Article for Hayes Center Times Republican #3

What is Easter all about?

            We celebrate Easter every Spring. Have you ever wondered what the holiday is all about? It all started nearly 2000 years ago. A man was born with unusual circumstances in the small city of Bethlehem. He was born among farm animals and His first crib was a manger. This of course is the Christmas story. Look forward around thirty years, there is more to the story. Jesus Christ had gained a following as a teacher and miracle worker. His teaching did not always please the religious leaders of the time, but many people heard Him gladly. When He had been preaching for about three years, the religious leaders finally had a plan. They paid one of His disciples to betray Him so they could take Him by night, when there was no crowd. They arrested Him and put Him on trial. They hired people to testify falsely about Him and finally they found Him worthy of death. They were able to convince the Roman Governor to put Him to death by hanging Him on a cross. Jesus died and was buried.

            This may seem like the end of the story, but it is not. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead. Death could not hold Him. He rose from the dead in a changed body which would never die again and is currently in Heaven. This is what we celebrate at Easter. The stone was rolled away from the entrance of the tomb. The tomb was empty inside. It is the miracle of Easter.

            All of Christianity rotates upon this fact of history. If the resurrection never happened, Jesus would be a footnote in history. Instead, many millions of people worship Him today. You may be asking how this effects you. Jesus’ rising from the dead shows that He was what He said He was. His claims are true. What then were His claims? He claimed to be God in several instances which the Jews of His day picked up on and tried to kill Him for. He claimed to be the only way to God. He said in John 14:6-7 that “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him” (ESV). Jesus provided the only way to God. There is no other way. You see, humanity has a problem. We have all broken God’s law and God must enact justice, but He loves us and wants to forgive. God would be just to send every human being to hell because of our sin. Yet He doesn’t. Paul wrote in Romans about this when he said, “It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:26, ESV) God could not leave sin unpunished and still be just. Therefore, Jesus took upon Himself the punishment of sin. When He died upon the cross, sin was paid for. How does this become effective for you? You must trust Christ that He has paid for your sin. Jesus said, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16, ESV)  Will you believe in Him and have eternal life?

            I would like to invite you to some events at Bethel. On Easter Sunday at 7:00 am we will be having a Sunrise Service at the church with breakfast following. We will then have our Worship Service at 10:00 am. Will you join us?

Luke Wolford, Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church

Article for Hayes Center Times Republican #2

This article should appear in the January 20th edition of the Hayes Center Times Republican.

What Is the Church?

     Why is Sunday Morning Worship so important anyway? I would rather sleep in, or catch the NFL pregame shows. Church is important. The writer of Hebrews, a book in the New Testament of the Bible, gives us a hint into its importance. “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24–25, ESV) The motivation for the readers of this letter was persecution. If they were not identified as Christians, then they would be left alone. It was tempting for them to not meet together anymore. The writer (we’re not sure who wrote Hebrews) told them they were not to do this. The reason is obvious from the passage. Together they were to encourage one another to live out their calling as Christians. They were to show God’s love and goodness to the world and together they would encourage one another to this end. The Christian life is meant to be lived out together. It isn’t a Lone Ranger affair. Besides, even he had Tanto. The Church is not a building. It is the people of God who are called out as His assembly and He has called them to live in community with one another and their communities around them. There are deficiencies in my life which I need others to help fill while I help to fill the deficiencies in others. God has designed it that way, which is why Paul uses the body as an apt description of the church.
     This may lead to a misconception. Some may think that if they just go to church, then they will be right with God. That is not the case. It is not church attendance which merits you entrance into Heaven. In fact, nothing you do can merit you anything before God. That is why He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world. Jesus died upon the cross in order to appease God’s wrath at sin. God must punish sin, but God also loves the world as John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (ESV) We cannot save ourselves. Without God we are doomed. But God sent His Son to die in our place that if we will but believe on Him, we will have everlasting life. To believe is to put your total trust in Christ that His death merited life for you; that His death paid for your sins. No amount of doing good or church attendance will save you. That will come after as God works in you to make you more like Christ day by day, year by year. Doing good is an effect of salvation, not its cause.
     On a final note, on behalf of Bethel Baptist Church our condolences go out to the Korell family during their time of loss. We are praying for you.

