripturally engaged agreed with that statement. As believers, we understand that we must forgive those who hurt us. This was one of Christ’s major messages, we have to forgive, because we have been forgiven. But I would like to point out one important point about forgiveness. You may need to forgive the same incident more than once. When …

Forgiveness

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Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repent, forgive him. — Luke 17:3 By Rick Renner When I was a young boy, I had a baseball coach who really disliked me. No matter how hard I tried to please him, he poked fun at me and tried to embarrass me in front of my teammates. His words and behavior would hurt me deeply, but I can remember my father telling me to forgive him. My dad would gently urge me to “grin and bear it” because these things happen in life. So when my coach insulted me, I’d do my best to forgive him and then muster the strength to wipe away my tears and walk back onto the ball field. It was wrong of that baseball coach to treat me in that way, but his negativity provided a good learning experience to help prepare me for life. I’m so thankful my father taught me to forgive, get back on the field, and not let the words …

Forgiving ourselves

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Though we are exhorted throughout the Bible to forgive others, perhaps the biggest challenge that believers face is forgiving ourselves when we have done wrong. Maybe our actions, intentional or otherwise, caused harm to others or maybe we failed to help, and we just can’t seem to shake these feelings of failure and condemnation. Though the Bible does not directly state that we must forgive ourselves, it is implied throughout the scriptures. We start with how God treats our sins by tossing them into the deepest part of the ocean, which some have described as the sea of forgetfulness: He will again have compassion on us;    he will tread our iniquities underfoot.You will cast all our[a] sins    into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:19 ESV) Isaiah describes God putting our sins behind His back, so He sees them no more (Isaiah 38:17). God has chosen to forgive and completely forget our sins, but many of us struggle with seeing ourselves as God sees u. The Jews understood the importance of this and actually developed the tradition …

What is Christian nationalism?

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A recent survey conducted by Pew Research found that 60% of Americans believe that America was founded as a Christian nation. Nevertheless, only 33% believe that the US is still a Christian nation today. The survey also found that 45% believe that the US should be a Christian nation and 47% believe the Bible “should have a great deal or some influence on U.S. laws.” Meanwhile, 21% said it should have little or no influence. So this leads us to the broader issue of Christian nationalism which has become a topic in recent days. What exactly is Christian nationalism? In a nutshell, it is the belief that America, similar to Israel, is a Christian nation chosen and in covenant with God. I think we need to look at this issue in light of what happened under the Roman Emperor Constantine, which ironically took place on Oct 27, the same day the results of the survey were released. In his article, On this day in Christian history, Constantine saw a vision from God: “Conquer by this”, …

What is a Plague?

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And straightway the fountain of her blood was dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague. — Mark 5:29 By Rick Renner Do you know anyone that has ever been subjected to a plague? Have you ever had a plague afflict you? Technically, what is a plague? We tend to use this word “plague” to describe worldwide pandemic outbreaks, but that is not the way it is used in Mark 5:29, which tells of a woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. Specifically, Mark 5:29 says that when this woman touched Jesus, she was healed of her “plague.” Yet this woman’s sickness was not contagious, nor was it imminently life-threatening, since she had been sick with it for 12 years. So today I want to tell you about how I discovered the meaning of the word “plague” in the New Testament and why this was such an important discovery to me. As a university student, I suffered tremendously from allergic reactions. In fact, a simple …