Author Archives: Kent Philpott

Gospel Meditation # 177 Mark 2:13-17, Jesus Calls Levi

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GOSPEL MEDITATION #177

Mark 2:13-17 Jesus Calls Levi

  1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Crowds are hearing Jesus teaching, here by the Sea of Galilee, likely near to Capernaum.
  8. Levi, otherwise known as Matthew which is likely a nickname and means “gift of Yahweh”.
  9. “Son of Alphaeus” – his father’s name is Alphaeus –James, another disciple, also had a father named Alphaeus. (see Matthew 10:3) Matthew and James not brothers though, or so it is thought by most scholars.
  10. Tax booth, at Capernaum, which was one of 3 main tax collecting stations set up by the Romans to tax traders heading to and from Egypt. The others being at Jericho and Caesarea. Levi would be a sub-contractor and would have employees present to act as security.
  11. “Follow me” – a command and Levi obeyed, instantly.
  12. Levi threw a big party and his friends and associates

showed up – a bunch of sinners despised by Pharisees.

  1. The blaming question, “why” is on the lips of the legalists.

After the healing of the paralytic, the religious authorities

would be looking for ammunition to show that Jesus is not

reputable.

  1. Note that Jesus had no problem with being in, and eating

with, the very lowest of the low.

  1. Jesus’ response was that He was in fact doing what He

came to do – to call sinners to Himself.

  1. Jesus only calls sinners to Himself. They alone will seek

forgiveness. Those, clothed in their own righteousness, will

never seek Jesus.

  1. A sinner – the first spiritual truth we learn.

Gospel Meditation # 176 Jesus Heals a Paralytic Mark 2:1-12

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GOSPEL MEDITATION #176

The Gospel of Mark

Jesus heals a Paralytic — Mark 2:1-12

  1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Jesus at home, question is, His or Peter’s.
  8. Whenever healing is reported, crowds gather.
  9. Jesus was preaching, not healing however.
  10. Four guys had a dear friend they wanted to bring to Jesus.
  11. With great boldness they did something unusual, they took apart a roof and lowered their friend down to Jesus.
  12. Jesus’ response: “My son, your sins are forgiven.” Let it be noted that the Greek simply has teknon meaning child.
  13. Scribes, doctors of the Law, saw Jesus’ statement as blasphemy as they knew only God can forgive sin, this only by means of a proper sacrifice.
  14. Jesus knew what was in their hearts, possibly by means of the charismatic gift of knowledge. (see 1 Cor. 12:8)
  15. Jesus wanted the scribes to know that what He said was true by healing the paralytic completely.
  16. To bring the point home, He asked which was easier – to forgive or heal. Of course, the idea is, well it is fine to forgive sins but that was an empty gesture at minimum.
  17. The man who could not walk did and also lugged his mattress home with him — no other proof needed.
  18. For sure, no one had ever seen anything like it. The point, the lesson, Jesus had in mind was that He was far more than a healer, He had authority, there and then, to forgive sin.

 

Gospel Meditation, Jesus Heals a Man with an Unclean Spirit, Mark 1:21-34

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GOSPEL MEDITATION # 174

Mark 1:21-34

Jesus heals a man with an unclean spirit &

Jesus heals many

  1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passages of Scripture.
  6. Reread them. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Jesus teaching in a synagogue in Capernaum, may indicated that Jesus was somewhat known. It has been suggested that Jesus had relocated to that city.
  8. Jesus’ presence stirred up a demon in a man who was ‘demonized’. The demon(s) knew Jesus was the “Holy One of God” in startling contrast to anyone else present.
  9. Jesus told “them” to be silent and come out of the demonized man.
  10. It was not neat and clean; there was a commotion and loud screaming from the man as the demons fought their exit.
  11. This ‘exorcism’ was far different than anything the observers had experienced before. Here was someone with authority. And Jesus’s fame spread.
  12. Leaving the synagogue He entered the home of the brothers Peter and Andrew, which must have been less than a Sabbath’s walk away from the synagogue. James and John were also present, and the four constituted all of Jesus’ disciples at that point.
  13. Peter’s mother was ill, she had a fever, and the family told Jesus about it. He took her by the hand, lifted her up, and the fever left her – she was healed. She was strong enough, immediately, that she commenced to serve them.
  14. The word spread, about both the expelling of demons and the healing, so that people needing help descended upon Jesus at Peter’s family home.

