On behalf of the editorial committee, I would like to express my gratitude to the numerous individuals that make the ministry of the Pneuma Foundation possible. We deeply appreciate the many pastors, scholars, leaders, and thinkers that regularly contribute to the publications of the Foundation. I hope that it will not be seen as presumption to say that we value their partnership with us in the ministry of leading our public to a greater understanding of God’s Word.

Special thanks to these individuals for their friendship and contributions to the Foundation: Dave Johnson, Wayne Grudem, Craig Keener, Todd Hunter, Peter Althouse, Murray Hohns, Amos Yong, Allen Anderson, David Roebuck, Larry Taylor, John Edmiston, Francisco Arriola, Paul Elbert, Vincent Cheung, Geir Lie, Lee Grady, Jon Ruthven, Rodman Williams, Dony Donev, Robert Graves, Stan Myers, Wolfgang Vondey, Yesunatha Das, Jim Purves, Graham Old, Paul King, Mike Knowles, William De Arteaga, Eddie Hyatt, Steve Brooks, Ken Archer, French Arrington, James Railey, John Datema, C. J. Halquist, Orpha Vega, Matthew Thompson, Rick Kamrath, Paul Ramsaroop, Edgar Lee, Derek Vreeland, Mel Robeck, Bill Faupel, W. Simpson, and Mike Rogers.

Some of these individuals you already know as authors of articles appearing in our publications. Others are forthcoming writers and friends that encourage and contribute in other ways.

Thank you for your participation with us in the exciting journey of following Jesus.

— Raul Mock, Executive Editor

Does Messiah pay taxes? Journey through the Gospel to the Hebrews with Kevin Williams and find out.

And Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared …” (Matthew 22:1-2).

One consistent theme to Yeshua’s (Jesus’) ministry in the book of Matthew is the reality of the Kingdom of heaven. We do well to remember, that from the moment he walked out from his 40 days in the Judean wilderness he taught, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Matthew 4:17).” The sovereignty of the Most High God was never a question. The validity and continuity of God’s revealed Word was not up for debate. The authority of the Kingdom was never doubted.

Rather, the manifest presence of the Kingdom of Heaven  was dearly desired by many Hebrews in those days—as well as today. The yearning was that God would establish His kingdom on earth, and that all the nations of the gentiles would be brought under His banner.

In both Yochanan’s (John’s) and Yeshua’s preaching the reason for urgency to repent is that the Kingdom of Heaven is near. The concept of the Kingdom of God is crucial to understanding the Bible. It refers neither to a place nor to a time, but to a condition in which the rulership of God is acknowledged by humankind.¹

We see this zealous belief reiterated in Yeshua’s disciples: “And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?” (Acts 1:6). Many believers look forward to the day of Messiah’s return, and the complete and absolute establishment of God’s Kingdom here on earth.

And yet “Thy Kingdom come …” drones throughout congregations in the western world in countless churches, denominations, and services. I say it “drones” because it has been said so many times, recited for so many years, and reiterated without conscious thought, that the words have lost their vigor.

Fearful it would be if the kingdom of God were in fact to come and settle on this green globe we call home. Many of the sins we enjoy so liberally would come home to roost in profound and terrible ways. The words “Thy Kingdom come” flow so swiftly from our mouths. Yet, the kingdom we are praying for would bring such change that many, I fear, would scarcely know how to cope. The Kingdom of God on earth means that the Judge is in our midst. His unswerving intolerance for sin would be the rule of the land.

If we read Ezekiel, the coming of the Kingdom of God means that the Temple will be restored, with all its injunctions, requirements, tithes, festivals and sacrifices. How many have even paused to contemplate what that would mean to their daily lives?

The coming Kingdom of God brings with it a level of accountability undreamed of by most, with the Messiah seated on His throne as the conquering King. Are we really ready to bend the knee, not merely in a Sunday-go-to-meetin’ kind of way, but in a manner that is wrought with submission in service to the One True King?

