Misusing Blessings

David is a very positive figure in the Old Testament, but we are familiar with a couple very significant missteps in his reign. He falls into sins that are unique to the resources and opportunities he has through his position, and we can learn much from how he falls into these sins – and ultimately how he reacts to and deals with these shortcomings.

In II Samuel 11, David remains in Jerusalem while his armies are at war. He sees Bathsheba bathing while he is up on his rooftop, sends messengers to find out who she is and bring her to him. II Samuel 24 records God’s anger in David’s insistence of conducting a census. Even Joab tries to deter David, citing the Lord’s strength over man’s. In both cases, David walks into sin. He takes negative advantage of his position, but David also maintains his relationship with God because of his reaction to the realization of his sins.

Taking Advantage of Blessings

In both of these cases, does God set David up to sin? We might say if God had never promoted David to king, he would have never had the position or resources necessary for these sins. I think we understand that blessings from God are not evil, even when those blessings open up opportunities that might lead to sin. Many of us are greatly blessed by God in so many ways, ways we may not even understand or appreciate. We can then either use those positions for good, or we can take advantage of those positions. In I Peter 5:1-5, for example, admonishes spiritual leaders to avoid taking advantage of their authority position. Also, James 3:1-2 warns in caution regarding teaching. With the opportunity to guide comes the danger of misguiding.

Galatians 5 warns against how we view our spiritual liberty in Jesus. Freedom in Christ does allow for indulgence in sin. Paul contrasts between living by the flesh and living in the spirit, and he keeps returning to the importance of love in our spiritual liberty. We are in a great position to be free in Christ, and we need to be willing to share that freedom with others rather than gloat over it. I Corinthians 8 reminds us to avoid being puffed up in our knowledge of Christ and that there will be differences in opinions and values that will not interfere with our ability to come to God. Verses 7-10 specifically address simple misunderstandings that can cause others to stumble. We should be sensitive to those.

Reconciling with God

Just like David, we will eventually take advantage of our blessings in a negative way. James 3:2 assures us that stumbling happens. How we react is what defines us. In II Samuel 12:13 and II Samuel 24:10, David acknowledges his errors. He chooses to submit to God’s judgment. He takes personal responsibility, and He puts Himself entirely in God’s hands.

God has provided us with hope and salvation, with fellowship with Him and fellow Christians. He has given us life from death and all that we have. You and I are who we are today because of Christ’s influence. Let’s use those blessings to His honor and glory and praise God in all we say and do.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Each One Reach One

Work does not get done without involvement. We can take note of a situation. We can have great attitudes, but it takes a willingness to personally involve ourselves if we are going to put those attitudes to work. However, when it comes to the effort of teaching others, we can feel intimidated. Sometimes, though, our influence can be as simple as reaching out to those we know and love and who need Christ in their lives.

Teaching By Reaching

In Mark 5, Jesus casts a legion of demons from a man, and those demons then drown a herd of pigs. The majority of townsfolk beg Jesus to leave, but the formerly possessed man begs to go with Jesus. Instead, in verses 18-20, Jesus tells him to go and tell others of what God had done for him, and the man does just that.

John 1 records John the Baptist teaching others of Christ’s coming, even pointing Jesus out in the crowd. A couple of John’s disciples begin to follow Jesus. One of these is Andrew, and between verses 41-45, these initial followers of Jesus grow the discipleship simply by inviting friends and relatives to come see Jesus.

John 4 records Jesus visiting a well, encountering a Samaritan woman. While hesitant to trust Jesus at first, the woman begins to believe Jesus is a prophet, and the conversation turns to spiritual matters. When she learns that Jesus is the Christ, she runs back into town and invites others to simply come back and see Jesus.

These individuals all recognize the importance of the message that Jesus saves. They also understand the value of sharing that message.

