Alcohol and the Scripture: ASOTIA

Eph. 5:18-19 - "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;"

Quote from John MacArthur concerning alcohol and the verse in Ephesians:

The Roman name for Dionysus is Bacchus. He is frequently pictured with nymphs and satyrs. The famous bacchanalian feasts were nothing more than drunken orgies. Among the massive ruins of the ancient Near Eastern city of Baalbek is a temple to Bacchus, the god of wine. It is covered with grapes and vines because that was the thrust of their worship.

Paul was saying to the Ephesian church, "Your background was communing with the gods in a state of drunkenness, but if you want to communicate with the true God, you need to be filled with His Spirit. If you want to be raised to the highest level of consciousness, simply enter the presence of God through the filling of the Holy Spirit."

I believe Paul is dealing with drunkenness as a religious issue because of the context of Ephesians 5:18-21. He contrasts the pagan liturgy of singing, dancing, and wild parties with true Christian liturgy, which involves speaking with "psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God" (vv. 19-21).

When Paul said, "Be not drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit," he was making a simple contrast. The Greek word for "excess" is asotia, which refers to uncontrolled dissipation or debauchery. Being controlled by alcohol is opposite to being controlled by the Spirit of God.

Backbone

I see that America has neither a dearth of riches nor of resources. I see this country greatly lacking in true character. Children need parents with character. Students need teachers with character. Congregations look to pastors for good examples. Readers want authors and columnists with a solid reputation. Non-Christians are looking to Believers for good, solid character.

"Character in a saint means the disposition of Jesus Christ persistently manifested." - Oswald Chambers

"A pharisee is hard on others and easy on himself, but a spiritual man is easy on others and hard on himself." - AW Tozer

"Oh, young man, character is worth more than money, character is worth more than anything else in this wide world." - DL Moody

Crown of thorns

On the head of Jesus they placed a crown of thorns

The word for thorns is

akantha {ak'-an-thah} (Here, in the context, it's akanthone)

Dr. Barbet write in his book, A Doctor at Calvary, a description of the crowning:
"St. Vincent of Lerins (Sermo in Parasceve) was to write at a later date ... "They placed in His head a crown of thorns; it was, in fact, in the shape of a pileus, so that it touched and covered His head in every part..." . The pileus, among the Romans, was a sort of semi-oval head-dress made of felt, which enveloped the head and was specially worn during work ... ." (Barbet, pg. 85)

Unlike the paintings of the windig of thorns, this "corwn would have been a sort of thorny helmet which would have covered the entire scalp and brow.

He goes on to say: "It is generally admitted that they [the thorns] belong to a thorn-bearing tree which is common in Judea, the Zizyphus spina Christi, a kind of lote-tree. It is probable that there was a heap of its branches in the praetorium, used for firing by the Roman cohort. Its thorns are very long and sharp."

I have seen the thorns of the lote tree, which are at least three quarters of an inch long.

Part of the love shown to us is displayed through akantha.

Crown of thorns

On the head of Jesus they placed a crown of thorns

The word for thorns is

akantha {ak'-an-thah} (Here, in the context, it's akanthone)

Dr. Barbet write in his book, A Doctor at Calvary, a description of the crowning:
"St. Vincent of Lerins (Sermo in Parasceve) was to write at a later date ... "They placed in His head a crown of thorns; it was, in fact, in the shape of a pileus, so that it touched and covered His head in every part..." . The pileus, among the Romans, was a sort of semi-oval head-dress made of felt, which enveloped the head and was specially worn during work ... ." (Barbet, pg. 85)

Unlike the paintings of the windig of thorns, this "corwn would have been a sort of thorny helmet which would have covered the entire scalp and brow.

He goes on to say: "It is generally admitted that they [the thorns] belong to a thorn-bearing tree which is common in Judea, the Zizyphus spina Christi, a kind of lote-tree. It is probable that there was a heap of its branches in the praetorium, used for firing by the Roman cohort. Its thorns are very long and sharp."

I have seen the thorns of the lote tree, which are at least three quarters of an inch long.

Part of the love shown to us is displayed through akantha.

1 Corinthians 4

I've been doing a litle study on 1 Corhinthians 4, and I've found a powerful word for us to review.

The time of the writing was when Paul was dealing with a pride issue with the Christians in Corinth. He reminds them that Christianity is not a fashion but a relationship with Jesus and a ministry! He brings the point home in the middle of a strongly worded passage:

"For I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last, as men condemned to death; for we have been made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake..."

