Biddeford Church of Christ

The road we have found ourselves on over the last several months has changed us in many ways.  For parents who have children, you have faced the challenge of learning to be a sort of home schooler, and that is putting it lightly.  For many, this past holiday was an awkward one. Other examples of this change can be seen in how we shop for things changed, whether we travel or not, just to name a few. We have truly felt the impact of these times in so many ways and that includes our interaction as a church.  Think about it for a moment. The amount of time we used to spend together has dropped significantly due to this pandemic.  New habits are being formed or already have been established, suggesting that we don’t need the church; that is, each other.  How do we fight against this?

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.

                                                                                                                                    Hebrews 10:24            

Recently, in our meditation class, this verse came up, and all because of one simple word, consider.  Thayer defines this word as follows: to consider attentively, fix one’s eyes, or mind upon.  James uses the same word in James 1:23. Which says, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in the mirror…”  For some time, I thought that this idea of “observing” (same word used in Hebrews 10:24 translated consider) was a passing glance of one’s reflection, almost inattentive to their reality.  After thinking about this word, I now realize that this person was aware of what He saw and the needed changes.  Listen to the ETRV translation of the next verse, “…and doing nothing about what you saw.  You go away and immediately forget how bad you look.”  Why the focus on James when Hebrews is the intended objective?  James gives us insight into the meaning of the word “consider.”  To “consider” means to look intently to see how one might change or grow.  In the case of our text today, the intent is to ponder how we might “stir up” one another.  The KJV uses the word “provoke.”  The ordinary meaning of this word is aggressive in nature, for it means inciting, incitement, and thus, carries a negative tone.  That is not the intent here though, which is why the ETRV reads “how we can encourage.”    I like the NLT, which says, “Let us think of ways to motivate one another…”  As one commentator explains, “Let us so regard the welfare of others as to endeavor to excite them to persevere in the Christian life.”  As a one-word study brings out, this word “denotes attentive, continuous care.”  Our objective is simple yet critical to the Christian life.  We want to think of ways to inspire one another to love and serve by doing good works.            

Contextually, the next verse is significant, so let me share it now.  The ETRV says, “We must not quit meeting together, as some are doing.  No, we need to keep on encouraging each other.  This becomes more and more important as you see the Day getting closer” (Hebrews 10:25).  Our time together was an opportunity to encourage one another in just such a fashion.  Now the opportunity is strained immensely.           

Whether we realize it or not, we need one another.  Or, maybe we should see it as someone needing me. And if I were to take it a step further, that encouragement is probably needed now more than ever.  Okay, I know there are few, if any, who fall into the category of not meeting together.  I am so happy about how we commit ourselves to worship on Sunday through zoom and those comfortable attending the building.  That said, the amount of time we have together is much less than before.  That means the opportunity to encourage has also diminished.  Thus, it is paramount that we take time to consider and ponder how we might encourage one another.  Cards, calls, emails, even a zoom moment between fellow Christians.  That list can be relatively simple.  I wonder though, what we could come up with if we took the time to consider, truly think about how I could spur someone on this day in their service to the King.           

May the Lord continue to guide us through these uncharted waters.  May he strengthen his Church and the gospel shared.  Let us all do this to the glory of His name.

Dennis

With the completion of Psalm 121, I found myself thinking about what I could take time to meditate on today (Friday).  With the up-coming theme of our life group meetings centering on evangelism, I found myself almost drawn to Romans 1:16.  I have entitled this article and lesson for Sunday, Follow My Example.  It comes from 1^st Corinthians 11:1 where the apostle Paul says, “Follow my example, just as I follow the example of Christ.”  Christ came down to from heaven “not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38).  That will of God was completed here on earth, when Jesus uttered the words “It is finished!” (John 19:30).  In the presence of such grief, the Good News came forth, the mystery was revealed.  So, as Jesus gave all that He could, so the apostle Paul would give all that he could, to share that Good News.  It is that example we consider today.

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.

