Nine Eleven

When looking back on the anniversary of September 11, we could look over some grand themes. We could talk about and criticize Islam in broad strokes. We could make judgments about our government response, about our current and our past presidents’ actions. We could talk about pride and security. We could talk about patriotic topics, but we may lose some simple spiritual applications in the midst of these broad strokes.

Our Focus
Are we focused on God or on self? It certainly seemed that people came together after September 11, and many people showed tendencies to turn back to God and Christ in the wake of those events. It’s really no different than the cycle we see in the children of Israel as recorded in the Old Testament, and we have to ask ourselves, “Where am I?” Am I closer to God now, or have I drifted again? Do I have the same fire for the Lord now as I did ten years ago?

Hebrews 10:19-25 talks about the type of stuff we’ll do if we are dedicated on God rather than self. Self denial is a key theme in Jesus’ teachings, and we will be holding to that confession, stirring each other up, meeting with each other, and encouraging each other if we can set aside self and focus on God and one another.

Placing the Blame
Do we blame God for September 11? Do we think such an event is God’s will, that it was a warning shot for the United States? We have to be cautious about molding events to fit in with our particular views. We have a tendency to credit God when it lines up with our own values and dismiss such events as chance at other times. Quite simply, we know that bad things happen to good people because of sin, and we should be blaming Satan for such tragedies rather than assigning God motives and actions left unrevealed to us.

Loving Terrorists
Do we really have to love a terrorist? Matthew 5:43 says:

“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Intellectually, we understand we should love our enemies, but we falter on application. Yes, we should love those who plot to hurt and kill us. We’ve all heard stories of people who’ve forgiven criminals who have wronged them or their family in some horrible way, and that is the mindset we should have. It is the attitude we see when Jesus cries for his murderers’ forgiveness while on the cross.

Conclusion
We may believe that those terrorists deserve death and eternal punishment for their actions, but the tough part is that they deserve such a fate no more than you or I in the face of our sins. We may want to satisfy our own need for vengeance, focusing on self rather than God. Romans 5:12-17 contrasts Adam and Jesus – the one who brought sin into the world and the one who removed all sin by His great sacrifice. The problem of sin is an enormous one, and only an enormous sacrifice could remove it. We have all sinned; we have all put Jesus on the cross.

Where are you with your relationship with and commitment to God? Have you grown stronger? Are you willing to love in the face of personal pain and animosity? We have a great example of commitment, love, and self sacrifice in Christ; and we know that is the example we should be following in our own lives. We don’t have to allow great events of the world to drag us away from who we should be as Christians, so let’s commit ourselves daily to be living sacrifices, to be forgiving and loving individuals, to keep everything in the perspective of God’s word, and to keep God our focus and the center of our lives.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Keeping It Real: Inner Beauty

What is real beauty? In the grocery checkout line, we have those magazines like Cosmopolitan, Elle, and Vogue where we see an idealized and artificial version of beauty. Then, on the other hand, we have those publications that try to tear down that beauty with terrible pictures and ugly stories. When it comes to God’s reality of beauty, His word deals little with outer appearances, but I Timothy 2:8-10 does talk about modest dress. In this, though, Paul is telling us to clothe ourselves in good deeds and not be distracted by our outer appearances.

I Peter 3:1-5 instructs us to have inner beauty more than outward. Our inward self should be our focus, not the attention we can draw toward ourselves with our clothes. Yes, Christ is supposed to be reflected in the way we dress – let’s not diminish that – but that is not the attention we are supposed to be seeking. We get very preoccupied with our clothes, especially in the context of worship, but we cannot let dress distract us from the true focus of our lives. God wants humble submission and does not want us to have unreasonably high attitudes of ourselves. In Leviticus 16:23-24, when the high priest entered the Holy Place, he physically clothed himself humbly, and our hearts should be so clothed in God’s service.

Clothed in Christ

Galatians 3:26-29 tells us we are clothed in Christ when we are baptized into Him. Romans 13:11-14 tells us to put aside the deeds of darkness and to clothe ourselves in Jesus Christ and the armor of light. Ephesians 4:20-24 tells us to shed our old selves and to clothe ourselves in newness, and Colossians 3 then points out specifics – ridding ourselves of anger, wrath, slander, and obscenity while putting on compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. When we are clothed in Christ, we are one. We are all wearing the same thing no matter what we have on outside.

Again, Galatians 3:26-29 reinforces that we put on the garments of Christ when we are baptized into Him. That is when we change from our clothes of sin into the garments of righteousness. Once we have those clothes, we cannot let them go out of style. We cannot become embarrassed by them. It is not a garment we take out and put away as it’s convenient. The beauty of Jesus is who we are at all times. That inward beauty should always be evident.

Christ Seen in Us

When we are clothed in Christ, then the way we treat our outer appearance and our conduct will naturally fall into line. If we are honest with ourselves, we know when we are presenting ourselves appropriately or inappropriately. It comes down to what you really want. Do you want to conform to the standards of the world, or will you conform to His standard? When other people see us, do they see Jesus?

We need to evaluate ourselves. Can others see Christ in me in how I act, in what I do, in how I present myself? Am I clothed in compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, or have I hidden Jesus in the back of my moral closet? The beauty of the world can be enticing, but our focus needs to be on our internal purity and our internal beauty. Where the magazines covers continue to show us the idealized beauty of the world, we should instead let others see the beauty of Jesus in us each and every day.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Keeping It Real: Our Money

In this lesson, we’re going to look at how God views money. What is the reality of God’s expectations for how treat the money we have? To many of us, our money can become everything. Think about it – when we lose our jobs or financial disaster strikes, we may say, “I’ve lost everything,” but the truth is we haven’t. Yes, we’ve lost things that make us feel secure in our lives, but we have not lost the reality of God’s salvation. We have to remember that our finances are not, in fact, everything.

A Different Priority

In Matthew 6:19, Jesus says:

Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

If we’re dedicated to accumulating and building up stuff, we’re setting ourselves up to fail. It cannot last. I Timothy 6:5-7 reminds us that we enter the world with nothing and can take nothing with us while criticizing those who look to religion as a financial opportunity. Paul goes on to call greed the root of all evil.

Laying Up Treasure with Treasure

So what should we be doing with our money? How can we lay up treasure in Heaven with the treasures of this world? Paul tells us providing for our family is important in I Timothy 5:8. II Thessalonians 3:6-11 talks about encouraging one another to avoid idleness in providing for our own. Also, Acts 2:42-47 and Acts 4:32 show Christians not just taking care of their own families; they took care of each other too, giving up things we have a hard time imagining to help each other out.

Even beyond using our resources to care for our families and our fellow Christians, we should be looking out for the poor and needy. There are about a hundred passages in the Bible about providing for the poor. Matthew 25:31-46 drives this point home, showing Jesus judging His disciples by the way they gave of themselves to those in need. Matthew 6:1-4, though, talks about our motivation in our generosity; not for praise or attention but simply because it is the right thing to do. Like the rich young ruler, though, we sometimes find this tough because we don’t want to lose “everything.”

Content with God’s Grace

What attitude do we have about our money, our financial security, about our generosity, about our giving? In no part of our lives does God want a portion of our dedication. As Christians, we know we should not be selfish with our time or with our effort, so why do we think it’s okay to be so selfish with our money? We know we are living sacrifices, and that we entirely belong to God, so we have to realize that if we are God’s, then all that we have is also His.

