Being the Church: Teaching

We’re continuing our thoughts surrounding the church in Jerusalem in our efforts to reignite our zeal and passion for being the Lord’s church. We know that all we say and do is in God’s service, and we also should recognize that we are always His church. In Acts 2:42-47, we read:

And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.

Today, we’re going to look at that first verse, devoting ourselves to teaching. Teaching takes work. I’ve never heard someone say teaching is easy, that they have too much time to prepare, that they have too much help, that they receive too much praise, or that keeping students focused is too easy. Teaching methods change. Learning styles change, and anyone who has had experience teaching can attest to these challenges.

Growth Through Teaching

A part of being God’s church is caring about the spiritual growth of every member of our church family, and we have to care about those outside the church to want to bring them to Christ. In Acts 5:42, we the earliest of churches teaching day after day. Each day was seen as an opportunity, and Acts 28:23 shows them not only working daily but teaching all day as well. We are to never give up in our efforts to spread God’s word and encourage one another.

Ephesians 4:11 talks about our responsibility to work together to attain unity and spiritual maturity, and that teaching makes us spiritually stronger, less likely to be swayed by others. Then, Hebrews 5:11-14 reminds us that there are times when we should focus on teaching and times when we should focus on learning more. We attain knowledge, and we share that knowledge, always searching for more to know and share.

Taking Teaching Seriously

There is serious responsibility involved with teaching as we should. James 3 speaks to the strictness by which teachers will be judged. We have to take it seriously. Matthew 5:19 warns us against teaching from His word incorrectly. Also, I Timothy 4:11 tells us we should be an example when we teach. The things we teach should be seen in our lives, regardless of our age. Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, there is always someone you can help.

We will sometimes err when we teach, but we all need to be willing to help each others when we fall short of the mark. We need to be more like Aquila and Priscilla, helping each other spread the word more perfectly.

Being Responsible for Teaching

Ephesians 6:4 and II Timothy 3:15 speak to the responsibility of parents (and grandparents) to teach. We may look to others to teach our children, but ultimately, the spiritual health of my children come back to me. Still, we see that we all have responsibility for one another and each other’s children in Titus 2, training one another up to be better Christians. We teach each other God’s will, soundness of speech, self control, humility, and much more. Every one of us are teachers in some capacity, even when we don’t realize it.

People of that first church looked for every opportunity to build up and teach. Everywhere is the right place, and every time is the right time. We should always be helping each other and edifying one another however we can, however small or simple those moments are. Our actions speak more loudly than we realize, and our examples can spread a message you may not even know how to put into words. We want to help each other grow spiritually, and, even though we know its a difficult task, helping each other get to Heaven is worth it.

lesson by Ben Lanius

Living With Boldness

Matthew 5:13-16 calls us lights of the world and the salt of the earth, and to stand out as we should requires a certain amount of boldness. This is not an arrogant boldness, but rather it is a self-confidence regarding our hope and our faith. One example of such boldness involves Peter and John in Acts 3 and 4. The story begins simply enough with Peter and John healing a beggar of his paralysis, but soon people in the city take notice. Peter and John take this opportunity to preach Christ, and they get arrested for their testimony. The officials and religious leaders threaten the pair and tell them to avoid preaching Christ any more. At the end of chapter 4, they continue in prayer and in teaching, living boldly in the face of oppression.

Examples of Boldness

In Acts 3:11-16, we find Peter and John in the midst of a large crowd, in their own temple, accusing the congregated mass of crucifying Christ and convicting their hearts to repentance. This is a boldness of standing in our convictions in uncomfortable situations, but this is not license to tear others apart. We see the disciples standing firm, but they do so in love.

Instead of leaving this group with the accusations, Peter continues to talk about how to be restored to God. Again, this is not the friendliest of audiences to hear these words, but Peter persists. We also have opportunities to help others align their lives with God’s word, but we have to be willing to face uncomfortable situations and ears that may not always kindly receive what we have to say.

Finally, in the presence of those who could crucify them as easily as they did Jesus, Peter and John stand by their testimony and convict those officials for the role they played in Jesus’ murder. Peter’s defense of the truth give these leaders pause, and the disciples are simply left with an unheeded threat to speak of Jesus no longer.

