Prophets today?

Here is another question left over from the Live Question and Answer night on September 29: Are there still prophets today?

In pondering this question I think we need to keep a few things in mind as we move toward an answer. First, in the Old Testament there appeared to be an office of prophet (see for example 1 Samuel 10:11). There are also a number of books in the Old Testament that we refer to as the Prophets. It has been suggested that the Old Testament prophets did basically two things. One, they were involved in foretelling, meaning they revealed new information that was not previously known. I was told, though I cannot find a footnote to confirm it that about 10% of the prophecy was foretelling. The second thing the prophets did was to forth telling or remind people of things that had already been said. This function could account for 90% of what is called prophecy in the Old Testament.

Second, in looking at 1 Corinthians 14, specifically verse 3, it seems like the role or function of the prophet was to speak to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and comfort. They did not necessarily speak with divine authority according to 1 Corinthians 14:29. Other people, most likely the elders of the church, would evaluate and weigh what had been shared.

Third, the book of Revelation appears to share with the church a message about how the future will unfold. At the end of Revelation 22, the following is stated in verse 18 and 19:

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, ¹⁹and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

It seems like God believes He has spoken a final word to us in Revelation, and there is not a need for the church to receive a further divinely authoritative message concerning the future. We may like to have more information, but God does not seem to be of the same conviction on the matter.

Putting those three matters into the mix, here is how I would answer the question.  In 1 Corinthians 14:1 and 14:39 Paul speaks highly of prophecy that would lead me to think that there could very well be a role for prophecy or a prophet today. With the statement in Revelation, I would hold that the idea of prophecy being something new and authoritatively binding on church is not possible. Foretelling would seem to be something that came to an end. But the idea of forth telling, especially in the sense of forth telling to encourage and strength people seems valid and within the biblical message. In that sense I do believe that we could have people today who could serve as prophets or speak prophetically in that they could remind us of God’s truth, renewing our minds to a heavenly or divine perspective on issues. In many ways I can see that we need that type of prophetic voice as we seek to operate in a changing culture.

Another Live Q&A Response

Here is another question from the Live Question and Answer Night on September 29:

What is meant by believing children as far as being eligible to be an elder?

This question refers to a phrase in Titus 1:6. The whole verse reads this way in the English Standard Version:

If anyone is above reproach, the husband of one wife, and his children are believers and not open to the charge of debauchery or insubordination.

To answer the question we need to understand what is meant by the Greek word, πιστός, which is translated as “believers” in the ESV cited above. That particular Greek would can be translated in the active sense of believing, or as in three older English versions, the King James, the Geneva Bible, and the Douay Rheims, and three newer English versions, the New King James, the New English Translation, and the Holman Christian Standard Bible, it can be translated in a passive sense of  being faithful. To answer the question we need to reach a conclusion about what is the correct way to translate that word – are children to be believers or faithful?

First Timothy 3:4 seems to be a parallel verse to Titus 1:6. First Timothy 3:4 reads:

He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive.

The emphasis of 1 Timothy 3:4 is on the elder’s ability to manage his household well, which is expressed by his ability to keep his children under control. The children are mentioned in relation to the father’s functioning, which makes sense in that list of characteristics in 1 Timothy 3 are to help Timothy determine in a man is qualified to be an elder. In the English versions that translate πιστός in an active sense in Titus 1:6, the focus would seem to shift from the father onto the child. That does not seem to fit the way the rest of characteristics are understood.

According to Greek scholars it is “not easy” to determine the correct interpretation of πιστός in Titus 1:6. The reason for that is the word πιστός has both an active and a passive sense in the places it is used. Having said that, from analyzing the usage of πιστός in the writings of the Septuagint, Philo, Josephus, the apostolic fathers, and the New Testament, a scholar named Norris C. Grubbs concluded that the vast majority of usages of πιστός were passive. He wrote, “Approximately 92 percent of the usages of πιστός, a total of 241 occurrences, display the passive idea of ‘faithful,’ trustworthy,’ or ‘reliable.’”[1]

Paul’s usage of πιστός in the Pastoral Epistles varies from that percentage of usage. Of the 33 times Paul used πιστός, 17 of those usages were in the Pastorals. Six of the 11 times Paul used πιστός in 1 Timothy, he used it in an active sense. In light of that, it should not be surprising to learn that many commentators agree with an active translation.

Taking all of that data into consideration, I believe, in contrast to the majority of the English translations, it would be best to adopt a passive translation of πιστός in Titus 1:6 for the following reasons. First, when Paul used πιστός a second time in the Titus 1 list in verse 9 and in a similar list in 1 Timothy 3:11, it is normally translated in a passive sense. The usage in Titus 1:9 is not as strong a reason for concluding that Titus 1:6 should be understood passively, given that in verse 9, πιστός is modifying word (λόγος), rather than speaking in reference to a person. But in 1 Timothy 3:11, Paul clearly used πιστός with respect to describing a person.

