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THE TRUTH
A Newsletter of PURSUING THE TRUTH MINISTRIES
September 2003
Greetings to you from Pursuing the Truth Ministries. I pray that all is well with you. If there is anything that we can pray with you or for you about then please let us know. email us at prayer@pursuingthetruth.org and we will be happy to pray with you.
THE VISION
Pursuing the Truth Ministries is a ministry for and to the people. We endeavor to help you establish a personal relationship with the Father through the foundation of Bible study. The Bible is God's revelation of himself to us. Therefore, it would behoove us to read and know it, which would give us a better awareness of God.
Pursuing the Truth Ministries exists to serve you. We endeavor to provide resources for your use in your own pursuit of the truth. We believe that your relationship with God transcends your church membership or religious affiliation. We believe that your relationship with God is your responsibility and not that of your church or pastor. You have to take the initiative to answer God's call for you. Our vision is just that. For you to realize your position with God through Christ. We hope that you would grasp the liberty that you have in Christ so that you would be delivered from those things that enslave you and keep you from doing what God wants. We are here to minister to you from the foundation of the Word of God.
WHAT'S HAPPENING
WE'RE ON THE RADIO! Praise God. Our first radio broadcast went very very well. We are on WNJC 1360 AM in the Philadelphia, PA area. We are on Monday mornings from 10:00 to 10:15. I for one am very excited about our ministry outreach on the radio. Pray with us as we seek to expand this ministry media to reach even more people more times.
THE PERCEPTION OF GOD
By William R. Cunningham
Suppose people from a foreign land visited you or you and your family. What if they wanted to know who God was and what He was like. These foreigners would live with you and go to church with you. They would from time to time watch you at work or school and while you play. They would read the things that you read and they would watch the television shows that you like to watch. They would listen to the radio shows that you listen to and go to the places that you frequent. What would these people conclude about God after spending several months or even years with you?
What perception would these visitors have as they attend your church with you Sunday after Sunday? Would they see a God who is worshipped and loved or would they learn to follow the rules and do their duty? Would they know God through your life or would they learn about the great rule giver or great genie in the sky. Think about this for a moment because it is very important. How would someone you don't know and who doesn't know you perceive God through you. The Bible says that Jesus is the express image of God and Jesus' himself said that He and the Father are one. Now are you an ambassador of Christ? Do you represent Christ or your religion or something else. What would that foreigner think about God after watching and evaluating your life.
Now you might not receive a foreigner into your home to watch you. However, there are people watching you all of the time. Many people's perception of God is based on what they see professed Christians do. Still many other's perception of God is based on their perception or experiences with church. The problem is that many times these are not accurate images of God. The church institution has failed to be a beacon for the Lord Jesus Christ and has instead become a beacon for the world with its promotion of riches and wealth over and above a relationship with Jesus Christ. Yes people are watching you. Are you a light for Christ? Is your light shining so that people would give glory to God (See Matthew 5:16)?
I pray that there would come a day when people would know the truth. I pray that they would know the truth about God and the truth about Jesus Christ. There are many people who despise Christianity only because they despise the organized religion that we call church. Too many people are missing out on the Life that is available to them through Christ because they shun church and because they equate church with God then they shun God as well. I pray that God would reach such people and He will. I know that there are ministries that promote the truth over and above new pews, Rolls Royces, Mercedes Benzes, new clothes, etc. Pursuing the Truth is indeed one of those ministries. We desire that the lost would come to see and know Christ and become saved. Won't you help us.
Be a light for Jesus Christ. Let your life be a beacon for the truth. This doesn't mean to abandon your church. However, it does mean to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness instead of seeking first the rules of the church organization. The true church is the body of Christ but the unsaved perceives the church as that place that you go to on Sunday and the summation of the religiosity of the religious institutions. Stand for truth! Stand for Christ. How would someone watching your life perceive God?
BIBLE STUDY: Matthew Chapter 13 (An Overview)
By William R. Cunningham
JESUS BEGINS TO TEACH
See verses 1-2.
Jesus came out of the house and great multitudes followed him as usual. He therefore got into a boat and began to teach the multitudes.
INTERPRETING PARABLES
Before I begin, I would like to recommend a book that I discovered regarding interpreting Jesus' parables. The book is titled, "Interpreting the Parables" by Craig L. Blomberg. I particularly like the way that it presents the information in regards to analyzing and subsequently interpreting a given parable. Parables should be interpreted with the following considerations.
- There is one overall meaning or point to the parable and the goal is to determine what that is.
- Do not interpret a particular parable allegorically unless specifically stated, which is usually not the case.
- Keep an open mind.
Also, a parable in the Bible should be interpreted in the same way that someone at that time in history would have interpreted it. Keep it simple.
THE PARABLE OF THE SOWER
See verses 3-23. See also Mark 4:1-20
- Seed that fell by the wayside
- Seed that fell on stony ground
- Seed that fell among thorns (weeds)
- Seed that fell on good ground and produced bountifully
The main characters in this parable:
- The sower
- The seed
- The ground
- The consequence of sowing in the grounds
We should be careful not to place too much attention on any given character else we taint the meaning of the parable, which Jesus gives.
