ScriptureStream

First … how much should we give?

Everything! Matthew 22:37

… but only part of our giving goes in the place. (Ephesians 4:28; I Timothy 5:8)

“I can slack off in other areas as long as I’m a big giver.” NO!

“I can slack on in giving as long as I contribute in other areas. I hate to part with my money, but I’ll sign up to teach the kids’ Bible classes all four quarters!” NO!

I Corinthians 16:1-2

II Corinthians 8:12

I honor God with my heart – and He deserves it!

Acts 17:24-28

II Chronicles 2:5-6; 5:6, 13-14; 6:18; 7:4-5, 10

II Corinthians 8:1-12

Philippians 4:17-18

It helps me develop joy!

II Corinthians 9:6-7

How would I react if I was in the first century being persecuted for my faith?

How do I react when it is time to give?

I have fellowship with other Christians!

II Corinthians 9:10-15

Philippians 4:10, 14-16

Attitude check: Proverbs 10:8; 15:22; 19:20 – Listen to get wise!

Isn’t baptism an outward sign of an inward grace? (continued)

Notice what scripture says …

Acts 22:16 – Paul was baptized to wash away his sins

Romans 6:3-4 – We are baptized into Jesus – not baptized because we are in Jesus.

I Corinthians 12:13 – We are baptized into one body.

Galatians 3:27 – “baptized into Christ”

Colossians 3:12 – “buried with Him in baptism”

I Peter 3:21 – “baptism now saves you”

Note: The Bible never says that baptism is an outward sign of an inward grace.

Observe the experience of those baptized

When people in the Bible were taught about baptism, they acted quickly, realizing their souls were in jeopardy until they were baptized.

Acts 2:41

Acts 8:36

Acts 16:33

Acts 22:16

The fact that they treated baptism as an urgent matter harmonizes with the idea of salvation being granted at the point of baptism.

We also read of people rejoicing after their baptisms. Again, this makes sense if people realized they were getting baptized “into Christ.”

Acts 8:26-40 – The Ethiopian didn’t wait until other people were present so that he could have shown his baptism as an “outward sign.”

What about verses that say we’re saved by faith?

They were absolutely true (and should be taken in context).

Romans 4:1-3

Romans 4:4 – Works are described as earning something that is due. Abraham was a good man, but God certainly never owed him salvation.

Abraham certainly needed to obey God!

Acts 7:2-4; Genesis 11:31

Genesis 12:9

Genesis 12:7-8; 13:3-4

Genesis 14:20

Abraham is used as an example to show that “man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:21-24)

James 2 is using the word “works” differently than Romans 4 (James 2:14-26)

The words “faith” and “belief” can certainly include actions.

Acts 16:34

Hebrews 11:4, 7, 8, 17, 24, 27

Noah was saved by faith. Faith caused him to build an ark!

People today are saved by an obedient faith.

John 3:16 – The word “believes” is synecdoche. There is more involved than just mental assent.

Context: John 3:1-8 – Nicodemus is told what he must do to be saved.

Numbers 21:6

Harmony: Acts 11:18; Mark 16:16; James 2:14-26; John 12:42-43; Romans 5:1 (1:5; 16:26; 6:3-4); Acts 16:34 (16:31-33)

In scripture

Bartholomew

Only in the listings

Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:14; Acts 1:13

Called Nathanael in the book of John (John 1:45-49)

First to declare belief in Jesus as the Son of God, King of Israel

Jesus promised him greater wonders to come

Named together with other apostles in John 21:2-4

Bartholomew means “Son of Tolmai”

Thomas

Willing to die: John 11:16

Didn’t know: John 14:1-6

Prove it: John 20:24-28

Such a bad thing? Acts 17:10-12

Difference between him and us

Matthew

Also called Levi

Tax collector – Matthew 9:9; Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27-29

No other mention other than listing of apostles

James son of Alpheus (the Less)

Mother’s name was Mary – Mark 16:1

Probably the James of Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:18

Apparently well-respected among the apostles

Possibly prominent

Not certain about I Corinthians 15:7

Galatians 1:19 problematic – different from James the son of Alpheus

Author of book of James?

