In this series of posts, I'm sharing some of what I learned from the Old Testament Intro. class at Westminster. The previous post introduced some important questions the course tried to answer. Many of them were very fascinating (e.g. Where did the OT come from, and how trustworthy is it?)
Before you get some high hopes that the course completely answered every question that anyone might ask about the OT, I need to clarify some expectations. One of the main takeaways from the course is summed up in this quote by John Frame:
“The strength of our positions is that we can say, 'We don't know', but we know the One who does" (John Frame).
God is the author of scripture, and He has graciously chosen to reveal Himself to a sinful and fallen people. Like Job, we may want all of our questions answered before we feel satisfied. Job earnestly sought an audience with God so he could plead his case and find out why he had to endure such terrible suffering. But God doesn't give him answers. God simply raises more questions such as: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?” (Job 38:4). And, “Shall a faultfinder contend with the Almighty?” (Job 40:2). Basically, God was telling Job that He is God and Job is not.
And Job's response is one we can learn from: “I had heard of you by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you; therefore I despise myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:5-6).
Today, I'll try to discuss why a Christian should study the Old Testament.
WHY STUDY THE OT?
The Old Testament (OT) is essential in light of the New Testament (NT) because it helps us more fully understand the work of Christ. It is the frame of reference without which we cannot understand the work of Christ.
Christ said, "Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” (Matt. 5:17). If we want to understand why Christ came and how He fulfilled the Law and the Prophets, we will need some understanding of the Law of Moses and the Prophets.
Christ said this to the Pharisees: “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39).
When Jesus was ministering, there was no NT yet. So, when He argues with the Pharisees on how to interpret scripture, both parties are referring to only the OT. Jesus is clear: the Scriptures (or just the OT) is about Him!
Augustin said that the NT is in the OT concealed. How? Our professor Chris Fantuzzo said, “The OT is good news of Christ who will come, but NT is the good news of Christ who has come.”
Thus, both the OT and NT serve as witnesses to Christ and His resurrection. God's word centers on the person and work of Christ. If we are ignorant of the OT (which makes up 70% of the Bible), this means we are ignorant of 70% of what God has to say about our redemption!
What does this look like? The OT is filled with images and symbols that point us to Christ.
For example, we see the image of shepherd all over the place. Jacob and David were both shepherds. God refers to the leaders of Israel as shepherds in Ezekiel 34. Unfortunately, they were corrupt and self-serving. Psalm 23 gives us the image of the LORD as our shepherd. All these images are introduced to shine a spotlight on Jesus Christ, who is the good shepherd and the one who lays down His life for His sheep (John 10).
We could say the same about the image of the sacrificial lamb, which is the centerpiece of the Passover in Exodus 12.
“On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the LORD. The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt." (Exodus 12:12-13)
Jesus Christ is the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). If His blood covers you, then on the final Day of Judgment, God's judgment and anger against us because of our sin will be passed over (Revelation 20:11-15). No destruction will touch us, even though the rest of sinful humanity is cast into the Lake of Fire for eternity.
There are countless symbols and images (e.g. the tabernacle, temple, covenants, sacrifices, prophets, priests, kings, etc...). All were introduced in the OT, but come to fulfillment in the NT.
How is this possible?
There is one God which means there is one God of redemptive history. Though He used different people and ways to reveal Himself, in these last days, He speaks through Christ. The God who spoke in the OT is the same God who spoke in the NT: Both the OT and NT serve as a single, unified witness to Christ.
“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:1)
We live in the last days- a very unique time in human history. Many looked forward to the coming Messiah, but we live at a time when the Messiah has already come.
"But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it." (Matthew 13:16-18).
With this privileged position comes the responsibility of knowing the whole counsel of God- all the scriptures which are able to make us wise unto salvation.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Old Testament Intro. (OTI) - part 1
In the next couple of posts I'll be sharing some highlights from the “Old Testament Intro” class I took during at Westminster Theological Seminary. The class was very broad. The advantage is that we were exposed to lots of interesting topics. This included asking questions like these:
OT vs. NT: Why study the Old Testament? Isn't the New Testament more important than the Old?
