The word of God, when properly taught, and then understood, believed and lived to deal with life, is beautiful to behold. When the word is taught in categories, it gives us individual pieces of the puzzle. As we accumulate more pieces, we can assemble them together to see the big picture of God’s plan. As we understand more about God, His plan and how the human soul fits into the plan, we are able to discern finer distinctions within the complexities of life to make more accurate applications. Whenever I see believers who have devoted their lives to growing in the word face overwhelming adversities with confidence and poise, gratitude wells up in me toward God for giving us so much grace for life, death and eternity.
Recently, I was blessed to witness my friend and brother in the Lord, Gary Horton face such an adversity. His 8-year-old grandson was killed in an auto accident. Shane was the only child of Tammy, Gary and Ruth’s only child, making him the only child and only grandchild. He was a central figure in their daily life and their love for him would be hard to overstate. His loss to them is the loss of a central figure in their daily life.
What I wanted to share with this short article is the way they handled the memorial service that I attended. They scheduled a service to celebrate his life and his new life in heaven and the family did all the speaking.
After a short introduction by Pastor-Teacher Ron Adema, Ruth Horton spoke about her remembrances of Shane. I was told that the night before the memorial that she didn’t believe she could do it. She was incredible! Both her honest, transparent demeanor that suffered and rejoiced at the same time and her words were full of God, full of truth and seasoned with love for the unsaved. She gave a gospel that was inspired. Her humor also seemed Spirit led and gave us all hope in a difficult situation. She called on others in the audience who knew Shane and they shared stories about his kindness and faith in Christ.
Following Ruth there was heartfelt music by Bobby Joiner a wonderful friend to Gary and then Gary spoke. He made the statement that he was seldom at a loss for words but this was one of those times. His message was limited to simply reading pertinent scripture and the hope they conveyed lifted us all. Another beautiful song by a friend was followed by the surprise of Tammy herself standing and speaking words of love and encouragement to all of us. She had not planned to speak, believing she would be unable to talk without breaking down. In her grief, she was moved to remind us all about God’s goodness and grace to those who trust Him. The service was closed out by all of us singing Jesus Loves me, with the words, yes, Jesus loves Shane, yes, Jesus loves Shane.
Seeing this faithful family give praise to honor Christ in the midst of their great suffering provides evidence to the reality of God in their hearts. If you have been to funerals where the family does not believe in Christ and they have no hope for the future, you know how depressing that is. In stark contrast, when you see a family of well taught, faithful to live it out believers celebrating the promotion of their loved one into the presence of the Lord, you walk away inspired to love and trust God. I want to honor Gary and his great family with this article and thank them for sharing their hope with us all that day. They are the real deal and they proved it the day they remembered Shane.
I copied this from a friend’s FB page. Somehow insanity has become reality in USA and common sense has become prejudice and homophobic. Someone hijacked our collective, national, political brains and replaced them with a wind up toy running backwards. Listen, welfare, school loans, food stamps and programs to help the poor I get, but this illegal alien stuff is just too crazy to believe. The following is true and I could pull what’s left of my hair out because it is true.
If you cross the North Korean border illegally, you get 12 yrs. hard labor. If you cross the Afghanistan border illegally, you get shot. If you cross the U.S. border illegally you get a job, a driver’s license, food stamps, a place to live, health care, housing & child benefits, education, & tax… free business for 7 yrs. No wonder we are a country in debt. Re-post if you agree.
The Eucharist Acts 2:42
Act 2:42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer
Eucharist
1. The history of the Eucharist begins in Gen 3:15,21 with the 1st animal sacrifice.
- 3:15 – 1st promise of the Savior – seed of the woman will defeat the devil
- 3:21 – animal sacrifice to clothe the nakedness of man
2. Animal sacrifice was used to illustrate the Person and work of the coming Messiah
- Gen 5:3-5 – Cain and Abel – animal sacrifice; Gen 8:20-21 – Noah offers animal sacrifice after the flood; Gen 12:7 – Abraham; Gen 26:25 – Isaac; Gen 35:1 – Jacob
3. The Passover sacrifice gave greater clarification of the plan of God – Ex 12:3-13
- Lamb w/out blemish – perfect Person of Messiah; blood of lamb – work of Messiah protecting bel’s from divine judgment; unleavened bread – freedom from sin; Passover – death passed over those protected by the blood of the lamb.
- Passover celebration was a meal that eaten year after year as a memorial to the 1st Passover
- Roasted lamb, bitter herbs, unleavened bread – cloak tucked in, sandals on, staff in hand, eat in haste.
4. The Passover feast and Feast of Unleavened bread were joined together
- Passover meal – 14th Nisan – evening meal
- Unleavened bread – 1 week festival following the Passover meal.