New Opportunities at Bethel

     If you could ask God one question, what would it be? A new study at Bethel will be delving into just that topic. We will be studying If You Could Ask God One Question by Paul Williams and Barry Cooper on Sunday nights starting February 13th at 6:00 pm.
     Starting on February 16th we will be starting a Bible study for Jr. and Sr. High looking at what makes a Christian tick. We will meet at the pastor’s house at 203 Troth from 7:00-8:30 pm every Wednesday night.
     If you need any further information, please feel free to call Luke at 286-3346 or check out our website at http://bethelbaptisthc.com
Luke Wolford
Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church

Article for Hayes Center Times Republican #1

This is an article which was put in the December 16th edition of the Hayes Center Times Republican.

What does Christmas mean to you? To some it is a time for family and gift-giving. To others it is a time of pain remembering those who have left us. Christmas can mean a lot of things to a lot of people. For us, Christmas is a time to remember the greatest gift ever given. God sent His Son to be born of a virgin into our world. The Creator became a helpless baby, born into a stable with a feeding trough as a crib. God’s greatest gift to man was given at Christmas. God, Who must be just and judge sin, also loved man. Jesus Christ is the solution to God’s justice and love. God’s great gift of His Son provided forgiveness of sin for those who would believe in Him. Since Jesus took the punishment for sin, God’s justice has been satisfied. He has promised that those who put their faith in Christ, believing that His death paid for their sin and that God raised Him from the dead, will be forgiven, but only those who believe. Bethel will be celebrating this great gift on Wednesday, December 22nd at 7:00 pm at our Candlelight Service. Please join us!

Luke Wolford, Pastor, Bethel Baptist Church

1 Timothy Part 7 (2:8-15)

1 Timothy 2:8-15

The topic of women's role in ministry is one that is highly debated today. Paul takes this issue head on when writing to Timothy and since this is the Word of God, we must take this issue head on also.

Paul starts off this section by dealing with men. He commands men to pray but he specifies how they are to do so. First they are to do so with holy hands. Paul does not use the usual word for holy here. The word "hagios" is usually used for "holy" in the New Testament. It speaks of the utter separateness of God from sin. Instead, Paul used the word "hosios" which denotes more of being "devout, pious, pleasing to God, holy" (BDAG) Paul also talked about them lifting their hands. This was a popular posture for prayer and the time and should not be taken as a prescription for body posture during prayer. The Bible portrays other postures for prayer. The emphasis is on one being ready to come before God. In all of this, they were not to quarrel with one another while they were praying. It is not probable that Paul was saying it was alright for them to quarrel at other times. This is something they should get right before worship.

Next, Paul moves to the topic of women in worship in the church. There is some ambiguity here. In the last verse Paul used the word for "men" exclusively, not for mankind. Does this mean that only men are allowed to pray in the worship service? The ambiguity lies in the word "likewise." Does this mean that Paul is likewise delivering another command to women, or is he addressing how they should likewise pray? I don't think that Paul is saying here that women can not pray in public. Paul addresses women praying in 1 Cor. 11:2ff. He says that they are to pray with a head covering which later he equates with hair. This was a sign of her submission, but yet she was allowed to pray. (There is a whole lot going on in that passage but I'm not going to get into it here.)

Paul instructed women, specifically, here on the topic of apparel worn in worship. Basically, he tells them that it should be respectable, show self-control, and show modesty. It should not be something showy. Paul names braided hair, gold, pearls, and costly attire. These things are not wrong in themselves. It seems that women were dressing to impress others with themselves rather than their God. Paul was not necessarily speaking out against dressing up, but against attention seeking which is why he said her beauty was to come from her good works which pointed to God. Paul was speaking of extremes here which even the secular writers of the time frowned upon. Paul did not want them to distract from the real reason they were there, which was to worship the holy God.