The word spectacle is theatron, from which we get our word “theater.” When Paul says we have been made a spectacle to the world, he is not complimenting us, nor is he making this an exciting pride-filled prospect. He refers to the way the apostles have been publicly humiliated. This kind of humiliation was a slam to the pride of the Corinthian Christians, but a cold shower to wake them up to the reality of service here on Earth. We are willing to face shame so that others may see Christ. We're willing to step out and show Jesus, no matter if it means alienation or scorn.

May I ask you - are you a spectacle for Christ?

Daily Bread

Luke 11:3 - "Give us day by day our daily bread."

epiousios {ep-ee-oo'-see-os}

found in the phrase "daily bread" has two meanings:

a) the bread of our necessity
b) the bread that suffices for each day

Nothing highly otherworldly about this - God will supply our physical needs. We can ask for the literal food we need each day. In other words, we can ask for the little things. Nothing is too small for the Lord!

Bible Scholar David Guzik says:

"God also wants us to pray for our daily, practical needs - like our daily bread. When Jesus says bread, He means real bread, as in the sense of daily provisions. Early theologians allegorized this; they couldn’t imagine a mundane thing like bread in such a majestic prayer like this.
Calvin rightly said of interpretations that fail to see God’s interest in the mundane: "This is exceedingly absurd." God does care about everyday things.

Don't be afraid to ask God for the little things you need. He'll hear you.

Heart - kardia

Romans 5:5 - " and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us."

Kardia ("heart") is used 158 times in the NASB. It means more than an organ. It was considered the receptacle not only of food but of intellect, emotion, and physical strength. When it is used int eh Scripture, it has a full, rich meaning.

"In most modern cultures, the heart is thought of as the seat of emotions and feelings. But most ancients—Hebrews, Greeks, and many others—considered the heart to be the center of knowledge, understanding, thinking, and wisdom. The New Testament also uses it in that way. The heart was considered to be the seat of the mind and will, and it could be taught what the brain could never know. Emotions and feelings were associated with the intestines, or bowels." (MacArthur, J: Ephesians. 1986. Chicago: Moody Press)

The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. - John 12:21

The word for "see" is powerful! The word is EIDO and carries and deep meaning:

Not only to a) to perceive with the eyes but also
b) to perceive by any of the senses (getting to know Jesus in a way that goes beyond mere passing curiosity! Experiencing Him in one's heart.)
c) to discover ( find a new direction in life through this unveiling?)

Not only does EIDO mean to turn the eyes, the mind, the attention to the subject, but also to pay attention, observe and to ascertain what must be done about it!
The people coming to Phillip wanted more than a cursory glance at Jesus. They wanted an experience they would never forget. That's what I want, too.


Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for 'eido (Strong's 1492)' " . Blue Letter Bible. 1996-2002.
14 Feb 2007.

Fear

Jesus approaches the disciples by walking across the water to them. They are terrified. he responds by saying "It is I. Don't be afraid."

The word for FEAR is

phobeo {fob-eh'-o}

It is the word we use in the English for phobia. One definition of phobeo is "terror which seizes one when danger appears." It is a shaking, quaking reaction. It is one that renders you unable to do anything but run away.

Yet Jesus' presence took care of the fear. He did it then, and He can do it now. I like the story that I read of a church's sign in WWII in London as nighttime bombings shook the city:
"If your knees knock, kneel on them."

SELF CONTROL

Galatians 5:22, 23 -"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. "

(self-control is the Greek word enkrates from en = in + krátos = power is literally one having power to "hold oneself in" or to "master self". Enkrates means the ability to have dominion over self. The individual exercising enkrates is displaying restraint over his own emotions and appetites. He is able to control his impulses and desires.

This is difficult if we attemtpt this on our own, but God's power through the Holy Spirit makes it possible. It, indeed, is a fruit of the Spirit.

ekplesso...SHOCKED!!!

Shocked! Amazed! Filled with wonder!

The teachings and miracles that Jesus performed caused a powerful reaction from the people who witnessed His life: they were astounded. The word is ekplesso ... from ek = out and plesso = strike). It means that they were smacked right out of their mind with what they saw...they were struck with astonishment...almost as if someone whacked their normal state of thinking right out of their skull.

And coming to His home town He began teaching them in their synagogue, so that they became astonished (ekplesso) and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom, and these miraculous powers? ( Matthew 13:54 )

Ekplesso is used 13 times in the NT.

agape - a committed love

1 Corinthians 13;4 clearly states that the best kind of love, agape love, which is a determined, serious love – is a kind love. It’s a kindness that is interested in the good of others and is eager to make itself helpful or available for serving others.

