Worship 24x7 At School

We’ve been studying about worship the last few weeks at our congregation, and we’ve emphasized time and again that worship is more than what we do when we gather together with our congregation. It’s more than singing songs, mouthing prayers, listening to lessons, and partaking of the Lord’s Supper – even when we do these things in complete truth and with a sincere heart. Worshipping God is something we do in how we conduct ourselves everywhere. Hebrews 13:15-16 and Romans 12:1-2 both call on us to be living sacrifices, reflecting God in our lives. In this lesson, we’re going to look at the school community and how we worship God in our conduct both as students and as parents.

Worship 24 x 7 At School

The Power of Example

The most powerful tool of worship we have as students is that of our example. We’re familiar with I Timothy 4:12 that tells us to be an example in speech, in love, in conduct, in faith, and in purity. We also know Ecclesiastes 12:1, reminding us to serve our Creator in the days of our youth. What do others see in you at school? What kind of example are you setting in front of your peers, your teachers, the custodians, instructional assistants, and anyone else with whom you interact? Does your speech, your attitude, your online conduct, your choices, your work ethic cause them to despise or respect your youth?

I Thessalonians 4:1-2 is an admonition that we know how we should be living. The fact is we just have to do it, and this includes at school. Unfortunately, parents, this applies to us too. We adults have to ask ourselves what our child’s peers see in us. Do they see parents who conduct themselves in a Christlike way? Do they see a family that puts spiritual matters before physical? Would they guess your spiritual affiliation by the conduct they see when you are at a school game, picking up or dropping off your child, when they visit your home? What do the teachers of that school see in you? The example you set will greatly inform the example your child is able to set themselves.

The Power of Choice

Right up there with the power of our example is the power of the choices we make as students and parents. My wife, when she was young, had a sign posted to her bedroom door that read, “I am the most powerful person in my life.” It served as reminder to her that she had the final say in what she let herself get drawn into. It reminded her that no friend – casual or romantic – could control her. It reminded her that no one makes her do anything, nor could any troubling external factor take control of her life.

As students, we choose who we hang out with, and I Corinthians 15:33 simply states that bad companions will drag us down. Yes, we might believe we can change someone, that we can be the example they need, but we also have to realize when the burden is becoming too heavy to bear. II Corinthians 6:14 warns against being unequally yoked with unbelievers. If our companions are dragging us away from Christ, despite our best efforts, maybe it’s time to choose different friends. Still, We can’t always choose who we’re going to be around because our classes are set by others. The teams, clubs, and arts we choose will dictate who we are around a great deal of time, but that again comes down to choice.

Coming back to parents, we need to be involved enough with our kids’ lives that we can see when something is bringing them down or influencing them in a bad way. We need to have such a relationship with our children that we can talk about such things with them and be able to offer advice and guidance. At times, we have to be able to nudge them to reach the right conclusions themselves, and we need the wisdom to know when our kids need to handle something themselves before we exert our influence. We would all do well to remember I Corinthians 10:12-13 that assures us we can overcome any struggle or temptation or discouragement laid before us. It comes down to the choices we make.

Worship in Practical Conduct 

Students

• What is your work ethic at school? How do you act when in a class you don’t want to take? Do you, as Paul instructs Ephesians 6:5-7, work as if you are serving God?
• How do you treat those you don’t like? How do you treat teachers you don’t like? Do you participate in making fun of others when your friends get going?
• How do you respond to those who are mean to you, teacher or student? Matthew 5:38-48 teaches we should never return evil for evil.
• What activities and social events are you participating in? Parties where you know there will be drinking? Dances where you know you'll feel pressured to conduct yourself in an improper way? Clubs that will perpetually take away time you should be devoting to God?

I’m not saying here that you can only have friends who are Christians. I’m not saying you are eternally lost for attending prom. I’m not saying you can’t be in band, orchestra, on the football team, in theater. What I’m saying is this, though: be careful that your choices do not make your spiritual walk unnecessarily difficult, and always remember that God comes first in your extracurriculars. There is always a way to do the right thing.

Parents

• How do we conduct ourselves around our kids’ teachers? Do they see us arguing with or undermining those teachers? How do you think that will affect their effort and behavior in class?
• Do our kids hear us badmouthing their school and their teachers at home? Again, how will this affect their attitude at school if they see a bad attitude from us?
• Do we accidentally send messages to our children that we don’t value an education by letting them miss school for reasons of convenience – maybe for vacations or other things we don’t want to schedule for personal time? If your kids see you don’t value their education, how much will they value it?
• On the other hand, do we send a message that we don’t value God because we let every practice, concert, school event, program, or big assignment take priority over worshipping God and studying from His word with our brothers and sisters?
• Are we familiar with the friends our children choose and the activities in which they participate? Do we take the time to discuss the challenges they face?

I think the biggest challenges we face as parents are those raised by our inherent protectiveness. I’ve had parents call me up, call me names, use foul language, and then end the conversation with, “Have a blessed day.” We also have to realize that we are only ever getting one side of those stories that trigger our protective instincts, and, whether they intend to do so or not, our children’s versions of events are biased for themselves. We have to be calm and Christlike in the face of school challenges, and we have to show we value their education as much as we want them to value it.

Conclusion

By the time you graduate from your senior year in high school, you will have spent at least 15,120 hours at school – that is, if you don’t start until first grade and never participate in any extracurricular events ever and your school day is only seven hours. We will come in contact with hundreds, if not thousands, of individual souls during that timespan, and every one of those souls we have a chance to bring closer to Christ. If we choose to walk in Christ’s footsteps, even if we would rather do things that would take us away from Him, and even when we are around people we don’t like, then we can worship God through our conduct in our school communities.

lesson by Robert Smelser

Professing Our Faith

Doing exactly what God desires of us – putting Him first, placing our faith and trust in Him, laying our lives wholly in His hands – has always been, and will always be challenging, to most people. It comes down to the profession of our faith in all things and around all people. In Matthew 10:24, Jesus reminds us that we should strive to be as our teacher, our master, our Lord. He then goes on in subsequent verses to speak of our confidence in our faith, time and again admonishing us to not fear, reminding us that confessing Christ before mankind leads Him to confess our names before the Father.

The Risk of Profession

It can be frightening to make ourselves into professors and confessors of our faith, for it takes adjustment in our conduct, in our attitudes, and in our speech; and some will not like this “new us” that we live in Christ. Still, Jesus says we can look past these fears to the hope we have in Him, a hope we should be willing to share with others. In I Kings 8:33, while Solomon is praying to dedicate the new temple to God, he asks that God will be forgiving to the people when they stray from His word, that He will forgive when they confess His name. He is speaking of their words, attitudes, and conduct reflecting, or professing, God’s power in their lives.

