Tag Archives: teach

A Permanent Anointing

November 13, 2015Bible Studyanointing, not counterfeit, received from Him, remains in you, teachLuella Campbell

A PERMANENT ANOINTING

As for you, see that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you will also remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what He promised – eternal life.

I am writing these things to you about those who are trying to lead you astray. As for you, the anointing you have received from Him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as His anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit – just as it has taught you, remain in Him. (1 John 2: 24-27)

We must never think that the early church was in any way idyllic. Satan had his emissaries everywhere, just as he has today. False teachers abounded and false teaching was rife. The same spirit that hounded Jesus to death through Jewish prejudice was at work, undermining the truth of the gospel, especially among those who came out of paganism as well as new Jewish believers.

A group of false teachers called Judaizers went about undermining the work of the apostles by teaching Gentile believers that people converting from paganism to Christianity had to be initiated into Judaism first through circumcision. Paul responded to this error very vehemently in his letter to the Galatian church. He insisted that to go back to the law was to nullify the grace of God.

Another subtle teaching arose out of Greek philosophy, called Gnosticism – that there was a body of secret knowledge only accessible to a select group of people.

“Gnosticism was perhaps the most dangerous heresy that threatened the early church during the first three centuries. Influenced by such philosophers as Plato, Gnosticism is based on two false premises. First, it espouses a dualism regarding spirit and matter. Gnostics assert that matter is inherently evil and spirit is good. As a result of this presupposition, Gnostics believe anything done in the body, even the grossest sin, has no meaning because real life exists in the spirit realm only.

Second, Gnostics claim to possess an elevated knowledge, a “higher truth” known only to a certain few. Gnosticism comes from the Greek word gnosis which means “to know.” Gnostics claim to possess a higher knowledge, not from the Bible but acquired on some mystical higher plain of existence. Gnostics see themselves as a privileged class elevated above everybody else by their higher, deeper knowledge of God . . .

“Gnosticism is based on a mystical, intuitive, subjective, inward, emotional approach to truth which is not new at all. It is very old, going back in some form to the Garden of Eden, where Satan questioned God and the words He spoke and convinced Adam and Eve to reject them and accept a lie. He does the same thing today as he “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He still calls God and the Bible into question and catches in his web those who are either naïve and scripturally uninformed or who are seeking some personal revelation to make them feel special, unique, and superior to others.”

http://www.gotquestions.org/Christian-gnosticism.html (retrieved November 2015)

The “spirit” of these false teachings is still very much alive today. Legalism insists that we adhere to certain rules in order to find favour with God; rules like food taboos and Sabbath adherence, for example. To follow these teachings is to move from grace to law – and once again to fall under the penalty of the broken law. If Christ is not sufficient for our complete salvation, He is not sufficient at all.

The other subtle error is to believe the lie that there is a select group of believers – the so-called “born-again-and-Spirit-filled-and-tongues-speaking” group who have attained something that others lack. There is no such category taught in the Bible. People are either followers of Jesus or they are not followers of Jesus. The Holy Spirit is given in full measure to all who believe in Jesus Christ as Lord.

It is more important that we know the truth of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ than that we understand all the ins and outs of these false teachings. John took his readers back to what they had heard from the beginning. By that, he meant that they were to stick to what they had been taught by those who were with Jesus from the beginning.

What was their source of knowledge? Jesus had promised His first followers that He would send the Holy Spirit from the Father and that, when He came, He would lead them into all truth. He would take the truth about Jesus and reveal it to them. Unlike certain people in the Old Testament era who only temporarily experienced the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, He would be poured out on “all flesh” – so said the prophet Joel – and for all time.

Believers could rely on the Holy Spirit to teach them because He remained in them. They in turn could be sure of the truth if they remained in Jesus – held to what He had taught and not followed the false teachers whose intention was to draw them away from their confidence in and allegiance to Jesus as their Lord.

Beware, dear readers, of those who insist that they alone know the truth and who gather followers after themselves. Exclusivity is a sure sign of error. Jesus called people to follow Him. Every teacher or preacher who connects people to Jesus and not to themselves is worthy of trust. In the long run, however, we can rely on the Holy Spirit, the anointing who is on us forever, to teach us the truth if we hold to Jesus’ teaching and not fall for the errors of those who insist that they alone are right.

ISBN: Softcover – 978-1-4828-0512-3, eBook 978-4828-0511-6

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version, on www.takealot.com or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

My second book, Learning to be a Disciple – The Way of the Master (Copyright © 2015, Partridge Publishing), a companion volume to Learning to be a Son – The Way to the Father’s Heart, has been released in paperback and digital format on www.amazon.com.

