Very Clear Practical Help on Living as a Constant Evangelist from Jeff Vanderstelt

“If we start to learn to integrate the extra hours of our life with the life of unbelievers there will be unlimited opportunities to share the gospel. It isn’t hard to find opportunities to share the gospel. It’s hard for us to make our lives available and open for those opportunities. That’s the real challenge.” – Jeff Vanderstelt (See the whole 3 minute video here)

This insightful. I find Jeff's words wise and true. The challenge for me is sharing life with unbelievers in the extra hours of their day. For my family that means sharing life with those who are at Shatto Park and the challenge now is to find times for integrating life beyond coaching their games and practices. I feel like my family is on the right track, but still so far from an integrated life of mission to love people with the intention of explaining and applying the gospel message to them. Our church has one mission team that is open to learning how to live this life, but I need to identify what the next steps are.

For my family, I as the husband and father need to make sure my wife and kids feel treasured and focused on while also being able to train them to engage our neighbors together. I am not good at this. When we have a neighbor over, it is very hard to integrate the lives and experiences of my 5 and 3 year old into the conversation. My wife and I are still trying to figure this out.

For my mission team, this means eating together with open invitations to others at least weekly outside of the Friday team meeting. Maybe we should identify Sunday nights or Saturday nights or Wednesday nights and make it a point to just eat together and invite whoever God brings us across.

This is a cross-post with PJ's blog.

Prepare for one of the songs we're singing tomorrow

Because we're singing this tomorrow, it would be good for you to familiarize yourself with the lyrics so you can sing to the Lord in Spirit and truth. Verses 2, 3, and 4 are from God's perspective speaking to our church and to you individually.

1. How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
   Is laid for your faith in His excellent word!
   What more can He say than to you He hath said—
   To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
2. “Fear not, I am with thee, oh, be not dismayed,
   For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid;
   I’ll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,
   Upheld by My gracious, omnipotent hand.
3. “When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,
   My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply;
   The flame shall not harm thee; I only design
   Thy dross to consume and thy gold to refine.
4. “The soul that on Jesus doth lean for repose,
   I will not, I will not, desert to his foes;
   That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake,
   I’ll never, no never, no never forsake.”

Titus 1:9-11 (CSB) with CSB Study Bible Notes

9 [Elders-overseers are to be] holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it. 10 For there are also many rebellious people, full of empty talk and deception, especially those from Judaism. 11 It is necessary to silence them; they overthrow whole households by teaching what they shouldn’t in order to get money dishonestly. 12 One of their very own prophets said,Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. 13 This testimony is true. So, rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith 14 and may not pay attention to Jewish myths and the commands of men who reject the truth. 15 To the pure, everything is pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; in fact, both their mind and conscience are defiled. 16 They profess to know God, but they deny Him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, and disqualified for any good work.


CSB Study Bible Notes:

1:9 It was common for ancient authors to emphasize one item in a list by placing it at the beginning or end and then giving it significantly longer treatment than the other items. This is what Paul does here. While he spent only a few words on the items in verses 6-9, his treatment of this last subject is both long and grammatically complex. By this means he emphasized the importance of an "overseer" (v. 7) being able to teach. The reason for this is clear from what follows (vv. 10-16).

1:12 Crete was known in the ancient world for its moral decadence. The ancient historian Polybius wrote that it was "almost impossible to find... personal conduct more treacherous or public policy more unjust than in Crete" (Histories, 6.47). Cicero also stated, "Moral principles are so divergent that the Cretans... consider highway robbery honorable" (Republic, 3.9.15).

1:14 On myths, see note at 1Tim 1:4 (directly below). The specific content of the "myths" and command Paul had in mind in the present verse is unstated, but the false teaching in Titus is more explicitly tied to a Jewish background (v. 10) than that referenced in 1 and 2 Timothy.

(Note from 1 Timothy 1:4): Myths is a negative term used to characterize something as fanciful or untrue. Thus it is used here (and elsewhere in the Pastoral Epistles; 2Tim 4:4; Titus 1:14) to critique false teaching as the stuff of "fairy tales."

1:15 This statement echoes Jesus' teaching (Lk 11:41) and Paul's earlier writing (Rm 14:20). In light of the Jewish origin of the false teaching and contexts of the earlier use of similar wording by Jesus and Paul, the issue here was probably Jewish food laws. The false teachers seemed to be concerned with this ritual purity, but were nevertheless defiled by their own unbelief and sin.

1:16 The actions (works) of these people proved conclusively that they were unbelievers, although they claimed to know God. Paul was not hesitant to make such a judgment. The three descriptors at the end of the verse summarize the behavior that proved they did not know God.

