This quote is from a recent letter sent to me, " I am appalled at some of the things you said in the article... (Feb 13). A man who claims to be a teacher of God’s word and yet shows a lack of knowledge of the Bible is appalling. I am going to be nice and take a Priscilla and Aquila approach rather than exposing you publicly to your readers and parishioners by writing to the Editor. In case you don’t know who Priscilla and Aquila are, you can read about them in Acts 18:24-26."
I am guessing that the writer assumes he is Apollos for me. Apollos was an influential member of the early church. 1st Corinthians is our primary source on Apollos. Paul wrote it after a significant personal association with Apollos. Apollos apparently was an important member of one of the four parties in the Corinthian church. Yes, even in the beginning there were differences of opinion. And it appears that Apollos was trained by Paul and that is why he carried much influence. I am not sure who trained my modern day Apollos, but his letter seems to reflect a great deal of confidence of his knowledge. Evidently that is why he feels more than qualified to correct me.
How did my Apollos correct me? First he took exception to my statement, "John’s baptism was for people, converting to Judaism." My Apollos wrote that John preached to Jews not to Gentiles. If a teacher’s only resource for study is a Bible written in English, he might be correct.
But, how did I come up with that statement? First, all Jews are Israelis, but all Israelis are not Jews. The nation of Israel under Saul, David, and Solomon was split in two sections. The northern kingdom was called Israel and it was composed of 9 ½ tribes of the original Israel. The capital was Samaria (yes, the good Samaritan was an Israelis). The southern kingdom was called Judah and it was composed of 2 ½ tribes. Its capital was Jerusalem.
Both nations eventually fell and in the approximate two hundred years before Christ there were many factions trying to restore the Kingdom of Israel (not Judah) and throw off the Roman yoke. Within the territory surrounding Jerusalem the movement gained much speed and there were many movements and several so called messiahs. The Dead Sea scrolls have revealed much about this zealous movement. Men like John the Baptist were warning of the coming of the messiah over this same period. And some Jewish leaders, who had gained power under the Roman yoke, were apposed to these wilderness preachers.
Who was the target audience of these evangelist? All of the children of Israel, which did include those descendants of the southern kingdom, whom were called Jews, and the descendants of the northern kingdom called Israelis. Yes, historically many have referred to them as the lost tribes of Israel, but history has proven they weren’t really lost after all, just diffused.
My modern day Apollos said that Jesus came to tear down the wall that separated the Jews and Gentiles. On the other hand I, Dennis Bennett, have come to understand that Jesus came to fulfill the covenant of Abraham, which predates the nation of Israel. Jesus made mockery of the religious leaders and the religious laws, because he taught the kingdom of God is at hand, as it is in every generation. In other words, just as God said to Abraham, follow me in faith, Jesus is saying for us to be like him and follow God in faith, forsaking all others.
How could Jesus say for his people to avoid the Gentiles and go only for the lost sheep of Israel, if the Jews and Israelis (Gentiles) were all children of the nation of Israel? Scripture has never answered that question for me. Yes, Mr. Apollos I do study Scripture. But, I also study other writings from that era and throughout Christian history. In them I have discovered a more dynamic story than what is confined to the Bible. Jesus and his followers were fantastic men and women with great spiritual strength. And from the very beginning of time the followers of Christ have been challenged by the religious lovers of the law.
Again I must also challenge my friend Apollos of today, when he advocates that only certain people are empowered by the Holy Spirit. That brand of theology leads to the power of the church being held in the hands of a select few. That was one of the primary things Jesus opposed. The Holy Spirit empowers every follower of Christ Jesus. Scripture says that no one can confess Jesus Christ as Lord without the Holy Spirit. Jesus also taught we the church (And no Mr. Apollos, you were way off when you said you assume I meant buildings when I say "Church.") In the Greek the followers of Christ were labeled Koinia or community of believers or Body of Christ or Church of Christ. It is empowered people of God, who have chosen Jesus to be their Lord as well as the way, truth, and life for them in their attempt to worship God and be Christ like in this life.
In short, my article that you opposed and used to declared me appalling had a simple message. It was to inform every follower of Christ, that they are empowered with the same Spirit that Christ was empowered with, so it is not unreasonable of God to ask us to be Christ like. For being Christ like is what draws people to become members of the community of believers.
So to my modern day Apollos I say thank you for being kind enough to express your opinion. And as to you exposing me to the public and my parishioners, I think after ten years they are pretty sure of who I am as a teacher. They know that I welcome many points of view. After all the more facets a diamond has the more valuable and brilliant it is to us.
There is a lot that I don’t know, but one thing I know for sure I never play fast and loose with my role as a teacher. You can accuse me of coming to a different conclusion that you, but not twisting of the truth. I know that three years with Bill Bright’s studies, eight years of college, studies in Hebrew and Greek, living in Greece and the Middle East, passing a doctoral written and oral exam on the Bible, are only a scratch to what is to be educated, but I think it does give me the right to ask you not to call me ignorant about my faith.
If you really want to help me, why not help me start an ecumenical Bible study with people (men and women) from every facet of the Christian Church, regardless if we agree with their theology or not? Waiting to hear from you. Stop by for coffee and we can have fun debating the unknown realm of God. Blessings to you Apollos.
