Question from Leah:
Do we know who wrote Hebrews?
Answer from Pastor Bob:
Nobody knows who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews. The letter itself does not say. It was probably not Paul, for several reasons. The writing style is different from Paul's. Hebrews 2:4 says the gospel "was confirmed to us by those who heard Him," and Paul received the gospel by direct revelation (Galatians 1:12).
The two most popular suggestions for authorship are Barnabas, who was a Jew of the priestly tribe of Levi (Acts 4:36) and would be familiar with the priesthood that is discussed so much in Hebrews, or Apollos, an intellectual (Acts 18:24) associate of Paul who would have used the sophisticated writing style we find in Hebrews. But nobody knows for sure.
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Friday, March 26, 2010
Was John the Baptist the reincarnation of Elijah?
Question from Leah:
When people in the Bible thought John the Baptist was Elijah does that mean people in the Bible believed in reincarnation? Or does it indicate that God may let souls who have passed come back for a specific purpose. I do know the Bible tells us NOT to try to contact the dead.
Answer from Pastor Bob:
Hebrews 9:27 says we die once and then go to judgment, which does not allow for reincarnation. So what was going on with John the Baptist when Matthew 11:14 says he was Elijah who was to come?
1) Elijah himself never died, but was taken up to heaven, according to 2 Kings 2:11 he went to heaven in a whirlwind.
2) Elijah himself appeared with Jesus in the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3), so Elijah was not reincarnated as someone else.
3) Luke 1:17 explains that John came "in the spirit and power of Elijah," not a literal reincarnation.
So John was not a "reincarnation" of Elijah, but he was a repeat of the spirit and power of Elijah, that is, he carried on a similar ministry, just as Billy Graham was the most famous evangelical preacher in America years ago, and today Rick Warren is the most famous evangelical preacher in America.
When people in the Bible thought John the Baptist was Elijah does that mean people in the Bible believed in reincarnation? Or does it indicate that God may let souls who have passed come back for a specific purpose. I do know the Bible tells us NOT to try to contact the dead.
Answer from Pastor Bob:
Hebrews 9:27 says we die once and then go to judgment, which does not allow for reincarnation. So what was going on with John the Baptist when Matthew 11:14 says he was Elijah who was to come?
1) Elijah himself never died, but was taken up to heaven, according to 2 Kings 2:11 he went to heaven in a whirlwind.
2) Elijah himself appeared with Jesus in the transfiguration (Matthew 17:3), so Elijah was not reincarnated as someone else.
3) Luke 1:17 explains that John came "in the spirit and power of Elijah," not a literal reincarnation.
So John was not a "reincarnation" of Elijah, but he was a repeat of the spirit and power of Elijah, that is, he carried on a similar ministry, just as Billy Graham was the most famous evangelical preacher in America years ago, and today Rick Warren is the most famous evangelical preacher in America.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
What should I call God in prayer?
Question from Edmond:
Brother Bob...I was just recently doing some research into just what the significance of baal worship is into the old testament when I came across Hosea 2:16-17. It reads:
The context of Hosea 2 is that Israel was unfaithful to the Lord their God and the Israelites were following after other gods, like Baal. Hosea the prophet had this illustrated this in his own marriage, as his wife Gomer was unfaithful to him. So this was a pun on the name "Baal" because the word "baal" had a double meaning, as the word meant "master" and could be used by a wife to refer to her husband and could also be used as the name of the pagan Canaanite god. God considered Israel to be unfaithful to Him the way an adulterous wife is unfaithful to her husband. Thus the main point of Hosea 2:16-17 is that God was saying he wanted Israel's complete loyalty.
A similar analogy to Hosea 2:16-17 would be if an Arabic-speaking Muslim became a Christian. The word for "God" in Arabic is allah. However, Allah is used by Muslims for their God, and so the Arabic-speaking Christian might prefer to use another term, such as "Lord," to avoid sounding like he is still worshiping the God of Islam.
Regarding what you and I should call God in prayer, Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to call Him "Father." He is also addressed as "Lord," "Master" and "God" in many passages. Any of these terms are appropriate for the Christian to pray. The key is that we address God with respect and love.
Brother Bob...I was just recently doing some research into just what the significance of baal worship is into the old testament when I came across Hosea 2:16-17. It reads:
"In that day," declares the LORD,
"you will call me 'my husband';
you will no longer call me 'my master' (or baal in Hebrew)....
I will remove the names of the Baals from her lips;
no longer will their names be invoked."
My question is: Does God dislike it when we refer to him as "God" and "Lord" and "Master"? B/c that's how I usually do it. I always call Him Lord in prayer and when I am speaking to Him. Should I stop and adopt a more...equal word, like say Father? What are your thoughts? It seems contradict the New Testament usage...
