Connecting in Community

April 18, 2010

Background Scripture: Matthew 5:17 – 20; 22:34 – 40
Lesson Passage: Matthew 5:17 – 20; 22:34 – 40

God is a loving and gracious father. One only need to look to the law and the prophecies that God has given over millennia to see that this is the case. The law of God was given to benefit those that put their trust in God and it is to be heeded. The word of prophecy from God was given by God to provide both precious promises as well as stern warnings to his followers. Prophecy is to be respected for it can spare those who receive it much pain and anguish in the future and it can also provide continuous hope to those who are in the midst of difficult times. Love is the fulfillment of the law of God and the basis for prophetic utterance. Early in his ministry, Jesus proclaimed his mission. Jesus did not come to destroy what God had given because it was good. Indeed, Jesus came to fulfill what God had promised. Jesus demonstrated the law of love and fulfilled the prophecy of God. Much of the word of God had been misinterpreted, misapplied, and in some cases replaced by man’s own traditions. Jesus set many things straight by demonstrating the proper interpretation and application of the word of God. It is not surprising that his greatest critics were the religious leaders who benefited personally from the abuse or ignorance of scriptures. Their supposedly superior knowledge of scripture and oral tradition had caused many of the religious leaders to become aloof and disconnected from the very people they were charged with leading. They indeed led them but they led them in the wrong direction. Jesus referred to them as blind leaders who were going in the wrong direction and leading their followers to destruction. The general population was under such condemnation by their leaders that they saw their leaders as clearly being separated from them. The title Pharisee meant separated one. They seemed to major in public display of righteous acts. Jesus demonstrated something very different. Jesus connected with the most despised of the outcasts of religious society—publicans and sinners. Jesus spent time with them in meals and conversation. He did not see them as wretched but as lost sheep. The religious leaders even accused Jesus of being unrighteous because of this. Jesus exposed the religious leaders as hypocrites because of their false righteousness. Jesus taught that righteousness does not come through shallow or empty deeds but only through faith in him. Faith in Jesus Christ is the tie that binds the community of faith together. We all come to Jesus in some sense of despair or hopelessness. We were all spiritual outcasts in one way or another. For some, even religion had become the main problem itself. But we all found the same connection—faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus demonstrated through his deeds and words that what God had provided was what the world truly needed. It is only within the community of faith that we have this connection.


Robert C. Hudson
April 7, 2010

Love Within the Community

April 11, 2010

Background Scripture: 1 John 2:7 – 17
Lesson Passage: 1 John 2:7 – 17

The one defining characteristic of Christian disciples is love among its members. This is not a conclusive statement based on observation but it is indeed from the teachings of Jesus Christ. It was Jesus who said, By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you have love one to another. Note that Jesus said that ALL men shall know because of this—not just other Christians would know but ALL men shall know. This behavior and general attitude then must be universal across the community of Christian disciples. Jesus’ statement defines the relationship among his disciples. In other words, disciples are those who commit to being followers of Christ and not just accepters of his sacrifice and grace. Disciples are indeed the community of the faithful. Our lesson today takes a passage from the first epistle or letter of John to Christian believers. This letter was sent during a time of false teaching among Christian groups. The type of false teaching that was prevalent then is known today as Gnosticism. Gnosticism is based on the false principle of evil only existing in the flesh. The teachings suggested that the spirit is entirely good and flesh or matter is entirely evil. Salvation, according to the teaching was a matter of the escape of the spirit from the body through attaining knowledge. Of course, this line of thought leads to all manner of evil. This line of thinking gives liberal license to sin because sin is only viewed as a condition of the flesh and it is not viewed as a spiritual issue of the heart. Love, on the other hand, as a characteristic of the Christian community, embodies all that is necessary to help Christians avoid sinful actions. Love is first extended wholeheartedly to God and then love is extended to one’s neighbor. It is the love within the community that causes believers to live out the perfect law of God. Jesus taught that all of the commandments are summed up in the two laws of love—the first towards God and the second towards one’s neighbor. John reminds the recipients of his letter that this is really not a new commandment but an old one. He also reminds them that this is the assurance of who they profess to be in Christ. John goes on to write that being a Christian means having love for Christians. A true believer cannot hate his brother and abide in the light or fellowship with Jesus Christ. It is love that causes us to abide in fellowship with Christ and thus with one another. Finally, John sums up the Christian’s responsibility to judge things correctly. The love of God in Christians causes us to have a different view of worldly things. What is in the world is of the world and not of God. Christians are to love the things of God and not those of the world for this world and all that pertains to it will pass away but only that and those who are of God will remain forever.


Robert C. Hudson
March 31, 2010