The Influence of Reaching Out

In any spiritual work, there are factors working for us and working against us. Bringing others to Christ is an uphill battle. Study after study has been conducted about the realities of church survival and the necessary elements for church growth. We know what we have to work on; the challenge is in involving ourselves in the work. Involvement can be as simple as reaching out.

Who do you know who needs Christ in their lives? Can you think of any neighbors, teachers, relatives, friends, fellow sports parents, or coworkers who need Jesus? The problem is that we begin to rule people out based on our opinions of them. We are a culture obsessed with profiling, but the Bible is full of examples of the last person we would expect being the strongest influences. Think again of that demon-possessed man and the Samaritan woman at the well. Think of the conversions in Acts – an Ethiopian treasurer, a Pharisee, a charlatan sorcerer, and a pagan soldier. These conversions illustrate that the gospel is, in fact, for all.

Jesus tells His disciples to look at the opportunities for reaching out in John 4:35. He speaks of the people in terms of a harvest, and Matthew 9:36-37 repeats this illustration, admitting that there are few willing to engage in this large work. The gospel is for all. We simply have to reach those around us, ruling no one out.

Reaching Out in Our Lives

There are three basic things we can do to influence those around us.

• Live it. Our examples serve as our first point of reaching others. We must practice what we preach. Others may wish to learn more about Christ because they see Him in us.
• Talk it. We need to invite again and again. “Come hear this sermon.” “Come this Sunday.” Talk about what you love about your congregation. Talk about what you’re looking forward to. Invite others to study with you, and we have to follow up.
• Practice it. We must put effort into our worship periods our Bible studies. From scripture readings, to song selection, to teaching, to individual prayers, even to punctuality – all aspects of our worship should be our best.

Conclusion

Each one can reach someone. It just takes a willingness to be involved. It starts with our commitment to be involved in the work of our Lord and the work of our congregation. Reaching out can begin with inviting friends and family and following up. It can start by making sure we reflect Christ in our lives. We often hear of the principle, “Each One Teach One,” but, before we can teach, we must first reach.

lesson by Tim Smelser

New Congregational Site

I don't have all the kinks worked out yet (and may not get all of them until I can afford better tools), but I finally uploaded a new version of the South Boone Church of Christ website.

Living Christian Joy

If a Christian from our time was transported to the First Century, how would he or she find other Christians. They would have no Internet, no pamphlets, no phone books. Would they be able to simply notice the individuals who had calmness of spirit, purpose in life, joy, and love for others. If they could find these qualities in someone then or now, chances are good they would find one who knows Christ. Do our lives reflect these qualities for others to see?

Romans 14 addresses how Christians handle personal convictions that are not addressed by scripture. In verse 16, Paul warns against letting our good works being seen negatively due to our emphasis on the physical over the spiritual. Anxiety, doubt, and guilt can crowd out the joy and peace of spirit we can have in Jesus. They hinder our ability to share Christ with those around us.

Peace of Spirit

Our Lord understands this struggle between peace and anxiety. Much of the Sermon on the Mount deals with this conflict. Matthew 6 repeatedly addresses the problem of anxiety over food, clothes, lifespans, and other everyday problems. Matthew 13:22, amidst the parable of the sower, acknowledges the draining power the cares of this world can have over our spiritual peace.

Luke 10:38 records Jesus visiting the home of Mary and Martha, and verse 40 records Martha as being distracted by her work. She is anxious and troubled about many things, but Jesus says Mary has chosen better things to worry about. Martha is drawn in multiple directions – just as we are. We worry about the economy. We worry about politics. We worry about our health. We worry about the speed of service at a restaurant. When these cares distract us from giving our best and having lives filled with peace and joy, there is a problem. The solution is in finding balance.

Balancing Our Lives

If I am to allow others to see Christ in me through my conduct, I have to find balance. Philippians 4:6 admonishes us to be anxious for nothing, rather turning to God for all things. We achieve peace in our lives when we learn to turn things over to God. Likewise, I Peter 5:6-7 encourages us to cast our anxiety on God in humility, allowing Him to lift us up. There are some things I can do, but there are other things only God can do. If we are to have peace, we have to let God do what He can.