People often think religion creates closed minds that see difference in terms of intolerance and division. Yet difference can be enriching and mutually instructive, while religion can be reassuring and ironic at the same time. For example, you may sometimes do God’s will only by denying your own. Discernment is a fruit of obedience, and a gift of genuine solidarity. Choice is empty without it. Second, disagreement is not a barrier to dialogue. On the contrary, it is a test of the willingness to presume on each other’s goodwill and to covet the best for each other. To be charitable is to be deserving of charity oneself. Without difference dialogue would be moot. If you feel the need to conceal what you believe for fear of difference, then dialogue becomes just a show, and agreement an illusion. Indeed, agreement by concealment is intolerance by another name, if truth be told. An important issue in the literature on dialogue is thus often confused by the view that difference is threatening, fanatical, harmful, and negative while uniform agreement is sound, inclusive, and enlightened. If that were true, we would all be condemned to sameness, uniformity, and conformity. Yet even then we would not escape the threat, the intolerance, the feuding and the cursing that disagreement is supposed to cause. In light of intercommunal conflicts, intrafamily feuds, and the truculence that often arise in the same race, household, or national or faith community, we arrive at a pretty pass when we approach the world in defiance of difference, or in a misguided optimism about agreement. People often fight because they want the same thing, or make peace because they embrace difference (pages 5-6).

There is a ton of deep stuff in these two paragraphs to meditate on – like a collection of “The Very Best of Far Side Cartoons.” Like I have done, I encourage you to read it many times and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you.

In the Body of Christ we are radical diversities and immeasurable differences. We have major differences and too-numerous-too-count subtle and secondary differences. Because of them, we have all experienced being on one side or the other of intolerance and division.

Messianic teacher Kevin Williams investigates the meaning behind “abolish” and “fulfill” in the First Century Jewish context.

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Shalom,

On one of your web pages, you make the claim that the words “abolish” and “fulfill” are Jewish idioms that mean to “misinterpret” and “correctly interpret” the Torah. How do you know these are Jewish idioms that mean that? What are your references?

Looking forward to hearing from you.

B’Shem Yeshua,

Doug

From “Secret Codes in Matthew: Examining Israel’s Messiah” by Kevin Williams. Part 5: Matthew 5:13-20, as appearing in Pneuma Review Spring 2002 (Vol 5, No 2). Find the full series here: http://pneumareview.com/the-secret-codes-in-matthew-examining-israels-messiah/

Kevin Williams responds:

Shalom Doug:

My reference comes from a book by David Bivin and Roy Blizzard, in their book Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus. Page 114 reads as follows:

“Destroy” and “fulfill” are technical terms used in rabbinic argumentation. When a sage felt that a colleague had misinterpreted a passage of Scripture, he would say, “You are destroying he Law!” Needless to say, in most cases his colleague strongly disagreed. What was “destroying the Law” for one sage, was “fulfilling the Law” (correctly interpreting Scripture) for another.

What we see in Matthew 5:17ff. Is a rabbinic discussion. Someone has accused Jesus of “destroying” the law. Of course, neither Jesus nor his accuser would ever think of literally destroying the Law. Furthermore, it would never enter the accuser’s mind to charge Jesus with intent to abolish part or all of the Mosaic Law. What is being called into question is Jesus’ system of interpretation, the way he interprets Scripture.”

Bivin and Blizzard also paraphrase the passage as:

“Never imagine for a moment,” Jesus says, “That I intend to abrogate the Law by misinterpreting it. My intent is not to waken or negate the law, but by properly interpreting God’s written Word I aim to establish it, that is, make it even more lasting. I would never invalidate the law by effectively removing something from it through misinterpretation. Heaven and earth would sooner disappear than something from the Law”

Hope that helps Doug. God’s peace be upon you,

Kevin

Vinson Synan, “2000 Years of Prophetic Ministry: Read the Stories Behind the Gift” Ministries Today (Sep/Oct, 2004), pages 24-28.