See Luke 11:11-15, Mark 4:13-20.
1. The seed is the word of God pertaining to the Kingdom of God.
2. The various grounds represent the types of people that hear the word of God
3. Some hear and for various reasons do not produce fruit
a. No understanding
b. The word is not rooted in them (no understanding as well), and trouble that comes because of the word causes them to produce no fruit
c. The deceitfulness of worldly things causes the word to be unfruitful
d. Some hear the word, do the word and then produce fruit.
We do notice a general contrast between those who are of God (produce fruit) and those who are not of God. We have basically two classes of people that hear the word: Those that produce fruit and those that do not produce fruit.
There was nothing particularly miraculous about the thirty, sixty, or hundred fold return on the seeds sown. Typically, in Palestine there was about a ten fold return so the phrase; "thirty, sixty, or a hundred fold" simply represented a very good harvest. Therefore, we can say that the word of God that falls on the ears of people who are true disciples of Jesus Christ or have the Spirit of God in them then they will produce abundantly. God wants us to bear fruit for the purpose of bringing glory to him (See John 15:8).
Do you produce fruit from the word of God? See John 6:63 and Galatians 5:22-23.
It is also very interesting to note that the parable of the sower and the seed has nothing to do with Christians sowing anything, such as money. This parable is used to support the "Hundred Fold Principle" in the word of faith movement. However, it is God who sows to us and not us who sows for our own gain. The parable points to the Kingdom of God and not material wealth and temporal objects.
THE PARABLE OF THE WHEAT AND WEEDS
See verses 24-30 and 36-43
1. A sower sowed some seed
2. An enemy sowed seeds among the previously sowed seed by the sower
3. Weeds began to grow with the seed
4. The servants want to take up the weeds
5. They are instructed to allow both to grow and that they will be separated at the harvest
6. The weeds will be gathered and burned
7. The wheat will be placed in the barn
Jesus' audience, who were most likely peasants that worked on a landowners land, would have understood the plight that Jesus described in this parable.
The weed was most likely identified as the darnel, which looked very much like wheat until its later growth. A farmer would not have wanted to risk any of his wheat so he would have allowed them to grow together and separate them at the harvest.
The Characters are:
- A sower
- The servants
- The enemy
- The wheat
- The Tares
Here we get a picture of how God will do things in regards to the righteous and the unrighteous. We will exist together and then separated at the harvest.
The harvest was used by teachers to indicate judgment.
THE PARABLE OF THE MUSTARD SEED AND YEAST
See verses 31-33. See also Mark 4:30-32, Luke 13:18-22)
1. A man sowed mustard seed, which is very small
2. It grows to a large plant
Jesus seems to use hyperbole here. First, the mustard seed is not the smallest seed that they would have known about. The orchid seed was smaller. However, it was a common expression for anything that was very small. Also, note that the birds most likely would not have built nests in the branches of the mustard tree. The mustard plant was an annual, which means it grew new each year. It would not have been large enough for the birds to build their nests in it during the early spring. However, it did grow up to about twelve to fifteen feet and could support birds that landed on its branches to perch and eat the mustard seeds.
The mustard was actually used as a condiment and for its oil.
This parable teaches how that the Kingdom of God with its small beginnings will grow into something very large.
The parable of the yeast teaches the same principle. A small amount of yeast was all that was necessary for a large amount of flour to produce bread for up to 100 people. Small beginnings bring about significance as it permeates its hosts so to speak and grows.
THE PARABLE OF THE HIDDEN TREASURE AND THE PEARL
See verses 44-46.
This parable reveals the true value of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' audience, who were most likely peasant farmers, would have related to this parable. Treasures were often buried for safekeeping. A servant could stumble across a buried treasure while working in the field. He would then take all the resources that he has in order to purchase the field or the portion of the field that he was working in. That way he could keep the treasure.
This shows how important (valuable) the Kingdom of God is in that we would do all that we can to receive its riches.
The parable of the pearl gives the same message. However, we have here a person that was looking for a pearl (something of great value). He found this pearl and used all his resources to acquire it.
We must note that the value of the Kingdom of God is particular to the person hearing the word of the Kingdom. This again points back to the sower and the seed parable in that there are two classes of people. Only those who recognize the true value of the Kingdom of God would go to such lengths to acquire its glorious wonders.
THE PARABLE OF THE FISHING NET
This parable illustrates how those that are of God will be separated from those who are not of God. This parable illustrates the same principle given by the parable of the wheat and tares.
1. A net is dragged to capture fish
2. Every kind of fish is captured (this represents diversity as opposed to a specific kind of fish)
3. The good fish is kept and the bad fish is thrown away
This parable reveals again the separation of the righteous and the unrighteous at the end of the age. The unrighteous (bad fish) are thrown into the fire. Note that there is not a direct correlation between the fish being thrown away and the unrighteous being thrown in the fire.