Another reason in support of the passive reading would be the structure of Titus 1:6. An active reading of πιστός would suggest that Paul is first addressing the eternal status of the child, and then the next qualifier emphasizes the children’s behavior. If that was correct, in the words of Homer Kent Jr., “It is possible for one’s children to be professed Christians but still be a source of embarrassment to their fathers because of unrighteous lives.”[2] Such an understanding would seem to be in conflict with Paul’s understanding of what God’s grace does in a person’s life according to Titus 2:11-14. Titus 2:12 suggests that not only does God’s grace saved believers, but God’s grace also has the ongoing task of teaching them to live righteously. The active translation in Titus 1:6 would seem to make it a very real prospect for children to be distant from the ongoing task of grace in their lives. That would not seem to fit the thrust of Paul’s message in Titus as a whole. A passive understanding would fit the overall context better, and would render Titus 1:6 as stating the behavior of children in both positive and negative terms.

To try and answer the question, the issue of Titus 1:6 is not so much about children being believers, as it does a father, who is being considered as an elder, operating as a dad in a way that his children are well behaved. I do not think that means that they are perfect, but as we look at how a dad operates with his children does he teach them to be responsible, empathetic, and respectful. Does he discipline and correct them or does he just punish them or perhaps worse, ignore them? To be an elder involves managing and leading God’s people. Paul, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is telling us a way we can discern if a man is ready for that responsibility is to look at how he is doing as a father and whether or not his children are behave and function.

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[1]Norris C. Grubbs, “The Truth about Elders and Their Children: Believing or Behaving in Titus 1:6?” Faith and Mission 22, no. 2 (Spring 2005): 8.

[2]Homer A. Kent, Jr., The Pastoral Epistles: Studies in I and II Timothy and Titus (Chicago: Moody, 1958), 220.

Called to Ministry Question

One of the questions from the Live Question and Answer Night on Sunday was:

How can a person know if they are called to full time ministry?

Here is a link to an article by Albert Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary that addresses that question:

Has God Called You? Discerning the Call to Preach

Question from Luke 16

Here is another question from the Live Question and Answer Night on September 29:

Luke 16:11 says, “So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?” What are these true riches? And Will this happen only after we get to heaven?

To try and answer the question, let me first set the scene. The context of this verse is the parable of the shrewd manager. A noted emphasis of verses 10 to 12 is that how we handle money is a reflection of our characters. God puts resources into our hands to train us to handle true riches.

Though we seem to put incredible value on money in our everyday lives, the Lord Jesus seems to be reminding us in verse 11 that money is not true riches. To answer the first part of the question, true riches are most likely spiritual blessing of services in God’s kingdom. And to answer the second part of the question, these true riches are future to us, and I think the sense is that we will encounter true riches in eternity.

To wrap up this question and answer, it should be underlined that the Lord Jesus is telling us that how we handle money has eternal consequences. If we play games with what God has given us now, it reveals a great deal about our characters, and will have consequences. We need to remember: how we operate with money matters for more than just today.

God, I Have a Question Follow-up

As church, Central is in the middle of a series called, “God, I Have a Question.” The series was generated from questions asked by people in the church during the spring of 2013. On September 29, as a part of the series, we did a live Question and Answer night. More questions were submitted then could be answered on that night, so I will try to answer more of the questions through this blog.

Here is one of the questions: Why and how did the Sabbath get changed to Sunday? It is not in the Bible. Shouldn’t we do what the Bible says?

In answering this question, we should probably keep a couple of things clear. First, the Sabbath never changed to Sunday or the Lord’s Day, at least in the Bible. From the practice of the early church, both in Greek and Jewish areas, suggests that they did not view the Lord’s Day as a fulfillment or replacement of the Sabbath.  The assessment of a scholar by the name of R. J. Bauckham suggested that the idea of Sunday replacing the Sabbath did not begin to show up until after Constantine, which would be in the 300s AD, well after the early church began worshiping on Sundays.

Second, though the time or day of worship of the early church does not get much attention in the New Testament, there is some references we should note. Acts 20:7, 1 Corinthians 16:2, and Revelation 1:10 speak either of the first day of the week – i.e. Sunday - or the Lord’s Day. We would understand the expression the Lord’s Day or the day of the Lord as a reference to Sunday, the day of the week on which the Lord Jesus rose again.

It would appear that the early followers of the Lord Jesus began to gather together on Sundays to worship the Lord. There does not appear to be any debate in early church history over when the church should meet – they understood that the day of the Lord, the day of the Resurrection was a very good time to meet.

To wrap up this answer, Sunday did not replace the Sabbath, but our worshiping on Sundays does in fact seem to be something expressed in the New Testament as the practice of the church, and early church history would seem to support the practice.

Divine Constructs: Grace

Here is another post from my son Zach. I would love to hear your thoughts about it.

Grace is an easy sermon topic, it is all about getting things that we do not deserve but I think we often miss the heart of grace. Grace has a purpose and a desire. Grace is one of many instruments that God has implemented to bring about the realization of His plan. Grace’s construct or the desire of grace is restoration. The divine construct that grace is exists primarily to reconcile God and humanity but it exists to reconcile also humanity within itself.