This type of profession is exactly what people were afraid to participate in for Christ’s sake during His ministry. In John 9:22, amidst pressure form the scribes and Pharisees for a healed blind man to condemn Jesus, we see the blind man’s parents fearful of the consequences associated with confessing the name of Jesus. In John 12:42, we see those, even among the rulers, who would not profess Christ because of fear. This is why, in Matthew 10, Jesus would couple confidence with our confession of faith.

The Importance of Our Profession

II Peter 3:9 explains God’s patience with us and His desire that all should repent. Likewise, in Philippians 2:10-11, while Paul describes the mindset of Christ, we see that every tongue should profess the name of Jesus. God wants all to change their lives and embrace His salvation, and He wants every person to then profess that faith in which they come to Him.

Matthew 10:32 calls on us to stand with Christ and for Him so He will stand with and for us before the Father. He calls on us to be unafraid in our profession of faith, so we will not be like those who fled from Christ when the world turned against Him. He calls on us to walk in faith and to live by faith so we may be saved by faith. Without this confidence faith, we simply begin to fall back on self and self-interest. Instead we should be aligned with Christ, exulting Him above all else.

Conclusion

How often do we have the opportunity to share our faith, to share prayer, to share thoughts from the Bible? How often do we have opportunity to demonstrate our priorities, putting God first in all things? Hebrews 3:1 calls on us to consider Jesus, the high priest of our confession. We need to be professing Christ daily; our priorities align with Christ’s; our words align with Christ’s teaching; our actions reflect His conduct. We have obligated ourselves to Him, and we should be reflecting Him in all things.

“Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.”

- Hebrews 4:14

lesson by Tim Smelser

Priorities & Time

As our lives progress, our priorities change. Different things consume our time and our interests as we transition from childhood into our teenage years into our college years into becoming husbands and wives, mothers and fathers. Over time, our focus drifts away from self and eventually upon others, on friends, on loved ones, on children, on family; and, as we grow from serving self to serving others, it helps us understand what it is to live a life of service unto God.

We reach a point in our lives when we start building a faithful foundation for another, and that, in turn, causes us to look more carefully at our own faith, how we live, how we spend our time. Ephesians 5:15-17 admonishes us to be careful with the way we walk and how we use our time, and we know our time is limited. James 4:14-15 calls our lives a vapor. It passes away quickly as do the other things of the world in I John 2:15.

Idleness Versus Diligence

Proverbs 19:21 remind us that man’s plans come and go, but God’s purpose is everlasting. He never stops to relax His work. Proverbs 6:6-11 calls on us to be like ants in our lives, not allowing laziness to creep in. Proverbs 24:30-34 warns us that poverty follows closely at the heels of inactivity. Finally, Proverbs 21:25 calls laxity a path to death, and this death is just as likely to be spiritual as physical.

Diligence is the answer to slothfulness. Proverbs 10:4-5 and 12:24-27 extol the benefits of industrious living. Chapter 13:4 says the soul of the diligent is made content, and Proverbs 4:23 calls upon us to guard our hearts with care and diligence, seeing it as our source of eternal life. This takes time, and it takes effort, but the work of diligent living drives idleness and sin from our attitudes and activities.

Diligence in Our Lives

We can work harder to be diligent in our home lives, managing our time and our priorities as a household. What kind of needs and growth do we plan for? What decisions consume the most of our time? Who do we look to for personal guidance or to guide our children? We all serve as spiritual leaders and examples in our families, and we must be diligent in how we spend our time with our families.

This diligence spills over into our work lives, in our reliability, in our career decisions, in the example we set for those around us. What kind of relationships do we build at work? What do our coworkers, our employers, our employees see in us? Christians in the workplace will look different from others, and we must be careful not to have the same priorities that the world often models for us.

God tells us we should be learning and teaching His word. II Timothy, Mark 6:15, II Timothy 4, John 13, Philippians 1 – these chapters and more contain verses reminding us that we should be spending time learning God’s word and then sharing that word with others. This affects how we spend time with out family, how we spend time with our jobs. It informs the way we behave around our family, friends, and coworkers. It should change the way we look at those around us, seeing them as those who can teach us or who need mentoring themselves.

Conclusion

It’s very easy to get bogged down in the countless details of this life, but our focus should be first and foremost upon God. Our time upon this world is short, sometimes driving us to an almost frenetic pace of living. In His sermon on the mount, though, Jesus challenges us to look beyond the rapid events of this life to look forward to eternity. How we spend our time now, the priorities we have, the activities we choose, will determine how we spend eternity.

Every day is an opportunity to focus on God and do more in His service, to grow spiritually and to help others grow spiritually. God created us for good works, and, as followers of God, His teachings should permeate every moment of our lives. Our time should be spent reflecting His grace, mercy, and goodness in our lives, putting Him first in all things and at all times.

lesson by Alan Miller

High Expectations

What do we expect of one another? What do we expect of ourselves, and what do we think God expects of us? Sometimes we grow frustrated with one another because we expect so much of each other. We can be very hard on those around us; we can be hard on our families; we can be hard on our brothers and sisters in Christ; and we can be hard on ourselves. Is the alternative, however, to simply lower expectations to avoid disappointment?

When we lower our expectations of each other and ourselves, we may decrease potential for disappointment, but God will never lower the expectations He has in us.

God’s High Expectations
I Peter 1:13 admonishes us to prepare ourselves for God’s service, and he concludes, in verse 16, that this service is to be holy as God is holy. He is our standard for righteous living. This is nothing new in God’s word either; Peter is referencing Old Testament passages in this sentiment. In Exodus 19:5-6, God prefaces the giving of His law by calling His people holy and a nation of priests. Likewise, we are to be holy in every aspect of our lives.

Romans 12:1-2 has Paul calling us living sacrifices, transformed from the world, perfected and good. Paul deals with holiness in Colossians 3:1-17 – our mindset, our morality, our behaviors, our attitudes, our identity. I Timothy 4:12 calls on us to be examples, even in youth, in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

In God’s Image
Where does this originate? In Genesis 1, God makes man after His image. He created us after His likeness. This is not a physical resemblance. We are created after His nature. Ecclesiastes 3:11 assures us God has put eternity in our hearts. See, when Satan tempts Eve by saying the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge will make her and Adam like God, he omits something – that Adam and Eve were already created to be like God. God knows what we are and what we are capable of. He has a right to expect our best from us, for He knows what we can be.

We this reflected in the sacrifices of the Old Testament where God’s people are continually expected to sacrifice the best of their crops and the best of their flocks. We see Malachi 1:6-13 criticize the people of the Levitical Code for bringing substandard sacrifices while entreating God’s mercies. Jesus touches on this concept in Matthew 5:20 where He calls on His audience to surpass the standard of righteousness to which they have become accustomed. He then address our conduct and our attitudes toward others, raising our expectations for ourselves. He concludes by saying, “You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Again, God is our standard.