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

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GOSPEL MEDITATION # 173

Jesus Calls the First Disciples

Mark 1:16-20

  1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Baptized by John, tempted by Satan, arriving back in Nazareth of Galilee, Jesus begins to call disciples.
  8. No one of the Twelve volunteered; they all were called or chosen by Jesus directly.
  9. Jesus had met Andrew and Simon (Peter), and likely James and John, at the time of the baptism by John.
  10. Perhaps Jesus had asked about where they lived and worked. He sought them out. First Andrews and Peter.
  11. “Follow Me” Jesus said, and this served as an invitation to join Him as a disciple. Generally students applied directly to rabbis in order to join their rabbinical school.
  12. “Fishers of men” – a metaphor, not to be taken literally. Now people, whom the Father seeks and loves, will be the focus of the rest of their lives.
  13. Immediately they followed Jesus. Likely they returned home to say goodbye and pack a bag. Not told this though.
  14. Then James and John – two sets of brothers, all fisherman, and who probably knew each other.
  1. It is an adventure of the highest order to follow Jesus, one

from which we never retire. And Jesus is always walking

just ahead of us, encouraging us along the way.

 

Mark 1:9-15

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GOSPEL MEDITATION #172

Mark 1:9-15

The Baptism, Temptation and Beginning of Jesus’s Ministry

  1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Jesus submits to John’s baptism, and no one is sure exactly why. He did not need cleansing from sin.
  8. John at first refused to baptize Jesus, but then Jesus responded that it was “to fulfill all righteousness.” (see Matthew 3:15) It remains a mystery.
  9. The voice from heaven, the Father, affirms the Son, and not only to those present but also to and for Jesus, the Son.
  10. Verse 11 is a sharp reminder that Jesus is completely human as well as deity, the paradox of the God-man.
  11. Here again we see the humanity of the Messiah, being tempted, and by the devil in fact. Was it possible for Jesus to fall into the temptation: the answer must be yes. If not, Jesus would be a ‘fake’ man like the Gnostics reasoned.
  12. “Forty days” – may be taken symbolically as forty for a symbol for that which was dreadful.
  13. Angels ministered to Jesus, and in what manner we do not know and it is not helpful to attempt to fill in the gaps.
  14. John is arrested soon after the baptism, perhaps the plan of God since John’s ministry was completed.
  15. Jesus begins now with the declaration that the kingdom of God is at hand, or begun. Where Jesus is, there is the kingdom.
  16. Repent and believe in the gospel – nothing has changed.

 

Gospel Meditation A Lamp Under a Basket & The Parable of the Growing Seed

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GOSPEL MEDITATION # 184

Mark 4:21-29

A Lamp Under a Basket & The Parable of the Growing Seed

  1. Find a quiet place without distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still, and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer.
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. The first parable, “a lamp under a basket” continues the theme of the sower of seed. Now instead of sowing, the metaphor is letting the light shine for all to see.
  8. The metaphor of fire is used by Jesus. Fire was light and heat, vital to the people in that day and this.
  9. Clearly, a lamp was put on a stand not under a basket or a bed.
  10. The Light is Jesus and His Word, His Gospel. The Gospel was not held by the disciples as a mystery or a secret – the opposite of much religion of that day. Not for the elite, but for all.
  11. Those who broadcast, those doing the work, will be given more and more opportunity to do so; and sadly there is the opposite.
  12. This principle is evident in most every endeavor people undertake.
  13. Our second parable, the parable of the growing seed, again it plays off the parable of the sower.
  14. It is assumed that the sower, the farmer, the evangelist is busy scattering the seed on the ground. We already know that there are any number of places, four really, the seed could fall upon.
  15. Patiently the farmer waits for the seed to do its work, which it always does when the seed is good and healthy.
  16. The sower does not understand how it all works, indeed, he does not have to. Time and again the sower spreads the seed and time and again he watches the miracle take place. With an actual farmer the miracle is built into the process. With the witness the harvest is purely miraculous.
  17. The Holy Spirit does the work from beginning to end. First a person sees their own sinful nature as well as their hopeless efforts to relieve themselves of their sin. Only then will they see their need of the Savior’s sacrifice on the cross.
  18. The farmer knows the harvest will come and that there will be rejoicing.

