Ben Brinkerhoff - Class 6: When You Cannot Bear

Automatically transcribed. Accuracy is good but not perfect, and words are sometimes wrong. Trust the audio over the text.

1. 0:00

   This is day six of the 2019 Idlewild Bible School. Our second period teacher is Brother Ben Brinkerhoff. His general topic is unity in Ephesus, the story of the ecclesia in Ephesus. Today's topic is when you cannot bear. Brother Ben.

2. 0:17

   Good morning, my beloved brothers and sisters. Good morning. I just want to give to you thanks on behalf of my wife, Alyssa, and my family for your love and generosity, for your hugs, for your encouragement as we travel through what is really a complicated and difficult subject together. I've remarked to several people that this study really helped me.

3. 0:55

   I always think that's the earmark of a study worth sharing. Did it help you? Did it change you? Well, if it did, then maybe you ought to pass it along. And if not, maybe you just keep studying. You know?

4. 1:16

   As we mentioned in our last class, I think Paul dies knowing this controversy in some of the ecclesias he established hadn't really been resolved. 2 Timothy contains some evidence that the problem got worse, in fact. According to tradition, Nero puts Paul to death around AD 68, 67. But this isn't the last time, of course, that we hear about the Ephesian ecclesia.

5. 1:44

   We know that it's mentioned in Revelation chapter 2, where it's given a last warning by the Lord Jesus Christ. Before looking at that warning, let's first consider that the city of Ephesus likely had special importance for another apostle. The apostle that wrote Revelation, in fact. John. Now, we're not told anywhere directly in Scripture that John the apostle was in Ephesus.

6. 2:13

   And in that instance, and because that's true, I'm just going to hold out some evidence that he might have been in Ephesus. But I'm not going to be dogmatic about it. Because if I really need to know that, I think Scripture would have told me. Right? We can sort of think that's reasonable.

7. 2:31

   I think that's reasonable. But if he was there, it helps clarify a few things. So let's just go through this a little bit. The most obvious evidence is probably from Revelation 1, verse 9, where it says, Well, the island of Patmos is a place where Pliny, the Roman historian, tells us that political offenders were often banished.

8. 3:06

   And it just so happens, you probably are aware of this, but Patmos is really close to Ephesus. And it's not very likely you get banished to a place like Patmos if you're sitting out over here in Jerusalem or in Israel.

9. 3:26

   Indeed, there's other evidence. Consider the fact that in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, that there were ecclesias all over the Roman Empire at this time. But we're given a letter to the seven ecclesias in where? In Asia. It is not that those were the only seven ecclesias. It's more likely that Jesus channeled this message through John and that John had taken some leadership in those seven ecclesias.

10. 4:02

    And that's why Jesus, through John, used those seven ecclesias as a microcosm for the entire ecclesial world, as I think most of us recognize if we've done that study. In my research, any of the early church historians that mention John, they all attribute that he was in Ephesus.

11. 4:29

    This includes Eusebius, but the earliest reference would be from Irenaeus in his book Against Heresies, Book 3, Chapter 3, Section 4. And he's explaining how the apostles passed their teaching on to their heirs. And Irenaeus says this, There are also those who heard from him, that's Polycarp, that John, the disciple of the Lord, going to bathe at Ephesus and perceiving Serinthus within, rushed out of the bathhouse without bathing, exclaiming, Let us fly, lest even the bathhouse fall down, because Serinthus, the enemy of the truth, is within.

12. 5:17

    Well, Irenaeus lived between 125 AD and 202 AD. And so he wrote in sort of the late second century era. But as a young man, he met Polycarp. And Polycarp, we're told by another historian, was a disciple of John. And Polycarp was the leader of the ecclesia in Smyrna, as an example. And Eusebius says as well, Polycarp was himself martyred.