Think about that first sin in the garden, Eve being enticed by the serpent. Satan is promising her more than God has given her. He tells her, “You deserve more,” and he does the same to us today. He entices us away from investing in treasures in Heaven, and he drives us to focus on ourselves instead of others.

We need to think about our spending priorities. We need to search out opportunities to give of ourselves – to the poor, to missionaries, to those with an immediate need – keeping a humble spirit in our giving. And we need to realize that the things of this world are not everything. This is not our reality. God is, and we have to be willing to turn away from the priorities of this world and turn toward those we see in God’s word.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Service God Deserves

Jeremiah 2 records God remembering Judah’s former faithfulness and their slow descent into idolatry. In verse 5, God asks, “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me…?” In other words, God wants to know what He had done to deserve the service, or lack thereof, He was receiving from then. We have to ask ourselves the same thing. When God looks down upon us, does He wonder why we have traveled so far from Him? Or can He look upon us and say, “Well done, my good and faithful servant?”

Seeking the Lord
In verses 6-8 of Jeremiah 2, we see one reason the people strayed from Him. They simply ceased seeking Him. Matthew 6:33 concludes Jesus’ thoughts about the cares of this world with this thought: “Seek first the kingdom of God.” Colossians 3:1-4 calls on us to die to the cares of this life and set our minds on things above. Simply put, God needs to come before everything else. He comes first, and everything else is just details – the demands of our jobs, the interests we wish to pursue, many of the things we think we need. Jesus promises us that God will look out for us; we should therefore be seeking Him before all things.

Fellowship with Our Spiritual Family
Jeremiah 5:26 and Jeremiah 7:1 both begin passages that call upon God’s people to reform their ways, to cease oppression, to be just, and to care for those in need. We so often limit our charity to our fellow Christians, but it is more than that. Now Colossians 3:12-14 clearly outlines how Christians are supposed to treat each other. We are to be meek, humble, patient, forgiving, and loving. Galatians 5:13-15 warns us against looking for problems, and Galatians 6:1-3 calls on us to bear each others' burdens and to look upon our brothers and sisters in Christ with compassion and gentleness. There are times when we will need to help each other through problems, and there are other times when we might be the ones in need of help. In all that we do, others come first. The days of putting ourselves first passed when we became living sacrifices to God.

A Perfect Sacrifice
Malachi 1:6-8 speaks to the people neglecting the glory and honor due God. They dishonored Him in their service. They were superficially spiritual, and we are too often guilty of the same thing. We come into worship, overly worried about how long certain acts of worship will take. Our minds are elsewhere while singing His praises. Back in Malachi 1, God decries imperfect sacrifices vowed to Him. We have promised Him our lives. We have promised to give Him the best, and that service continues whether we are within the walls of our meeting place or we are out in the world. Colossians 3:5 asks us to put away the material idolatry and blemishes in our own lives. When we vow to give our lives to Christ, we become a changed person, and we must be diligent to maintain that new perfection of spirit. This applies in worship, in how we treat our families, in how we conduct ourselves at work, in the way we treat others, in everything we do and everywhere we go.

Romans 5:5-10 reminds us of the hope we have because of the great sacrifice made for us. God gave us His best. When He looks down on us, does He see us giving our best in return? Do we present ourselves as living sacrifices, or does He ask Himself why we have gone so far from Him?

lesson by Kent Ward

Esau's Calamity

In Jeremiah 41, we are in the middle of God affirming His sovereignty over all nations, and He is proclaiming judgment upon various Gentile nations. During the prophecy against Edom, God, in verse 8, speaks of the “calamity of Esau.” It is from Esau that the nation of Edom descended, and it is a calamity like his own that befalls the nation. What is this calamity of Esau?

In Genesis 25:23, the Lord tells Rebecca that she had two nations struggling within her, and that the older would serve the younger. This prophecy begins to gain form in verses 27-34 when Esau sells his birthright to Jacob in exchange for physical sustenance. In this, verse 27 says Esau despised his birthright.

Rejecting His Birthright

God sees this event as a calamity in Esau’s life.

• Esau despised his birthright. Not only was Esau rejecting all of the material blessings of the birthright, but he was also rejecting God’s promises to Abraham and Isaac.
• Esau had the wrong priorities. Jacob and Esau were old enough to understand what the promises of that birthright meant. He was old enough to understand the import of those words, but he saw those as doing him no good in the face of immediate hunger.
• Esau repented too late. Hebrews 12:15-17 speaks to this, that Esau could never recapture what he had lost, having recognized the significance too late.

Avoiding Our Own Calamity

There are lessons for us in the life of Esau. We cannot be guilty of the same errors made by this man. Esau had, through his birthright, a spiritual heritage, and we also have a great spiritual heritage in Jesus Christ. We are part of a spiritual family that goes all the way back to the cross and God’s plan for our salvation. In Hebrews 11:39-40, as the author wraps up example after example of great faith, we are told that what we have in Christ completes their heritage.

III John 4 records John calling those with whom he has shared the gospel as spiritual children. They are our spiritual forefathers, and we fulfill those promises in which they had faith. When we reject that heritage, we affect not only ourselves but those who will come after us, those who will not know of God’s promises because we rejected them. We cannot and must not view God’s birthright as common or disposable.

We must also avoid Esau’s priorities. Colossians 3:1-2 and Matthew 6:19 call on us to set our minds on the things above because the things of this life do not last. How long did Esau’s bowl of stew last him? How long was it until he was hungry again? I Peter 1:5-9 calls us to work on our spiritual growth and to avoid being nearsighted, forgetting what is truly important. So much in this life can crowd out our spiritual heritage, but how much of it will benefit us eternally as God’s gifts will?

Finally, we cannot wait too long to accept God’s gifts. In Luke 16:19-31, Jesus speaks of a rich man who waited too long until nothing more could be done for him. Felix, in Acts 24:25, wanted to wait until a more convenient time, and King Agrippa, a couple of chapters later, says he was “almost” persuaded to respond to the message of Christ. Matthew 25:41, after a parable of unprepared wedding guests, warns of the consequences of waiting until it is too late. We have a strong tendency to put things off, but we cannot procrastinate accepting our spiritual heritage.

Conclusion

In contrast to all of this, Luke 17 tells a parable of another child who wastes his birthright. In contrast to Esau, this prodigal son came to recognize the worth of what he had lost. He realigned his priorities, and he returned to his father for forgiveness and restoration. Who will we be more like? Will we fall into the calamity of Esau, or will we avert disaster by humbly coming to God and accepting the heritage and birthright offered by His grace?

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

Value of a Soul

We value things like our health, our jobs, our friends and families, but, when we experience something that shakes our foundation, sometimes circumstances force us to step back and look at what matters beyond the things of this life. While jobs, relationships, and even health are important in life, it is not these things God values the most. For a snapshot of what God views as important, look no further than Luke 12:13 where one comes to Jesus, demanding that his brother rightfully split their inheritance. Jesus responds by telling a parable of one who laid his trust in the things of this world while making no provisions for his soul. In verse 21, Jesus admonishes that people should strive to be rich toward God.

What God treasures the most for and about us is our souls. In the parable, the wealthy man seems to think he has provided for his soul by amassing sustenance for many years, but God then uses that same term to demonstrate his spiritual unhealthiness. While this man had provided for himself for a time, only God can make provisions for eternity.