                                                                                                                                                Romans 1:16           

Have you ever felt shame?  Okay, that is a rhetorical question, for I know the answer is most likely yes.  Shame is a powerful emotion!  Here though, Paul expresses that there is no shame when it comes to the gospel of Christ, a message he once vigorously fought against for a time (Galatians 1:13; Philippians 3:6).  I like the ETRV translation of Romans 1:16, which says, “I am proud of the Good News…”  Paul’s lack of shame manifested itself in the adversity he suffered from proclaiming it.  We are familiar with his conversion.  How the brethren informed Ananias of the hardship Paul, who was then named Saul, was inflicting on the Church, just before sharing Christ’s hope with him.  The Lord said to Ananias, “For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake” (Acts 9:16).  It didn’t take long either, for in Acts 9:20 we find Saul preaching “the Christ in the synagogues” which resulted in the Jews plotting “to kill him” (Acts 9:23, 29).  Not long after, Saul “who is also called Paul” (Acts 13:9) was persecuted, along with Barnabas, and run out of Antioch (Acts 13:50).  Soon after, in Lystra, he would be stoned and left for dead (Acts 14:19).  He, along with Timothy and Silas, were beaten with rods and thrown into prison (Acts 16:23-24).  The list goes on and on.  Even so, Saul the persecutor, now transformed by the Good News of Jesus Christ and named Paul, can’t help but speak of Jesus.           

That Good News is powerful!  The word “power” found in Romans 1:16 comes from the Greek word dunamis which means (miraculous) power, might, strength.  It is the word attached to Alfred Nobel’s invention, dynamite.  Paul’s use of that word was not because of its explosive nature, but because of the power it exhibited.  So it is with the Good News and its capacity to save sinful mankind.  Once again, Paul knew all too well this truth.  A once self-righteous man who would come to realize the truth about himself, “O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24)  You see, he could not proclaim Good News unless there was bad news.  The bad news was simple, “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God,” (Romans 3:23).  Paul knew this all too well.  Paul, lifeless and broken, the power of the gospel emerges, for this wretched man answers his own question and announces, “I thank God-through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:25)    The power of the gospel brings Paul to salvation…to eternal life. 

His hope now anchored in Christ and a mission given to him by God, Paul endeavors to preach the gospel.  Nothing will stop him, for he is unashamed of his Savior Jesus Christ and the hope that He offers to sinful man.  You could say, he was proud of the Good News.  It was Paul’s overwhelming conviction of this message of hope in his own life that empowered him to share it with others.  I want to follow his example and it begins, as it always should, with my conviction about Christ and the hope of salvation He offers..

Dennis

The tension between Christian obedience and grace is a battlefield of the mind.  Undoubtedly, doubt creeps into our thoughts about our relationship with God, and it usually centers around our perception of obedience and its role in that relationship.  Bible verses come to mind, like, “If you love me, keep my commands” (John 14:15) or “Now by this we know that we know Him if we keep His commandments” (1st John 2:3).  I find it interesting that God implemented the Law of Moses to show mankind that he, within himself, cannot live flawlessly.  We need grace!            

The above thought brings me to the place for today’s lesson.  Paul is writing to the church in Galatia, and he is very concerned that they have turned away “to a different gospel” (Galatians 1:6).  I like how the NIV translates the beginning of v7 concerning this different gospel, “which is really no gospel at all.”  You see, some Judaizers have come onto the scene.  Who were the Judaizers?  They were Christians who adopted Jewish religious practices or sought to influence others to do so.  There was a tension between obedience (the Law) and grace in the early church. During the Council at Jerusalem in Acts 15, “Some of the sect of the Pharisees who believed rose up, saying, ‘It is necessary to circumcise them, and to command them to keep the law of Moses'” (Acts 15:5).  Even the apostle Peter struggled with this transition in his mind, for by his actions, he too was compelling “Gentiles to live like Jews” (Galatians 2:14).

I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Galatians 2:20            

As Paul seeks to encourage these Christians strongly, he does so in part through personal reflection.  He is about to build on what he just said in 2:19, “For I through the law died to the law that I might live to God.”  The ETRV says in part, “I died to the law so that I could live for God.”  I find it interesting that there is a link between real-life in Christ and the death of something. As Christians, we understand this idea of picking up our cross daily to follow Christ (Luke 9:23; Mark 8:25; Matthew 10:38).  Although important to the Christian walk, this is not what Paul is speaking of here.  The death here is any notion that someone could somehow view the Law as “life-giving” to the believer.  So, he states that he has been “crucified with Christ.”  One person writes, “The things that had mattered in his past life-hopes, ideals, ambitions, zeal for the law-these things were now dead to him.”  Paul worded it this way in Philippians 3:7, “But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ.”  “The once self-righteous Pharisee had died,” as one commentator put it.            

Paul had come to realize that to live, truly live, he must die with His Savior.  Put on the cross all those things which he placed so much confidence in through the Law. Die to any notion that I can somehow be sufficient without Christ.  In its place, his trust is now in Christ, “…the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”  His confidence now resides in the good news of Jesus Christ.            