Paul moved from dress to the issue of authority. He states that women were to learn quietly. This does not mean silently. Basically, her demeanor was to show submission. Paul did not permit women to teach men or to exercise authority over a man. Therefore, a woman was not allowed to serve the church as a pastor. A woman could teach, and was encouraged to, just not men in the public worship service where this would be authoritative teaching. Paul, in his letter to Titus, tells the older women to teach the younger women. Timothy's mother and grandmother both taught him about God from a young age. Priscilla taught Appolos, along with her husband, what Christianity was all about since he only knew about John the Baptist. Paul was not saying that women were too dumb to teach, he was speaking about God's created order.

Paul supports his position from Scripture. He bases this on the creation and fall narratives given in Genesis 2-3. First of all, Adam was created first and functioned as the head of the human race. When Eve sinned, she not only disobeyed God's command regarding eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, she stepped out of the given order of Creation. It was she that gave her husband the fruit to eat. When God confronted them in the Garden, He said, among other things, that Adam had listened to his wife in this matter. Adam was to be the leader and he abrogated that responsibility. Adam fell with his eyes wide open. Eve was deceived by Satan into eating. Adam chose to do so. Again, this isn't saying that women are stupid, but just following the narrative as it happened.

Next Paul gives us a very difficult verse to interpret. What does he mean that women will be saved through childbearing. We know that Paul is not saying that a women is saved because she has a baby. That would contradict other Scripture. There are several solutions given, but the one that makes most sense to me is that Paul was speaking of one specific birth. This would then be an allusion to Gen. 3:15 and Gal. 4:4. God's Son came into the world by means of a birth. It is only by faith in this Child that anyone can be saved. Paul makes this clear at the end of the sentence when he mentions that she must continue in faith, love, holiness, and self-control. These are evidences that she is saved.

How then does this apply to us? We must remember to function in the role which God has given us. We must remember to honor God with how we pray, both in dress and attitude. Worship of God is very important and we must make sure we are in sync with how God wants us to worship Him.

Until next time. . .

1 Timothy Part 6 (2:1-7)

1 Timothy 2:1-7

Prayer should be a large part of any worship. The problem is that our prayers can become limited. We can lose track of God's priorities in the salvation of others. This was a problem in the Ephesian Church. Evidently, the errorists were limiting the scope of God's forgiveness. Paul countered this with urging prayer for everyone's salvation because God desires the salvation of everyone.

Paul starts this section with the admonition that prayer should be given for everyone. Before we get to that, let's look at how Paul urged Timothy in this matter. He used four different words for prayer. The first was supplications. This has the idea of asking God to fill something lacking. Next he used the word prayers. This is the general, catch-all term for prayer. Third he used the word intercessions. This is to pray on behalf of someone else. Finally Paul used thanksgiving which is pretty self explanatory. These words have much overlap with one another, especially the first three. While there are differences, Paul is describing the kind of prayer that must be offered especially for the great need for salvation.

For whom then must the church pray? She should pray for everyone. Paul singles out those in leadership for prayer. Usually, it was not common for the Jews of that time to pray for the secular leadership in their Synagogue meetings and evidently there were those in Ephesus who were limiting the scope for whom they would pray.

The result is that life would be different for the church. It would lead to a peaceful, quiet, godly, and dignified atmosphere for the church. How can this be? The church would be praying for the good of their country. They would also be living in such a way that they would not bring dishonor upon the church or try and raise tensions with others in the city. This peace then would bring about the opportunity to share their faith with others. Offense will come, but it should be because of the gospel and not the sinful life of the believer. 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12 speaks to this issue.

Next, Paul lays down the theological framework for praying to everyone. To pray for the salvation of everyone is according to the will of God. God's desire is that everyone be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. This does not teach universalism since there are many places in the Bible where it is made clear that not everyone will enter heaven. This is a general attitude of God. He does not take pleasure in punishing the wicked, even though He does receive glory by being the righteous Judge. Ezekiel 18:23, 32; 33:11 speak to this truth of God's attitude towards punishment.

