Monday, November 30, 2015

The Sabbath Day

December 6, 2015 Background Scripture: Exodus 16:23; 20:8 – 11; 31:12 – 18; Deuteronomy 5:12 – 15; Leviticus 23:3 – 8; Matthew 12:1 – 14; Acts 13:42 Lesson Passage: Exodus 20:8 – 11; 31:12 – 16 I have met some individuals of the Seventh-day Adventists faith who argue that other Christians are living in disobedience to God relative to the commandment concerning the Sabbath Day. I also know some Christians who are not Seventh-day Adventists who claim that Sunday is the Christian’s Sabbath Day. Although I once held the latter viewpoint, today I don’t agree with either. The background scriptures of today’s lesson present some interesting biblical facts about the Sabbath Day when taken in context. The Sabbath was given as a perpetual sign of the covenant between God and Israel. It was to be a day of physical rest. The people of Israel were expected to work six days per week. But they and their servants and their livestock were all prohibited from physical labor on the Sabbath. The Sabbath Day was established as a memorial to remind Israel that they did not have the luxury of a fixed day of rest when they were slaves in Egypt. By observing the Sabbath, they were constantly reminded of God’s deliverance of them out of human bondage and they could look forward to a weekly day of rest from all labors to commemorate it. The Sabbath was to be observed and celebrated in their dwelling places or homes. This can be contrasted with what later became a gathering of Jews in the synagogues and temple for prayer and the study and discussion of scriptures and Jewish religious traditions. The gospel account further details how Jesus explained the Sabbath Day observance to the Pharisees. According to Jesus, the Sabbath was given for the benefit of the people and not to enslave the people to it. The fact that the priests were expected to work in the temple on the Sabbath and yet were held blameless is an example where the Pharisees lacked understanding of the observance. How ironic it would be to have a celebration to commemorate deliverance from slavery whereby the celebration itself would become enslaving. The first century missionaries did much of their evangelistic work on the Sabbath because they were focused on evangelizing the Jews and the Jews gathered in local synagogues on that day. The Gentiles in Asia Minor noted that the missionaries taught in the synagogue on the Sabbath Day and therefore the word spread and they gathered on the Sabbath to receive the same teachings that the Jews were receiving. Again, they were not gathering to rest or to cease from work as the commandment required. They gathered to be taught by the missionaries because that is the day the missionaries taught in the synagogues. Later, the Apostle Paul instructed local congregations to receive benevolent offerings on the first day of the week to be used for the relief of the poor Christians in Jerusalem. I don’t believe the bible prescribes what some refer to as a Christian Sabbath. But neither does the bible prescribe worship or Bible Study as the centerpiece of the Sabbath Day observance. The Sabbath was given as a Jewish “holy day” to commemorate God’s deliverance of them from human slavery in Egypt. It is to be celebrated in contrast to bondage by abstaining an entire day from any manner of work at the end of each week. Robert C. Hudson November 11, 2015

Monday, November 23, 2015

Teaching God’s Word

November 29, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 18 Lesson Passage: Acts 18:1 – 11, 18 – 21a It was under much duress that Paul carried the gospel message throughout the regions of Asia Minor. Oftentimes he was fleeing the persecution of the very Jews he was attempting to persuade by using the Old Testament scriptures in the synagogues. After he worked for a while in Athens among the Jews and the Greek philosophers, Paul traveled a short distance from Athens to Corinth. He remained in Corinth for a year and a half working in his craft as a tentmaker and reasoning in the synagogues with the Jews. Paul teamed with two Jews who had been expelled from Rome by Claudius who had ordered all Jews out of Rome. They were Aquila and his wife Priscilla. The three were brought together because they all shared in the tent making profession. Although Paul taught weekly in the synagogue, it seems as though Paul’s teaching was not directly relating to the gospel message. This can be noted when one considers the change in Paul’s approach after Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia. After their arrival, then Paul began to use the scriptures to reason with the Jews concerning Jesus. The Jews’ resistance to Paul’s new teaching focus about Jesus led Paul to denounce them and declare that he would focus his ministry on the Gentiles. Paul’s new focus got immediate results as many Corinthians believed on Jesus—including some of the synagogue leaders. Paul was directly encouraged by the Lord one night and assured by the Lord that He had many people in Corinth who would hear and accept the gospel message. Perhaps this is what encouraged Paul to remain there for a year and a half. The Jews tried to stop Paul’s work by inciting the masses and hauling Paul before the local authorities. This time, their tactics failed because the local authority refused to rule on the question concerning a person’s religious beliefs. This welcomed relief coupled with the assurance of the Lord, allowed Paul to remain there for a while and minister the word of God concerning the gospel. After a year and a half, Paul took Aquila and Priscilla and sailed to Ephesus. Paul taught in the synagogue in Ephesus as he had done in previous cities. Afterwards, he left his companions and traveled to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish feasts. I believe there is something else to be learned from today’s lesson about teaching God’s word. Paul’s teaching appears to have had a different effect on the Jews in the synagogue after the arrival of Timothy and Silas from Macedonia. Prior to their arrival, Paul was in the synagogue weekly reasoning with the Jews. But after the arrival of Timothy and Silas, Paul testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. They were offended by this and resisted such teaching to the point that Paul denounced them and declared that his ministry would then move in the direction of the Gentiles. This is a reminder about the power of Calvary’s cross. For many Jews, the cross is an offence and a stumbling block but to all who believe the gospel, it is the power of God to save us. For those who teach, we must never sell the word of God short to avoid offending someone if offending them causes them to be confronted with the only salvation God makes available to mankind. Robert C. Hudson November 11, 2015