13. 5:45

    So why is this quote interesting? Outside of maybe giving us a little bit of extra biblical evidence that John might have in fact been or lived in the city of Ephesus. Well, it's interesting to me, because, you know, I just have one of those minds, aggravatingly. And I think to myself, because all I'm doing when I'm studying this, guys, is I'm just brethren and sisters.

14. 6:13

    Guys, what am I thinking? Brethren and sisters. I'm just thinking, I'm getting comfortable with you, can you tell? Right. I'm thinking, who is Serinthus? Did anyone else kind of think that themselves as they went through this? Who is this Serinthus guy? So I, I can call him a guy. See that? So I look him up.

15. 6:36

    And this is what we have to hear about. And this is from Robert Gundry, a survey of the New Testament. He says, Serinthus was a Gnostic. And to some, an early Christian, who was prominent as a Harris Ark in the view of the early church fathers. He denied that the supreme God made the physical world.

16. 6:59

    Okay, you may not recognize that, but that immediately says he's thinking about along the lines of Plato. Okay? He denied the supreme God made the physical world. In Serinthus' interpretation, the Christ came to Jesus, who was a man born of Joseph and Mary, at baptism, guided him in his ministry, and left him at his crucifixion.

17. 7:23

    Okay? In other words, Serinthus taught that Jesus as Christ did not come in the flesh. What did he believe then? Well, according to the quote above, Serinthus taught that Jesus was flesh. Jesus was flesh. But the Christ was spirit. And that spirit came on Jesus at baptism. But because the Christ was not flesh, the Christ could not die, it left Jesus at his death.

18. 8:02

    And in Serinthus' view, by the way, Jesus wasn't resurrected. Jesus is going—Jesus the man is going to be resurrected with everyone else on the last day. Confusing, isn't it? Because we all know this completely contradicts the gospel. But what's amazing is that people, even in the Apostle John's day, were teaching this stuff.

19. 8:21

    This is only, what, 60 years, 50 years after Christ? And already, these views that are so far away from apostolic teaching are taking root. Now, that doctrine isn't exactly Nicolaitan, but it's Gnostic. And if the legend has some truth to it, because it's merely legend here, this would be a cause for disunity.

20. 8:51

    In the Ephesian ecclesia, we can all agree. Yet we're told this about the ecclesia in Ephesus in Revelation 2, verse 2. I know thy works, Christ says to the Ephesian ecclesia, to the angel or to the leadership of that ecclesia. I know thy works and thy labor and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil.

21. 9:21

    Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not, and found them to be liars. Now, I believe that this commendation to this specific ecclesia may be attributable to John himself. Did you ever consider that?

22. 9:48

    What clue might we have that to be true other than Irenaeus' record, which was just written down 50 or 100 years after it actually occurred? Notice Jesus' words here in verse 2. Thou hast tried. It's past tense. Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not. So on what basis did the Ephesian leaders try the false apostles?

23. 10:14

    Well, it may be that John himself, living in Ephesus, supplied the basis of the trial. Let me just suggest why that might be true. We look at 1 John 4, verse 1. Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God, because many false prophets are gone into the world.

24. 10:39

    So that's really informative, but let me just line up those two verses, because seeing them juxtaposed to one another probably adds another layer of meaning here. So we have here 1 John 4 saying, Believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, because many false prophets are gone into the world. And Revelation 2, verse 2 says, Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles.

25. 11:09

    And are not. So if John is living in Ephesus, writing from Ephesus, dealing with issues in Ephesus, as some of the historical records seems to suggest, Christ said, You made a trial, and John said, This is the basis of the trial. Then maybe these two things might have something to do with one another.

26. 11:33

    But on what basis did John try the false prophets? We're told in verses 2 and 3, or 3 and 4, I guess. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God, every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is not come in the flesh is not of God.

