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“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18 (ESV)

^26 “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, ²⁷ to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:26-27)

God chooses ordinary people to serve Him. People just like you and me. People just like a girl named Mary. How does God go about choosing people to serve Him? First of all, He finds you. What do we know about Mary? In light of our study of the Gospel of Matthew, the Gospel of Luke provides some excellent insight.

To begin with, Mary lived in Nazareth. Nazareth was a town located approximately 22 miles east from the Mediterranean Sea and 15 miles west of the Sea of Galilee. It was located in the lower region of Galilee. It was surrounded by hills. It was known for bad morals and bad religion. It was a small town; not a capital but rather a village.

Nazareth had a reputation during the first century. The overall perspective of Jewish people at the time regarding Nazareth can best be summed up by Jesus’ disciple Nathaniel: “And Nathanial said to him (Phillip), Can anything good come out of Nazareth” (John 1:46)? Yet the Prophet Isaiah wrote that the Messiah would be called a Nazarene. This was a Hebrew reference of the Messiah being from the “branch of David.” 

 Second, she was a virgin. The Greek word for virgin, παρθένον (parthenon), means an unmarried person, in this case a female. In other words, Mary had never engaged in sexual intercourse; voluntary or otherwise. She was a virgin in every sense of the word. Matthew’s Gospel will bear this out later on in our study.

Third, she was engaged or betrothed to a man named Joseph. The Jewish betrothal period, called the Kuddushin, was an arranged engagement. Their legally bound marriage ceremony had yet to take place. This was called the Huppa. It would be like our modern weddings and receptions. However, the celebration would often last seven days. This would be what Jesus and His disciples encountered when they attended a wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11).

Mary and Joseph would not have had any physical relationship. They lived in separate homes. The Kuddushin lasted approximately a year. The purpose of this engagement period of time was to prove the fidelity of both individuals. Mary had been solemnly promised to Joseph. As noted, he belonged to the family of David (Matthew 1:1-17). In a real sense, they were “legally married.” If either partner proved unfaithful, or other problems arose, then a formal bill of divorcement was required to nullify the betrothal contract.

Mary could very well have been in her teens. Marriages and betrothals in the culture were arranged at a young age. Betrothals often occurred when girls were as young as twelve or thirteen. Perhaps because of her maturity, Mary could have been in her late teens. We can only speculate.

What about you? Where, when and how did God find you? What were the circumstances which led Him to not only convert you but to begin using you? Take time to reflect on God’s usage of you through the years. Thank Him for the privilege it is to serve the One, True God.

May the Lord’s truth and grace be found here.

Soli deo Gloria!

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.” (Matthew 1:18 (ESV)

I have lived long enough to have witnessed extraordinary circumstances. Extraordinary means “unusual or remarkable; unusually great; that which provides astonishment or admiration.” Circumstances mean “a fact; an occurrence or a condition.” I’m certain that you have also experienced extraordinary circumstances in your life. However, none can compare to what a young girl named Mary experienced.

May became involved in the birth of Jesus Christ; the long awaited Messiah. She most likely never expected to be. However, the LORD had other plans. The name Jesus means Savior. The title Christ means the Anointed One. Jesus of Nazareth was the Anointed One of God.

Mary was betrothed to a man named Joseph. Both of them may have been young teenagers. Betrothal in ancient Israel was in some ways like an engagement. It was called the Kuddushin. It lasted up to one year.

It was during a time prior to the consummation of their marriage. The wedding ceremony, known as the Huppa, had not yet occurred. In other words, Mary was still a virgin. Matthew writes, “…before they came together.”

“The phrase employed by the Evangelist, before they came together, is either a modest appellation for conjugal intercourse, or simply means before they came to dwell together as husband and wife and  to make one and family. The virgin had not yet been delivered by her parents into the hands of her husband, but still remained under their roof,” states John Calvin.

“Jewish betrothal was as binding as modern marriage. A divorce was necessary to terminate the betrothal (v. 19) and the betrothed couple were regarded legally as husband and wife (v. 19)—although physical union had not yet taken place,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.  

Matthew wrote nothing extraordinary about Mary up to this point. Then he states, “…she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit.”

Mary became pregnant while remaining a virgin. The baby was conceived, or life generated, by the Holy Spirit. The cause of her condition was the powerful-life imparting creative work of God the Holy Spirit. There was nothing sordid about this miraculous conception. Mary knew this pregnancy occurred because the angel Gabriel told her this would happen (Luke 1:26-35). She also knew Joseph was not the biological father.