Our Opportunities for Boldness

God has been forgotten in many ways in our culture. In some venues and on some topics, taking God’s side is not a respected opinion. When these situations arise, will we back down, or will we be like Peter and John, who respond by saying, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard,” in Acts 4:19-20?

If we are truly living Christ and standing for truth, we cannot be content with flying under the radar. We may upset others. We may face ridicule. We may face difficulties in the relationships we have, but we must decide who we are pleasing – God or man. We have to take a hard look at the opportunities we have to share and live God’s word, facing those situations with confidence in the faith and hope we have in our God.

lesson by Kris Casebolt

Worship 24x7 at Home

Romans 12:1-2:

I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

How can I make every aspect of my life an act of worship to God? This can be especially tough when we’re at home, where we are most comfortable, where we feel least guarded. Sometimes who we are in front of others and who we are at home can be two different things, but our spirituality should be as strong in the home as anywhere else – whether serving our home as a husband and father, a mother and wife, or as a child.

Worship as Children

Ephesians 6:1 and Colossians 3:20 tell children to obey their parents in the Lord. This more than simply doing what parents say. It involves respect and attitude, but we do not see the severity of the Old Testament in the statutes of the New, where disobedient children faced severe punishment for their transgressions.

I Timothy 4:12 records Paul telling Timothy to set an example in his youth, in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. There comes a time when we need to grow up a little and be an example to our friends in the neighborhood, at school, and anywhere we can influence others. Verse 16 says that example can save both yourself and those you come in contact with.

Worship as Wives and Mothers

Ephesians 5:22 and Colossians 3:18 both speak of wives being submissive to their husbands (and we’ll be talking about men’s responsibilities in this in a moment). Peter explains this more in I Peter 3:1-6, speaking of the esteem a wife’s conduct can bring, of the example she sets for her husband, of the respect she shows for her family and God, the holiness shown in inner beauty instead of external beauty. It’s about putting others before self and living self-sacrificially for the sake of our families.

Worship as Husbands and Fathers

Paul has much to say to men in Ephesians 5, illustrating the love men should have for their wives, one like the sacrificial love Christ has for the church. He also says to love one’s wife and take care of her as he would care for himself. I Peter 3:7 tells husbands to be understanding to their wives, treating them as carefully as a valuable possession. If we love someone as deeply as this, if we really are willing to be as caring and respectful as this, then we have the foundation for a relationship of mutual love, respect, and service.

The New Testament also has much more to say to men about raising children than it has to say to women. Ephesians 6:4 tells fathers to raise their children in the Lord, avoiding exasperating or provoking our kids. In this, fathers must set rules consistent with God’s law and set an example that speaks of our commitment to God. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 illustrates a home where God’s law is always in the hearts and on the lips of the family, and this begins with teaching. It begins with living God’s word in all aspects of our family lives.

Worship as a Family

What do our neighbors see in us as Christians? Do they see the faith we profess in our examples? Are we reverencing Him with our lives. We profess faith in God, but are we really living it? Our faith in Christ, the conduct we demonstrate before God and others, applies at home as well as anywhere else, and every member of our family should always see His light in us. If we are indeed living sacrifices before our God, then every moment of our lives will be spent honoring Him.

lesson by Kent Ward

Equipping One Another

Many of the writings of the New Testament were directed to specific groups with strengths and challenges, with hopes and frustrations, with issues and needs unique to themselves. In Ephesians 4:11-16, Paul writes to one of these specific groups – people who, like us, who blended their voices in praise, who gathered around the Lord’s table, who raised up prayers – about how each member of that group serves to build up, strengthen, and perfect the body of Christ. It is reminiscent of Christ’s words to Peter, in Luke 22:31-32, where he calls upon the apostle to strengthen his brothers. We can do this same thing today; we can serve to strengthen and perfect each other as we strive to live like Christ.

