Finding and Gathering

July 30, 2023 Background Scripture: Matthew 13 :44 - 52 Lesson Passage: Matthew 13:44 - 52 "Have you understood all these things?" That's the question Jesus asked His disciples after teaching them several parables about the kingdom of heaven. They answered Him, "Yes, Lord." Of course, their behavior after those lessons indicates they did not understand "all these things", The three short parables of this lesson focus on the main objective of the disciples' future ministry, making other disciples for Christ. The first two parables are a reminder of the value of a single soul in the kingdom of heaven. In the first parable, it appears that the man accidentally stumbled upon a hidden treasure. In the second parable, a merchant went in search of an expensive pearl. In both cases, finding the treasure and the pearl brought much joy. Both the man and the merchant were willing to sell all they owned to purchase what they had found. The object's value was not diminished whether discovered accidentally or sought after diligently. The value of the object was highly esteemed in both cases. Again, they were each willing to sell all they had in exchange for the right to own the object. That gives new meaning to the statement, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." God gave all He had in exchange for the soul of the loss. I believe if God intended to save only one soul, He would have given all He had to do so. That's how valuable souls are to God! The last parable in today's lesson takes us back to the parables that were before this lesson. Here, Jesus talks about a dragnet being used to gather fish of all kinds. The dragnet takes in all types—good and bad. The catch must be sorted after the net is dragged through the sea. But even in this parable, Jesus again stresses that the sorting is done at the end of the age by the angels. When one considers these three parables in the context of the kingdom of heaven, the disciples work is about making other disciples, valuing each disciple made, and foregoing the separation of saints from sinners until the end of the age. Even then, the separating will be done by angels—and not people. These lessons seem so simple when one considers Jesus teaching them to His disciples. The difficulty is in applying the principles of these lessons to our present situations. These parables all focus on the ministry of evangelism for the kingdom of heaven. Today, we are most likely to do evangelistic work for the purpose of increasing the membership in the local church where we are rather than in the kingdom of heaven in general. What's the difference? Who is willing to reach out to sinners to persuade them to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and then be happy for them if they choose to join another congregation? We tend to be predisposed to selfishness even in ministry for the kingdom of heaven. It is easy to be content within our own small circle of influence. We know everybody and they know us. We don't mind adding others to the mix, but we prefer they join our local group and not just the kingdom in general. Furthermore, it is easy to talk about end-time separation when one doesn't have to live with bad actors in the congregation today. It is different when they will be in the congregation with us until death separates us. The kingdom of heaven today is the same kingdom of heaven as the first century. Believers today have the same responsibility as believers of the first century. We must be about our Father's business of finding and gathering souls for the kingdom of heaven. Robert C. Hudson July 22, 2023

