"Becoming" a Disciple—Before Conversion or After? / Let Go?

Good morning from Northern England! We hope you are well, and enjoying the final weeks of summer (or winter, for our antipodean friends). On Saturday Vicki and I celebrated our wedding anniversary—it's our 40th year of marriage. The Christian walk is a relationship—"from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part." In today’s bulletin, more food for the journey:

• Several fresh Q&As

• A handful of stimulating quotations

• Ancient Christian documents—written just after the time of the apostles

QUESTION & ANSWER

Q&A 1660—What about The Passion Translation?
Q: What do you think about The Passion Translation? Brian Simmons is the translator. I really like its energy, and the way he puts things.

A: I agree, TPT has a consistent freshness about it. I've read 200 chapters so far (and plan to complete), and like Eugene Peterson's The Message, the style is engaging and the text thought-provoking. TPT generally makes for a pleasant read. Yet whereas Peterson's work is an actual paraphrase (not a translation), TPT is something more. It is bolder.

“Paraphrase” may not be the correct label, since unlike Peterson, Simmons' elaborations serve not so much to clarify the biblical author's meaning as to convey Simmons’ own theology. Here are my concerns… KEEP READING

Q&A 1661—Did Jesus Pray to Himself?
Q: If Jesus is God, and Jesus is praying to God, then is Jesus praying to himself?

(Guest response by Tim Barnett of Stand to Reason. He responds to an anti-Trinitarian meme.)

A: If Jesus is God, and Jesus is praying to God, then Jesus must be praying . . . to himself. Well, if that’s what you think, this video is for you. Watch here.

Q&A 1662—“Let go”? (Psalm 46:10)
Someone is claiming that the original Hebrew root of "be still" (Ps 46:10) doesn't mean be quiet, but rather to let go. Where do you come in on this? — T. J. 

As I understand the passage, the stillness is more like peace (cessation from war) than peace (personal calmness). See my previous thoughts in Q&A 1470. That is, it has national application—at least as much as individual application. My response in today’s post considers the ancient language... KEEP READING

EARLY CHRISTIAN WRITINGS (4)

Ignatius of Antioch, on his way to a grizzly execution in Rome, wrote a number of letters. Six were to churches, in Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also wrote to Polycarp, whom we met last week. Today we’ll consider parts of his epistles to the first two of these ancient Christian communities.

The Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians (AD 107)
In all his letters, Ignatius repeatedly emphasizes the importance of three-fold church leadership (bishop, elders, deacons), the importance of unity—meaning a single church in each location, and the need to obey the bishop.

In the NT, there is no distinction between elders and overseers / bishops. For example, when Paul wrote to the Philippians, he addressed the overseers (bishops) and servants (deacons). For more on terminology, please download the short paper here. Ignatius of Antioch vigorously promoted the “monarchical episcopate”—meaning that the overseer / bishop was the one top (local) leader. In successive centuries, more and more layers of leadership would be added.

In Ign. Eph. we encounter an interesting idea: that Christians (after conversion) are in the process of becoming disciples. Ignatius states this explicitly (ch. I, III). The idea is not new, however. In John 15:8 Jesus said, “My father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.” (In contrast, the NIV only paraphrases: “This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”)

Ignatius expresses the desire “that by martyrdom I may indeed become a disciple of him who gave himself for us, an offering and sacrifice to God” (I). And a few sentences later, “I do not issue orders to you, as if I were some great person. For though I am bound for the name [of Christ], I am not yet perfect [complete, mature] in Jesus Christ. For now I begin to be a disciple…” (III)

Think of discipleship as process, not performance. The longer I’ve been a Christian, the more Ignatius’ insight rings true. Not so much his teaching about the leadership hierarchy, but his heart to keep growing—till the very end.

The Epistle of Ignatius to the Magnesians (AD 107)
The town of Magnesia stood close to Ephesus. Here, for your consideration, are several nuggets from Ignatius’ second epistle.

• Christian living: “It is fitting, then, not only to be called Christians, but to be so in reality” (VI). In 107 AD, there was no such thing as “cultural Christianity.” Following the Lord was a distinct lifestyle, and the cost of discipleship high.

• Obedience: “Your bishop / overseer presides in the place of God, and your presbyters in the place of the assembly of the apostles, along with your deacons…” (VI). In the early 2nd century were Christians already forgetting Jesus’ teaching in Mark 10:42-45?

• No Sabbath: The believers were “no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by him and by his death” (IX). The consistent witness of the early Christians was that they met on Sunday, not Saturday.

Next week:

• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Trallians

• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Romans

• The Epistle of Ignatius to the Philadelphians

To read any of these letters in full, click on the link for free access to the Ante-Nicene Fathers.

COOL QUOTES

• If people cannot write well, they cannot think well, and if they cannot think well, others will do their thinking for them. ― George Orwell (1903-1950)

• I believe in order that I may understand. — Anselm (1033-1093)

• The sectarian thinks he has the sea ladled into his private pond. — Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

In our next bulletin—on a lighter note—religious limericks!

UNTIL NEXT WEEK…

That’s all for today. Thanks for reading our bulletin.

And as always, we hope you feel free to join our online communion services. On Sunday, with guest speaker and African teacher Gilbert Kimeng (Nigeria), we were joined by brothers and sisters from Jamaica, Canada, the US, Sicily, Scotland, England, and Uganda. This coming weekend our speaker is an English South African ministering in Ireland. (We’re an international group!) You’re welcome any time!

We value your prayers for the ministry.

Douglas