Paul makes clear that there is only one way to please God. This truth is explicit in both Judaism and Christianity. There is only one God and Jesus Christ is the only Mediator between God and men. Jesus Christ is the perfect Mediator because He is both 100% God and 100% man. As the God-Man, He is able to represent our needs. He knows our needs since He lived a human life and was even tempted like we are, yet without sin. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Paul calls Jesus Christ the ransom for mankind. The word for ransom here is a strengthened form. Instead of "lutron" it is "antilutron." Not only did Jesus give Himself on behalf of all as a payment, He gave Himself in the place of all. Jesus death was sufficient for all but is only effective for those who believe. (1 Tim. 4:10; John 3:16)

Paul refers to this as the testimony given at the proper time. This phrase is difficult to interpret. It would seem that Paul is referring to the same principle in Gal. 4:4-5. Jesus died at just the right time and gave a witness to God's great desire to save sinners.

Paul was appointed to proclaim this truth to the gentiles. Paul was especially commissioned for this task. (Acts 9) Paul emphasizes that he is not lying but telling the truth. Paul is going to those whom were not part of God's people in the Old Testament. God was doing a great thing among the Gentiles.

Paul emphasized that the gospel was for all people. He even told them to pray for their leaders. The Emperor of Rome at that time was the evil Nero. Paul urged them to pray even for Nero. No one is beyond the pale of salvation. God can save even the most sinful person. Christ's death is enough to pay for the sins of all men. Be sure to pray for others, even those you deem "hopeless."

Until next time. . .

1 Timothy Part 5 (1:18-20)

1 Timothy 1:18-20

Paul had just finished his testimony concerning his salvation. God had saved him even though his sin was great. Paul was now an example of God's saving power.

Paul referenced his command to Timothy which he had made earlier. This command was to charge those who were teaching wrongly not to teach what they are teaching. Paul then encourages Timothy again.

Paul speaks of prophesies which were made about Timothy. The language used here would allow two possibilities of interpretation. These prophecies could have been about Timothy or they could have led Paul to Timothy. The balance of the argument leans toward the former since Paul urged Timothy to wage war based upon these prophecies. It is thought that these prophecies were given during Timothy's ordination. While Timothy was waging war against these false teachers, he was to make sure that he was holding to the faith and had a clear conscience.

One thing which is interesting here is that Paul talks about the "good" warfare. There is a good fight which must be waged, but there is also a bad fight which some will wage. What is the difference? There are those who like to fight and they will fight about anything. Churches have split over silly arguments which should never have divided brothers and sisters in Christ. Other churches have swept things under the rug which should have been fought over. The gospel is so important that a church should never compromise on this no matter what the consequences will be. There are other doctrines which must be kept at all costs without compromise. It was this for which Paul was exhorting Timothy to fight.

The false teachers had rejected "this." The word "this" is singular. This has led some to believe that Paul was only saying that they had rejected a good conscience. So, they had ignored the stings of their conscience and twisted doctrine to satisfy their lusts. Paul states that they had made something shipwreck. There is debate as to what this is. It could refer either to their faith or the faith. Many modern versions have that they shipwrecked their faith, while many commentators say that they have shipwrecked the faith. The Westcot and Hort rendering of this verse does not make this possessive but shows it with the article. 19  ἔχων πίστιν καὶ ἀγαθὴν συνείδησιν, ἥν τινες ἀπωσάμενοι περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἐναυάγησαν· (Brooke Foss Westcott and Fenton John Anthony Hort, The New Testament in the Original Greek (Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009; 2009), 1 Ti 1:19.) Therefore, I would agree with the rendering of them shipwrecking the faith. This verse is not saying that these false teachers had lost their salvation. In fact, they probably did not have it in the first place. Their love for immorality led them to twist doctrine to the point of shipwreck. These were dangerous teachers.

Paul names two of these teachers, Hymenaeus and Alexander. These were examples of the bad teaching which was going on in the Ephesian Church. Paul handled them by excommunicating them. He says that he handed them over to Satan, which is the same language which he used in 1 Corinthians 5:5 for another man who was excommunicated. This man was delivered to Satan for blatant sexual sin. Most view this passage as Paul putting them in the realm of Satan where they will be exposed to his attacks. In other words, they will not enjoy the security and protection of being around other believers, but will face him on their own. In each case of Paul delivering someone over to Satan, it was for remedial purposes.

How then can we apply this passage to our lives? I have a few suggestions.

