This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.
All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.
ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.
Dear Chaplains or gospel ministers, I want to begin this month’s message by saying I have often been told by Chaplains and other people: “with this segment of the population you can’t ever get very deep. You must only give them the very basics of the milk of the word because they cannot understand the deeper things of the Bible.”
I respectfully DISAGREE. I do not think any chaplain or Christian discipler has “fulfilled” their ministry as they are exhorted to in 2 Tim. 4:1-5, by JUST GIVING THEM BABY FOOD!
Furthermore, I believe God REQUIRES those that minister to inmates and rescue mission residents to give them the whole counsel of God, or as Jesus Himself put it in Matt. 28:20, “teaching them (those that are converted disciples) to observe ALL THINGS that I have commanded you; …”
Consider the first letter (epistle) to the Thessalonians. According to Acts 17:2, the Apostle Paul was only with them LESS than a month! Yet, in writing back to those new believers, just a few months after their conversion, he spoke about the following biblical doctrines, WHICH HE HAD ALREADY TAUGHT THEM DURING THEIR FIRST FEW WEEKS AS CHRISTIANS.
- The Triunity of God (1:2-5)
- Election (1:4)
- The return of Christ – eschatology (1:10; 5:1-11)
- Their responsibility to evangelize (1:8-9)
- Persecution (2:2,14; and 3:4)
- Divine judgment and the wrath of God (2:15-16)
- Holy living, practical sanctification (2:10-12; 3:12-4:3 and 5:23-24)
- Satan’s schemes against Christians (2:18)
- Prayer (2:13 and 5:25)
- Spiritual parenting (2:7-8, 11)
- Work ethics (2:9 and 4:11-12 also compare 2 Thess. 3:6-12)
- Believers physical death and the resurrection and the rapture (4:13-18)
- Christian love in action, edifying one another (4:9-10)
- False teachers and what to look for in a truly godly leader (2:1-8)
Also consider this fact: the letter to the Romans was written to brand new Christians! Romans contains some of the deepest concepts in all the Bible. Among the teachings in Romans are many things relating to future glory. Note it in chapters 8 and 11.
It was the Apostle Peter who said in 2 Peter 3:15-16, “our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, (What things? The near context in 2 Pet. 3 has to do with end time events) IN WHICH ARE SOME THINGS HARD TO UNDERSTAND,”
Before I proceed, I want to make sure you understand that I am NOT SAYING speak over their heads or use difficult theological words – WITHOUT DEFING THEM. That would violate the principle of 1 Cor. 14:9 (“… unless you utter by the tongue words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken?”).
Having restated what God has said about giving the whole of His word to His children, I want you who minister the gospel of Christ to now consider TWO THINGS. They are, the DANGERS INDICATED to those who cannot take deeper Bible teaching, AND the issue of PRACTICAL SANCTIFICATION.
1. I want you to look at some passages of Scripture that indicate the DANGERS indicated to any person or persons that simply “can’t take the deeper things of the word.”
First, consider Hebrews 5:10-14.
10 … called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek,”
11 of whom we have much to say, and hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.
12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk (which is to say, baby food) and not solid food.
13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.
14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
A key to understanding this passage is to understand the phrase “dull of hearing.” The word dull is equal to slow, sluggish, indolent, or languid AND it also carries the idea of stubbornness. As used in this passage it refers to professing believers that do not want to grow in their understanding of God’s word. They do not want to put forth any effort to understand Him.
There are two dangers to persons showing this attitude. The first is that it might indicate they are in fact not genuine and are still UNSAVED. This would be in step with the warning sections in Hebrews where readers are challenged to make sure their professed faith is real saving faith
The second would be even if they are truly saved, they are IN THE SIN OF QUENCHING THE INDWELLING Holy Spirit. After all – He would urge them towards the very words He breathed into the ancient writers of Scripture.
On the other hand, it is a sign of true salvation when anyone has a deep craving hunger for the word of God.
Psalm 1 makes that fact abundantly clear. In verse 2 it says of the saved for whom heaven is reserved, “his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night.” (v.3) But it also says in verse 4, “The ungodly are NOT SO,”
Next, look at 2 Peter 3:18.
18 … but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
God wants all of His true children to grow spiritually. I made that point in last month’s message on 1 John 2:12-14. A true believer cannot grow in grace apart from a deepening KNOWLEDGE of God’s word.
For a true believer to not be constantly going deeper into God’s word, the third clear danger is a LACK OF SPIRITUAL GROWTH. Along with that fact, look with me at 2 Peter 1:5-10, which says:
5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to (lit. “in”) your faith virtue, to virtue KNOWLEDGE,(of God’s word - I say that because of verse 4 which spoke of God’s promises in His word)
6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,
7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.
8 For IF these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and HAS FORGOTTEN THAT HE WAS CLEANSED FROM HIS OLD SINS.