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY: The Old Testament didn't drop out of the sky from heaven in its current form. How did all its various parts (Law of Moses, Prophets, and Psalms) come together? Christians are students of scripture, not history or archeology. Why study the history and geography of the Old Testament?
MANUSCRIPT RELIABILITY: No one has any of the original manuscripts written by Moses, David, or any other author. Manuscripts we have today contain known transmission errors. How reliable are the manuscripts that we have? Is our Bible trustworthy?
CANON: The Old Testament canon (list of books) is different for Catholics and Protestants. The Catholic canon has several extra books. Who has the right one? Who decides whether a book of the Bible should be included or excluded in the canon? Does it really matter?
MYTH AND MODERN SCHOLARS: What do scholars today have to say about the Old Testament? Are the Old Testament stories (which include a talking snake and a talking donkey and the parting of the Red Sea) just a bunch of myths? Does the latest research in history and archeology confirm or deny the truthfulness of the Old Testament?
This is quite a list! And this is just a sampling of the topics. Because the course was so broad, it was hard to go in-depth into any one of these areas. This led to some challenges (including professors feeling overwhelmed and not wanting to teach this!)
To some, these topics might seem dry and boring. Some might argue that we should have a childlike faith and accept God's word as truthful without worrying too much about it. Besides, the Holy Spirit has to reveal God and His truth to a person before he will accept it. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). I agree. Jesus did say, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (Lk. 18:17). We must approach God and His Word with humility, for that is what God requires. He has exalted above all things His name and His word (Ps. 138:2).
But, on the other hand, God calls us to be ready at all times to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet 3:15). Family members, co-workers, and others will ask us why we believe in God and in His Word. Are we ready to provide a reason for why we put our life into the hands of the God of the Bible (and not Allah, Buddha, or some other person)? Eternity is a long time to make a mistake here! Does our God reveal Himself in scripture? If so, can this scripture be trusted?
I can't promise that I'll fully answer all the questions posed above, but I'll try to take a serious look at some of the more interesting ones in upcoming posts.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15).
OT vs. NT: Why study the Old Testament? Isn't the New Testament more important than the Old?
HISTORY AND GEOGRAPHY: The Old Testament didn't drop out of the sky from heaven in its current form. How did all its various parts (Law of Moses, Prophets, and Psalms) come together? Christians are students of scripture, not history or archeology. Why study the history and geography of the Old Testament?
MANUSCRIPT RELIABILITY: No one has any of the original manuscripts written by Moses, David, or any other author. Manuscripts we have today contain known transmission errors. How reliable are the manuscripts that we have? Is our Bible trustworthy?
CANON: The Old Testament canon (list of books) is different for Catholics and Protestants. The Catholic canon has several extra books. Who has the right one? Who decides whether a book of the Bible should be included or excluded in the canon? Does it really matter?
MYTH AND MODERN SCHOLARS: What do scholars today have to say about the Old Testament? Are the Old Testament stories (which include a talking snake and a talking donkey and the parting of the Red Sea) just a bunch of myths? Does the latest research in history and archeology confirm or deny the truthfulness of the Old Testament?
This is quite a list! And this is just a sampling of the topics. Because the course was so broad, it was hard to go in-depth into any one of these areas. This led to some challenges (including professors feeling overwhelmed and not wanting to teach this!)
To some, these topics might seem dry and boring. Some might argue that we should have a childlike faith and accept God's word as truthful without worrying too much about it. Besides, the Holy Spirit has to reveal God and His truth to a person before he will accept it. “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor 2:14). I agree. Jesus did say, “Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it." (Lk. 18:17). We must approach God and His Word with humility, for that is what God requires. He has exalted above all things His name and His word (Ps. 138:2).