THE CHICAGO STATEMENT ON BIBLICAL INERRANCY

Preface

The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian Church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God's written Word. To Stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.

The following Statement affirms this inerrancy of Scripture afresh, making clear our understanding of it and warning against its denial. We are persuaded that to deny it is to set aside the witness of Jesus Christ and of the Holy Spirit and to refuse that submission to the claims of God's own Word which marks true Christian faith. We see it as our timely duty to make this affirmation in the face of current lapses from the truth of inerrancy among our fellow Christians and misunderstanding of this doctrine in the world at large.

This Statement consists of three parts: a Summary Statement, Articles of Affirmation and Denial, and an accompanying Exposition*. It has been prepared in the course of a three-day consultation in Chicago. Those who have signed the Summary Statement and the Articles wish to affirm their own conviction as to the inerrancy of Scripture and to encourage and challenge one another and all Christians to growing appreciation and understanding of this doctrine. We acknowledge the limitations of a document prepared in a brief, intensive conference and do not propose that this Statement be given creedal weight. Yet we rejoice in the deepening of our own convictions through our discussions together, and we pray that the Statement we have signed may be used to the glory of our God toward a new reformation of the Church in its faith, life, and mission.

We offer this Statement in a spirit, not of contention, but of humility and love, which we purpose by God's grace to maintain in any future dialogue arising out of what we have said. We gladly acknowledge that many who deny the inerrancy of Scripture do not display the consequences of this denial in the rest of their belief and behavior, and we are conscious that we who confess this doctrine often deny it in life by failing to bring our thoughts and deeds, our traditions and habits, into true subjection to the divine Word.

We invite response to this statement from any who see reason to amend its affirmations about Scripture by the light of Scripture itself, under whose infallible authority we stand as we speak. We claim no personal infallibility for the witness we bear, and for any help which enables us to strengthen this testimony to God's Word we shall be grateful.

* The Exposition is not printed here but can be obtained by writing us at the Oakland office: ICBI / P.O. Box 13261 / Oakland, CA 94661 / (415)-339-1064.

A SHORT STATEMENT

1. God, who is Himself Truth and speaks truth only, has inspired Holy Scripture in order thereby to reveal Himself to lost mankind through Jesus Christ as Creator and Lord, Redeemer and Judge. Holy Scripture is God's witness to Himself.

2. Holy Scripture, being God's own Word, written by men prepared and superintended by His Spirit, is of infallible divine authority in all matters upon which it touches: it is to be believed, as God's instruction, in all that it affirms, obeyed, as God's command, in all that it requires; embraced, as God's pledge, in all that it promises.

3. The Holy Spirit, Scripture's divine Author, both authenticates it to us by His inward witness and opens our minds to understand its meaning.

4. Being wholly and verbally God-given, Scripture is without error or fault in all its teaching, no less in what it states about God's acts in creation, about the events of world history, and about its own literary origins under God, than in its witness to God's saving grace in individual lives.

5. The authority of Scripture is inescapably impaired if this total divine inerrancy is in any way limited or disregarded, or made relative to a view of truth contrary to the Bible's own; and such lapses bring serious loss to both the individual and the Church.

ARTICLES OF AFFIRMATION AND DENIAL

Article I

We affirm that the Holy Scriptures are to be received as the authoritative Word of God.

We deny that the Scriptures receive their authority from the Church, tradition, or any other human source.

Article II

We affirm that the Scriptures are the supreme written norm by which God binds the conscience, and that the authority of the Church is subordinate to that of Scripture.

We deny that Church creeds, councils, or declarations have authority greater than or equal to the authority of the Bible.

Article III

We affirm that the written Word in its entirety is revelation given by God.

We deny that the Bible is merely a witness to revelation, or only becomes revelation in encounter, or depends on the responses of men for its validity.

Article IV

We affirm that God who made mankind in His image has used language as a means of revelation.

We deny that human language is so limited by our creatureliness that it is rendered inadequate as a vehicle for divine revelation. We further deny that the corruption of human culture and language through sin has thwarted God's work of inspiration.

Article V

We affirm that God' s revelation in the Holy Scriptures was progressive.

We deny that later revelation, which may fulfill earlier revelation, ever corrects or contradicts it. We further deny that any normative revelation has been given since the completion of the New Testament writings.

Article VI

We affirm that the whole of Scripture and all its parts, down to the very words of the original, were given by divine inspiration.

We deny that the inspiration of Scripture can rightly be affirmed of the whole without the parts, or of some parts but not the whole.

Article VII

We affirm that inspiration was the work in which God by His Spirit, through human writers, gave us His Word. The origin of Scripture is divine. The mode of divine inspiration remains largely a mystery to us.