Grace is more than God simply pouring His love out lavishly upon those whom he chooses, no doubt this is part of grace but if we reduce God to a divine grandma who spoils us then we have committed idolatry and reduced God to the pathetic musings of our imagination. Thankfully God is much more than a divine grandma and His grace is not the arbitrary dispersion of some abstract characteristic like a sprinkler over your lawn. Though as a culturally conditioned western man it is hard to grasp the idea that I am the bride of Christ it is a true statement and is an important reality. Christ pursues his bride with a passion and intense love that sent him to the cross, demonstrating the perfection of the Father’s grace. The intent of the cross was restoration, reconciling a pathetic people with their Savior King who lavished a divine love to remind the wayward hearts of His people that He is the perfection of good and the embodiment of satisfaction and only in Him can we find these things. Robert Robinson expressed this idea very well in his hymn “Come thou fount” with the lyrics

“O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.”

Robinson understood the failings of his own heart very well and knew tendency to abandon what he knew to be good and perfect. He understood something else though, he understood the role that grace plays in God’s wooing of His people back to him. There are time when punishment is needed but I have found it to be very true in my life that God chooses to show me grace in a variety of ways and I find that it often comes despite my sin and is accompanied with blessed conviction. God desires to show His people how good He is, He promises to bless His people and these promises can be seen throughout the Old and New Testaments to Abraham, Moses, David and through the Apostles and most notably through Christ on the cross. These blessings are the manifestations and evidence of the grace of God being poured out upon us. Though I may seem repetitive it is because I want to try and explain this clearly and from as many sides as possible, the grace God shows us is not impersonal or arbitrary, it is deeply personal and intentional, a divine conspiracy to bring a people hell bent on their own destruction into the presence their mighty Creator and loving friend. The design of grace is not a talent show or God showing off. The construct of Grace is the holy design of a sovereign and loving God bringing his people His people into an active relationship with Him through subtle and extravagant reminders of the radical love of God for his people.   

The Absence of Fathers

The following blog was written by my oldest son. He felt compelled to share these words about fathers.

For those of you who have come to the Central within the last four years there is a good chance that you know who I am from my dad’s sermon illustrations and stories but let me introduce myself. I am Zach Grant and am the oldest son of Pastor Lloyd, I spent three years as a Worship Ministries Major at Grace University in Omaha, NE and am currently a Banking Law and Finance Major at the University of Nebraska. Last July I married my beautiful wife Rachel.

The longer that I live the more I realize how lucky I am to have been gifted by God with the parents that I do have. Bloggers and writers have been talking about the fatherhood crisis. For me it has become much more apparent and real than the abstract crisis and figures that writers spout. This however, is not because of the absence of my father, I am not writing this as a member of the generation of absent fathers but as a member of the fatherless generation watching his friends and peers suffer under the sins of the absent fathers. I write this as a man who is tremendously blessed to have the father that I do but who is greatly concerned for my friends.

It is a sad truth that so many of my friends do not have positive memories of their father, no memories of laughing around the kitchen table or learning to change the oil in the car or learning to tie a tie or even being able to call dad and ask for help on tomorrow’s assignment. Can any good come from the chasm left by a distant or absent father? The absent father is not just the father who took off with his mistress when his daughter was two; it is the cold, harsh man who pushed his family away because of some past pain or the father too busy with his career to see the way his wife and kids desperately want to know they are loved by him. Too many men live in a house with their wife and children but never seek to build a home and never desire to bring about feeling of family that we each desire. When the children grow and become disinterested or resentful of their father he reacts with surprise and anger, demanding the respect that he deserves but his wife and kids have had enough of his hypocritical lies.

Fathers matter; dads matter. When we realize that people where made in the image of God and that men and women are expressions of the character of God we can understand how having both of these present is necessary for the growth of the individual. We need the strength and leadership of the father and the loving support of the mother.

Absent fathers destroy the formation of masculinity in young men and reduce it to sex and alcohol which creates broken marriages. Broken marriages create broken homes. Broken homes create more absent fathers. Absent fathers only create more absent fathers.

I am not naïve enough to think that this does not happen inside the church and I hope you are not either. I do not have a study to spout of to you with some statistic but my experience living in the fatherless generation has taught me otherwise, even within the confines of the church of the fatherless generation I see the brokenness and pain.

Come back men, you have a responsibility to fulfill. It does not matter if it was an accident or a purposeful decision that you could not figure out how to handle, you have a responsibility. For Father’s Day this year don’t get a new driver or a GPS, instead reassume or take up for the first time the role of father and give that gift to your wife and children and see if it doesn’t pay off.

Come Sunday I know that few of my friends and peers will reminisce fond memories with their dad like I will. I know the value of a good dad, who loves me, loves his wife, and who lives his life in subjection to the authority of Christ and this is something that I would wish for all but every day I see and interact with young men and women who suffer because of absent fathers. Take back the role of father; if you are out of the picture, get in it, if you are on the sidelines get up and fight for your wives, fight for your children and fight for your families. No marriage is too lost to save and no family to broken to heal. In the fight for your families look to the Heavenly Father who lovingly fights for you and me and who subjected Himself to frail, pathetic humanity so that we could know Him and be his children.