As Christians, that tension between obedience and grace will always present itself at times.  Freedom in Christ does not disavow the need for compliance.  The problem comes when we begin to find confidence (or, in many cases, lose faith) concerning our relationship with God based on obedience.  That is a losing battle, and to be honest, it is a different gospel that is no gospel at all.

Dennis

It is presently 8:16 am on Wednesday.  Why is that important?  I am looking at the national debt clock, which shows our debt to be $27,236,795,100,000.  I rounded the number because just during the time it took me to type that sentence, the deficit increased to $27,236,799,350,000.  Okay, I know I type slowly, but not that slow.  As some might say, our national debt is off the charts – astronomical – out of sight or entirely out of control.  For some of us, we need not look at the national debt to realize we are in over our heads, seemingly climbing an uphill battle.           

As serious of a conversation that might be, there is one of even greater importance, and it is that which I want to draw our attention to today.  In a lesson I did some time ago, we approached this subject by considering a “cost analysis.”  The cost of redemption, our salvation, my salvation, is understood from at least two vantage points.  First, we need to grasp the amount owed; that is, one’s indebtedness.  To understand the full picture, we also need to consider the amount paid, or for the sake of today’s lesson, the ransom.  What happens when we take the time to stop and ponder these two ideas?

None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give God a ransom for him-

                                                                                                      Psalm 49:7            

The dictionary defines a “Debt” as an obligation that requires one party, the debtor, to pay money or other agreed-upon value to another party, the creditor.  As Jesus taught His disciples about prayer, He says, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (NKJV, Matthew 6:12).  The Greek word here, like the definition previously given, means that which someone owes.  We see the idea of debt in the parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18.  He owed his master “ten thousand talents” or, as you may remember from previous lessons, 60,000,000 denarii.  In those days, the average pay for a day was around one denarius; thus, making the debt impossible to pay.  Okay, let’s stop for a moment and try to grasp this point of spiritual indebtedness.  How much debt do I owe?  What do I owe the Lord?  The Pharisee in Luke 7:39 was unable to see his need as he so quickly noted that the woman who washed Jesus’s “feet with her tears” was nothing more than “a sinner.”  It’s not that he had no debt, but rather, could not see his indebtedness.  There are several reasons why understanding our debt is essential.  Jesus told the Pharisee in Luke 7:47, “But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”  To the extent that we are willing to grasp what we owe (spiritually) will be the extent to which we can understand the ransom paid; thus, we come to our second thought.           

What does ransom mean? The definition of ransom is a sum of money or other payment demanded or paid for prison release.   When it comes to one’s spiritual indebtedness, we possess no amount that can ransom a life back: not someone else’s or our own.  The cost is, well, off the charts – astronomical – out of sight.  By itself, such a reality is bleak, bad news; that is, until we read, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45; Matthew 20:28).  Paul wrote to Timothy that there is “one God and one Mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all” (1st Timothy 2:5-6).  Why?  Why His life?  It was the cost needed to repurchase us.  It was the ransom owed.  Jesus Christ “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people” (Titus 2:14).           

Like the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 or the Pharisee in Luke 7, we can easily forget our indebtedness toward God and, thus, fail to grasp the magnitude of the cost necessary to repurchase us.  So, I encourage us to take a moment and reflect on these two thoughts: the debt we (I) owe and the price that He paid.  For, He paid a debt He did not owe, and I owed a debt I could not pay.  Or, as another song say, amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me.  

Dennis

There is a show I like to watch now and then called, “Love It or List It”.  It is about families who are thinking about relocating because their home doesn’t meet their needs.  It is then that the two individuals who host the show assume their roles.  One who takes the list of “needs” and with a prescribed budget, seeks to make the families present home meet those needs by remodeling it.  The other guest ventures out to find them another home that seeks to meet those same needs and beyond.  When it comes to buying various products, “advertisers carefully craft messages to turn wants into perceived needs” says Dyanne Weiss.  I will be honest; I fall prey to this very thing and the proof is in the various cooking items I have at home.  There is always that next great need.           

This path I am on regarding meditation is challenging me to examine what I understand to be my “needs” for this spiritual journey called Christianity.  In a world that seeks to try and convince me what I need in life to be happy, content, purposed and the list can go on, God’s word gently whispers in my ear.  What is God saying?