But, on the other hand, God calls us to be ready at all times to make a defense to anyone who asks us for a reason for the hope that we have (1 Pet 3:15). Family members, co-workers, and others will ask us why we believe in God and in His Word. Are we ready to provide a reason for why we put our life into the hands of the God of the Bible (and not Allah, Buddha, or some other person)? Eternity is a long time to make a mistake here! Does our God reveal Himself in scripture? If so, can this scripture be trusted?
I can't promise that I'll fully answer all the questions posed above, but I'll try to take a serious look at some of the more interesting ones in upcoming posts.
“Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.” (2 Tim. 2:15).
Sunday, August 21, 2011
Picking a New Church in a New City (part 5)
During the last several weeks, we've written about the journey that eventually led Teresa and I to join Covenant Fellowship church. This will be the final post in this series. Our desire has been to share how God has impacted us as we sought a new church in a new city. Our desire has not been to glorify our church or to paint a picture of a perfect church. The church, its leadership, and all its members are made up of sinful people (including us!). But, by God's grace, God changes us in such a way that we now have the power to love Him and other people.
God brought us to Philadelphia so we could attend seminary. We've learned a lot in seminary through books, lectures, and assignments. Being in seminary has felt like drinking out of a firehouse and getting flooded with lots of great theology. But, no one learns to do ministry by only sitting in a classroom. You don't learn to play golf by watching videos, reading books, or hearing lectures. You learn by getting your feet on the ground and taking swings.
If you've been reading our posts on picking a new church in a new city, you may see that Teresa and I have been challenged and grown from our church, just as we have grown through seminary. This last post will focus on the culture of humility that the pastors have developed, which includes working together as a team.
HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PARKING TEAM?
During a membership classes, one of the teachers shared about an early experience he had with the church many years ago. He was fresh out of college and had served as a leader in campus ministry. He came to one of the pastors and offered to serve in a teaching or preaching role. The pastor said that the church needed people to serve on the parking team or in childern's ministry.
But he replied, “I don't think you understand. I have gifts and experience in preaching and teaching. You could use a guy like me.” The pastor calmly repeated what he had said earlier. Somewhat discouraged, the teacher shared about his hesitation to join the parking team. He was expecting to be up-front in a high-profile speaking role. Instead, he was in the church parking lot directing traffic!
Yet, the teacher told us that what he learned on the parking team completely changed his perspective on what it means to serve. He saw that service was about meeting the needs of others in a posture of humility, rather than advancing his own agenda. He learned the reality of Mark 10:42-45:
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many
HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PICKING A NEW SENIOR PASTOR
Another place where we've seen God work out humility in the lives of the leadership is in the area of ambition. We were encouraged by how our church chose their new senior pastor a few years ago when their previous senior pastor (Dave Harvey) changed his role from serving as the senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship church to serving other pastors at other churches in Sovereign Grace Ministries. Our current senior pastor Jared is in his early 30's, which is unusual; typically in churches, whoever has been around for the longest gets promoted to that role. However, during that transition, several of the pastors who had been around for 20+ years went to the senior pastor and said, "I think Jared (who had only gone to the pastor's college a few years earlier) is the one who has been gifted the best by God to lead our church as senior pastor." They recognized that the church would be best served if that role was filled by someone other than themselves, and were willing to give up their rights and ambitions so that the church would be built up.
HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: RAISING UP THE NEXT GENERATION
Another example we were encouraged with was how the more-experienced pastors mentor the less-experienced pastors. The ones with more experience are willing to give the younger ones their best sermon illustrations so that the younger men may be raised up in the church and thought well of, so that the church would benefit and grow in maturity. Even though no one would know that the illustration really came from the mentor pastor, they were willing to invest in the mentee pastor because they knew it would benefit the church. In our own lives, we recently wrote a script for a play for children's ministry, and our mentor Marty was more than willing to give us tips and feedback that really made the skit better, though no one would know about it.
