Baptists, specifically Southern Baptists, have long been known for being an evangelistic people. That is, we openly share our faith with others assuming their spiritual needs reflect those of our own. Often the contemporary term, "Evangelical" is either a direct or indirect reference to something having to do with Southern Baptists and their theology. Keying on Jesus' Great Commission in Matthew 28:19, which has become a powerful force in SBC life, the all-encompassing and all-consuming ambition to "seek and save" the lost has permeated all aspects of Baptist theology and life.
This has been offered to the reader as if to say that from the very outset, any study of Revelation that is done or offered without the direct application of Jesus' teaching, specifically His sermon on the Mount of Olives, is incomplete at best. The argument that God conclusively broadened His redemptive purpose beginning with the Jewish people then spread to all races, as promised in Matthew 28:19, rings true in Revelation when understood in the context of what Jesus taught. What's more, the development of temple-based worship into a simpler spiritual-based worship as expected in John 4:21-24 is equally difficult to ignore from what appears to have been fulfilled in the prophecy of Revelation as predicted by Jesus in His Mount of Olives sermon.
In the past," explained the writer of Hebrews 1:1, "God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways..." Then later in his second letter, the Apostle Peter wrote in 1:21, "For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." The Bible is like a small library that contains many books written by numerous authors. The word "Bi-ble" comes from the Greek, biblia, meaning a plurality of books. It took more than 1100 years for these books to be penned and it would take many more before a single list of books known, as "the Bible" would come together into a single volume.
This relatively brief letter from the Apostle Paul is far more important to Christians than its volume may signify. As the title of this study indicates, the content of Paul's letter to the Galatians "changes everything" in the sense that following Christ is a radical departure from living without Him. However, since human nature seems to insist that one's salvation is brought about by personal deeds that obligate God to save them, the doctrine and theology found in these pages is exceptionally important. Thus, the urgent need for Paul's testimony of justification by faith in Christ to the Galatians.
It's been said that, "an historian making a list of the factors most influential in the development of west-ern civilization would do well to include Paul's Epistle to the Romans along with the invention of gun powder, the rise of nationalism, and the discov-ery of atomic energy." While in today's secularized society, few would likely agree to the above assess-ment. In terms of legitimate historical impact, the importance of Paul's Romans letter can't be over-stated. From the Church Fathers to Augustine and Reformers like Martin Luther and John Calvin, the influence of this ancient correspondence is remarka-ble. As recent as Karl Barth's commentary in the 19th century, humanity's most significant conversa-tions have tended to touch on the ideas and wisdom of the Apostle Paul. A man who was less original in his thought than an elaborator on what he had learned from Jesus and His disciples.
Within a few short years of Jesus' death and resurrection, the Apostle Peter would write to the struggling believers scattered throughout" to encourage them as they dealt with a culture in moral decline. As "obedient children," he told them in 1 Peter 1:14, "do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (NIV) Today's believers are living in an era of no less cultural decline and require equal biblical encouragement and accurate biblical information in order to deal with their world. Peter writes later in 2:12, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
This text is based on a series of lectures given to a small class of ministers training for church leadership in our local Baptist association. The goal of the class and point of the lectures was to provide a well-rounded orientation into the history and literature of each biblical book of the New Testament. My hope in offering the lectures initially was that those destined to lead in churches would gain an appreciation and familiarity with Holy Scripture. That same hope applies to the pages herein.
This humble offering on the topic of the biblical gift of speaking in tongues isn't intended to be offensive to those who may disagree nor should it be thought of as fodder for those who share some of the opinions herein. Its simply information that hopefully is organized and helpful to those interested in an accurate appraisal of what, by all reasonable appearances, is the truth about biblical glossolalia.
When Jesus made His scandalous prediction about the destruction of the temple, those who heard Him-including His disciples were faced with His being either a lunatic-if his prophecy was wrong-or the Messiah-if what He said came to pass. And that in essence is the situation we face today regarding Jesus' same sermon on the Mount of Olives. Either He was right and it occurred as He said in 70 ad, or He was wrong and it it hasn't happened and until it does He's really just another false prophet. Dr. Ogan says, "Jesus was Right
The constant pressure to compromise one's faith to the point of complete apostasy is present but examples are given of those who won't bow the knee and whose faithfulness to God is stalwart. The life and style of Daniel's prophecy encourages involvement in the life of the Gentile nation as far as conscience allows and shows that while faithfulness to God will entail great dangers it is the key to success. Daniel reassures God's people that He is sovereign and so encourages their faithfulness to Him. This is even more the case for Christians who know that the Son of Man has come once to defeat evil, will come again to establish His kingdom, and that they live in the last days of conflict. It is no surprise then that Revelation picks up many motifs from Daniel and encourages believers to stand firm because of God's final victory.
Some Christians today feel a bit helpless not knowing how to explain or defend what they believe about human sexuality based on their own honest moral convictions. Meanwhile, others have joined in the celebration of same-sex behavior. Let's face it, we now live in a world where people who take a biblical stand on the issue of homosexuality are viewed as a social nuisance in need of sensitivity training.
Paul exhorts the Ephesians to embrace Christ's sacrifice in a manner in which he believes an environment of peace will occur within the church. "If Christ was sacrificed for your sake, be like him and be in submission to one another.
The doctrine of election challenges the human mind with the powerful proposition that God has to-tal sovereignty over human life and eternal destiny. Just as Adam and Eve chose freely to resist God's will, so we resist the idea that God's way is the right way for us. When it comes to God's choosing, we resist trusting His judgment and try as we may, we are determined to reason ourselves into His affairs in order to understand the details of His decisions.
Within a few short years of Jesus' death and resurrection, the Apostle Peter would write to the struggling believers scattered throughout" to encourage them as they dealt with a culture in moral decline. As "obedient children," he told them in 1 Peter 1:14, "do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as He who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy." (NIV) Today's believers are living in an era of no less cultural decline and require equal biblical encouragement and accurate biblical information in order to deal with their world. Peter writes later in 2:12, "Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.
The doctrine of election challenges the human mind with the powerful proposition that God has to-tal sovereignty over human life and eternal destiny. Just as Adam and Eve chose freely to resist God's will, so we resist the idea that God's way is the right way for us. When it comes to God's choosing, we resist trusting His judgment and try as we may, we are determined to reason ourselves into His affairs in order to understand the details of His decisions.
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