North Texas Baptist Association - End of Year Update

Since June of 2014 it has been my privilege to serve as Director of the North Texas Baptist Association (NTBA).  We have seen God blessing this cooperative work in many ways and I thought this to be a good time for an update.  The churches of NTBA are autonomously and cooperatively continuing in the work of kingdom advancement with biblical unity.

• We continue to be one of the few truly confessional Baptist associations in Texas as all our churches affirm the 2000 Baptist Faith and Message and the inerrancy of Scripture.  This certainly makes us rare in a modernistic and increasingly postmodernist religious culture but it makes missional work so much more efficient as we walk together in doctrinal agreement. 
• We continue to work to help start new churches.  The need for church planting is great across North Texas as the population is burgeoning with approximately 10,000 new residents per month in the DFW metroplex.  There are 10 new churches in this past year throughout North Texas because of the faithful work of NTBA churches working together.  
• We continue to help with church restoration.  There are so many churches throughout our land in need of revitalization and our land needs them.  I have spoken in so many churches through this last year to provide encouragement and to challenge them toward greater Great Commission focus.  So many have been greatly responsive!  I am currently helping a church that had been in decline but has more than tripled in size the last 6 months and is advancing for the glory of God.
• We continue to work for continued edification for pastors.  Jesus has been gracious in providing us with such great speakers at our theological fellowship luncheons.  We have had many pastors and church leaders from across North Texas gather for personal growth and education at the 8 lunches and seminars this past year.  There have also been faithful pastors to gather for prayer and it has been my privilege to help with this effort.
• I have been amazed at the amount of ministry God is doing through the NTBA.  Praying with a pastor whose wife was just diagnosed with cancer, encouraging men to press on and not quit, helping with church problems because we're all human, speaking at pastor's retreats, helping new churches find places to meet, comforting a pastor and his wife at the death of their newborn baby, meeting with men who are hurting after painful departures from churches, helping churches find the man God has called as their new pastor.  I really did not know what all to expect when God brought me to NTBA but I am grateful for these opportunities to serve you.

I promise to do all that I can possibly do in this next year to continue serving for the cooperative efforts of NTBA.  Thank you for this privilege.  We will continue in doctrinal integrity as we plant new churches, restore struggling churches, and encourage pastors and church leaders.  We will work in biblical unity for kingdom advancement.  To God Be The Glory!

Onward and Upward,

Richmond Goolsby  

The Role Of Temples in the Ancient Near East and Their Connection to The One True Temple - Part 1

Introductory Thoughts:  

            The author of Genesis was well aware of religious customs and temple practices among his Ancient Near East (ANE) neighbors.  In the midst of these distorted theologies he presents claims of uniqueness and truth of the one true God and His holy temple.  The first temple established by God upon the earth was the garden of Eden.  The garden in Genesis 1-3 was the dwelling place of God upon the earth and Adam was its king and priest.  Adam was divinely placed in the garden in the image and likeness of God to serve and worship Him.  These acts were to be the true expression of what it means to serve and worship the one true God.  Adam failed.  All of his ANE descendants did the same and the result was a multiplicity of false expressions of worship, usually involving temples.

 The Garden-Temple in Genesis:

The beginning chapters of Genesis utilize language which is similar to other ANE group’s use of temples in it’s description of the garden.  According to Piotr Bienkowski two of the primary characteristics of ANE temples is that they were considered a “house on earth of the god” and that they contained a statue of the god “as a divine symbol”.[1]  We find each of these elements emphasized in the biblical record of Eden.  Genesis 1 demonstrates God as the sovereign Creator of all.  He has power over everything including the ability to build His world out of nothing.  Then in a particular place called Eden He is said to have “planted a garden” and there “put the man whom He had formed” (Gen. 2:8).  It was in this garden that Adam was able to meet with God and the relationship seems quite intimate with the enjoyment of many trees to eat, the provision of a woman helper, and the naming of animals.  The text reads as though Adam enjoys an up close and personal relationship with his Creator.  The idea of God’s house on earth is certainly present as God dwells among His creation.  There is also the use of Adam as a divine symbol.  He is said to be created in the “image and likeness” of God (Gen. 1:26-27) and to have the ability to subdue the other creatures in the garden as he exercises “dominion” over them.  This divine symbol language can be found in Robert Alter’s translation as he renders “the man formed” (NKJV) in Genesis 2:8 as “the human fashioned”.[2]  This intensifies the placement of God’s symbol in the garden in the person of Adam.  Alter further emphasizes the symbolic role of man by translating “dominion” (NKJV) as “hold sway”.  He explains, “the verb radah is not the normal Hebrew verb for “rule”…and in most contexts in which it occurs it seems to suggest an absolute or even fierce exercise of mastery.”[3]  The divine symbol extends to the point of dominion.  The garden is the house of God on the earth and Adam is His divine symbol intended to exercise mastery over the house. 

