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Reformation Special – The Priesthood of All Believers (CPR)

Reformation Special – The Priesthood of All Believers (CPR)


In this special Reformation episode of Conservative Pastor Response Pastors Neal Radichel and Mark Tiefel discuss the important Reformation topic of the Priesthood of all Believers.  There is a difference between the priesthood of the Old Testament in the nation of Israel and the priesthood of the New Testament.  This is because of the work of Christ in His perfect life and sacrificial death.  They discuss the terms “priest” and “pastor” as they are used in churches today as well as the difference between the role of the pastor and the individual believer.  Every individual Christian can and should serve as God’s witness to the world.  They also point out how important this Biblical truth was in the foundation and development of the early Reformation.  We pray that this discussion is beneficial for you and in your understanding of God’s purpose for His church.

Bible Study – Genesis

Bible Study – Genesis


In this Bible Study episode, Pastors Nathanael Mayhew and Mark Tiefel take us into the very first book of the Bible, the Old Testament book of Genesis. This book is foundational for the rest of the Old and New Testaments and gives an answer for many of the big questions of life. How did life begin? Why is there sin in the world? Why are there so many languages? and many more. They talk about the reliability of this important book and the main purpose, which is to show that God worked through and in History to fulfill His plan of salvation for the human race in the person of Jesus Christ. We pray that this study is insightful and rewarding for you, and we encourage you to pick up your Bible and study it again for yourself.The Holy Spirit will bless your study!

A Book of Faith

A Book of Faith

“My faith is in a person, not a book.”

In WWII soldiers were issued the New Testament for Servicemen. It was a copy of the NT with a metal cover. Given the nature of combat, there were indeed times when the literal book saved a soldier by stopping a bullet. This hard copy edition of God’s Word soon took on a mythical status. It was God’s book that could actually stop bullets! Certainly, the effectiveness of this protection was not simply a matter of a metal cover with compacted pages. The times in which this book literally spared a person’s life was a matter of God’s providence.
We hear the quote above often today. We who hold to the clear words of the Bible as they are presented in their given context are often scoffed at as if we believe it’s the literal pages which save us. It reminded me of a bumper sticker I saw this past week that displayed a similar thought, “It’s not WHAT that matters, it’s WHO”. True, indeed. We would never want to emphasize the literal book itself at the expense of Who the book is about. Religion in name only is not true religion. But, what do we do when the WHO (Jesus) tells us that true faith is all about the WHAT (His Word)?

“If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32)

Giving the impression or making people feel that the WHAT of our Christian faith isn’t that important can quickly become idolatry. If we don’t heed what Jesus teaches or what He stands for, then we will simply turn Him into what we want Him to be. So is the path that all who ignore the clear words of Scripture eventually walk. Just as the New Testament for Servicemen displayed God’s protection and providence, at times; so also the words of Scripture today display God’s grace and forgiveness. Both the WHO and the WHAT matter, and both are essential to faith and salvation.
John 8:31-32 is certainly straightforward enough, but earlier in the same Gospel, the Holy Spirit was even more direct. At the very beginning He revealed that the WHO is really the WHAT.

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:1,14)

Simply put, you cannot have the WHO without the WHAT. Jesus is called the Word precisely because the written and spoken Word is necessary to understanding and believing who He is. To follow the Scriptures is to follow Jesus and to follow Jesus is to follow the Scriptures. This applies to the continuance of faith just as much as it applies to its beginning. We have an example of this from a group of Christians who struggled with the same thing,

“This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Galatians 3:2-3)

Paul admonished the Galatians because they were drifting from that which had first brought them to faith. They began in the Spirit by “the hearing of faith.” Clearly, at the very beginning, faith was indeed about a Book, and the WHAT mattered greatly. But, Paul called them “foolish” because they had drifted from this foundation. In a very modern fashion the Galatians began to ignore the teachings of God’s Word. They probably figured they knew enough about the Bible and didn’t really need to use it anymore. Paul’s entire point was that the Bible matters vitally to faith, at any point in the Christian’s life.
We do well to remember this truth as we approach another anniversary of the Reformation. God used this event to bring His Word (the Book, the WHAT) back into peoples’ lives. Today, as a result, we have greater access to the Bible than ever before. But, the same lie of Satan remains; namely, that we shouldn’t get so caught up in the words. Breadth of access does not guarantee faithfulness. Instead, it can very quickly lead to shallow understanding, belief, and faith. Let our boast be in both the WHO (Jesus) of our faith and in the WHAT (His Word), because the two cannot be separated.
 

Bible Study – The Gospel of John

Bible Study – The Gospel of John


In this Bible Study episode, Pastors Mark Tiefel and Nathanael Mayhew take us into the Gospel of John.  John’s Gospel is different than the other three Gospels.  He emphasizes that Jesus is true God and records miracles and words of Jesus that reinforce that truth.  John points out that Jesus was God, but that He came in the flesh to give His life as the sacrifice needed to redeem sinners.  Jesus is “The Word,” “the Lamb,” and “the Messiah” and more.  He is also the Great “I AM” of the Old Testament, Jehovah Himself.  Jesus says He is the I AM, Yahweh.  John points to these I AM statements of Jesus throughout His Gospel to show that Jesus was Yahweh.  The Jews recognized what Jesus was saying and wanted to kill Him because He had blasphemed by calling Himself God.  John also makes a connection between Jesus and Life.  Jesus is Life (John 14:6), and the Life that Jesus brings to the world through His death and resurrection is received by us through faith.