5. It was during the Passover meal that Jesus instituted the Eucharist – Lk 22:14-20
- 14 – Eating the Passover meal – reclining – Jesus is making changes to the Passover meal
- 15-16 – Passover meal fulfilled – the prophetic meaning fulfilled in His suffering
- 19-20 – the bread – this is my body given for you; Cup – New Covenant in my blood poured out for you
6. Jesus changed the prophetic Passover meal to the historic Eucharist.
- Passover – prophetic looking to the Person and work of the Messiah
- Eucharist – historic looking back to the Person and work of the Messiah
7. The early church celebrated the Eucharist in connection to the love feast. – 1Cor 11:17-34
- 11:20-21 – not waiting on others; some remain hungry; others get drunk – meal of sorts
- 11:22,33-34 – if hungry, eat at home so you don’t eat all the food
- 11:27-32 – discipline – divisions, disrespect others; disregard for significance of the ceremony
- Jude 1:12; 2Pt 2:13 – love feast – sacred meal shared by the early church
- There is no command to celebrate the love feast in connection to the Eucharist – tradition of early church
8. It is possible the early church celebrated the Eucharist every week – Acts 20:7
- 20:7 – 1st day of week – Sunday – resurrection day
- disciples came together to break bread – Eucharist and love feast
- Worship service included Paul’s preaching – spoke until daylight the next day
9. Frequency of the Eucharist in today’s church – 1Cor 11:25-26
- Whenever – osakis ean – as often – as often as you do this
- The Greek word ean indicates uncertainty and possibility – not definite
- There is no definite command as to the frequency of celebrating the Eucharist
10. The sacred Eucharist is required & involves discipline for improper behavior – 1Cor 11
- 11:17-19 – divisions – differences that became divisions – differences should edify
- 11:20-22 – disrespect – for those less fortunate – despise and humiliate those who have nothing
- 11:27-32 – disregard – for the body and blood of the Lord – examine your attitude toward the Lord
Components of Worship Acts 2:42-47
Acts 2:42 lists 4 components of worship for the 1st church of Jerusalem. This was the initial organization of the church under the Apostles ministry. Church worship evolved over time and other items of worship were added.
Acts 2:42 – Imperfect periphrastic + 9 imperfect tense verbs – committed to daily consistency.
The Apostles Teaching is in the priority position in the sentence meaning it was 1st in importance and priority but not all that is necessary and beneficial for spiritual health. In addition to the teaching of the Apostles, the church fellowshipped together, they celebrated the Eucharist together and prayed together daily. In the following discussion, we will examine the biblical view of Fellowship.
Fellowship
1. Greek etymology and definition: koinonia
An association with close mutual relationships and involvement; to share; to give; common interests & assets.
Bel’s share the mutual assets of union with Christ
Bel’s share mutual assets of the Indwelling of the Spirit
Bel’s share the mutual assets of the word of God.
Fellowship is the mutual sharing and partnership in the spiritual assets found in union with Christ.
Biblical Illustration – Act 2:42-42
Sharing the Apostles teaching, jointly pursuing greater understanding, sharing their means and sharing their social time
2. Fellowship of bel’s is rooted in fellowship with GF and GS.
1Jn 1:3 – fellowship with us – share our relationship with GF & GS.
Share our relationship with God with one another
Relationship with GF/GS motivates us to share with others
1Jn 1:7 – walk in light – fellowship with one another – help one another walk in the light.
3. Fellowship of bel’s is rooted in fellowship with GHS
Rom 15:30; 1Pt 1:22 – GHS à love
1Cor 12:4-11 – spiritual gifts – ministry to one another
Phil 2:1-4 – fellowship with GHS is environment for fellowship/bels
Fellowship of bel’s is intended for mutual spiritual edification
4. Fellowship with one another in the Lord’s Supper – 1Cor 10:16-17
Cup – sharing in the blood of Christ
Bread – sharing in the body of Christ
The many are 1 bread and 1 body – our common participation illustrates the unity of the body of Christ
5. Fellowship of the ministry
2Cor 8:4 – giving to bel’s in need – ministry committed to be aware of and meet the needs of bel’s
Gal 2:9 – fellowship of spiritual leaders – working together in ministry – supporting one another in ministry
Phil 1:5 – sharing in the gospel ministry
6. Bel’s are encouraged to share their means with one another
Rom 15:26 – relief for Jerusalem bel’s
Heb 13:16 – share what you have
Act 2:44-45 – willingness to sell own possessions to meet critical needs of other bel’s
7. Fellowship of bel’s in seeking the truth with one another – real impact of Christian fellowship
Lk 24: 13-31 – spiritual discussion
Vs 14 – talked – homileo – long conversations
Vs 15 – discussing – sunzeteo – to pursue together – mutual seeking of spiritual insight
Bel’s discussing the word with one another in pursuit of truth
Lord came to be with them – the hungry for the truth
Vs 17 – exchange – antiballo – throw back/forth; bounce back/forth
To bounce ideas back and forth in pursuit of the truth
Vs 25-27 –explained – diermeneuo – interpreted
The Lord comes in the midst of bel’s seeking truth with one another through the scriptures
The Lord explains the truth to those who are hungry for it – uses one another to help
The Lord explained how the OT scriptures – how they were about Him – NT explains OT
Fellowship with the Lord and one another is centered in seeking truth through the scriptures
Jn 16:17- 19 – zeteo- pursuing the truth with one another – Lord in the midst of the discussion
8. Fellowship of bel’s praying together – Acts 4:24-31
Context: Ch 3-4 – Peter heals well known lame man – crowd rushes over – Peter’ sermon brought the number of saved men to 5,000 – Peter/John arrested – before the leaders – lame man with them (over 40) – couldn’t deny the miracle – warned/threatened not to preach Jesus – we must obey God rather than men – released them – returned to the church and reported all that had happened.