Other scholars have recognized the garden as a temple in Genesis.  Bruce Waltke describes the garden as an “enclosed, protected order” and “it represents territorial space in the created order where God invites human beings to enjoy bliss and harmony between themselves and God.”[4]   The Hebrew root gnn refers to a place enclosed, fenced in, or protected.[5]  This enclosure language helps us to think of the garden not only as an actual place but to think of it with certain borders and dimensions.  This is temple language in Genesis.  Waltke recognizes this as he notes, “the Garden of Eden is a temple-garden.”[6]  Perhaps the greatest contributor to the garden-as-temple discussion is Greg Beale.  He draws connection between Eden and Israel’s temple by observing the word pair “cultivate/tend” (abad) and “keep” (samar).  These words occur together in Genesis 2:15 and elsewhere to the Israelites “serving” God and “keeping” His word as well as the priests “keeping” or “serving” the tabernacle.  Beale’s conclusion is that “Genesis 1-2 not only portrays Adam as a kingly gardener and watchman but does so in language that rings with the notion of worshipful obedience.”[7]  The reader is recommended to Beale’s work for a much better and fuller treatment of this entire garden-temple theme.  With the establishment of Adam in the garden, God set His divine symbol in His house on earth.  Adam’s intended role was to serve as a king and a priest in the divinely instituted temple in Eden. 

The Temple as A Display Of Beauty and A Blessing to the People

The exhibition of beauty with gold, bdellium, and onyx stone found in Eden also points us to the divine presence on earth from the garden-temple to all of Israel’s temple rituals.  Gold and onyx were present in Eden and also were prominent materials in the construction of the tabernacle (Ex. 25-28).  The LORD commanded Moses and gave him strict instructions for the making of the Aaronic priestly garments which were to include gold and onyx stones in the ephod and the breastplate (Ex. 39:6, 13).  Although David was unable to build the first temple because he was a “man of war” he was the visionary who developed plans and passed them on to his son Solomon for later construction.  David wanted to build a house for the ark of the covenant which was understood among the people as the meeting point when God spoke to Moses.  It was the place of containment for the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments which was the materially present word of God.  David’s instructions for the construction of the first temple included the use of gold and onyx stones.  The meeting place for God with Adam was the garden.  It was the place of beautiful gold and onyx.  It was where God “commanded” the man which is the Hebrew sawah.  The Ten Commandments given to Moses are miswoth, which is simply the pluralized version of the same word.  Eden was the place where the word of God was manifest so powerfully that presence in the garden was a daily reminder that God’s word brought it all into being.  Just like the tabernacle and the temple, the garden of God was a glorious display of beauty and blessing. 

The Solomonic temple built during Israel’s height of kingdom rule was a glorious display of blessing to the people and a place of beauty intended as a tribute to the glory of God.  The careful integrity placed into the work of the artisans who built the tabernacle also displayed the same.  Each set of builders were given specific instruction from the Lord regarding the display of beauty (Exodus 31 and 1 Kings 6).  Every structure was a display of fine gold and such craftsmanship that it was a glorious manifestation of multiplied works of art.  The tabernacle and the temple were both a display of beauty and a blessing to the people.  The same can be said of the garden of Eden.  There was a life flowing river which split into four riverheads called “Pishon, Gihon, Hiddekel (Tigris), and the Euphrates” (Gen. 2:14).  The rivers flowing from the one source are to be seen as the blessing of life to God’s creation.  Rivers were commonly understood as the source of life to any civilization in the ancient world.  Pishon is said to “skirt the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.” (vs. 11) and to include the presence of “bdellium and the onyx stone”. (vs. 12)  Claus Westermann notes a connection of blessing from Eden to the rest of the world, “The purpose is to state that the rivers which bring fertility (=blessing) to the world have their origin in the river which brings fertility (=blessing) to the garden of God.”[8]  This universal blessing flowing from the garden of God is a reminder of the garden-temple in Genesis being the divinely instituted means through which blessings flow to the created order.  Temples in the ANE were widely considered places of beauty and blessing.    

