A Congregational Team

Everyone on a team is important. It’s the time of year when college basketball fans are watching their favorite teams. In I Corinthians 16:9 demonstrates the relationship between great adversities and great opportunities, and, in a great basketball program, a coach has to mold a group of diverse individuals into a cohesive team. Things may be difficult, but the end result is stronger for the trials. In our congregations, it all boils down to our people and our service to God. There are four action steps we can take to be a better team of Christians.

Four Qualities of a Good Team Member

• We must have a team concept. We cannot think as individuals. We cannot all want the same role. We have different abilities and talents, and we all have something to contribute. Ephesians 4:11 speaks of different gifts and abilities that serve to build up Christ’s body and bring unity. Our working together in love edifies our body. I Corinthians 12:12 demonstrates the importance of each individual in the group through the importance of our diverse bodily organs. Even those parts that seem weak are important, and the whole body comes together in sympathy or joy with those members who are hurting or rejoicing. Matthew 25:14 records that parable of the servants who each have resources to invest. A difference in resources is no excuse for a lack of participation. We all have work to do.
• We must work all season and for the entire game. In I Corinthians 9:24, Paul encourages us to run our race with the prize in our minds. It takes self-control, dedication, and commitment to see our work through to the end. Hebrews 12:1 tells us to have endurance to reach the conclusion Christ has authored for us. In Luke 9:62, Jesus says we cannot look back after putting our mind to His work. We have to focus ahead on our next opportunity to complete God’s mission.
• We must compete legally. We have to follow God’s rules for the game. In II Timothy 2:5, Paul reinforces this point. Perhaps in secular sports, we can get away with breaking the rules, but this is impossible with God. II John 9 warns us against going beyond the teachings of God’s word. The gray areas that can exist in sports rule-books, but no shades of gray exist in God’s law. Revelation 22:18-19 warns against adding or subtracting from His prophecies. God’s word is final, and we have to abide in it.
• We have to take responsibilities. We can’t make excuses for our lack of resources or for other circumstances stacked against us. Peter and Judas both betray Christ, but their reactions to their own errors are vastly different. Paul, in II Corinthians, praises the congregations in Macedonia, for overcoming financial odds in contributing to the Lord’s work. They did not let circumstances dictate their efforts.

Trying Versus Doing
We understand that simply trying is not enough to succeed. We have to hold ourselves accountable. We have to put our best efforts forward. II Timothy 6:12 describes our work as a fight. It is not something into which we can enter casually. It may require sacrifice. It may be difficult and trying. Our relationship with the Lord is not a trial run. It is a commitment. We are told to strive, to endeavor, to run, to press on. How might David’s encounter with Goliath had turned out differently had David been less sure of God’s protection.

Our results as a congregation are directly correlated with the commitment of our members. We must believe in what we’re doing. We cannot make excuses. We must work by God’s standards, and we cannot give up before our task is completed. In II Peter 2:21 calls turning back worse that never trying. We give up, and we lose all we have worked for. We have a goal before us. Let us press forward to our goal, working together as a team of Christians, sharing a hope in the prize we have set before us.

lesson by Mike Mahoney

Titus & Corinth

Titus is only mentioned a few times in the New Testament, and he’s mentioned the most in the book of II Corinthians. He is in the salutation of chapter 1:1. He is someone Paul obviously holds in high esteem. In Titus 1:4, Paul calls Titus a son in his faith. Paul feels an affinity and kinship in their faith. In II Corinthians 8:23, Paul calls Titus his partner and fellow worker. In Galatians 2:1, Paul refers to Titus as a traveling companions, and this is possibly referring to the events of Acts 11-12 when Paul and Barnabas take issue with teachers who were trying to impose Jewish customs upon new Christians. Finally, Galatians 2:3 refers to Titus as someone who comes directly out of pagan traditions, and Paul uses him as an illustration of the gospel’s power to save. Paul and Titus have gone through much together, and Paul sees Titus as someone upon whom he can rely.