Strengthening and Equipping One Another
Acts 18 tells the story of Apollos, a zealous and eloquent preacher of the word, and of Aquila and Priscilla, who take him aside to explain God's word more accurately. Here is a preacher who is strong in the word and in faith, but this couple help perfect him through a better understanding of God’s word. We have no better tool in building one another up than God’s word, and Aquila and Priscilla’s encouragement helped more than Apollos. They helped all who he touched in his ministry. Hebrews 5:12-6:1 calls on us to press on toward perfection, building each other up through God’s word on a daily basis. Each day we do not feed on His word, we grow weaker, and Ephesians 3:14-19 calls on Christ to dwell in us, strengthened in faith, filled with God’s fullness. We accomplish this in study.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus calls on us to be a city set upon a hill, to let our lights shine, unhidden to those around us. He is talking about our example; He is talking about what others see in us. Paul exhorts a young preacher, in I Timothy 4:12, to be an example of love, faith, speech, conduct, and purity. Likewise, Titus 2 calls on older Christians to set, by their examples, the standard for the younger generation. Romans 12:1-2 encourages to be living sacrifices, examples to one another, transformed from the conduct of this world and conformed to the conduct of Christ. What do my brothers and sisters see in me? What does the world see in me? Our examples can serve to strengthen and perfect one another in Christ’s faith.

Finally, we need to help each other with our armor. We need help when we first learn to clothe ourselves, and so we must help each other with our spiritual raiment. Ephesians 6:10-13 speaks of wearing the armor of God so we may stand against the trials and obstacles of this world, and, if we are spiritually undressed, we need to help clothe each other in hope, in love, in faith, in truth. We need to help prepare each other in the armor of the Lord each and every day.

The Confidence of Perfected Hope
In Hebrews 6:18-20, we read:

…so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

We are strongest when we lift each other up. We are better when we work together. We lead best by example, and we root all of this in the hope we find in God’s word. We are obligated to one another, as were those saints two thousand years ago, to build each other up, to keep each other focused on the hope ahead of us. May God help us all to strengthen and equip each other so we may enter His gates together one day.

lesson by Tim 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

Involved in Saving Souls

Shortly after 3:00 a.m. one morning several years ago, a young lady was attacked in the street by a man with a knife. She was attacked a couple of times, and each time, the lights around the street came on to see what was going on. Thirty-eight people witnessed this attack, but no one wanted to get involved. Thirty-eight people watched a young lady assaulted three times, and they watched her die. No one, however, interceded in any way – not even to call the cops. The young lady’s death may have been prevented had someone simply decided to get involved.

Staying Uninvolved

Think of the souls you see every day. How many of them are dying spiritually? How many need us to become involved in their spiritual lives? With how many of them do we study the good news of God’s word? Too often, like those witnesses to that murder in the illustration, we just don’t want to get involved.

We make many excuses about our lack of involvement. We claim to not know enough, but II TImothy 2:15 says the remedy to that is simple: study. Ephesians 5:17 calls on us to understand that word. Think of all the things you’ve learned in your life – a specialty, how to cook, trivia and information that fascinates you. We should put more same energy into our study of God’s word than we do into those other topics.

We may believe we don’t have anyone to study with, but think of the numerous people we see every day. How many people do you tell when you have a piece of good news to share – around our workplace, on Facebook, on Twitter, with perfect strangers. Matthew 10:38 calls our world a field in which to sow the seed of God’s word. Everyone we meet is a potential recipient of God’s word.

Unfortunately, we sometimes decide those people are unwilling to hear God’s word. I Peter 3:15 tells us to always be ready to share the hope within us, but we may fear ridicule or rejection. II Timothy 3:12 and Matthew 10:35-39 both warn us that we will indeed face that rejection we fear, but we can’t let that stop us.

Conclusion

We cannot be timid when it comes to God’s word, and we need to be seeking God’s approval more than man’s. Romans 1:16 calls the gospel God’s power of salvation. Do we truly believe that? Are we really unashamed of that good news? What will we say when we see those souls again on the last day? John 15:1-2 warns us against being cut off for lack of bearing fruit.

We should be making every effort to share God’s word every chance we get. We should be actively involved. Matthew 5:13 calls us the salt of the earth, and verse 14 calls us the light of the world. We must be active sharers and doers of God’s word if we are to fulfill those roles. We cannot be like those who just stared out their windows when tragedy struck one of their neighbors. We need to be involved in saving souls.

lesson by Jason Farmer

Consider the Paperclip

I want you to think a moment about paperclips. Now, at first blush, you might think there is not much to think about when it comes to paperclips. They’re pretty simple, aren’t they? You don’t have to tax your imagination overmuch to figure out what they are for. They say what they do, and they do what they say. They also do it pretty well, but is that all they have to be? Do they have to be regulated to the lowly function of clipping papers together all of the time?