The Worth of a Soul

Why does God place so much emphasis on our souls? For one thing, it is something singularly unique. We can change jobs; relationships come and go; health fluctuates; but we only get one soul, and no one else can affect our souls. He has invested a great deal in providing for and saving our souls, and God has paid an incredible price for our souls. When it came to our creation, God granted us a part of Him, making us in His image, giving us eternal souls. In Matthew 16:24, Jesus is speaking to the worth of our souls, and verses 26-27 asks what could possibly be more valuable than our souls. We are quick to chastise Esau for selling out his physical birthright, but are we any better when we sell out our spiritual birthright for the things of this world? We have, within us, a part of God that He values immensely. We should value it as much.

God is patient regarding our souls. In II Peter 2:5, Peter calls Noah a preacher of righteousness, and that is exactly what he was during the century in which he built the ark. II Peter 3:8, then, reminds us that God counts time differently than us, that He is patient, waiting for all to come to repentance. In the days of Noah, God waited 120 years for a small number to respond to His salvation. Every soul that is saved matters greatly to our God.

This soul salvation comes at a great price. John 3:16 beautifully sums up the love it took for God to provide for the saving of our souls. Romans 3:23 reminds us that we have all hurt our souls with sin, but the following verses assure that Christ took those injuries for our sake, rising up as a propitiation for our sins. The beginning of Romans 5 tells us we can, in no way, be worthy of that sacrifice, but God’s great love provided it anyway. What does it take to save our souls? It takes the ultimate sacrifice of one spotless and pure from sin.

The Value of One

In Luke 15, Jesus tells three parables in a row, each illustrating the value God places in saving one soul. Likewise, do we value the souls of those we know and love? Are we making sure we are providing for their eternal needs while we strive to provide for the physical? Are we teaching what is truly valuable to God?

Isaiah 52, one of the four servant psalms written by this prophet, records God calling on His people to come out of sin, looking to that suffering servant for guidance and salvation. Rather than looking to ourselves, our relationships, our health, and our possessions in measuring our fulfillment in this life, we should be looking to the needs of our souls. Only in God can we find provision for our eternal needs and rely on Him to save our souls where we cannot.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Will Work for Peace

What is it we work for the most in this life? For what do we plan and strive? What do we consider our life’s greatest pursuit? Perhaps we’re trying to be successful at work, trying to get that next kudos, striving for that next promotion. We may simply be working for the money. We might work to win arguments, wanting others to see our way, not understanding why others don’t want to see things the way I do. We might be working to protect others from harm. We might be fighting to protect liberties and freedoms as we see them. We might pursue the best sale we can find, or we could simply be working to put the next meal on the table.

Some of these pursuits are more noble than others. Some are born of greater necessity than others. I’d like to encourage us, though, to look at something else, something we think we value but often shunt aside for these other reasons, something we let get lost in the shuffle of our lives, and something upon which Jesus and His disciples placed a heavy emphasis. We should all be working for peace.

Will Work for Peace (Edited)

View more presentations from Robert Smelser.

Peace and the New Testament Christian

The story of peace under the New Covenant finds its roots in the Old. In speaking of God’s new kingdom in Isaiah 2:4, the prophet says that those who come to His mountain of worship will craft their implements of war into those of agriculture. He says they will no longer seek war between physical kingdoms and that they will learn war no more. Then, near the end of Jesus’ ministry in John 14:27, Jesus says to His disciples that He leaves them peace, and that this peace is beyond anything we can obtain in this word.

New Testament writers go on to emphasize peace time and again in their writings. In Romans 8:6 tells us that setting our minds on spiritual things brings forth life and peace, and Romans 14:9 tells us to pursue things that make for peace. In Ephesians 2:17, Paul says Jesus’ gospel is one of peace, and, in chapter 4:3 of the same book, we are told to be eager to maintain peace. II Timothy 2:22 also tells us to pursue peace as much as we would righteousness, faith, and love. Finally, I Peter 3:11 tells us to seek and pursue peace.

Despite the divisive nature God’s word can have (see Matthew 10:34), we cannot discount the fact that we are supposed to be peaceful and peaceable people. We serve the God of peace. We follow after the King of Peace (Hebrews 7:2). Just as we are to emulate God’s holiness, I believe we should be demonstrating His peace in our attitudes and in our conduct.

The Work of Peace

Peace is not something that is inactive. It is more than simply laying our physical and metaphorical arms down. Peace takes work. It takes effort. We’ve seen verbs in the previous verses such as “pursue,” “strive for,” “seek,” and “maintain.” It takes sustained effort to do these things. Contrary to popular punditry, peace takes effort. Take a look at Hebrews 12:14, the verse starts with “Follow peace” (NKJV), but the Greek word translates as “follow” there is διώκω (diṓkō), meaning to strive after, to pursue. Quite literally, the word could be translated, “to flee toward.” We are supposed to be actively fleeing toward peace.

The easy road is to attack to dehumanize, to engage, to argue, to express ourselves loudly or inconsiderately, to threaten, to slander in email or on the Internet, to let anger usurp reason. It takes little effort to release our bottled up energies and spend them on causes or arguments that do nothing to promote peace or the word of God. These negative outlets of our energy are not helping. Instead, we should be dedicating our energies to working for peace. It’s easy to retaliate when we feel wronged or affronted, but, as Mohandas Gandhi might say, “An eye for an eye will make the whole world blind.” If we seek to correct violence with violence, where will the cycle end? It’s one thing to learn not to hit; it’s entirely another to learn not to hit back.

Harder is to swallow our injured pride and move on. Harder still is living peaceably toward those with whom we feel animosity. This is not a passive exercise. The peace of God requires active engagement. Remember the points Jesus was making during the sermon on the mount in Luke 6:27-36. Do we think those are hypotheticals? Do we think there are situations in which these do not apply?

Also, keep in mind the parable of the good Samaritan. Think of the nasty political, racial, cultural, and religious divisions that are in the world today. Think of a name that makes your stomach turn. Think of a group that always makes your blood boil, always makes you want to shout at the TV, or post angry Facebook updates. That’s how many Jews and Samaritans felt toward each other, but the Samaritan shelves those prejudices to meekly practice peace. When things get tough, the tough get meek. And it takes a tough person to get meek because being meek in our culture is tough work.

What Will You Work For?

We sometimes sing a song called “Instruments of Your Peace,” but do we really man it? The song invokes God’s love to overcome hatred, and I don’t think it only means when hatred is directed toward you or me. In it we sing of putting away pride and prejudice, of shelving personal judgments, of bearing the grief and trials of others. We’re good at being peaceful towards those who agree with us in all things, but what of those that don’t? Can we put away our judgments, our prejudices, and our pride to share the peace of God with them.

We’ve studied before that we must go to the extreme in our faith, in our love, and in our obedience to God’s word. We must feel no differently toward peace. We should be aggressively peaceful. Strive for peace. Pursue peace. Maintain peace. Seek after peace. Work for peace. In all things, let our lives be characterized by peacefulness, and let all who meet us see us as a peaceable people. It takes effort. It takes work. It takes a tough sense of inner security and balance, but we can characterize our lives with peace.

lesson by Robert Smelser

The Battle of Personal Evangelism

II Timothy 2:2 records Paul encouraging Timothy to teach others who would then go on to spread that teaching themselves. He goes on to warn Timothy from becoming entangled in the affairs of this world while pursuing the work of the Lord. I Timothy 6:12 calls on us to fight the good fight of faith, and Ephesians 6:10 encourages us to be strong in the Lord, for our struggles are not against physical enemies but rather against the spiritual evil opposing us.