The Italian bobsledder Eugenio Monti was leading his bobsled team in the Innsbuck Olympics in 1964 to a first place finish after his final run. Only one racing team remained, led by Britiash athlete Tony Nash. As Nash and his team got ready to run, Nash noticed a critical bolt on his sled had snapped off at the last moment. Word of this disaster got to Monti and the Italian bobsledder removed the corresponding bolt from his own sled and sent it over to Nash. Nash fixed his sled and raced, setting a course record and winning the gold medal. Did Monti forfeit his win? Not really, because he became famous for his sportsmanship and kindness. Wouldn’t it be great that if we were to become famous at all, we would be known for our Christian kindness?

The Greek battles continue!

CONGRATULATIONS TO PHI BETA! Last week the green team took first place, earning them a bye on last week's test. This week, however, Zeta Chi seems to be sneaking up ont hem. In fact, all four teams appear to be in a very close race. Remember - the final points are added up at 3 p.m. on Wednesdays, so that's the last time to turn in your points. Also remember - you get 50 points per student in your class if you bring in a snack for the UT students Wednesday Bible study.

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well pleasing

SHHHHH - this should be a secret. Add the words "well pleasing" to the top of your quiz and I will give you bonus points.

"Well pleasing" - euarestos from eu = well + arésko = please, and it means something that causes a person to be pleased. A person who is 'well pleasing" is someone who is doing something highly approved.

Paul tells us of the desire of the Christian: "we have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing (euarestos) to Him." (2Cor 5:9).

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By the way I want to remind you - if you'd like some more serious Greek, we'll get to it this summer ... camp time looms, and this year it's May 24th to the 28th - we'll have twice as much room. We're going to Galilee Bible Camp in LaFollette. I've rented the entire camp.
COST: $200
...get me your $50 deposit before January 30th and I'll drop the price to only $160.
Cabins, lake, ox roast, watermelons, late night skits and games, private devotional time, debates, team cooking, mexican spaghetti, and the famous AUCTION... and even more.
Contact me if you'd like to go!

Some great links

Here are some powerful Bible study links that I use regularly. Perhaps they could be of use to you, too.

Blue Letter Bible. Commentaries and Hebrew/Greek lexicons make this a daily favorite of mine

http://www.blueletterbible.org/

Study Light. Excellent place to find good word studies:

http://www.studylight.org/

Christians Unite. You'll find devotionals, study guides and even biographies on this fine site:

http://bible.christiansunite.com/

God and Science. Contains and excellent section on the prophecies of Christ:

http://www.godandscience.org/apologetics/prophchr.html

William Lane Craig Debates. This is powerful stuff. Dr. Craig takes on all non-Christian comers in a stand-up debate that will amaze you on the truths of the Bible:

http://www.leaderu.com/offices/billcraig/menus/debates.html

Institute of Creation Research. Great site for learning scientific truth and God's Word:

http://www.icr.org/

There are numerous more fine places to study. I will be posting them in future weeks. I hope these help you as you lead your Bible studies or prayer groups.

Jesus gives us rest

"Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

The word REST is important to know.

Jesus gives us anapauo {an-ap-ow'-o}

Strong's Concordance says it means "to cause or permit one to cease from any movement or labour in order to recover and collect his strength." I think that's what a lot of Christians need to do - collect their strength. I think one of the most frequent words used by Christians is "busy." Always going about with choir, social meetings, studies, holidays...and very little time for jesus Himself. We need a rest. We need aanapauo - a time to recover our strangth.

Students...remember anapauo for the quiz today and you'll get extra credit. And then rest a bit.

Dokimazo means to test, to put to the test, to verify...and that's what we'll be doing tomorrow...testing you! When it's Friday it's dokimazo: testing time!

TOMORROW IS TEST DAY IN MY CLASS...my students know that every Friday is a test day.

This is the key word today, students. Testing in the class is one thing...testing in the Christian life is another. I give you a grade because of your results in classwork. Who gives you a grade based on your Christian walk? I guess you could say Jesus does...but would you also consider that the people around you do as well? Your behavior gets graded...your testimony gets put to the test every day.

Curious word, this dokimazo ...in the days of Paul it described how precious metals were tested by fire to see whether they were authentic. If you had a metal or a coin that met the testing standards, your metal was called dokimos. If it failed it was called adokimos...meaning a failure. say, didn't we just talk about that word yesterday?