Titus’ Work With Corinth
II Corinthians 1 opens with Paul and Timothy greeting the saints of Corinth, and Titus is associated with doing work with the Corinthian Christians. In chapter 8:23, Paul calls Titus a worker for their benefit, and, back in verse 6, we Titus gathering funds for needy saints in Jerusalem. This may have preceded the events of I Corinthians (see I Corinthians 16:1), and Paul encourages him to finish this work. II Corinthians 7:6 seems to record another trip by Titus, and this is to Paul from the Corinthians. He calls Titus a comfort, and he’s grateful for the news brought by Titus of Corinth’s repentance. He relies on Titus to assess the effects of his first letter to these brethren. Verses 13-14 record Paul even boasting to Titus about Corinth’s potential.

In II Corinthians 2:13, Paul speaks of anxiety over not recently seeing Titus regarding news from Corinth. Chapter 7:6 describes Titus’ arrival as comfort from God, and Paul and his companions rejoice at his arrival. Paul had stuck his neck out for the congregation in Corinth – a congregation that had previously dealt with class discrimination, tolerance of sin, secular conflict, and sectarian leanings. This is the setting into which Paul sends Titus, telling his companion of the potential Corinth displays despite their shortcomings.

Titus’ Attitude Toward Corinth
Is the congregation at Corinth on with whom we would gladly worship? Paul would. Barnabas would. Titus would, but we will not. Many times, we give up on each other too quickly. Again, II Corinthians 7:13 speaks of the joy these brethren give to Titus. They refresh his soul. Verse 15 tells of Titus’ encouragement in their obedience, and chapter 8:22 calls Titus confident in Corinth. He demonstrates attitudes and qualities that we would do well to emulate in our work with fellow Christians.

• Titus builds on the good. We use bulldozers to clear land, but we have to build skyscrapers. We have to build on the good we find in others. We cannot dwell on tearing down. II Corinthians 8:21 records Paul saying that their focus is on the honorable. There was much negative about Corinth, but Titus builds instead of destroys.
• Titus works toward completion. The journeys involved in Titus’ work were not easy. He overcomes hardships to continue and finish the work set upon him. He could have given up, citing the difficulty of his tasks, but he doesn’t. He endures to complete his work.
• Titus is earnest as Paul. The Corinth congregations, as far as we can tell, starts in Acts 18. Paul sets up the congregation, and Titus could have seen the issues in that congregation as somebody else’s problem. He has no investment in Corinth. It’s Paul’s baby, but Titus takes up the mantle to help with these brothers and sisters as earnestly as if he had helped build the congregation.
• Titus takes initiative. Titus volunteers to help according to II Corinthians 8:17. How many needs do we fill grudgingly or resentfully? Titus shows no resentment in the things Paul asks of him.
• Titus deepens his love for the unlovable. Christian love is not reciprocal. Ours is a love that is given freely regardless of the response. We could call Corinth an unlovable group, but Titus demonstrates love toward them in the work he does with them and in the joy he takes in their efforts.

Conclusion
Can we call ourselves Titus? We can learn to look for and build upon the good in others. We can stick with our work in Christ toward its completion. We can help others deal with their problems, for they are our problems too. We can take the initiative to help others and fill responsibilities where needed. We can show the love of Christ even when others may not love us back. Titus shines as an example to us, and we should strive to be like him in how we interact with those outside the flock, other Christians, and other congregations.

lesson by Tim Smelser

What’s Wrong With Being a Little Fish in a Big Pond?

“The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others.” The idea of servitude permeates the New Testament, and it contracts the way we like to center our world around ourselves. We want to be a big fish in a little pond. We want to leave a mark, a name for ourselves.

In Genesis 24, we are introduced to an unnamed servant of Abraham who helps Isaac find a wife. He is an incidental character who plays an important role in these events. He is a small fish. He is pious and faithful. He is devoted to his master, and he is committed to seeing the matter through to the end.