Weeds Among the Wheat

July 23, 2023 Background Scripture: Matthew 13 :24 - 43 Lesson Passage: Matthew 13:24 - 30, 36 - 43 In today's lesson, Jesus describes the nature of the kingdom of heaven on earth. It has been said that the church has become too worldly, or to use another expression, there are too many worldly people in the church today. I will offer a different perspective based on Jesus' teachings. The local church today looks very much like the local church of the first century. The difference is people, in general, have lost their sense of modesty. In the absence of modesty, Christians are not disturbed by the public knowing the details of their moral shortcomings. And in that environment, there is no social pressure on sinners to conform to that which many Christians do not. How do we distinguish who's who? In the first century church, there was more social pressure on people to conform to certain moral standards publicly regardless of their spiritual status. How could they distinguish who was who? They relied on a person's public affirmation of their faith—as we do today. Christians sometimes sin, and sinners sometimes exhibit exceptional moral behavior. We cannot always gauge a person's spiritual condition by what we observe in their behavior. Over the years, some churches developed "Rules of Conduct" as they attempted to create a pure environment of Christians. I doubt if it ever worked. On the other hand, many Christians experienced "church hurt" when those rules were unequally, and inconsistently, applied to them. As a result, some Christians were uprooted, or run away, from congregations and some sinners continued to be rewarded with prestigious positions within the same congregations. And the church rolled on! That's where Jesus' teaching about the "Wheat and Tares" comes in. In speaking to a society that was heavily engaged in farming, Jesus used an example they could readily identify with. No one intentionally plants tares, or weeds, when they sow seed in their fields. Nevertheless, weeds typically grew among their crops. They didn't plant weeds, but year after year the weeds always appeared amid their grain. Farmers would not dare attempt to separate them because of the intermingling of their roots. They would have to destroy grain if they insisted on removing the weeds during the growing season. They were resigned to letting both grow together. At the time of harvest, the grain had developed a full head and stood out in the field. The stalks would be cut to harvest the grain without ever disturbing the roots. Anything that did not have a full head of grain on it would easily be separated at that time. Put another way, the grain would stand out because it had produced its fruit. The weeds could not produce a head of grain. Even if the grain and weeds looked similar during the growing season, the presence of fruit at harvest time distinguished them. Jesus' advice to the first century church is still relevant for us today. Jesus is the Farmer who sows good seed into the world. And while people are still sleeping, the devil sends demonically possessed people among the saints, As we all grow together, it is not easy to discern who is who. Furthermore, it is not the responsibility of the children of the kingdom to purify the field. We are to grow spiritually and be fruitful. Jesus will assign those He wishes to separate the children of the kingdom from those sown by the devil. We should not be surprised that the local church is a mixed group. But we should beware to not take it upon ourselves to determine who to separate and who to keep. The roots are so intertwined that we would create chaos and church hurt in attempting to separate one from the other. What are the roots? Whatever is held in common: family, jobs, ethnicity, community, gender, political affiliation, etc. Again, children of the kingdom are to grow spiritually and be fruitful in this season. Harvest time is coming. Robert C. Hudson July 15, 2023

The Kingdom Has Come Upon You

July 9, 2023 Background Scripture: Matthew 12:1 - 32 Lesson Passage: Matthew 12:22 - 32 Jesus demonstrated beyond doubt that He was sent by God. Even one of the Pharisees, Nicodemus, admitted privately that they knew that no man could do what Jesus did except God is with him. The Pharisees were part of an elite group that was the most learned of all Jews. In other words, they knew the history of the Jews, and were familiar with the holy writings that included the prophets. Many miracles Jesus performed were like those performed by the Jewish prophets of old. They absolutely knew what God had done through His prophets in the past. They should have had few, if any, problems accepting Jesus as a servant of God. However, I do appreciate the difficulty of jumping from believing God is with a person to believing the person truly is God in human flesh. In the Background Scripture of our lesson, the Pharisees seemed to be looking for opportunities to criticize Jesus and His works. Although they knew Jesus' works gave them plenty of proof of His affiliation with God. They accused Jesus of being used by the devil to cast out demonic spirits. A recurring theme of their criticism of Jesus was the actions of Jesus and His followers on the Sabbath day. Clearly, they saw themselves as the Sabbath police. Jesus' disciples pulled grain from the field and ate it because they were hungry on the Sabbath. Jesus healed a man's withered hand on the Sabbath day. The Pharisees considered both actions to be violations of the Divine Law concerning a person's behavior on the Sabbath. As a result of those actions, they were more determined to destroy Jesus; so, they developed a plot to do it. Jesus withdrew from around them to thwart their plans. Jesus was not looking for a confrontation with the Jewish leaders; on the contrary, He avoided it. Later, someone brought a demon-possessed person who was blind and mute to Jesus. Jesus healed him. The people in the crowds who witnessed it questioned whether Jesus was indeed the Son of David. That was one way the Jews referred to the Messiah. The Pharisees heard about the healing and attacked Jesus' work as being the work of the ruler of the demons. Jesus pointed out how unreasonable their conclusion was. Internal divisions destroy unity. Whether the unity involves kingdoms, cities, or houses. Also, some of the Pharisees' followers cast out demonic spirits and they readily accepted it as being of God. Their criticism was unequally applied, or inconsistent. Jesus reaffirmed that His presence brought the kingdom of God near those around Him. They were witnessing the very presence of the kingdom of God, and they didn't know it. They were criticizing that which was sent for their benefit. Then Jesus made a very humble statement that carried a stern warning. Anyone who attacks Jesus verbally or rejects Him will be forgiven for having done so. In fact, every sin will be forgiven when a person repents and turns to God. This reflected Jesus' humility among the Pharisees. But He also gave a very stern warning. Anyone who rejects the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. How is that so? It is only through the conviction brought by the Holy Spirit that one can be drawn to Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, and the receiving of salvation. If one rejects that conviction, there is no other way provided by God whereby we can be drawn to Jesus and saved. Even after this world is destroyed, the only way to be saved is to be convicted by the Holy Spirit, turn to Jesus, and be saved by God. This will not change in this world or the next. We should learn to recognize and appreciate the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit is evidence that the kingdom of God has come upon us. Robert C. Hudson June 29, 2023

