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Minister's Food

MF-Gleanings in Christology

REASONS TO STUDY CHRISTOLOGY

The health of our lives and churches depends on how we understand and follow Christ. Christianity stands or falls with its Christology. Here are four reasons for a deeper knowledge of Jesus.

 

First, there are depths to the doctrine that we have not discovered. A full account about Jesus is inexhaustible (John 21:25).

 

Second, our spiritual well-being depends on being reshaped by biblical teaching. The corrective for unhealthy habits that misshape our lives is the wisdom found in Christ.

 

Third, while biblical truth never changes (Ephesians 4:14; Hebrew 13:9; Jude 3), the circumstances of our lives do. We must  come afresh to God’s Word for the wisdom of Christ that meets our daily needs.

 

Finally, the study of Christ is for God’s glory and our good. The Father is pleased when much is made of His Son. It is amazing, but through the proper knowledge of Christ, we can come to participate, not only in salvation, but in God’s very life (2 Peter 1:3-4).

 

CHRIST, THE MESSIAH

In Jesus’ day the messianic puzzle lay in pieces. God promised that Eve’s
descendent would crush Satan’s head (Gen ‪3:15). This seed was through Abraham
(Gen 17:19) and associated with David (Psalm 2:7). Added were promises about various
anointed figures (priests, prophets, and kings). Messiah would be a human servant (Isaiah 42:1). Other texts pointed to a heavenly being (Daniel 7:13). How would this come together?

 

Some sought a king to free them from Rome. Some focused on a ruling priestly messiah. Turning from politics, others looked for a righteous teacher. Each justified their picture from the Old Testament.

 

Peter’s confession was a breakthrough: “You are the Messiah, Son of the living God” (Matt ‪16:16). Jesus became a magnet, drawing the pieces together. Messiah would be king and priest (Psalm 110:1, 4; Hebrews 7). Messiah would be suffering servant (Isa 53; Phil 2:4-8) and glorious Son of God (Phil 2:9-11; John 1:4, 18). He would be a human being and the divine Savior.

 

The puzzle is now complete and perfectly meets our need.

 

CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD
How is Jesus God’s “only Son”? The Apostle’s Creed says, “I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and in his only Son Jesus, our Lord.”

 

In the Bible, Adam is God’s son (Luke 3:38), Israel is God’s son (Exodus 4:23), Solomon is God’s son (Psalm 72:1), and peacemakers are sons of God (Matt 5:9).
Jesus must be God’s Son in a special way to be called His “only” son.

 

The creedal designations that follow (“Jesus, our Lord”) help explain. Christ is both God’s Son in his humanity, for his name is “Jesus” – the perfect Adam, the new Israel, the promised Davidic King, and the true peacemaker. But Christ is also the Son of God in his deity. He is “our Lord.” As applied to Jesus, “Lord” often comes from the Old Testament name Yahweh (e.g., Hebrews 1:10). This means that Jesus as “God’s only Son” is fully man and fully God.

 

Let’s confess our faith in such a Savior, “God’s only Son.”

Ministries, Monthly, Uncategorized

It Takes One to Make One

The last command of our Lord Jesus was “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19 ESV). It was given to His eleven men, His disciples, and not to the multitudes. Why? Because it takes a disciple to make a disciple. If we are going to see strong, devoted disciples of Christ raised up under our leadership and discipleship, we ourselves must be a strong devoted disciple of Christ. It’s that simple.
 
One of the primary goals of Christian leaders and disciplers is the deepening of the spiritual lives of those they lead. Their followers must grow in grace and the knowledge of Christ, developing in their effectiveness for Him and deepening their devotion. It is God’s desire that they demonstrate Christlike qualities in everyday life. The Bible is alive with examples of this. Under David’s leadership the men around him won battle after battle, defending the kingdom against the enemies of God. But the greatest accomplishments were in the lives of the men themselves. How were these men described when they came to David? “All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their leader. About four hundred men were with him” (1 Samuel 22:2 NIV).  
 
Later after association with David, these men became strong, dedicated, mighty men of valor. Scripture describes one of them, Eleazer, as … “one of the three mighty men…with David when they taunted the Philistines gathered at Pas Dammim for battle…. He stood his ground and struck down the Philistines till his hand grew tired and froze to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. The troops returned to Eleazer, but only to strip the dead” (2 Samuel 23:9-10 NIV).
 
The influence of leaders and disciplers on their followers is interesting to observe in the Bible. For example, how many giant killers were in Saul’s army? None. When Goliath defied the armies of God, they shook with fear (1 Samuel 17:11). David, who came to bring food to his brothers, sized up the situation, went out in faith, and killed the giant. After David, the giant killer, became king, how many giant killers arose in Israel? Many. They were almost common in David’s army. 
 
“At that time Sibbecai the Hushathite killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the Rephaites, and the Philistines were subjugated. 
 
In another battle with the Philistines, Elhanan son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, who had a spear with a shaft like a weaver’s rod. 
 
In still another battle, which took place at Gath, there was a huge man with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot—twenty-four in all. He also was descended from Rapha. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. 
 
These were descendants of Rapha in Gath, and they fell at the hands of David and his men” (1 Chronicles 20:4-8 NIV).
 
Why were there no giant killers in Saul’s army? One reason is that Saul himself was not one. However, under David’s leadership there were many. Why? Because David was one. This illustrates a powerful principle of leadership and discipleship which runs throughout the Bible. *It takes one to make one.*
 
Here are some questions for thoughtful prayer:
 
1. How would we feel if the Lord called us to shepherd a church of four hundred people like those described in 1 Samuel 22:2?
 
2. How do we react to this principle of leadership and discipleship: “It takes one to make one.” Are we encouraged, frightened, challenged, or? Why?
 
3. What signs do we look for to see if a person is ready to make disciples, either one-on-one or in a group setting? 
 
4. Read 2 Timothy 2:2. Does this pattern work with any age? Is it different with men and women? How about a parent to a child? 
 
Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:11-14 (ESV) what our primary work is as pastors, missionaries, evangelists and teachers. It says “And he (the Spirit) gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds, and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes”. 
 
Amen.