Consider the Paperclip

View more presentations from Robert Smelser.

Thinking Outside the Box

In the book Breakpoint and Beyond by George Land and Beth Jarman, the authors use paperclips – among other objects, rubrics, and techniques – to measure divergent thinking among fifteen-hundred people. This divergent thinking is simply the ability to come up with varied solutions to one problem, and one of the problems they measure is this: how many uses can you think of for a paperclip? Most people may come up with ten or fifteen, but a truly divergent thinker will come up with a couple hundred uses. Yes, for a paperclip.

The research they did was a longitudinal study, meaning they kept coming back to the same subjects over a period of several years, evaluating them on their divergent thinking at multiple stages in their lives from early childhood to adulthood. They found something pretty staggering. At age five, 98% of the children scored at the highest level for divergent thinking. By age ten, that number had dropped to 50%. By adulthood, that percentage had fallen drastically farther.

Everyone in Their Place

As we get older, we like to impose order in our lives. Things fall into narrower and narrower categories. We like a place for everything and everything in it’s place. Unfortunately, while paperclips may not be adversely affected by our tendency to categorize everything, we also do this to people. We have those labeled as “friend,” who we share our joys and secrets with; those with whom we live closely and will be well aware of our spiritual walk; those who may even be sharing that spiritual walk with us.

Everyone else, we lump into categories based on our opinions of them, and those opinions are not always kind. We throw around various terms and labels that serve to dehumanize those with whom we differ behaviorally or ideologically. Even if we don't intend dehumanization, those labels, at least, form a barrier between us and them – many synonymous with "enemy" in our minds. How likely are we to share God’s word with someone we view as an enemy?

Then we have those harmless labels that still serve as barriers in our spiritual relationships with others. These labels are not demonizing or nefarious in any way. They are merely functional labels. They describe the purpose that person serves in our lives. These are perhaps the true paperclips in our lives – those we see often in our daily jobs, errands, and chores, but we never try to pursue anything more than that context-specific relationship.

Looking Beyond the Labels

If everyone is pigeon-holed as either someone unlikely to receive the gospel (because we’ve judged them to be unlikely) or as someone we never even think of outside the context of their function in our daily routines, then the number of people we may actually consider sharing the gospel with can grow vanishingly small.

Let’s look at some of the people Jesus reached out to in His ministry:

• A Centurion. In Matthew 8:5, a centurion comes to Jesus, expressing faith in Christ’s power to heal his servant. Here is an idolator; here is one oppressing Jesus’ people, but He shows mercy upon this one the world would define as an enemy.
• Zacchaeus. In Luke 19:2, Jesus meets and goes to the house of Zacchaeus, despite his being a potentially dishonest tax collector, one who would have been looked upon with scorn and loathing by others.
• An Adulteress. In John 8:3, the Scribes and Pharisees haul a woman caught in adultery to Jesus’ feet. Instead of condemning this immoral and immodest woman, Jesus shames her accusers and offers her mercy.
• Peter. In John 21:16, Jesus speaks to Peter, the two reuniting after Peter had cursed and denied Christ. He had betrayed the very one he professed to follow, but Jesus forgives him and charges him to continue serving Him.
• Judas. In John 12:3, Jesus gives a soft answer to Judas, despite Judas having a heart of greed and betrayal. Even with one who for whom all hope seems lost, Jesus shows kindness, even up to the very end.

How might we have treated these people differently? To illustrate, here’s a story I saw getting passed around Christian circles a couple of years ago:

…Inside one of my favorite restaurants, I noticed that my waiter was wearing a bright blue ,“Obama 08” tie; again I laughed to myself as he boldly and proudly advertised his political preference for all …When the check finally came I decided not to tip my waiter and explained to him that I was going to implement a practical application of Obama's Redistribution of Wealth concept…He stood there in stoic disbelief as I explained to him that I was going to redistribute his rightfully earned $10 tip…

The problem is that this (presumably) Chistian didn't look at the waiter as a soul who needs Christ. All he saw was a "liberal joke" that needed to see the error of it's ways. Whoever this guy was may have felt like he won a political argument for a day. He might have felt better about himself at the expense of another. He might have earned praise and accolades from those who agreed with him, but what did he do for that waiter’s soul?