Vinson Synan

Vinson Synan, perhaps the leading historian of the modern Pentecostal movement, presents a two part review of the place prophecy has held in the church. The “centuries of suppression” lasted for about 1900 years, and generally were not very happy or fruitful for the prophetic gifts. The second portion of the review tells of prophecy’s gain in the eyes of church leaders and the laity since the days when William Seymour laid his hands upon and prophesied for the many men and women who had received the “message” at Azusa Street and went forth from there.

Synan has the great advantage of being part of our history and knowing many that played key roles in that unraveling of blessing and wonder in the last 100 years. He touches on half a dozen prophecies that changed the world as well discussing the need for us, today’s leaders, to teach how we are to minister in this great gift to the church and to the world that God so loves. Sound teaching about how one should prophesy is something that should interest all Christian leaders.

Reviewed by H. Murray Hohns

Read the article from Ministries Today archives: http://ministrytodaymag.com/index.php/ministry-today-archives/152-fivefold-ministries/9666-2000-years-of-prophecy [available as of June 24, 2014]

Timothy Yates, The Expansion of Christianity (Inter Varsity Press, 2004), 190 pages, ISBN 9780830823581.

I learned long ago that the IVP produces quality, well written publications and Yates’ book, though small in size, is no exception. Yates is and for years was an Anglican Priest who taught at University levels and his view of history or the expansion of Christianity is in many ways far different than mine.

The text includes nine chapters which describe the growth of Christianity in the ancient Mediterranean World and Asia and Europe to 1500. I learned of much Missionary effort in Asia and Europe that was new to me. Yates’ emphasis on the activities of the Roman Catholic Church and the Anglican church confronted me with the need to rethink the attitude and bias that I prefer as I look at this subject as a Protestant and an enthusiastic Pentecostal believer.

My genre of thought has a tendency to brand much of the effort of the Roman Catholic Church as political and empire building with its forced conversions part and parcel of that expansion. Hence there is much here that you who share my views will find uncomfortable and confronting as you must adjust this thinking to accommodate Yates’ well researched and well written history.

I found his statements that Roman Catholicism (and not Protestantism) had the resources in the sixteen century to well evangelize and divide South America as far as boundaries and who got what made me rethink or at least wonder about much of what I have assumed for years. I have spent time in South America in missionary efforts that rejoiced in the renewal that the Pentecostal church has brought to that continent over against the established church that to our view was more political than spiritual.

Yates also covers America, early Africa, Oceania and the 20^th Century which to his view is an African Century. I share that thinking that God has indeed visited Africa in recent years but Yates’ view again was different than mine, and that was challenging and discomforting.

I learned of many Missionary sending agencies that began in the 19^th century in England and other European Countries. I was unaware of that the Paris Evangelical Mission ever existed, let alone those it sponsored. I also learned that these sending agencies were not particularly concerned with one’s theology or denominational leanings if any but with presenting the gospel to far off places. Some of the people and their contributions that Yates’ described were familiar but many were not.

The older I get the more I realize that much of the thought I carry around needs improvement, refinement and revision. I tussle at times with the fact that when I became a Christian 40 plus years ago, I left the Roman Catholic Church of my youth, and became an avid Protestant because that was where I found a saving knowledge of Christ. My early days in evangelical Christianity did not encourage dialogue or any sympathy with the part of our Christian world called the high church. Indeed the opposite was encouraged. Was that correct? Books like the one Timothy Yates has written challenge my opinions and thoughts. It will do the same for you.

Reviewed by H. Murray Hohns

Publisher’s page: www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2358

Stanley J. Grenz, “We Dare Not Fall: Dealing With the Peril of Clergy Sexual Misconduct.” Enrichment (Fall 2004), pages 38-47, 51.

Sexual misconduct on the part of the clergy is fast becoming a national problem of epidemic proportions. In an over-sexed society, bombarded by sexual themes and images on all sides, increasing sexual misconduct on the part of trusted leaders (even spiritual leaders) should not come as a surprise; however, neither does it come with an excuse. In a very timely and necessary article, Stanley Grenz deals with the reasons behind this growing problem and how the tide can be stemmed. (For consistency of nomenclature in this review, the pastor will be referred to as “he,” while the congregant will be “she.”)

