B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #220
B.A.S.I.C. NEWSLETTER #220
I Cor.. 16:9 ‘For a wide door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many adversaries.’
July 15, 2012
In July – Pastor Nathanael Mayhew and Russ Schmidt will be working with our brothers in East Africa. Pastor Matthew Ude and Prof. John Ude will be teaching in Nepal and then in India. May God grant success to these ventures in His Kingdom work.
South Sudan Pastor Nolting and Immanuel congregation, Mankato, Minn. have been working with a man they have instructed who is back in South Sudan to do mission work. Pastor Nolting reports that this man ” is looking for guidance from Immanuel and the CLC. We have real difficulties reaching him by phone and the lack of available internet hinders regular contact in that manner.” His name is James Lew Puot Well and he is at Malkal. South Sudan gained independence on July 9, 2011 from the oppressive Muslim Sudan government. There are over eight million people in this new country. The capital is at Juba. Pray for contact with James and for his work. He is working at gathering a congregation about the Word.
Rabbi Jesus – Master Teacher
His Character
We at times try to cover up and dismiss our mistakes in one way or another. The great Master gives us the example to strive after in His personal character. Of course no one could convict Him of sin. He demonstrates the divine qualities for us.
Holiness – Very dramatically He drove the money-changers out of the Temple grounds twice: at the beginning of His three year ministry – Jn. 2:13-22, at the beginning of Holy Week – Mk. 11:15-19. He showed that there could be no compromise with sin, no compromising of the truth.
Love – Our God is love; Jesus not only personified it, but it is in word, thought and deed. In the healing of all He showed it. His disciples saw it over and over again. And to His enemies as He beheld Jerusalem, He lamented that He would have gathered them as a hen does her chicks, but they would not. Mt. 23:37 In His final hours this way of His was not altered as He prayed for His enemies, “Father forgive them…”
We seek a balance of these two attributes in our teaching. How can we teach people without a real motive of love. It is one thing to exercise their mind and quite another to imprint on their heart. We teach also against the backdrop of His holiness with our missteps showing up dark against the white. Using Law and Gospel in our teaching is seeking always a proper setting of holiness and love.
We look at one other attribute of the Rabbi – humility. His humility meant that God came to earth for lost mankind. What are we doing? He taught on Maundy Thursday evening about humility when He washed His disciples feet giving as He said an example. We remember how He was self-denying. He put everyone ahead of Himself. Phil. 2:1-8 Is this conveyed by us as we teach? Do we take the lowest seat? Are we the faithful servant who simply does his duty. Lk. 22:27 Or do we vaunt ourselves and put ourselves out as great? His life and words were as one, we strive after that.
Law and Gospel
He taught the Law in all its ferocity and fury. Read Mt. 23:13-36 and remember those “Woe”s.The woman caught in adultery example saw Law and Gospel in use by our Lord. Jn. 8:1-11 He rightly used both. For Peter who upbraided our Lord for saying He must proceed on to His sacrifice our Lord hurls those words, “Get behind me satan…” Mt. 16:23 And also to Peter on true forgiveness He says it is not seven times, but seventy times seven. Mt. 18:21-22 Our lifelong we are striving to rightly handle these two great teachings, remembering our Master Teacher’s use of them.
One on One
Our Lord spoke words that were stark, not vague. He got to the heart of the matter. No subterfuge with Him, as He was directed in His goals. Whether it was a shekel in a fish’s mouth or a colt tied, His instructions did not lack. When asked to teach on prayer, His Lord’s Prayer is specific and to the point. “Go sell and give to the poor…” cannot be any more stark. Lk. 18:22 As the Master Teacher He built on the known, moved on to the unknown and made it known. Nicodemus heard it clearly, but did not accept it until later. Jesus looked for the occasions and took advantage of them to teach with words that hit the nail on the head.
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Excerpted from BILD International
Keys to the Effective Establishment and Expansion of the First Century Church.
(Toward a Theology of Acts)
Keys to the Establishment of the Church at Antioch: (Acts 9:32-12:24)
1. The whole expansion was the direct result of the work of a sovereign God in the midst of godly but slow-
to-respond men. (10:9-22; 11:1-3, 18, 19-22)
2. After much resistance, the early church began shedding their false views of separation. (10:9-22,28;
11:1-3,18,19-21
3. God worked in the heart of Cornelius, a man seeking after Him. Cornelius’ friends and relatives (his
natural contacts) also sought after Him. God was in reality working in Cornelius’ heart before he even
sought after God. 17:24-27; 10:1-8; 24-48)
4. God worked through the aggressive evangelism of those with a proper view of Gentiles, in bringing
many to Himself. (11:19-24)
5. God chose a city, Antioch, to develop His people, a city that lived in vivid contrast to the lifestyle He
desired to produce in them – a first century Las Vegas. (11:26)
6. Barnabus worked diligently in the basic follow-up of these new Christian’s encouraging them to “stick
with it” through the initial pressures. (11:21-24) (initial follow-up)
7. Barnabus and Saul met with the whole group and taught them intensively for one year. (11:25-26)
(extensive follow-up)
8. The teachers worked hard at their jobs. (11:23-26)
9. A real unity in purpose and vision developed in this church. It was evidenced in a practical concern for
other believers; for example, everyone participated in meeting the Judean Christians’ needs. (11:26-30)
10.The Word of God was central to all activity and key in the fruitfulness of the early church. (6:7;9:31;12:24)
Pastor David Koenig