Assembled as One

When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns, the people assembled together as one in Jerusalem.  - Ezra 3:1

The Israelites had been scattered around Babylon for about 70 years.  From all the corners of the empire, the Jews were called together to return to Judah and Jerusalem for one purpose.  To renew the worship of their God.  When they had finished unpacking the boxes, they turned their attention to the task for which they had returned.  They came together to worship God!

As one Man

When it came time to worship, the people who had been scattered, now gathered. The text does not say something as simple as they all came together to worship.  Rather, it says that they all came together “as one.”  Though the new gender neutral translations have left it out, many older translations say “as one man.”  While these may be essentially the same, the emphasis of the singularity of mind and purpose is particularly evident when we think of over 42,000 people coming together and behaving as if they were a single person.  Compare this to Judges 20:1, when all of Israel gathered together to pass judgment on their brothers who had gone astray and to 2 Samuel 19:14 when Judah agreed together to bring David back to Jerusalem.  This is not simply telling the story of their gathering, but making a statement as to how they gathered.  There was unity of purpose and passion regarding that purpose.

The Church

The word that the writer of Acts chose to describe Old Testament assemblies such as the one in Ezra 3 was Ekklesia.  Acts 7:38 uses this term to describe the “assembly” of God’s people in the wilderness under the leadership of Moses.  The Greek New Testament repeatedly uses this word and, in most cases, this word is translated to “church.”  It is used twice by Jesus in the book of Matthew and 23 times in the book of Acts.

Together Together

The initiation of the church after the resurrection happened on the day of Pentecost.  We are told that on the day of Pentecost, the church was “all together in one place.”  While, in English, this sounds like a continuous locational statement, Greek scholars might help us understand that the author is saying two separate things with two separate words.  They are “all together” and they are “in one place.”  One statement is locational and the other is directional.  They are not only gathered, but they are of one purpose or one body.  Essentially, the are located together and they move together.

The Church or a crowd?

In Acts 19, we find a group of people called together for the purpose of doing something about the trouble that Paul and his companions were causing in Ephesus.  This group is also called an Ekklesia, although it is clearly not the church.  In verse 32, this same “assembly” was in confusion and we are told in verse 33 that the Jews in the “crowd” pushed Alexander to the front and gave him instructions.  I began to wonder what the difference was between an “assembly” and a “crowd.”  In the Greek, like in the English, these are 2 different words. The word for crowd or multitude is ochlos.  It describes many individuals.  Often, in a crowd, there is confusion because there are many people with their own agenda and purpose.  Many want to be heard.  An assembly, and the church, should not be this way.  Instead, this is a group of people who are called together with an express purpose.  Therefore, they act as one body.  There is one agenda, not many.  The decisions of the assembly are binding as the decisions of one individual.  They are, in effect, gathered together as one!  Unfortunately, I’m not sure that this image of the church is one that fits many of the experiences I’ve had in the church.  Rather, I often find a group of people that has come together with their own agendas.  We don’t act as one.  We don’t worship as one.  We come together as a crowd, but not the church.  We’re in the same place, but we aren’t really together.  God can change that!  When he calls us together, his desire is to give us one purpose…His purpose.  His desire is that we all follow one will…His will.  When we become passionate about the One who called us together, we will become the true church that God has called us to be!

Looking Forward

In our study of Ezra, we are going to find that there is an enormous task ahead of the people of Israel.  They have come back to rebuild the temple and reinstate the worship of the Living God in Jerusalem.  There is opposition and they are tempted to turn back.  This is also true in our own spiritual lives and in our desires to accomplish the mission of the church.  We must be united as one if we are to accomplish the mission to which God has called us!

I’m looking forward to continuing this study with you in the coming weeks.  Join me as we pray for unity in the church.  Then, become an instrument of God’s unifying work!

Pastor Pete

Receiving God's Promises

In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing:

“This is what Cyrus king of Persia says:

  “‘The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah.  Anyone of his people among you—may his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem in Judah and build the temple of the Lord, the God of Israel, the God who is in Jerusalem. And the people of any place where survivors may now be living are to provide him with silver and gold, with goods and livestock, and with freewill offerings for the temple of God in Jerusalem.’ ”

Moreover, King Cyrus brought out the articles belonging to the temple of the Lord, which Nebuchadnezzar had carried away from Jerusalem and had placed in the temple of his god.  - Ezra 1:1-4, 7

The beginning of the book of Ezra was immediately compelling to me, not because of what it said but because of what it didn’t say.

Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ… - 2 Peter 1:1a

The words of Nehemiah son of Hacaliah: - Nehemiah 1:1a

These are the beginnings of just a couple books the bear the name of a man.  However, the book of Ezra does not have Ezra’s name in the first four verses.  In fact, Ezra doesn’t enter the story until chapter 7.  Instead, there are three names that are mentioned in verse 1.  They are Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord, and Jeremiah.

The Lord and Jeremiah

The Lord made a promise decades ago about the return of His people to the home that He had given them.  He made this promise through the prophet Jeremiah in the midst of many lying prophets who were saying that the return from exile would be much sooner.  The author of this book makes a point of reminding his readers that what was about to happen was the fulfillment of the promise that God had made through his messenger.  We also have promises given to us in scripture.  Most of us know about God’s promises at least enough to be looking forward to his work in our lives.  However, we often struggle with confusion as to why His promises have not yet come about.  Perhaps the information that Ezra gives us about King Cyrus will help us as we seek after God’s promises in our lives.

Cyrus king of Persia

First, there is no indication that Cyrus was a follower of the living God at all.  Some historical accounts suggest that he may have been a monotheist and identified at some level with the Jews in their desire to worship one God in a culture that worshiped many.  However, in verse 3, King Cyrus refers to the God of the Jews as “their God” or “his God,” depending on your translation.  This suggests that the God the Jews worshipped was not a God personal to King Cyrus.  Otherwise, he may have simply said “God” or “our God.”  Nonetheless, Cyrus was the one through whom God brought about His promise.  This causes me to ask why or how God used Cyrus to bring about His promises in the lives of His people.  I believe that this text gives us some clues.

…has given me all the kingdoms of the earth

Cyrus began his proclamation by recognizing that the God of the heavens, presumably the God that Israel would go to worship, is the God who had given Cyrus all the kingdoms of the earth.  This statement stands in stark contrast with the words of King Nebuchadnezzar in Daniel 4:30, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”  This great king then became like a wild animal until such time as he raised his eyes toward heaven and his sanity was restored.  God honors those who recognize that He is the source of all that we have and it is through such honor and recognition that God is able to fulfill His promises.

The Lord moved the heart…

Verse 1 tells us that the reason for the proclamation that Cyrus made allowing the Jews to return to Jerusalem and Judah was that the Lord Himself had moved his heart.  When we recognize God as the source of all things, God speaks to us.  In this case, as with many of us, God’s speaking is not through an audible booming voice.  Rather, the scripture tells us that God moved His heart.  God is the giver of our passions and our desires.  While God certainly speaks through His Word, through preachers and prophets, and even through audible voices, one of the most common ways for God to speak is to move our hearts and work through our passions.  He often gives us His desires and affinities and these bring glory to Him.  For instance, perhaps God has given you a love for children.  He may be calling you to work with children for His glory by moving your heart!  We should listen to these movements of God when he gives them to us and respond to His calling in obedience.  One of the most common reasons that we don’t experience the promises of God is that we have not walked in obedience when God moves our heart.

Willingness to do what we ask of others

One of the most profound moments in this entire chapter does not come until verse 7.  After commanding people everywhere to assist the Jews in their return, the King himself opens the treasuries to bring out all of the items that had been taken from the temple under Nebuchadnezzar.  He did not ask others to do what he was not willing to do himself.  Unfortunately, many of us fail to see God’s promises fulfilled because we are waiting for somebody else to provide for those promises what we are unwilling to ourselves.  We ask our pastors, mentors, and churches or Bible Study classes to pray for our situation, but we never take the time to pray ourselves.  We ask for help, but don’t want to participate in the solution.  God works most often through His people, but many of His people don’t want to be involved.  Don’t ask anybody else to do what you are not willing to do alongside them.  It might amaze you how God provides and fulfills His promises when you get busy and participate!

Looking Forward

God always fulfills His promises.  This study in Ezra is going to be an exciting time as we see how He fulfilled His promises for His people!  This should be an encouragement and a challenge for us as we seek to experience God’s promises in our lives.  Don’t miss next week’s study about what we let get in the way of our worship.

