Living Stones in a Spiritual Temple

August 31, 2025 Background Scripture: I Peter 2:1 -17 Lesson Passage: I Peter 2:1 - 12 The Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul had very different backgrounds prior to following Christ. Peter was a fisherman and Paul was a tentmaker. From a religious perspective, Paul was a leader of Pharisees. The bible does not reveal Peter's religious background prior to being called into ministry, other than being a Jewish layman. Both men were called into ministry by Jesus. Jesus called Peter to follow Him and become His disciple prior to His crucifixion. Paul was confronted by the risen Jesus after His crucifixion while Paul was attempting to persecute followers of Christ. Paul believed that the followers of Christ were a threat to Judaism. It seems that Christ would have communicated differently with a spiritual leader of the Jews than He would a layperson. Yet, despite their different backgrounds, Peter and Paul received the same understanding from God as it relates to God's desire for Christians. God has revealed through the Apostles of Jesus Christ His desire to live inside every Christian, and His desire to direct their affairs as they work in unison to accomplish His will in this world. Both Peter and Paul describe Christians as components of the spiritual dwelling place for God in the world. Both apostles admonished believers to live lives worthy of being called children of God. As God lives in each of us and directs our activities to accomplish His will, people in the world who don't know God will be exposed to His presence through Christians. This is one of the things Jesus accomplished through His earthly ministry prior to being crucified. In His teaching and activities, Jesus allowed others to see the work of God through Him. Jesus said to His disciples, "The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the work." Jesus kept insisting that God, the Father, was doing the miracles through Him. Jesus made Himself available through submissive prayer and obedience to God. He allowed God to accomplish His will through Him. And this is the promise Jesus made to His disciples before and after His crucifixion concerning what would happen as they yielded to the Holy Spirit who Jesus was sending to them. As they allowed the Holy Spirit to work through them, they would do greater works than Jesus! Of course they would not actually do the works, or miracles, The Holy Spirit living in them would do the works as they yielded themselves to His lordship. The entire Christian community would become the apparatus for God to work through in this world. Although we are alive, each Christian is like a single shaped stone that is used in building an earthly temple. The stones are shaped to prepare them to be used in construction rather than natural stones. Through the process of sanctification, God works in each believer to shape us and prepare us for His use. We collectively become God' s earthly, or physical, temple. This earthly temple is the body of Christ in this world. Christians are set apart by God and placed in the body of Christ to work with other Christians. As individual parts of this unique and holy entity in the world, we indeed are the physical building materials used by God. Each Christian should understand that God's temple is incomplete without us. As individual living stones, none is greater than others. The body depends on all living stones functioning to the glory of God, As the chief cornerstone of this temple, Jesus connects us with each other and to God. Knowing these things should encourage us to live out our faith in this corrupt world. By doing so, we silence the critics who don't know the Lord and glorify God in the process. This was the apostles' message. Robert C. Hudson August 7, 2025