4:24 – with one accord – homothumadon – unanimous agreement; unanimous consent
4:24 – raised a voice – airo (3pl) + phone (acc sing) – one voice prayed – all hearts spoke with him
4:24-30 – Master – despotes; Creator; nations conspire against you; threaten us; give us boldness to speak to speak your word; heal, miracles, wonders
4:31 – prayed – deo – ask urgently; building was shaken – mini earth quake; continued to speak with boldness
The report of Peter and John of threats to the church caused the church to go to the Lord in prayer.
There hearts were all united in the request – one person led the prayer – singular of voice
Luke reports the content of the prayer in detail – one person praying specifically with all agreeing
Addressed God as Master and saw themselves as His slaves – began with due respect for the Lord
Did not ask for relief from adversity but for courage and boldness to speak in spite of it.
God responded to their unified prayer in a remarkable manner – shook the building – filled with Spirit
God honored their prayer by giving then courage to keep on speaking the word with great boldness.
9. Fellowship of bel’s is the means of helping one another with spiritual problems – Jms 5:14-16
14-15 – sickness as suffering for blessing or as corrective action for a pattern of sin
Summon AMImpv = Elders (pl) of the church (sing) – spiritual leaders available to intercede for others
Pray – AmImpv – ask God to heal the bel – ask believing God will do as we ask
Anoint with oil – apply oil to body – medicinal; ceremonially mark as holy and consecrated
Prayer of faith – heal (sozo – save) the sick; Lord raise (egeiro – resurrect) – Lord’s healing of the sick is a physical symbol of saving the sick soul and resurrecting the dead soul.
If sins committed – sick as corrective discipline – will be forgiven
16 – Confess – homologeo PMImpv – be honest and truthful; acknowledge
16 – to one another – allelos – each other – fellow believers
16 – pray for one another – so you may be healed
Believer under corrective training - seeking the help of spiritual leaders to intercede for them
Commanded and encouraged to be honest about why you are under corrective training
The environment – not announcing your sins before the whole church – private meeting with Elders
Sharing our struggles with trusted fellow bel’s has a therapeutic effect on the soul.
Bearing one another’s burdens – sharing the spiritual struggle of others – hearing their failures Gal 6:1-2
When trusted to hear the sins of others we are required to maintain confidential confidenc
Humility is required to hear the sins of others – remember your own; no shock; no judgment
The church must encourage an environment where the shame of sin is swallowed up by the joy of forgiveness
Honesty about our sinfulness eliminates the façade of pseudo righteousness – mask of having it all together.
The bible encourages openness about sin and failure as part of overcoming it – not pretense or concealment
Privacy – each believer must be free to grow into victory over their sins without being judged by others.
Believers do not have the right to abandon their spiritual life and destroy themselves and others without being confronted by other bel’s who love them – Eph 4:15 – speaking the truth in love.
We are one body and joined in the Lord – we owe one another love that confronts for our benefit.
The end of Acts Ch 2 reveals the worship and daily life of the first church. By the first church, we mean the first in church ever to form and worship together. The First Church of Jerusalem viewed the word of God to be of primary importance. In a later study we will see the prominence given to the teachings of the apostles. In this present study we have a categorical compilation of principles about the word itself that comes from the word. These are things the bible says about itself.
1. The W/G is divine food for the bel’s soul – Mt 4:4; Lk 4:4
- Eating & drinking is a picture of faith – Eucharist
- Metabolism – eat, digestion, nourishment, healing, strength, energy
2. The W/G is divine air for the bel’s soul – 2 Tim 3:16 – theopneustos – breath of God
- Inhale – hear and believe; exhale – obey and apply
3. The W/G is the thoughts of God expressed in words – 1Cor 2:16 – mind of Christ
- Language communicates thought from one person to another – understand and adopt thinking