We deny that inspiration can be reduced to human insight, or to heightened states of consciousness of any kind.

Article VIII

We affirm that God in His Work of inspiration utilized the distinctive personalities and literary styles of the writers whom He had chosen and prepared.

We deny that God, in causing these writers to use the very words that He chose, overrode their personalities.

Article IX

We affirm that inspiration, though not conferring omniscience, guaranteed true and trustworthy utterance on all matters of which the Biblical authors were moved to speak and write.

We deny that the finitude or fallenness of these writers, by necessity or otherwise, introduced distortion or falsehood into God's Word.

Article X

We affirm that inspiration, strictly speaking, applies only to the autographic text of Scripture, which in the providence of God can be ascertained from available manuscripts with great accuracy. We further affirm that copies and translations of Scripture are the Word of God to the extent that they faithfully represent the original.

We deny that any essential element of the Christian faith is affected by the absence of the autographs. We further deny that this absence renders the assertion of Biblical inerrancy invalid or irrelevant.

Article XI

We affirm that Scripture, having been given by divine inspiration, is infallible, so that, far from misleading us, it is true and reliable in all the matters it addresses.

We deny that it is possible for the Bible to be at the same time infallible and errant in its assertions. Infallibility and inerrancy may be distinguished, but not separated.

Article XII

We affirm that Scripture in its entirety is inerrant, being free from all falsehood, fraud, or deceit.

We deny that Biblical infallibility and inerrancy are limited to spiritual, religious, or redemptive themes, exclusive of assertions in the fields of history and science. We further deny that scientific hypotheses about earth history may properly be used to overturn the teaching of Scripture on creation and the flood.

Article XIII

We affirm the propriety of using inerrancy as a theological term with reference to the complete truthfulness of Scripture.

We deny that it is proper to evaluate Scripture according to standards of truth and error that are alien to its usage or purpose. We further deny that inerrancy is negated by Biblical phenomena such as a lack of modern technical precision, irregularities of grammar or spelling, observational descriptions of nature, the reporting of falsehoods, the use of hyperbole and round numbers, the topical arrangement of material, variant selections of material in parallel accounts, or the use of free citations.

Article XIV

We affirm the unity and internal consistency of Scripture.

We deny that alleged errors and discrepancies that have not yet been resolved vitiate the truth claims of the Bible.

Article XV

We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy is grounded in the teaching of the Bible about inspiration.

We deny that Jesus' teaching about Scripture may be dismissed by appeals to accommodation or to any natural limitation of His humanity.

Article XVI

We affirm that the doctrine of inerrancy has been integral to the Church's faith throughout its history.

We deny that inerrancy is a doctrine invented by Scholastic Protestantism, or is a reactionary position postulated in response to negative higher criticism.

Article XVII

We affirm that the Holy Spirit bears witness to the Scriptures, assuring believers of the truthfulness of God's written Word.

We deny that this witness of the Holy Spirit operates in isolation from or against Scripture.

Article XVIII

We affirm that the text of Scripture is to be interpreted by grammatico-historicaI exegesis, taking account of its literary forms and devices, and that Scripture is to interpret Scripture.

We deny the legitimacy of any treatment of the text or quest for sources lying behind it that leads to relativizing, dehistoricizlng, or discounting its teaching, or rejecting its claims to authorship.

Article XIX

We affirm that a confession of the full authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of Scripture is vital to a sound understanding of the whole of the Christian faith. We further affirm that such confession should lead to increasing conformity to the image of Christ.

We deny that such confession is necessary for salvation. However, we further deny that inerrancy can be rejected without grave consequences both to the individual and to the Church.

Titus 1:5-9 text and CSB Study Notes

Titus 1:5-9 (CSB)

5 The reason I left you in Crete was to set right what was left undone and, as I directed you, to appoint elders in every town: 6 one who is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of wildness or rebellion. 7 For an overseer, as God’s administrator, must be blameless, not arrogant, not hot-tempered, not addicted to wine, not a bully, not greedy for money, 8 but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, righteous, holy, self-controlled, 9 holding to the faithful message as taught, so that he will be able both to encourage with sound teaching and to refute those who contradict it.

1:5 On elders, see notes at 1Tim 3:1 and 3:2-7.

1 Timothy 3

3:1 The terms overseer, "elder," and "pastor" are all used in the NT to refer to the same office. "Overseer" emphasizes the task of watching over the congregation (Heb 13:17).

3:2-7 These verses do not give a job description for the pastor. They describe the character of a person who would serve in this office. The list is not intended to be exhaustive, but it envisions a person of mature Christian character.