27. 12:04

    And this is the spirit of Antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come, even now is already in the world. Now, okay, what did Serenthus believe? He believed that Jesus, as Christ, did not come in the flesh. Rather, the Christ Spirit came on Jesus in baptism and left him at crucifixion. So there's strong reason to believe that that John came into Ephesus and tried to eradicate the Ecclesia of air, giving the brethren really simple terms and clear lines by which they could identify apostasy.

28. 12:45

    And based on Revelation 2, we see that the Ephesian Ecclesia succeeded by identifying those in the Ecclesia that were liars and that were evil.

29. 13:05

    This is not the only place in 1 John, by the way, that you might see John arguing against the false teaching of his day. Recall the quote from Robert Gundry. Serenthus taught that Jesus was the child of Mary and Joseph, but Jesus was not the Son of God. Christ, in a sense, was the Son of God, but not Jesus.

30. 13:30

    So look at what John says in 1 John 4, verse 15. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelt in him. And he in God. So is John making that point because he has to? Not just because we need to know it, because it was an issue in his own time.

31. 13:55

    So why am I making these points? Well, it's clear that there needed to be a delineation by which the brethren could tell the difference between truth and error. Either you believe that Jesus was God's Son or not. Either you believe that he came in the flesh or you don't.

32. 14:18

    Now, reflecting for a bit, one of the things I struggled with, brethren and sisters, with this study, is the study's own contradictions. We see an inspired basis for unity in the mercy and oneness of God. We see an exhortation for forbearance, even after I show you some evidence, that there is probably some things in that ecclesia that were difficult to bear.

33. 14:49

    Yet we see in 1 Timothy that Paul discusses that some of the leadership of this group had been delivered to Satan. And there seems to be clear evidence in Timothy that the problem is getting worse, not better. We see the fulfillment of Paul's prophecy in Acts chapter 20, verse 28 to 30, that there were going to be wolves in that ecclesia, not sparing the flock and drawing disciples after themselves, as Paul predicted.

34. 15:32

    And now we see a clear delineation being drawn whether someone is with Christ or is anti-Christ. Now, I ask you the question, brothers and sisters, what is the right approach to unity?

35. 15:58

    Okay, you're confused too. All right, that's good. Is it just me or does anyone else struggle to summarize all this? I think it shows the complexity of the subject, personally, and why I don't think we should ever subject unity to a formula or a legalistic approach. It must be guided by God's wisdom and it must be an exercise in spiritual and scriptural principles, guided by the word of God, which is complete.

36. 16:38

    Nevertheless, does there need to be clear in and out lines today like there appeared to be in the Apostle John's day? Obviously, the ecclesia had reached a point where it was necessary to create a fence to protect the sheep from the wolves. The time for forbearance had come to an end because the bond of peace could not be maintained in the light of such a doctrinal air.

37. 17:12

    The time for patience had run out. Either you believe the truth or you do not. You make a decision and you go forward. Now, our first principles are written today in this type of clear and delineating language. They're there to separate truth from air on some particularly controversial points as regards to Christianity where there's potential for confusion.

38. 17:41

    Having such dividing points, I think, is probably scriptural and I think this is the proof. In Revelation, Jesus shows that he's pleased. He is pleased by the trial of the false apostles and that the ecclesia no longer bears with liars.

39. 18:07

    As we wait, brothers and sisters, for Christ's return, we're going to be faced with more challenges that will wrestle with us and will try our patience and our lowliness and our meekness.

40. 18:27

    Some challenges will probably inevitably require a clear inner outline. When this happens, we have to remember that we too are only saved by God's mercy. We always remember that no legal structures will ever save. That God ultimately is right. even if we feel that we're right.

41. 18:57

    We must make sure that in and out line is consistent with the whole view of scripture and we must ask ourselves the question, does or does not this new doctrine idea being foisted on the ecclesia contradict the inspired word of God as defined in this line? And yet today, brothers and sisters, almost all of Christianity deny that Jesus Christ came in the flesh.

