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