Glad Tidings
Shout for joy, O heavens! And rejoice, O earth! Break forth into joyful shouting,‌ ~Isaiah 49:13
Volume 15, Issue 3
May/June 2011
Glad Tidings May/June 2011
Glad Tidings Something To Consider ......................... p. 3
is published six times per year by
by Vince Finnegan
Living Hope International Ministries
Give Glory To God ................................. p. 4
458 Old Niskayuna Road,
by Vince Finnegan
Latham, New York 12110 USA
Congo Connection ................................. p. 6 by Richard and Cheryl Elton
Office
518.785.8888
Conquering Lifestyle ............................. p.7
Fax
518.785.1990
by Zechariah Hamm
info@kingdomready.org
Should We Worship Jesus? .................. p.9
Website www.kingdomready.org
by Sean Finnegan MarriageSelfless Sexual Faithfulness ................ p.12 by Mary Ann Yaconis
Glad Tidings is mailed free to anyone who requests it. Scriptures are taken from the New American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.
June 26th - July 2nd Family Camp 2011, Silver Bay
mark these important dates on your calendar!!
July 31st - August 6th Teen Camp 2011, Silver Bay
August 26th - 28th Royal Family Reunion
2
SOMETHING TO CONSIDER
W
ho can ignore the recent extremely volatile weather with the blizzards, monumental snowfall and rainfall, historic heat waves, tornadoes, earthquakes, volcanoes, and tsunamis? It seems every day that wars are starting and raging more and more. The United States is involved in three wars! Our once glorious nation is in a rapid decline and is heading for the same ruin that the USSR in recent times experienced as well as every other world power in history. Everyone with a pulse senses something extraordinary and potentially cataclysmic is brewing. With consideration of these matters, we are in the best situation of our lifetime to proclaim the Gospel. The darker it gets, the brighter the light of the Gospel can shine.
The departing words of the ascending Christ should ring in our ears. Matthew 28:18-20 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the holy spirit. Teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Water baptizing advocates harp on water, while holy spirit promoters focus on the baptism of the spirit. Trinitarians rally around the three – the Father, Son, and holy spirit. “See,” they say, “the three are one!” The monotheists defend the separateness of the three and focus on straightening out the Trinitarians. We Christians seem to miss the forest for the trees. We climb up our one tree and shout out to other Christians about what they are doing wrong. We miss the point of the all-important words of our Lord Jesus Christ. Read Matthew 28:18-20 again. What is Jesus saying to us? In Peter and Paul’s day, they focused on communicating Jesus was the Christ and spent little energy on explaining the Father. In our day, all the church seems to talk about is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Our focus of communication is that Almighty God is one and that He is our Father. The non-Christian world needs to hear the truth about The Father and the Son and the holy spirit. The Christian world needs help to untangle the muddled up doctrine of the Trinity. Again, they need to understand the separateness and unity of the three and the importance each has in our lives. The great commission of the Lord recorded in Matthew 28 has not changed. With all the scary and insane things occurring today, the world is primed to hear the true Gospel of Christ. Who in their right mind would not want to know what we know or live like we live? Our attitude should be one of extreme optimism and of expecting people to want the Gospel with all the comfort, peace, and reassurance it provides. In the first century, the believers had a passion to witness that we too can have. If we ask God for a heart to reach out, He will help. They prayed for God’s help, for open doors, and the right utterance. God responded. In addition to praying, they went into their communities and looked for people with whom to speak. We all have tons of openings to speak right in front of us if we open our hearts and eyes. The hosts/hostesses of the Tupperware party invite everyone they know to come, and people respond. The people successfully selling Amway or other similar products reach out to every person they know. The good sales person says to his or her buyer, “Do you know anyone else who might be interested?” We can have the same directness and boldness with witnessing the Gospel! In light of the commands of our Lord and above-mentioned current events, it seems sensible that we be pressed with the urgency of our time. Now is the time to go, stand, and speak!
God’s best to you,
3
Give God Glory By: Vince Finnegan
O
ur Lord Jesus Christ is worthy to receive glory for the great things he has done, is now doing, and will do in the future. His God and Father conferred glory upon him. God, on the other hand, is worthy of greater glory in that everything originates from Him, and He is overall. He, Yahweh, is the Creator, the most high God, the Almighty God, and the Father of glory. One of the tragedies of the church today is the extreme emphasis on praising Jesus with the exclusion of praising our Father God. Indeed, we should glorify Jesus, but the primary object of our praise and devotion should
be to God our Father, just as it was for our Lord Jesus.
