Proclaiming Christ

January 6, 2013 Background Scripture: Philippians 1 Lesson Passage: Philippians 1:12 – 26 Those who understand the seriousness of salvation also know that the greatest action that one can take is to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost. We do not always appreciate that the need for proclamation does not necessarily come at a convenient time or under ideal circumstances. Rather, the need is often greatest when we don’t feel at our best or the timing just seems horrible. I believe that the upcoming series of Sunday School lessons will serve to encourage Christians in their work of ministry—especially when it comes to proclaiming Christ. Today’s lesson begins the series of study of Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi. This church seems to be advanced in its organization and ministries in that the salutation indicates that it had bishops and deacons. The contents contain very little if any corrective language or instructions relative towards church behavior. Neither is the letter considered a primary work of doctrinal teachings. Throughout the letter, Paul encourages the Philippians to rejoice in the midst of all circumstances. He puts forth himself as well as other ministers as examples to help believers in their Christian walk. Paul concluded that his tribulations were God’s opportunities. When times were difficult for Paul he noted that God used those difficulties to bring about other things that were needful to the body of Christ. We know that this letter and the other Pauline epistles are examples of just that. In fact, this is one of the letters Paul wrote while in prison. While Paul was imprisoned, God used the occasion to spread the gospel to the keepers of the prison and their households. When Paul was put on trial, God used the occasion to deliver the gospel message to the judge and all others in the judicial system associated with the trial. Paul’s example was an encouragement to others. Paul’s courage in trying times taught others that there was nothing to fear because Christ continued to protect Paul. Paul also noted that some people do good things for the wrong reason. Even this was a reason to rejoice. Whether people labor for the right reason or not, if their labor results in the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, we rejoice that good things are being done regardless. They might not benefit because of their wrong intentions but those who hear the gospel through them and receive Christ as Lord will benefit as a result of their work. Paul saw his life as being completely consumed by the Spirit of Christ in him. Paul was convinced that as long as he lived and did the work of ministry that Christ had given him, then other believers would benefit even if it meant that he would suffer. On the other hand, if he died in the midst of his tribulations, he was convinced that he would go on to receive his eternal reward from Christ which was far better than suffering in this world. When considering these two possible outcomes, Paul knew that it meant that he would continue to live a little longer because the body of Christ would be helped. Paul’s great desire was for Christ to be glorified in him; whether in life or death, Christ would be proclaimed. Robert C. Hudson December 26, 2012

Christ’s Love for the Church

December 30, 2012 Background Scripture: Ephesians 5:15 – 6:9 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 5:18 – 33; 6:1 – 4 “This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.” Just when it seems as though we are receiving some very practical advice on how to have strong and lasting marriages, the Apostle Paul slips this statement in. That’s not to say that this is not very practical advice on how to have strong and lasting marriages. But the statement has a much greater implication than that. Implied in the statement is that human marriage and family are mere shadows of the spiritual reality. Human marriages and families allow us to experience physically what happens in spiritual relationships. This knowledge should aid us in seeing when our spiritual relationship with Christ has become dysfunctional. We readily see it when it occurs in our physical relationships but we too often fail to apply this same insight to the spiritual. Guess which relationship is eternal and which is not. Physical relationships are all ultimately ended by death. Nothing—not even death—can separate us from our spiritual relationship with Christ. Why then do we spend so much time, energy, and negative emotions dealing with dysfunctional physical relationships but very little quality time improving our dysfunctional spiritual relationship? I believe the answer lies in the verses preceding the relationship discussion. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; …” These verses admonish us to give sincere effort in understanding our spiritual relationship with Christ and work to improve it. The verses that follow are the physical analogy that we do understand to an extent. The portrait painted of the husband’s character and role describes the great love Christ has for the church. Christ does not expect the church to get herself together so that He can have a bride that would be worthy of Him. Rather, He cleans her up and prepares her so that He can present the church to Himself in her glory (or rather in His glory that He shall clothe her with). Christ did not seek out a queen but took one who was not a queen and made her to become a queen as a gift to Himself. How marvelous are God’s ways! There is even advice offered for how to handle those who are evangelized or given birth by the church as she is aided by the Spirit of Christ. These are the spiritual offspring or children. When one reflects on the relationship between Christ and the church, it is truly awe-inspiring to attempt to comprehend the scope of it. How deep is Christ’s love for the church? Jesus said it this way “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” And he ended by saying “You are my friends if you obey me.” Robert C. Hudson December 22, 2012