Answer from Pastor Bob:The context of Hosea 2 is that Israel was unfaithful to the Lord their God and the Israelites were following after other gods, like Baal. Hosea the prophet had this illustrated this in his own marriage, as his wife Gomer was unfaithful to him. So this was a pun on the name "Baal" because the word "baal" had a double meaning, as the word meant "master" and could be used by a wife to refer to her husband and could also be used as the name of the pagan Canaanite god. God considered Israel to be unfaithful to Him the way an adulterous wife is unfaithful to her husband. Thus the main point of Hosea 2:16-17 is that God was saying he wanted Israel's complete loyalty.
A similar analogy to Hosea 2:16-17 would be if an Arabic-speaking Muslim became a Christian. The word for "God" in Arabic is allah. However, Allah is used by Muslims for their God, and so the Arabic-speaking Christian might prefer to use another term, such as "Lord," to avoid sounding like he is still worshiping the God of Islam.
Regarding what you and I should call God in prayer, Jesus taught us in the Lord's Prayer to call Him "Father." He is also addressed as "Lord," "Master" and "God" in many passages. Any of these terms are appropriate for the Christian to pray. The key is that we address God with respect and love.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Who is the man measuring in Ezekiel 43?
Question from Greg:
I have a question about Ezekiel, chapter 43.
Apparently the "measurement" of the new temple in Ezekiel 43 represents a prophecy of a coming perfection in the last days, when God's glory will return and worship will be pure and pleasing to God. "Measurement" is a symbolic way of saying that God measures them spiritually to see if they "measure up." The man beside Ezekiel seems to be a heavenly guide, perhaps an angel. Verses 10-12 may refer to the first coming and/or Second Coming of Christ. Revelation 11:1-2 tells of another heavenly being who is given a rod to measure the temple.
I have a question about Ezekiel, chapter 43.
Who is the man measuring and standing beside Ezekiel? v.6
Answer from Pastor Bob:
In the early chapters of Ezekiel, the glory of the Lord departed, because of the sin of the people, committed even in the temple (Ezekiel chapters 8-10).Answer from Pastor Bob:
Apparently the "measurement" of the new temple in Ezekiel 43 represents a prophecy of a coming perfection in the last days, when God's glory will return and worship will be pure and pleasing to God. "Measurement" is a symbolic way of saying that God measures them spiritually to see if they "measure up." The man beside Ezekiel seems to be a heavenly guide, perhaps an angel. Verses 10-12 may refer to the first coming and/or Second Coming of Christ. Revelation 11:1-2 tells of another heavenly being who is given a rod to measure the temple.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
What does the Bible teach on stewardship?
Question from Sherri:
My dad was in church ... made some strong points on tithing... Would you be willing to share some points with me/him on tithing...? My dad leads their parish for the Bishop's Annual Appeal each year. He was very impressed with so many things you brought to his attention.
Answer from Pastor Bob:
Thanks! I appreciate your encouraging words. I don't remember which message your father heard, but here are several points that I made that month as a part of our stewardship emphasis, which he is welcome to use:
Malachi 3:8-10 teaches that the tithe belongs to God, and if we don't give it, we are robbing God. It also teaches to bring the tithe into the "storehouse," which referred to the storage warehouses at the temple itself. This means they did not have the option of giving the tithe to whatever they wanted, but they were to bring it to God's house. The application is that the tithe should come to the local church where we worship. If a person gives to another charity, that's fine, but he or she should give the tithe to the local church.
2 Corinthians 9:7 teaches that God loves a cheerful giver. The Greek word is hilarion, from which we get the word "hilarious." Imagine the offering plate coming by and the husband saying to the wife, "Go ahead honey, put it in!" as he laughs out loud for joy. God loves that attitude. If we think about all of the wonderful ministries the church is doing because of our giving, we should give cheerfully.
2 Corinthians 9:15 says, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" This is a reminder that whatever money we give to God's work can never equal what God has already given to us through the sacrificial death of His Son Jesus Christ. So we can never outgive God.
1 Corinthians 16:2 teaches two principles of giving. This text comes from when the apostle Paul was taking a love offering from the Gentile churches to send to the Jerusalem church, which was suffering. He tells them to give regularly and proportionally. He says to set aside money on the first day of the week. That's regular giving. He says to do it "to the extend that you prosper." That's proportional. The great thing about tithing is that it is proportional. If you earn $100 a week, then a tithe is $10, and if you earn $1000 a week, then a tithe is $100. God does not ask for equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.