- We have the opportunity to learn God’s thoughts and think like God
4. The W/G is the content of faith for the bel
- Gospel that brings new birth – Rom 1:6; 1Pt 1:23
- No Christian faith w/out it – Rom 10:17
- Rule of life – Mt 4:4
- Reveals the deepest parts of the heart – Heb 4:12
- Renewal of the mind – Rom 12:2; Eph 4:22-24
5. The W/G must be received by faith – 1Thes 2:13
- Gospel is received by faith – Rom 1:16
- Ears to hear – Mt 11:15 – willing to hear and believe
6. The W/G must be taught by divinely gifted men.
- Apostles & Prophets – pre-cannon teachers – understood and taught scriptures before written
- Pastor/Teachers – post cannon teachers – study and teach scriptures
- Rightly divided – orthotomeo – cut straight – ICE – historical, categorical, exegetical
7. The W/G must be taught by divinely gifted men.
- Apostles & Prophets – pre-cannon teachers – understood and taught scriptures before written
- Pastor/Teachers – post cannon teachers – study and teach scriptures
- Rightly divided – orthotomeo – cut straight – ICE – historical, categorical, exegetical
8. The W/G is the sword of GHS – Eph 6:17
- GHS is a teacher – Jn 14:26 – uses the word to give us wisdom
- Uses the W/G to enlighten us – Eph 1:18 – our blessings in Christ
- Uses the W/G to guide us – Rom 8:14
- There is no revelation, enlightenment, guidance w/out the word.
9. The W/G carries God’s power
- Created the universe – Heb 11:3
- Universe held together by God’s word – Heb 1:3
- Cuts open the heart to the core – Heb 4:12
- Changes the heart – Rom 12:2; 2Cor 3:18 – transforms us into the image of Christ
A
BIBLICAL STUDY
OF
ECCLESIOLOGY
FOCUSED ON:
WORSHIP IN THE EARLY CHURCH
Acts 2:42-47
Pastor F. Al Rosenblum M.A.
Introduction
As the Age of Israel came to a close (30 AD), a transition period began that would bring the newly formed church into the Church Age. This transition period lasted until approximately 100 AD, ending with the completion of the divine revelation, the canon of scriptures. The purpose of the transition was to phase out of the old way practiced for about 2,000 years and phase in the new way, the Church Age which has lasted for approximately 1980 years.
Acts 2:42-47 gives us a very detailed look at the ministry practices of the first church to ever exist, the First Church of Jerusalem that began on the Day of Pentecost 30 AD. The church was led by the disciples who had become the Apostles whose mission was to study and teach the word of God to the church and prayer for the mission of the church and it’s members. The church was in a unique state of unity at this point with all believers sharing everything in common. An unusual level of generosity also existed during this early phase with those having extra means being willing to liquidate their wealth to support those who had nothing. The church services were characterized by the Apostles teaching, the Eucharist, worship through reciting praise psalms and singing songs of praise to the Lord Jesus Christ.
The following is a exegetical, historical and categorical discussion of this passage. It is written in outline form as it was used by the author as his notes to teach separate bible studies in Grace Bible Church, Hot Springs Ar. in the year 2003.
The First Church Acts 2:42-47
The infant church was born in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost. For the first time in history, every believer became indwelt and filled with the Spirit. The temple in Jerusalem was replaced by the body of the believer. The Levitical priesthood was replaced by the priesthood of every believer. Every believer was placed into permanent union with Christ, raised and seated at the right hand of God. The church and church age operating assets are clearly different from the nation Israel.
Ch 2 Context
2:1-5 – GHS indwells and fills every believer – wind, tongues/fire, foreign tongues
2:5-13 – God fearing Jews from every nation hear bel’s speaking God’s wonders in their own language
2:14-41 – Peter’s sermon – quoted Joel 2:28-32; Psm 16:8-11; Psm 110:1 and related their prophecies to the Person/work of Jesus’ resurrection with about 3,000 saved.
1. The first church was pre-cannon and pre-gentile
a. Pre-cannon – no NT scriptures – Apostles interpretation of OT
b. Pre-Gentile – only Jewish bel’s – possible exception – 2:11 – Gentile converts to Judaism
2. A large number (3,000+) of members were from out of town and stayed in Jerusalem.
· God-fearing Jews from every nation – many saved
· We are not told who stayed and who went home – apparently many stayed
· Difficult logistical issues – finances; housing; daily needs
3. The first church was isolated within the Jewish society
· Christian theology was not a popular view to hold in Jerusalem
· The Christians stuck together, worshipped together, ate together, took care of one another
· The demonstrations of genuine love amazed the population – favorable view at first.
4. The first church was consistently committed – 10 imperfects – continuous action
2:42-47 – Outline
42 Worship components – teaching, fellowship, Eucharist, prayer
43 Miracles – credit card gifts to establish credibility
44-45 Love demonstrated – committed care for one another
46 Unity – worshipped and socialized together
47 Positive impact and effective evangelism
2:42 – Components of Worship
Vs 42 – imperfect periphrastic (intensifies) – eimi + proskartereo – they were consistently, they kept on worshipping
A periphrastic grammatical construction intensifies the concept in view. The concept in view is the consistency of worship in the first church. The consistency they practiced conveys the concept of commitment, a very strong commitment to worship the Lord Jesus. These believers would soon have their commitment tested by being confronted with the loss of their property, families and even their lives as their Jewish society turned against them.