 

Gospel of Mark Meditations

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GOSPEL MEDITATION #2

Mark 1:1-8 John the Baptist’s Ministry

  1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Mark has no genealogy or birth narrative, rather he begins right in with the ministry of John the Baptist.
  8. The prophet Isaiah, here the first part is from Malachi 3:1;

the second part is from Isaiah 40:3. The major prophet is

generally quoted before the minor prophet.

  1. In that era, prior to the arrival of a king or military chief,

the way would be prepared, and the coming announced.

  1. Baptism, a common practice among devout Jews, focused

on repenting of sin, and the people then would have

understood that a new day was coming.

  1. The longed for Messiah of God was about to appear – this

was John’s message. The prophets had long spoken of this

day and now it was here.

  1. John was the proto-typical prophet, like Elijah (see 2 Kings

1:8), and looked the part as well.

  1. John made it as clear as he could that he was not the

Messiah himself; the Messiah was so much greater that even

John was not worthy to perform the most menial or lowly

tasks for this one sent from God.

  1. The baptism was one of placing the whole body into and not

     with water. Greek grammar makes this clear.

  1. Allowing oneself to be baptized meant repenting of sin and

declaring a longing to see the Messiah.

  1. The One Coming would baptize in the Holy Spirit.

Gospel Meditation The Gospel of Mark # 1

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GOSPEL MEDITATION #1

Introduction to Mark’s Gospel

  1. Find a quiet place, alone and apart from distractions.
  2. Be comfortably alert, still and at peace.
  3. Say the Lord’s Prayer. Sing or cant the Jesus Prayer
  4. Pray for family, friends, neighbors, and yourself.
  5. Slowly and carefully read the passage of Scripture.
  6. Reread it. From memory, determine the central points.
  7. Mark, called John Mark. John his Jewish name, Mark his Greek name.
  8. John, son of Mary whose home it is thought was where the Last Supper took place.

(see Mark 14:51-52) It is thought Mark followed Jesus and the disciples to Gethsemane and witnessed the betrayal. He also was apprehended.

  1. The author of Mark is not so named, but sold tradition has it that it was John Mark.
  2. This is likely the first gospel written, and written from Rome while Mark was with Peter. The date may be as early as A D 49. Other reliable scholars say about 52. Mark was close to Peter, and Mark’s Gospel is often referred to as Peter’s Gospel.
  3. It is likely that Matthew’s Gospel followed Luke’s and both dependent upon Mark’s or both were at least familiar with it. About 91% of Mark is found in the two other synoptic (with the same view) gospels, Matthew and Luke.
  4. Mark was on the first missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas. (see Acts 13:5) But mid trip, Mark returned home for some unknown reason. (see Acts 13:13)
  5. Barnabas and Mark were cousins, not uncle and nephew, as seen in Colossians 4:10.
  6. Paul and Barnabas had a falling out when Barnabas wanted to take Mark with them on a second missionary trip, but Paul refused. (see Acts 15:36-41)
  7. There was a reconciliation between Paul and Mark as can be seen in Colossians 4:10 and 2 Timothy 4:11.
  8. Mark, not a leader necessarily, but a trusted and faithful follower and of both Paul and Peter — and more so a faithful follower of Jesus.
  9. Mark never gave up despite personal conflicts and his Gospel, the first, is written to gentiles and shows his missionary mindset.