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,

as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…

                                                                                                   1^st Peter 1:2-3a           

The NCV says, “Jesus has the power of God, by which he has given us everything we need to live and to serve God” (v3)  This word life is pretty amazing, for it speaks of life real and genuine; a life active and vigorous, devoted to God.  Through the wonderful work of Jesus, He has given us all that is needed to have a life that matters.  Jesus promised during His ministry saying, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).  Think about this verse for just a moment, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING in the heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).  Okay, I emphasized it.  But did you hear what it says to those who are in Christ?  So, I ask myself, “Does my life reflect an awareness of this reality?” 

Well, there is more still.  For through Christ we “have all things that pertain to…godliness.”  Once again, the meaning of this words is powerful.  Thayer’s defines it as reverence, respect, piety towards God.  Through the knowledge of Christ and the teaching of the God’s word, those in Christ can learn of and thus conduct themselves in a way the reflects faith in Christ.  You may recall in Anthony’s lesson last week that we are exhorted to “lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence” (1^st Timothy 2:2).  We are to “exercise yourself toward godliness” (1^st Timothy 4:7).  How?  Through seeking all that God has given us, which is all we really need.

I think of the words of Jesus found in Matthew 4:4.  They are words often quoted and as such, we can pass over them, when what we should do, is meditate on them.  As Jesus responds to Satan’s attempt to dissuade Him from His purpose, He says, “It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’”  Where do we learn about the amazing gift of Jesus Christ?  Where do we find the hope that is above the struggles of this life?  Where do we find what it means to revere God?

God has truly given us all that we need for our spiritual journey home.  Thank You Lord for providing it to us.  Help us Lord to do our very best to grasp that You have given us everything we could possible need.  May we hunger and thirst after You and feed on Your word daily.

Dennis

When it comes to hope, we have a variety of sayings intended to keep us focused on the task of moving forward.  For instance, you have heard someone say, “It ain’t over till it’s over.” Or, one of the more notable ones that are less acceptable today, “It ain’t over till the [blank] lady sings.”  As real as hope can be, the reality is that its opportunity will eventually pass.  I was reminded of this in my meditation time this past week and thought it was worthy of some time.  The prophet Isaiah speaks against the disobedience of God’s people, saying, “How the faithful city has become a harlot!  It was full of justice; righteousness lodged in it, but now murderers” (Isaiah 1:21).  Judgment would come, and God’s people would face horrible things.  There is hope!

“Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near.”

                                                                                                          Isaiah 55:6            

Since I started with sayings, let’s consider another, “There is always tomorrow.”  That is a “feel good” type saying that is not rooted in truth.  Isaiah speaks of a time when the Lord “may be found,” and when “He is near.”  This truth reveals that hope in God is limited in time. The frailty of life can be realized in these words from James, “For what is your life?  It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanished away.” (4:14).  Thankfully, we serve a God that “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1st Timothy 2:4).  We should not view the passing of time as proof of no God, but rather that God is “longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2nd Peter 3:9).  This verse does well to brings us to our next thought.

“Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, let him return to the Lord…”

                                                                                                                  Isaiah 55:7

If there is a word seldom spoken of, it is the word repentance.  Isaiah encourages God’s people to consider their ways and then forsake them and return to the Lord.  Jesus taught of its importance in Luke 13:1-5.  He makes this very passionate statement, “I tell you, no; but unless you repent, you will also likewise perish.”  Hope, even that of God’s amazing grace, has limits.  Those limits are not because of grace itself; but rather because of the willingness for people to accept it, turning from their ways.  At the proclamation of the gospel on the day of Pentecost, people were “cut to the heart” as they heard about Jesus, who was both “Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36, 37).  They asked the question, “Men and brethren, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37)  The first step for them was to repent.  There can be no experience of hope absent of it.

“And He will have mercy on him; to our God, For he will abundantly pardon.”

                                                                                                              Isaiah 55:7

It is not until this part of the verse that renews me about the hope that God offers to sinful man…to me.  God is present and ready to show mercy.  He yearns for the opportunity to “abundantly pardon” all who seek His forgiveness.  This fact is as true for all today as it was to God’s people back then.  John says with assurance, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1st John 1:9). His abundant forgiveness found in Christ is our hope.  Thank You, Lord, for Your grace and mercy.

May God embolden us to speak of this hope.  God is here waiting for the restless soul to find Him, who wishes to return.  But He will not always be there, for even the great hope of Christ is limited by time.