Seeing What God Sees

To get past our secular labels, we need to see each other as Christ and God sees us – as helpless sheep in need of guidance and protection. In the final Servant Psalm of Isaiah, the prophet laments that we, like sheep, have gone astray. No matter the sins we have committed or the great deeds we have done, we are no better and no worse than straying sheep. Jesus, in Matthew 18:12-14, tells us the value God places on every one of His sheep.

If we can do that, then there will be no reason for us not to be willing to share the gospel with every person we meet. We need to stop seeing “cashier,” “bank teller,” “mechanic,” “liberal,” “socialists,” “wing-nuts,” “illegals,” “welfare queens,” or whatever other labels secular minds place on their fellow souls. Instead, we should be thinking divergently from the world and see something beautiful and new when all they see are paperclips. Then, just then, we may be able to begin loving and teaching the way Jesus did.

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

And the Stones Cried

Among the psalms of worship, lament, intercession, history, and others, are a collection of songs that proclaim God’s greatness as seen in nature. Three of these are Psalms 29, 148, and 19. Psalm 29 describes God as a thunderstorm, His voice and nature seen in the thunder, in the waves, in the winds, in the animals taking shelter – all of these proclaim glory to God. Likewise, all nature is called to praise Jehovah in Psalm 148, from creatures of the deep to the stars of the heavens. Finally, the heavens testify God’s name in Psalm 19.

Nature is called upon time and again to give praise to God. Jesus calls on this imagery during the last week of His ministry. As He rides into Jerusalem in Luke 19:36, multitudes welcome Him in praise. They sing from Psalm 118 as Jesus passes by, calling Him their king, bearing testimony of His name. In verse 39, the Pharisees call on Jesus to rebuke His overenthusiastic followers, understanding the undercurrents of their worship. Jesus responds by claiming that, should His followers fall silent, nature itself, even the stones on the ground, would cry out.

When the Stones Cried Out
By the end of this week, Jesus is arrested, tried unfairly, and crucified. Who testifies on Jesus’ behalf now? In Matthew 26:56, the disciples abandon Him. Later in the same chapter, Peter goes so far as to deny association with the Christ. In verses 59-61, no religious leaders testify in Jesus’ name. In fact, they seek false testimony to condemn Him. In John 19, none in the multitudes – many of whom would have been praising Jesus earlier that week – cry out for Jesus’ release. Instead, they call for His death.

Pilate partially tries to speak on Jesus’ behalf. One of the thieves on the cross expresses belief, but who would listen to the testimony of a criminal? Then, in Matthew 27, after Jesus cries, “It is finished,” darkness descends for three hours – in the middle of the day. The veil of the temple tears top to bottom, and the earth shakes, rocks torn and broken. Up to this point, silence has been the only testimony for Jesus. Now, the rocks cry out in testimony of Jesus’ divinity.

The Testimony of Living Stones
In the last supper of John 17, Jesus prays that the Father will glorify Him with His past glory. Hebrews 1:3 calls Jesus the radiance of God’s glory, and John 1 equates Jesus with God. These rocks testify God’s glory among man as in Psalms 29, 148, and 19. They proclaim the culmination of salvation’s wondrous plan. When all others are silent, nature proclaims God’s glory.

Two thousand years later, stones still cry out His glory. In I Peter 2:5, Peter calls those who follow Jesus living stones. Philippians 1:11 calls on us to be filled with righteousness as testimony to God’s glory. Every word and action of our lives should proclaim God’s glory. When all others are silent, we should bear testimony of our God and Savior. As living stones, we proclaim His greatness with one voice, living for Him and because of Him.

lesson by Tim Smelser

The Christian Purpose

Have you ever considered the purpose in your life. While we often study from Ecclesiastes when considering this topic, we also see a few statements by Jesus that define His purpose on this world. If we want to be Christians – that is, Christ-like individuals – our purpose and his purpose should be one and the same.