Paul tells about the day of Heavenly dokimazo testing when he says "each man’s work will become evident; for the day will show it, because it is to be revealed with fire; and the fire itself will test (dokimazo) the quality of each man’s work." (1 Co 3:13) . This refers to when the Christian's work will be judged and see what kind of reward each Believer will get.

Paul also states that we should have Heavenly, not worldy thinking, "that you may prove (dokimazo) what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect." (Ro 12:2)

How do you stand up to dokimazo?

adokimos: being disqualified

The athletic games of Paul's times were exciting, popular, and exacting. No cheating or breach of the rules was allowed. The judges stood at strategic spots to observe and monitor the actions of athletes in the sporting contests. If any Olympic athlete crossed the line of fairness, a referees or umpire would point and cry out, “Adokimos!"

Every two years the Corinthians people enjoyed the Isthmian games, and so when Paul wrote about the disqualiification of a Christian's effectiveness due to sin, the reader knew exactly what he was talking about. The word meant to be put to the test...and to fail. The context of Paul's writing seems to tell us that fleshly sins will disqualify us from a power in teaching and handling the Gospel to share to others.

May we never be adokimos!

LOGOS - the Word of John 1:1

I've checked the trafffic coming to my site and want to welcome the many newcomers who want a chance to learn some Greek to share with your youth groups and Bible studies - or even just to know on your own!

I'd like to especially welcome my new friends from Texas - especially those in the Dallas area. Please drop me a line!

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Jesus is called LOGOS in John 1:1, meaning the Word...why?

John used this terms to explain Jesus to both the Hebrews and the Greeks.

To the Greeks, John explained that Jesus was the fulfillment of the definition for LOGOS. The Greeks wanted to express a god that was well above all of their mythological cartoon-y gods who argued, fought, and acted whimsical. To them, the ultimate God would be above all explanation. The Greeks saw logos as the Great Mind, the Universal Control above all gods and powers... the "Ultimate Reason" that controlled all parts of the universe.

The Hebrews even used the term "word" when talking about Almighty God. You can see an example in Exodus 19:17 ("Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet God" was also translated "Moses brought the people out of the camp to meet the word of God." They felt that His Word was Himself, and that His Word expressed all that He was.

That's the reason why the mysterious LOGOS was used... no mystery about it!

Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:10

BLESSED is makarios {mak-ar'-ee-os}

Its definition is "fortunate, well off, happy(-ier)." In God's eyes, the happy man is the one who will receive His favor and enjoyment.

In early century Greek times, makarios referred to the blessed ones as gods. The mythological reached a Utopian-like state of happiness that transcended anything in this world. The blessed ones lived above the cares and problems people like you and me. To be blessed, you had to be a god.
However, Matthew did not talk about the fantasy gods and their plane of blessedness. He stated that Jesus said heavenly blessings came upon the the poor and the meek. In our world today it seems as though the rich and politically powerful are the blessed ones, but the truly blessed are those blessed ones in God's kingdom.

Most of my students have mastered the Greek alphabet. Excellent! We're even venturing into understanding new words that help define better understanding of the Scripture. Let's take a look at another.

Romans 1:9 - "For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasinglyI make mention of you.."

The word for serving God in the above verse is shown in the Greek at the very top of this blog entry. You can pronounce it "lat-ryoo'-o". It is found numerous times inthe Greek New Testament and it has a pretty striking definition. It originally meant to work for hire, or to be under a master. The definition made it clear of the seriousness of the verb - you were not serving for your own pleasure - you were serving to please the Master.

Luke 4:8 - And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.

In Leviticus 19 and Joshua 24 in the Old Testament, we see a form of the word service is to mean to make a decision to serve the Lord and forsake any other kind of obsession. You know what this means? It means a part of daily worship is SUBMISSION. You let yourself be under God's authority and you will be willing to let Him take control.

Let the power of the word Latreuo sink in.

Students: for extra credit, on Tuesday you will enter the word SERVE on your quiz.

Jesus, the payment

Romans 3:24 - (NIV) God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

The word for "sacrifice" is the Greek word hilasterion {hil-as-tay'-ree-on} and is the same word the Greek writers used to explain the blood work done in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle in order to pay for the sins of Israel. The blood had to be sprinkled - the animal had to be killed in order tfor the sins of the people to be paid! Hilasterion means satisfaction - in other words, when Jesus went to the cross, the payment satisfied God's need for justice.

