Rightly dividing the Word of Truth

Paul wrote two epistles to Timothy, a young Pastor who was facing a heavy burden of responsibility in the Church of Ephesus. The greatest challenge to Timothy was the eradication of false doctrine. In the Second Epistle to Timothy Paul reminded Timothy of his spiritual heritage and responsibilities.

Paul said, "Be diligent to present yourself approve to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Timothy should give diligence to discharge the duties of the Pastoral office to meet the divine approbation. The object of the ministry is not to please men but to please God. Such Biblical doctrine should be preached, and such plan formed, and such manner of life pursued, as God will approve.

2. Timothy should faithfully perform his duty as a Pastor, so that when he looks over what he has done, he may not be ashamed.

3. Timothy should cultivate the boldness and ability to teach the Word of truth rightfully and skillfully.

4. Paul gave the same admonition to the Corinthian Church regarding the duty of a minister:

"But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:2).

The truth shall make you free

The Word of God was given to fulfill the needs in our life. When God's people start to have certain preconceived ideas regarding some Scriptures they unknowingly put themselves under bondage and subsequently this bondage becomes a curse. Below is a passage of Scripture often being quoted wrongly.

Jesus said, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:31, 32).

Notice that Jesus gave us four stages to spiritual freedom - Firstly keep and obey His Word. Then if you are doing that you become His disciple. If you are His disciple you shall know and understand the truth. You shall then be set free by the truth of His Word.

Anyone, a Pastor or a leader or a churchgoer, who does not keep and obey His Word, or who compromises His Word, in the eyes of Jesus, he is not His disciple. Then he does not know the truth because the truth is hidden from him. And because he does not know the truth, he is in spiritual bondage, even in the bondage of sin!

The Holy Spirit makes the difference

Solomon gave us a good picture of human life under the Old Covenant:

"Then I returned and considered all the oppression that is done under the sun: And look! The tears of the oppressed, but they have no comforter - On the side of their oppressors there is power, but they have no comforter. Therefore I praised the dead who were already dead, more than the living who are still alive. Yet, better than both is he who has never existed, who has not seen the evil work that is done under the sun" (Eccles. 4:1 -3, NKJV).

Solomon was saying under the Old Covenant the people did not have the Holy Spirit who is their comforter and guide. They did not have the One called alongside to help and to teach them all things.

The oppressor (the Devil) had power, but those who were oppressed did not have any power or the ability to resist him, because they did not have a comforter. Solomon's final assessment of life under the Old Covenant was: "You would really be better off if you had never been born than to have been born and died"!

The New Covenant was established on better promises

The writer of Hebrews said, "But now He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises" (Heb. 8:6).

One of the better promises was the coming of the Holy Spirit after Jesus ascended to be with the Father.

Jesus said, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak, and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13, 14).

Under the Old Covenant, the Holy Spirit came only upon the prophets, the priests and the kings. There were a few exceptions, such as with Mary. Also not forgetting Bezaleel, who was the chief craftsman for artistic works for the Tabernacle of Moses (Ex. 31:1 - 6). But those were exceptions, rather than the rule. The average layman did not have access to the Holy Spirit. Then you can understand why the people under the Old Covenant has such a hard time.

The final discourse of Jesus

John 12 to John 16 records Jesus' final discourse with His 12 disciples. He had been with them and teaching them them for nearly 3 and a half years. He showed them miracles of healings and raising the dead; He had the Last Supper with them; He gave them the new commandment of loving one another; He washed their feet and taught them how to humble themselves by washing one another's feet; He promised them the Holy Spirit and promised to be with them always, by the Holy Spirit, even to the end of the age.

Many Bible teachers and Bible interpreters have been at a loss in what way to understand a few verses in John 14:

Jesus said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" (John 14:12 - 14, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. "The works that I do he will do also" - These promises had doubtless special reference to the apostles themselves - and not to us, Gentile believers. The apostles were full of grief at His departure, and Jesus, in order to console them, gave them the assurance that God would not leave them, but would attend them in their ministry with the demonstrations of His mighty power. The miracles (works) that Jesus talked about were: Raising the dead and healing the sick and other signs and wonders. This was done by the apostles in many instances - Mark 16:17, 18; Acts 5:15; 13:11; 19:12; 5:1 - 10.

Personally I don't think any believer could have similar power as the first apostles to perform all those miracles, let alone having equal power as Jesus Himself.

2. "Greater works than these he will do" - The word "greater" cannot refer to the miracles themselves, for the works of the apostles did not actually exceed those of Jesus in power and quality. But the apostles' works were greater in their extent and greater in their effects. The reason being the works of Jesus were confined to Judea and the miracles were seen by few. On the other hand, the works of the apostles were witnessed by many nations, and the effect of their miracles and preaching was that thousands from among the Jews and Gentiles were converted to the Christian faith. In other words, the works of the apostles made a deeper impression on mankind. They were attended with more extensive results.