48:11 says, “I will not give my glory unto another.�
history have been to glorify Yahweh God. The glorious attributes of our God such as mercy, grace, longsuffering, compassion, forgiveness, and so on compel us to glorify Him.
Again, Jesus deserves glory, and when he is rightly glorified, the Father is also glorified. However, many give glory to Jesus in place of Yahweh because they think Jesus is God. However, Jesus himself devoted all of his energies to glorifying God and taught his disciples to do the same.
Psalms 29:1 and 2 (KJV) GIVE unto the LORD [YHWH], O ye mighty, give unto the LORD [Yahweh] glory and strength. Give unto the LORD [YHWH] the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD [Yahweh] in the beauty of holiness.
God is not pleased with sharing His glory with another. Isaiah
The passion, commitment, and primary aim of the spiritually minded believers throughout
Psalms 72:19 Blessed be His glorious name forever: and may the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen. Psalms 96:2-4, 8 and 9 Sing to the LORD [YHWH], bless his name; proclaim good tidings of his salvation from day to day. Tell of his glory among the nations, his wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the LORD [YHWH] and greatly to be praised; he is to be feared above all gods. Ascribe to the LORD [YHWH] the glory of his (Continued on page 5)
4
(Continued from page 4)
name; bring an offering and come into His courts. Worship the LORD [YHWH] in holy attire; Tremble before Him, all the earth. In the Old Testament when the word “LORD” is in caps, it is translated from the Hebrew YHWH which most pronounce Yahweh. YHWH is God’s proper name. The coming of the Messiah is prophesied in the Old Testament, but Jesus is not born until the New Testament; so, when we read “LORD” in the Old, it is always referring to God and not Jesus. In the New Testament, the word “Lord” was translated from the Greek word kurios, which is an ambiguous word that can refer either to YHWH or Jesus. When reading the New Testament, we decide the meaning by the context, which most often is referring to Jesus. David held a great passion for God expressed in his songs and prayers, which are recorded in the book of Psalms. Look at the beginning of his prayer. 1Chronicles 29:11 “Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory, and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and the earth; Yours is the Dominion, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all.
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray, he said – “Our Father….” During the last supper, he gave explicit and repeated instruction to pray to the Father in his name. Yet, today in the church, many pray to Jesus and not the Father. This should not be! Everything that Jesus did was to glorify his Father and God. “He who sent me is with me: He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him” (John 8:29). In like
manner, our Lord Jesus wants us to glorify God in everything that we do through him. “To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen” (Romans 16:27).
The first chapter of the epistle of Ephesians declares some of the many things that God accomplished for us through Jesus Christ. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ; we are chosen in him; God predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus; we have redemption through his blood…. Three times within the first 14 verses, we receive instruction to live for the glory of God. Ephesians 1:6 - To the praise of the glory of His [God’s] grace, which He [God] freely bestowed on us in the beloved [Jesus]. Ephesians1:12 - to the end that we who were 5
the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His [God’s] glory. Ephesians 1:14 - who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His [God’s] glory. The conclusion of the prayer in Ephesians 3 succinctly summarizes what should be the primary concern for the church throughout the ages. Ephesians 3:21 to Him [God] be glory in the church in Christ Jesus to generations forever ever. Amen.
the and all and
Indubitably, we should glorify our Lord Jesus the Christ but never above or with the exclusion of God the Father. His God and Father conferred the glory that Jesus has upon him. The Father’s glory has always been and emanates from within Him. Yahweh our God is not willing to share His glory with anyone else. “I am the LORD, [YHWH] that is my name; I will not give my glory to another, nor my praise to graven images” (Isaiah42:8). Give
glory to God!
Congo Connection
H
ere are some pictures we received from the churches we partner with in the Congo.
While you’re on this page, why not take a few minutes right now to pray for our brothers and sisters as you enjoy the photos?
