HUSBAND AND WIFE CO-PASTORS IS NOT A BIBLICAL CONCEPT

A fad is taking over many churches, and that is to consider wives of staff members part of the staff as well. You see this mostly in charismatic churches but also in churches that are not charismatic as well. You can go to their websites or see their advertisements and notice that they have pastors plural (husband and wife) or youth pastor plural, etc. Since I first noticed this, I have wondered why churches do this and if it is biblical. The conclusion I have come to is that it is not biblical. Nowhere in scripture do you see husband and wife teams. In fact, the Bible states clearly that the pastor is to be a man, not a woman. Qualifications are indeed given on what his wife is to be like as far as character, but the Bible does not seem to imply that the two are a team of ministers. I believe that it is a calling to be a minister’s wife much the same way it is a calling to be a minister of the gospel. This does not mean that the wife is equally the minister just as her husband is though. This concept has frustrated me, and I realize now that it is because it is not even biblical. Let’s get it straight; the minister is the husband, and the wife is his support period!

HOSEA 1: PURSUING ONES WHO HAVE ABANDONED: GOD'S AMAZING STORY OF REDEMPTION

HOSEA 1: PURSUING ONES WHO HAVE ABANDONED: GOD’S AMAZING STORY OF REDEMPTION

            It can be very easy to minimize God’s amazing redemption in our lives through our day to day activities and routines. This amazing story, however, must always be the focal point of the gospel. The fact that God has redeemed those who were indeed unredeemable is amazing in and of itself, but what is more amazing is that the one we abandoned for the lure of sin was the very one who redeemed us.

Hosea is a picture of God’s faithfulness to his children, in spite of the fact that we abandoned him. The prophet, Hosea, a minor prophet to the northern kingdom of Israel, presented this very vivid picture of abandonment and forgiveness through his marriage and love of one who was to be considered a whore, one who most would consider unlovable. This picture and amazing story of redemption should not be only associated with Israel but also with us as God’s children.

Hosea 1

English Standard Version (ESV)

1 The word of the Lord that came to Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.

Hosea's Wife and Children

² When the Lord first spoke through Hosea, the Lord said to Hosea, “Go, take to yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom, for the land commits great whoredom by forsaking the Lord.” ³ So he went and took Gomer, the daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.

⁴ And the Lord said to him, “Call his name Jezreel, for in just a little while I will punish the house of Jehu for the blood of Jezreel, and I will put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel. ⁵ And on that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.”

⁶ She conceived again and bore a daughter. And the Lord said to him, “Call her name No Mercy,^[a] for I will no more have mercy on the house of Israel, to forgive them at all. ⁷ But I will have mercy on the house of Judah, and I will save them by the Lord their God. I will not save them by bow or by sword or by war or by horses or by horsemen.”

⁸ When she had weaned No Mercy, she conceived and bore a son. ⁹ And the Lord said, “Call his name Not My People,^[b] for you are not my people, and I am not your God.”^[c]

^10 [d] Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be like the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured or numbered. And in the place where it was said to them, “You are not my people,” it shall be said to them, “Children^[e] of the living God.” ¹¹ And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together, and they shall appoint for themselves one head. And they shall go up from the land, for great shall be the day of Jezreel.

How this Applies to Us

            There are some clear points on how this passage applies to us.

We Abandoned God (vv. 1-9)

            There are varying interpretations on this passage and the implications of Hosea pursuing a whore. Did he actually pursue a woman who was already a whore before he knew her? One interpretation, which makes the most sense, is that he rather pursued the woman he was already married to and who was unfaithful to him. This would paint the clearest picture of God’s pursuit of people who were unfaithful to him. The fact is that this passage applies to us because we were the ones who abandoned God. He, in no way, abandoned us; nor will he ever. We were the ones who went astray; we were the ones who lived in hatred of him; and indeed we were the ones in need of his mercy. We, in essence, can be seen as the whore pursued by Hosea, the ones who abandoned our first love.

God Still Forgave and Blessed Us (vv. 10-11)

            Despite the fact that we abandoned God, he still forgave and blessed us. It is obvious that we did not deserve his forgiveness and blessing; yet he gave it anyway. Hosea did not have to pursue his unfaithful wife (if God had not commanded him to do so), and God did not have to pursue us. He did though. This is the amazing mystery of the gospel. How could God pursue us? Relating this whore to Israel, graphic language is used. When Gomer bore a daughter in verse 6, her name was the Hebrew word, Lo-ruhama, which literally means “she has not received mercy.” She then conceived a son with the Hebrew name, Lo-ammi, which means “not my people.” The theme presented here is that God was dishonoring the people who he chose as his own. This is our story. We were once people who abandoned God, radically depraved, and God-hating. Yet he loved us and forgave us. This is the amazing story of redemption.