“The birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of Messianic prophecy (Isaiah 7:1-14). The people had been looking for a son of David, but not for Immanuel. Perhaps no one genuinely heard the prophecy; nevertheless, one was given (the fact that we are deaf does not mean God fails to speak),” explains commentator Daniel M. Doriani.

More to come. Have a blessed day in the LORD.

Soli deo Gloria!

³ “and Judah the father of Perez and Zerah by Tamar, and Perez the father of Hezron, and Hezron the father of Ram,^[a] 4 and Ram the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab the father of Nahshon, and Nahshon the father of Salmon, ⁵ and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse, ⁶ and Jesse the father of David the king. ¹⁶ and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:3-6, 16 ESV)

In Matthew’s selective genealogy of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:1-17), he lists in today’s text five women. In the cultural context of first century Israel, it was uncommon for women to be named in a genealogy. Therefore, this is a striking occurrence.

Before we answer the question of why Matthew did this, a study of who these five women were is appropriate. While all the names listed represent sinful people, these females particularly stand out.

Tamar. Tamar was the Canaanite daughter-in-law of Judah. She married Er, Judah’s first born son (Genesis 38:1-6). Following Er’s death, she posed as a prostitute to seduce Judah due to his unjust treatment of her (Genesis 38:13-30).

Rahab. Rahab was a Gentile and an actual prostitute in Jericho (Joshua 2). She is listed in Hebrews 11 as a person of sincere faith in the LORD. “By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies” (Hebrews 11:31).

Ruth. Ruth was a Moabite (Ruth 1:1-3). This means the she was a descendant of an incestuous relationship between Lot, Abraham’s nephew, and his daughters (Genesis 19:30-38).

The wife of Uriah. Bathsheba was Uriah the Hittites wife (2 Samuel 11). She had an adulterous affair with King David and became pregnant with his child. Following the murder of Uriah by David, she married David and bore their child who died in infancy. She would later bear David a second child; Solomon (2 Samuel 12:24-25).

Mary. Mary displayed all the makings of a young woman who became pregnant by another man while betrothed to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-19). Therefore, Joseph chose to divorce her quietly.

Why did Matthew include these five women in this genealogy?

“Genealogies in the ancient world did not normally include women, but Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, and Uriah’s wife (Bathsheba) are found in Matthew’s ancestry of Jesus (vv. 3, 5–6). All of these women were Gentiles or married to a Gentile: Tamar and Rahab were Canaanites (Gen. 38; Josh. 2), Ruth was a Moabitess (Ruth 1:4), and Bathsheba’s first husband was a Hittite (2 Sam. 11). These names could have been omitted, but Matthew includes them to show us that God’s family in Christ is comprised of faithful Jews and Gentiles,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

“Moreover, Rahab’s inclusion in Jesus’ lineage despite her past in harlotry reminds us of God’s grace. Indeed, the Savior has relatives with a more wicked past than Rahab (Manasseh, for instance; 2 Chron. 33:1–20; Matt. 1:10), but these sinners, because they turned from their evil, were not cut off from God’s covenant blessings.”

“Jesus, takes even great sinners, at their repentance, into the nearest relation to himself,” Puritan Matthew Henry comments,

Each of these women are object lessons of God’s divine grace; and grace alone (Romans 3:21-26; Ephesians 2:1-10). Are not we all.

Soli deo Gloria,

“The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.” (Matthew 1:1 (ESV)

The arrival of a king is a spectacular event. With possible exceptions, the monarchy of the United Kingdom is probably one of the last remaining still in existence. King Charles III succeeded his mother Queen Elizabeth II upon her death earlier this year. The British subjects, or citizens, not only mourned the death of their queen, but also anticipated the coronation of their new king.  

In the first century, the Jewish people were anticipating the arrival of their king. They anticipated their king, or Messiah, would finally free them from the bondage of Gentile governments they had endured for nearly half a millennium. Rather than anticipating a redeemer of their sins, Israel was expecting a political deliverer.

Not just anyone could be the King of Israel. He must have a kingly lineage. He not only had to be a descendant of Abraham but also belong to the family of David.