In James 2, in the context of describing how faith is put into action, the author reminds us that even demons have a belief in God in verse 19. He reinforces that our faith must be one that is active, always giving our best. Then, in Hebrews 6:9, we are reminded that “we expect better things of you.” Earlier in the chapter, the author is pressing us to grow in maturity, and he warns against those who start faithful but become complacent or fall away. He states those will be cast away from God, but “we expect better things of you.”

Those Who Failed Expectations

• In II Kings 10, Jehu is a failure because he does not do all of God’s will with all of his heart. He does some, but he does not give his best.
• In Acts 15:36-41, Paul doesn’t want John Mark as a companion at this point because Paul sees him as uncommitted, as not living up to expectations.
• In Galatians 2, Paul recounts rebuking Peter for falling short in conduct toward the Gentiles.
• In Matthew 25:14, Jesus tells a parable of servants given money to invest while the master is gone. Two put their best into their investments, but one falls short of expectation, having done nothing with what he had.

Conclusion
One reason we may have high expectations for each other is that we know one another’s potential. Yes, at times, our expectations can be unrealistic or held too stringently, but high expectations can be good when we are holding each other and ourselves to the standards we know we can achieve. In our service to God, He knows our potential, and His expectations are built around that potential. Where we are content with mediocrity, God holds us to a standard of His holiness. He knows what we can be. We should see that in ourselves as well, constantly striving to do our best and give our best, to be holy as He is holy.

lesson by Tim Smelser

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

Walking Worthily of Our Calling

Salvation has location. Ephesians 1 emphasizes what we find in Christ. Terms like In Him, in the Lord Christ, in Jesus are repeated throughout the chapter, and this concept bleeds over into chapter 2. Paul explains that being in Christ constitutes a new life, emerging from the death of sin into the spiritual resurrection in Jesus. We are made alive through Him. Paul concludes chapter 2 with reconciliation to God, emphasizing the elimination of racial and carnal divisions through the cross of Christ. This leads into chapter 3, discussing this as God’s eternal purpose. Christ’s role, our reconciliation, our spiritual rebirth – all of this is God’s plan based in His love.

In this book, Paul expresses his sympathy and understanding for everything the Ephesians are facing. In these first three chapters, Paul reminds us it matters not who we are, where we come from, how old we are, our cultural background, what sins we may have committed – we all need Christ, and He is available to all. Chapters 4-6, however, change focus from God’s plan to our response to that plan. He focuses on our walk, our conduct. We once walked according to this world, but now I must change my path if I am to be a follower of Christ.

Walking Befitting Christ’s Sacrifice
Ephesians 4:1 begins with a statement to walk worthily of our calling. The first three chapters make clear the care and deliberation that went into our salvation. We should therefore be as careful and as deliberate in our own lives as Christians, as followers of Christ. In verse 22, Paul calls on us to crucify our former selves, putting on new selves created in the holiness of God’s truth. We are not to walk as the world. In this, Paul points our three important facets – walking in love, walking in light, walking carefully. This is presented in the context of Paul writing that salvation is in Christ, that salvation remakes us anew, and that His sacrifice and salvation is not an accident.

• Walking in Love – Ephesians 5:1. Are we willing to give ourselves up for one another? Our walks of love are to resemble the love God shows us. John 13:34-35, I John 4:7-11, Romans 5:8 – these recount God’s love for us is a sacrificial unconditional love even when we are unlovable. We have to put to death hatefulness and enmity to clothe ourselves in the love of Christ.
• Walking in Light – Ephesians 5:7-8. Matthew 5:14 records Jesus calling His followers a light to the world. If we claim to wear His name, we should brighten the world around us, avoiding darkness in our attitudes and conduct. Philippians 2:15 reminds us to consider the example we set in all we say and do. Wearing the name in Christ necessitates that we walk in light.
• Walk Carefully – Ephesians 5:15. Some translations say to walk circumspectly, carrying the idea of looking around carefully as we walk. We carefully consider those things we engage in and approve of, examining their benefit to our Christian lives. Proverbs 14:16, I Thessalonians 5:21 – these remind us to be careful in all we do as followers of God.

Conclusion
Paul calls us to walk wisely in light and love as response to Christ’s sacrifice for us. God shines His love on us in His deliberate and intentional plan for our salvation and reconciliation to Him. Our walk should be the same. Jesus did not die on the cross so I may live however I want – foolishly thinking that will bring me closer to Him. We should sacrifice ourselves as Christ sacrificed for us. We have a new life with new expectations and a new hope when we submit ourselves to Him and walk after His example.

lesson by Tim Smelser

You Are a Light to the World

Back in June of this year, author, marketing expert, and blogger Seth Godin wrote what is perhaps one of my favorite blog posts of all times. Here it is:

When you love the work you do and the people you do it with, you matter.

When you are so gracious and generous and aware that you think of other people before yourself, you matter.

When you leave the world a better place than you found it, you matter.

When you continue to raise the bar on what you do and how you do it, you matter.

When you teach and forgive and teach more before you rush to judge and demean, you matter.

When you touch the people in your life through your actions (and your words), you matter.

When kids grow up wanting to be you, you matter.

When you see the world as it is, but insist on making it more like it could be, you matter.

When you inspire a Nobel prize winner or a slum dweller, you matter.

When the room brightens when you walk in, you matter.

And when the legacy you leave behind lasts for hours, days or a lifetime, you matter.

It’s a simple message that I think we forget all to often – that we do, in fact, matter. We watch and read inspirational stories, fiction and nonfiction, of the huge events being influenced be the actions of a single individual. Then we sit at home and say, “That could never be me.” What we forget, though, is that it doesn’t matter that we may never be the one to turn the tide in a war, discover a cure for a terrible disease, save the planet from an asteroid.

The simple fact is, we leave footprints behind us wherever we go. We personally touch countless lives every day. Our words and our actions spread like ripples until we become the proverbial butterfly flapping its wings in Brazil, causing tornadoes in Texas. (If you don’t get that, you might want to read up on chaos theory mathematics and the butterfly effect.) Often, we don’t see our own effects on others, so we therefore assume it doesn’t exist. This leads us to conduct our lives as if it centers around ourselves, and we fail to look up and see how our choices impact others. Even if you don’t know it, you matter.

Being a Light to Others
As Christians, we should matter to the world the way Mr. Godin writes about. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls His disciples to be as salt, improving the flavor of the world around us. He calls us to be as a city on a hill, and I fear we have come to interpret this today as being loftier, more high-minded, more self-righteous than those around us; but what did a city on a hill represent to those living in Jesus’ day? That city was a place of refuge. It was safety and reassurance. Jesus goes on to say our light should shine before others in the goodness we spread. Likewise, I Peter 3:15 records the apostle Peter writing that we should be ready to answer for the hope within us. How can anyone ask about our hope if we are not spreaders of hope?