Book of James – compare with Sermon on the Mount

Persecution – James 1:2; Matthew 5:10-12

Perfection – James 1:4; Matthew 5:48

Praying in faith – James 1:5; 5:15; Matthew 7:7-12

Wrath – James 1:20; Matthew 5:22

Mercy – James 2:13; Matthew 5:7

Obedience – James 2:14-16; Matthew 7:21-23

Being peaceable – James 3:17-18; Matthew 5:9

Serving two masters – James 4:4; Matthew 6:24

Humility – James 4:10; Matthew 5:3-4

Judgment – James 4:11-12; Matthew 7:1-2

Perishable riches – James 5:1-3; Matthew 6:19

Patience in suffering – James 5:10-11; Matthew 5:12

Swearing – James 5:12; Matthew 5:33-37

Thaddaeus (Lebbaeus, Judas)

Only seen in listings of the apostles

Son of James (not the apostle James)

Not the brother of James

John 14:21-24

Simon the Zealot, Zelotes, Canaanite

Judas Iscariot

Foretelling: Psalms 69:25; 109:8; John 6:71

Misconduct: John 12:1-8

Betrayal: Matthew 26:14-16, 21-25, 47-50

Mark 14

Luke 22

John 18

Acts 1:15-25

Difference between Judas and Nathanael

John 1:49

Matthew 26:14-16

Matthias

Acts 1:12-16

No other reference in scripture

In history and tradition

Bartholomew (Nathanael)

Preached throughout Parthia as far as India

Translated book of Matthew into Sanskrit

Moved on to Armenia and preached there

Joined Philip in Hierapolis, nearly martyred there

Description of Bartholomew by Indians

Black, curly hair with white skin and large eyes

Hair over his ears and long, grisly bead, medium height

Voice like a trumpet, able to speak any language

Wore same clothes and shoes many years with no wear

We must avoid sin!

We can’t just claim the devil made us do it! Acts 5:3

Good doesn’t cancel out bad! Acts 5:2

God wants us to walk in the light and avoid sin.

We must fear God!

Acts 5:5

Proverbs 1:7; 3:7-8; 8:12-13; 14:26-27

Hebrews 10:26-27,. 30-31

Acts 5:5, 11-14 – After the incident with Ananias and Sapphira, multitudes came to God.

I Corinthians 5:6-7 – Sin spreads if it is not rooted out!

Don’t be discouraged by evil.

Acts 4:32-37

Galatians 6:9 – Don’t grow weary in doing well.

Attitude check: II Timothy 2:15 – We must accurately handle the word of God!

Didn’t Alexander Campbell start the church of Christ back in the 1800s? (continued)

Acts 24:5, 14

Alexander Campbell was certainly not the founder or restorer of Christ’s church.

Jesus Christ is the founder of the one and only church!

Matthew 16:18; Acts 20:28; Colossians 1:18 – The church belongs to Christ – not Alexander Campbell. Campbell didn’t restore the church; he restored the thinking of himself and those he reached. The church hadn’t gone anywhere!

I Thessalonians 5:21-22; II Peter 3:17-18 – Our job as Christians is to examine everything and cling to what Jesus has revealed as truth.

Worshiping according to the instructions in the New Testament was not an idea original to Alexander Campbell. Local churches were worshiping this way before Alexander Campbell was around.

Isn’t baptism an outward sign of an inward grace?