“The Messiah was to be a “son [descendant] of David”; “Son of Abraham” was applied to Jewish people in general, so Matthew begins by reminding us that Jesus is Jewish. Genealogies could provide unity to a survey of history between major figures (as with Adam, Noah and Abraham in Gen 5, 11). Greek readers often called the book of Genesis “the book of generations,” and the title is also used for genealogies and other accounts contained in it (Gen 2:4; 5:1 LXX). In Genesis genealogies are named for the first person cited, but Matthew’s genealogy is named for the person in whom it climaxes, Jesus Christ,” states commentator Craig Keener.

In writing to a Jewish audience, Matthew began his Gospel with Jesus Christ’s genealogy. This evidenced without a doubt that Jesus was not only a descendant of Abraham but also King David and Solomon.

“David’s throne passed from father to son starting with Solomon (1 Kings 1:28–31). Under levirate marriage laws, a Davidite whose physical forefathers were not heirs to the throne could be adopted into the royal line if the heir by way of natural descent died childless (Deut. 25:5–10). Matthew 1:12, for example, tells us Zerubbabel was Shealtiel’s son even though he was Shealtiel’s nephew (1 Chron. 3:17–19). Perhaps Shealtiel died without having a son and Zerubbabel was adopted as the royal heir due to a levirate marriage. Maybe the right to David’s throne by way of Solomon finally came to Joseph through such marriages even though Jesus’ actual physical ancestor was Solomon’s brother, Nathan (Luke 3:31),” explains R. C. Sproul.

The Messiah’s incarnation was not left to chance or fate. It was perfectly predicated and providentially accomplished by God.

I encourage you to read Matthew 1:1-17. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

The Gospel of Matthew contains many sermons by Jesus. Matthew contains five major discourses: the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5–7); the commissioning of the apostles (ch. 10); the parables of the kingdom (ch. 13); the childlikeness of the believer (ch. 18); and the discourse of Jesus’ second coming (chs. 24–25).

“Each discourse ends with a variation of this phrase: “when Jesus had finished these sayings” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). That becomes a motif signaling a new narrative portion. A long opening section (chs. 1–4) and a short conclusion (28:16–20), bracket the rest of the Gospel, which naturally divides into five sections, each with a discourse and a narrative section. Some have seen a parallel between these five sections and the five books of Moses in the OT,” states Dr. John MacArthur.

The conflict between Christ and the Pharisees is another theme in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew shows the error of the Pharisees for the benefit of his Jewish audience; not for personal reasons. Matthew omits the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector; even though that parable would have put him in a favorable light.

Matthew also mentions the Sadducees more than any of the other Gospels. Both the Pharisees and Sadducees are negatively portrayed. Both people groups serve as warning to believers in Christ.  Their doctrine is a leaven that must be avoided (16:11–12). Although these groups were doctrinally at odds with one another, they were united in their hatred of Christ. To Matthew, they epitomized all in Israel who rejected Christ as the true King.

The rejection of Jesus Christ as Israel’s Messiah is another theme in Matthew’s Gospel. Matthew portrays the forceful attacks against Jesus. From the flight into Egypt to the scene at the cross, Matthew paints a striking portrayal of Christ’s rejection than any of the other evangelists. Yet Matthew portrays Jesus as a victorious King who will one day return “on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory” (24:30).

“In Matthew’s account of the crucifixion, no thief repents, and no friends or loved ones are seen at the foot of the cross. In his death, he is forsaken even by God (27:46). The shadow of rejection is never lifted from the story,” states Dr. MacArthur.

“Matthew talks about the breakthrough of the kingdom and the arrival of Jesus in His incarnation. He announces the coming of the kingdom at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, and at the end of the book Matthew speaks about the final consummation of the coming of that kingdom in the Olivet Discourse. So from the first page of Matthew to the last page, we see the unifying theme of the coming of the kingdom of God in the appearance of the king Himself, who is the Messiah of Israel and the fulfillment of the kingdom given to Judah,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

I encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of Matthew. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

The Jewish flavor of Matthew’s Gospel is conspicuous. This is evident even in the opening genealogy (Matt. 1:1-17), which Matthew traces back to Abraham. This differs from Luke, who in his Gospel shows Christ as the Redeemer of humanity; going all the way back to Adam (Luke 3:23-38). Matthew demonstrates that Christ is the King and Messiah of Israel. This Gospel quotes more than 60 times from OT prophetic passages, emphasizing how Christ is the fulfillment of all those promises.