Vs 42 – the teaching of the Apostles – didache – the content of their teaching is in a priority position in the sentence
· The Apostles were delegated the responsibility to speak for the Lord – Mt 28:18-20
· The Apostles had been gifted to teach the word of Christ – Mt 28:20
· The Apostles were instructed personally by the Lord – Acts 1:2
· The Apostles are part of the foundation of the church – Christ, Apostles, Prophets – Eph 2:20
· The Apostles were entrusted with the mystery doctrines – Eph 3:3-5
· The Apostles were the highest in authority on earth – 1Cor 12:28
· The Apostles were entrusted with the power to perform miracles – Acts 2:43
· We are instructed to listen to the doctrine and commands of the Apostles – Jude 1:17; 2Pt 3:2
· The apostles teaching establishes the divine policies for the church – Acts 15
· The teaching of the Apostles was the most important aspect of worship – priority position
The first church was desperately in need of knowledge of the changes taking place. The plan of God was making a change of the divine agency that would represent The Lord in His absence. The change was from the Age of Israel with the nation of Israel as the divine agency to the Church Age where the church would replace Israel as the authorized divine appointed representative for God. This change of a dispensation is still in effect today and will be until the rapture of the church.
Distribute These Steps To Prevent Suicide
Steps To Prevent Suicide of Friends and Family Members
(also here http://ctihalifax.com/images/Suicide_Steps.pdf)
The College of Mental Health Counseling at www.collegemhc.com urges the general public to learn and distribute these steps to prevent suicide of friends and family members.
Please print or distribute this release throughout the internet and send it to all your contacts and friends.
This procedure is from the reader-friendly book “Effective Counseling Skills” written by Daniel Keeran, MSW, for the general public found here http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Counseling-Skills-therapeutic-statements/dp/1442177993
Just as CPR has been promoted to save lives, it is vital that the general public knows how to recognize suicide risk and prevent suicide. Here are some steps:
1. Notice if the person appears quiet and withdrawn, oversleeps, has crying episodes, has loss of appetite and energy, appears dishevelled, the gaze is downward, the voice tone is flat, consistently negative comments, irritability, or says things like, “Life’s not worth living,” or “I hate my life,” etc.
2. Ask: “How would you rate your mood right now on a scale of zero to ten with zero meaning life’s not worth living and ten meaning life is great?”
3. If the person rates the mood as 5 or under, ask: “Have you had any thoughts of suicide or of harming yourself?” *
4. If the person indicate yes, go to the next step. If the person says, “I don’t know,” hear this as a “yes” to the question in #3.
5. Ask: “Have you thought about how you might end your life?” If the person says yes, the risk is increased.
6. Ask: “What have you thought about as how you might do it?” If the means is ineffective or non-lethal, such as cutting wrists, risk is lower. If the means is lethal such as using a gun or jumping from a bridge, etc., risk is higher.
7. Regardless of the means, ask: “Can we agree together that if you have thoughts of killing yourself, you will speak to me personally (not my voice mail) before carrying out a plan to harm yourself?”
8. If the person says “no” or “I don’t know,” to the question in #7, say: “What I am hearing is that you are in a lot of pain right now and thinking of ending your life, so I am wanting you to go to the emergency room right now and get some help to feel better right away. Will you go? I will make sure you get there safely. Is there a family member or someone I can call to go with you?” Or tell the person you will go with them yourself.
9. Arrange for the person to be accompanied to the emergency room, and call ahead to tell emergency staff you are coming.
10. If the person refuses, then ask the person to wait there with someone while you call police in another room to report that the person has threatened suicide with lethal means. Ask the police to come and accompany the person to the emergency room.
*Note: If the person rates the mood as 6 or over, after feeling consistently depressed, and s/he now reports life is great and s/he is smiling, the risk may be increased because s/he has decided to end their life and have made all arrangements.
More practical counseling skills are available through online courses at http://www.ctihalifax.com
Bluminghearts Ministry Report Pastor-Teacher Al Rosenblum
May 2011
Those of you that know me, understand that reaching out with reports of my work does not come easy for me. As a big time introvert by personality, I normally do not talk to people unless it is absolutely necessary. I remember my mother talking about this trait when I was a small child, saying “son, you don’t say much but when you do, it something worth hearing”. To this day, I try to keep my communication to a word worth hearing.
Recently I was talking to Dr Jim Brettell about whether I should write a report to inform my family, friends and ministry associates about what I am doing in my ministry. His words were very helpful as is often the case. He said, “Al, people cannot pray, give or listen to your messages if they don’t know about you and they normally won’t know to help out unless you let them know you need help”. That made great sense to me and so I have committed to periodically writing a report to inform you about the progress of my ministry efforts.