Sacrifices of Praise

August 24, 2025 Background Scripture: Hebrews 13 - 21 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 13:9 - 21 Neither the author nor the recipients of this letter are explicitly identified in this letter. Furthermore, known authors of the other New Testament writings do not refer to this letter although they addressed many of the same concerns. However, the internal evidence within this letter is insightful. Throughout this letter, the author addresses the recipients as brethren. The author also refers to many Old Testament scriptures and teachings as though they were familiar to the recipients. It is for these reasons that many scholars believe this letter was written to Christian Jews, or Hebrews. The author of the letter did not include the words, "To the Hebrews", but the evidence within the letter alludes to it. Our Background Scripture revolves around the concept of the altar and religious sacrifices of the Levitical Law. When we use the word "sacrifice" in our society, rarely do we think of it in terms of a religious practice, We tend to think of a sacrifice as doing something we find inconvenient, or we willingly tolerate something we might find objectionable. In both cases, we believe we have made a sacrifice. However, Jews in the first century, when this letter was written, were taught to think of sacrifice as a religious act of faith. It was not a matter of inconvenience. It was a matter of making a personal connection with God. In the Law, those who brought animals to be sacrificed to God by the priest, participated in the meaning of the sacrifice by eating the meat of the animal that was killed and offered to God on the altar. They understood that their consumption of the meat that was sacrificed on the altar was their way of identifying with the animal that died on their behalf. They believed their participation in the process was their way of accepting that God had forgiven them of sin because the animal died on the altar for their sin. The priest offered the blood of the sacrifice before God in the sanctuary of the tabernacle (later the temple). Eating at the altar was both a privilege and a right that was granted to the Jewish priest. Certain body parts of the sacrifice were burned outside of Israel's encampment. The author of this epistle used the analogy of Jesus being crucified on Calvary outside of Jerusalem as a comparison, or fulfillment of God's plan. The cross on Calva1Y that bore Jesus became God's altar, and Jesus is the final sacrifice for sin. Likewise, Jesus offered His own blood to God on behalf of believers. We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus. It is for this reason Christians ought to praise God by giving thanks to Jesus' name. In other words, praise is becoming of Christians, but it should not be seen as sufficient. Christians must also do the works that are befitting of those who have been saved from eternal damnation because of Jesus' blood, Benevolent love should motivate us to meet the needs of others we encounter. In fact, benevolent love should be the lifestyle of Christians. A Christian's good works done in faith are also sacrifices to God. We should respect and follow those God has assigned as our leaders. All have sinned and come short of God's glory; all includes spiritual leaders. Despite the shortcomings of spiritual leaders, spiritual leaders must still give an account to God for those they are assigned to shepherd. Therefore, spiritual leaders need prayer and sincere eff01t from those who follow them. It is difficult enough just to give an account for oneself. Each of us must depend on God to work in us that which pleases Him. As we grow spiritually, we grow into areas of ministry God has assigned for us. As we all mature spiritually, we collectively behave as one body in Christ, Then all of us will express gratitude to God by giving thanks and offering Him the sacrifice of praise. Robert C. Hudson July 31, 2025

The Two Made One

August 17, 2025 Background Scripture: Ephesians 2:11 - 22 Lesson Passage: Ephesians 2:11 - 22 The Apostle Paul was the perfect servant of God to pen the words of today's lesson. His name was Saul, but after his encounter with Jesus, Jesus changed his name to Paul. As a Pharisee of the Pharisees, Saul had in-depth knowledge of Judaism. He was thoroughly familiar with the Levitical laws that govern the Jews as the people of God. Saul was also knowledgeable of the covenant promises God made to the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The creation of Israel as a sovereign nation was according to the covenant promise God made to Abraham. Saul became confused when the risen Jesus Christ appeared to him on the road to Damascus. Saul was traveling to find Jewish Christians and persecute them for their teachings that Saul thought was blasphemous and counter to Judaism. Jesus interrupted Saul's journey. Jesus identified Himself - but even more than that, He let Saul know that He identified with the group Saul was persecuting; it was personal for Jesus. Saul was confronted with irrefutable evidence that what the Christians proclaimed was indeed true. Jesus was crucified because the Jewish leaders rejected His claim to be the Son of God. Now, this same Jesus is risen from the dead and had interrupted Saul's effort to destroy the Christians. If Jesus was indeed risen and declaring Himself to be God, what would that mean for the covenants God made with the patriarchs? This was a major concern for Saul. If Gentiles who did not receive the Law were now being saved without the Law, what does that say about Israel who was separated in the world as the people of God? Did God abandon Israel and His promises to the patriarchs in favor of Gentiles? Saul's knowledge of Israel's history and the covenants prompted many questions for him—and Israel! As a result of questions such as these, Saul engaged in much prayer to seek God and understand what it all meant. The answer God gave Saul is the heart of this lesson: in Jesus Christ, God brings both groups, Jews and saved Gentiles, together into one new person. God had not abandoned the Jews, neither did He leave the Gentiles outside of His plan of salvation for all people. Therefore, the Jews who were separated from other nations in becoming the people of God should no longer despise the Gentiles who are being saved by God through faith. Likewise, the Gentiles, who were once without hope of salvation, should not think themselves to be more than the Jews. In fact, through Jesus Christ, the two groups must accept that they are spiritually joined together as one. This is not a matter of tolerating each other but rather seeing themselves as united together in Christ. Gentiles who are saved and Jews share a common foundation which has Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. They are both members of one household, the household of God. This one entity containing Jews and saved Gentiles is the earthly temple where the Holy Spirit lives. The theology behind this union is so profound that Paul used the analogy of the institution of marriage, as God had established it, to describe this new theology. Like marriage, this is not one plus one equal two. This is one plus one equals one. That means if one hurts, the other hurts. If one is elevated and prospers, the other is elevated and prospers. What Saul and the Jewish leaders thought was a misguided cult of Jews, was the eternal plan of God to bring salvation to mankind as He promised Abraham in His covenant. God promised Abraham that He would bless all nations through his descendant. Jesus is the human descendant of Abraham. God does not have two groups He considers His children, the Jews and the Christian church. In Jesus Christ, the two have been made one. Robert C. Hudson July 31, 2025