The Love You Give
The last song recorded by the Beatles, aptly named The End, contains this closing lyric: "In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make." How are you and I creating love around us? Mr. Godin says we should love our work and love those with whom we work. In the case of a Christian, our work is spreading the gospel, and we work with everyone. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus says the greatest work we can fulfill is to love God and to love those around us. In John 13:35, He says that all will know us by the love we show, and I Corinthians 13:4-7 describes the love we should give.

Continuing with some of Mr. Godin’s related points, are we gracious and generous, putting others before self? Psalm 86:15 describes the God of whom we claim to be imitators as compassionate, gracious, long-suffering, abundant in mercy. Colossians 3:12-13 says we should wear kindness, mercy, humility, and forgiveness. Do we teach forgiveness over condemnation? Jesus forgave many we might have condemned had we been walking in the First Century. Would we have rebuked His empathy, His “bleeding heart?” Remember that Jesus calls us to be like lamp-stands in Matthew 5:15? To paraphrase Mr. Godin, does our loving and kind demeanor light up the room?

Striving for Excellence
Do people see us trying to improve the world around us, or do they hear nothing more than our complaints? Are we characterized by phrases like, “These kids today…,” or, “The problem with the world today…,” or griping and complaining about those who think differently than me? Do we fill our minds with the bile and vitriol of cable news and talk radio rather than filling our minds with the good things of Philippians 4:8-9. We can be a positive influence, encouraging those around us to do better. In Luke 13:20-21, Jesus likens His kingdom – that would be us – to leaven. What does leaven do? It spreads. It changes that which it touches. We can influence those around us for the better if we, as Gandhi might say, live the change we want to see.

Striving for excellence involves a certain amount of self examination as well. II Timothy 2:15 calls on us to give diligence in our work. This carries with it the idea of persistence or carefulness, walking circumspectly, borrowing from Ephesians 5:15. Even Paul, in Philippians 3:12-15, says he is continually pressing toward his goal, never assuming he has perfected himself. If we want to change the world for the better, we must start with ourselves.

Leaving the World a Better Place
This brings us to our last point – we are capable of leaving this world a better place. Again, we may not cause seismic events of global proportions, but we can improve the world in the small things we do. Like Christ, we can inspire the great or the small in the things we say and do. In John 3, He teaches a Jewish ruler and Pharisee named Nicodemus, and, a few chapters later in John 8:3-12, we see Jesus extending mercy to a humiliated adulteress, reiterating the statement about being a light to the world after this event.

As parents, as mentors, and as teachers, we can be the person who a child wants to be when they grow up. I remember, as a teenager, people like Marcus Boone, Ben Lanius, and Kevin Stockton were heroes to me. Whose hero are you? Are we an example of like that of Timothy in I Timothy 4:12 – an example in conduct, love, and faith? Someone looks up to you. What are you showing them? Your influence may last an hour, a month, or a lifetime, but that influence matters. As Heather Darling Cortes writes, “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.


You Personally Matter to God
We matter to more than this world, however. We also matter to God. Have you ever taken verses like John 3:16 or Romans 5:10-11, substituting your name for the general nouns and pronouns? What about I Peter 5:6-7? Now, replace your name with someone else’s – perhaps your neighbor’s, a coworker’s, and family member’s. What happens if you read into those verses someone with whom you feel enmity? Do you now see them in a different light? How should that level of personalization affect your relationship with God and with others?

You matter. I matter. We matter in the ways we influence the world around us, and we matter to a God who invites us into His tender mercies. In the context of our conduct toward enemies, Jesus calls on us to show mercy like God’s in Luke 6:36. How can we, who long for God’s mercy, light, and forgiveness, neglect shining our light, showing mercy to others, teaching and demonstrating forgiveness? In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says He feels our compassion, our kindness, and our mercy when we demonstrate it to the most humble of individuals. Let us resolve to use the influence we do have in this world to be a force of goodness, knowing that we matter to others and to our Lord, and showing others that they matter just as much.

lesson by Robert Smelser

Honoring the Name We Wear

We take pride in the names we wear. Our family names serve as a form of heritage and pride. Those names earn a reputation and reflects upon others in our family. The same is true of our name as Christian. Like we can bring honor or shame to our physical family, our conduct reflects upon other Christians and on Christ, the head of our family. Some family names are honored or scorned for their places in history. What reputation are we building for our spiritual name?

In Acts 11:26, Acts 26:28, and I Peter 4:16, we find the only places where the term Christian is used in the scriptures, identifying those who are followers of Christ. It’s a name that brings great responsibility. It is part of our identity, and it defines the relationship we should have with Jesus. We should, therefore, be glorifying the name of our Father in our conduct. It’s easy to wear the name of Christian while our actions belie the claim – wearing the name for its secular benefits. We can contradict our own claims, invalidating the message of Christ, while we disregard His examples and teachings in our lives.

Wearing the Name of Christ
We cannot wear our name half-heartedly. We cannot wear this name without submitting to and following Christ’s name. It’s more than being a member of a church. Matthew 7:13-14 calls on us to be careful of our spiritual path, striving for the road chosen by few. The paths we choose can help create a good reputation or a poor one for fellow Christians. There are many names we honor, but the name of Christian is the greatest we could hope to wear. Isaiah 56:5 speaks of a name better than a family name – one that will last forever. Also, in Isaiah 62:2, the prophet says all will wear an name granted by their Lord.

We need to recognize the distinction of our spiritual name. We need to understand the meaning behind that name as those in Acts 5:41 who counted it joy to be persecuted for the sake of Christ’s name. We can never forget who we are when we are at home or when we are around others.

It is a name that is blessed when worn properly. This means we live, follow, and serve Christ in all we do. Matthew 6:33 calls on us to seek Christ first, and Matthew 7:11 reminds us that our Father blesses those who follow Him. In James 1:17, we read that all perfect gifts come from above. We are blessed among our Christian family, but the spiritual blessings, like those found in Ephesians 1:3, are the greatest. Forgiveness, redemption, the gift of the Holy Spirit, Christ’s mediation, eternal rest – these are an inheritance associated with our name that none can steal away. Jesus, in John 14:3, promises He prepares a place for those who wear come to Him.

We are taught we take Christ’s name on when we submit to His will and we continue in His word after our conversion. Taking on His name is a great responsibility; it’s a lifetime work of service. We should be servants, examples, walking the way our Savior has shown us. It takes care and responsibility as a disciple. It takes diligence to develop self control and restraining our selfish desires and impulses. Ecclesiastes 12:13 reminds us that following our God is our all.

Living to a Standard
Romans 15:1, I Corinthians 3:1, Revelation 3:15, Ephesians 4:14-16 – these verses are a sampling of those that describe the maturity toward which we should be working as Christians. There is a difference between calling ourselves Christians and acting like it. Are we living the name we wear, or do we shame the name of Christ when influenced by the world? We need to be self-reflective in our conduct – our treatment of others, our speech, our general conduct. When our real selves come out, we should be revealed to truly be Christ-like in our attitudes and the decisions we make in every setting.