Notice what scripture says …

Mark 16:16

Acts 2:38 – Compare translation of Greek word for “for” in Matthew 26:28

Philip in scripture

Named among the twelve

In initial naming – Matthew 10:1-4

In Jerusalem awaiting the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:13

Included whenever apostles grouped

The twelve

The apostles

Throughout New Testament

John 1:43-46

Jesus found him in Galilee

He was from Bethsaida

Philip was convinced that Jesus was the Messiah

Familiar with the Law and the Prophets

Told a friend about Jesus

Took his friend to show him

John 12:20-23

Greek Jews come to Philip

Told Andrew

They told Jesus

John 14:6-10

Philip replies to Jesus

“Show us the Father”

Jesus declares His oneness with the Father

John 6:1-7

Jesus asked Philip how much bread it would take

Philip quoted a price – about $25,000

Said that would not be sufficient

Acts 6:5; 8; 21:8

Some believe this Philip to be Philip the apostle

Acts 6:4; 8:9-19 contradict that idea

No other mention of Philip in scripture

Philip in history and tradition

The name of Philip

Greek name meaning horse lover

Philip of Macedonia: horse lover

Philip the Tetrarch over Galilee

Resided in Caesarea some of the time

Rebuilt the city, named it Caesarea Philippi

Identity confusion

Many hold that Philip the apostle = Philip the evangelist

Makes tracking the traditions and history difficult

Why the confusion

Papias’ writings

Term “apostle” often used differently

The seventy of Luke 10:1, 17 often called apostles

Galatians 1:19; Acts 14:14

Some apocryphal writings

Gospel of Philip – gnostic in nature

Acts of Philip

Letter from Peter to Philip

Both martyred in Heiropolis

Much about Philip the evangelist confused as a result

At some point, went to Phrygia

Brought his sister Mariamne and Bartholomew

Healed Stachys, a blind man, and stayed in his house

By prayer, caused a serpent idol to die

Converted proconsul’s wife, enraging proconsul

All three condemned to die

Proconsul relented

Saved Mariamne and Bartholomew

Too late for Philip

Heiropolis mentioned by Paul – Colossians 4:13

Philip buried in tomb in Heiropolis

Excavations in 2011 found a tomb

Inscriptions and symbology indicate Christian

Name of Philip and indication of apostleship

No bones there

Taken to Istanbul in the 3rd century

Later taken to Rome

II Timothy 2:15

Miss Nora Yount conversing by mail with Mr. Clement, presiding elder and others

Error: Assuming

Acts 21:27-29

Stephanas – I Corinthians 1:16 – households don’t necessarily include infants!

Lydia – Acts 16:13-15

Philippian jailer – Acts 16:31-34

Cornelius – Acts 10:48 (10:24; 11:14, 18; 15:7-9)

Mark 16:15-16

Matthew 28:18-20 – Jesus said to make disciples of all the nations and baptize them. Infants could not be disciples, so they were excluded from this command.

Error: appealing to non-authoritative truth

Matthew 15:1-2, 9-14

Matthew 7:13-14

I Corinthians 1:20; 2:4-5

Error: Stretching an analogy

John 10:7, 9

Colossians 2:11-12 (see 2:8, 13; 3:9-10)

Hebrews 8:11

Attitude check: Luke 9:51-56 – Don’t be so trigger-happy! Have the attitude of Jesus, not of James and John. Our goal should be to help, inform, and encourage others.

Does the New Covenant authorize worship with instruments? (continued)

Does the Greek word psallo include instruments?

Psallo had previously been used in connection with instruments, but its meaning had changed by the time of the New Testament.

Ephesians 5:18-19 – If psallo does include instruments, that is part of the command and we all have to use instruments!

“They worshipped with instruments in the Old Testament.”

Yes, but we’re not under the Old Covenant.

Psalms 33:1-3; II Chronicles 29:25; Hebrews 7:18-19; 8:6-7

Acts 16:3; Galatians 2:3; 5:1-4 – It is wrong to do something as religious service that God did not authorize.

“Instruments are mentioned in Revelation 5:8; 14:2; 15:2 and 18:21-22.”

Literal? This is all figurative language.

Heaven is not the same as earth. Matthew 22:30

Didn’t Alexander Campbell start the church of Christ back in the 1800s?

Who was Alexander Campbell?

Alexander Campbell was a man born in the 1780s in Ireland who came to America in 1809. His father, Thomas Campbell, was a Presbyterian minister, but through independent Bible study Thomas began to see the error of human creeds and denominational confessions of faith. He began having clashes with his denominational peers and broke away.