For more details, check my website:

http://luellaannettecampbell.com/

Have you read my blogs on www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com ?

Time Out To Teach

July 25, 2015Bible Studychild, kill, rise, teach, welcomeLuella Campbell

TIME OUT TO TEACH

They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were because He was teaching His disciples. He said to them, ‘The Son of Man is going to be delivered into the hands of men. They will kill Him, and after three days He will rise.’ But they did not understand what He meant and were afraid to ask Him about it (Mark 9: 30-32).

Time was getting short for Jesus. He needed to get the message across to His disciples. He was going to die at the hands of the authorities but they needed to know that it was all planned. It was urgent that they understand so that it would not take them by surprise. However, death would not be the end for Him. It would be part of the process. Unlike any other person before Him, death would not hold Him in the grave. With all the earnestness He could muster, He assured His disciples that He would rise again.

But they were deaf to His words. Uncomprehending. It was not His words that they did not understand but the very thought that anyone would rise from the dead. This was such an important message that He took His disciples somewhere out of reach of the crowds so that He could have time out with them, alone. But they just didn’t get it!

They came to Capernaum. When He was in the house, He asked them, ‘What were you arguing about on the road?’ But they kept quiet because on the way they argued about who would be the greatest. Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, ‘Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and servant of all.’ He took a little child whom He placed among them. Taking the child in His arms, He said to them, ’Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.’ (Mark 9: 33-37).

Here are some loaded statements. It is glaringly obvious at this stage that the disciples were just ordinary men. They were still without the Spirit. They lacked understanding and the old nature was still very much at work in them. In spite of every effort Jesus made to get them to understand that He did not come to get rid of Rome and set up a renewed Davidic kingdom in Israel, that’s what they believed and that’s what coloured their thinking. Everything He taught them was filtered through this expectation.

Of course that meant that they were the favoured ones who would hold high office in this new regime, or so they thought. They continually squabbled over the same thing – who would hold the highest office under Jesus? Their thinking was worldly; they wanted to go up, not down. Underneath the surface of this band of “followers” a power struggle was going on, and Jesus was well aware of it. It was His passion to promote unity among them by teaching them to submit to one another, but they had other ideas. Not even His patient teaching and example would shift this pernicious ambition from their minds.

In this atmosphere of constant competition, Jesus made a shocking statement – shocking because it cut across everything they believed at that moment. From the lowest rungs of society He had called them. They were catapulted from being nobodies to being somebodies because they were the disciples of the most powerful and popular rabbi in all Israel. It must have gone to their heads, especially when He taught about God’s kingdom. Now He informed them that the most important people in this kingdom were those who served. That was something they did not want to hear.

To crown it all He called a small child to Him. If they didn’t understand His words, He would give them a visual aid they would not easily forget. Picking up the little one, He made another startling statement. “Do you see this child?” He asked them. “If you want to be really great in God’s kingdom, you will need to get down on his level and accept him. Yes, even become like him.”

What? Become like a child? What did He mean? What is the most glaring characteristic of a child? Humility? Not really. Trust? Perhaps. Spontaneity? Maybe. Dependence? Absolutely. Whatever other characteristics a child might have, every single child from birth is absolutely dependent on someone else for survival. Left to himself he will die.

Strangely enough, it is dependence that cancels out pride. Children are taught to become independent so that they can grow up and leave home. In the kingdom of God, the opposite is true. It takes a lifetime to learn to be utterly dependent on God. That’s true humility, and when you do that, you will be able to bend down and accept a child as your equal.

Jesus taught His disciples, on the eve of His death:

I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing (John 15:5).

If unity with His disciples was His goal, then dependence was the way to that goal. To be one with Him means to be utterly useless without Him.

Available on www.amazon.com in paperback, e-book or kindle version or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my Blog site – www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

A Shocking Invitation!

May 28, 2015Bible Studyfollow, lake, large crowd, Levi, teachLuella Campbell

A SHOCKING INVITATION!

Once again Jesus went out beside the lake. A large crowd came to Him, and He began to teach them. As He walked along, He saw Levi son of Alpheus sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ Jesus told him, and Levi got up and followed Him. (Mark 2:13-14).

What a shock for Matthew alias Levi to hear the words of Jesus, ‘Follow me’! Rabbis just didn’t invite tax collectors to become disciples. That was for the ‘holy’ ones who spent their lives studying and debating all the thorny issues of the Torah, not for tax collectors who spent their time fleecing the local inhabitants for their Roman overlords, and a bit for themselves on the side. Tax collectors definitely did not fit into that category.