 

The Fundamental Error of Islam

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The Fundamental Error of Islam

  1. A. Ibrahim, Imam of the Islamic Center of Mill Valley writes in A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam states:

Muslims believe that Jesus was not crucified. It was the plan of Jesus’ enemies to crucify him, but God saved him and raised him up to Him. And the likeness of Jesus was put over another man. Jesus’ enemies took this man and crucified him, thinking that he was Jesus.

Imam Ibrahim backs this up with a quote from the Qur’an:

(…They said: “We killed the Messiah Jesus, son of Mary, the messenger of God.” They did not kill him, nor did they crucify him, but the likeness of him was put on another man (and they killed that man)…Qur’an 4:157

The fundamental error of Islam is that it only appeared that Jesus was crucified. This is essentially Docetism. Matt Slick provides a perfect explanation of this Gnostic error.

Docetism was an error with several variations concerning the nature of Christ. Generally, it taught that Jesus only appeared to have a body–that He was not really incarnate (Greek, “dokeo” = “to seem”). This error developed out of the dualistic philosophy which viewed matter as inherently evil–that God could not be associated with matter and that God, being perfect and infinite, could not suffer. Therefore, God as the word, could not have become flesh per John 1:1, 14, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us . . . ” This denial of a true incarnation meant that Jesus did not truly suffer on the cross and that He did not rise from the dead.

The basic principle of Docetism was refuted by the Apostle John in 1 John 4:2-3. “By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.” Also, 2 John 7, “For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh. This is the deceiver and the antichrist.”

Ignatius of Antioch (died 98/117) and Irenaeus (115-190), and Hippolatus (170-235) wrote against the error in the early part of the second century.

Docetism was condemned at the Council of Chalcedon in 451.

The Gnostics were of two kinds, docetics and adoptionists. The docetics said that it only appeared that Jesus was crucified, but in fact someone else, often Judas, was crucified instead. The adoptionists said that the Christ adopted Jesus and abandoned Jesus on the cross.

The result for both forms was the same: Jesus the sinless Lamb of God, both God and man, did not die on the cross and thus did not take our sin upon Himself. Therefore, there is no salvation in Christ.

Many sects and cults over the centuries have taken a Gnostic stance and thus substituting their own teaching as the means of salvation.

 

 

 

 

 

Off the Charts

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Off the Charts[1]

“Off the charts”—this is the phrase that opens the door for the prophets, prophetesses, and others who claim God, angels, or whatnot are speaking to them and revealing the future in “these last days,” because we are no longer in a time and place that the Bible covers, so it is no longer speaking to us.

The rationale is that, due to the fact that the end of history is upon us—an erroneous assumption that is nothing but speculation and based on nothing biblical at all—God is revealing details and events that are not described in the Bible.[2]

When questioned, the proponents of new extra biblical revelations respond, “How do you know God is not revealing new things to the Church?” and “How can you be so certain this is not happening now?” This form of questioning places people like me in a difficult place, since there is little to appeal to of a factual nature. I cannot point to studies, numbers, or other verifiable documentation to support my position. And, on the other hand, neither can those who are open to new revelations appeal to any objective evidence for their claims. Many of us will appeal to Revelation 22:18-19:

I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of the prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city which are described in this book.

Certainly the “off the charts” proponents will say that the admonition not to add or subtract from the Book of Revelation is merely an ancient form of copyright and is not applicable to the rest of the Bible and does not actually mean that one should not prophesy about these last days.

However, an examination of two other biblical passages suggests this concept to be at least questionable if not downright faulty. First, Deuteronomy 4:2: “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God that I command you.” Second, Deuteronomy 12:32: “Everything that I command you, you shall be careful to do. You shall not add to it or take from it.” Thus it may be concluded that the warning not to add or subtract can equally be applied to the whole of Scripture.

Despite the obvious, those who are already trapped into believing the contemporary prophets will find it difficult to turn from and expose them. By trapped I mean, once a group or church commits to the words of its prophets about the future, naysayers will not be welcomed and minds will close.