Alexander Campbell followed in his father’s footsteps and encouraged people to use the Bible itself as a religious authority. Many people claim that Alexander Campbell founded the churches of Christ (see his Wikipedia page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Campbell_(clergyman)). Members of the church have been called “Campbellites.” Some say that just like Lutherans originated in Martin Luther, Methodists from John Wesley, etc., members of churches of Christ find their origins in the teachings of Alexander Campbell.

We can learn several things from Alexander Campbell and his contemporaries.

Philippians 3:17; I Corinthians 11:1 – It is good when we can look at others as examples in following Christ.

Thomas Campbell originally stated the motto, “Where the Bible speaks, we speak. Where the Bible is silent, we are silent.” That is a good way to sum up some Biblical principles. Galatians 1:6-9; II Timothy 3:16-17; I Peter 4:11; II Peter 1:2-3; II John 1:9; Revelation 22:18-19

Like his father, Alexander Campbell tried to distance himself from reliance on human creeds and traditions. In his writings, he repeatedly called for people to simply stick to the New Testament.

In 1816, he preached a “Sermon on the Law” based on Galatians 4:21-31 that became well-known, and which changed his relationship with Baptist groups in the area who disagreed with his conclusions that the Old Law had passed away and that we’re under the New Covenant today.

Campbell declared in a public debate that “baptism was never designed for, nor commanded to be administered to, a member of the church.” In other words, we are “baptized into one body” (I Corinthians 12:13). We are not members of the body/church, then baptized.

While Alexander Campbell did some remarkable Bible study and teaching, he was not the founder of Christ’s church! In fact, we could list several beliefs in which he missed the mark.

Lesson eight:

John in scripture

Named among the twelve

In initial naming

In Jerusalem awaiting the Holy Spirit – Acts 1:13

Included whenever apostles grouped

The twelve

The apostles

In the gospel accounts and in Acts

Brother of James, son of Zebedee, fisherman – Matthew 4:21

Was he the “other” disciple in John 1:35-44?

No self-referral by name in his gospel account

Only “the disciple”

John 19:26-27

John 21:20-24

With Peter and James

Raising Jairus’ daughter – Mark 5:37

Transfiguration – Matthew 17:1-13

Gethsemane on night of betrayal – Matthew 26:36-46

Ready to destroy Samaritan village – Luke 9:51 ff

Tried to dissuade one from casting out demons in Jesus’ name – Mark 9:38-41

Sat closest to Jesus at Lord’s Supper – John 13:21-30

Mary given into His care – John 19:26-27

Among the first to see the empty tomb – John 20:1-10

With Peter at temple gate when lame man healed – Acts 3:1-10

Persecuted with Peter for teaching of the resurrection of Jesus – Acts 4:1-22

Went to Samaria with Peter to give new Christians there the Holy Spirit – Acts 8:14-25

Scripture attributed to John

John’s gospel account

Written between 80 and 90 AD

Quoted by multiple early second-century writers

Irenaeus (130-202 AD)

Ignatius (35-108 AD)

Taught by John

Elder at Antioch

Polycarp

Taught by John

Elder of the church at Smyrna

Declared authenticity of all four gospels

Basilides

Taught from 117-138 AD

Quoted from John

Aristides

Muratorian Fragment

1 John (65 AD)

2 John (65 AD)

3 John (65 AD)

Revelation (68-69 AD)

Controversy on date for Revelation

Ancient references versus context

John in history and tradition

Spent several years in Jerusalem

Worked with the other apostles

Cared for Mary

Traveled to Ephesus

After Paul’s initial work there

Took Mary with him (or not)

Taught throughout Anatolia

Exiled to Patmos

Exiled by Domitian

Wrote epistles and Revelation at Patmos

Domitian dies in 96 AD

Returned to Ephesus

Died in 100 AD

John’s relics

John buried in Ephesus

Chapel build over his tomb

Emperor Justinian replaced it

Cathedral

Sixth century

Cathedral damaged over the years

Repaired in late ‘60s

Bones of John gone

Turkey blames British Museum

Current location of remains unknown