Tag Christ

The discipline of study does not begin with curiosity or academic rigor. It begins with acknowledging the rightful reign of God and the need for His leading in our learning; it begins with submission. When this happens, God gets involved in the studies of the believer to help them move forward in the subject:

⁵ Trust in the LORD with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths. (Proverbs 3:5-6)

Any serious study begins with accepting that all things — life itself, the covenant of marriage, the meaning of humanity, and even the laws uncovered by science — exist for and find their coherence in Christ.

Paul expresses this profound truth with power and clarity:

“Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out! … For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.” (Romans 11:33, 36)

What is the Pharisee-turned church apostle saying. Only these three things: All things are of Christ; He is their source. All things are through Christ; He is their sustainer. All things are to Christ; He is their goal.

Thus, there are no neutral subjects. Marriage is about Christ (Ephesians 5:31–32). Humanity is about Christ (Colossians 1:16). The natural order of the cosmos itself exists through Christ (John 1:3). To study anything rightly is to study something that exists because of Him, through Him, and for Him. Study, therefore, is not merely intellectual; it is devotional. It begins with trust and an acknowledgement of truth about the relationship between Creation and Christ.

In His grip by His grace,
Roderick L. Barnes, Sr.

The Sinister Plot to Kill the King (Matthew 2:7-8; 16-18)

⁶ ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, Are not the least among the rulers of Judah; For out of you shall come a Ruler Who will shepherd My people Israel.’ ” ⁷ Then Herod, when he had secretly called the wise men, determined from them what time the star appeared.

The sinful ruler, upon hearing that the real King of the Jews has arrived, begins concocting a sinister plot to eliminate Yeshua. To be effective in the elimination of his rival, Herod has to gather some information. His goal is to develop a profile that can be used to target anyone that might be the actual King. Creating a good profile requires answers to two questions:

• Target Region Question – Where was the King of the Jews born? With this question Herod is trying to narrow the geographical scope of a search. He is also attempting to mitigate the number of people that will have to be killed. It is not that he cares for the people. If he cannot minimize the number of people that have to be killed he will catalyze and invite scrutiny from Caesar Augustus that he would rather avoid.
• Target Age Question – What time did the star appear? With the question Herod is determining the age of the Christ. This information can be used to decide which children will be put to death (Matthew 2:16-17)

Good religious people, even if they have no real interest in the Person or program of God, can give you some great information. They are full of it. Herod knew that the religious rulers could be consulted for the whereabouts of the birthplace of the King of the Jews. To get what he wanted Herod called a secret meeting. Why was it a secret? I see three reasons. First, when people are up to no good they want to remain in the darkness lest their deeds come to the light and be clearly seen (John 3:20-21; Ephesians 5:11-13). Second, people who want to remain in control compartmentalize information so that no one but them has the big picture (Wikipedia, Compartmentalization). Third, because the Sanhedrin has made consulting with the wise men a crime punishable by death, Herod wants to avoid the appearance of conspiring with them to get information. He does not fear execution by the religious leadership but needs to mitigate the appearance of being altogether without regard for Jewish law and customs.

In that clandestine meeting with the religious leaders Herod is told that the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem. The priests and scribes knew that much; this information had been provided by God through the prophet Micah over 700 years earlier (Micah 5:2). When King Herod got his information he was ready to put the next phase of his evil plot into action – use the wise men to get the exact location of the target. After all, they are really good at using information to find things. Let them finish the work they have begun and use the the results (Matthew 2:16-17). This brings us to the theme of this article.

What God Wants – What part am I playing? Am I a help to God as He brings the King and His kingdom. Or do I (1) harbor a wicked desire to remain in control, (2) have people thinking I am trying to help, while I (3) hinder the work, and (4) plot to harm the workers. God wants me to prayerfully and in light of His Scripture to consider what role I am playing in His work to tell the world about the Son.

This type of self-assessment is part of why the Scriptures were given to us. Instead of looking down over our noses at Herod, shaking our heads in disapproval at the priests, and condemning the other criminals we see in the pages. What does God want? God wants us to use these pages to come to Him with the hard questions about who we really are.

¹¹ Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. (1 Corinthians 10:11)

In His grip by His grace,
Roderick L. Barnes, Sr.

• Joseph (Genesis 50:20) – He was sold into slavery by his brothers. Later he chose to deal with them through the perspective of his purpose and God’s grace.
• David (1 Samuel 24:3-7) – The shepherd boy was relentlessly hunted by an insecure leader. Instead of making the most of his enemy’s vulnerable moment, David extends grace based on his reverence for God. Although repeatedly disrespected, David treats Saul with dignity and respect.
• Stephen (Acts 6-7) – This man is the first recorded martyr of the church. When he is being falsely accused and then executed, he offers forgiveness. Notice that Stephen offers forgiveness not based on perfect apologies but based on the leading of the Spirit of Christ in Him.

Passage: Acts 1:1–2 (NKJV)

¹The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach, ²until the day in which He was taken up, after He through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen

The Commands

• • Commanded to Go (John 20:21) — There is a sending of the apostles just as there were a sending of the Son. The Son, given power and direction, obeyed the command to go. The apostles, given power and a direction, are being sent out. This sending has three chief characteristics:
    • Departure – The Son left heaven and the glory he had into relative poverty, conflict, service, and sacrifice. The apostles, likewise, left family, homes, comforts, and went into service, sacrifice, persecution, exile, and executions.
    • Directions – Jesus was not without clarity on what He was to accomplish. The Father had made it clear that He was to mentor a few, lay down his life, and then take it up again. Even so, the apostles are not without instructions. See the next to commands.
    • Destination – Jesus was sent to earth. He was sent to Capernaum, Nazareth, Samaria, and Jerusalem. He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. The apostles are sent to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and then the ends of the earth… in that order.
  • Commanded to Make Disciples (Matthew 28:19) — Jesus made disciples. And now His disciples are to make disciples unto Him. This is the command for them and to all who become His followers. In one way or another we are to participate in the mandate to make disciples.
  • Commanded to Preach (Mark 16:15; Colossians 1:23; Acts 10:42) — In every place that the disciples go they are to preach. Preach what? The message of God’s offer of forgiveness and life through faith in Christ. Notice that the disciples are not to merely make mention of the message of reconciliation. To preach is to declare with the goal of getting the hearer to make a decision and, if necessary, to change. The command is not to say the gospel; that could be done without conviction, without an earnest goal of compelling someone to commit, or confrontation. Strictly speaking it is possible to say something without an audience. Preaching cannot be performed without people to hear and the possibility of the message being received or rejected.

The Concern for Us

The commands given to the apostles were to be handed down. To who? To the disciples. That is, through them the persons that make a decision to follow Jesus were to learn what Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-19). Ultimately it means that disciples are to make disciples. We are taught what Jesus commanded so that we can teach what Jesus commanded. This raises questions that every Jesus follower should answer:

1. 1. Is there a willingness in me to leave behind comfort in service to Jesus?
   2. Am I being taught what Jesus commanded?
   3. Am I teaching what I was taught? Am I making disciples?