What battles do we engage in on a daily basis? We should be fighting for our souls and for the souls of those around us. These passages we just looked at all contain military imagery, and the inspired writers direct us to view our attention to a specific conflict. This is the challenge of personal evangelism, protecting our own souls or winning others over to the cause of Christ. Our fighting is against the influences of sin in our own lives and in the lives of others.

Preparing for Evangelical Warfare

We must never lose sight of that which is at stake in our battle – souls. How, then, do we prepare for spiritual warfare? Ephesians 6 describes armaments we have available to us for these battles.

Our only weapon is the sword of the spirit, the good news of the gospel. In I Timothy 1:18, Paul encourages Timothy to wage good warfare by the sound doctrine and the gospel he holds up in the preceding verses. Also, Romans 1:16 proclaims a lack of shame in this gospel, calling it God’s power to save, and II Corinthians 10:3-5 again asserts that our efforts are not against physical enemies but rather against arguments and attitudes that oppose Christ. The gospel message is the only force we should be wielding against such opposition.

I John 4:4 reminds us that those of God have overcome the world. Greater is He who in us than he who is in the world. Paul, in Philippians 4:13, reminds us that nothing is impossible for us in Christ. God’s will for us is to overcome our spiritual enemy. Compromising never accomplishes God’s will. If we truly believe He is with us, nothing can stop our spiritual progress.

Victory in the Gospel Message

• We need to let our lights shine. In Matthew 5:13, Jesus warns us against losing our savor in our role as the salt of Earth. He reminds us not to cover our light among others. Then, Philippians 2:14-16 reminds us that our light cannot shine if we are not living and practicing the word of life.
• We must also abstain from submitting to the desires of our body. I Peter 2:10-11 says exactly that. Jesus, during His life, asks the multitudes what it is worth for a man to fulfill his every desire but lose his own souls. Our bodies are temples of God, bought with a price so we can glorify God while in these bodies.
• We should be walking in wisdom. Colossians 4:5-6 says we do this so we may know how to give an answer to anyone with whom we come in contact. Philippians 4:8 then calls on us to dwell on virtuous and pure things.
• We have to remove self and enthrone Christ. I Peter 3:15 calls on us to sanctify Christ in our lives, and Galatians 2:20 reminds us that we crucified self when we let Christ into our lives.

We cannot overcome these spiritual battles through compromising ourselves. We must let our lights shine, control our conduct, walk in wisdom, and enthrone Christ in our lives. All of this is accomplished through the power of the gospel. We are at war with an adversary who wants to claim our souls for eternity. We are of God, and He is greater than the prince of this world. We have to prepare ourselves, however, trusting in Him and Him alone to guide the footsteps of our lives.

lesson by Tim Smelser

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

Elijah and Discouragement

Through I Kings 18-19, Elijah experiences an emotional roller coaster. Elijah brings a drought to the land through God’s power, and, when he comes to see Ahab again, the king is very hostile toward Elijah. In turn, Elijah proposes a challenge: set up two alters, one to Baal and one to Jehovah, and Baal’s priests would pray for their God to consume their sacrifice in fire. Elijah would do the same. Baal’s priests cry out, dance, and cut themselves to no avail. Elijah then evokes God with a small, quiet prayer after having his alter deluged with water, and fire from God incinerates the sacrifice and alter.

The people enthusiastically turn to God, praising Him and killing the prophets of Baal. The drought ends. It is a monumental victory, but it is very short-lived. By chapter 19, Jezebel proclaims death on Elijah and promises his end within a day. Elijah flees beyond the political influence of Ahab and Jezebel, collapses by a juniper tree, and asks God to take his life.

Causes of Spiritual Discouragement
James 5 reminds us that Elijah is simply a man like you or me – subject to times of triumph and times of despair. He is no more a stranger to discouragement than any of us. We see him despairing his life, but God is there to provide the cure to Elijah’s discouragement, but how does a prophet as successful as Elijah go from such success into the depths of discouragement?

• Emotional Stress. Elijah feels the stress and strain of trying to convert a godless nation. The king and queen are set against him. He feels alone as we might when we see those we know and love rejecting God, when we feel that our faith is rejected at every turn.
• Exhaustion. Elijah does a great deal of traveling in I Kings 18 alone, before and after the strenuous events on Mount Carmel. He is also worn out from the constant pressure of resisting the pressures around him. Likewise, we are always over-booked and overextended. We don’t take time to be still, to pray, to feed on God’s word, and to meditate. Like Elijah, we just wear ourselves out.
• Great Accomplishments. Think about what Elijah accomplishes by the end of I Kings 18. How does he maintain that momentum? How can he top that? Elijah feels personally responsible for keeping the tide turned, and, when he cannot maintain that success, he feels a failure. The highs in our lives can lead directly into lows when we realize the difficulty in maintaining that momentum.

How then does this discouragement manifest itself in Elijah? First, he isolates himself in I Kings 19:3-4. “I just want to be alone.” However, it is not good for us to be alone in our discouragement. Then, Elijah loses perspective in I Kings 19:10 when he expresses he is the only one seeking God in Israel. He knows otherwise, but he pushes that knowledge out of his own mind in despair. Finally, Elijah descends into self-pity, and, when we pity ourselves, we become self-centered and selfish.

Curing Discouragement
We can relate to the causes and effects of discouragement we see in Elijah’s lives. How do we move on, though? We can begin by looking at the way God brings Elijah out of his despair.

• Get Up. In I Kings 19:5-8, the angel twice instructs Elijah to rise. Verses 11-15 record God twice giving Elijah direction to “go.” God tells the prophet to get up and take positive action. Sometimes a small shift in the right direction makes all the difference. When we are down in the depths of discouragement, the first thing we should do is get involved in positive service.
• Grow Up. I Kings 19:11-13 records God drawing Elijah’s attention to His presence in the quiet things. He reminds Elijah to spiritually grow up and stop looking for God in his own way. Paul makes the same admonition in I Corinthians 3:1-3 when he calls for Christians to grow out of physical jealousies. Sometimes, we simply need to work to maturation.
• Gird Up. Toward the end of I Kings 19, God reminds Elijah there is still work to be done, and he will need help to do it. We need to be able to accept help. We need our own Elisha to help us change our outlook at times. I Peter 1:13 calls on us to gird our minds for action in God’s service.

God has given us reason to trust and hope in Him. We are no strangers to discouragement and struggles, but we can always look up to Him who loves us and created us. As Romans 8:31-39 reminds us, nothing can separate us from God’s love. None can oppose us when God is with us. We can take confidence in our God and face our discouragements with the knowledge that He is with us.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Idolatry: A Family Heritage

There are certain memories indelibly etched into our minds – possibly of times with our family, historical events through which we lived, births, deaths, etc. In Jeremiah 17:1-2, the prophet says the people of Israel have thoughts of idols etched upon their hearts in this time. Back in chapter 7:17, God asks Jeremiah if he sees the idolatry in which God’s people are engaging. These sacrifices and offerings are a family occasion, and they form substantial memories. In Gideon’s time, that judge had to start in his own home, removing idolatry from Israel. Rachel, when leaving her home with Jacob, hides her family idols to take with her. II Kings 17:41 illustrates the idolatry entrenched in Israel’s culture by the time of the Assyrian captivity. The children and grandchildren do as their parents and grandparents.