Our actions can either lift up or bring down our family names. We build a reputation around ourselves, and our conduct also reflects back on Jesus. Even when we post things online, we are showing who we are and what’s important to us. We should be wearing Christ’s name with honor at all times. How would He respond to a waiter or waitress in a restaurant? How would He treat someone who cuts us off in traffic? How would He treat someone who disagrees with Him? We need to be aware of our actions in comparison to those of Jesus.

Am I involved in my service to Christ? Am I restraining from engaging negativity in the world? Am I honoring my name at all times? Do others know I am a Christ follower by the good influence I have. In Matthew 5:16, Jesus describes us as good salt, as a city on a hill, as lamp-stands in a dark house, as lights to the world. What do others see in us? What name is reflected in our words and actions? Do we honor the name we wear?

lesson by Mark Ritter

The Good Life

Right now we are facing some tough economic times in this country. Many are struggling, losing salaries, jobs,m and even homes. As a country, as communities, as families, as individuals – we have been affected. In such times, we look for “the good life,” but what defines this better life? Opinions can vary based on ideals, background, and opinions. Most will agree, though, it involves being happy, full, and free.

Solomon lived during times of prosperity and power. As king, he oversaw an expanded and wealthy Israel, but Proverbs 3:1-13 has him reminding his sons to live wisely regardless of their situations. He encourages them to lean on God more than others or themselves. He calls on them to seek spiritual wisdom over secular wisdom, and he admonishes them to honor God in their wealth and respect His reproof. In his prosperity, Solomon does not forget the Lord in his teachings.

The Spiritual Good Life
What elements do we expect to find in a good life? Here are some things the scriptures say about God’s word and its benefit on our lives.

• Long Life. We value living life to the fullest, lasting long enough to see children and grandchildren. Solomon says that following God’s laws can increase our days in Proverbs 3:2, but Deuteronomy 8:11-14 warns us against losing sight of God as time passes.
• Respect. We want those around us to like us. While human favor can be good, Luke 6:25 warns of the dangers of seeking worldly praise, but Luke 2:52 describes Jesus’ stature increasing in God’s eyes and in man’s. Proverbs 3:4 says wearing kindness and truth will bring us favor before God and man.
• Correct Decisions. Our choices define who we are and the wisdom and character others see in us. Joshua 24:15 challenges us to choose the Lord, and we see this choice in Moses’ life in Hebrews 11:24-26. These determined their paths based on their priorities. In Proverbs 3:5-7, Solomon instructs us to choose Godly wisdom to make wise decisions.
• Money. We need money, but we can fall into bad choices where money is involved. Ephesians 4:28 and I Timothy 5:8 encourage us to help others with our resources, and Proverbs 30:7-9 warns us against wanting more than we have. Philippians 4:19 ensures us that God will supply our needs, and Proverbs 3:9-10 reminds us that, if we are blessed, to remember to honor God in our blessings.
• Training. Correction properly given and corrected demonstrates care and develops wisdom and security. Proverbs 3:11-12 reminds us to accept the Lord’s correction as a child to a loving father. Revelation 3:19 says God reproves those He loves, encouraging us to repent and be zealous for Him.

Conclusion
If we are to obtain a spiritually good life, we should follow these guidelines. Regardless of our physical conditions or circumstances, we can live in and for God. We can make choices that strengthen us in Christ, that can demonstrate kindness and wisdom before others, that can bring us security and contentedness. We can be like Solomon and Joshua, remembering to seek and serve the Lord first in our lives.

lesson by Alan Miller

Now More Than Ever

John Mellancamp has a song called Now More Than Ever, and it is also a phrase we have been hearing in commercials of late. “Now, more than ever you need financial security, health care, home insurance, etc.” I’m left wondering, “Why now?” We read daily of fraud, political unrest, leader unreliability and infidelity, domestic violence, crime, and more negative news. In this context, now, more than ever, Christians need to be the light that they should be.

Time and again in God’s word, we see times when His people needed to rise to the occasion more than ever – people like Ezekiel, Jeremiah, Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and others. It is the immediate present, however, in which we feel the most urgency, and we see the need of now, more than ever. How can I make an impact, though, against such an overwhelming amount of wrongness in this world?

In the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:13, Jesus calls those who follow Him the salt of the earth and the light of the world. He likens them to a city on a hill and a lamp to guide those around us. We have a tendency to resist making waves. We want to fly under the radar, but Jesus asks what good we are if we are salt that has lost its flavor. The world will never know any other way if we are hiding our lights among the bushes.

Galatians 6:10 encourages us to do good before all, and Philippians 2:14-15 calls on us to live blamelessly, living as lights to those around us. We have multiple opportunities every day to reflect holiness and godliness. We have to be willing to share God’s goodness with those around us if we want to help the world to be a better place. Right now, murder, violence, abuse, and fraud are typical. Now, more than ever, we have the power to help these things become untypical.

lesson by Tim Smelser

How Many Commandments Are There?

Recently, I was looking at a website with a section called A Crash Course in Jewish History, and one quote from an article on the Ten Commandments caught my eye: “Because we don’t have the temple, 369 of the 613 commandments are no longer applicable today.” By the First Century, the law of Moses had been so analyzed that scholars could enumerate 613 separate laws – 365 negative/248 positive. In Matthew 22, one comes to Jesus and asks which is the greatest on these laws. In verse 37, Jesus answers with two commandments: to love God and to love our neighbors.

In Deuteronomy 4:2 begins by calling on the people of Israel to neither add to or subtract from the commandments, and, when we reach chapter 6, we come to the verse Jesus quotes regarding our love of God. Moses goes on from this command to love God to instruct the children of Israel to know the word of God as they know themselves. It can be an imposing thing to know so many laws, and I think many New Testament Christians look at the Bible the same way – as a list of do’s and don’ts. How many commandments are there that we have to keep?

Narrowing the List

In Psalm 15, David asks who will dwell with the Lord, and he reduces the law of Moses to eleven principles.

O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent? Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

He who walks blamelessly and does what is right and speaks truth in his heart;

who does not slander with his tongue and does no evil to his neighbor,

nor takes up a reproach against his friend;

in whose eyes a vile person is despised, but who honors those who fear the LORD;

who swears to his own hurt and does not change;

who does not put out his money at interest and does not take a bribe against the innocent.

He who does these things shall never be moved.

Even in these, we might find gray areas or have a hard time remembering all eleven principles. Isaiah 33:15 narrows this list down to five items – one who walks and speaks uprightly, rejects oppression, avoids bribes, does not listen to words of violence, avoids looking at evil. Taking things farther, in Micah 6:6-8, the prophet speaks of three things God looks for in His followers: to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with God.