“The probability that Matthew’s audience was predominantly Jewish is further evident from several facts: Matthew usually cites Jewish custom without explaining it, in contrast to the other Gospels (cf. Mark 7:3; John 19:40). He constantly refers to Christ as “the Son of David” (Matt. 1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30; 21:9, 15; 22:42, 45). Matthew even guards Jewish sensibilities regarding the name of God, referring to “the kingdom of heaven” where the other evangelists speak of “the kingdom of God.” All the book’s major themes are rooted in the OT and set in light of Israel’s messianic expectations,” explains Dr. John MacArthur.

Matthew’s use of the Greek language, instead of Hebrew or Aramaic, suggests that he was writing as a Palestinian Jew to other Hellenistic Jews. He wrote as an eyewitness of many events providing firsthand testimony about the words and works of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ.

Matthew’s purpose was clear. It was to argue that Jesus was the Jewish nation’s long-awaited Messiah. His ample quoting from the OT is specifically designed to show the tie between the Messiah of promise and Jesus the Christ of history. This purpose was always in focus for Matthew. He provides many incidental details from the OT prophecies as proofs of Jesus’ messianic claims (e.g., Matt. 2:17–18; 4:13–15; 13:35; 21:4–5; 27:9–10).

What are the themes contained in the Gospel of Matthew? Since Matthew is concerned with setting forth Jesus as Messiah, the King of the Jews, there is an interest in the OT kingdom promises throughout his Gospel. Matthew’s signature phrase “the kingdom of heaven” occurs 32 times in this book; and nowhere else in all of Scripture.

“The opening genealogy is designed to document Christ’s credentials as Israel’s king, and the rest of the book completes this theme. Matthew shows that Christ is the heir of the kingly line. He demonstrates that he is the fulfillment of dozens of OT prophecies regarding the king who would come. He offers evidence after evidence to establish Christ’s kingly prerogative. All other historical and theological themes in the book revolve around this one,” states Dr. MacArthur.

If we were to look, however, for one single theme that seems to be the most central and most important theme of the entire gospel of Matthew, it would be the theme of the coming of the kingdom. We see in the first instance that the term gospel refers to the gospel of the kingdom—the good news of the announcement of the breakthrough of the kingdom of God. In Matthew’s case, he uses the phrase “kingdom of heaven” rather than the terminology “kingdom of God.” He does this not because he has a different view of the meaning or content of the kingdom of God; rather, out of sensitivity to his Jewish readers, he makes common use of what is called periphrasis, a certain type of circumlocution to avoid mentioning the sacred name of God. So for Matthew, the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven is the same kingdom that the other writers speak of as the kingdom of God,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

I encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of Matthew. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

“The New Testament begins with the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. No part of the Bible is so important as this, and no part is so full and complete. Four distinct Gospels tell us the story of Christ’s doing and dying. Four times over we read the precious account of His works and words. How thankful we ought to be for this! To know Christ is life eternal. To believe in Christ is to have peace with God. To follow Christ is to be a true Christian. To be with Christ will be heaven itself. We can never hear too much about Jesus Christ.” –J.C. Ryle

“Because of the tight relationships among the Synoptic Gospels, the contribution made by any one of them must be evaluated in light of the contribution made by all three. If Matthew suddenly disappeared, much of its material would still be found, more or less intact, in Mark and Luke.”

“But the Synoptic Gospels as a whole make an irreplaceable contribution. Alongside John, they constitute the foundational witness to the person, ministry, teaching, passion, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. Nor are the three Synoptic Gospels to be seen as merely redundant testimony. Each provides its own slant, together providing a kind of stereoscopic depth that would otherwise be almost entirely missing. And at a secondary level, each provides a window onto the life of the church at the time each was written. But this window, it must be insisted, is never transparent: it is at best translucent, and the shadows one sees through it have to be interpreted with some care.” – D.A. Carson & Douglas J. Moo

The Gospel of Matthew is the first Gospel, and book, in the New Testament, or the New Covenant Canon. The Gospel of Matthew contains the greatest amount of Jesus’ ethical teaching than anywhere else in the New Testament. From the earliest days of the church, Matthew’s Gospel has been one of the most widely read and perhaps the most influential of the four Gospels. Therefore, a study of this Gospel is imperative.  

Matthew means “gift of the Lord.” It was the alternative name of Levi, the tax collector (Matt. 9:9-13), who left everything to follow Christ (Luke 5:27–32). Matthew was one of the 12 apostles (Matt. 10:3; Mark 3:18; Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13). In his own list of the Twelve, he explicitly called himself a “tax collector” (Matt. 10:1-3). Nowhere else in Scripture is the name Matthew associated with “tax-collector.” The other Gospels always use his former name, Levi, when speaking of his life prior to his conversion.