Qualities of Abraham’s Servant
His Faith. Immediately, in verse 12, we see this servant praying to God for the success of his endeavor. This is the first prayer recorded in the Bible the solicits an immediate response. He has faith that God can answer him quickly. He worships God, in verse 24-27, when he sees the prayer being answered.

His Devotion. When he prays, for God’s assistance, he does so on behalf of Abraham. He is committed to his master. In verse 14, he speaks of kindness to Abraham again, and verse 27 records him praising God for His love for Abraham. This servant is devoted to Abraham.

His Commitment. This servant refuses even food before telling Rebekah’s family of his task. He implores the family not to hinder him in his task in verse 56. He would abide no distractions in completing his efforts for the task at hand.

The Small Fish
If this servant is Eleazar, he is doing all these things for the heir that had displaced him. Eleazar of Damascus was to inherit the household of Abraham prior to Isaac’s birth. Despite his lowered position, he still serves his master faithfully. He is humble. He puts others before himself. He serves as a small fish in a big pond.

lesson by Tim Smelser

The Paradox of the Christian Life

What does it mean when we say, “I am a Christian?” We know we are supposed to be different, but that difference occasionally runs contrary to human reasoning. We have died yet live. We have been transformed, yet we remain the same. We are not of this world, yet here we are living and functioning with this world. What is involved – outside of merely making claims of being different – in being a Christian that truly does make us different.

Contradictory Ideas
Dead Yet Living. Romans 6:1-12 records Paul addressing our death to sin and the things of this world. He compares obedience to baptism with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. In Colossians 3:1, Paul calls upon us to seek things that are above, being raised up in Christ, and he refers to putting our earthly selves to death in verse 5. Galatians 2:20 calls us crucified with Christ. Self is put away, and Christ lives in us as we continue living.

Transformed Yet Unchanged. In Romans 12:1, in referring to us as living sacrifices, calls upon to be transformed, to be changed. II Corinthians 3:18 and Ephesians 4:23 both call on us to transform or renew ourselves. As we are raised from the grave of baptism, we undergo no physical changes, but Paul calls us transformed.

In, Not Of the World. John 17:16 records Jesus referring to His disciples as not of the world as He is not of the world. Colossians 3:2 tells us to set our minds on things above as opposed to the things of this life. In Philippians 3:19, Paul speaks of the shame in minding earthly things.

Reconciling the Confusion
How do we make sense of these paradoxes? How can we be so changed, yet appear unchanged? The death of Romans 6 is basically a separation from sin. Where physical death is a separation of life from our bodies. When we die to sin, we remove sinful attitudes and behaviors from our lives. We are still who we are, but we’ve put away those things and that former self that keeps us from God and His mercy. We become a living sacrifice according to Romans 12:1-2. Without physically dying, we cast off all that we formerly held valuable and give ourselves entirely over to God’s will.

When it comes to our transformation, Paul calls on us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. We remake our mind in the likeness of Christ. We take on a new mindset. How I may have lived, how I may have treated others, or the things I may have prioritized – these things are now part of the past. I Peter 1:14-15 calls us to fashion ourselves after God’s holiness in all things. I Peter 2:10 speaks of us obtaining mercy to undergo this change. In our death to sin, in our transformation through the reforming of our minds, we separate our priorities from this world. While in the world, we are no longer part of the world.

Conclusion
Saying we are Christians is more than believing in Christ, but there is much more involved in becoming a follower of Christ. Romans 6:12-14 warns us against letting sin reign over our lives. The changes in our lives as Christians involve us no longer pursuing sin and pursuing spiritual interests instead. In I Corinthians 6, the Christians at Corinth think that what they do with their bodies has no impact on the soul, but Paul demonstrates that theory as flawed. Our conduct, according to Romans 6:16, demonstrates our true identity.

If the world cannot tell a difference between who I am now and who I was, can God see the difference? When God looks down upon us, do we reflect Him, or do we still reflect the world in His eyes? Until the truth of God’s word is reflected in our lives, we demonstrate them to be no more than platitudes. We cannot merely listen to His word. We must learn from it and live it.

sermon by Tim Smelser