Work Together for the Truth

May 3, 2015 Background Scripture: 3 John Lesson Passage: 3 John The Apostle John addresses this letter to an individual named Gaius. The letter is filled with thanksgiving for the missionary work of Gaius. Gaius gave direct support to the missionaries who were sent to teach and help the churches scattered throughout Asia. These missionaries were mostly Jewish Christians who had been taught by the Apostles. Although many of the congregations were Gentile, the Jewish missionaries shared the gospel with them but did not receive anything from them to support their work. Perhaps this was due to the Jewish Christians’ upbringing that required social separation from Gentiles especially in matters pertaining to food. The work of the missionaries greatly multiplied the apostles’ effectiveness at delivering the gospel message to the ends of the earth. This was truly Jesus’ plan of evangelism at work. The Apostles had become the catalyst Jesus called them from the world and prepared them to be. The Apostles were training others to do the work of evangelism and the missionaries were to become trainers themselves of the new converts. The Great Commission is for this process to be repeated to the ends of the earth by the Christian church. This method is extremely effective but it does come with challenges. The itinerant nature of the missionaries’ work left them dependent on the Christians, in the areas where they went, to supply their physical needs. People like Gaius were seen as faithful and word made it back to the apostles concerning their benevolence. John encouraged Gaius by reminding him that his benevolence to the missionaries made him a fellow helper in the propagation of the gospel message. It is good to know that every Christian does not have to go out into an unconverted community to spread the gospel for the message to reach every place in the world. But it is of high importance that benevolent support be given to those missionaries whose calling it is to go. Christians such as Gaius have undoubtedly always been a part of God’s plan for Christian evangelism. John had attempted to send a letter to the entire congregation but one of the local leaders in the congregation refused to allow the letter to reach the members. John identified that leader as Diotrephes. John described Diotrephes as the type of person who likes to be in charge and wants to be the boss. Diotrephes even excommunicated some of the members who attempted to help the missionaries John had sent. He showed no mercy towards the missionaries or the members of the congregation and he refused to respect the apostles who sent the missionaries. Just as there has always been Gaiuses, there will likely always be Diotrephes. Certainly there are many today. There are people who refuse to support ministry if it is not all about them. Not only will they refuse to participate in support of ministry, they will also attempt to harass others into not participating. Their pride is too much of a barrier for them to overcome. But God continues to raise up others to work together for the spread of the gospel. We thank God today that the good news of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is still reaching lost souls because there are Christians who work together for the truth. Robert C. Hudson March 25, 2015

Watch Out for Deceivers

April 26, 2015 Background Scripture: 1 John 5:6 – 12, 18 – 20; 2 John Lesson Passage: 2 John The most popular currency in the world is still the American “greenback”. More specifically, the $100 bill is the most counterfeited currency in circulation. While American Express, Visa, and Mastercard debate which card is accepted and recognized the most all over the world, all of them together take a backseat to the $100 bill. It is for this reason and others that the United States Treasury spends a lot of money on designing the $100 bill to be difficult to counterfeit. That bill has undergone many changes over the past thirty years attempting to stay ahead of the technology used for reproducing documents. Merchants who receive paper currency will often use special pens to mark them; they will examine the external markings on them, and even hold them up to the light to inspect the watermark and internal ribbon within them. All of this is done to verify that the money that has been received is genuine. Money is not the only thing subject to be counterfeited in the world. We must also watch out for those who claim to be sent from God to give us instructions. Just as counterfeiting money has been around for thousands of years, spiritual deceivers are not a new problem either. Since the dawning of the Christian Church, there have been demonic spirits sent into the world to deceive and lead astray the elect of God. John wrote his second letter to warn Christians of the deceivers that were already in the world in the first century church. Those deceivers are antichrists. They profess many things but they deny that Jesus came in the flesh. Although some may be hidden from our casual view, some are obvious and quite outspoken. Some declare money to be the beginning and end of all that is important. Their message is unashamedly a message of prosperity. Many continue to fall victim to this senseless charade because of their greed. I don’t believe Jesus wants all Christians to live in poverty but neither do I believe that Jesus suffered and died on Calvary so that his followers can all become millionaires and live in this world like there is no life after death. Christianity is much bigger than planting a seed offering of money and hoping to reap a bounty in return. The apostles’ message constantly reminded Christians of the mandate to walk in love as proof of our salvation and spiritual maturity. For Christ’s sake many became poor that the gospel message might reach the ends of the earth. Today, many Christians would rather stay in one place and have the ends of the earth brought to us with the deeds already in our name. Christianity is not about looking out for number one and every man for himself. That is a spirit of greed sown by the enemy to kill the witness of the church and shut down Jesus’ plan of evangelism. Jesus was all about lost souls and healing the broken hearted not exploiting the weak for monetary gain. Christians must take up our responsibility to try the spirit to be sure it is of God. When we encounter those who are not of God because they lack the Spirit of Christ, then we should reject that spirit as a spirit of antichrist. Watch out for deceivers. Robert C. Hudson March 12, 2015