Alex (who has only finished one year of seminary) has also been encouraged by how Marty (20+ years of experience as pastor) asks him for feedback on his childern's sermons. Wherever the Lord leads us to do serve, we want to have the humility to seek feedback and grow from all people at all levels of maturity in the body of Christ.
TEAMWORK MENTALITY
Another major thing we've really been amazed at is the idea of the body of Christ working together as a team for the good of the church. We've been encouraged at how this type of culture is seen not only in the pastoral team, but also in children's ministry, where we are currently serving. For every child that is enrolled in children's ministry, it is expected that one of their parents will serve in children's ministry. As a result, each Sunday, a whole army of parents and other volunteers comes together and shares the load of the ministry.
There are multiple rotations of multiple teams who cover a variety of different functions. There are coordinators for the different ages who make sure the lessons are carried out consistently from team to team. The coordinators also rotate every other week. That way, no one gets burned out and people get to be a part of ministry with their kids. Not one person does the lion's share of the work, and every person is dependent on the other team members in order to succeed. No matter what your experience level, there is a place where you can serve and be a vital part of the ministry, because every person is vital.
Alex and I were challenged at how that would translate into how we live our own lives. Are we willing to help another classmate with something they were struggling in so that they get a better grade? Can we realize that others' gifts and talents are a great fit for a coveted internship instead of our own? Do we recognize how God has created us all differently with strengths and weaknesses, and be content in that and not in fulfilling our own desires and aspirations of glory? On our own, we are helpless, but with God's help and the Spirit's work in our lives, I pray that He would continue to work in our lives more and more in this area.
RESOURCES
Finally, we've learned a lot from others who have thought long and hard about what the Bible teaches about the local church.
One book we highly recommend is “9 Marks of a Healthy Church” by Mark Dever. If you're curious about the content, my friend Geoff Prewett has written a very good summary and review of it here. This isn't a comprehensive list of 9 things that your church must have. According to Dever, it is a list of traits (taken from scripture) that have grown rare in the American church.
Teresa helped revamp the membership class at Austin Chinese Church when she was working as an administrative assistant. The course now uses a book called “What is a Healthy Church Member?” by Thabiti Anyabwile.
Alex also read a book called "The Shepherd Leader" by Tim Witmer, a professor at Westminster. It is an excellent scriptural and historical look at how God calls pastors to be shepherds (and not managers) and will hold them accountable for this. Witmer describes for pastors and elders what this shepherding responsibility looks like in the trenches of the local church.
God brought us to Philadelphia so we could attend seminary. We've learned a lot in seminary through books, lectures, and assignments. Being in seminary has felt like drinking out of a firehouse and getting flooded with lots of great theology. But, no one learns to do ministry by only sitting in a classroom. You don't learn to play golf by watching videos, reading books, or hearing lectures. You learn by getting your feet on the ground and taking swings.
If you've been reading our posts on picking a new church in a new city, you may see that Teresa and I have been challenged and grown from our church, just as we have grown through seminary. This last post will focus on the culture of humility that the pastors have developed, which includes working together as a team.
HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PARKING TEAM?
During a membership classes, one of the teachers shared about an early experience he had with the church many years ago. He was fresh out of college and had served as a leader in campus ministry. He came to one of the pastors and offered to serve in a teaching or preaching role. The pastor said that the church needed people to serve on the parking team or in childern's ministry.
But he replied, “I don't think you understand. I have gifts and experience in preaching and teaching. You could use a guy like me.” The pastor calmly repeated what he had said earlier. Somewhat discouraged, the teacher shared about his hesitation to join the parking team. He was expecting to be up-front in a high-profile speaking role. Instead, he was in the church parking lot directing traffic!