Ezekiel served as a prophet during the days of Babylonian dominance in the ANE.  He preached a message of divine judgment before 586 B.C. but shifted to a message of hope and divine deliverance after the destruction of the Jewish temple.  The Babylonians ransacked the Jerusalem temple in 586 B.C. and many Jews were taken into exile.  It is during this exilic period that Ezekiel received the “word of the Lord” which included a lamentation for the king of Tyre.  The exact identity of this king continues to cause a lack of certainty as the reference appears to speak of one who existed “in Eden, the garden of God” (Ezek. 28:13).  Perhaps we should see this king as a later personification of the evil one who first appeared in the garden to deceive Adam and Eve.  I. Howard Marshall sees the evil one further personified in King Herod who was considered to “speak as a god” to the people of Tyre in Acts 12 just before he experienced his wormy demise.[9]  We may not have certainty as to the identity of this king but it is interesting to reflect upon the description of what was present in the garden.  The presence of “every precious stone…onyx…gold” (Ezek. 28:13) is mentioned as a covering for the one was in Eden.  Again there is a connection in the ANE between kingly characters who sit on thrones in palaces and the depiction of gold and precious jewels in the Genesis garden-temple. 

The Temple Set Upon A Mountain

It is worth noting the mountain motif found in the temple locations of the ANE.  The Solomonic temple was likely located upon Mount Zion and although there is doubt about its exact location it is usually recognized that it sat upon a mountain of some sort.  Although the tabernacle which preceded this temple was movable it was on Mount Sinai that God gave Moses the instructions for it’s building and use.  The ziggurats in ancient Mesopotamia are thought to be “stairways to heaven” by which the “deity descended from the heavens to reside among the people.”[10]  The temples were constructed right next to these high places as a “place of rest for the deity.”[11]  John Walton also notes a connection between ANE temples including the Temple of Solomon and the garden of Eden.  He states, “Mount Zion is understood as the mountain of the Lord (e.g. Psalm 48) and the place where his temple, a representation of Eden, was built.”[12]  The exact location of Eden alludes us but it’s place atop a mountain appears to be indicated in Genesis as it is described as the source of the four mighty rivers.  Since rivers flow downward the author must have expected the readers to envision the garden of God upon a mountainous high place. 

The opening chapters of Genesis present the garden of God as His temple upon the earth in ways similar to other ANE temple practices.  The later construction of the Tabernacle and the Solomonic Temple have many shared characteristics with the first temple in Eden.  God “planted a garden” (Gen. 2:8) which functioned as His house upon the earth as He visited with man.  God “put the man whom He had formed” (Gen. 2:8) in the garden as His divine symbol.  This man was made in the “image and likeness” (Gen. 1:26-27) of God and was given “dominion” (Gen. 1:26, 28) and commanded to “subdue” (Gen. 1:28) creation from the temple.  Adam was given the priestly duties of “tending and keeping” (Gen. 2:15) the garden-temple as it was to be a blessing to the people and a glorious display of the beauty of God.  Gordon Wenham poignantly summarizes, “The garden of Eden is not viewed by the author of Genesis simply as a piece of Mesopotamian farmland, but as an archetypal sanctuary, that is, a place where God dwells and where man should worship him.  Many of the features of the garden may also be found in later sanctuaries, particularly the tabernacle or Jerusalem temple.  These parallels suggest that the garden itself is understood as a sort of sanctuary.”[13]

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[1] Bienkowski, Piotr and Millard, Alan , eds., Dictionary of the Ancient Near East, (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2000), pg. 285-286.

[2] Alter, Robert, Genesis, (New York, NY: W.W. Norton and Company, 1996), pg. 8.

[3] Ibid, pg. 5.

[4] Waltke, Bruce, Genesis, (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2001), pg. 85.

[5] Holladay, William, A Concise Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdman’s, 1988), pg. 63.

[6] Waltke, pg. 85.

[7] Beale, G.K., The Temple and the Church’s Mission, (Downer’s Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2004), pg. 81.

[8] Westermann, Claus, Genesis, (Neukirchen-Vluyn: Neukirchener, 1974-82), vol. 1, pg. 216. Translated by John J. Scullion as Genesis: A Commentary, (London: SPCK; Minneapolis: Augsburg, 1984-86).

[9] Carson, D.A. and Beale, G.K., eds., Marshall, Howard I., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2007), pg. 581.