Alive in the Light of Christ

December 23, 2012 Background Scripture: John 1:1 – 14; Ephesians 4:17 – 5:14 Lesson Passage: John 1:1 – 5, 14; Ephesians 5:1, 2, 6 – 14 The Apostle John, whose gospel account is sometimes referred to as the Gospel of Light, presents Jesus as God and creator of everything. The opening chapter sets the stage for a very different exhortation than the synoptic gospel accounts. The presentation begins before the creation of time when there was only God in His triune nature. All things were made by Christ whether in heaven or on earth. All life begins in Him and is sustained by Him. The life that existed within the essence of God is the illumination or light that all who are born into the world receive. The Christ is the source of all life. Man was created in God’s image and after God’s likeness. God blew the breath of life into man and man became a living soul. The spiritual life of man was tarnished by man’s sin and man died to God spiritually although God allowed him to continue to live physically for a limited time. God’s plan of salvation for man included the incarnation of the Christ. The mystery of the incarnation is that Christ, who is spirit and the sustainer of life, became flesh and was born into the world he created. His birth as a human did not diminish his nature of being God. Neither did he allow his nature as God to diminish his humanity. He was fully God and fully man. This he did so that he could save man from his sins. As sin had caused man to die to God spiritually, the light of Christ would allow man to die to sin and again be alive to God. This recreated man is a result of the new birth in Christ. It is to this point that the Apostle Paul urges the Christians at Ephesus to live according to their new reality in Christ. The new birth makes the light of Christ to shine in the heart of man. No longer are understandings darkened to the truth by sin but the light has made all things known. Knowing this, Christians are admonished to renew their minds based on this new reality. A renewed mind should be confirmed through righteous living according to the holy standards of God. The old way of life prior to the new birth was dictated by the presence and control of sin over the lives of the unbelievers or lost. Sinful actions and communications were evidence of sin’s rule over the unbeliever. Saved individuals have the option of doing right with the help of Christ. Lack of understanding and hence lack of conformity to God’s standards is indicative of a person walking in darkness. The lost have no choice because there is no light in them. The saved have been given the light as a guide so that they need not walk in darkness. The saved are children of light; and when we walk in the light, we demonstrate what is acceptable and pleasing to God. Walking in darkness was the only way of life we knew prior to the new birth. The light came with the new birth and it illuminates the truth. There is nothing we have done or could ever do to deserve the light that has brought us understanding of holy things. We accepted Jesus’ sacrificial death as the payment for our sins and we were born of God because of our faith. All who do this, although they were once dead in sins and walking in darkness, will be made alive and are encouraged to walk in the light of Christ. Robert C. Hudson December 17, 2012