The canonicity and Matthew’s authorship of this Gospel were unchallenged in the early church. Eusebius (c. A.D. 265–339) said that the early church father Papias spoke of Matthew arranging the oracles of Jesus.

“Among the four Gospels, which are the only indisputable ones in the Church of God under heaven, I have learned by tradition that the first was written by Matthew, who was once a publican, but afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, and it was prepared for the converts from Judaism” explains Origen (c. A.D. 185–254) in his Ecclesiastical History, 6:25.

Most biblical scholars claim this Gospel was written at a relatively early date—prior to the destruction of the temple in A.D. 70. Some scholars propose a date as early as A.D. 50, but no later than A.D. 100.

“The writer of this Gospel must have used the Gospel of Mark as a source. Assuming that Mark was composed to preserve the oral testimonies of the Apostle Peter in Rome, an appropriate date for Matthew would be between A.D. 64 and A.D. 70,” explains Dr. R. C. Sproul.

I encourage you to begin reading the Gospel of Matthew. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!  

“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 ESV)

From the City of Destruction and the carrying of a great and heavy burden to the gates of heaven, this is the scope of the Progress of the Pilgrim. If you have read The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan, and read this series of articles, you know that the character known as Christian has made the journey. By grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and work of Jesus Christ alone, he has arrived at the Celestial City. He is finally home.

Greater than any fascination we may have about the geography of Heaven, the Celestial City, is the fact that God will bring followers of Jesus into His presence. Therein is the joy of heaven; to be in the presence of Jesus our Savior and to no longer contend with presence of one’s sin.  

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure.” (1 John 3:1-3 ESV)

Hope is confident assurance that what God has promised, He will fulfill. This includes the promise and hope of heaven.  

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making my prayer with joy, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:3-6 ESV).

Be encouraged that God promised to complete His work in you. This is the work not only of justification and sanctification, but also of glorification (Rom. 8:29-30).  

“From the City of Destruction to the gates of heaven, this is the scope of The Pilgrim’s Progress; and Christian has made the journey. But Bunyan closes with a dramatic warning that a person may be near and yet so far from God’s salvation. Ignorance is self-deluded and at the end of the journey he is bound hand and foot and cast into hell—at the very gate of heaven. May this not be true of us,” warns Dr. Warren Wiersbe.

May a word to the wise be sufficient (Matt. 7:21-23). Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁷ To all those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” ⁸ First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is proclaimed in all the world. ⁹ For God is my witness, whom I serve with my spirit in the gospel of his Son, that without ceasing I mention you ¹⁰ always in my prayers, asking that somehow by God’s will I may now at last succeed in coming to you. ¹¹ For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— ¹² that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. ¹³ I do not want you to be unaware, brothers,^[c] that I have often intended to come to you (but thus far have been prevented), in order that I may reap some harvest among you as well as among the rest of the Gentiles. ¹⁴ I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians,^[d] both to the wise and to the foolish. ¹⁵ So I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome.” (Romans 1:7-15 ESV)

The Delectable Mountains, also known as “Immanuel’s Land.” It is lush country from whose heights one can see many delights and curiosities. It is inhabited by sheep and their shepherds, and from Mount Clear one can see the Celestial City.

The Delectable Mountains depict and explain the encouragement, knowledge, experience, watchfulness and sincerity of the church. The church are the followers of Christ. They are disciples of Jesus. This includes both pastors and parishioners. Both clergy and congregation.

It is within the regular gatherings of the church that each member is encouraged in their daily walk, given knowledge from God’s Word to discern truth from error, to be mutually strengthened by shared experiences in order to comfort one another, to provide careful watchfulness in order to guard the young and weak from evil and wrong, and to sincerely acknowledge and confess our sins while at the same time seeking to make things right.

The relationship between a church’s leaders and the congregation is a special one. It can be and is the source of great blessing and encouragement. It is one which the Apostle Paul and the Church in Rome were well acquainted. Paul loved them and they him, even though at the time of his writing a letter to the church, he had yet to personally meet them. Amazing.

First of all, what are the characteristics of a church which does not necessarily indicate whether it is biblically healthy? You may be amazed.

To begin with, money. A church’s great and abundant financial budget, resources and income does not mean it is biblical or healthy. In fact, Jesus praised the church in Smyrna, which was known for being persecuted and poor (Revelation 2:8-11). While financially poor, they were spiritually rich. The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 6:10 in describing in part the marks of a healthy church and ministry, “as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing, yet possessing all things.”

