Aaron and his sons are ordained for their priestly ministry. The phrase translated as ordain, here (ומלאת יד–אהרן ייד–בניו), literally means to fill the hand of Aaron and his sons. The earliest mention of a type of ordination by the people of anyone to any kind of ministry in Scripture literally means that through ordination,... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Ephesians 4:17-24
God provides His Spirit and gifts each believer. Each believer is trained for ministry in the context of a local church. So, we no longer walk like the Gentiles, or like unbelievers. Unbelievers walk in the futility of their minds, being darkened in their understanding, and are excluded from the life of God because of... Continue Reading →
Daily Devotional: Ephesians 4:7-16
After describing who God is and, consequently, what we are—one body—he now turns to show us what makes us individually important in the body of Christ. Δε, the first word in verse 7, can be translated “but” or “now.” Now, to each one of us grace was given. Christ determines the measure of grace each... Continue Reading →
Desire Prophecy, Don’t Forbid Speaking in Tongues
Paul is writing to the local church at Corinth in order to admonish the congregation toward unity in the faith—unity through maturity. He is currently addressing the practice of spiritual gifts—particularly those of prophecy and speaking in tongues. He has admonished the local church to prioritize love, which edifies. He has also instructed the congregation... Continue Reading →
Juneteenth and the Gospel
The news of Republican, or National Union, Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas on June 19, 1865 "the year of our Lord" and has been annually celebrated since. Juneteenth stands as a beacon to equality and freedom in the United States and has recently been designated a federal holiday. Juneteenth is inherently conservative, Christian,... Continue Reading →
Reflections on Appointing Elders in the Local Church
On Sunday, May 30, 2021, we appointed Steve Faccio to the office of Elder at The Church at Sunsites. Ordination is an odd term that is not used in Scripture to refer to the appointment of elders (pastors) in a local church. Scripture does speak of appointing to office (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5). Elders who... Continue Reading →
Introducing Regular Seminars
We are enhancing our resources to churches and pastors to include seminars and webinars with topics ranging from hermeneutics to theology to expository preaching, from cultural issues to particular doctrines (e.g. Trinity, election). We are looking for qualified pastors and teachers to speak at our seminars. If you are interested, please fill out the form... Continue Reading →
On Judging Pastors
The church at Corinth is divided. The body hasn’t treated Paul well. Yet, Paul referred to the congregation as a holy temple and condemned anyone who might destroy the local church by building upon the gospel foundation with anything other than the gospel—teaching Christ’s person and work because He alone is sufficient. Pastors are slaves... Continue Reading →
On Destroying the Local Church
Paul has made clear the responsibility of the church elders (pastors). They are to build upon the foundation of Christ, not using any other material but the Gospel to build up the body of Christ. Each pastor is responsible to work hard at preaching and teaching in a way that is faithful to the explicit... Continue Reading →
Be Careful How You Build
Paul continues to talk about his own ministry, the example he set when he served as pastor in Corinth for a-year-and-a-half. He and Apollos are God’s fellow workmen and the congregation is God’s garden (v. 9). Today, we see the importance of quality in the preaching and teaching ministry of the local church, which equips... Continue Reading →