Sexual misconduct often involves someone “violating” another, but in the case of the clergy, that violation occurs on several different levels. It is a violation of the congregant’s trust (as she entrusts to her pastor the vulnerable areas of her life), a violation of the pastor’s power, a violation of sexual trust (as the congregant looks to the church as a place of safe and healthy relationships), a violation of the image of God (as the pastor is to reflect God’s character), a violation of the pastoral office, and a violation of the pastoral calling.

Oftentimes, when sexual misconduct occurs, the focus of victimization tends to fall on the congregant. However, Grenz makes the important point that she is not the only victim in this case, but one among many, including the families of both parties, the pastor’s wife and children, and the congregant’s children and spouse. (I would like to add two other groups of victims that Grenz did not specifically mention: the congregation (among whom may be some who may become disillusioned with the church or with God), and the unsaved (among whom may be some who may see this as just one more reason to reject Christ).)

What can be done to prevent sexual misconduct from occurring? In what is arguably the most important section in his article, Grenz explores nine concurrent lines of defense to lessen the chances of the pastor falling sexually:

1. Recognize your identity in Christ and your need for his help in overcoming temptation;

2. Avoid the urge to try to “fix everything”;

3. Realize that you are a healer who also needs healing like everyone else;

4. Take the necessary steps to help bring about that healing;

5. Set up support systems and accountability around you among people you trust;

6. Maintain proper boundaries in counseling settings;

7. Understand the dynamics of therapeutic relationships;

8. Watch for the warning signs and signals that proper boundaries are in danger of being crossed; and

9. Rely on the power and presence of the Holy Spirit for help.

The warning signs and effective support systems are described in detail in a helpful sidebar to the article, as well as a “Covenant of Clergy Sexual Ethics,” recommended by the Assemblies of God (thus providing another form of accountability).

Grenz presents us with a message of hope in the midst of a disturbing trend, showing us that the situation is not hopeless by any means. With discipline, common sense, a bit of work, and overall reliance on the Holy Spirit, the trend can be reversed, removing out of the way just one more obstacle in the quest to fulfill the Great Commission before our Lord comes again.

Reviewed by Michael J. Knowles

At the time of publication, this article was found online at: http://enrichmentjournal.ag.org/200404/200404_038_miscon.cfm

Norma Cook Everist, ed. The Difficult but Indispensable Church (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002), 262 pages.

This book is a collaboration of members of the Wartburg Theological Seminary and includes 21 individual authors. Their goal is not to develop a cohesive, monolithic work, but to examine the (local) church from many different personal viewpoints and academic disciplines. The structure of the book is intended to mirror a local church: diverse, dynamic and didactic.

Wartburg is a seminary of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The terminology and references reflect that background. Still, it’s easy to see how the ideas and concepts would apply to almost all church bodies.

The writers speak their minds freely in their articles. As instructors in theology, targeting Pastors and other church readers, this work is heavily theological and intellectual in its language and approach. Still, there is valuable insight among the pages.

The book is divided into four major parts: individuals, faith foundations, church mission and church diversity. The articles within each part address the subject from a variety of personal and professional viewpoints. The expertise/professions of authors within a specific book section vary widely. Theologians, counselors and church theorists all shine a different, and revealing light on their chosen subject.

“Re-Membering The Body Of Christ,” article 5, examines the nature of an appealing local body. Professor Everist discusses trends among modern church-goers, and the nature of local churches that retain them. Her analysis is based in Scripture and observation.

One conclusion of the article is not unexpected: modern church bodies must be prepared to “reinvent” themselves to appeal to the unchurched. Another conclusion is somewhat surprising: modern churches must cling to the fundamentals of the Gospel fiercely and rely on God’s power all the more.

An interesting analysis of the local church and American culture was made in Article 17, “American Civil Religion: A De Facto Church.” American civil religion is a body of Christian influenced morals, ethics and beliefs that are a quasi-religion in themselves. The unique laws and history of the United States helped spawn this “institution” and our “open society” maintains it.