10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;
So a fourth danger in regard not be getting the meat of God’s word AND APPLYING IT - is A LACK OF ASSURANCE THAT THEY ARE FOGIVEN. That will also make any true Christian ineffective for ministry.
Lastly let’s look at 1 John 2:18-26, which says:
18 Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, EVEN NOW MANY ANTICHRISTS HAVE COME, by which we know that it is the last hour.
19 They went out from us, but THEY WERE NOT OF US; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that NONE OF THEM WERE OF US.
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things.
21 I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
22 Who is a liar but he who denies that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist who denies the Father and the Son.
23 Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father either; he who acknowledges the Son has the Father also.
24 Therefore let that abide in you which you heard from the beginning. If what you heard from the beginning abides in you, you also will abide in the Son and in the Father.
25 And this is the promise that He has promised us—eternal life.
26 These things I have written to you CONCERNING THOSE WHO TRY TO DECEIVE YOU.
There is much that should be taught from this passage, but here a fifth clear warning to those Christians (and to those that are false professors to being Christ’s followers) that don’t pay serious attention to deeper Bible teaching is IT WILL MAKE THEM SUSEPTABLE TO FALSE TEACHERS - AND THEIR HERESIES.
So in all, at least five dangerous conditions, are indicated for those that don’t want the whole of God’s word.
1. It may indicate they are still in their sins and not yet saved
2. If saved, it means they are quenching the desire of the Holy Spirit. That is sin.
3. They will not be growing spiritually. This also is in disobedience to the Holy Spirit.
4. If they are saved, they will lack the assurance of it. AND:
5. They make themselves easy prey for satanic false teachers and man-made religions.
2. Now, l want you to also consider the ISSUE OF PRACTICAL SANCTIFICATION.
It is clear from Scripture that there is no such thing as salvation that does not produce some sanctification HERE AND NOW – IN THIS LIFE. There are many places that teach us that - but 1 John is certainly one of them.
The Apostle John was moved by the Spirit of God to make obedience to God’s commands, a growing righteousness or practical sanctification - ONE OF THE TESTS OF ETERNAL LIFE. You see it in 1 John 2:3-6; then again in 2:28-3:10a; and in 3:22-24. Even one last time in 5:2-3 it is mentioned.
Looking briefly at of one of the passages I just referenced in 1 John 2:28 – 3:3, we read:
28 And now, little children, abide in Him, that when He appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before Him at His coming.
29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who PRACTICES RIGHTEOUSNESS is (literally, ‘HAS BEEN’) born of Him.
1 Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.
2 Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.
3 And EVERYONE WHO HAS THIS HOPE in Him PURIFIES HIMSELF (literally, ‘keeps on purifying himself’), just as He is pure.
This passages centers on two things: the return of Jesus Christ in glory (2:28 and 3:2) and practical sanctification (2:29 and 3:3). It teaches the proof of having received salvation and being born of God is practicing righteousness or said another way, seeking moral purity.
The Spirit of God, who indwells the true recipient of His grace at the point of salvation, creates a deep desire for this righteous purity. He even enables the believer to say “No!” to temptation and sin.
Christ’s glorious return is the motive to live in purity, because no true child of God wants to be ashamed when He appears. The question then to ask is, just HOW do they keep on purifying themselves on a daily basis?
They have to be cleansed by a constant input of the word of God. Psalm 119:9-11 and John 17:15-17 are just two passages that make this clear.
Psalm 119:
9 How can a young man CLEANSE his way? By taking heed according to Your word.
10 With my whole heart I have sought You; oh, let me not wander from Your commandments!
11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might NOT SIN against You.
John 17: (Jesus is here praying to the Father about His true saved ones)
15 I do not pray that You should take them (believers whom the Father gave to the Son) out of the world, but that You should keep (or, guard) them from the evil one.
16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
17 SANCTIFY THEM by Your truth. Your WORD is truth.
Then, about a week later, Jesus told His church leadership what we see in Matthew 28:
16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had appointed for them.
17 When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, …
19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 TEACHING THE TO OBSERVE ALL THINGS that I have commanded you; …”
This applies to all Christian pastors today. This applies to Chaplains and volunteers that bring inmates the gospel. Your THOROUGH TEACHING OF BIBLE DOCTRINE is what the Spirit will use to help sanctify and protect them! Don’t neglect your responsibility, even though some may tell you NOT to teach the deeper things of the word to inmates.
Remember what Hebrews 12:14 says.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord:
This verse is not speaking about the perfect holiness that will be experienced in a believer’s new glorified body in heaven. It is speaking about the continual chasing after purity and holiness in the nasty here and now, even when doing time in jail or prison.
The desire (given by the Holy Spirit) to catch up to Christ’s perfect holiness is shown by chasing after it now. It is another indication of the possession of true salvation. That desire in the Christian inmates’ hearts will increase as you and others are consistently faithful to teach them the word of God.
Rich Hines
Aurora Ministries – Minister to Chaplains
Chaplain Help Ministry
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