42. 19:33

    The Catholics believe he was immaculate. But they can't see it. They couldn't see the air that was going to arise. And John saw it in his day. So he gave us a basis for truth. And he showed leadership. And he provides a line for unity. I think the truth is that much of 1 John can be understood, at least as was suggested originally by H.P. Mansfield in light of this Gnostic controversy.

43. 20:13

    I'll show you a particular example because this example shows a fundamental flaw in Gnostic philosophy that I want to use to draw agitation from later on. So the Gnostic believed, as we previously discussed, that that God dwells within them. Not figuratively. We can understand how that works figuratively. But no, no. They believed it was true literally to the extent of believing that their soul was immortal.

44. 20:47

    So God is literally in them. Okay? To the point where they can hold it. That's a greater authority than the scripture is in terms of what the will of God actually is. So John then is going to help them to see if this is really true or if they're deluded. How do you know if God's in you?

45. 21:09

    Well, John is going to say this is how you know if God's in you. Number one, you love others. Verse 12, if we love one another, excuse me, in John chapter four, verse 12, if we love one another, God dwelleth in us as love is perfected in us. So you want to know if God's in you?

46. 21:33

    Number one way you're going to know is you're going to love one another. Number two, God's words and doctrine live and have power in you, which is spirit. So verse 13, hereby we know that we dwell in him and he in us because he has given us of his spirit. what's the third way you're going to know of God really dwelling in you?

47. 21:57

    Number three, verse 15, you have correct doctrine. Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the son of God, God dwelleth in him and he in God. So if you don't have correct doctrine, then God doesn't dwell in you. Fourth way, you dwell in love. verse 16b, he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him.

48. 22:25

    So you can see that John's giving you four ways you might actually be able to discern whether or not God is dwelling in you. How can I know? How can I know the truth of it? And you can also see that of the four points, two of the four point to love. love.

49. 22:47

    So this is again, I'm just kind of tracing this out as I'm doing the study. I'm asking myself the question. I think maybe Dennis has asked this question as well. I haven't heard his studies, unfortunately. But you ask yourself the question, well, why love? Why was love the test? Why was love the test if God is dwelling in me or not?

50. 23:08

    Because more than anything else, brothers and sisters, the Gnostics, valued knowledge, not love. They thought knowledge was the key to God dwelling in them.

51. 23:33

    And John disagreed. John's saying, in effect, God isn't found via some secret knowledge, some revelation or enlightenment. God is found in love because God is love.

52. 23:57

    In other words, the thing the Gnostics were searching for was that hidden wisdom. And that thing is love. love. So first of all, love stands as a contrast to enlightenment as the key object of a true believer.

53. 24:27

    Secondly, those who love God will obey God's commands. And the Nicolaitans famously didn't follow God's commands. This is actually pointed out to us in crystal clear language language. Because look at 1 John chapter 5 verse 3. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments aren't grievous.

54. 24:54

    Love compels us to keep the commandments and walk in the way that Jesus walked. Therefore, love showed someone if God was truly in that person. God is in you. Would you act contrary to the will of God?

55. 25:13

    If God and if the will of God is summarized in his commandments and someone doesn't follow his commandments, can God really dwell on that person? And could that person really love God? God and I gotta tell you brothers and sisters, it wasn't only the apostle John that had this particular point figured out.

56. 25:39

    Do you know who else understood this? The apostle Paul. Because turning back to Ephesians chapter 3 verses 17 to 18 observe this. This is Paul's prayer for the ecclesia in Ephesus and Paul says that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith that being rooted and grounded in love in love then you will be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth what is the length what is the height what is the depth to know the love of God that passeth knowledge which is gnosis that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God you want to be filled with the fullness of God you need a love that passes knowledge that's greater than knowledge so both Paul and John knew something really important that the aim of this false doctrine was not love so love became the true test for the gnostic as to whether God really dwelled in them but is love a test for the gnostic only is love not a test for those upholding right doctrine as well you see love unites it has to because the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord your God with all your heart soul mind and strength and to love your neighbor as yourself see the exhortation to love God alone that's not enough because in the process of loving God I could easily develop a form of self righteousness I might be so zealous for the love of God so zealous that I make myself a judge over other people that aren't loving him enough or honoring him the way I think he ought to be honored so I'll

