Category: Teaching

Posted on

The Precious Fruit of the Earth

Danby House

James # 14

7 Therefore be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. 8 You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.

9 Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door! 10 My brethren, take the prophets, who spoke in the name of the Lord, as an example of suffering and patience. 11 Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.

12 But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.

( James 5:7-12 ) KJV
The Precious Fruit of the Earth

Fruit: καρπὸν – karpos

  • fruit
  • (a) fruit, generally vegetable, sometimes animal,
  • (b) met: fruit, deed, action, result,
  • (c) profit, gain.
  • karpós – properly, fruit; (figuratively) everything done in true partnership with Christ, i.e. a believer (a branch) lives in union with Christ (the Vine). By definition, fruit (2590/karpós) results from two life-streams – the Lord living His life through ours – to yield what is eternal (cf. 1 Jn 4:17).
  • Jn 15:1,2: “1I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-dresser. 2Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit (2590/karpós), He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit” (NASU).

The Greek word karpos and its meaning “fruit” give us the word carpel in Botany. The carpel is the female reproductive organ of a plant composed of the stigma, style and ovary. Once fertilized by pollen it would become the fruit.

  • mid 19th century: from French carpelle or modern Latin carpellum, from Greek karpos ‘fruit’.

fruit results from two life-streams – the Lord living His life through ours – to yield what is eternal

John 15:1-12

Posted on

Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Open Door Baptist Church

Acts # 33

1 Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 3 And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they were at Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews: and they had also John to their minister. 6 And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: 7 Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. 9 Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, 10 And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? 11 And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.

( Acts 13:1-12 ) KJV
Paul’s First Missionary Journey

Referring back to Acts 12:25

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

( Acts 12:25 ) KJV

1-3

Barnabas, Saul and John Mark left Jerusalem and were back in Antioch.

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

( 1 Timothy 4:14 ) KJV

Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.

( 1 Timothy 5:22 ) KJV

4.

Seleucia, on the Syrian coast, the harbor of Syrian Antioch.

5.

Salamis, the chief city of Cyprus

Cyprus

6.

Paphos, a city at the western end of Cyprus.

  • sorcerer: a Magian, an (Oriental) astrologer, by implication a magician
  • a sorcerer, a magician, a wizard.

Posted on

Eaten by Worms

Open Door Baptist Church

Acts # 32

20 And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king’s chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king’s country. 21 And upon a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat upon his throne, and made an oration unto them. 22 And the people gave a shout, saying, It is the voice of a god, and not of a man. 23 And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.

24 But the word of God grew and multiplied.

25 And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, when they had fulfilled their ministry, and took with them John, whose surname was Mark.

( Acts 12:20-25 ) KJV
Eaten by Worms

23.

eaten by worms: σκωληκόβρωτος – skólékobrótos

  • eaten by worms.

There is another place where the word skoleks is used to refer to worms:

42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea. 43 And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 44 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: 46 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched. 47 And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out: it is better for thee to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye, than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire: 48 Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.

( Mark 9:42-28 ) KJV

a worm: σκώληξ – skóléx

  • a gnawing worm; gnawing anguish.

Thanks to my biology background I know that the word scolex is used to refer to part of a worm.

The adult tapeworm has a scolex, or head, a short neck, and a strobila, or segmented body formed of proglottids. Tapeworms anchor themselves to the inside of the intestine of their host using their scolex, which typically has hooks, suckers, or both. They have no mouth, but absorb nutrients directly from the host’s gut. The neck continually produces proglottids, each one containing a reproductive tract; mature proglottids are full of eggs, and fall off to leave the host, either passively in the feces or actively moving. All tapeworms are hermaphrodites, with each individual having both male and female reproductive organs.

Wikipedia

If we connect skolex with scolex then we may conclude that Herod has tapeworms, but what happened to him? The translations are variable but they can be generalized along the following lines:

  1. Herod was immediately struck by an angel of the Lord,
  2. he later died consumed by worms.

However, we need to look more closely at the Greek and look at how the phrase eaten by worms is placed.

Having been is the key.

to come into being: γενόμενος – ginomai

  • to come into being, to happen, to become
  • I come into being, am born, become, come about, happen.
  • properly, to emerge, become, transitioning from one point (realm, condition) to another. 1096 (gínomai) fundamentally means “become” (becoming, became) so it is not an exact equivalent to the ordinary equative verb “to be” (is, was, will be) as with 1510/eimí (1511/eínai, 2258/ēn).
  • “to become, and signifies a change of condition, state or place” (Vine, Unger, White, NT, 109).
  • to come into being/manifestation implying motion, movement, or growth” (at 2 Pet 1:4). Thus it is used for God’s actions as emerging from eternity and becoming (showing themselves) in time (physical space).