Professor Fjeld asserts that Christians and local churches are often influenced, or overwhelmed, by “American civil religion.” Willingly linked to the Bible, but not centered in Christ, American civil religion is a competitor with true Christianity. Its “gospel” tends toward wealth and self-reliance, rather than Godly grace or submission to Jesus Christ.

Article 18, “Imagining The New Community In Christ,” examines the issues and challenges of a culturally, racially or ethnically diverse local church body. How does a church body function together when they lack a dominant culture or common history? Is it possible to be effective, vibrant and distinctive under such circumstances?

Michael L. Brown, Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus, Vols. 1-3 (Grand Rapids: Baker, 2000 and 2003).

When you encounter a Jewish man or woman willing to enter into a dialogue about Jesus, and you face the inevitable hurdles many Jewish people can raise, would it not be nice to have resources that could provide you an easy-to-read, well-researched, yet comprehensive view on countering those objections?

Michael Brown has compiled three such books. Volume One tackles the General and Historical Objections; Volume Two examines the Theological Objections; and Volume Three offers an in depth examination of Messianic Prophecy Objections. The three volumes bring together a wealth of knowledge without parallel in the marketplace.

Brown brings Jewish understanding to the fore, tracing centuries of Hebrew thought, theology, and history that developed through interaction in predominately Christian and Muslim communities, demonstrating how the rabbis came to reach some of the conclusions they reached about the Messiah. He helps you understand the Jewish perspective, and then equips you with solid, biblical—and usually thoroughly Jewish—answers.

Moishe Rosen, founder of Jews for Jesus writes, “Michael Brown’s thinking is incisive and to the point. His ability to explain so that anyone can understand is amazing. He will surely be acclaimed as the new expert in Jewish Christian apologetics.”

Each volume includes extensive notes, a glossary of Hebrew terms, as well as subject and Scripture indexes. You don’t have to be a rabbi to enter into a meaningful dialogue about the Jewish Messiah. Answering Jewish Objections to Jesus has done all the work for you. Highly recommended.

Reviewed by Kevin M. Williams

Andrew D. Clarke, Serve the Community of the Church: Christians as Leaders and Ministers (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2000), 305 pages.

Clarke’s interest lies in discerning the attitude towards leadership in the early church, in New Testament times. Rejecting the traditional, protestant position that the early church was essentially a charismatic community which, through time, sublimated the offices identified in the later Pauline epistles, Clark leads us into a fascinating study of the real tensions over various styles of leadership that he traces in the New Testament, models present from the very beginnings of the church. His thesis is that leadership did exist in the earliest Christian communities, but that a distinction needs to be made between ‘the social processes that were active in a given Pauline community and the nature of godly leadership to which Paul appealed in his corrective statements’ (p 172).

Andrew D. Clarke

Clarke begins by seeking to identify the models of leadership present in the 1st century Graeco-Roman context. He reviews, in the 1st part of his book, leadership models in the Graeco-Roman city, the Roman colony and city, in voluntary associations, the family and household and the Jewish synagogue. In the 2nd part of the book, Clark goes on to trace the struggles over issues of leadership within the early Christian communities. On the one hand, there are the norms of community leadership carried into church from the wider community which influence the attitude and behavior of Christians in their embryonic gatherings. On the other hand there is the influence of Jesus, and the challenge to work through the implications of our life in Christ, in influencing how leadership is to be construed and applied.

Clarke’s excellent scholarship is not unapplied. Subtly yet respectfully, he leads us to see where his meticulous study would take us. In what is the best study in Biblical models of leadership that I have read, he makes a bold yet soundly based affirmation: that Christian leadership, properly understood, is fundamentally different from the models that operate in worldly structures. Clark carefully and thoroughly works through the implications of what any Greek scholar can confirm: that Paul deliberately avoids describing himself as a ‘leader’ and disregards extra-New Testament words for ‘leader’ as descriptors for any key function in the church. What a disturbing yet liberating discovery of a basic, biblical truth this could be for those entrusted with leadership roles in today’s church.

This book is a must for all who would take seriously the Bible as leading us into alternative way of leading the church.

Reviewed by James Purves