Conclusions on What God Did for Us

            Because of this vivid picture of what God has done for us, there are some conclusions we can draw.

God Pursued Us When We Did Not Pursue Him

            We must always keep in mind that we did not pursue God, but rather he pursued us. We were radically depraved and in need of mercy, and he gave it despite the fact that we did not deserve it.

God Disciplines His People

            Although God’s children ultimately received mercy, they did not get away with their abandonment. Instead God disciplined them. This was the point of Hosea’s message to the people. A brief time of God’s discipline was certain. The same is true with us. God disciplines those he loves.

God Ultimately Loves and Blesses His People

            Ultimately God blesses his people. The brief time of discipline will come because of our great sin, but God’s ultimate plan is blessing, the blessing of his mercy and love.

Conclusion

            We must see this picture painted vividly by Hosea as our story of redemption. God pursued us when we did not deserve it. He loved us and had mercy upon us, the ones who abandoned him. The whore in the story represents us. This is the amazing story of God’s redemption in our lives.

IT IS BETTER NOT TO MARRY

I am a single male. I have not always been a single male, but I am now. Dealing with singleness (particularly after once being married) can be a difficult thing, but we must realize the blessing in being single. The Bible multiple times says that it is better to remain single. It is common for people to fight that biblical truth by saying that not everyone is called to singleness. While this is true, do not minimize the fact that it is indeed better to remain single. The common misperception, particularly in the modern church, is that married people are somehow better than single people. We have probably all been involved in a conversation about a person who many consider to be odd that contained the phrase, “That’s why he or she will stay single,” as if that would be a bad thing. What we, in essence, do then is imply that marriage is better than singleness when the opposite is true. How often are married people commended more than single people? How often do people believe that marriage is more difficult than singleness? How often is marriage elevated and more honored than singleness? We honor people for 70 years of marriage. However, never do we see someone honored for 70 years of singleness even though the Bible speaks very highly of singleness. These are misperceptions. Being single is difficult (perhaps more difficult than marriage in many respects), and we must realize that not everyone is called to marriage. In singleness, people must realize the good that can come from it, the glory that will go to God through it, and indeed that it is better to remain single than to marry. Do not minimize the good of singleness. It is better not to marry.

PRACTICING LOVE BELIEVES ALL THINGS

Expanding on a sermon I recently heard, 1 Corinthians 13, famously known as the “love” chapter, tells us that love believes all things. I had previously wondered what this meant until one of our pastors pointed out that it is not a gullible and naïve belief but rather a kind of love that believes the best in people, a task very difficult since indeed we are fallen and wretched. This truth, however, was presented before me today when a man needed help in a restaurant. He asked me if he could use my mobile phone to place a call. I could have easily rejected him and for justifiable reasons. Perhaps it wasn’t wise to let a stranger use my phone. What if he was making a drug deal? The reasons could go on and on. Before I allowed him to use my phone, however, I pondered how often I have been the man on the needy end of a deal. Have I ever been the man in need of fuel at a gas station? Have I ever needed to use a stranger’s phone? Many people have been fortunate to have never dealt with these situations, but I definitely have. 1 Corinthians 13 came to my mind during this moment, and I proceeded to allow this man to use my phone. He didn’t make a drug deal, and he was very respectful. Besides putting this passage into practice, I also realized how often we as Christians do not allow God’s word to change our actions. We go to church and say, “Amen,” but yet we leave and do not practice what the word then tells us to do. I am going to begin making it a point not to be this way, and as I try and often fail miserably, my prayer is that God would continuously change my life for his glory.

COLOSSIANS 2:6-15: WALK IN CHRIST, ESTABLISHED IN FAITH

COLOSSIANS 2:6-15: WALK IN CHRIST, ESTABLISHED IN FAITH

            In Colossians 2:6-7, Paul tells us to walk in Christ, rooted up and built in him and established in the faith, as we have been taught. The idea is that we have an established faith, which we have been taught and rooted in; therefore, we are to walk in Christ, the author of that faith. How then do we do that, and what is the purpose of us doing it? Paul continues after these two verses by telling us exactly that.