Also, recently I was sending out e-mails, seeking your prayers, and a man wrote back and asked to be removed from the list. Please! If you are receiving my e-mails and do not want to be on my list, let me know and I will remove you from my e-mail list. I understand not wanting to get e-mails from people with whom I am not involved, so don’t hesitate to request to be removed.
Also, if you know people who would want to be informed about our ministry efforts, please have them send a note to al@bluminghearts.com and I will add them to the e-mail list.
Ministry Report:
Writing
I am very busy writing and speaking weekly. I am in the process of writing a book dealing with belief systems, especially as they pertain to the Old Man belief system we all build before we find Christ. The work is slow as I have never written a full-blown book but it is coming along. I hope to have it out soon.
I have a blog where I write articles about the Christian faith. I have over 100 articles on the site for your edification. You can go to the site www.bluminghearts.com and read until your heart is full. While I have slowed down considerably from the pace with which I began, I still post articles there.
Old Man – New Man
Every Sunday night for over a year, I have conducted an online bible class dealing with the Old Man – New Man topic in conjunction with Dr. Brettell and Pastor Steve Ellis. (For those of you who pray, Steve’s wife, Sharon has suffered with serious health problems and we would appreciate you asking our heavenly Father for her complete healing.) This bible study has been eye opening for me, giving evidence to the validity of the internet to reach people we might not ever touch. We have regular listeners from the Philippines, a man from Ireland, a missionary from Korea and then from all over the USA. Quite a few of the regular listeners are pastors of churches, learning about why all believers struggle to apply the word to their life and what God has provided to free us from our old beliefs. These sessions have all been recorded and are available on Dr. Brettell’s web site. If you want to hear them, shoot me an e-mail and I will hook you up. In my opinion, these lessons are the best bible studies I have ever done and are worth your time to listen.
In March, I traveled to Little Rock Arkansas, to speak at a conference for those who had been involved in the internet bible class. We had 42 who made the trip, some from as far away as Las Vegas and many who were local. I spoke most of the day about belief systems and the Old Man, giving a summary of what we had been discussing all year. While it is difficult to summarize a year’s worth of teaching in one day, it seemed that many were helped with their understanding of the issues involved in being transformed into the image of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Radio Ministry
Every Wednesday afternoon, I am co-hosting a local radio program with Quentin Swafford, discussing issues related to the family. With his many years at Glenhaven Youth Ranch, Quentin has become quite the expert at helping hurting and confused families. We talk back and forth for an hour, discussing problems all family’s experience and offer spiritual solutions in basic terms. My years of counseling and especially my experience with marriage counseling, has prepared me to share important biblical concepts with the community and with those listening via the internet. In the near future, we will be airing the show over internet radio as well.
Spiritually Raw
As many of you know based on the e-mails I sent out, I was interviewed by an internet radio show titled “Spiritually Raw”. The show is the work of a married couple whose goal is to air all kinds of views about spirituality. They interview a wide variety of people such as spiritualist, seers, those who speak with spirits and even those who communicate with other dimensions. Of course, I believe that all of these people are speaking with demons deceiving them. I went on their show for a brief discussion about belief systems and we discussed the Christian faith for a time. I was able to convey my belief that Jesus is the only way to God and that without faith in Him, no one can have a relationship with God. They and their average listener struggle with this view as does most of the unbelieving world. This was a great learning exercise for me and I appreciate your prayers for me.
Internet Radio
On May 1, my recorded studies began playing over the Brettell Broadcasting Network, an internet radio network. I have 4 one-hour slots, playing at different times every day on a program hosted by Dr. Brettell. He has hosted his own local radio program for years and has decided to go to internet radio to get his message out. It appears that the internet is the wave of the future even for radio. During this initial phase I will be uploading recorded studies and later will be adding live 1-hour discussions of real life issues through a biblical viewpoint.
Local Church
I am still serving as the Associate Pastor of Doctrinal Studies Bible Church here in Birmingham, serving with Pastor Ron Adema. Ron is still going strong into his 70’s and provides the lion’s share of the bible teaching with me filling in as needed. My primary role is a supportive one, as a counselor and encourager within the congregation. I have been a member of DSBC off and on between assignments for 28 years now and this is mine and Rhonda’s home church. We have a great and enduring love for the people here and will continue to serve their needs in any way we can.
Marriage Ministry
This summer Rhonda and I will be resuming our monthly marriage ministry for believers in our local church as we believe that keeping the marriages strong is the key to keeping the families and ultimately the church strong. Literally, as go the marriages, so goes the church.
School of Biblical Theology
I will also be teaching in the School of Biblical Theology, preparing the ministers of the future. I can think of no greater privilege than contributing to the minds of our future pastors and leaders. Educating them so that they can open the scriptures and study them for themselves is an honor and an opportunity to return what the school gave to me. Having been trained by the late Dave Whisenant in the languages, Kirk Kniep in the historical perspective, Carol Davenport in methods of communication and Ron Adema in theology and Pastoral Theology, I was imminently prepared to go out on my own and teach the bible, verse by verse and categorically. I am so grateful for these believers who contributed to my soul and for giving me the capacity to stand on my own as a pastor.