After going from 613 to eleven to six to three, Isaiah 56:1 reduces the requirements to two basic principles. He calls on God’s people to keep justice and to do righteousness. Amos 5:4-6 calls on God’s people to seek Him, and Habakkuk 2:4 says the righteous shall live by faith. All of these come back to the same general ideas of righteousness, holiness, honesty, justice, and love. These are characteristics that are neither easy to follow, nor are they always encouraged.

The Foundation of God’s Law

I don’t think God looked at His law as 613 commandments. What He wanted and still wants from His people is holiness and uprightness. When Jesus answers the question of the greatest law in Matthew 22, He is telling His listeners to love God more than anything and to treat others the way you want to be treated. Love others even if they do not love you. Remember the Ten Commandments? The first four cover man’s relationship with God, and the rest relate to man’s relationship with his fellow man.

James 1:21 calls on us to put away wickedness and to receive God’s word into our souls, and James 2:22 tells us our faith must be living and active. Back in James 2:8, the author calls loving your neighbor as the royal law. We should respect the authority of God’s word and follow His pattern, but, in our daily lives, it can be as simple as putting God first and loving our fellow persons as ourselves. Instead of focusing on the checklist, we should be focusing on our God and those lives we touch every day.

by Tim Smelser

Known By Your Enemies

I am a movie buff. I enjoy movies that make me think, that entertain me, that inspire me, or that simply make me laugh. Recently, I got around to watching a 2005 movie called Kingdom of Heaven. In it, a Muslim prince named Nasir parts with a Christian knight by saying, “Your quality will be known among your enemies, before ever you meet them.”

What does it mean to have an enemy? Enemies oppose one’s values, one’s beliefs, or one’s very existence. Enemies can be the result of certain stands on issues, because of political or military loyalties, or for numerous more personal or for more insignificant reasons. We may have enemies of which we are unaware, or we may ourselves feel opposed to one unaware of our own feelings. Enmity happens. What, then, as Christians should we do about it?

Christian Enmity

Are we authorized by scripture to have enemies, though? The word enemy is used over 300 times in the New American Standard translation of the Bible. Most are assurance of God for protection from enemies. Some are appeals to God for that protection, and a few discuss our handling of personal enemies. In Matthew 10:22, Jesus begins discussing the fact that there will be those who oppose the apostles’ efforts. They will set themselves against the apostles and even hate them. While we should not seek to create enemies (Romans 12:18), being a disciple of Christ will result in those who oppose us.

With this in mind, how are we to conduct ourselves around those who oppose our beliefs, our values, or even our existence. Luke 6:35 calls on us to do good toward those who might be enemies, and Romans 12:20 calls on us to be charitable toward those set against us. We are not instructed to treat an enemy differently than a friend. In the sermon on the mount, Jesus calls on us to control our anger in Matthew 5:22. He goes on to instruct those around Him to avoid retaliation (Matthew 5:39) and to go as far as caring for and praying for those who are hostile toward us (Matthew 5: 43-48). It’s easy to love a friend and hate an enemy, but Jesus challenges us to love both. We should not mistreat those who mistreat us. There should be no distinction in conduct between how we treat those who stand with us versus those who stand against us.

Conclusion

We do need the courage to stand for our faith and our God. We need faith in God’s protection, and we need the strength of character to demonstrate love to those who oppose us. We need to treat them with kindness and mercy as Christ has treated us – going as far as dying on our behalf even when we were set at enmity against Him according to Romans 5:8-10. Paul never cast stones back upon those who sought to kill him. Stephen did not fight the Pharisees stoning him. Jesus did not destroy those who crucified Him. Rather, He asked for their forgiveness. We should be as merciful to those who mistreat us.

lesson by Brad Rosene

Nehemiah: The Servant Leader

Sometimes we take leadership skills from the business world and try to apply them to shepherding a flock of Christians, but these skills are often far from the type of leadership we see in the Bible. One such example we have is Nehemiah, a man who leads through service. He is one example we have of a servant leader in the Bible.

A Personally Involved Leader
In Nehemiah 1:1-11, Nehemiah hears of the state of Jerusalem, its walls, and the temple. His response to this news is to pray. He refers to himself as God’s servant, and he dedicates himself to leading God’s people as His servant. He has a clear recognition of a specific need. He is personally concerned with that need. The condition of Jerusalem drives him to tears, and these emotions drive him to action. Throughout his book, Nehemiah will display a variety of emotions, and he uses these emotions to help him lead God’s people.

Before all else, Nehemiah goes to God. He prays for the ability to help his people, and he prays for success in that endeavor. Moreover, as a leader, Nehemiah wants to be in the middle of things. He wants to help take care of these needs personally rather than step back and allow others to pick up the slack. Nehemiah recognizes that a leader needs to be personally involved.

A Rational Leader
In Nehemiah 2:1-10, Nehemiah meets with king Artaxerxes regarding his wishes. He waits rationally to approach his king, roughly four months in this text. He considers and waits for the right opportunity, and the king provides it when asking about Nehemiah’s condition. At this point, Nehemiah again prays before answering his master. He turns to God before turning to himself.

Starting in verse 8, Nehemiah outlines his plan for Jerusalem, including a timeline upon which the king can rely. He asks for letters to obtain the materials and services he needs. Clearly, Nehemiah has been planning out the details of his vision, and when the time came, he was able to give answer regarding his plans, and he trusted God’s power to help his plan come to fruition.

A Motivated Leader
Chapter 2:17-18 demonstrates the strong motivation in Nehemiah’s heart. Additionally, we do not see Nehemiah approach those in Jerusalem negatively. He does not berate them for past inaction. Rather, he pushes them toward future progress. We need to be able to move forward and press on rather than dwell on past failures if we are to lead God’s people.

With progress comes opposition, however. Sanballat and Tobaiah stand against these efforts, but Nehemiah, in chapter 2:19, stands up to this opposition and reaffirms his trust in God. Nehemiah 4:1-3 records more opposition from these individuals. They mock the Jews rebuilding the walls. Nehemiah again returns to God. He does not let the taunts tear him down nor does he personally retaliate. He goes to God, and he stays on task.

An Encouraging Leader
Nehemiah 4:10 reveals that the labor and the discouragement is taking a toll on the workers. The task seems insurmountable, and the opposition appears overwhelming. This discouragement robs people of their strength and vision. It damages their confidence and their sense of security. As Christians, we have a hope and confidence in Heaven, and we cannot give in to the various influences tearing us away from that hope.

How does Nehemiah respond to their discouragement? Starting in chapter 4:13, he unifies their efforts. In verse 14, he directs their attention toward God. In verse 15-17, he balances thoughts with actions. He makes a plan to keep everyone involved, and he determines a rallying point around hope in God in verse 20.

