Blessed in Christ

December 2, 2012 Background Scripture: Ephesians 1 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 1:3 – 14 Christians often speak of being blessed in spite of situations and circumstances. A few years ago the saying “Too Blessed to be Stressed” was all the rage and brought in plenty of money for retailers. Of course this saying was taken from a book written with that title. What exactly are we talking about when we say that we are blessed? I believe we are suggesting that we see ourselves as being fortunate although situations and circumstances may be interpreted by others as untimely or unfortunate. In times that would otherwise leave us emotionally distressed, we find ourselves overwhelmed with peace and serenity. We realize the surreal nature of it all is beyond explanation aside from that which is spiritual. We call ourselves blessed. Sometimes life seems unbearable, yet we can bear it and even more. We know that we are blessed. Christians talk about this with ease because we have experienced some dimension of it and understand that it is part of who we are. On the other hand, we are challenged to try to interpret it or explain it to non-Christians. What exactly are we talking about when we say that we are blessed? There is no explanation of it outside of our personal relationship with Christ. Christ is everything that he said he would be for us. He is our rest when we labor and become heavy laden by life. He is fulfillment for all who hunger and thirst after righteousness. Paul reminded the Christians at Ephesus of the blessedness of being in Christ. God gives us all spiritual blessings in Christ. Our Heavenly Father adopts us into His family through Jesus Christ and then allows the heavenly blessings to flow to His children through Christ. It is for His own pleasure that He does this and no other reason. Of course our greatest blessing is the forgiveness of sins. Our sins had predestined us to eternal damnation but God interrupted our fatal course and not only spared us (that is mercy) but adopted us into His own family (that is grace). There is only one avenue by which God chooses to do such a thing. That avenue is His son Jesus. Our avenue to avail ourselves of God’s grace is to place all of our trust and faith in the redemption that is available only through the blood of Jesus. Those who put their faith in him are sealed by the Spirit of God as the proof of being children of God. This is manifest every time we become aware of the blessings of God in our lives. None of this happened before we heard and accepted the gospel message of Jesus Christ. But once we believed in Him, our lives were transformed. Have all of our problems gone away? No. Do we still experience pain and loss in our lives? Yes. Is every day a joyous day of nothing but good things in our lives? No. But in spite of circumstances and situations, we have peace and we are able to bear all that life brings our way because we have a burden bearer. If we choose to, we can allow stress to dominate us. But if we choose not to, then in Christ, we are too blessed to be stressed. All of these blessings take place because of the presence of Christ in our lives. Robert C. Hudson November 21, 2012

Paul Evangelizes in Rome

November 25, 2012 Background Scripture: Acts 28:11 – 31 Lesson Passage: Acts 28:16, 17, 23 – 31 Today there are some who look at evangelism as a nice way to be involved in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ on their own terms. Unlike the work that takes place with a local congregation—such as ushering, singing, and leading various other ministries that take place on the church grounds—evangelism usually takes place away from the local congregation. The absence of the local congregation can afford one the opportunity to work at his own pace and in her own way. Some may see evangelism as a rather carefree way to be involved in ministry. This was not the case for the first century Christian. Evangelism was always on God’s terms and the work was quite hazardous and sometimes fatal. Those who understood this did not volunteer to do the work of evangelism. All of the gospel writers made it clear that evangelism is the will of Christ for the church. This was one of the last instructions Jesus gave prior to his ascension back to Heaven. Jesus did the will of God and before he left he commanded his followers to do the same. God uses all manner of people and circumstances to accomplish His will. The Apostle Paul was a living example of this. Paul was imprisoned in Rome for two years while he awaited trial. During the two years, Paul was permitted to live in a rented house and to freely receive visitors. Three days after his arrival in Rome, Paul called the Jewish leaders together to state his case to them prior to his trial in the Roman court system. Paul assured the Jewish leaders that he had nothing against his people, Israel. The circumstances that led to him being in Rome were caused more by the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem than anyone. The Jewish leaders in Rome informed him that they had not received any communications from Jerusalem concerning him. On the other hand, they had heard about Christianity which the Jewish leaders had declared to be a sect. The Jewish leaders’ report was that it was spoken against by Jews in all regions. In spite of their skepticism, they were still willing to give audience to Paul to hear what he had to say concerning Christianity. On the appointed day, they came to hear Paul’s testimony. Luke recorded that Paul expounded on Old Testament scriptures from morning until evening persuading the Jews thereby that Jesus was indeed the fulfillment of the Law and the Messiah of the Prophets. Some of them believed while others did not. Paul considered their response as confirmation of Isaiah’s prophecy concerning Israel and the gospel message. Paul warned them that their response meant that the preaching of the gospel would be sent to the Gentiles and the Gentiles would readily receive it. Paul received visitors throughout his two year incarceration in Rome. He used those visitations to teach and preach about Jesus and the kingdom of God. Paul continued to do the work of an evangelist throughout the two years. What many would surmise as house arrest for Paul was merely God’s provision of a mission field for the apostle. Paul could have walked the many streets of Rome and preached the message of the kingdom but that might have caused him to think more highly of his own effort than he should. God’s plan for him worked just the opposite. God gathered people from the outside and brought them to Paul and in that setting the gospel was preached and only God could receive the glory for it. In spite of the circumstances, God enabled Paul to evangelize Rome. Robert C. Hudson November 13, 2012