[10] Walton, John, Ancient Near Eastern Thought and the Old Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2006), pg. 114.

[11] Ibid, pg. 114.

[12] Ibid, pg. 127.

[13] Wenham, G.J., Sanctuary Symbolism in the Garden of Eden Story, Proceedings of the Ninth World Congress of Jewish Studies, Division A: The Period of the Bible (Jerusalem: World Union of Jewish Studies, 1986), pg. 19.

The Role of Covenant and Familial Relationships among the People of God

Covenant – A Divine Drama of Love

            The Bible is the story of covenant. It is a divine drama of love. The Scriptures describe a passionate love story founded upon the fidelity of God and His desire to present to Himself a beautifully adorned bride at the final consummation of all things. This love language is expressed by Isaiah who describes God as “husband” to his people whom He called “like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife” (Is. 54:5-6). The great prophet speaks of salvation as the clothing of wedding garments with the “robe of righteousness” as God’s covering for His people the same way a bridegroom and bride adorn themselves for the wedding ceremony. Certainly the Song of Songs is a literal description of a lovers and his beloved “fairest among women” (Songs 1:8) but it is also a metaphor of beauty as we are reminded of the wooing love that God has for His bride. As God created male and female in His own image we are uncertain as to the precise meaning of the imago dei but we can agree that it at least speaks of intimacy in relationship. The Bible rises to an intimate climax of this relationship as God unites with His bride in Revelation 21. As the holy city, the New Jerusalem, descends out of heaven she is “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband” (Rev. 21:2). The seven angels show John “the bride, the Lamb’s wife” (Rev. 21:9) in the rest of the chapter and she is described as radiant beauty illumined as the splendor of precious jewels. These vivid marital metaphors call us to embrace the Bible as God’s love letter to His cherished people; a people on the journey to their final consummation. It is a proposal to draw intimately near to the One who loved them to a point of seeking and saving them at the greatest cost to Himself.

Covenant Between God and His People

            Covenant is the way God deals with His children. He covenantally pursues the first rebellious couple and restores the relationship they had broken. The first occurrence of the word “covenant” (Hb. berit) is in Genesis 6 when God “establishes” His covenant with four couples who are sealed with an ark. Even when they threaten the relationship, God keeps it.  He promises to keep His covenant with Abraham and his future descendants who will be a tribe. Abraham fails but God is faithful. The divine embrace will extend to 12 tribes and their trials will reveal the fatherhood of God in His preservation of His family. Progressively it will become evident that God’s New Testament (covenant) will be ratified by the blood of His only begotten Son and will extend beyond all boundaries to “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Rev. 5:9).

            God knows the infidelity of His people. He does not depend upon them for the keeping of His covenant. This does not, however, remove them from the responsibility of covenant faithfulness. Christ clothes His children with His robe of righteousness but they must also “put on” Jesus Christ. God meets Abraham in Genesis 15 to “cut” (Hb. carat) a covenant. The Hebrew word “carat” means “to cut off”. To cut a covenant is a distant concept for us to grasp but contextual study reveals a variety of uses. It can refer to the cutting of the foreskin, a cluster of grapes, or the head of a man. These uses remind us of the obtaining of something in the process of cutting off but they only point us to further investigation. The ancient Hittites spoke of cutting the palms of the hands of two men and the blood bond made by shaking hands for a major agreement. Some believe this illustrates the carat idea of covenant but most biblical scholars go further. The cutting of a covenant involved the cutting of a sacrificial animal into two parts as shown in Genesis 15. Abraham prepared the sacrifices by “cutting them in two, down the middle” and presented them to God (Gen. 15:10).  It is believed that the seriousness of the life given in the sacrifice is a picture of what is being expressed and that this symbolic act is saying, “may this be done to me if I violate this covenant”. Interestingly enough, Abraham is in a deep sleep (vs. 12) as the covenant ceremony takes place and it is God who walks between the two parts of the sacrifice (vs. 17). Good news for us indeed! If the preservation of the covenant was based upon Abraham’s faithfulness (or mine!) failure and death for all would be certain. Perhaps this is why God “swore by Himself” in His promise to Abraham (Heb. 6:18). There is no one greater by whom God could certify His guarantee. Everyone knows a guarantee or warranty is only as good as the name behind it. God’s name is sure. So God walks between the two parts of the sacrifice and guarantees covenant preservation of His people. He is saying, “May this grotesque picture of death and destruction be done to Me if I ever violate this covenant”. He “swore by Himself” and “showed more abundantly to the heirs of promise [that’s us!] the immutability of His counsel” (Heb. 6:17). He reverses the death of Genesis 3 by the blood of the Lamb of God and nothing “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:39).