Our Bodies Belong to God

August 10, 2025 Background Scripture: Romans 12:1 - 21; 1 Corinthians 6:12 - 20 Lesson Passage: 1 Corinthians 6:12 - 20 I believe in the free moral agency of mankind. The book of Genesis makes that clear. Mankind is created in the image and after the likeness of God. God gives directions to His own will. He created mankind with the same ability. Adam was created by God and given the ability to make decisions, or to have a will and not to live based on his instincts. Other lifeforms in this world live and survive based on their instincts. On the other hand, mankind was not created to be independent of all. Mankind was created to be submissively dependent on God. Submission is necessary because being dependent is an act of the will of mankind. When Adam followed the guidance of the serpent, he was led away from the will of God and unintentionally became enslaved to sin. It was an act of his will to follow the serpent, but his dependency on whatever he submits to was not under his control. When sin entered this world through Adam, mankind became enslaved to sin. We are born into this world enslaved to sin and remain so unless we are delivered from it through salvation. Because of His love for mankind, God offers us salvation through the atoning death of Jesus Christ. Salvation frees mankind from the dominion of sin and death. However, we are not set free to do as we please. Salvation frees us to submit to God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation restores to us the ability to be submissively dependent on God. God purchased our souls with the blood of Jesus Christ for this purpose. For those of us who are in Christ, we belong to God. Just as we were slaves of sin when we were unsaved, we are now the servants of God because of salvation through Jesus Christ. God expresses His will to us so that we might serve Him sincerely. As slaves of sin, we sought to please our flesh in every way; sin demanded that we be disobedient to God's will. As children of God, we are admonished to serve God and not to please our flesh. This choice causes Christians to be confronted with a dilemma. Because we still live in our flesh, we still have an overwhelming desire to please our flesh. This feels natural to us because we were born this way. However, after we are saved and learn the will of God for us, we desire to please God, but it doesn't feel natural to do so. Our lesson today is a reminder that Christians are obligated to submissively serve God. Pleasing our flesh is rebellion against the will and dominion of God. We have been delivered from sin so that we can submit to God. Submission brings us under the power of the one we submit to. We were saved and spiritually joined as one body to be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives each of us a gift to use as part of the body. Some gifts are for the building up of the body, and some gifts allow the body to serve others. The use of spiritual gifts brings glory to God. When the entire body of Christians functions as one to do God's will, then are we an expression of God's image and likeness in this world. This is in accordance with God's will for humanity, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion ..." Through mankind who has been made holy, God exercises physical dominion in the physical world He created. His will is done through the creature He created for that purpose. An unsaved person cannot fulfill this purpose because of sin's dominion. Neither can saved individuals fulfill God's purpose if we rebel against God by embracing sin. Christians have a dilemma because our flesh craves sin, but our bodies belong to God. Therefore, through submission to God, we receive the help we need from the Spirit to do God's will. Robert C. Hudson July 31, 2025