Pastor Pete

He is patient with YOU

Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.  They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. - 2 Peter 3:3-4, 8-12a,

It seems like it’s hard enough remembering and reassuring yourself of God’s promises even in the difficult times without people introducing doubt.  However, that is exactly what the enemy of our souls does.  It seems to be his most common method of attack.  In fact, in Genesis 3:1 this is how the serpent enticed Adam and Eve when he said “Did God really say...”  and we see it continuing throughout the Bible.

Scoffers will come…

This text was written to a people who would be experiencing intense persecution.  It is likely that in the most difficult times, just when the believers were on the verge of giving up, this is when the scoffers would begin trying to use logic to convince God’s people that they should not believe His promises.  That is also exactly when the scoffer’s come in our lives.  When we are at our lowest and are beginning to doubt whether God will really fulfill his promises to us, this is when people will come and present logical arguments as to why God’s promises will not really be fulfilled.  Ironically, they will point to times when His promises seemed to be left unfulfilled in the past.  The answer to this is to remember the times when God’s promises were fulfilled.  God is always faithful!

But do not forget…

God can’t possibly be slow because he is outside of time.  Remember that with Him, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years are like a day!  If He has not acted, it isn’t because He is slow.  He is patient.  Patience suggests that He is waiting for something or for someone.  We are the ones that are constrained by time.  Therefore, He hasn’t acted because He is waiting for us.  In fact, this text says that He is patient with you!  It is easy to point to those around us, but this scripture doesn’t speak to them.  It speaks to you.  He has not come back because He is waiting for you.

…but everyone to come to repentance.

Why is He waiting for me?  It says that He doesn’t want anyone, even me, to perish.  He wants me to come to repentance!  What if the entire reason that his promise has not been fulfilled is that it is being held back as He waits for me to come to repentance?  What if He has a promise, even His very return, waiting for me and all that it takes is for me to come to repentance.  Is there something in your life that you know is not right with the Lord?  You know what He is waiting for!

Speed its coming

Perhaps, you have already come to repentance and you are still looking for His promised return.  After saying that He is patient with YOU, Peter tells us that He wants EVERYONE to come to repentance.  Therefore, you might be the first on the list, but your next task is to speed His coming by bringing this message of repentance to everyone you meet.  In fact, this is the very message that John the Baptist brought prior to the coming of Christ.  Prepare the way of the Lord….Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!  Peter expresses this very call to us as believers.  Prepare the way!  If you are looking forward to heaven, perhaps it is time to speed His coming by following His command to make disciples.

Looking Forward

Next week, we begin a study in the book of Ezra!  Don’t miss the messages that God will bring through our campus pastors, or lay pastors, and through this devotional!

Pastor Pete

False Teachers

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you.  They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.  For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;  if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others;  if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly;  and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless  (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)—  if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.  They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” -  2 Peter 2:1, 4-9, 15, 19

One of the most difficult things for a pastor to deal with is when wolves are attacking members of his or her flock.  However, these wolves are often in sheep’s clothing.  These are people who call themselves Christians and even pastors or teachers, but preach a message that is in contrast with the message of the Gospel.  This is what Peter is attempting to address, but what is the message that has Peter so riled up?  What are these false teachers telling his people?

For if God did not spare angels…

It is likely that those he was writing to knew exactly what he was talking about.  However, for the rest of us, Peter gives us clues as to what he was addressing.  Peter points out that throughout history God has punished ungodliness, while rescuing the righteous even when they were living amongst the ungodly.  This appears to be Peter’s primary point that he builds the rest of the text upon.  There is a difference between sin and righteousness and God has consistently dealt with sin (and those who refuse to turn from it) in the same way, while those who turned to righteousness were saved.  God sees the difference between individuals who follow Him and those who don’t.  Peter was addressing those who would suggest otherwise.  This is further clarified as he continues.