Covenant Not Contract

            We use contracts to try and keep each other honest. Yet, we still need judges and attorneys and codified laws. Contracts are helpful tools but a covenant goes deeper. A contract involves the exchange of property and its binding power depends upon the integrity of the people who make it. A covenant involves the exchange of persons and its binding power rests in the character of God. Contracts desire profits and are a legal instrument to fulfill the desire. Covenant desires love and is a sacred union to complete the affection. A person seeks to preserve himself and his rights in a contract while Jesus uses covenant to preserve His blood-bought children. Contracts can be broken. Covenants can be violated but not broken. The sacrifice of love in divine covenant assures us that God has obligated Himself to reconcile those who are His.

            To be in covenant with God is to be in covenant with the permanent and immutable “Ancient of Days…who was, and is, and is to come” and who has promised “to never leave us nor forsake us” (Heb. 13:5). It is the immutability of God which brings us to irrevocability of his covenant. Isaiah spoke of a coming day in which God would, according to His covenant, “take away the sin of Jacob” (Is. 27:9). After all the generations of Jacob (Israel) straying from their God, we find He is still fighting to preserve His covenant. Paul applies this to the people of God in Romans 11:28. He says, “all Israel will be saved…concerning the election…they are beloved…for the gifts and the calling are irrevocable”. The “spoken out ones” of election have God’s irrevocable call upon them which is a divinely non-regrettable and non-repentant call. To break this calling and election would be to break the unbreakable God. This is why all of the true Israel of God will be saved. The covenant-keeping God cannot be broken and neither can the fulfillment of His promise to His people. God will always fight to preserve His covenant. 

Covenant in the Family of God

            Every good story contains conflict. The divine drama of God’s love story is no different. Actually, it is the root of all other good stories. This is the original. The struggle of Man versus God, Man versus Man, Man versus self, and Man versus Nature are more than literary devices. They are real and destructive problems which are overcome by covenant. We need a covenantal mind to understand God’s working of history and to discern the times in which we live. It is the strength and wisdom that comes from our covenant enjoyment with God that will renew us for the fidelity necessary in living out our other covenants. The first four of the Ten Commandments point us to covenant with God before turning us to live at peace with others. It is our love of God which comes from affectionately celebrating His love for us that will then empower us to love others. It is this love that we must teach to our covenant brothers and sisters. Covenant is a family relationship.

            How can we help others enjoy the covenant love of God? First, we must serve others without any thought of ourselves. The Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve. So should we. Paul dared not even to think of himself enough to pass judgment of himself (1 Cor. 4:3-4). I wonder if we are willing to consider the possibility that the very self-saturated people with whom we become so frustrated are partially indulging themselves because they see and hear us do the same. Covenant keepers serve others, not themselves. How many of us have developed a sense of entitlement to a paycheck or to be complimented or respected or spoken well of or subtly think we deserve to live at a level comparable to others? Are we not “the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things?” (1 Cor. 4:13) Did not Jesus promise us a cross and baptism of His sufferings? Let us serve others no matter the cost. Do not become a fleeing hireling but be a good under-shepherd who lays down his life for the sheep (John 10:11-12). Second, let us demonstrate staying power. May we display the glorious love of covenant in our churches by staying faithful to a local bride as long as we shall live. I know God moves people to serve at different places and in different times but we also know that many are blaming God for their infidelity as they move from church to church. We are good at spiritualizing our desire to go somewhere bigger of seemingly easier. Let us build where we are, no matter how hard it is. I pray we are the generation of pastors willing to pay the price of our lives in order to help in the restoration of Christ’s bride. May we be the tools of faithful covenant love that He uses to “sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, the He might present her to Himself a glorious church” (Eph. 5:26-27). Third, always be the initiator of reconciliation. God pursued Adam and He pursues you. The culpability is always ours in covenant with God and yet He is always the initiator of the reconciliation. Too often we are concerned with proving we are right instead of seeking peace with a deceived soul. How will they be turned away from their dark deception if we are not willing to love them the way Christ loves us? Away with the playground battles of who did what to me. God “has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor. 5:18). Fourth, model covenant integrity in marriage. Draw closer to your wife. Break down the walls that both of you have built. Win her all over again with words and acts of affectionate kindness. When other look at us with our spouses, may they see a loving and respectful couple who enjoy Jesus together. Laughter, prayer, joy, service, spiritual and physical intimacy, and unity – These are the marks of covenant marriage. Jesus gave His life for His bride, and we must follow Him. When the covenant is threatened, God goes to work to preserve His bride. Threats from without and violations from within only intensify God’s efforts to keep the promise He made to His wife. May our wives know that with great passionate love we will do the same. Fifth, celebrate covenant renewal in corporate worship. Each time we gather as a church family we are renewing the covenant we have with one another. Remembrance of the Lord’s Supper is to be an awakening in our spirit that Christ ratified this divine covenant on our behalf. Each celebration of baptism is a reminder of the covenant seal God has placed upon us as well as our daily union with Christ. Lift up high the beauty of covenant with each presentation of ourselves in the act of collective worship. Finally, be honest about your covenant with God. The only reason I am still in covenant with God is that He is faithful. I am a cheater, a fool who prostitutes my soul for lesser things. As C.S. Lewis said, “we are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased”. Do not be afraid to let your church people know they have another ignorant friend sitting beside them in the slum making mud pies in their pastor. I do not mean to tell everything, but be honest about struggling. People do not need details about your mud pies but they do need you to be humble. Point them to the covenant faithfulness of our loving God. Read to them the love letter the Holy Spirit has sent His beloved family. Teach them in word and in deed the divine drama of God’s passionate love story for His bride. To the glory of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit.  