Our Family Idols
Idolatry is a family heritage, and we all have idols we should be removing from our own lives, lest our children and grandchildren also follow after those same idols.

Social Acceptance
In Genesis 3, Eve and the serpent discuss the nature of God’s statutes within the garden. The serpent talks Eve into partaking of the forbidden fruit and then offering it to her husband. Both Adam and Eve succumb to simple peer pressure. I Samuel 15:24 records Saul acknowledging his transgression from God’s commands, compromising to please the masses. He gives in to the pressures surrounding him. Adam, Eve, and Saul all know, in these passages, what is right and what is wrong, but they have bowed down to the idol of social acceptance.

This pressure knows no age limits. We, as parents, do not want our children to stand out or be targeted, and we compromise our convictions and encourage them to compromise their own. Romans 12:2, however, encourages to avoid conformity and to be transformed into a spiritual being. I Corinthians 15:33 and Psalm 1:1-2 both admonish us to be wary of the influences we allow into our lives, and I Thessalonians 5:21 encourages to test the value of everything, abstaining from evil. We know what we should be doing, but we bow down to the idol of social acceptance.

Weak Marriages
In our culture, weak marriages are a given. We assume failure. Do our children see little hope in their own future relationships because of what they see in ours? Ephesians 5:25-28 reinforces the self-sacrificial love husbands should have for their wives. I Corinthians 13 explores this love more deeply – illustrating a love that prefers others over self, seeking the best in others, and shuns the selfishness that is the root of so many marital problems.

The end of I Peter 2 and the beginning of chapter 3 explore the concept of submission, upholding Christ as the ultimate example of submission. Peter uses Abraham’s wife Sarah as an example of this relationship. Remember, Sarah is a strong Bible woman, even insisting Ishmael should be expelled from her household. God sides with her in this matter, but her behavior remains selfless, and I Peter 3:7 goes on to remind husbands to value and honor wives as irreplaceable and precious. We would not be idolizing weak marriages if we could remove selfishness and pride from our family relationships.

Criticism
Proverbs 13:3, Proverbs 6:19, Proverbs 16:28 – these and more verses criticize critical mouths. I Peter 3:10 (quoting Psalm 34) admonishes us from keeping our moths from evil and deceit, instead seeking peace. Do our children see an idol of criticism in our homes? Do they see us complaining about our brethren and worship on the way home from worship? Do they see us complaining about authority, about secular issues, about our jobs, about our families? We need to tear down our idol of negativity and criticism to preserve our youths.

Indifference
Apathy is the greatest enemy the Lord’s people can face. Genesis 35:1-2 records Jacob preparing to travel to Bethel to praise Jehovah. He plans and prepares for this journey. We cannot drift along in indifference, hoping to simply run into God on the way. Likewise, Hebrews 10:24-25 admonishes us to plan to worship together, to build one another up, to anticipate the time together because it is important to us. The Lord’s Day does not sneak up on us; it is always the same day. The idol of indifference, though, allows other things to push God out of our lives.

Replacing the Idols
Deuteronomy 6:4-9 records Moses instructing the children of Israel to etch God’s words upon their hearts. His words should always be on their lips and before their eyes. Whatever the idols in our own lives, we can remove those and teach our children to know God. Throughout the Old Testament, we see the children of Israel turn to idols while never considering themselves having forsaken God. What do we need to remove from our lives to avoid those distractions from God? Let us resolve to focus on Him and make His word and His ways the heritage we leave for our children.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Seeing Ourselves As God Sees Us

In I Thessalonians 5:21, Paul tells the saints of Thessolenica that they should test or prove all things. Having tested all things, they should tenaciously cling to all good things while abstaining from evil. We do this with choosing a job, a house, a car, even what we eat. We come to conclusions based on an examination process. We undergo similar scrutiny in our reputation and self-esteem – what others think of us and what we think of ourselves. In both these metrics, there may be some bias one way or another, but God sees our character, the person we are when no one else is looking.

To see what God sees, we have to honestly look inward. We cannot always rely on our opinions of ourselves, and we cannot always rely on the assessment of others. To truly examine one’s self, to test ourselves in the way of I Thessalonians 5, is to see ourselves as God sees us. When we see ourselves the way God sees us, when we examine our true character, we are more capable of growing closer to our God.

A Righteous Standard

It’s possible to divide the Old Testament into a massive list of right and wrong. In contrast, the New Testament serves as a set of guidelines and principles guiding our moral character. It divides righteousness from unrighteousness. The New Testament creates a picture of the type of person a Christian should be, and it is ours to apply those principles in our own lives.

To get a picture of how God would like to see us, we’ll start in James 1:27 where the disciple defines pure religion as behaving charitably and keeping ourselves unspotted by the world. I Timothy 5:22 records Paul writing that we should not be quick to align ourselves with those who could lead us to sin, and I Peter 1:14 admonishes to be holy in all manners of life. In Romans 12:1-2, Paul writes we should be transformed to a new mind, and Philippians 4:8 calls on us to set our minds things of purity and peace. The New Testament paints a picture of those who comes out of the world to keep themselves clean and pure, whose character is uncorrupted.

II Peter 2:20-22 warns against knowing the word of righteousness and turning away from it. I Corinthians 15:33 warn against our associations, and I Peter 2:11 encourages us to avoid worldly desires. I Corinthians 10:12 challenges us to self-examine, lest we fall without knowing. These passages leave us with a sense of responsibility for what we should do with the ability God has given us, the ability to know His will, to know ourselves, and to conform to His word.

A Work in Progress

In Philippians 2:12, Paul encourages us to work. The Christian life is a work in progress. It is never complete. Sometimes there are setbacks. Sometimes the unexpected occurs, but Paul reminds us to work on our own salvation. It’s so much easier to point out your own challenges than my own, to wish for you to carry me with you to salvation, but no one can fulfill our Christian work but ourselves. The end of this effort, though, is salvation – a home in Heaven.

What should our work look like? II Corinthians 5:17 says our work begins with a change. This means new speech, new outlook, new priorities, now attitude. This means keeping ourselves pure from the influence of sin. Our work is a transformation and a separation from the world. I Corinthians 6:17 calls on us to come out from these influences, cleansing ourselves in the hope of God’s promises. Our character should reflect righteousness in all we say and do, and Galatians 6:9-10 encourages us to endure this work, not growing weary in our spiritual conduct, and doing good to all. Paul, in Colossians 3:1, encourages us to seek things above.

Conclusion

We have things in this life that tie up our time and resources, that interest us, or that distract us. Other times, this life can can discourage us in its unfairness or lack of justice. When our emphasis is on the world, there is much to drag us away from God. We know the rewards of reaching toward and obtaining personal goals. We have days where we see that the work we have put into an effort is worth it. God promises that such a day will come for our spiritual efforts. In I John, John uses the phrase, “we know,” roughly twenty times. We can have confidence that we are growing closer to our God when we know we are living as we should, when we know our character reflects the picture we see in scripture. We may not always know what standards to which others hold, but we can know God’s standard as presented in His word. We can know that we know Him when we walk in His truth.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Reprogramming Ourselves

In early December, I went through a seminar called Breaking Through, and one lesson from the lectures was that we have a great deal of extra content in our minds. We operate consciously about 10% of the time and subconsciously about 90% of the time, and the speaker emphasized that we have to reprogram our subconscious thoughts to influence our conscious actions.