A Servant Leader
In Nehemiah 4:22-23, Nehemiah demonstrates that he will stand side-by-side with those he was leading in their efforts. He was servant to his earthly king, and he becomes a servant in leading the people of his true King. We are all building a structure in our own lives. Their are times when our efforts crumble and falter. There are times when we need to rebuild. We can encourage one another, be motivated to serve God and others, and be spiritual leaders like the one we seen in God’s servant Nehemiah.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Standing On the Shoulders of Giants

Back in 1990, the group Jesus Jones recorded a song called “Right Here, Right Now,” and it was reflective of a time when the world was changing. Communism was falling. The Berlin Wall was coming down. Once again, we see history being made with the inauguration of our first African-American president, and he came to this point on the shoulders of giants. J.C. Watts, Joe Lewis, Eli Whitney, Jesse Jones, Jackie Robinson, Frederick Douglas, Doug Williams, Tony Dungee and others are people have achieved milestones in African-American history.

Spiritual Giants
Spiritually, we stand on the shoulders of giants. To have an appreciation for our history, to understand those who have made our spiritual lives possible, is vital to our work as Christians. Spiritually speaking, friends and family members may have directly impacted our lives. This was true of Timothy in II Timothy 1:3 where Paul reminds the young preacher from where his faith originated. In John 1:40-41, Andrew runs to bring his brother to the Messiah. Also, in verses 43-44, Philip goes after Nathaniel. James and Jude are both physical and eventually spiritual brothers of Jesus. Perhaps a preacher or a teacher impacted our spiritual lives, men and women who have helped us develop our spiritual identities, who demonstrate faith and character we want to emulate.

We often reinforce the importance of the Restoration Movement of the early 1800s with figures such as Alex and Thomas Campbell. These emphasized the vitality of the silence of the scriptures. Before them, Barton Stone was preaching that the Bible was all that was needed and that God is not random in His salvation. Before him came John and Charles Wesley in the Reformation Movement, teaching about free will and sincere worship. Before that was John Glass who preached there was no national church and the weekly observance of the Lord’s Supper. Martin Luther preceded Glass, advocating that all believers are priests and that individuals can find salvation on their own. He believed that scripture – not the Church – is the final authority. Before Luther, John Huss opposed indulgences and encouraged the study of scripture and scripture alone.

Preceding all of these are twelve men who stand before a crowd of thousands in Acts 2. Here, Peter affirms the deity of Jesus. The apostles affirm the resurrection and preach baptism for the forgiveness of sins. Two chapters later, Peter and John claim salvation is in no name but Jesus. In Acts 5:29, facing the same prosecutors who had crucified Jesus, Peter answers them that obeying God is greater than obeying man. Stephen, in Acts 7, calls on his audience to rely on God more than their history and traditions. He states there is a difference between knowing what is right and doing what is right. Philip, in Acts 8, preaches Jesus and baptism to a governmental official from Ethiopia. Paul, Barnabas, Timothy, Titus – what they taught and what they wrote comes from God.

I Thessalonians 2:13 records Paul and II Timothy 3:16-17 both remind the readers of these letters from whom they heard God’s word, and Paul reinforces the divine source of those teachings. Those giants upon which the early Christians relied were standing on the teachings of Jesus in their work.

Shoulders to Stand Upon
We have to be the spiritual giants for future generations, speaking where God speaks and respecting His silence. Future generations of Christians will look back on us. Who will be the heroes of faith for the next generation of Christians? It has to be us. This means we cannot take the comfortable path. Those leaders of the Reformation and the Restoration knew that. They were alienated, imprisoned, exiled, burned, and put to death. We benefit from their sacrifices, and our own paths will be difficult if we are standing for what is right.

Hebrews 11 lists several heroes of faith, and chapter 12 picks up the theme, calling upon us to run our own races with endurance. He cites Jesus as the forerunner of our faith, and we must work if we are to pave roads for those who will come after us. Think about those who have influenced you spiritually. Why would they do that? We must determine that we will continue the spiritual heritage that has been handed to us. Our commitment to one another and our commitment to Christ go hand-in-hand. We are of equal importance in His eyes, and He can provide the love, patience, and endurance that will help us be heroes of faith, examples upon whom our children and grandchildren can look to as examples of faith.

sermon by Tim Smelser

Conduct Review

What do your friends say about you? We would like to think our friends and our acquaintances would have a positive or favorable picture of us. On the other hand, what would your enemies say about you? In the life of David, it is interesting how he treated and what he would say regarding his enemies – take Saul, Ishbosheth, and Abner for example.

In this lesson, we are going to focus on the life of Christ and what His peers said about Him.

Peer Reviews of Christ
In Speech: John 7:37-44. Jesus rouses some controversy with claims He makes of Himself, but the officers who were to arrest Him were struck by His speech that they could not bring him in (verses 45-46). What would be said about our speech?

• Titus 2:7-8 - Our speech is to be such that no one can speak against us.
• Peter 3:15 - The way we answer should be in an attitude of humility and godly fear.
• Ephesians 4:25,29 - We should speak truthfully, and we should edify one another with our speech.

How do others see us speak? Can these qualities be found in our speech? We need to imitate Jesus in this, so that no evil can be found in how we speak.

In Loving Conduct: John 11:35-36. Jesus’ love for His friend Lazarus was apparent to those observing Him at the grave of Lazarus.

• John 13:34-35 - Christian love is supposed to be reflective of the love Jesus demonstrated to His disciples.
• Galatians 6:9-10 - Our conduct is to be positive toward all individuals, whether or not someone is a brother or sister.

If we are cold and hostile toward one another and toward our peers, the attitude demonstrated is not love. Loving conduct is a differentiator between a Christian and the world.

In Influence: John 12:19. The Pharisees recognize that many are interested in Jesus’ message. They have been unable to disparage and defeat Him. Can we help the world follow our example in following Christ? What kind of influence do we have on others?

• Romans 1:15-17 - Paul shows an eagerness to speak with anyone regarding Christ’s gospel. He was not scared to let his light shine.
• Acts 5:28-29 - All of Jerusalem felt the influence of Christ’s gospel through the efforts of the apostles.

We should live in a way that makes others want to know more about the hope we have. Our example and our conduct should influence our peers into wanting to more about Jesus.

In Purity: John 18:37-38. Pilate simply says that he can find no fault in Christ. We sometimes have a defeatist attitude in how we approach sin, but we need to strive to obtain the example set by Christ that we should pursue sinlessness.

• I Peter 2:21-25 - Peter makes it clear that we should follow the steps of our Savior, who was found faultless in word and in deed.
• Hebrews 4:15 - Jesus example is one that we can hope to achieve. He faced temptation and overcame. So can we.

Our goal should be a life without sin. All have sinned, but we can make a decision that we can stop and sin no more.

In Relationship to God: Mark 15:39. Here, a hardened soldier comes to the realization of how Christ is related to God. We are sons of God through faith, and what do our peers see in us that reflect that relationship.