57. 27:58

    seed from God his righteousness seed from God his judgment I will place that upon myself and I as God's agent will judge you because I love God so much and so Christ knew that I have to couple the commandment to love God with the fulfillment of that commandment and that command is then to love you as result as the end result of loving God and if I haven't brought myself to the love of you I haven't even understood the first commandment let alone the second commandment and that this would be able to help us put down a vicious pride and then Christ is going to go and tell us that the definition or the example of who the neighbor is is a Samaritan who even in gospel of John chapter 4 we're told Samaritans worship what they don't understand so love unites us with God who is the commander and with others who we love at God's command the reason I point this out is although Paul and John clearly used love to point out the flaws in Gnostic thinking and we can see that can't we hopefully we can but then Jesus in speaking to the elders of the ecclesia in Ephesus after commending them for not being able to bear with the liars tells them they lost their first love and you can you can you can sort of hear the Ephesian leadership reading this going well hold on a minute hold on a minute it's it's Serentis it's the Gnostics it's these false brethren they have the problem with love thinking they have special knowledge and that they're so important how have

58. 30:20

    I left my first love and that brings us to a question of what's the first love and I've heard many wonderful expositions on this and I'm not sure that the way I've come to understand this is the right way because every time I hear someone explain this to me I like their definition you know and I but this is just the way I saw it looking at the lens of this study if you can just patiently bear with that what might the first love be well I remembered that the test if the test that Jesus commends the Ephesian leadership for implementing in Revelation 2 if that test is described in 1 John 4 then maybe the spirit is telling me to look at 1 John 4 as a helpful place to understand this this mini epistle in Revelation to the Ephesian ecclesia and when I look in 1 John 4 I can't help but see these words we love him because he first loved us if a man say I love God and hateth his brother he is a liar for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen how can he love God whom he hath not seen and this commandment we have from him that he who loveth God love his brother also could it be that our first love is that which is invoked within us when we first contemplated God's love when we first truly understood that if that's true then what would it mean for an ecclesia upholding right doctrine to leave their first love well well if we comprehend if we comprehend really that God loved us

59. 32:42

    first how would that affect ! our attitude and perspective brothers sisters well well I can't I can't speak for you but if you truly comprehended it then you would have a really deep sense of gratitude that God would love me even me a sinner and call me to something that I actually genuinely feel is greater than I am we would realize that we haven't earned it we haven't earned that love we haven't deserved that love it's a first love it's sort of like the love a parent has to a newborn child that hasn't done anything to deserve the affection poured into it all it's done is made my wife not be able to sleep be grumpy at me all this pain and all this money right and there it is a big lump of flesh and I love it and I sacrificed myself for it and it's done nothing for me it's only made my life hard and I love it I love him now if if if you comprehended and you were touched with that sort of love with that sort of agape the kindness and the grace and the mercy that you benefited from you cannot turn to another person also in receipt of that love and say I deserve the love but you don't or even worse to say I hate you comprehending the first love the love you don't deserve you simply can't look to another one who is also receipt of it and hate them you can only ever feel that way as John tells us in first John chapter four listen you can't say you love God and hate

60. 35:16

    your brother how could you do that you could only really do that if you felt that you earned the love and they haven't that you deserve the love with anyone that's had two children could the first child say to the second child I deserve mommy and daddy's love but you little baby you don't deserve it would that even make sense the child couldn't say that because it hasn't been earned it isn't deserved so if you've left your first love you've left the love that God gave you when you hadn't earned a thing and you failed to follow your king's command that you love your brother even as God is love to you so perhaps just perhaps the first love !