Colossians 2:6-15

English Standard Version (ESV)

Alive in Christ

⁶ Therefore, as you received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.

⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits^[a] of the world, and not according to Christ. ⁹ For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, ¹⁰ and you have been filled in him, who is the head of all rule and authority. ¹¹ In him also you were circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, ¹⁴ by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities^[b] and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Allow Nothing but Christ to Control You (v. 8)

            The first thing we are to do is to allow nothing but Christ to control us. It could be said that the first thing we are not to do is to allow anything else other than Christ to control us. Because Christ is the author and founder of our faith, if we are to walk in him, established by faith, we cannot and must not allow ourselves to be controlled by anyone and anything other than him. Paul then continues with specifics of what we are not to be controlled by.

Not Philosophy and Empty Deceit

            We must not be controlled by philosophy and empty deceit. These two play a large factor in our society. It is interesting that although many view philosophers are the intelligent and wise people of the world, Paul associates philosophy with empty deceit. I like philosophy to a certain extent, but the thing that commonly frustrates me about it is that rarely are conclusions drawn. The answers in philosophy are questionable at best. In other words, human philosophy is not clear in the area of truth. The truth of Christ is narrow. This is why believers are commonly referred to as narrow-minded. Keep in mind, however that truth is narrow. For example, in mathematics, 2+2 = 4. The answer cannot be anything else. It is narrow. Why would theological truth be wide rather than narrow? Philosophy often deceives people into believing something empty, something without the power of Christ, and Paul says we are not to be controlled by this.

Not Human Tradition

            We are also told not to be controlled by human tradition. How often are we controlled by this though? Even those who profess Christ, whether we realize it or not, are often controlled and influenced by human tradition. We see this in example after example of people who place value more on the traditions of man rather than the word of God, which should be our ultimate authority. People justify sexual immorality with human tradition; people justify adultery with human tradition; and the list goes on. Like philosophy and empty deceit, human tradition is based on an unstable foundation, namely that of godlessness. When we allow ourselves to be controlled and influenced by human tradition, we often leave the truths of God. Consider how ridiculous this is when God is the very one who created mankind. To be controlled and influenced by the created rather than the creator is absurd. This is why Paul tells us not to be controlled by human tradition.

Not Elemental Spirits

            Paul lastly says that we are not to be controlled by elemental spirits, also translated elementary principles. As believers, we are to grow in Christ and allow the deeper things of God to control us, not the elementary principles that often control those who are not in Christ. For this reason, we are told not to be controlled by elemental spirits.

It Is Because You Are Filled with Christ and Have Been Marked by Him (vv. 9-12)

            The reason we are not to be controlled by these things is that we are filled with Christ according to verse 10 and we have been marked by him according to verses 11-12. What is Paul referring to though when he mentions circumcision? Circumcision was what marked the people of God in the Old Testament. However, under the New Covenant of Christ, the public mark of a Christian, other than suffering and outward signs, is baptism. Baptism replaced circumcision. This is why Paul says in verse 11 that we have been circumcised with a circumcision made not with human hands. It is a new circumcision, not the traditional Old Testament circumcision. We have been marked by God and are now filled with Christ. For this reason, we are not to be controlled by anything and anyone other than Christ himself.

Realize Christ Has Won through the Cross (vv. 13-15)

            Besides allowing ourselves not to be controlled by anything and anyone other than Christ in order to walk in Christ, established by faith, we must also realize in our very lives and actions that Christ has won through the cross. Paul reminds us of what we were before Christ, namely sinners helplessly in need of mercy and grace. In fact, we are referred to as dead in our trespasses. When someone trespasses, they enter forbidden territory. What Paul is saying is not that we simply entered in forbidden territory but rather than we were once so deep in forbidden territory that there was no way out except through Christ. The good news, however, is that through the cross, Christ canceled our debt according to verse 14, nailing our debt to the cross when Christ was crucified. The good news continues though. Paul says in verse 15 that the Lord disarmed rulers and authorities, meaning demonic rulers and authorities, and put them to shame through the cross. Through the cross, Christ has won! We do not have to any longer be controlled by sin; we do not have to be controlled by people; we do not have to be controlled by sickness; and indeed we must only be controlled by Christ.

Conclusion

            Paul makes it clear what we are to do in order to walk in Christ, established by faith. Indeed this is easier said than done, but the good news is that it is possible through Christ’s victory on the cross because we are now in him and not dead in our sin, as we once were. Let us seek Christ’s full control over our lives.