The first principle to reprogram is that we do, in fact, have the ability to change. James 1:19-26 affirms that we have the ability to look into God’s perfect law and become a doer of that word. Do we truly believe this? Do we believe God’s word is powerful, and do we believe we are capable of following it? When we are indecisive about our goals, we seldom get far. Romans 12:1-2 encourages to renew our minds and focus on God’s plan, but we have to overcome our self-limiting thoughts if we are to attain this goal.

Being Versus Having

We have a Have-Do-Be culture. The condition upon us being happy is us doing what we want and having want we want in this world, but the mark is always moving in this approach. There are always better opportunities and better things toward which to reach. I Corinthians 4:11-13 speaks of being content in all economic conditions because of his trust in God. Instead of looking for having things and doing things that lead to peace. Paul finds peace independent of his situations. He sets his mind on peace, then pursues his life. In Colossians 1:1-3, Paul reminds us to set our minds on things above first. Contentment and peace is with God, and through Him, Paul could remain at peace despite any other challenges.

Creative Versus Reactive

When we choose contentment and peace, we will seek after things that promote those conditions. It is having a creative mind rather than a reactive mind. When we are reactive to our lives, we seek to place the responsibility for our actions and attitudes upon others. Someone else is to always to blame. Accepting responsibility, however, is ultimately liberating. We stop worrying about how others impact our lives, and we become the driving forces in our lives. We can live as God wants us to live, and Acts 5:41-42 records Jesus’ disciples doing just that – living a godly life despite persecution that could have led them away. When we react to situations, our choices immediately become limited, but the creative mind is unlimited and free. In Ephesians 3:14-21, Paul writes that we can be filled with God’s fulness.

When we are reactive, we see things from the middle of problems and circumstances we are unable to control. When we create, we take control of the opportunities and possibilities before us. It takes commitment to be creative, though. Are we committed to being the example we should be? Are we committed to being the Bible students we should be? Are we committed to having the character we should have? WHen it comes to commitment, we may fall under one of five categories.

When we commit ourselves to a goal, we often convince ourselves we do all we can by simply wishing to do better or trying to improve without making any real progress. Other times, we let other factors come between us and our commitment, showing that those interferences are actually more important to us than our goal. Instead, we should let nothing stand in our way. Paul writes of his peace and contentment despite all odds. He is a godly person no matter the cost. We should be so committed to God’s work that we will pursue it whatever it takes.

Conclusion

Where are your commitments, and how committed are you to those goals? What if Christ showed as much commitment to my salvation as I show to His service. Romans 5:8 makes it clear that Jesus would fulfill His mission regardless of the cost. II Corinthians 11:20-33 records the measures to which Paul goes to fulfill his ministry. At what point in his story would we have simply given up? Our church family depends on our commitment to better themselves. We are all here to edify each other. We are here to encourage one another. We cannot, however, be the example we should be if we are letting the world dictate our attitudes and actions. We should commit ourselves to being the Christians we should be, and we have to decide first that we will possess God’s peace and contentment despite all around us. We can do all things in Him.

lesson by Donn Koonce

Finding God Where We Left Him

“Where is God?” This is a simple question that we should not be taken lightly or asked casually. In times of struggle, when we face trials and challenges, we ask, “Where is God?” In Judges 6, when an angel of the Lord comes before Gideon, God poses this question in verse 13. “If Jehovah is with us, why are these things happening to us?” In II Kings 18, Sennacherib and the Rabshakeh challenge Hezekiah and the residents of Jerusalem with a similar question. “Where is your god?” Joel 2:17 and Psalm 42 contain requests that Israel’s enemies not be able to ask, “Where is your God.” Finally, in Malachi 2:17, expresses frustration with their question His presence.

The problem is not that God moves away from His people of old or from us. Rather, they and we move away from God. In this lesson, we are going to consider three ways we can drift from God.

Moving Away from God

• We lose Him in lack of prayer. In Isaiah 44:15, the prophet speaks of the absurdity of building a god from the same wood he would throw into a fire. Isaiah pictures His people as praying to their idols, crediting them for God’s deliverance. Hosea 2:13 revisits God’s people praying to others instead of Him. They lose Him in a lack of prayer.
• We lose Him in lack of study. Hosea 4:6 calls God’s people destroyed for rejecting God’s knowledge. Malachi 2:7-8 chastises God’s priests for being ignorant of His word – the teachers are as ignorant as the learners. They lose God in a lack of study.
• We lose Him in our priorities. Malachi 1:6-8 illustrates the lack of import God’s people would place on His worship and sacrifices. Haggai 1:5-7 calls of God’s people to consider their ways in comparison to His word. Haggai 1 is a chapter about priorities, and God’s people lose Him in their misplaced priorities.

God Is Not Lost

We are the same. We give up on prayer. We fail to study God’s word. We get caught up in the priorities and standards of this world, giving God our leftovers. God is not lost. His power is not void. We simply distance ourselves from him. Paul, in Colossians 4:3, calls on Christians to pray for God to open doors of opportunity, and I Thessalonians 3:11 attests to God’s power to grow His people and direct our paths. In Philippians 4:19, Paul expresses confidence that God will supply his every need, and II Timothy 1:7 says God gives us a spirit of power, love, and self-control.

Finally, I Peter 5:10-11 credits God with the power to restore us, strengthen us, and establish us in His service. God is not lost nor is His throne vacant. It is we who lose Him in our lives, and we will find Him exactly where we left Him. When looking for something, we often ask ourselves where the last place was we had it. Perhaps we have lost God in our priorities, in our lack of study, or in our lack of prayer. We can find Him, however, in those very places where we left Him. God is there for us to find. We have but to look.

lesson by Tim Smelser

Making Excuses

We speak of our challenge in giving; giving monetarily, giving of our time, giving from our abilities, giving over our priorities, giving thanks. In theory, we agree that we need to give more, but we make excuses in reality. We can find reasons others need to give more of themselves, but we often find reasons to excuse ourselves from such sacrifices. We are very capable at making excuses.

Excuse Makers in the Bible

• One of the first examples we would probably think of is Moses. In Exodus 3, God is telling Moses that he will be God’s messenger to His people. In verse 11, Moses begins finding reasons to excuse himself. Moses wants to know what makes him special, how the people will disbelieve him, an dhow he is a poor speaker. Finally, in chapter 4:13, Moses simply asks God to send someone else. By the time Moses finishes, God is angry with him, and Moses fails to get out of the work set before him.
• Likewise, in Judges 6, Gideon makes some similar appeals to God. When the Lord’s angel appears to him, Gideon asks how God could be with him during this time of oppression. Then, he asks how he could save Israel and points out his lowly background. Again, he fails to turn God from appointing this task to him.
• In I Kings 19, Elijah looks for his own death. He cites his self-perceived ineffectiveness. He claims to be all alone in his work for the Lord. He feels his work has done no good, for his efforts have availed nothing but a death warrant. God does not accept Elijah’s reasons for despair but sends him back to his work, reminding him that he is not alone so long as God is with him.
• Acts 13 records John Mark going on a missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas. As they leave Crete, however, and come to the mainland, John turns back from the journey for Jerusalem. In Acts 15:36, Paul and Barnabas grow contentious over bringing John Mark on another journey because of his leaving them previously. We do not know John Mark’s reasons, but, whatever they may have been, it is evident Paul finds them unacceptable.