To Seek and Save
In Luke 19, we meet a tax collector named Zacchaeus who seeks Jesus out. Jesus goes to dine with this person, and the Scribes and Pharisees criticize Jesus for associating with corrupt sinners, but Jesus calls Zacchaeus a son of Abraham for his willingness to repent of wrongdoing. In verse 19, then, Jesus says:

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Mark 16 and Matthew 28 contain passages we refer to as the great commissions. In Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:18-19, Jesus tells His disciples to teach and make disciples. As Jesus comes to seek and save the lost, and He tells His followers that their purpose should be the same. This mission is not for the apostles alone; it is for everyone who puts on the name of Christ.

In Romans 10:14, Paul rhetorically asks how anyone can come to Christ without belief; how anyone can believe without hearing of Him; how anyone can hear without those willing to teach. Are we looking for those who are looking for Him? He came to seek and save. We should be doing the same.

To Call Sinners to Repentance
In Mark 2:13, Jesus meets a publican named Matthew, and Jesus goes to eat with them. Again, we see religious leaders criticizing Jesus for these actions, but Jesus answers this way in verse 17:

“Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”

It is difficult to call someone, or even ourselves, to change. It infers that you or I are doing something wrong. Jesus comes to emphasize repentance, though, and He associates with those most in need of change. He shows care and concern, and, rather than demanding them to heal themselves before coming to the Great Physician, He reaches out to those in need of His grace.

To Do His Father’s Will
In John 6:35, Jesus is teaching those He fed with the loaves and the fish of the true nature of spiritual food and His purpose among them. He encourages them to satiate their spiritual hunger and thirst more than their physical needs, and, in verse 38, He says:

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.”

As difficult as it is, Jesus is focused on the will of the Father, knowing the fate awaiting Him. We have a difficult time setting our own will aside for that of another, but that is exactly what Jesus does in His life of ministry. John 14:24 records Jesus saying that His teachings come from the Father, and He teaches, in Matthew 7:21, of the importance of bending our will to submit to God’s.

To Meet His Final Hour
John 12 records Jesus teaching His disciples of His impending fate, and He asks, in verse 27:

“Now is my soul troubled. And what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this purpose I have come to this hour. Father, glorify Your name.”

There are many things in this life we wish we could remove ourselves from, but Jesus does not turn aside from the painful hour set before us. I Corinthians 10:13 assures us our own trials will never go beyond our breaking point, but we must recognize the difficulties that lie ahead. In I Corinthians 3:10-15, Paul speaks of fires that will try the foundation upon which we build our lives. As Jesus was tried, we will also be tried as if by fire. Will we come out refined?

Conclusion
The sinless Son of God sees meaning in our lives, enough to sacrifice Himself in our stead, and He gives us a purpose in His sacrifice. We should have the same sense of purpose He demonstrated to endure trials, to do God’s will, to reach out to those in need of His grace, and to seek and save the lost. If we are Christ-like individuals, we should live with the same purpose we see in Christ’s life.

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

Mentors of a Spiritual Heritage

What do you value? What means the most to you? It may be something that has sentimental or familial value. This object may not be worth much financially, but its value to you is personal. Perhaps it is something that came form your parents or grandparents. It might be something from a child. Its value is its heritage.

In Exodus 10:2, God tells his people to make a heritage of what He has done for them. Exodus 13:8 repeats these instructions. He tell His people to pass the events of the Exodus from generation to generation. Deuteronomy 6:6-7 tells the Israelites to teach the traditions to God to their children. What His people were to value most was to be His word.

Two women concerned with the spiritual heritage of their children were Lois and Eunice – mother and grandmother to Timothy. We now little of these women. Timothy’s mother was married to an unbeliever, but we know that Timothy’s mother taught him God’s word, and his grandmother worked with him as well. Many churches were affected by Timothy because of the work done by his mother and grandmother. They brought up a child. who would be valued by Paul according to verses like Philippians 2:19.

Timothy’s Spiritual Role Models
The qualities we see in Timothy are not accidental. His life was deeply impacted by the women who purposed to set him in the Lord’s footsteps.