Herod may have been infested by tapeworms for quite a while. An angel of the Lord caused the worms to immediately grow so fast that he burst open and they spilled out.

Posted on

Weep and Howl

Danby House

James # 13

1 Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. 2 Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. 3 Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. 4 Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. 5 Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. 6 Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

( James 5:1-6 ) KJV
Weep and Howl

Tell the story of the Governors Club landscaping experience.

The discovery of Kat Ion

Posted on

Now About That Time

Open Door Baptist Church

Acts # 31

1 Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. 2 And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. 3 And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) 4 And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Easter to bring him forth to the people.

( Acts 12:1-4 ) KJV
Now About That Time

James was called at the beginning;

18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. 19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. 20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him. 21 And going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. 22 And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

( Matthew 4:18-22 ) KJV

Peter Rescued

( Acts 12:5-19 ) KJV
Posted on

If the Lord Will

Danby House

James # 12

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

( James 4:13-17 ) KJV
If the Lord Will

What shall be on the morrow.

The Parable of the Rich Fool

( Luke 12:13-21 ) KJV

Life is like a vapor.

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths, And my age is as nothing before You; Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor. Selah

( Psalms 39:5 ) KJV

It vanishes away.

The voice said, “Cry out!”
And he said, “What shall I cry?”
“All flesh is grass,
And all its loveliness is like the flower of the field.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
Because the breath of the Lord blows upon it;
Surely the people are grass.
The grass withers, the flower fades,
But the word of our God stands forever.”

( Isaiah 40:6-8 ) KJV
Posted on

Speak not Evil

Danby House

James # 11

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

( James 4:11-12 ) KJV
Speak not Evil

This brings us to the sermon on the mount.

Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

( Matthew 7:1-5 ) KJV
Posted on

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

Open Door Baptist Church

Acts # 30.

Finishing up Acts Chapter 10 and moving on through chapter 11.

44 While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. 45 And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. 46 For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, 47 Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? 48 And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.

( Acts 10:44-48 ) KJV
The Gift of the Holy Ghost

The first part of Acts Chapter 11 is a recounting of Chapter 10.

1 And the apostles and brethren that were in Judaea heard that the Gentiles had also received the word of God. 2 And when Peter was come up to Jerusalem, they that were of the circumcision contended with him, 3 Saying, Thou wentest in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with them. 4 But Peter rehearsed the matter from the beginning, and expounded it by order unto them, saying, 5 I was in the city of Joppa praying: and in a trance I saw a vision, A certain vessel descend, as it had been a great sheet, let down from heaven by four corners; and it came even to me: 6 Upon the which when I had fastened mine eyes, I considered, and saw fourfooted beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. 7 And I heard a voice saying unto me, Arise, Peter; slay and eat. 8 But I said, Not so, Lord: for nothing common or unclean hath at any time entered into my mouth. 9 But the voice answered me again from heaven, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. 10 And this was done three times: and all were drawn up again into heaven. 11 And, behold, immediately there were three men already come unto the house where I was, sent from Caesarea unto me. 12 And the spirit bade me go with them, nothing doubting. Moreover these six brethren accompanied me, and we entered into the man’s house: 13 And he shewed us how he had seen an angel in his house, which stood and said unto him, Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon, whose surname is Peter; 14 Who shall tell thee words, whereby thou and all thy house shall be saved. 15 And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 16 Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that he said, John indeed baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost. 17 Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? 18 When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

( Acts 11:1-18 ) KJV
Posted on

Then Peter Opened his Mouth

Open Door Baptist Church

34 Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: 35 But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him. 36 The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) 37 That word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; 38 How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. 39 And we are witnesses of all things which he did both in the land of the Jews, and in Jerusalem; whom they slew and hanged on a tree: 40 Him God raised up the third day, and shewed him openly; 41 Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us, who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. 42 And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. 43 To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.

( Acts 10:34-43 ) KJV
Then Peter Opened his Mouth

35 But in every nation

Does this mean that people can come to the Lord without Jesus Christ?

Or does this mean that the name Jesus Christ has been given for these people?

Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

( Acts 4:12 ) KJV

Muhammad exploits this nuance in the Qur’an by taking us back to the so-called pure religion of Abraham, and denouncing the worship of any false god – including Jesus.

The Qur’an

43 through his name

This is the clarification. Cornelius was seeking some kind of assurance that God knew who he was and that he was saved. Peter comes with the explanation of how to get it.

Posted on

Draw Nigh to God

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

( James 4:7-10 ) KJV

Danby House

I live in fear of my doublemindedness.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

( James 1:5-8 ) KJV

But I long to draw nigh to God

Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah.

( Psalms 4:4 ) KJV

If we draw nigh to God he will draw nigh to us:

Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

( Psalms 65:4 ) KJV