3. "Because I go to the Father" - This gives the reason why the apostle and Christians who believed could do "greater works". The Holy Spirit would only be given after Jesus had been glorified (John 7:39).

4. "Whatever you ask in My name, that I will do it" - This promise referred particularly to the apostles in their work of spreading the gospel. This is also true of all Chrsitians, if what they ask is in faith and according to the will of God (James 1:6; 1 John 5:14).

5. "If you ask anything in My name, I will do it" - The word "anything" or "whatever" speaks of the scope of prayer; "Ask" speaks of the condition of prayer; "In My name" speaks of praying in His authority and praying in union with Him. In other words, we cannot pray outside His will if we pray "In His Name. "I will do it" speaks of the certainty of prayer.

Wrongly dividing John 14:12 - 14

Unfortunately John 14:12 - 14 has been used with the wrong emphasis by many professional evangelists simply because they take this passage of Scripture out of context. According to most of these presumptuous evangelists whatever Jesus had done the apostles could do equally well and whatever the apostles could do, "ordinary" believers could do as well and even better. Very often their emphasis is on healings and the working of miracles.

There are several reasons why the power in "ordinary" believers to work miracles is for below that of the apostles, let alone equal that of Jesus. Here are two of them:

1. The power to work miracles as well as the power to fulfill the Great commission depends on the measure of the Holy Spirit in the lives of the believers. In other words, it all depends on the anointing of the Holy Spirit and without the anointing of the Holy Spirit we can do nothing.

That is the reason why Jesus, before He ascended into heaven, He commanded His disciples to tarry in the city of Jerusalem until they were endued with power from on high (Luke 24:49).

Jesus' last words to His disciples: "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth" (Acts 1:8).

Jesus was telling His disciples that they lack power to preach and to spread the gospel of the Kingdom until they were baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Book of Acts tells us the effects and impact of the Pentecost on the lives of the apostles and on the early Church.

2. Jesus Himself was anointed with the Holy Spirit before He witnessed the good news of the Kingdom:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; ..."(Isaiah 61:1).

Jesus received the Holy Spirit without measure:

"For He (Jesus) whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure" (John 3:34).

The psalmist talked about Jesus: "You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil gladness more than Your companions" (Ps. 45:7, emphasis added).

"Companions" are the disciples of Jesus. Therefore Jesus were much more anointed than any of His disciples.

Believer are given a small measure of the Holy Spirit

Paul said, "In whom (Jesus) ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnes of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14, KJV, emphasis added).

Paul was writing to believers in Ephesus who were all baptized in the Holy Spirit

Therefore "ordinary" Christians who are not even baptized in the Holy Spirit lack power both to work miracles and to share the gospel of the Kingdom to unbelievers. Furthermore the contemporary Church and individual Christians have already quenched and grieved the Holy Spirit in various degrees - by being influenced by world system.

Wrongly dividing the purpose and ministry of Elijah

Elijah was sent by God to Israel with a single mission - to defeat king Ahab of Israel and his idolatrous wife Jezebel and her false prophets who brought in the worship of pagan gods such as Baal and Asherah. The moment Elijah came before Ahab he proclaimed a drought in Israel for three years (1 Kings 17:1). This was an act of God to warn and to punish Ahab.

James said, "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produce its fruit" (James 5:17, 18, emphasis added).

God answered Elijah's prayer because he prayed according to the will of God and he was obedient to God and His Word. Therefore, even thought "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours", it doesn't follow that anyone of us can pray the same prayer earnestly and get the same result!

At Mount Carmel where Elijah challenged the prophets of Baal and Asherah he was ordained by God to do that. This was the prayer that brought victory to God and Elijah:

"Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that You are the Lord God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again" (1 Kings 18:36, 37).

When God told Elijah to flee from Jezebel (1 Kings 18:46) God miraculously preserved him by getting an angel to feed him. Earlier, during the drought Elijah was miraculously provided food and water through a widow (1 Kings 17). Any miracles performed by Elijah, like the bringing back to life the widow's son, was just incidental - to show the widow the Elijah was a true man of God. Elijah was not primarily sent by God to work the miracles of healing the sick, raising the dead and other signs and wonders.

The real purpose and ministry of Elijah clearly shows that it is not appropriate to take Elijah's works as an end-time Evangelism model for the Church. But some contemporary professional evangelists are doing just that and going round the world to teach gullible Christians to follow them!