• Galatians 2:20 - Christ is to live within us as a result of our faith.
• I Peter 1:13-16 - We are obedient children to our Father, and we are to be holy as Jesus and God are holy.

Do we reflect one who is tied up with this world, or do our peers see an individual that has been born again, a child of God?

Conclusion
Our goal should be to be like Jesus, and our example, faith, and hope should be observable by our peers.

sermon by Tim Smelser

Do You Hear What I Hear?

What is it that God and the world hears from you and me? In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are in jail after casting a demon from a fortune-teller. They are placed into the inner prison and put in stocks, but the prisoners hear them singing praises to God and praying. The prisoners were listening to these individuals in similar bonds yet still glorifying God.

Songs and Prayers in a Prison

• Who Heard Them? The individuals listening to Paul and Silas are prisoners. These are not upstanding citizens. They are not even the common crowds that Jesus would have addressed. Furthermore, these prisoners are in the innermost parts of the prison. These are the political prisoners, the insurrectionists, the murders. These are most likely hardened criminals listening to these disciples. It is unlikely they were receptive of Paul and SIlas at the outset.
  
  
  
• To Whom Were They Listening? What do these prisoners think of those they are hearing? Paul and Silas are among men who had been preaching in this region for many days. Much of this time, the spirit-possessed woman had been proclaiming their inspiration of God. It is probable that the prisoners had heard of these individuals. What attitude might they have? Would they have been looking down on the “self-righteous Christians?” Would they scoff? Paul and Silas had been beaten. They had been whipped. They had been locked up in stocks. How easy it would have been for the other prisoners to take pleasure in these disciples’ troubles.
  
  
• What Did They Hear? We read that the prisoners hear praise and prayer. They do not hear Paul and Silas shouting at the authorities. They do not hear the disciples bewailing their state, feeling sorry for themselves. They do not hear Paul and Silas protesting their innocence. They do not hear these two blaming God for their situation. Instead of words of vengeance or protest, the prisoners hear prayers of trust and praise. They hear an attitude in submission and reverence to God. They hear Paul and Silas praise God in song despite their imprisonment. Do we have godly songs in our hearts and on our lips as these disciples did?

Will We Hear Their Lesson?
In a similar situation, you or I would probably have been scared to death. We might not have felt like singing, and our prayers would have been silent and desperate. This is not the first or last time, Paul faced this kind of trial, and we do not see him saying, “Enough is enough.” Instead, he turns to God time and again. Matthew 10:16 records Jesus telling His apostles they will be as sheep in the midst of wolves when they go to preach the gospel. He tells them they will be punished and betrayed, but He will be with them. In II Timothy 3:12, Paul writes that those who live godly will suffer persecution.

In these difficult circumstances, we see an example of two individuals who can still praise God. Their focus is on their Maker more than on self. Even when beaten and imprisoned, God and Christ are on their minds. Where we might think, “I just can’t do it,” they set an example. I Corinthians 2:5 and Romans 1:16 remind us that our trust should not be in ourselves but in God’s power. They sing and pray – even though it might be easier to stay quiet. Matthew 10:32 encourages us to confess the name of Jesus even when it is easier to say nothing.

In Acts 16, the results of Paul and Silas’ actions are profound. Once an earthquake opened the prison, what kept the prisoners inside? There were no earthly motivations to keep those prisoners from escaping. It had to have been the influence and example of Paul and Silas. The other result is the obedience to Christ of the jailer himself. Mark 12:37 records that people would listen to Christ gladly, and, while the prisoners may not have been listening gladly at first, the example of the disciples soften their hearts. Finally, I Peter 3:15 tells us to be ready to give an example for the hope that is within us, and, if our lives reflect Christian qualities, if those around us see and hear a good example, we will meet more receptive ears.

What does God hear from us? What does the world hear from us and see in us? We can be like Paul and Silas, influencing others to godliness because God and Christ are in our hearts and at the center of our lives.

sermon by Tim Smelser

Taming the Tongue

James 3 talks about the importance of how we use our tongues as well as the challenges and benefits of controlling our tongues. Matthew 12:33-37 reinforces this point, speaking of the quality of fruit reflecting on the tree from which it comes. Likewise, James 3 describes the impossibility of a fountain producing both good and bitter water. Both passages are emphasizing the heart and that we will be held accountable for what comes from our mouths.

Using Words for Evil or for Good
Proverbs 6:16-19 describes lying tongues, false witness, and sowing discord as things the Lord views as abomination, and all of these proceed from our mouths. Proverbs 12:18 describes our mouths as weapons. Chapter 18:6-7 describes words that cause strife and earn punishment. Our words can be a snare, and Proverbs 11:9 describes a tongue that destroys our neighbors. Chapter 16:27-28 sounds similar to James speaking of our tongues as burning fires, and Proverbs 26:20 tells us that whispers and rumors are kindling to arguments. Finally, chapter 26:22 describes these rumors as tempting morsels that will go straight to our hearts. The words linger and bring us down when they are used for sinful purposes.

Proverbs 12:18 and 12:25 describe wise words as healing and relief to those who are burdened. Proverbs 16:24 also describes how words can be used for healing, and chapter 11:9 tells us that righteous words build up and deliver. Proverbs 10:11 describes good words as a fountain of life. Our words can bring others to Christ if we use our mouths correctly. Finally, Proverbs 15:4 describes our tongues as potential trees of life. Our words can help us and others gain access to Heaven and the Tree of Life.

Wisely Using Our Tongues
In this effort, we should use honest words. Returning to Proverbs 6:16-19, these abominations directly involve dishonesty. A lying tongue, sowing doubt and discord, bearing false witness. In contrast, Proverbs 16:13 speaks of loving those who speak what is right. Wisdom uses the tongue for good, and honesty is a good place to start.

Calming words appear in Proverbs 15:1 as a means of wisely turning away wrath. Proverbs 17:27 describes one who controls his words as wise. This is someone who is not easily inflamed to a poorly considered response. He is calm and collected. Proverbs 18:13 warns us against giving an answer before we hear the whole story. Be slow to speak and swift to hear according to James 3. Finally, our words should be used appropriately. Proverbs 15:23 tells us we have the ability to share joy in what I say and how I say it. Chapter 25:11 describes our words as golden apples when spoken wisely and appropriately.

However, Proverbs 14:23 reminds us that we have to have more than words. Our actions have to reflect what we say. Proverbs 10:19-20 reminds us to live what we profess. We have to both say the right things and do the right things. In conclusion, Proverbs 18:21 reminds us that our tongues can bring both life and death. What is it you and I are spreading with our words? Do we encourage others to life, or are we condemning ourselves and others to death? Only I can choose how I will use my tongue, and only I will be held responsible for what comes from it.

sermon by Tim Smelser