Paul Ministers on Melita

November 18, 2012 Background Scripture: Acts 28:1 – 10 Lesson Passage: Acts 28:1 – 10 One irony of ministry is that we don’t necessarily get to do it when everything is going well. Quite the contrary, we are often prepared for ministry by first enduring hardship and depending on God for the outcome of our situation. As Paul and his fellow travelers escaped the shipwreck and made their way to land, the opportunity for ministry lay ahead of them. This was not the time for them to exhale and relax. According to Luke, the natives on the island of Melita extended great hospitality to them. Seeing the wet and cold strangers who had barely escaped disaster apparently motivated the locals to show compassion. They built a fire for them to warm by and dry out. Paul assisted by gathering wood for the fire. For his troubles, a poisonous snake came out of the wood that was laid on the fire and bit Paul’s hand. Paul shook the snake off into the fire and continued to function as normal. This amazed the islanders who saw the incident as fate exacting vengeance on Paul even after his escape from the shipwreck. After seeing that he was not hurt by the poisonous snake, they concluded that Paul was a god. Paul healed the father of the head islander. Afterwards, they brought others to him and he healed them as well. This caused the islanders to lavish great honors and necessities upon the strangers who had come to their island. When Paul and his group were ready to depart and continue their journey to Rome, the islanders sent them away with the goods that they needed. The transition from being loss at sea in a storm to being stranded on the island of Melita, afforded Paul the opportunity to minister to the islanders—perhaps in a way they had never experienced. Although Paul endured many hardships, ministry was made possible in the midst of the hardships because Paul availed himself of the opportunity. I believe he had every right to mope and complain after all he had been through. Whether he moped and complained is not revealed to us in the scripture. The scripture does reveal that he used the opportunity to minister to the needs of others. As he ministered to the needs of the islanders, they also ministered to their needs as well. This is another irony of ministry. We receive the most for ourselves as we give the most to the righteous cause of others. On the one hand, Melita appears to be an island that served as a sanctuary for those who survived the storm and the shipwreck. On the other hand, Melita was a mission field that God had especially prepared Paul to serve in. Paul and his fellow travelers needed to be rescued from the fury of the storm-tossed sea so God brought them to Melita as a sanctuary. The islanders on Melita needed to be rescued from the fury of a sinful existence so God brought a missionary to them that could demonstrate through signs and wonders that God is the eternal sanctuary. During the extent of this encounter, the islanders ministered to the needs of Paul and his fellow travelers. During the same time, Paul ministered to the islanders on Melita. Robert C. Hudson November 9, 2012

Paul Survives a Shipwreck

November 11, 2012 Background Scripture: Acts 27 Lesson Passage: Acts 27:1, 2, 33 – 44 Suffering hurts! It hurts even more when you know it could have been avoided if only others had listened when you tried to warn them. Nevertheless, no matter how right you were, when pain appears, you have to endure it anyway. Such was the case with Paul in our lesson today. Paul had warned them that it was not wise to set sail even though it appeared at the time that they would have smooth sailing. Paul, however, was not the captain of the ship but rather a prisoner traveling as a passenger on board. Which brings me to another point: it hurts even more when you feel that you were not listened to because you lacked position or title although you were the only one with the information. There would be no satisfaction in saying “I told you so” because you would bear as much grief as the others on board. Paul did receive some emotional relief in the midst of the storm when the Lord assured him that all on board the ship would survive if they stayed with the ship. So when the storm began to rage, the prisoner became the counselor. In the midst of the storm, the ship’s captain might have been in command of the ship, but Paul, the prisoner, became the captain of their souls. The ship would be a total loss but their lives would all be spared. Let’s take a look at how the crew and passengers on board the ship got into this situation. Paul was being transported as a prisoner to Rome to stand trial. Although no formal charges were ever brought against him, nevertheless, he had been imprisoned for over two years and his only recourse to escape the bad intentions of the Jewish religious leaders was to commit himself to the protection of the Romans as a citizen prisoner. Things had gone relatively well until it was time to travel the Mediterranean Sea during the winter season. They set sail on a day when conditions appeared favorable to them. The storm blew in quickly and the crew could no longer control the ship so they let the wind drive the ship in whatever direction it blew. The crew worked hard to steer the ship only when it seemed the ship would be stranded in the quicksands or destroyed on the rocky shore. As they survived from day to day, they began to throw all of the extra weight off the ship—including some of the tackling. Day and night the storm persisted and they did not see the sun or moon or stars for many days. Luke indicated in his notes that they gave up hope that their lives would be spared. There were a total of two hundred and seventy six persons on board the ship including the crew. Some of the crew attempted to escape secretly but were warned that it would cost them their lives to do so. Therefore, they remained on board with the rest. In spite of their effort, fear, and their determination, the ship did break apart and was a total loss. As the ship broke apart, some on board swam to shore while others floated to shore by holding onto pieces that had broken off the ship. All on board survived even as Paul had told them they would because the Lord had given Paul assurance. This entire episode had lasted for over two weeks but God was with them even in the midst of the storm. Robert C. Hudson October 29, 2012