The Rest of the Stories

None of these excuses is where the story ends, though. We know Moses stands before Pharoah and leads God’s people out of Egypt. We know how Moses intercedes for the people time and again before God. Deuteronomy 34:10-11 eulogizes Moses by saying no other prophet is like him. Gideon, in Judges 6:25-32, begins turning Israel back to God in his own household, making a courageous stand for the Lord. Elijah gets back to work in I Kings 19 and begins to mentor Elisha. Elijah stands up to Ahab and Jezebel in I Kings 20, and he stands up to Ahaziah in II Kings 1. Finally, in Colossians 4:10, John Mark is named as one comforting Paul in confinement, and II TImothy 4:11 records Paul requesting Mark’s presence, calling him useful in the ministry.

Each of these individuals become useful and productive for God once they stop making excuses and get to work. We may say “I can’t,” or “I won’t;” we may see our reasons for not working harder for the Lord as valid and reasonable. We may feel justified in our excuses for not obeying God. We can make all the excuses in the world for our actions or inaction, but God still expects humble obedience. Excuses failed to excuse Moses, Gideon, Elijah, and John Mark from His service. Let us each put away our excuses and strengthen our resolve to work for our Lord.

lesson by Tim Smelser

"Complete My Joy"

Paul does not often single individuals out in his letters unless it is something positive. However, when he does, Paul is serious about what he’s talking about. One such letter containing an instance of Paul singling individuals out is Philippians in chapter 4:2-3. He specifically entreats Euodia and Syntyche to live peacefully with each other. We don’t know the exact nature of the problem, but often these type of conflicts occur when the focus is on me. “I’m not getting my way;” “I can’t believe someone doesn’t agree with me;” and much of this letter seems to be centered around developing better attitudes about one another.

About Philippi

This letter comes some ten years after the establishment of the church in Philippi in Acts 16 when we see Lydia, a nameless jailer, their households, and likely others converted to the Lord. Lydia is typified by her hospitality, and the jailer is characterized by his readiness to respond to Christ’s word. The congregation is consistently hospitable to Paul through his journeys, and he and the congregation have a strong relationship. Now, these ten years later, Paul is imprisoned in Rome and has recently spoken to Epaphroditus, from whom he likely learned the situation in question.

In Philippians 2:2, Paul writes “complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.” As well as the Philippian church is doing, they have need for these words, and Euodia and Syntyche serve as an example of that need.

Chapter 1: Confidence in Them and the Lord

Chapter 1 opens with his gratitude for their work and their continual growth. He is confidant in their spiritual walk, and verses 7-8 expresses his affection for them. Subsequent verses then record his prayer that they press on in knowledge and wisdom. He wants, when Christ comes again, for them to remain sincere and blameless. Verses 12-26 then contains three negative elements, three clouds, that Paul looks beyond for his hope in Christ.

• Verses 12-14 contain the benefits he sees in his confinement – conversion of some guards and his stand emboldening of brethren in Rome.
• Verses 15-18 contrast the motives of those teaching of Christ. Some do so lovingly where others are doing it in rivalry to Paul. Still, he concludes that, either way, people are learning of Christ.
• Verses 20-26 record Paul’s reflection on his own mortality. He may die in prison, yet he sees the benefit in both life and death – dying to live with Christ or living to work for Christ.

Paul admits some dark things in his life, but dwells on the positive instead of the negative. Euodia and Syntyche may have needed to learn this in their relationship. Paul finishes this chapter with an admonition to stand firm united in their faith regardless of his fate or their obstacles.

Chapter 2: Comfort in Unity

Paul begins this chapter by encouraging his readers to lift one another up as more important than self, disregarding selfishness and rivalries. We should be actively interested in one another’s needs and concerns. Verse 3 speaks of humble service in our lives, and he goes on to appeal to Christ’s example to illustrate this. He appeals to Christ’s humility, His willingness to do God’s work, the enormity of His sacrifice in leaving Heaven to dwell with and be killed by those over whom He is Lord. His life is one of service as ours should be, and He is exalted because He abased Himself.

Starting in verse 12, Paul encourages his readers to go the distance in their service. He admonishes them to avoid complaining and arguing, continuing to be lights in the world. In verses 17-18, Paul reminds them of his devotion to their work – his efforts in preaching to the Gentiles. Then, chapter 2 concludes with some practical matters.

• Verse 19-23 contain Paul’s hopes to send Timothy in his stead, and he praises Timothy’s faith, love, and work.
• Verses 25-30 records Paul returning Epaphroditus to them and speaks of the mutual concern the congregation and Epaphroditus have for each other.

Chapter 3: Laying Aside the World

This chapter opens with a warning to avoid false teachings, especially those that would place weight in worldly manifestations of faith. He specifically points out, in the next several verses, his own pedigree, but he calls such qualifications unimportant compared to the value of Christ’s salvation. Then, the last few verses of the chapter address worldly appetites that can distract from our spiritual work, reminding us where our true citizenship resides.

Chapter 4: Live in Harmony with Each Other and Christ

Now we come to Euodia and Syntyche in Philippians 4:2, both having shared in Paul’s work at one time or another. Now they are at odds with each other. So many times, we let numerous things upset us and drive a wedge between ourselves and brothers and sisters in Christ. We alienate one another when we should be of the same mind, intent on one purpose, full of love. We can have disagreements without forsaking one another, without forsaking our congregation, without holding grudges against other Christians.

We don’t know why Euodia and Syntyche do not get along, but so much of this letter centers around elements of our faith that can help us overcome these worldly obstacles. He speaks to our true goals, the attitudes we should have, the priorities we should have. He sets up Timothy and Epaphroditus as examples of individuals who demonstrate care and concern for others over themselves. He reminds them lay aside those things that don’t matter in comparison to our relationship with Christ. Whatever wrong exists between these two women, Paul reminds them that there is a better way.

Paul closes his letter with encouragement to dwell in the peace of Christ, meditating and fixing our minds on things that work for peace, that work for Christ’s cause. It comes down to how we live with one another and our relationship with Christ. We can complete the Lord’s joy by being of one mind, having one love, and helping each other stay intent on our one purpose.

lesson by Darryl Smelser

Is God Real To You?

Is God real to you? This might seem like an easy question to anyone who pursues Biblical knowledge or who come together to worship Him every week. The question, however, is not one of belief in existence. Rather, is God real to you? There is a difference between acknowledgement of theoretical existence and application of reality. We are a culture of the virtual – things that look real but are not. Has God been reduced to a theoretical exercise among those who would claim to be His followers?

Why and How God Becomes Theoretical

Why does God become less real to us? Why has He become virtually real instead of actually real? In everyday life, we learn to rely on ourselves, and, ultimately, we feel accountable to ourselves and ourselves alone. Our money goes to our priorities, and our actions have no consequences beyond the immediate ones we can see. We wrestle with these realities of our life that make God seem less and less real to us – reducing Him to the theoretical.