What was Jesus thinking? After all, wasn’t He a rabbi with authority? He should have known that the place to go to look for disciples was not the lake where men fished for a living or the tax collector’s booth where “crooked” guys did the dirty work for the Romans. He should have gone for the “respectable” ones who didn’t dirty their hands with dead fish or money.

What Jesus did put a whole new slant on who was eligible to be a disciple. The “acceptable” ones were the ones who gave themselves to the study of the sacred writings. They were supported financially from the offerings of the people. The really shrewd ones got in with the Romans and were paid handsomely for keeping the people in check. It was a good life, particularly because they were held in honour by the common people.

Jesus broke the mould – He coloured in outside the lines. He chose people from the working class who had no qualification to be disciples. He chose a man of questionable character and reputation. Levi! Everyone in the neighbourhood knew where his wealth and his grand home came from. Imagine the contempt of the religious boffins when this motley crew trailed after Him.

What was Jesus doing? Firstly, He was making a bold statement. He was not looking for “worthy” ones but willing ones. He could work with them. Secondly, He was not looking for educated ones but for ignorant ones. He could teach them. Thirdly, He was looking not looking for the “righteous” who didn’t need Him. He was looking for those who were lost and broken. He could make them new and then send them out with the message of mercy and grace to the rest of the world that was lost and broken.

Just as surprising as Jesus’ invitation was to a despised tax collector, so surprising was his response. It’s almost as though he were waiting for this moment. Nothing stopped him from walking away from his old life without looking back and joining the fishermen who were already attached to Jesus.

When we look at the situation from Jesus’ point of view, how could He be so sure that He was choosing the right guys? These men had to live with each other as well as with Him. How could a tax collector jell with fishermen? And there were still others who had to join the group. And they didn’t have a say about who was in and who was out. It was Jesus’ decision, not theirs. They had to put up with each other, like it or not.

Perhaps this was part of Jesus’ strategy. After all, these men were the beginnings of the church, and no one got to choose who would be part of the group of people who made up this new society. All colours, cultures, languages and ethnic groups would be blended together to become one in a mix that had no explanation outside of the grace of God.

Many people can’t even live together in harmony in their own families. How could this variegated group ever hope to live together as one big family? This was part of the miraculous outcome of the gospel – the “good news” that the kingdom of God was among them. It was through the gospel that people’s hearts and focus were changed from self-centredness and greed to selfless service and sacrifice. The Holy Spirit did that.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need (Acts 2: 44-45).

Really! They did that? Amazing!

Available on www.amazon.com or www.kalahari.com in paperback, e-book or kindle format, or order directly from the publisher at www.partridgepublishing.com.

Check out my blogsite at www.learningtobeason.wordpress.com

It’s The Choice That Counts!

January 27, 2014Bible Studyfeast, learning, secret, teach, templeLuella Campbell

IT’S THE CHOICE THAT COUNTS

“However, after His brothers had left for the festival, He went also, not publicly but in secret. Now at the festival the Jewish leaders were watching for Jesus and asking, ‘Where is He?’ Among the crowds there was widespread whispering about Him. Some said, ‘He is a good man.’ Others replied, ‘No, He deceives the people.’ But no one would say anything publicly about Him for fear of the leaders.” John 7:10-13 (NIV).

Jesus was certainly the centre of attention and the talk of the town!

He knew what He was doing when He made it clear to His taunting brothers that He would not be going to Jerusalem at the same time as they were. He knew the Jewish leaders were looking for Him. It was not wise to make a public appearance because there was no knowing what they were planning.

Not only were the leaders against Him but the crowd was also divided. Those who had received ministry from Him in one way or another would definitely have spoken well of Him. Those who were influenced by their leaders would have echoed their misgivings. They muttered among themselves, not daring to make their opinions public in case they fell foul of the big shots who had spies everywhere.

Jesus went to Jerusalem when the crowds on the road had dispersed but He kept a low profile in the city until the appropriate moment when He would reveal Himself. He was not afraid but He was wise. He didn’t want to start a riot prematurely.

“Not until halfway through the festival did Jesus go up to the temple courts and begin to teach. The Jews there were amazed and asked, ‘How did this man get such learning without being taught?'” John 7:14,15 (NIV).

It was the rabbi’s job to teach. There was nothing unusual about Jesus gathering a crowd around Him as He began to speak about the kingdom of God. Perhaps there were other rabbis teaching in the temple as well. What the Jews could not understand was the authority with which He spoke compared with the other rabbis’ constant reference to the ancients. ‘Rabbi So-and-so said this and Rabbi So-and-so said that,’ and so it went on.