Dennis

Here is an interesting fact: back in 2008, the business analyst valued the self-help industry at around 11 billion dollars.  WOW!  The assessment would include books, motivational speeches, and the list goes on.  Some suggest that this idea was initiated in part by Samuel Smiles’ book entitled, Self-help.  The reality is, long before men started printing such books, man yearned for personal change, and others chronicled that yearning in the scriptures.  David pleaded with God, “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10) as he reflected on his tragic past.  Many of us can relate to these words by the apostle Paul, “For what I am doing, I do not understand.  For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do” (Romans 7:15).  The fact is, for many, if not most of us, part of the reason we sought after God is because we reasoned that there must be more to life than merely existing the way I am.  When looking in the mirror, I would be one of them who would have a keen awareness that the person I see is not the person I want to that I need to be.

But you have not so learned Christ if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus…

                                                                                                 Ephesians 4:20          

If you are in Christ, I have news for you, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2nd Corinthians 5:17).  Remember, our hope rests upon Christ and His work.  That said, we have a task before us that the hope in Christ beckons us to embrace.  It is called transformation.  Remember, God accepts us where we are but desires us to grow in His likeness (Ephesians 5:1).  If He has called us to such a quest, then we can achieve it.  So, what is involved in such a transformation?  With this newfound knowledge of Christ, we need to embrace the idea of “putting off…the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts” (Ephesians 4:22).  For that to happen, there needs to be honesty.  If any of you are like me, sometimes seeing what needs to be “put off” that “old man,” so to speak, is all too easy.  Maybe we relate to Paul when he said of himself, “O wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Romans 7:24).  As we gaze into the mirror of personal reality, despair can quickly take over.  But that is not the intent of godly honesty, for, to change, we first need to accept that we need to change.  As hard as it is, the mirror is necessary, but only to take the next step.

“…and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.”

                                                                                         Ephesians 4:23-24          

Only after honesty will the hope of transformation take place.  One’s reflection is not revealing who you will always be; but rather, who you are at that moment.  You can decide to be changed, or as Paul says, “BE RENEWED…”  This carries the idea of being spiritually transformed, to take on a new mind.  This pull between old and new expresses itself when he says, “And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Romans 12:2).  It is a decision to think differently and thus act differently.  Our desires begin to change as we seek to be consumed by God’s love and His will.  Psalm 19:24, “Let the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”  Such change would not be possible without the strength of our Lord and the redemption that cleanses my past.

That is the hope of transformation!  God takes us where we are and brings us places we never thought possible.  The fruit we bear is the result, at least in part, of someone who desires to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2nd Peter 3:18).  The world around us may see our flaws, for we are a work in progress.  But may they also see the transformation taking place and the hope you have in the One that makes it possible.

Dennis

As you can imagine, my mind has been focused on this subject of us being ambassadors of Christ.  Last week, the message sought to focus on the attitude of hope we should have and the opportunities such an attitude can bring forth in our lives for Christ’s cause.  Today, I want to take the next step and consider what sort of hope we can and should be ready to share.  After giving it some thought, I wonder if it is reasonable to break it down into two areas of life.  What do I mean by that?  Hope seems to speak to two specific areas, redemption and transformation in the Christian’s life.  We can talk to others about how God has redeemed me and that He wants to save all mankind.  We can also talk about the hope of transformation: that is, I don’t have to remain as I am, but God can change me to be more like Him in this life.  So, let’s start by talking about God’s hope of redemption.

For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

                                                                                                       John 3:16            

So, if someone were to inquire about this hope you seem to have, you can start by simply saying, “I have hope because God loves me, and He loves you just as much.”  What makes this love so marvelous is that it is not performance-based. Instead, it is despite my performance.  Verses begin to flood my mind that speaks of His love for humanity, for me:  Romans 5:8, “But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”  1st John 4:9, “In this, the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”  Ephesians 2:4-5, “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved…”  As one person writes, “This is where the faith journey starts: understanding that God loves you.”  If we do not grasp this fact, our hope is most likely misplaced.  To get this concept of love, we need to look at the cross of Christ.            

Do you know what is meant by platitude?  It is a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content used too often to be interesting or thoughtful.  As you enter a room, someone says, “how are you doing?”  What’s the chance they want to know how you are doing?  In much of our daily lives, words have become mere platitudes to so many, including the statements, “I love you.”  Don’t get me wrong; I am not saying that it is inaccurate or even useless to say it, but rather, so often simple words fall short of revealing to another the geniuses of that love.  Action is needed, not to prove love, but rather, to show its reality.  So, God gave sinful man His Son.  Remember 2nd Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”  1st Peter 2:24, “‘He himself bore our sins’ in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; ‘by his wounds you have been healed.'”  Paul would say, “…it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).  That is where we find the hope of redemption in Christ.             