Trust in God’s Love

April 19, 2015 Background Scripture: 1 John 4, 5 Lesson Passage: 1 John 4:13 – 21; 5:1 – 5 “Now that we found love, what are we gonna do with it?” That’s the question asked in a popular R&B song in the 1970’s. This question was asked concerning the attitude of a couple experiencing a romantic relationship. It is a reminder that sometimes we engage in pursuit without purpose. Too often we are geared up to go and get what we want and yet we are not always prepared to have it. This can be true for material things as well as people. We are living during a time when many are consumed with materialistic thinking and hoarding. Hoarding is a great example of this problem. We get something we did not need so we choose to store it. Christianity does not yield itself to the behavior of conquer and store. Christianity demands a lifestyle change among its practitioners. We live our faith. The bible admonishes us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Through sanctification we grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is possible because of God’s love for us. Jesus’ suffering and death on Calvary shows the depths of God’s love for mankind. He gave everything when he gave himself as a ransom for many. If we accept Jesus’ sacrifice as a substitute for the suffering and eternal death that we deserve, then we become the recipients of the love of God. That brings me back to the question: “Now that we found love, what are we gonna do with it?” I believe that John gives us directions we can use to answer the question. When we take a close look at John’s first letter, it is very much a description of love in action. John teaches us that the life of a Christian is a life of love. Just as we grow and mature in life, we also grow and mature in love. Mature love causes us to live in this world even as Jesus lived. When our love is mature, we look forward to being face to face with our Savior. When we share in his suffering in this world we look forward to reigning with him throughout eternity. Practical love gives us boldness in this world. Our love of God is a reaction to God’s love of us. As we walk in God’s love we share God’s love of us by loving the people of God. This love causes us to live out God’s desire for us in this life. Our standing in God through Jesus Christ gives us the confidence and assurance we need to overcome in this world. It is not our abilities but God’s power flowing through us that comes through faith. Once a person finds God’s love, they will know what to do with it. They will walk in it and allow the outworking of it to touch the lives of others. Jesus said it best when he said that he is the true vine and we are the branches. We cannot do anything without Jesus because spiritual life flows from him through us. We should trust God’s guidance in our lives. This does not imply obedience to commandments but the submissive compliance to the leading of the Spirit of Christ in us. Jesus always causes us to look at life and the circumstances in life through the lens of love. Mature Christians have learned to trust in God’s love. Robert C. Hudson March 11, 2015

Love One Another

April 12, 2015 Background Scripture: 1 John 3:11 – 24 Lesson Passage: 1 John 3:11 – 24 Our brains retrieve many things through word association. A word can cause a particular image to appear in the mind of one person and a totally different image in the mind of another. Some of this is due to the method in which we learned a language through rote memory. Yet the usage of a word can vary from one language to another depending on the method of translation. Some languages have words that convey thoughts that are not easily captured in another language through the use of a single word. I feel the need to express this whenever a discussion is going to ensue concerning the use of the word love as it is translated into English from Greek. The Grecian language uses three different words that tend to all be translated into English by using the single word love. The understanding then that is transferred from Greek to English is highly dependent on the proper context being established in the subsequent English text. In other words, when we read the English text and see the word love, then we should strive to ensure that we understand the proper context that conveys the Grecian thought. In our lesson today, John is writing about the mandate Christians are under to demonstrate love towards each other as an outward expression of the redemptive work of God in us. John declares that this message was delivered from the beginning of the Christian movement. Indeed, we see in the gospel account that Jesus taught this principle concerning love. So John is not making a progressive statement but instead giving a reminder of the basics of Christianity. Besides just using the word love, John went on to discuss how this love is demonstrated through righteous actions. From this it is clear then that John is not merely talking about an emotional response or display of affection. In fact, John spends little time discussing the emotional state of the one who expresses love to other Christians. John was writing about acting on behalf of others based solely on their need. This love is motivated externally by the needs of others. It is confirmed internally by the abiding Spirit of Christ in us. Obviously this is not a common or everyday usage of the word love in the English language. In English, love is often motivated internally by the emotions or the anticipated emotions of the one displaying or experiencing love. In English we can love people and they don’t even know it because this type of love does not have to be expressed through action. It can remain internalized. Perhaps this is why we sometimes lean on the excuse: God knows my heart! That’s internal and what we are suggesting is that we don’t have to express it externally. John’s use of the word is the exact same as the usage Jesus made of it when he gave the commandment for his followers to love one another. Jesus said that the proof the world has that we are his followers is the love we express one for another. It is good to hear that someone loves you but it is better to experience it in a tangible way. English does not require concrete proof for the existence of the emotion of love. The Greek usage of the word love that is translated in today’s lesson cannot exist without concrete proof. Robert C. Hudson March 10, 2015