Pastors and church leaders are grateful for the faithful giving of God’s people here, and the ministries conducted because of people’s faithfulness. However, money and financial resources, while good, does not mean a church is biblical or healthy.

Additionally, size, or the lack thereof, does not necessarily mean a church is biblically healthy or unhealthy. Bigger is not necessarily better. As my friend and colleague Pastor Randy Smith says, “Bigger and better may be very American, but it isn’t very biblical.”

Many would point in objection that the Book of Acts records the number of souls saved as numbering in the thousands. (Acts 2:41, 47). However, this was the church at large, and not a church in particular. The numbering indicated what God was sovereignly doing in saving souls to become members of the universal church, and not necessarily a mandate for a particular church to focus on becoming numerically bigger. Large churches may not necessarily be alive and healthy, and small churches are not necessarily dying or dead.

Finally, popularity. If a church is enjoying widespread popularity among the culture or even the community, this does mean that it is biblically healthy. The question remains, why is it popular? Is it popular because it serves good coffee, possesses high energy music, and ministers to people who ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles? No offense to those who ride Harley Davidson Motorcycles.

While these examples are not necessarily wrong in and of themselves, they do not biblically indicate whether a church is, or is not, healthy. In fact, the Bible says in James 4:4 that friendship with the world is to make oneself an enemy of God.

Then what are the indicators a church is biblically healthy? What then are the characteristics which make for a biblical atmosphere within the church for encouragement and blessing, which could be likened to Delectable (delicious, appetizing, delightful and appealing) Mountains?

More to come. Have a blessed day in the Lord.

Soli deo Gloria!

⁷ But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸ We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹ persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; ¹⁰ always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹ For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death is at work in us, but life in you.

¹³ Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, ¹⁴ knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. ¹⁵ For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

¹⁶ So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” (2 Corinthians 4:7-18 ESV)

First, the believer in Christ must meditate upon the promises of God in His Word to guard from doubt and despair (2 Cor. 4:1-6). Second, there must be complete trust in the character of God (2 Cor. 7-18). This trust in the Lord is actively pursued by the following disciplines.

First, believers in Christ are to look beyond the physical to the spiritual (2 Cor. 4:7-9. When in the circumstances of suffering, there is rejoicing in Jesus Christ.

Second, believers in Christ are to look beyond the temporal to the eternal (2 Cor. 4:10-14). While in the circumstances of dying, there is true living in Jesus Christ.

Third, believers in Christ are to look beyond the visible to the invisible (2 Cor. 4:15-18). While in the midst of the temporal, eternity is in view in Jesus Christ.

Are you going through a time of doubt or despair? Have you become a prisoner of these enemies of God and the Gospel? If you are a Christian, the wonderful truth is that you already have in your possession all that is necessary for your deliverance.

Has the enemy tried to get you to doubt the truth of God’s Word? Have you sometimes been easily persuaded that the Scriptures cannot be trusted? As we seek to live the Christian life in a fallen world and in the midst of an increasingly pagan society, the enemy will do all that he can to breed doubt about the trustworthiness of God and His Word. Do not listen! God’s promises remain true.

Has the enemy tried to get you to doubt the reality of your own salvation? Has he tried to persuade you that you are a failure, that you will never be able truly to live a Christian life and that you are a terrible sinner? Has he even tried to persuade you that you are not a Christian at all? Do not listen! God’s promises remain true.

Has the enemy tried to breed despair in your heart? Has he tried to convince you that your Christian hope is a fantasy and that this world is all that there is? Has he tried to persuade you that Christianity is just one religion among hundreds of others and that it is not true? Has he tried to persuade you that Jesus Christ was just a man, like other men, and that he was not the Son of God? Has he tried to get you to the point where you despair of knowing anything for sure? Do not listen! God’s promises remain true.

There will come a day when the enemies of God, including doubt and despair, are utterly destroyed by God (as we see later in Pilgrim’s Progress when Doubting-Castle is torn down and Giant Despair is killed and then beheaded), but in the meantime we are in the midst of a battle.

Stand firm, then, learning from the experiences of Christian and Hopeful. In the first place, we must not be led off the narrow road that we are called to walk. In the second place, when doubt and despair would seek to imprison us, we must escape from these enemies by using the key that all believers have, the promises of God.

Have a blessed day in Christ.

Soli deo Gloria!