3:2 The meaning of husband of one wife is widely debated. It probably does not refer to the issue of divorce. It could be a prohibition of polygamy, but most likely it refers to marital faithfulness in general. An able teacher is the one requirement in this list that is not necessarily required of all believers. It is also not required of deacons. Thus, it is a distinguishing mark of the pastor (Titus 1:9).

3:4-5 The management of one's own household is highlighted by the greater amount of discussion given to it. The home is the proving ground of Christian character. This complements the picture of the church as "God's household" (v. 15).

3:6 The point of this verse is not that new believers tend to be more proud, but that quickly elevating a new convert to a leadership position might result in sinful pride.

1:6 On husband of one wife, see note at 1Tim 3:2. Having faithful children assumes, but does not require, that such men will likely have children at home still under their authority. The word "faithful" can also be translated "believing." This raises an important question about whether pastors are required to have Christian children or children who are more generally "faithful" or obedient. This word and its related forms in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus most often refer to having saving faith and not merely to being "faithful." But context is the primary issue in understanding which nuance of the word is intended. The emphasis of the context here is on a man fulfilling his duties well. No father can guarantee the conversion of his own children. He can better insure that they act in a "faithful" way while they live under his supervision. Also, the parallel passage in 1 Timothy 3 speaks only to the children being well behaved, not to their conversion. Thus, Paul was requiring pastors to govern the behavior of their children, not allowing them to be characterized by wildness or rebellion.

Word Study: episkopos

episkopos

Greek Pronunciation	[eh PIHS kah pahs]
HCSB Translation	overseer
Uses in Titus	1
Uses in the NT	5
Focus passage	Titus 1:7

By the time of the NT, episkopos already enjoyed a long history of usage, referring to deities or community officials, rulers, or leaders. In the NT, however, the term takes on a clearly religious overtone, appearing as a title meaning an overseer (apparently synonymous with presbuteros [elder]; Ac 20:28; Titus 1:7). In the early church, the Holy Spirit commissioned each overseer through apostolic selection and appointment (Ac 14:23, 20:28; Titus 1:7). The overseer held a vital service role within the congregation (1Tim 3:1). This necessitated high moral standards and management skills (1Tim 3:2-7; Titus 1:7-9). Several overseers were responsible for shepherding and managing the affairs of their local congregation (Ac 20:28; Php 1:1; Titus 1:7). Jesus, to whom belongs the church, is the "shepherd and guardian" par excellence (1Pe 2:25).

1:9 It was common for ancient authors to emphasize one item in a list by placing it at the beginning or end and then giving it significantly longer treatment than the other items. This is what Paul does here. While he spent only a few words on the items in verses 6-9, his treatment of this last subject is both long and grammatically complex. By this means he emphasized the importance of an "overseer" (v. 7) being able to teach. The reason for this is clear from what follows (vv. 10-16).

Must a Pastor-Elder's Children be "Faithful" (in obeying parents) or "Believing" (in Christ)?

I'm preaching on Titus 1:5-9 this Sunday. Here's one of the questions raised in the passage that I may not have time to get into: "Must a Pastor-Elder's Children be "Faithful" (in obeying parents) or "Believing" (in Christ)?"

Here are different takes on it:

John MacArthur believes the children must savingly believe: "[It] may be that you as a father have made every effort, every good and righteous effort possible to lead your children to faith in Christ and you have not seen the fruit that you would desire. You are not responsible for your child's rejection before God but neither would you be qualified to be an elder or a pastor in the church." He writes in his commentary on Titus that "faithful" is used of God, his words, and people in general.

"But it is significant that , except for this sometimes disputed text, it always is used of people whom the context clearly identifies as believers. Unbelievers are never referred to as faithful. That fact alone argues strongly for the rendering here of children who believe, that is, who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. Even if the idea were of faithfulness to patents, the use of pistos in those other passages would argue for its referring to the faithfulness of believing children. In an elder's home, especially, a child who is old enough to be saved, but is not, can hardly be considered faithful. He would be unfaithful in the most important way" (30).

He goes on to say that if the children are too young then 1 Timothy 3 applies and as they grow older "the issue is no longer control, the more demanding criteria of Titus 1 comes into play" (30).

John Piper, Justin Taylor, Matt Schmucker, D. A. Carson, and Andreas Kostenberger take it to mean "faithful."