• They were examples of godliness. II Timothy 1:5 records the example Lois and Eunice set for Timothy. They practiced what they taught. Growing up, Timothy would have seen the type of adult he should become in the example of his mother and grandmother.
• They taught in the face of difficulties. Their teaching influenced Timothy according to II Timothy 3:15. They showed Timothy how to live, and they reinforced those principles in their teaching. He was taught from God’s word despite the faith (or lack therefor) of his father who would have looked down upon many Jewish traditions as barbaric. They also taught Timothy despite their inability to take him to synagogue because he was uncircumcised.
• They obeyed the gospel. Lois and Eunice originally taught Timothy from the sacred Jewish texts, but they respond to Paul’s message of Acts 16. They changed when change was called for based on inspired teachings. In this, they set an example to Timothy for him to follow in Christ’s teachings.

Creating Our Own Spiritual Heritage
How do we create a spiritual heritage like the one passed on by Lois and Eunice? There are some families that can trace their faith back for generations, but, even if we do not have such a history, we can start it now. We can pass our faith on to our children and grandchildren. Our spiritual influence is not limited to our children, but, like Lois, we can positively affect our grandchildren’s relationships with God. In fact, some lessons are better received from our grandparents than our parents.

We need to determine the heritage we want to pass on. Even if we have no children or grandchildren, we can become spiritual mentors as Paul was to Timothy. Paul had no children or grandchildren recoded in scripture, but he was a father-figure to Timothy, providing guidance that Timothy’s own father did not. Show someone you care about them, reach out and make another feel their importance. We can help someone grow up to be like Timothy – a Christian valued by others and carrying on a spiritual heritage as valuable as any other heirloom close to his or her heart.

lesson by Tim Smelser

The Other Commissions

A couple of lessons ago, we drew a contrast between defending our faith and sharing our faith. We are usually prepared to go one the defensive regarding our faith and practices, but we sometimes fall short on being able to simply share our faith. This lesson will expound on this concept some more as we continue to grow in our ability to reach out to others with God’s word.

Our evangelic efforts are mostly rooted in Matthew 28:18-20 – a directive given to go out and bring people to Christ. Evangelism is one of our main tasks, but, in this lesson, we are going to examine four other directives we are given by our Savior.

The Other Directives
Matthew 9:9-13. Go and learn what this means: “I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” We cannot afford to believe that we have it all figured out and be quick to point out the ills in everyone else’s life. Our ministry needs to be characterized by mercy and compassion.

He is quoting from Hosea 6:6. In this context, God is discussing true religion and true repentance. The people seem to believe that lip-service will appease Jehovah and that God will deliver them from captivity because that is His job. God recognizes this repentance is superficial, and this is when God states that He desires something deeper than ritual sacrifices.

The people who were criticizing Jesus’ appearance of character were the one’s who were most intimately acquainted with God’s word, but they had not learned the deeper meanings within it. (Mark 7:6-8)

Mark 5:15-20. "Tell others how the Lord has had mercy on you." Again, we like to start out by telling others how they are wrong. We turn God’s “good news” into “bad news,” and we turn others away by a message of self-righteousness. I Peter 3:15. Our evangelism focuses on our hope, and it is typified by meekness and humility. I have hope because of what God has done for me, not because of what I do or have done.

Romans 1:15-16; II Timothy 2:2. God’s good news has the power to positively impact people on an individual basis. On a secular level, we share things we like and enjoy with others, and this should be no different when it comes to spiritual matters.

Luke 10:29-37. “Go and do likewise.” The parable of the good Samaritan illustrates an application of how we are to treat others. Again, the concept of mercy is heavily emphasized here. Just showing compassion and kindness is a significant portion of my Christianity, without which any teaching I might do will be potentially ineffective.

John 8:2-11. “Go and sin no more.” Jesus does not excuse her sin in this instance, but He demonstrates mercy – He gives her a new lease on life – and He tells her to correct her life. We can easily point out others’ faults, or we measure ourselves by standards based on what others do, but this does not excuse faults in our own lives. I John 2:1. We are given God’s word so we can make ourselves more complete in His sight. Our goal is to be Christ-like, and Christ lived a sinless life. That is our goal, and, by the blood of Jesus, we have the power to achieve that goal.