By Richard and Cheryl Elton
Picture Descriptions:
4. Live music at the Zoe Church children's fellowship
1. The Matadi area leader, Andre NDONGALA-LUZITANU, and his family in their home
5. Rev. Armel NGO (right) and Mesmin N'GOMA, the leader of the Pointe-Noir fellowship
2. Happy children after a Zoe Church revival meeting
6. LHIM-Brazzaville's property where they are planning to build a church
3. A child in Kael's fellowship being sponsored for this school year by someone in the U.S.
7. Kennedy instructs the saints in Matadi about the Tabernacle dur ing the His Story class.
1
2
3
4
6
7
5
6
Conquering Lifestyle By Zechariah Hamm
P
aul preached a message of grace to the Gentiles concerning how all people everywhere could “repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance” (Acts 26:20). Paul revealed that repentance and doing deeds are the appropriate response to God's grace. Grace inspires repentance and a desire to live for God as our lives are now a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1).
“One's lifestyle includes the habits, attitudes, tastes, moral standards, and economic level that together constitute the model of living of an individual or group” (Dictionary.com). Habit patterns make up our individual lifestyle that we live from day to day. Depending on our focus, these habits may or may not be Christ-like habits. Focus is a major factor in the process as habits are patterned every day. On what thoughts do we focus while we do activities that make up our habitual lifestyle? The answer to this question helps reveal shortcomings, which when addressed allow for growth to take place. Naaman,
the captain of the army of King Aram, had a problem of pride which was a shortcoming that hindered his being healed of leprosy. 2 Kings 5:11 But Naaman was furious and went away and said, “Behold, I thought, 'He will surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper.’”
When Naaman realized he needed to do as Elisha had stated, he was delivered. Therefore, what we think can play a role in either hindering or helping us with our relationship with YAHWEH. Naaman's lifestyle as an army captain would probably be that of an individual who was revered. When a victory had taken place with the Aramean armies, Naaman was celebrated and praised through rejoicing, and he expected Elisha to behave the same way. When Elisha didn't respond as Naaman expected, he had to change his thinking in his habitual lifestyle and simply obey God's command given through His servant.
7
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Romans 9:37
Paul preached and exemplified a godly lifestyle and did not allow his own thoughts to take precedence over the teachings of Christ. Paul wrote the following. 2 Timothy 3:10-12: Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, and Iconium, and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
When difficulties or struggles persist, then going to God is the only way we can become conquerors. For if there is nothing in life with which to conquer, then trials and tribulations can and will be overwhelming to destruction. (Continued on page 9)
Should We Worship Jesus?
R
ecently, I received an email (through the Christian Monotheism website) asking whether or not Biblical Unitarians should worship Jesus. The answer to this important question depends a lot on cultural assumptions and translation bias. The typical argument that people use to prove that Jesus is God goes like this: (1) In the Bible, Jesus is worshipped. (2) The Bible says that only God should be worshipped. (3) Therefore, Jesus must be God. I’m sure many of you have likewise had an opportunity to wrestle with this seemingly airtight argument for Christ’s deity. Before offering a rebuttal, I would like to look first at the culture of Jesus’ time and the meaning of the word often translated “worship.” A Culture of Bowing To many of us who live in the west, bowing is not part of our social interactions. However, still, even today, many places in the world (including Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam) have bowing as an expected social protocol. In such cultures, bowing is used for greetings, farewells, and for more solemn purposes as well. Different types of bows are used for different purposes (with the depth of the bow indicating the degree of reverence). Apart from modern Asian culture, bowing was also a significant part of European society for centuries, especially
By: Sean Finnegan
when the monarchies held great authority. The Bible, likewise, contains many instances of bowing. For example, Abraham bowed to the sons of Heth when they offered to give him a piece of land to bury Sarah (Genesis 23:7). David fell on his face and bowed three times before Jonathan (1 Samuel 20:41). The man who brought news of Saul’s death prostrated himself before David when he first arrived (2 Samuel 1:1). People would customarily bow before Absalom (the king’s son) when they came to court (2 Samuel 15:5). In the time of Jesus, the custom of bowing was still alive and well. Frequently, when people approached Jesus to ask for healing, they bowed before him (Matthew 8:2; 9:18; 15:25). These people did not think he was God or even the Messiah; they just knew he was a healer or a prophet and so treated him with high respect. Lastly, a really fascinating example of bowing is done to the saints of the
church of Philadelphia by “those of the synagogue of Satan” (Revelation 3:9). Before returning to rebut the argument above for Jesus’ deity, we need to investigate further the meaning of the word translated as “worship.” The Meaning of Proskuneo The Greek word in all of these instances is proskuneo. Here are two definitions from standard Greek lexicons:
Bauer, Danker, Arndt, and Gingrich (BDAG): to express in attitude or gesture one’s complete dependence on or submission to a high authority figure, (fall down and) worship, do obeisance to, prostrate oneself before, do reverence to, welcome respectfully