Yet, the teacher told us that what he learned on the parking team completely changed his perspective on what it means to serve. He saw that service was about meeting the needs of others in a posture of humility, rather than advancing his own agenda. He learned the reality of Mark 10:42-45:
But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many
HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: PICKING A NEW SENIOR PASTOR
Another place where we've seen God work out humility in the lives of the leadership is in the area of ambition. We were encouraged by how our church chose their new senior pastor a few years ago when their previous senior pastor (Dave Harvey) changed his role from serving as the senior pastor of Covenant Fellowship church to serving other pastors at other churches in Sovereign Grace Ministries. Our current senior pastor Jared is in his early 30's, which is unusual; typically in churches, whoever has been around for the longest gets promoted to that role. However, during that transition, several of the pastors who had been around for 20+ years went to the senior pastor and said, "I think Jared (who had only gone to the pastor's college a few years earlier) is the one who has been gifted the best by God to lead our church as senior pastor." They recognized that the church would be best served if that role was filled by someone other than themselves, and were willing to give up their rights and ambitions so that the church would be built up.
HUMILITY AS A CULTURE: RAISING UP THE NEXT GENERATION
Another example we were encouraged with was how the more-experienced pastors mentor the less-experienced pastors. The ones with more experience are willing to give the younger ones their best sermon illustrations so that the younger men may be raised up in the church and thought well of, so that the church would benefit and grow in maturity. Even though no one would know that the illustration really came from the mentor pastor, they were willing to invest in the mentee pastor because they knew it would benefit the church. In our own lives, we recently wrote a script for a play for children's ministry, and our mentor Marty was more than willing to give us tips and feedback that really made the skit better, though no one would know about it.
Alex (who has only finished one year of seminary) has also been encouraged by how Marty (20+ years of experience as pastor) asks him for feedback on his childern's sermons. Wherever the Lord leads us to do serve, we want to have the humility to seek feedback and grow from all people at all levels of maturity in the body of Christ.
TEAMWORK MENTALITY
Another major thing we've really been amazed at is the idea of the body of Christ working together as a team for the good of the church. We've been encouraged at how this type of culture is seen not only in the pastoral team, but also in children's ministry, where we are currently serving. For every child that is enrolled in children's ministry, it is expected that one of their parents will serve in children's ministry. As a result, each Sunday, a whole army of parents and other volunteers comes together and shares the load of the ministry.
There are multiple rotations of multiple teams who cover a variety of different functions. There are coordinators for the different ages who make sure the lessons are carried out consistently from team to team. The coordinators also rotate every other week. That way, no one gets burned out and people get to be a part of ministry with their kids. Not one person does the lion's share of the work, and every person is dependent on the other team members in order to succeed. No matter what your experience level, there is a place where you can serve and be a vital part of the ministry, because every person is vital.
Alex and I were challenged at how that would translate into how we live our own lives. Are we willing to help another classmate with something they were struggling in so that they get a better grade? Can we realize that others' gifts and talents are a great fit for a coveted internship instead of our own? Do we recognize how God has created us all differently with strengths and weaknesses, and be content in that and not in fulfilling our own desires and aspirations of glory? On our own, we are helpless, but with God's help and the Spirit's work in our lives, I pray that He would continue to work in our lives more and more in this area.
RESOURCES
Finally, we've learned a lot from others who have thought long and hard about what the Bible teaches about the local church.
One book we highly recommend is “9 Marks of a Healthy Church” by Mark Dever. If you're curious about the content, my friend Geoff Prewett has written a very good summary and review of it here. This isn't a comprehensive list of 9 things that your church must have. According to Dever, it is a list of traits (taken from scripture) that have grown rare in the American church.
Teresa helped revamp the membership class at Austin Chinese Church when she was working as an administrative assistant. The course now uses a book called “What is a Healthy Church Member?” by Thabiti Anyabwile.
Alex also read a book called "The Shepherd Leader" by Tim Witmer, a professor at Westminster. It is an excellent scriptural and historical look at how God calls pastors to be shepherds (and not managers) and will hold them accountable for this. Witmer describes for pastors and elders what this shepherding responsibility looks like in the trenches of the local church.
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