Counseling
My counseling ministry continues to grow, but very slowly it seems. Then, all at once, I will have more than I can do and fit it all in. As some of you know, I attended UAB’s M.A. counseling program, graduating summa cum laude while working a full time job, a part time job, with a wife and 4 kids. When it was over, I was very tired to say the least. After graduation, I thought it would be easy to get a job as a counselor in a local, secular program and began to make applications whenever I got wind of an opening. To my surprise, after sending out about 200 resumes, I have never gotten a phone call from any of those job openings. My conclusion after a time was that the Lord didn’t want me in the secular counseling business but wanted me to be open and available to help any believer who was in need of the skills I had gained. I have taken a ministry minded approach, not charging a fee, but trusting the Lord who is truly faithful to provide what we need.
Podcast
In my last letter, I indicated that I was in the process of putting together a podcast, which is where a person speaks live or in a recording over the internet. The internet is becoming more and more like live TV or live radio, because so many people are using it to meet all of their communication needs. I am still working on this but it is going slower than expected because of my own ignorance of the tech aspects of it and my dependence on others who are busy also. I do expect to have this up and running soon and will begin publishing short bible messages weekly. Stay tuned!
Internet Church
Dr. Brettell is so convinced that the internet is going to be the future, he is building an internet “virtual” church. The virtual church will function much like the local church, but over distance using live internet. This is a fascinating concept and I am helping him with this effort.
As you can see, I have been keeping myself busy in the Lord’s work. I am not maxed out by any means. I plan on continuing to grow in my efforts to get His word out to the world. I will use any means I can find and will teach any and all who will listen. I appreciate those of you who have an interest in my work and participate through prayer and financial support. By entering into the work through your prayers and giving, you are just as much in this ministry as I am. As Paul said to the Thessalonian churches
2 Thessalonians 3:13 But as for you, brethren, do not grow weary of doing good.
It is no mystery that every ministry needs prayer support and financial support. Also it is no mystery that ministers send out these reports to remind you to pray and give if you believe in what they are doing. This letter is no different. We truly need your prayers and your financial support so that I can devote myself to prayer and the ministry of the word as did the Apostles (Act 6:4).
I truly believe that the specific message the Lord has given me is what the church desperately needs as our nation continues to decline, as marriages and families fall apart and as children are exposed to immorality at earlier ages than ever before. My work is focused on teaching God’s solutions for the ever increasing soul problems that develop because our families are falling apart and our children are being abandoned to the world before they become children of God. Many who become saved now, come into the church with tremendous soul problems that must be addressed if that person is to grow and become a credible witness for Christ. If you too believe this kind of ministry is important, then help us continue to reach out with the hope and love of God.
Your Friend in Christ,
Al
Send contributions to:
Doctrinal Studies Bible Church
C/O Al Rosenblum
5216 Chestnut Ln
Pinson Al. 35126
This Saturday March 19, I will be teaching an all day conference in Little Rock Arkansas. Click on the OM-NM conference to see the notes. I hope to have the audio to go with it soon.
The following discussion was generated from 2 questions asked about marriage. It reads like a personal response because it is but has been edited to remove any personal information and I have tried to make it fit both the needs of a husband and a wife.
What are the benefits of marriage? What can a husband and wife expect from each other in marriage?
The first question should be: What is God’s purpose for marriage? The answer is: to meet man’s need for companionship because we are not designed to be alone. “Not good for man to be alone” Gen 2:18. As unbelievers, we marry to meet our own needs for a partner. If it doesn’t work out the way we want, we move on an try again with someone else. This is what we see the world doing and rightly so, they have no divine motives working in them to move them to self sacrifice.
The benefits are related to who you marry and what they have to offer. From the divine view, marriage is about giving more than getting. It is about seeing where we need to change more than the other person changing to meet our expectations. Marriage reveals our old man beliefs through our discontentment even when we are being wronged. Imagine if Jesus had gotten married to someone who gave very little and did many wrong things. Do you think He would have left it, complained about it, tried to change the other person? The answer is no, but he had no earthly, human expectations to fulfill, only pleasing God motivated Him.
When we are discontent with what our mate gives us, it shows where we have formed a human image we want to fulfill that they fail to live up to. The image may even be a right one or contain much good but we have no guarantees that it will be fulfilled. Even in extreme situations, our internal image is our own, not something God promised to give us. Even when your image is simply a normal life with a normal partner and children, the image is still our own and not something God promised to give us.