1 Chronicles 21:24 teaches sacrificial giving. When King David wanted to buy property from Ornan the Jebusite, to build an altar to the Lord at the place where the plague ended, Ornan told him to take it for free. David replied that he insisted on paying full price, "for I will not take for the Lord what belongs to you or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." Wow! What a statement. He's not going to make an offering to God that cost him nothing. He wants to make a gift to God that actually involves sacrifice. A similar point is made in Malachi 1:13 when God rejects the offering of those who bring stolen, lame or sick animals to the Lord. It is an insult to God to give Him our leftovers. God deserves our very best.
1 Chronicles 29:3 says that David gladly gave "over and above." There is nothing wrong with giving beyond the tithe, as God has prospered you. Notice in verse 9 that the people rejoiced because their leaders were willing to give. When the leaders of the church set the pace, others in the church will give more faithfully
My dad was in church ... made some strong points on tithing... Would you be willing to share some points with me/him on tithing...? My dad leads their parish for the Bishop's Annual Appeal each year. He was very impressed with so many things you brought to his attention.
Answer from Pastor Bob:
Thanks! I appreciate your encouraging words. I don't remember which message your father heard, but here are several points that I made that month as a part of our stewardship emphasis, which he is welcome to use:
Malachi 3:8-10 teaches that the tithe belongs to God, and if we don't give it, we are robbing God. It also teaches to bring the tithe into the "storehouse," which referred to the storage warehouses at the temple itself. This means they did not have the option of giving the tithe to whatever they wanted, but they were to bring it to God's house. The application is that the tithe should come to the local church where we worship. If a person gives to another charity, that's fine, but he or she should give the tithe to the local church.
2 Corinthians 9:7 teaches that God loves a cheerful giver. The Greek word is hilarion, from which we get the word "hilarious." Imagine the offering plate coming by and the husband saying to the wife, "Go ahead honey, put it in!" as he laughs out loud for joy. God loves that attitude. If we think about all of the wonderful ministries the church is doing because of our giving, we should give cheerfully.
2 Corinthians 9:15 says, "Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!" This is a reminder that whatever money we give to God's work can never equal what God has already given to us through the sacrificial death of His Son Jesus Christ. So we can never outgive God.
1 Corinthians 16:2 teaches two principles of giving. This text comes from when the apostle Paul was taking a love offering from the Gentile churches to send to the Jerusalem church, which was suffering. He tells them to give regularly and proportionally. He says to set aside money on the first day of the week. That's regular giving. He says to do it "to the extend that you prosper." That's proportional. The great thing about tithing is that it is proportional. If you earn $100 a week, then a tithe is $10, and if you earn $1000 a week, then a tithe is $100. God does not ask for equal gifts, but equal sacrifice.
1 Chronicles 21:24 teaches sacrificial giving. When King David wanted to buy property from Ornan the Jebusite, to build an altar to the Lord at the place where the plague ended, Ornan told him to take it for free. David replied that he insisted on paying full price, "for I will not take for the Lord what belongs to you or offer burnt offerings that cost me nothing." Wow! What a statement. He's not going to make an offering to God that cost him nothing. He wants to make a gift to God that actually involves sacrifice. A similar point is made in Malachi 1:13 when God rejects the offering of those who bring stolen, lame or sick animals to the Lord. It is an insult to God to give Him our leftovers. God deserves our very best.
1 Chronicles 29:3 says that David gladly gave "over and above." There is nothing wrong with giving beyond the tithe, as God has prospered you. Notice in verse 9 that the people rejoiced because their leaders were willing to give. When the leaders of the church set the pace, others in the church will give more faithfully
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Girding up your loins
Question from Tim:
Brother Bob, what does it mean in the Bible when it says to "gird up your loins"?
Answer from Pastor Bob:
This is an expression similar to our English saying, "roll up your sleeves." It comes from the ancients who wore robes, but needed to pull them above their knees and tuck them in their belt (girdle) to have freedom of movement. Thus "gird up your loins" mean to pull up your robe and tuck it into your belt for action.
That is why 1 Peter 1:13 says in the King James Version, "Gird up the loins of your mind..." and in New International Version the same verse says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action..."
Brother Bob, what does it mean in the Bible when it says to "gird up your loins"?
Answer from Pastor Bob:
This is an expression similar to our English saying, "roll up your sleeves." It comes from the ancients who wore robes, but needed to pull them above their knees and tuck them in their belt (girdle) to have freedom of movement. Thus "gird up your loins" mean to pull up your robe and tuck it into your belt for action.
That is why 1 Peter 1:13 says in the King James Version, "Gird up the loins of your mind..." and in New International Version the same verse says, "Therefore, prepare your minds for action..."
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