Liberty in the Law of God

It will surprise many to discover the liberty that God provides in His law.  The steady influence of semi-antinomianism has helped many to think of the law only as restrictive and therefore often something to be relegated to rarely useful in the life of a Christian.  People will often reference the restrictive nature of God’s law and over-emphasize their “freedom” in Christ.  Too often their freedom in Christ is misunderstood as freedom to do as they please.  The resulting feelings which appear as guilt and shame, and may actually be the gracious convicting power of the Holy Spirit, are pushed away as the “bad feelings” that come from the law.  We are free in Christ to obey God which is important because apart from the Holy Spirit we are prone only to disobey God.  True joy is only found in the obedience that freedom brings.  There are at least two positively liberating affirmations I would like to mention about the law of God.

The law of God is liberating in its protections.  As a loving Father, God cares enough about His children to tell them “no”.  Every time that God says “no” He is setting a protective barrier in the lives of His children.  He knows the destruction that sin will bring far better than we can know and so He sets up danger signs calling us away from that which destroys.  The Ten Commandments reveal this principle clearly.  Liberation is the introduction of the Commandments, “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.” (Exodus 20:2)  This divine provision of freedom also provides a proper motivation of the obedience to the Law God expects of His people.  The divine acts of protection in the Law are at least the following.  To have any other gods would be to mislead a soul from the only God who can satisfy. (vs. 3)  To make a carved image would be to misrepresent the Creator in the form of a creation and prevent one from the fulfillment that only the one true God can provide. (vs. 4)  A falsification of God’s true identity would be the result of taking the LORD’s name in vain as well as falsifying that individual’s identity. (vs. 7)  If one is not even honest with himself then he certainly would not be helping himself.  The Sabbath is God’s gift of rest to mankind and to break it is to literally break oneself. (vs. 8)  These first four commandments deal with man’s relationship to God and to disobey them is to place oneself in bondage as it prohibits that which is best for man in personal fulfillment.  

The following six Commandments are also liberating in their restrictions.  The fractured relationships that would occur from breaking these commands is not good for anyone.  The love of neighbor expressed in the obedience to these laws helps to produce a healthy society where people can live freely with mutual respect and enjoy human flourishing.  To take away any of these Commandments is to take away the potential for enjoying the liberty the law provides.  A broken relationship that would come from dishonoring father and mother is a certain measure for misery. (vs. 12)  Murder causes so much pain not only in the life of the victim but also their family, society as a whole, and deep personal torment in the life of the assailant. (vs. 13)  Adultery brings a yoke of pain in relationships and to the conscience of the guilty party. (vs. 14)  It not only destroys the trust and intimacy of one relationship but also robs the adulterer of the pure joy God gives to those who practice marriage biblically.  Theft is a violation of the property rights of others but also steals personal liberty from the thief who spends his life hiding in the shadows always trying to not get caught. (vs. 15)  To bear false witness against one’s neighbor is not only to hurt another’s reputation but also to repetitively shackle the liar in telling more lies to cover up what has been said. (vs. 16)  The tenth Commandment fights against covetousness which produces a life always eluding the contentment God provides for those who are thankful for their own blessings. (vs. 17)  These last six commandments deal with man’s relationship to man and to disobey them is to miss that which is best for man in personal enjoyment.  