Liddell, Scott, and Jones (LSJ): make obeisance to the gods or their images, fall down and worship…do reverence to…esp. of the Oriental fashion of prostrating oneself before kings and superiors…kiss…greet…welcome respectfully In fact, the word proskuneo is made up of pros (toward) and kuneo (kiss). This harks back to the custom of kissing someone’s feet or garment hem. In Europe this was a standard custom whereby subjects kissed the king’s ring when they were presented before him. The pope still maintains this tradition, and it is not uncommon for visitors to kiss his ring, sometimes as they bow on one knee. As we have seen, (Continued on page 9)
8
proskuneo is an act of respect, which can be done to anyone considered worthy from human superiors to God Himself. Performing this act of bowing does not mean the receiver is a God, but that he or she is worthy of great respect. However, since God is worthy of the greatest respect, of course, one would not hesitate to bow before Him. Since the word may mean bowing in an act of worship or bowing in order to show respect, the translators sometimes allow their own bias to affect the translation of proskuneo. Translations and Bias Most translations are carried out by Christians who believe Jesus is God. As a result, they usually render proskuneo as “worship” when it is done to Jesus and “bow” when it is done to humans. Consider the following examples taken from the NASB. Matthew 4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD (Continued from page 7)
Conquering Lifestyle Cont...
Romans 8:35-39 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Just as it is written, “FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED. But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through HIM who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death,
Jehu, king of Israel, bowing before Shalmanesar, king of Assyria from 825 BC YOUR GOD, ONLY.’”
AND
SERVE
HIM
Matthew 2:8 And he sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the Child; and when you have found Him, report to me, so that I too may come and worship Him.” R e v e l a t i o n 3 : 9 ”Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie – I will make them come and bow down at nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of GOD, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore, the message Paul taught in this section of Romans is that not only are we conquerors in all these things, but we are informed that ugliness will come our way. How do we get out of this destruction? According to 9
your feet, and make them know that I have loved you. Should We Worship Jesus? Continued...
In the first verse, Satan tries to get Jesus to do proskuneo to him. Jesus replies that one should only do this to God. In this case, the translators correctly translated it “worship” since it is the kind of proskuneo that is done to God alone. In the second instance, Herod tells the Magi that he wants to come and recognize the baby (Continued on page 11)
Paul, we are not able to avoid having these trials and tribulations. The great news is, however, YAHWEH and Christ Jesus can and will see us through all these afflictions. YAHWEH, the Bible, the teachings of Jesus, and the holy spirit will guide us into all truth. There is no substitute for a sacrificial lifestyle of praise and worship to the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY. We accomplish having this lifestyle by daily diligence to choose God’s ways over our own preferences and thoughts.
Marriage – Selfless Sexual Faithfulness By Mary Ann Yaconis
H
ebrews 13:4 “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.”
Sexual intimacy has been the focus of literary novels, movies, television shows, magazine articles, games (as early as Spin the Bottle), and just about every other venture in life. For the Christian since World War II, the crises of radical changes in society’s mores have brought about an adulteration of marriage and sexual fidelity. The family unit has changed into many forms which have had farreaching effects due to deviating from the commandment of God − a man and woman are to be one flesh. Genesis 2:7, 22, 24 The LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. “The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
A man and woman who are married become one flesh. This means that each one has emotional, behavioral, intellectual, physical, and spiritual aspects that are different from one another; yet, both live and work as a
unit. Unfortunately, one or the other may have negative attitudes or ungodly sexual thoughts that pull the oneness of the unit apart. Way too much emphasis in society is placed on “splendor in the grass” or the “mind-blowing sex” fantasies of Hollywood and novels as standards for sexual relationships. Others are wounded from sexual abuse and the trauma of childhood. Humanistic sexuality is used as a tool for self gratification and indulgence of the senses that is never satisfied because lust is a bottomless pit of want. Greedy self-indulgence or past sexual trauma can rip the one flesh apart. Sexuality in the Bible is mostly referred to by the word “knew” (Genesis 4:1) and also in references such as “wicked men” in Judges 19:22-27. The seventh commandment (Exodus 20:14) is reiterated by Jesus in Matthew 5:28 equating even fantasizing about sexual encounters as tantamount to adultery. The basic drive for sinful sexual desires and practices is selfishness due to a lack of vision of Christ-like selfless living. 2 Corinthians 11:3 “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.” 10
The craftiness of Satan, with his very powerful stronghold of impure sexual desire, was defeated with the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul teaches about the attitude of humility and selflessness that is necessary to avoid sexual immorality by being willing to live love. Ephesians 5:1-3 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.