Jesus simply said, ‘This is what the ancients said, but I say…’ and they could not understand the difference. What right had He to speak with such authority that what He said put paid to all debate? They assumed that as a village lad from Nazareth in Galilee of all places, He would have had minimal education and yet He had the status and recognized authority of a rabbi and carried out the function of a rabbi. It was His authority they could not get over because no other rabbi spoke as He did.

The reason they could not fathom His authority was because they refused to believe its source. Jesus constantly affirmed His connection with the Father. “Jesus answered, ‘My teaching is not my own. It comes from the one who sent me. Anyone who chooses to do the will of God will find out whether my teaching comes from God or whether I speak on my own.'” John 7:16, 17 (NIV).

That’s it! It all comes down to choices, once again. Jesus was saying, ‘What is your heart attitude towards God? If you sincerely desire to be connected to Him and to do what He wants, you will have no trouble in discerning who I am and what my source is.’

God promises that He will “reward those who earnestly seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6b). The Father does not reveal Himself to curiosity seekers. He is not building a fan club. He gives His attention to those who put aside their own interests to listen to Him and to find out His mind for their lives. He always leaves the initiative to us to make the first move towards Him. There is no value in waiting for God to draw near to us when He has done everything He can to pave the way for us to approach Him.

The Jews who constantly confronted and discredited Jesus would never experience the wonder of God’s revelation of Himself to them. It was their unbelief that effectively shut the door in their faces to the possibility of knowing God. They had religion but they did not know God.

Faith in God’s word opens the door to everything He has made available to us in Christ.

God’s Banquet

November 20, 2013Bible Studyfeed, five thousand, heal, teachLuella Campbell

GOD’S BANQUET

“The apostles returned and reported on what they had done. Jesus took them away, off by themselves, near the town called Bethsaida. But the crowds got wind of it and followed. Jesus graciously welcomed them and talked to them about the kingdom of God. Those who needed healing, He healed.” Luke 9:10-11 (The Message).

Now this was a cause for irritation, if ever there was one! Jesus must have been eager to hear from His disciples how their first preaching tour had gone and they, no doubt, were just as eager to tell Him. At the first opportunity He spirited them away, perhaps even under cover of darkness, to a remote place where they could be together without the ever-present clamouring crowd.

But what happened? Someone noticed and split. They had hardly settled down for a chat when the people began to arrive. The disciples must have groaned when they saw them coming. Not again! If ever there was an opportunity for Jesus to show His true colours, this was it. But what did He do? He welcomed them, taught them and healed their sick. His nature shone through, the ever-loving, compassionate Jesus!

“As the day declined, the Twelve said, ‘Dismiss the crowd so they can go to the farms or villages around here and get a room for the night and a bite to eat. We’re out in the middle of nowhere.’

“‘You feed them,’ Jesus said. They said, ‘We wouldn’t scrape up more than five loaves of bread and a couple of fish — unless, of course, you want us to go to town ourselves and buy food for everybody.’ (There were more than five thousand in the crowd.) Luke 9: 12-13 (The Message).

Did the disciples really care whether the people were hungry or not? Did they really think that more than five thousand people would find accommodation and food in the area? Wasn’t it just a ploy to get rid of them so that they could be alone with Jesus again? Their attitude was heartless and faithless.

Jesus’ response was to challenge the disciples to take responsibility for the people in their need. Most of them had probably left home in too much of a hurry to make provision for the day. This was a golden opportunity for the disciples to learn to partner with God to meet the needs of other people. It was a lesson they were going to have to learn if they were to be followers and imitators of Jesus.

“But He went ahead and directed His disciples, ‘Sit them down in groups of about fifty.’ They did what He said, and soon had everyone seated.”

“He took the five loaves and two fish, lifted His face to heaven in prayer, blessed, broke and gave the bread and fish to the disciples to hand out to the crowd. After the people had all eaten their fill, twelve baskets of leftovers were gathered up.'” Luke 9:14-17 (The Message).

Seeing that His disciples had not yet caught on to God’s way of bringing heaven to earth, Jesus went ahead and put His own plan into action. First, He needed some order in the crowd. He instructed the disciples to gather them into small groups to ensure that everyone had a share in the banquet.

Then He used the available resources, five loaves and two fish, to feed the people instead of doing what the devil had tempted Him to do in the wilderness, perform magic by turning stones into bread. God is not a magician although we sometimes pray as though we think He is.

Why did Jesus insist on feeding the people? To have sent them away hungry would have been a message to them that God was not interested in their physical need and that they would have to go elsewhere for help.

We must never forget that He is our Father and loves to take responsibility for us, His children. Don’t turn away from Him; turn to Him!

Ebenezer Family Church

HE IS RISEN!