A Patient, Persevering Faith

August 15, 2021 Background Scripture: Hebrews 10:19 – 39 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 10:23 – 36 The notion of religious persecution is strange for Christians living in America today. The right to religious freedom, or to be free from religion, is protected by the highest authorities in the nation. For the most part, Americans are free to believe in whomever or whatever they choose. We are also free to not believe in anything religious. We can communicate our belief by publicly declaring it, displaying it on our clothing, tattooing it on our body, or posting it on a billboard for all to see. This is not the case for some Christians living in other places around the world. This was certainly not the case for Christians living in the Middle East in the first century. In the first century, Christians faced an enormous amount of persecution from the religious and non-religious alike. They were ridiculed, beaten, incarcerated, tortured, and some were even killed. All this was because they made it known that they chose to put their faith in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation. The Christian church was under attack in the first century. How do you console a Christian who is suffering because of their faith in Jesus Christ? The writer of the letter to the Hebrew Christians in the first century addressed this issue in the passage of scripture in our lesson today. Again, many Christians of the first century were persecuted because of their religious faith. Many of them suffered and some even died at the hands of their persecutors. Some of them went into hiding and others considered renouncing their faith publicly. The writer suggested three things for the recipients of the letter to consider. First, Christians should not forget to depend on each other. Such dependence is reinforced through the local assembly of Christians. It is within the local assembly that Christians encourage each other to walk in love and continue to do good works that exemplify Christianity. Missing out on the gathering of the local church was only making the situation worse for them. The local church could strengthen them spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. There is much to be said, and appreciated, about the benefits of Christian fellowship. Secondly, the writer reminded the recipients of the letter that God is not pleased with those who are fickle in their faith. God expects Christians to always hold in high esteem the blood of Jesus Christ. This should have been especially true for the first century Christians who expected Jesus to return for the church in their lifetime. If Jesus were to return while they lived, it was worth holding on for that reason despite the persecution they were experiencing. The thought of imminent vindication and rescue by the Lord Jesus should have encouraged them. Thirdly, the writer encouraged the recipients to remember their personal testimony. When God’s revelation of Jesus Christ first became real to them, they rejoiced in their conversion experience while being treated as a public spectacle; at the same time, they experienced the true fellowship of other believers for the first time. The realness of heaven and the expectation of living there made earthly living less desirable as a thing to be grasped. They readily demonstrated this new life in Christ to other believers—including the writer of this letter. Their faith at that time was a great reward in and of itself. They started out in the right direction and were being encouraged to continue pressing on to receive the promise God made for those who do His will. A person of faith should develop patience. With patience, we can persevere. Robert C. Hudson July 29, 2021

A Necessary Faith

August 8, 2021 Background Scripture: Hebrews 11; 13:1 – 19 Lesson Passage: Hebrews 11:1 – 8, 13 – 16 Depending on the situation, some things are necessary, and some things are optional. It is important to understand the situation one finds oneself in and to clearly know what is necessary for that situation. Religion covers a broad spectrum of interests. Much of it has to do with rituals and beliefs that determine how we interact with others. Religious rituals are often well defined and clearly detail what is appropriate and what is necessary to properly conduct or participate in them. Christianity, if only considered as a religion, is very similar to other religions. That is one of the reasons Christian Evangelism can seem so difficult. Any attempt to get someone to become part of a Christian group just for the sake of belonging to the group will often fall on deaf ears. With so many religions to choose from, a person is more likely to not rush into such a decision to choose one or the other. The question is: What difference does it make? With so many religions to choose from, there is really no rush to decide about any of them. For example, let us consider church membership. For one to be a member in “good standing” of a local congregation, there are several observable behaviors often used in the determination. One is expected to be in regular attendance at gatherings at the church, be a financial supporter of that local church, and volunteer to be a part of at least one ministry within that church. Truthfully, if you do two of those three things you are likely to be considered a “member in good standing” with the local church. And by the way, you will be considered a religious person whether you think so or not. The Christian faith demands more than for a person to be religious—or a member of a local church. The Christian faith demands that a person become Christ-like—or like Jesus Christ in character and behavior. Christians should believe what Jesus believed so we can exemplify his character in our behavior. Christians should reflex the character of Jesus Christ in this world. Such behavior shouldn’t be contrived but should be the outflowing of the individual’s inward reconciliation with the person of God. One’s personal relationship with God should be the catalyst for behavior change in the world. When we were young, we tried to do well in school to please those we had a close personal relationship with. Later in life, we attempted to do well in life for the same reason. A close personal relationship with God causes a Christian to want to please God. That brings us to our topic. Our scripture for this lesson informs us that without faith it is impossible to please God. First, one must believe in the existence and spiritual essence of God. Secondly, one can only become a Christian by having faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ. This power was evidenced by Jesus’ suffering, death, and resurrection from the grave. The word of God assures us that He rewards those who diligently seek Him. This is not about being religious but being saved from eternal damnation. This is not about being in “good standing” with the local church but about being in “right standing” with God. It really doesn’t require any faith to be in “good standing” with the local church. All you need to do is what the local church members expect of you. A personal relationship with God requires much more than that and is always rewarding. Everything God requires is based on faith; nothing less and nothing more. One must have faith in God to be saved from eternal damnation. A saved person is called by God to walk, or live, by faith. Faith for a Christian is not optional; it is necessary. Robert C. Hudson July 19, 2021