Romans 6:1-11. When we are baptized, sin loses its power over us. We can overcome.

Conclusion
Going and making disciples is an important task, but if that is all we are focused on, we are being narrow-sighted, and our Christianity will be incomplete. We must broaden our focus and learn to fill our lives with God’s word. If we do so, we will have little time for finding fault in others, hating our neighbor, or quibbling with a brother or sister, and our efforts in evangelism will become more effective.

sermon by Tim Smelser

Avoiding Spiritual ADHD

Have you ever told your kids to do some chore or another, but they get distracted along the way? Likewise, have you ever done this yourself, wondering what it was you meant to do before you got distracted? We sometimes joke that we may suffer from an attention deficit disorder, but, in our Christian lives, we might catch ourselves suffering from spiritual-ADHD. We may have the best of intentions, but the various cares, influences, and distractions of this world pull us away from our mission as Christians.

In Luke 2:49, Jesus asks His earthly parents if they are not aware of his focus – that He must be about His father’s business. His ministry is not something that is haphazard. It is one that is planned and purposeful. It is done with the help of others around Him, and His ministry is fulfilled with great inconvenience and pain to Jesus Himself.

Focused On Our Father’s Business
In Matthew 28:18, Jesus tells His disciples to go and make more disciples from other nations. This is not something that happens on accident, nor does it come easily. This is a mission that takes planning and purpose. Jesus says, in Luke 19:10, that His mission is to seek out and save the lost. This is in the context of Zacchaeus who needs to make corrections in his life, and Jesus is setting an example to those around Him who need to change their hearts. Nothing accidental or coincidental is involved here. Jesus is prepared to complete His mission, knowing where and how to look. I Timothy 2:2 encourages us to entrust the gospel with others who will continue the cycle. Passage after passage reminds us to be active in our ministry. We cannot be distracted.

God expects us to grow, both spiritually and in numbers. God’s mission to us, however, is not to recruit members from other congregations. It happens, but this is not true church growth. When we gain members in this way, our effort should be to let them feel at home and put them to work. Our main source of growth, though, should be converting the lost. For this to be accomplished, each Christian needs to be involved. We cannot remain inactive and expect those who need the gospel to accidentally appear in our midst. Jesus’ focus is on the lost, and we should be working to maintain the same focus, not being distracted by what we think we can’t do.

To keep our focus, we have to build one another up. Jude 20, Ephesians 4:12, I Thessalonians 5:11 and 14, and many other verses stress the importance of encouraging one another. God expects us to be evangelistic, but He also expects to build each other up. When we actively work to keep each other focused on our goal, then it becomes easier for each of us to stay on the road to Jesus.

Working With Purpose
Our work as Christians does not come easily, not will it happen on accident. I may meet with discouragement and frustration, but I should be putting planning and effort into my work to help me overcome these obstacles. Remember, Jesus faced discouragement. He wept over the lost. He wept over the sate of His people. Still, He pressed on because His focus was on the Lord and the work set before Him. He planned to work for the purpose set before Him.

He brought in others to help Him, reaching out to others for their cooperation and commitment. His followers came from various locations and backgrounds, but they all worked together with one focus set before them, each one inviting others to come and share in the Lord’s work. Acts 6 shows disciples pulling together to help needy widows. Acts 8 records Peter redirecting Simon as a stumbling new convert. Acts 15 has Christians meeting with the elders in Jerusalem to scripturally work out a doctrinal dispute. Growth can produce problems, but willing cooperation helps us through these.

The Christians of the first century brought services into their homes. They changed their personal budgets. Jesus said He had no home in which to lay His head. Countless examples gave up much or all to follow Christ, putting away worldly distractions to give themselves to the Lord. Our society spoils us with instant gratification, but we might be more satisfied if we nurture patience and persistence in our lives.

Conclusion
Our spiritual mission will have periods of success. It will have periods of difficulty. Jesus gives us an example of patience and focus, and we should be emulating that example. The world may be pulling at our attention, but our purpose should be centered on God, encouraging one another, and inviting others to join us.

sermon by Tim Smelser