For Christians, marriage is a picture of Christ and the church and the ultimate completion for us is to give to God what the roles require. Christian marriage is a ministry for God’s sake where both parties fulfill the biblical roles and in doing so, form the image of Christ and the church to teach angels and man, the relationship God desires with all mankind. We get very confused about this and think marriage is about getting something for self instead of giving self to God. For believers contentment in marriage can only be found when we discover this truth and give our self to God for His use. He gives us the inner peace and contentment in spite of what our mates give us and this is the primary way happiness can be found in marriage.
Now, having said this and painted the picture of self sacrifice so that we can selflessly give self to God by being the loving husband or the submissive wife to a man who doesn’t do his part very well, none of us are there and able to give what God needs from us. We are all programmed to want something for self and expect our mate to love us, sacrifice for us and fulfill the image we have for them. How do we ever become the person who can forgo what we want and give our self fully to form this image of Christ and the church? That is where taking off the old man beliefs comes into view and reveals that my unfulfilled desires must be given to God, not to our mate, even when our complaints are legit. You see our mate is also programmed with old man beliefs, different ones too and they drive him/her in a different direction. We can’t sacrifice self to fulfill God’s design of living out the roles and forming the picture of Christ/church because we are driven to fulfill the image we formed in our minds about our life. Very seldom do 2 people’s inner images match up driving them in the same direction. This cause us to be unhappy with what the other gives in marriage.
If we were free of our old man image of marriage, we would be free to give our self fully to God and it wouldn’t matter what our mate did or didn’t do, we would still do our part for God. He would meet the deep needs of our souls and we could wait on our mate to grow and be able to do their part for God and make marriage good. But we are not free, we are enslaved to what we want and so we demand that the other give what we want. We express our unhappiness trying to drive them to be what we want but it never helps, only drives them away. Gaining freedom from our old ideas that create our wants is the only way to find happiness and contentment in this life. God has made a way for us to be free from the old thinking we bring into the Christian life, called Transformation. We exchange our old beliefs for the same beliefs Jesus used in His humanity.
Bottom line, for unbelievers marriage is to meet the need for companionship and if it doesn’t, we move on and try again. For believers, it is to form a picture of Christ and the church as a sacrificial ministry for God. He wants us to give our wants up and replace them with the desire to please Him. If we are to fulfill God’s desire for us will depend on if we are willing to let go of the image we all form of what marriage should give to us, even the legit images that our mate can’t give to us or wont give to us. The only way to make Christian marriage what God wants it to be is to give up the old man image, even the right things in it., This will enable us to embrace His ideas which give us the capacity to give self fully to God for His purposes. If we refuse to let go of our inner image and continue to demand our mate live up to it, it can never be what God wants from it and will never be what we want from it either. If we relinquish our old view of what it should be, we find contentment in pleasing God and fulfilling the ministry of forming our side of the Christ/church picture.
You ask what should both parties expect from the other in marriage? The answer is nothing. We have no real basis to expect that the person we marry will live up to the roles described in the bible. If we are wise in our choice of a mate, then we might get part of what we want and expect but never all of it. The image in our mind of marriage was formed from our parent’s marriage and from other influences along the way, even legit ideas. Often we will hold a biblical view of marriage, learned in church and expect our mate to fulfill this image. The problem is that all of us are damaged inside and driven to please the dictates and principles of our original family. We all try to recreate our family of origin whether it was good or bad. It was where we drew our first images of how marriage should work and to us it is what normal is. We begin marriage expecting our mate to live up to the image in our head but none of us can do that. Even if the image is biblical, and maybe especially if it is biblical. All of us have an old system of beliefs that dominate us in the subconscious and until we disassemble it and lay it aside, we are controlled by it. All of these beliefs are self centered and self serving, formed while spiritually dead and separated from God, under the control of the sin nature. The image we form for marriage is also self centered, self serving, driven by our sin nature and formed apart from God’s input. His image for marriage is self sacrifice for His sake. Our image is self serving for our own sake.
The real answer to the marriage dilemma is to disassemble and lay aside our human agenda and replace it with the eternal, divine agenda. This solves all problems in life and resolves all conflicts. It enable us to forgive all failures by our mate and give compassion for the inner turmoil they faced from trying to please us while driven from within by their false beliefs. Much of what we want is legit, but we expect it and demand it from them and we drive them to give it and in doing so we kill the love that we began with. Our image is selfish even if the image is composed of right things and the mutual selfishness is what drives us apart.
Many of us have been disappointed by what has gone on in our marriage. Yet, from the divine perspective, it is all that was possible from the man or woman you married. It was all he/she had to give and their inner program was put in place for by his parents and family. Unless they are willing to see it and lay it aside, he/she can never be any better, he/she is unable to do better than the program in his old beliefs, nor are you. As long as we come at each other with the old program, even when it is legit, we can never find contentment in marriage. As believers, it is the laying aside of the old way and embracing of God’s way of self sacrifice and giving that makes it good for each other. I hope you both are willing to do the work to lay aside the old self and put on the new self, created in the image of the one creating him.