NEW AND OLD TREASURES
The scribes were teachers and copiers of the law. They were considered experts of the law. They were well versed in the law.
The new things were those pertaining to the coming Kingdom of God. Therefore, a scribe who was expert with the law and also received and understood the things of the Kingdom of God, was a person that had much treasure to offer, both old and new.
JESUS REJECTED AT HOME
The people in Jesus' hometown were familiar with Jesus'. They watched him grow up. So they wondered where he got his wisdom and miracles. They knew who the man Jesus was but they did not receive him as the Messiah. They were offended. Let's look at this word offended. This is from the Greek word skandalizo, and in this context it means:
1. To put a stumbling block or impediment in the way, upon which another may trip and fall
2. Metaphorically to offend.
3. To cause a person to begin to distrust and desert one whom he ought to
4. trust and obey to cause to fall away
5. To see in another what I disapprove of and what hinders me from acknowledging his authority
See 1 Peter 2:7-8; 1 Cor. 1:23. Jesus became an offense or more precisely a stumbling block to his home town folks. It appears that his familiarity with him was a stumbling block for them, which kept them from believing in him.
The unbelief of the people hindered Jesus from doing mighty works there. Notice that the Bible does not say that because they didn't have enough faith to be healed that Jesus could not heal them. The Bible does not say that Jesus' couldn't do miracles there because they had little faith or were full of unbelief. They didn't believe in Jesus or who he was so Jesus simply didn't do mighty works there. They probably didn't crowd around him as in other places.
FORGIVE YOUR ENEMIES
By William R. Cunningham
Matthew 18:21-22 (NKJV) Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.
Now we cannot use Jesus' statement as a formula as if we would count how many times we forgive someone in a day. The point that Jesus is making is that we should always forgive those that offend us. We typically feel that we should retaliate against someone that offends us. You might even feel that it is your God given right to inflict pain on someone that has wronged you and we wait for the right moment. However, Jesus said to forgive that person.
Now what does it mean to forgive someone? It means that we don't hold resentment for that person. It means that we forget about (effectively since no one can erase their memory voluntarily) the thing that he or she has done to us. Now what if someone wrong's you (or you think he or she has) and you later have an opportunity to get even? Would you take advantage of that golden moment? Would you thank the Lord above for giving you the opportunity to manifest your vengeance on that person? Well if you said yes then you are wrong. We should forgive that person. Besides, holding resentment for anyone will only harm you in the long run, especially since God said to forgive our enemies. Jesus said to pray for those that use and abuse you, not seek vengence. Besides, vengeance is the Lord's.
But this means that I will allow people to walk all over me right? Wrong. The fact that you don't retaliate or harbor resentment does not mean that you allow people to walk all over you. It's not that you allow people to walk all over you or take advantage of you. It's simply the fact that you should forgive people. I believe that the greatest example of doing this is Jesus Christ. Of course we know that He prayed to God to forgive those who crucified him. However, what I find amazing is how Jesus handled his accusers during his ministry. Sometimes he would just get away from them and other times he would stand up to them and stand toe-to-toe with the Pharisees for example. I believe that it was wisdom that Jesus had that allowed him to be so effective. We need to seek that same wisdom so that we know what to do in any given situation. So again, it's not a matter of whether we should retaliate or not, since retaliation will not contribute to any solution anyway. Just pray and ask God to guide you in all situations and don't think that the automatic response is resentment and retribution.
Forgive people and see how free you become. Watch the power you exhibit become stronger and stronger when you realize that you cannot be moved by what people do to you. But should you defend yourself? Remember wisdom. Just live the wisdom of God. If you lack this wisdom then ask God and he will give it to you liberally (See James 1:5). Practice forgiveness. After all, the Bible tells us that God will not forgive us if we hold resentment towards others. Therefore, it is in our best interests to forgive. So forgive and live the life of Christ that is in you. Amen.
WE REALLY CARE
I tell people all of the time that Pursuing the Truth Ministries is not just another church. As a matter of fact, we didn't start out as a church. The ministry is about ten years old officially, but the church started in April of 2003. I guess in actuality the church started in the year 2000 when I pastored Oasis Christian Fellowship of Philadelphia. Instead of opening the Oasis Church after I and my family relocated, I decided to work with Pursuing the Truth Ministries, which was mostly an online ministry at that time. You should know that we really do care about you. I try to keep in contact with those people that have written us about various issues in their lives. You are not alone. Of course God is with you always. Our job is to remind you and to make you aware of that fact. So be blessed because there are people praying for you and yes, we really do care about you.
Pursuing the Truth Ministries is dedicated to promoting the truth of God's word. We are determined to present true Christianity to the unsaved and to those who are bound by false religions within the church. Feel free to contact us at any time at question@pursuingthetruth.org if you want to comment on something or prayer@pursuingthetruth.org for prayer request. God bless you always.
- Pastor Bill