Monday, November 16, 2015

Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens

November 22, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 17:1 – 32 Lesson Passage: Acts 17:1 – 4, 10 – 12, 22 – 25, 28 The rulers in Philippi quickly changed their attitude when they learned that Paul and his companions were Roman citizens. Perhaps the rulers were frightened because of their ill treatment of the missionaries. They demanded that the missionaries leave Philippi. Upon departure, they traveled through several towns of Macedonia and stopped in Thessalonica. Paul’s custom was to visit local Jewish synagogues. This he did in Thessalonica, Berea, and Athens. It was in this setting that Paul did his evangelistic work. He used the Old Testament writings to support his argument about Jesus being the Messiah. The Grecian men and well-established women of the regions readily accepted Paul’s teaching. Paul’s popularity became an issue of jealousy for some of the Jews in the regions. Rather than deal with their envy of Paul in a mature fashion, many of the Jews claimed to defend Caesar’s honor against Paul’s claims about Jesus being king. This argument was used to rally the local citizens against the missionaries and attack the local residents who aided them by providing room and board. One noted example of this was when they assaulted Jason, in Thessalonica, because he received the missionaries. Jason was later arrested and released. The Christian converts and sympathizers sent Paul and Silas away at night and they departed for Berea. The nobility of the Jews in Berea was noted by Luke in this historical account. Rather than jealousy, this group was curious and open to being enlightened concerning the scriptures they studied. It is to be noted that they were noble but not gullible. They freely received Paul’s teaching but studied the scriptures for themselves everyday to see if Paul’s doctrine was accurate or not. This could only happen because they understood their own doctrine of Judaism. I believe this is what Paul expected in all of the synagogues he visited. What was true then is still true today. Everyone who comes to a Bible Study is not open to being taught when they arrive for class. Some will be offended and may become hostile towards anything that is contrary to what they already believe whether it is supported by the scriptures or not. Paul experienced this hostility more than he experienced acceptance according to Luke’s record in the book of Acts. In fact, the hostile Jews of Thessalonica learned of the accepting Jews in Berea and went to Berea and incited the citizens there against the missionaries. The brethren in Berea responded by sending Paul completely out of the region—almost certainly for the sake of maintaining civil peace in Berea. The hostile Jews of Thessalonica had a complaint against Paul and his companions that many evangelists would envy today. They claimed that Paul and his companions had turned the world upside down with their doctrine. That was not completely true but rather it was the hostility of the Jews who rejected the gospel and attempted to turn the world upside down in order to maintain the status quo. Paul went on to press his argument in Athens with the devout Jews and the philosophers there. Paul confronted the Jews there because the city was overrun with idolatry. The philosophers there challenged Paul because his doctrine of the resurrection of the dead seemed too bizarre even for philosophers. The philosophers were seeking tangible facts and not faith or belief in something they could not prove for themselves. The gospel continued to spread in spite of opposition. Robert C. Hudson November 11, 2015

Monday, November 9, 2015

From Derbe to Philippi

November 15, 2015 Background Scripture: Acts 16:1 – 15 Lesson Passage: Acts 16:1 – 5, 8 – 15 The spread of the Christian faith was due in large part to the persecution of the church and her missionaries. The external persecution caused the Christians to scatter and as they went they proclaimed the good news to all who would listen and receive it. Today’s lesson highlights a different mechanism that spurred Christian propagation and that is internal disagreement among the missionaries. In our text, Paul and Silas pressed on into Asia while Barnabas and John Mark sailed to the island of Cyprus. This separation was due to the dissension between Paul and Barnabas concerning John Mark accompanying them on their planned mission back into Asia. Whether it was external persecution or internal dissension, God used it all to His glory. In Lystra, Paul and Silas met a young Christian convert named Timothy whose mother was a Jew and father was a Gentile. Since this was Paul’s second missionary trip to that area, it is quite likely that Timothy was one of the many converts from his first trip. On this trip, Paul felt compelled to add Timothy to their missionary team but first circumcised him so that the Jews there would not be offended with Timothy’s presence since much of their mission work was done in the Jewish synagogues at that time. Paul’s circumcision of Timothy is an indication that Timothy’s father was not a Jewish proselyte or the circumcision would have taken place earlier in his life. The work of Paul and his missionary team in that area and the surrounding locations strengthened the congregations that were previously established. The size of the congregations also grew as a result of their work. From Lystra, Paul continued to trace back through the cities he visited during his first missionary journey. This work was interrupted at least twice by the Holy Ghost. First when Paul wanted to go into an area that the Holy Ghost forbade them and secondly when Paul was given a vision of a cry for help from Macedonia. Paul’s vision showed a man in Macedonia requesting their help so his missionary team responded by going to Macedonia. It should be noted that Luke was part of the missionary team because he writes the account of their work in the first person plural. In other words, Luke wrote about “we” went into the region. Although the vision indicated the request came from a man, the first group they encountered was a group of women having prayer meeting on the side of the river. One of them, Lydia, received the gospel message and was baptized along with her household. For a time, her house became a haven for the missionary team in Macedonia. The leaders of the missionary team, Paul and Silas, would later suffer beatings and imprisonment before a man would emerge and be saved and that man was the keeper of the prison. Paul’s heart was set on retracing his previous missionary trail when the mission team went to Derbe but the team was diverted to Philippi by the prompting of the Holy Ghost. Robert C. Hudson October 30, 2015