Peace to the Nations

July 2, 2023 Background Scripture: Zechariah 9:9 - 17 Lesson Passage: Zechariah 9:9 - 13, 16, 17 Today's Lesson continues our study of some major prophecies from the Minor Prophets. Zechariah was a contemporary of Malachi and Haggai. Those three prophets had the unenviable task of ministering to the Jewish exiles who were returning to Jerusalem. Previously, this city was home to one of the wonders of the world, the Temple constructed under King Solomon's guidance. Dignitaries traveled from other countries just to see it. That walled city seemed to be the safest place in Canaan—even more so than Jericho! It was all destroyed by the Babylonian invasion. The wall around Jerusalem was breached, and the Temple and other structures were looted and then burned to the ground. The first returning exiles worked to rebuild the wall for general protection of the residents, and restoration of a Temple as a place of worship. The results fell far short of the splendor of the previous wall and buildings. Many of the exiles felt dejected and abandoned by God. God sent those three prophets at that appointed time to minister to the Jews who returned to Jerusalem after the seventy-year captivity. Even Zechariah's name was a reminder to the returning exiles. Zechariah means "The Lord Remembers". His name was a constant reminder that God remembers the plight of His people. God was going to judge the enemies of His people and God would restore His people. In the Background Scripture, Zechariah prophesied about the coming of the long-awaited King. The King would not ride into the city of Jerusalem on a steed as a mighty man-of-war prepared to lead an army. Rather, He would ride into the city in humility on a donkey. Jerusalem's King would arrive as a Man of Peace and not a Man of War. The King would usher in universal peace by destroying the instruments of war, bows and chariots. Jesus fulfilled part of that prophecy on Palm Sunday when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. He offered Himself as a Man of Peace in His first advent. As it is with much of biblical prophecy, there is a short-term and a long-term fulfillment. Jesus offered Himself as King first without bringing universal peace. In His second advent, He will destroy the instruments of war and usher in eternal peace. God promised to restore double what the Jews had lost. This is reminiscent of how God dealt with Job. After all that Job endured at the hands of Satan, God restored double for his trouble. This will be part of their ultimate deliverance that God promised them. They will be restored beyond their previous splendor. Again, God will nurture His flock with everything they have need of. There is a great expanse of time between the King' s first advent and His "yet to come" second advent. Children of God should not lose hope because of the passing of time. God has everything firmly under control. Today, we hear of wars and rumors of wars. Therefore, we can see that ultimate peace is still part of the future restoration in this world. Precious promises from God, such as the ones in this lesson, should engender hope in the children of God. No matter how bad circumstances may appear, God is still in control. God determines the ultimate outcome of all situations. And in the fulness of time, God will reveal to this world everything He gave His prophets to declare. So, we freely speak of peace to the nations of this world. Some days it may seem as though it will never happen. But if we trust God's promises, then we know that there will be peace to the nations. And the King, Jesus, will make it all possible. Robert C. Hudson June 28, 2023