The law of God is liberating in its lack of restrictions.  An aspect of God’s law that often goes unnoticed is the freedom which is allowed in the shortage of prohibitions.  I focus primarily on a few of the Ten Commandments because of their prominence.  Consider the command to “not steal”.  It is a financially oriented command with the idea that one person does not take advantage of another person in their trading or robbing another of the opportunity for trade.  It requires consent in the transaction process.  This eighth Commandment certainly has application beyond commerce but it does provide a great deal of freedom in economic practice.  For example the law could have stated, “You shall only participate in financial transactions Monday through Thursday from 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM.  And you shall provide a socialistic or communistic form of economics.  And you shall charge a 15% transaction fee on all financial exchanges.”  The list could go on ad nauseum but this helps illustrate the bondage God could have placed on the people through the Law.  Instead He just says, “Do not steal.”  You are free to operate in a vast multitude of ways financially but don’t steal from anyone.  J.A. Motyer adds clarity, “The Ten Commandments is the Bible’s fundamental statement of ‘the law of liberty’... a negative command is far more liberating than a positive one, for a positive command restricts life to that one course of action, whereas a negative command leaves life open to every course of action except one!”

  For further clarity we might consider the First Commandment, “you shall have no other gods”.  A libertarian freedom is found in the negation of how “not” to worship.  The following commands give further instruction regarding how “not” to worship.  We are not to make carved images of God nor are we to take His name in vain.  But consider the amount of freedom in worship with what is not said.  God did not say you must worship Me only in a highly liturgical format while wearing flip-flops with your hands in your pockets while you hum one particular song.  You get the point.  There are a variety of ways God can be properly worshipped.  Of course the New Testament explains we should worship Him in “spirit and truth” (John 4:24) but in Exodus it is the liberating command to worship Him and “have no other gods”. (Exodus 20:3)  This is a law of liberty. 

Creating a Culture of Evangelism

Part 9

1.   All Church Staff Must Be Evangelistic - certainly it is true that we are all gifted differently but every Christian must be engaged in leading others to Christ.  Any person on the staff of a church should be courageous enough to share their faith in Jesus with others.  If they are not, go find some lost people and help them get saved and let them serve in some position on staff.  New believers are zealous about Christ and have not grown comfortably numb in a church bubble.  They will not yet have been around enough lifeless presentation of Christianity to know any better (worse) but to tell others about Jesus.  Every staff member (or if a smaller church get every leader) must be engaged in the work of evangelism throughout their daily lives.  Empower them to be intentional.  Equip them to be effective.  Challenge them to always be considerate of this most important task.  I once heard of a pastor of a large church who would close down the office on certain days of the week at 3:00 in the afternoon.  On those days at 3:00 all of the church staff would join him in making door to door visits throughout their community.  Every single person on staff would follow the pastor in engaging the community with the gospel of Jesus Christ.  I have not been able to confirm the story but it sure is a good example of how every church staff should function.  
2.   Utilize Personal Meetings - always be inviting people to get together and visit.  Don’t leave it open with a “we need to get together soon”.  Take the initiative and schedule it on your calendar immediately.  Ministry is people.  Spending personal time with people is effective ministry.  Show them how much you care with your time and your attentive compassion.  Jesus was always spending time with people.  He eats with His disciples, attends weddings, interacts with multitudes, visits the sick.  Jesus did have His times of solitude but most of what we know about Him is time among the people, and they loved Him for it.  A wise pastor will get out of the office and into the field of ministry.  Meet someone for lunch almost every day.  Meet for coffee.  Meet for ice cream or yogurt.  Go to people’s homes to visit.  Pray for them during these meetings.  Listen to their struggles.  Share in their victories.  Richard Baxter once said that some of his most productive sermon preparation time was time spent visiting the people.  How else can you know their struggles?  How else can you rejoice in their victories?  Always let personal meetings be gospel-centered whether meeting with church members or lost people.  Talk about Jesus and He will use you to lead others to salvation and eternal life.