1. Doctrine needs to be joined with practice.
2. There is such a thing as good and bad warfare.
3. We should put effort into fighting things which matter.
4. Those who teach false doctrine rarely have an intellectual reason for it but some other, ulterior motive.
5. With that being said, we must watch ourselves that we are not justifying our own sin by twisting Scripture.

Until next time. . .

I Timothy Part 4

I'm back to writing. I'm so far behind on the sermon series. Last Sunday's message is available in an audio form at http://bethelbaptisthc.com/sermons/

And now, on to Timothy.

1 Timothy 1:12-17

God grants salvation totally based upon His grace. We do not earn it at all. Paul presents himself as an example of the kind of sinner which God can save. Salvation does not come from the wrong use of the Law which the false teachers were twisting to their own benefit.

Paul ended his last paragraph by referencing that God had entrusted the gospel to him. This leads Paul to thank Christ. It was Christ Who strengthened him for his task. This was probably speaking about Paul's experience on the Damascus road when Christ appeared to Paul and change him from the persecutor of the church to one of her greatest missionaries. Christ judged him faithful and then appointed him to service. Of course, Paul was not faithful right at that moment. Christ knew what He would make out of Paul. Augustine wrote, "God does not choose anyone who is worthy, but in choosing him renders him worthy." All of our good is a gift from God; it does not come naturally to us. (Ephesians 2:10, Philippians 2:12-13) Paul was given a job to do in which he would suffer much, but would also preach the gospel to many people (Acts 9:15-16).

Paul's past was not one which someone would think would lead to missionary service. Paul was amazed himself that God would use him. First of all, he was a blasphemer. Someone who blasphemed would insult God. The word is not just using God's name in vain; as a pious Jew, Paul would have avoided that at all costs. It was that Paul insulted Christ. Since Jesus Christ is God, then Paul was blaspheming God. He thought he was doing service to God, but in reality, he was slapping God in the face. Secondly, he was a persecutor. He tried to jail Christians and even stood by and held coats when men stoned Stephen to death. He was no friend to the church. Third, Paul was an insolent person. The root here is hubris which some link to violence. Paul, as noted earlier, resorted to violence in order to stamp out the church.

Paul was not a nice man, to say the least. But, Paul received mercy. He did not deserve it for that would violate the definition of mercy. Paul claims that he was in a position to receive mercy because he acted in ignorance. He thought he was doing good by God's account. In the Old Testament, a distinction was made between sins which a person committed willingly in full knowledge, and those done in ignorance (Numbers 15:30). Paul did not deserve God's mercy because of his ignorance, for that would not be mercy, but it put him within the realm of mercy, so to speak. Paul describes the grace of Jesus Christ as overflowing to him. This grace resulted in faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. Paul was not just granted mercy, he was changed by God from the inside. What used to characterize Paul, blasphemy, persecution, and hubris, was now changed to faith and love. Praise God for his ability to change us!

Paul uses a formula here which he uses several times in the Pastorals. He introduces the next phrase with the "this is a faithful saying" motif. It was probably something which was a doctrinal affirmation that the church would be familiar with. Paul declares that Jesus Christ came into the world with the express purpose of saving sinners. Not only that, Paul is the foremost. This probably means that Paul was the forefront sinner. His sin was well known so that God's grace in his life would also be well known. Christ saved him in order to show his great mercy to the world. Paul was the example for those who would come after him in belief.

Paul ends this paragraph with a doxology. He addresses the King of the Ages who is immortal and invisible. This King is the only God. To Him belong all honor and glory for eternity. Here Paul lifts up the transcendent qualities of God, those that show that God is wholly other than us. In his life story, which was just related by Paul, God's immanence was shown. Paul found it marvelous that this transcendent King of the Ages would show mercy upon such a sinner as himself.

How does this apply to us? God can use anyone. No one is beyond the pale of His service. God can also forgive anyone. Our sin does not get in the way of God's election. God's saving work cost Him dearly, but in love He provided the sacrifice of His Son in order to pay for our sin. While Paul is lifted up as the foremost sinner, we all have sinned and all deserve God's wrath. It is only by putting our faith in Christ that we can be forgiven (John 3:16; Romans 10:9, 10, 13). The fact is that you can serve God. If He has elected you to salvation, then He has gifted you for His service (Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31).

Until next time. . .