• Selfishness. In Romans 1, Paul makes the argument that all need God and the gospel. He claims, in verse 21, that all knew God at one time, but their own selfishness drives them away from God. Verse 28 sums up that they refused God, so God gave them up. He will not force us to follow His will, and our self-centeredness can lead us away from His reality. We can look to what we have accomplished, relying on our own selves rather than on God.
• Worldly Interests. I John 2:15-17 reminds us of the dangers involved in loving the things of this world. God ceases to be real to us when we begin believing that our happiness and our fulfillment come from this life. Things in this world can indeed make us happy for a while, but those joys are fleeting. They are replaced when new things come along. We wear ourselves out pursuing the temporary while neglecting the eternal.
• Priorities & Time. We grow too busy for God, pushing Him further and further down our list of priorities, and we spend less and less time looking for Him and praying to Him. When is the last time you or I honestly and sincerely prayed? When was the time before that.

Making God Real Again 

Philippians 4:19 records Paul calling God his own. He refers to “my God.” In redeeming us from our sins, God has made us His, and He is ours. Paul, in Romans 5, appeals to God’s love for that close relationship, understanding in verses 6-10 that God’s love for him is gracious and unmerited by him. God was neither virtual or theoretical to Paul. God knew Paul, and Paul knew God. God knows us as well, and we should strive to be as close to Him as Paul. God loves each one of us without reservation. In Galatians 2:20, Paul knows the love of God through the sacrifice of Christ, a sacrifice through which he gives himself up in love.

 

In Philippians, Paul says “my God will supply.” He demonstrates a belief that God is active and interested in his life. Philippians 4:5 records Paul writing that the Lord is at hand, and we often apply this to the Second Coming, but the context points instead to a nearness of God, a readiness to help. Romans 8:28, Colossians 1:16-17 – these show a confidence by Paul in God’s interest in his life. God has a direction for my life, and He is an active God. When we say, “If the Lord wills,” we sometimes treat it as a concession. When Paul speaks of God’s will, He expresses confidence in God’s providential control.

 

II Corinthians 9:10, Acts 14:17, Matthew 7:26 – these verses and more express God’s interest in His creation. Philippians 4:6 reminds us to take everything to God, and I Peter 5:6-7 tells us to humble ourselves before God, casting all of our anxiety upon our caring God. Look at the life of Christ – what did He do that was not for the benefit of others? He prays for others’ needs; He heals others; He relieves others’ burdens. Each time Jesus intercedes for others, His intervention is specific and necessary. We can hope for as much from a God that is real to us and active in our lives.

 

lesson by Tim 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

Examining the Chiasm of Matthew 17-20

In the Bible, we sometimes find a structure called chiasms, and these will follow a pattern of ABC CBA and occasionally ABC D CBA, with everything building up to a central point and then returning from that point to the opening statement. Such a structure exists between Matthew 12:22 and Matthew 20:19. Beginning in Matthew 17:22, Jesus speaks of His own deliverance to death. The parallel point begins in chapter 20:17, where He returns to the declaration of His death and resurrection. These serve as bookends to a chiasm building to a very important point between them. The structure is as follows:

Jesus foretells His death: Matthew 17:22-23

A. Jesus speaks of giving freely/sacrificing self: 17:24-27

B. Little children are the essence of the kingdom: 18:1-7

C. Sacrifice the body for the sake of the kingdom: 18:8-9

D. Do not despise what God values: 18:10-14

E. Entreating a brother about sin or offense: 18:15-17

F. Agreement between Heaven and Earth: 18:18-20

E. Entreating a brother about sin or offense: 18:21-35

D. Do not despise what God values: 19:1-9

C. Sacrifice the body for the sake of the kingdom: 19:10-12

B. Little children are the essence of the kingdom: 19:13-15

A. Jesus speaks of giving freely/sacrificing self: 19:16-20:16

Jesus foretells His death: Matthew 20:17-19

The Building Points: Humility & Self-Sacrifice

A. Giving. In Matthew 17:24-27, Jesus uses the temple tax as an illustration of His divinity. Then, in Matthew 19:16, a wealthy young man approaches Jesus who asks what he needs for salvation. Jesus tells the young man to sacrifice of His goods. The man turns away, and Jesus observes wealth makes Heaven a difficult goal. The point of these lessons is that glory comes as a result of sacrifice. The apostles in these verses take some pride in what they have sacrificed, and He tells them they have done as they should do. We treat our wealth and our possessions as our right, but remember Philippians 2:5. Jesus gives up all that is His to accomplish an act of mercy and grace.

B. Be Like Children. Matthew 18:1-7 records the apostles asking how to be the greatest in His kingdom, and Jesus teaches a lesson in humility. Humility is necessary for sacrifice. Children come to Jesus in Matthew 19:13, but the apostles seek to prevent them approaching Him. Jesus rebukes His apostles, calling on them to become as humble, pure, and innocent as children. Philippians 2:8 reminds us that Jesus humbled Himself to the point of death.

C. Sacrificing Self for the Kingdom. Matthew 18:8 asks if we are willing to go so far as giving up appendages for the sake of the kingdom. This is sacrifice in relationship to the value of the kingdom. In Matthew 19:10, as Jesus is being asked about divorce, the apostles proclaim that it would be better for man to remain unmarried if divorce is so restricted. Jesus answers them that some do sacrifice the pleasures of marriage for the sake of the kingdom. That is how much the kingdom is worth, a kingdom for which Jesus gave up His life.

D. Valuing What God Values. In Matthew 18:10, Jesus calls on His followers to value those that God values. He calls on them to treat one another the way God treats them, ever aware of their needs, ever caring for them, ever seeing them as valuable. He uses the illustration of a lost sheep to make His point. The corresponding passage in Matthew 19:1-9 is in the context of marriage, where Jesus calls on those around Him to respect marriage as much as God does. We should value what God values.

E. Concern for a Sinning Brother. Matthew 18:15-17 directs us in dealing with sin in others. Jesus does not instruct us to stew over the offense or complain to others about it. He details a pattern that demonstrates concern over the individual overtaken in sin. The goal is restoration and reconciliation, as God’s plan for mankind focuses on redemption. In Matthew 18:21, Jesus returns to the theme of sin when Peter asks him how often he should forgive one who sins against him. Jesus answers with a parable about a servant seeking mercy for his debt. The king forgives the servant his debt but grows angry with that servant when he is unwilling to show the same mercy to a fellow debtor. As we want forgiveness from our Father, we should show that same mercy to those around us.

The Center of the Chiasm: Unity Between Heaven & Earth

Matthew 18:18-20 records Jesus talking about agreement between Heaven and Earth. His apostles will do and say what has been decreed in Heaven. We must do as the Father decrees in all things. Our words and actions should agree with the pattern given from Heaven. Just as Moses and the children of Israel had to follow God’s pattern in the Old Testament, we too have to respect His authority and follow His plan. We move when God moves, and we stop where God stops. This is the theme of the chiasm between Matthew chapters 17-20.

There must be unity among us as disciples if there is to be fellowship in Heaven. Jesus speaks of God being among those gathered in His name, and, if we are truly living in His name, then we will be sacrificial in our lives; we will be humble as children; concerned about sin; valuing what God values; and putting the kingdom first in our lives. These qualities will help us achieve that mind of Christ we read of Philippians 2, forsaking self to draw closer to God.

lesson by Tim Smelser