Here's Carson's take on it (though I'd refer you to Taylor or Kostenberger for more substantial arguments since Carson's comes from a sermon that was much broader in scope):

I think it is mistranslated in the NIV. The NIV renders Titus 1:6, "An elder must be blameless, the husband of but one wife, a man whose children believe and are not open to the charge of being wild and disobedient." Does this mean that the children of every leader must be Christians? And if you say yes, then from what age? Two? Five? Seventeen? In fact, the particular term that is used there, "must believe," is an adjective that in many places is rendered "must be faithful." And in fact, in contemporary first-century lists of social virtues, where moral characteristics are laid out, the word always has that force. I think that what the text is saying is not that the children must be saved – after all, grace doesn’t run in the genes – but that at the end of the day, they must be faithful, not wild or profoundly disobedient.

I think it means faithful and refer you to the links above to hear or read why.

The Necessity of Growing and Sustaining Faith in Christ Jesus

Last Sunday I preached on Titus 1:1-4. That passage teaches that Paul existed as an apostle to build the faith of God’s elect because of the hope of eternal life. One of the parts I skipped over in the sermon due to time was the truth that because the hope of our eternal life is secure, our growth and sustenance in faith is secure as well. God not only predestined that we would have eternal life but that we would have the saving, growing, and sustaining faith to get there. God guarantees your faith will be sustained and grow! He himself will sustain and grow it! This should encourage us to grow in faith by hearing and meditating on the Word of Christ in Scripture. Paul wrote and served for the elect to hear and know God’s Word.

Today in my quiet time I was trying to memorize fighter verses 1 Peter 1:3-5. It says this, “Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy, He has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead and into an inheritance that is imperishable, uncorrupted, and unfading, kept in heaven for you. You are being protected by God’s power through faith for a salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.”

This living hope is the same “hope of eternal life” Paul spoke of in Titus 1:1-4. Peter says that we “are being protected by God’s power through faith” for this hope. We must sustain and grow faith in Christ by constant hearing God’s Word and receiving the grace that comes in it. This is the means through which hope is attained. But make no mistake, your faith, sustained and growing, is God’s power actively protecting you. God is so good! If you believe in Jesus Christ right now, and are resolved to continue to, it is ultimately because God’s power is right now, in this moment, actively protecting you.

This is a cross post with PJ's blog "God is Better than All".

Titus 1:1-4 Sermon - Get Ready, God's Grace is Coming

Our latest CrossView Sermon is now available on Vimeo to watch or listen to. It was on Titus 1:1-4 and titled, "Get Ready, God's Grace is Coming."

You can view it at: http://vimeo.com/26302834 (also embedded below on this blog post)

Here are the Main Points:

Intro: Grace decays so we need to continually receive it. Paul gives us 4 things to think about in being more prepared to receive God's grace.

I. Receive grace and peace by recognizing who Paul is (v. 1a)

II. Receive grace and peace by growing in faith and knowledge (v. 1b)

III. Receive grace and peace by understanding why you need to grow in faith and knowledge (v. 2-3)

IV. Receive grace and peace by cultivating a sense of expectation to receive grace more and more (v.4)

_______________________________________________________________

Here are some reflection questions and pointers that may help in receiving what is preached:

1. What did the God speak directly to your heart and mind today from the message preached?
2. Why don’t you look forward to the hope of eternal life with God in the New Earth as much as you ought to? And how could you cultivate that desired hope so that it pushes you to grow in faith and knowledge?
3. What thought, feeling, or action is God telling you to change for your good and his glory?
4. How can you cultivate a sense of expectation and anticipation as you listen to the preaching on Sundays and as you read Scripture?
5. Read the booklet Listen Up! A practical guide to listening to sermons by Christopher Ash. If you don’t have a copy request one from PJ next time you see him. Share what you learn with other Christians and apply it to your sermon listening.
6. Email pj@crossviewchurchla.org sharing thoughts, comments, questions, and/or suggestions (constructive criticism).

Our Gospel Identites as Christians at CrossView Church

The first thing to say about us is not what we do, but who we are because of what God has done for us through his Son and by his Spirit.

1. The family of God
Because God is our Father, we are the family of God. Our heavenly Father graciously accepts us and cares for us. We are united as brothers and sisters.

2. The light of God
Because Jesus is our Prophet, we are the light of God. God has illuminated us through Jesus and we witness to his liberating truth through our words and actions.

3. The heirs of God
Because Jesus is our Saviour, we are the heirs of God. Jesus has set us free from the condemnation our rebellion deserves through his death in our place. We have received the promise of a glorious inheritance, making us like refugees in this age.

4. The servants of God
Because Jesus is our King, we are the servants of God. We follow Christ’s example of sacrificial love, finding freedom and joy in serving God and others.

5. The temple of God
Because the Holy Spirit is God’s empowering presence, we are the temple of God. We are saints, people set apart for God, and the home in which God lives.