Like there are things we cannot do, there are things we cannot know. We have doubts and worries, but John assures us throughout his first epistle that we can eliminate doubt about our spiritual state. I John 2:3-6, 3:19, 4:13, 5:13 – these verses and more assure us we can know our relationship with the Father. We can feel assured in our salvation and lose the doubt that plagues our lives.

Anxiety and doubt, however, may have a common foundation in guilt. Perhaps we have sought out God’s forgiveness, but we have not yet forgiven ourselves. In Jeremiah 31, the prophets speaks of a new covenant between God and His people, and verses 33-34 say a cornerstone of this covenant is forgiveness. God says He will forgive and forget. Isaiah 55:6 invites God’s people to call upon God in repentance for forgiveness. Thinking of the sinfulness the people of ancient Israel had descended, we ask, “How could God forgive them?” The answer is in verses 8-9: His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. He can forgive what we view as unforgivable.

Conclusion

We carry around too much guilt, anxiety, and doubt, making it impossible for anyone to discern us from those lost in worldliness. Galatians 5:22-23 reminds us what it means to walk spiritually. This is who we are to be if Christ is in our lives. Romans 15:13 encourages us to abound in the hope of our Father, a hope in which we can be assured and confidant. Philippians 3:1 and 4:4 remind us we can rejoice in our God. Finally Hebrews 12:2 calls on us to look to Jesus as our example, enduring trial after trial while remember in the joy waiting ahead.

Others should see Jesus in our conduct. We should be joyful based on the confidence we have in our relationship with our Savior. Do we have that joy? Do we have that peace? We can lay our doubts and fears aside, and we can walk in the spirit every day of our lives.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Our Gifts to God

What kind of gift do you give someone who is hard to buy for? What do you give someone who has everything? We often ask ourselves these questions when special occasions arise. There is always someone who we have no idea what to give them. How does this apply to what we return to God. Romans 6:20-32 gives us a glimpse of what God has given us and the cost He undertakes on our behalf. Much of the Bible records God’s plan to respond to and negate the effects of sin – even including coming to this world as man to be offered up as a perfect sacrifice, atoning us from sin.

It’s natural to want to give something back to One who has provided so much for us. What do we give in return? God provides all things. He created all things. What can we give Him that He doesn’t already have?

What We Can Give God

• Our Love. God does not inherently have our love, nor does He force us to give Him our love. We can choose to accept Him or reject Him. We can intellectually “love” God because we feel expected to, and Matthew 22:34 does say to love is the greatest commandment – loving God and our fellow man. THis is not a compulsive love, though. It comes from our gratitude. I John 4:19 reminds us our love is a response to His.
• Our Obedience. Just accepting God’s gift entails obedience. He gives us the ability to choose whether or not we will submit to Him. Titus 3:4-8 reminds that Christ came, not because our righteousness, but because of our inability to save ourselves. The natural reaction, the natural gift, for such sacrifice is obedience. It is a gift of appreciation.
• Our Worship. Romans 12:1 calls us living sacrifices in our worship. This can be a collective gift or an individual gift. We can show our appreciation together, offering something more substantial in our unity. It is something He wants of us that only we can provide.

Conclusion

We should be concerned that we are not selfish in the gifts we give God. We can know what He wants from us, and He gave us the best He had to offer in His gift of salvation. We should be willing to give Him our best in return, and we can be confident that He will accept our gift and appreciate our efforts when we do our best in our love, obedience, and worship. Psalm 116:12 asks what the psalmist can do to repay God’s gifts. He offers love, obedience, and sacrificial worship. He praises the Lord. What can we give God today? We can give of ourselves, offering our gift to a God who has given so much to us.

lesson by Ben Lanius