At the end of Chapter 5 of Ephesians, Paul writes that the one flesh concept of a man and woman in marriage is to be an example of how Christ is with his church (Romans 12:2). Christ was selfless and sacrificed his life for his church. Each spouse is to show sacrifice of selfish desires by demonstrating loving kindness and goodness to his/her spouse who is struggling, hurt, wounded, over- or underweight, stressed, feeling unloved or uncared for. Through Christ, spouses who were abused can receive healing and deliverance. (Continued on page 11)
(Continued from page 10)
Many times, verses such as I Corinthians 7:3-4 are used as weapons to intimidate a struggling spouse to “perform” as the other spouse demands. This is a most unloving response to the admonition for spouses to give lovingly of themselves in sexual intimacy. Biblically, the way for sexual harmony to become the standard in a marriage is for each spouse to love the other as Christ loves the church – to be selfless. In having this humility and godly love, then each spouse receives not only sexual but emotional and spiritual intimacy. Even in many Christian marriages today, fidelity in marriage is as dinosaurs (Continued from page 9)
Jesus as the “King of the Jews” by bowing before him. However, the translators, overcome by their bias and belief that Jesus is God (even as a baby!), rendered the word as “worship.” In the third instance, again the same word, proskuneo, is used, but this time, since the Christians are receiving proskuneo, the translators used the words “bow down” rather than “worship.” Resolving the Conundrum I began with the following argument for Jesus’ deity: (1) In the Bible, Jesus is wor shipped. (2) The Bible says that only God should be worshipped. (3) Therefore, Jesus must be God. However, we can now augment this proof with the new information we have just discussed including the two assumptions of the translators (A and B):
are — extinct. Christians have fallen into the trap of not asking for help, especially when sexual issues are a problem due to the “sinful” or “shameful” aspect of sex. There is no shame in having struggles. The answer for many is put into action by their getting competent assistance and counseling. Yahweh made man and woman to be one flesh. He made in man and woman sexual desire which is beautiful and intimate. The purity and fidelity of marriage is like the pure undefiled relationship Christ has with the church. Married Christians are to be undefiled in their love for Yahweh, Jesus Christ, and their spouse. (A) Jesus is [assumed to be] God. (B) When proskuneo is done to Jesus, it should be translated as “worship.” (1) In the Bible, Jesus is wor shipped. (2) The Bible says that only God should be worshipped. (3) Therefore, Jesus must be God. Now, we can clearly see the circularity of the argument. The translators begin their work with the assumption that Jesus is God and then translate proskuneo as “worship” in accordance with that belief. The end result (3) is the same as their starting point (A). If our translations said “bow” every time someone came up asking Jesus for healing or when the disciples recognized him as the Son of God (the rightful Davidic King), there would be no issue. In other words, I am suggesting that the proposition, “In the Bible, Jesus is worshipped,” is not actually true. People did not worship Jesus. They 11
I John 2:16-17 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God lives forever.
A Christian man and woman giving of their bodies as a sacrifice to one another (as a selfless gift in sexual intimacy out of love and kindness) will have greater understanding of how to live a sacrificial life for entrance into the Kingdom of God.
bowed before him out of respect for what he could do for them or because they recognized him as the Messiah. As Christian monotheists, we freely and with great joy bow before Jesus and do proskuneo to him, since he is the God-anointed ruler of the world to come. However, this should not be confused with the worship we render God, which is much higher since when we bow before the Father of Jesus we regard Him to be the one true God, the only one we love and serve with everything in us (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Psalm 2:10-12 Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; Take warning, O judges of the earth. Worship the LORD with reverence And rejoice with trembling. Do homage to the Son, that He not become angry, and you perish in the way, For His wrath may soon be kindled. How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!
458 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, NY 12110
And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20