61. 36:30

    that the faithful brother in Ephesus who upheld the doctrine left behind was this but how would they leave it behind? Could it be that first John chapter four was written as John reflected on what was going on in his ecclesia that John sits back and says this is what's happening in this ecclesia that I'm in in Asia I've just given you a test to tell whether someone's in or out of the ecclesia I've just given you the test now what's the danger once I give a test like that what's the danger once a test is laid down I say I'm on the right side of the line what's the immediate danger brothers and sisters that will happen I deserve the love you don't so John reflecting on his own ecclesia has to write these words and maybe Christ is saying to that ecclesia you've left your first love you haven't earned this you didn't deserve this and just because you doctrinally kept the word pure is not that you know something special because as soon as you think you know something special who are you acting like you're now acting like the people on the other side of the line if so high ironic see love was what the Gnostic believers were missing by aiming for special revelation and knowledge but maybe love was what the faithful brethren had left behind in proudly believing that they were better and deserving of the truth and the false brethren weren't just maybe both Gnostics and true brethren needed to remember love sadly sadly we know that pagan philosophy would overcome the Ephesian ecclesia the candlestick in that

62. 39:25

    ecclesia would burn out but actually in the end brethren this ecclesia lost the truth that's how the story ends but I believe the Ephesian ecclesia still instructs us how to hold on to truth and hold on to each other in these last days and it's asked me to remember my first love and for that I am incredibly grateful as I was writing these studies my ecclesia was torn apart controversy took a united ecclesia and made it into two and I reckon I felt just about every emotion you can feel in that process before the ecclesia divided every night I said Paul's prayer for unity found in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 14 to 21 I said it so often I practically memorized it for this reason I bow my knees before the father from whom every family under heaven is named and I pray that according to the riches of thy glory that you might grant my ecclesia to be strengthened with might through thy spirit working in the inner man that Christ Jesus would dwell in our hearts through faith that being rooted and grounded in love that we might be able to understand what is the breadth and what is the length and what is the height and what is the depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge and to be filled with all the fullness of thee now unto thee who through the power that has at work within us is able to far more than I ask or I think to thee be glory in the ecclesia and in Christ Jesus unto all generations forever and ever amen

63. 41:56

    I prayed it over and over again because I didn't feel like I had the words you know like you ever feel like you don't have the words you don't know what to say to God you don't know how to articulate your pain you don't know how to articulate your problem and so you just borrow scripture you say Paul I'm going to take this this is your prayer Paul I know it's your prayer but I'm just going to borrow it and just for some time this is going to be my prayer because I can't express how I feel then one Friday night one hard Friday night I got a phone call saying that the ecclesia was splitting what could I do what could I pray I reflected on these talks I had been in the midst of preparing what had I learned had I learned anything was it just was it just knowledge is anything different when we're hurt we have an instinct to retreat when we're hurt we have an instinct to divide we have an instinct to separate and something in my heart wanted to punish those brothers and sisters something in my heart wanted to be apart from them they want to be apart from me I am going to be apart from them I felt anger start to swell to the surface was that the spirit of Paul was that the spirit of John who are dealing with controversies in truth much much much more serious than the controversy we were dealing with in our ecclesia I wanted to judge but brothers and sisters I remembered my first love the same love

64. 44:39

    that God offered to me when I was helpless was the same love he was offering to them salvation I too am in need of salvation so I fell to my knees once more that night and for the first time I changed a word in that prayer and the word I changed was ecclesia and I changed it to ecclesias I prayed for our ecclesias to have a love that surpasses knowledge and for God to be glorified in our ecclesias both of them I decided like Paul I would emphasize what we have in common that I might have opportunity in time whilst bearing to discuss what's not in common I learned this from Paul I learned this from John test the spirits if it is from God it will be motivated by love and we do love very much so let me summarize a study that for me has defied summary God is one love God obey his truth follow his commands love the brethren amen