Part of One Body in Christ

December 16, 2012 Background Scripture: Ephesians 4:1 – 16 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 4:1 – 16 “Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called” is an admonishment to Christians to work hard at your ministry to help to bring about or maintain unity within the body of believers so that all can grow together in the spirit of love. Christian maturity is aided when all ministries work together to support unity and peace. God has not called us into separate entities but into one spiritual body. That body is Christ. Jesus is the head. Jesus is the one who directs all things associated with his body. As head of the body, he has sovereignty over it. The body is not a democratically run mass of individuals deciding their own fate. Rather, it is a unified collection of members under the singular head of Christ. The instructions Christ give to the members always supports the unity of the body. Christ is not divided and he calls us into this singularity of peace and love. Christians are given ministries for the benefit of the whole. None of us can exist and function properly with only the gift(s) God has given us. Each of us depends on the gifts of others in the body to help us mature in Christ. Ministries are not exclusive of each other. Ministries are mutual for the benefit of the whole. The body of Christ is built and sustained by its own components. Each part has been gifted by the grace of God to contribute to the whole. The end goal of the work of the individuals is to move the body towards maturity. The body is mature when it performs the same works as Jesus Christ while being led by the Spirit of Christ to do so. It is of necessity that this be done in the spirit of love with each esteeming others better than themselves. The gifts edify the body towards maturity but the medium whereby this takes place is love. All spiritual gifts are given to be used in love. In love, the many parts of the body serve and nurture each other. In love, the many parts of the body work in concert to drive confusion, schisms, and sin from the body that the body would not become sick. No one person does it all neither should one attempt to do so. It is arrogance to think that one Christian can get along just fine without others because of the gift(s) of that one. As the body matures and nurtures itself, then the work of ministry beyond the body (evangelism and mission) is made possible. The spread of the gospel is more effective when the individual parts are not preoccupied with destroying each other. The body is under a mandate to spread the gospel to every person throughout the world. The saints must be mature or perfected spiritually to accomplish this. The gifts within the body contain everything that is needed for this maturation process. Each individual comes to maturity as they are ministered to by others so that they can become a part of the same process. None of us are saved to work in isolation. We need each other. Although we are many parts, we are each a part of one body in Christ. Robert C. Hudson December 5, 2012

One in Jesus Christ

December 9, 2012 Background Scripture: Ephesians 2, 3 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 2:11 – 22 Oneness is a mystery. The core principle of marriage involves the notion of oneness—“…and they twain shall be one flesh.” It is a mystery when we acknowledge our uniqueness as individuals and then embrace the concept of two or more being knit together as one spiritually. The mystery is not that it does happen but rather a question of how does it happen? We accept that God does it but we still want to know how He does it. Inquiring minds want to know. The Apostle Paul reminds the church at Ephesus that salvation through Jesus Christ has made all Christians to be one in Him. All Christians are baptized into the spiritual body of Christ. Because Christ is one, then we too are one in Him. If we are not one then the body of Christ is divided. Prior to being saved, we were separated by nationality, religion, and lack of a covenant relationship with the one true and living God. The Gentiles were separated from the Jews. Those who were called orthodox were separated from those who were viewed as mere religious professors. The circumcised, covenant partners, were separated from those outside of the covenant of circumcision. Jesus, who is the author of the New Covenant, which is in him, removes all partitions that once caused separation between us. If we were to be reconciled to God, then it was necessary that we first be reconciled with each other. Jesus brought reconciliation by the cross in that he carried our sins, which caused the many separations, to the cross and when he died on the cross, then the body of sin died also. Having moved the partitions of separation by the cross, we are now free to be one with one another. The Spirit of Jesus Christ continuously nurtures oneness in us. All Christians have the same Spirit to guide us. It is only through the Spirit of Jesus Christ that we have access to God. Christians are knit together spiritually to form a physical house for the Spirit of God to dwell in. We are the earthly temple that God inhabits. It is not in the synagogues, churches, mosques, or any other manmade structures that God dwells. Those physical buildings are designed and built by man for man’s own pleasure and pride. Those places are dark and empty most of the time. Would God confine Himself to such a place? Would God wait quietly there in the dark and cold or heat until someone comes along and turns on the lights and heating and air units and visit Him for a brief while? That might suit many of us just fine but He would cease to be God then. God is sovereign and does not depend on anyone. God is all-powerful and speaks into existence whatever suits Him. God does not need man but man needs God. It is God’s pleasure to save us from our sins. It is God’s pleasure to knit us together in Christ and make a holy habitation for himself. This is not done out of necessity on God’s part but as a blessing bestowed on each of us by God. All of this comes about because of the finished works of Christ on Calvary. We can only accept this as individuals but once we accept it, then the individuals are all made one in Jesus Christ. Robert C. Hudson November 30, 2012