Revelation 22:18-19 may in fact be an ancient form of stating, “Don’t touch this writing,” and legitimately so, as it is a thoroughly biblical warning. In addition, the attempt to justify “new improved truth” and revelations by the “thus saith the Lord” prophets ignores the fact that the Book of Revelation brings us right up to the grand finale, right to the Second Coming of Christ, the Day of Judgment, the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, the new heaven and the new earth—there is no more history after that, only eternity in the presence of God. And Revelation perfectly corroborates both what Jesus said in Matthew 24 and Paul said in 2 Thessalonians 2.

The history, tradition, and councils of the Church down through the ages make it clear that the Bible is the sole source for Christian faith and practice. It has been the Protestant branch of the Church that has more carefully adhered to this policy, but now, however, we see this being largely abandoned by what I have sometimes called the Fourth Branch of Christianity, the charismatic/Pentecostal branch. It is here where we find the vast majority of those who declare we are off the charts and must open up to fresh words from God.

Sarah Young, Kat Kerr, Patricia King, Lorna Byrne, and many more

Jesus is talking to people now—so promises Sarah Young in Jesus Calling. It is very much like He is on the other end of the phone. Kat Kerr gives a constant flow of messages about what she just heard the other day, directly from God. Patricia King is in on it as well, the high priestess of prophetesses in the Bethel network, receiving messages from the Source. And one of these King predictions is that we are going to have a whole lot of contact with angels in 2015. And angels, being close to God, will be revealing many new things and imparting much needed wisdom. Though in a bit of a different category, the Irish lady Lorna Bryne is constantly, minute by minute, in touch with all sorts of angels and souls.

It is all okay, because we are off the charts. The Bible is not needed now; all we need is an angel, a direct call from Jesus, or even a chat with the Almighty in the “throne room” to find direction, comfort, and wisdom.

The persons mentioned above relate messages, however comforting and assuring, that are essentially false. Sarah talks about Jesus all the time; in fact, Jesus is the focus of the conversations. He is warm, comforting, and full of mercy, but of the ordinary human kind. There is something decidedly missing, namely the Jesus of the Bible. Kat Kerr is as spiritual as one can get, full of Bible phrases, and she loves Jesus. Patricia King is much the same, and all the Jesus talk is enough to convince most people that nothing could be the slightest bit wrong. Lorna Byrne, well she is far from sounding like an evangelical Bible believer, but she does throw in a “Jesus” or two from time to time. Are Christians being deceived? The answer is, they are.

Philpott, why are you writing this?

I am alarmed when I see Christians falling into deception, especially when those who promote and champion these deviations represent such a large swath of the Christian community. Since these views are widely and publically disseminated, it invites people like me to make comment. That is the way it is in a free society.

Five of Sarah Young’s books are among the top twenty-five best selling Christian books in 2014. Kat Kerr is a sensation wherever she travels and is currently on a world tour. Patricia King is easily the most respected and popular prophetess in the Bethel/IHOP/Kansas City Prophets/Morning Star/Toronto-Arnott network, as is made evident in her many YouTube videos. Lorna Byrne is big in the UK and is attracting many new adherents. Her books, Angels in My Hair, Stairways to Heaven, and A Message of Hope from the Angels are all on the bestseller lists in the UK. She is now making an impact in America as well.

Now you understand why I am writing this. And there is one more reason.

I am the pastor of a church; I have a congregation to care for. I read John 10:7-18, and I find Jesus cautioning about wolves who would harm the sheep. Then I read Paul’s warning to the elders of the church at Ephesus:

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood. I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock, and from among your own selves ill arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore be alert…   Acts 20:28-31a

Concluding remark

This type of warning is something in which I wish I did not have to engage; there is enough work already. I find myself in solidarity with Jude 3: “Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.”

 

[1] This discussion is intramural in nature, that is, between Christians.

[2] This is not the only period in history that Christians have supposed theirs was the last generation and that Jesus’s Second Coming was imminent.