Follow in the way of Balaam son of Bezer…

Most of us know the story of Balaam, at least in part.  However, I’m sure many of us do not know the story of Balaam well enough to realize what he was referring to.  Those who Peter originally wrote to would have known this well.  Balaam is referenced in 3 New Testament books.  Revelation 2:14 tells us that Balaam taught Balak how to entice the Israelites into sin.  We can see this in Numbers 22-25.  Although Balaam was not able to curse Israel in Numbers 22-24, Numbers 25:1-2 tells us that “the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to sacrifice to their gods” and Numbers 25:4 tells us that God told Moses to kill all of the leaders of the people and by chapter 31, there is a plague among the people.  This is an incredible turn from the chapter 24 when God refused to curse these people.  Who, then, are those who follow in the way of Balaam?  Those who lead God’s people into evil.  Those who condone it.  Those who claim that sin is not punished, although the history of God’s interaction with his people shows that sin is punished unless people come to repentance (change of direction).  There are those who would suggest that because we are covered by grace and no longer under the law, sin is no longer punished.  In the middle of Paul’s proclamation of grace, he asked and answered this question: “What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?  By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?” (Romans 6:1-2).

They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves…

Peter concludes his description of the false teachers by stating that the false teachers “promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to depravity….”  This speaks to the suggestion that many have made that God’s call restricts us, while living for ourselves is freedom.  I’ve heard many say that they don’t want to follow God because he seems to not want us to have fun or there are too many rules.  However, if we understand that God’s intend is for our good, then we must believe that his call for us is to give us freedom from the bonds that we enter when we don’t follow Him.  For instance, when I began smoking and drinking, I thought that I was free.  However, it wasn’t long before I found that these things held me in a very tight grip.  Even sexual immorality had an addictive quality to it that left me craving more and feeling out of control of my own cravings.  Had I followed the call of God as proclaimed by the church I had grown up in, I would have never walked into the slavery that sin brought.  Paul, like Peter, proclaimed God’s freedom to be a freedom from sin, not a freedom to sin!  He said: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.” (Galatians 5:1)

Looking Forward

God’s incredible saving grace through Christ is necessary for our salvation.  However, Peter spends this entire letter reminding us that the Gospel is one of transformation.  He has saved us out of our life of sin, not so that we can remain in it.  His call is out of darkness and into light (1 Peter 2:9).  In the final chapter, next week, we will talk about the life to which God has called us.

Pastor Pete

Pay Attention

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have….For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty….We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. -  2 Peter 1:12,16,19

One of my greatest fears as a pastor is that my church will find me uninteresting and repetitive.  However, Peter seems to challenge my understanding of what it means to be a Pastor.  While I think that I should come up with new and novel things to say each week, Peter asserted the importance of repeating the same simple instructions to his readers.  His desire was that they remember, not that they be impressed.  Interestingly enough, when our church has kept our focus on the basic truths, we are accused of being too elementary or not deep enough (This has happened by people in Bible Studies at our church).  Peter affirms repeating the basic truths as often as we can, while we have the chance and never assuming that because people have heard it before it need not be repeated.

We were eyewitnesses of his majesty

Peter affirms the importance of eye-witness accounts of the power of God at work in Jesus.  Of course, we should all be eye-witnesses of his majesty as he works in our own lives.  However, we have also been given eyewitness accounts in the Gospels and the affirmation of those same accounts through the epistles that the early church affirmed as having apostolic authority.  There are many who would affirm a message different from that recorded in the Scriptures.  These are often ways of explaining away the difficult passages that are not consistent with popular theology in our culture.  However, Peter calls these “cleverly devised stories” and contrasts them with the power of the Gospel as presented in the eyewitness accounts.

We also have the prophetic message

In case it is difficult to believe the eyewitness accounts, Peter directs his readers to look into the prophetic accounts that were affirmed as completely reliable even prior to the coming of Christ.  These accounts pointed to the coming of Christ and He came just as they said.  Thus, they confirm the accounts of the apostles.

You will do well to pay attention to it

At the beginning of this chapter, Peter declares his basic theology of the power of God in Christ and His empowerment of us to live the lives he has called us to.  He then directs believers to make every effort to add to our faith in the power that He has given us that we may be effective and productive in our knowledge of Him.  Then, he affirms his own authority as an eyewitness to declare this as the power of the gospel and reminds his readers of the prophetic message that affirms its truth.  Then he says, you would pay attention to this message if you knew what was good for you.  This is not a threat, it’s a promise!  He wants God’s plan for his readers, so he suggests that they pay attention to the message he presents.  In case this all wasn’t enough, he reminds them of a very familiar message about Jesus’ role as light in the world and in our lives.

Looking Forward

All of this is used as a warning and a protection against false teachers that would lead believers into a false Gospel.  Next week, we will dig deeper into the nature of false teachings and false teachers.

Pastor Pete