Jesus the hilasterion - the satisfaction needed to pay the debt.

paradeisos:heaven

Luke 23:43 - Jesus said to the thief on the cross:

"Truly I say to you,

Today you shall be with Me in Paradise" .

Paradise is paradeisos - "a park, garden or pleasure ground... a place of future happiness, paradise". (Strong's). The emphasis is not upon the sky or some place in outer space, but upon enjoyment and peace. Think of the word picture here: a place of quiet enjoyment, meant for the pleasure of its inhabitants. The early Persians even thought of it as a shady, well-watered preserve. However a culture views this, we see that the Greek word - taken from the Hebrew - makes its connection with enjoyment.

Psalm 16:11 proably gives the best description of Paradise: "in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore."

first big challenge tomorrow

Students, tomorrow you will be tested on the alphabet (lower case) in class. You'll need to list the alphabet Greek symbols in the proper order. If you need a review, simply go to the bottom of this page and review the chart. You're doing fine...keep up the good work!

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"Jesus wept" - John 11:35

The Greeks imagined that an all-powerful God would be above emotion, for emotion, they felt was a weakness. The god of the Greeks was a stoic in the ultimate sense of the word! Yet here we have Jesus who was weeping out of compassion for the family who grieved.

Mary (v. 33) was weeping (Gr: klaio) , but it was a wailing, loud piteous cry. Jesus' weeping (Greek root word dakruo) denotes a quiet, humble crying. Jesus was not performing for the public - He was truly heartbroken. This is a savior who has feeling and depth. This is a Jesus who cares about us.

Leaders and servants in the church

They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons.

- 1 Timothy 3:10

deacons = diakoneo

definition: to attend to anything, that may serve another's interests

"first be tested": Dr. David Guzik explains this passage by saying "A man demonstrates his fitness for office in the church by his conduct. Deacons and bishops are more recognized than appointed.(italics mine)"

There is no argument that the office of deacon is honorable, but let's not think this is the result of a popularity contest. This is a high responsibility, and the deacon might be involved in areas as diverse as the budget for a building, the final details of a missionary trip, or the decision of how many more cribs to get for the nursery.

The point I'm making here is that the man's testimony determines his qualifications. His character and his history...it's not how a man looks, it's how a man acts...and reacts to the trials of life.

Think about it.

KOSMOS

Do not love the world nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. - 1 John 2:15

What's so wrong with the world? I mean, the trees, waterfalls, rainbows, beaches and mountains are great, aren't they? God made them- why is He now seeming to condemn them?

A look at the Greek word definition will clarify this verse.

The word for world is kosmos {kos'-mos}. Strong's Concordance (an excellent study help) gives as one of the Bible usage definitions that kosmos means "world affairs, the aggregate of things earthly" and especially look at this: "the whole circle of earthly goods, endowments riches, advantages, pleasures, etc, which although hollow and frail and fleeting, stir desire, seduce from God and are obstacles to the cause of Christ."

In other words, kosmos means the world system that tries to play its game outside of the knowledge and authority of God.

Understand, we're living on this planet, and we cannot very well go into hiding - we gotta live here. But we don't have to let the world system live in us. It's like the people who are in the tugboat in the Atlantic - they are IN the ocean but not OF the ocean. The tug keeps them protected while they traverse about.

So are we as Christians protected from the pulling of the world system...if we let Christ take over.

Students: ADD THE KOSMOS KEY PHRASE ' WORLD SYSTEM' TO MONDAY'S QUIZ AND YOU WILL GET BONUS POINTS.

the power of the word "klaio"

The word translated "wept" is the Greek verb klaio, "weep, cry, or bewail." Strong's Concordance gives a powerful definition: " weeping as the sign of pain and grief for the thing signified."

It's heart-wrenching, deep sobbing of grief. This inot a snioffling. This is a soul-churning wail.

It's used in Matthew 2:18 to describe the screams of the mothers whose children were murdered.

It's used in Matthew 26:75 tp describe Peter's grief over denying Christ.

It's used in John 20:11 to describe Mary when she thought she would never see Jesus again.

Powerful displays of grief with this word klaio.

And it's used in Luke 19:41 to describe Jesus' sobbing over Jerusalem and the people's rejection of the Truth. Such is the compassion of the Savior.

My other web site

For those of my students who wish to take a look at the other half of my blogging - namely apologetics and other Bible studies - click on this address:

http://drzockoll.blogspot.com/