Now, you may be saying, “You are speaking to the choir Dennis.  I already know all this.”  That is the point we already know all this.  Our task as ambassadors is to share this hope to the best of our ability to a world that desperately needs it.  Thank You, Lord, for giving the hope of Christ.  Help us find the courage, the boldness, and the strength to speak of Him to those around us.

Dennis

The feedback from last Sunday’s lesson was truly encouraging and I am thankful for that.  I want to build on it further; that is, this idea that “we are ambassadors for Christ” (2^nd Corinthians 5:20).  One of the things that struck me about this role in the Christian’s life, is the fact that it is as though “God were pleading through us” (v20).  That plead from God through us is that sinful man “be reconciled to God” (v20).  This message of reconciliation has at it very core the fact that “He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2^nd Corinthians 5:21).  Okay, I realize that all of this is merely repeating last week’s thoughts, but there is an underlying attitude that resonates within the follower of Christ that I want to speak to today.  It is woven into the idea that “the love of Christ compels us” (2^nd Corinthians 5:14).  It is a constant within the message, but seemingly allusive so often in life.  It is the inward conviction of hope.

…joyfully accepted the plundering of your goods, knowing that you have a better and enduring possession for yourselves in heaven.

                                                                                              Hebrews 10:34           

Personally, this verse has always challenged me, for it reveals that hope is truly a constant in the Christian’s life, or at least, it should be.  Consider the verse that follows, “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward” (Hebrews 10:35).  This word confidence comes from a Greek word that means fear and fearless confidence, cheerful courage, boldness, assurance.  It speaks “of the undoubting confidence of Christians relative to their fellowship with God.”  It is the hope we have that is in and is sustained by Christ and His marvelous work of redemption.  So, here is a question that came to mind as I was writing this article.  In what does my hope rest in?  My job?  A raise?  A new car?  The election?  The list could go on and on I suspect.  My hope that is anchored in Christ at times seemingly feeble.  Why?

The answer to that question most likely was answered by the questions before it.  All too often in my life, my attitude concerning hope is inextricably linked to this physical world; and thus, influences what I understand hope to be.  I know, we face adversity in this life and those things are at times very burdensome.  Yet I am reminded of these words from the apostle Paul, “For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 15:4).  Hope must be nurtured.  It is done, at least in part, through the use of the Scriptures.  I can’t help but think of what Jesus said in Matthew 4:4 as He was tempted to lose focus, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  We need to feed on God’s word so that the hope of Christ can grow within us.  Why?

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that IS IN YOU…

                                                                                              1^st Peter 3:15          

I wonder what was going through the minds of those who were “plundering” the goods of those early Christians?  Do you think they were confused at how these followers of Christ were acting?  Maybe, just maybe, one of them was compelled to ask, “What is the reason for your hope?”  And that opened the opportunity to talk about the hope that was in them due to the loving redemptive work of Jesus Christ.  We are ambassadors of a hope that is not of this world but needs to be proclaimed to this world.  Is this hope in you?  Heavenly Father, renew within Your church the awareness of the hope that we have in Christ and create anew a confidence of our relationship with You.  Help us to be Your ambassadors.

Dennis

As Paul seeks to help the church in Corinth, he makes this statement, “Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” (2nd Corinthians 5:20). Precisely what is an ambassador?  Well, the verse gives us some insight, but let’s consider a definition first: a person who acts as a representative or promoter of a specified activity.   Have you ever thought of yourself as a representative of Christ?  Let’s look further into this idea to help understand what it should mean to us.

If there could be a statement that grabs your attention in the scriptures, this is one.  What do you think about this idea that this task is like “God were pleading through us”?  The NIV says, “as though God were making his appeal through us.”  Once again, I like how the NCV makes it personal, saying, “It is as if God is calling to you through us.”  You can hear the words of the great commission given by Jesus, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19).  The words “go therefore and make disciples” is all part of our readiness to “be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you” (1 Peter 3:15).  It is what the early church did amid adversity as they “went everywhere preaching the word” (Acts 8:4).  As the apostle, Paul exhorts the church in Ephesus to “put on the whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11). He also encourages them to pray for him, “that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak” (Ephesians 6:19-20).  So, we can see that being an ambassador carries this idea of a unique and critical message.  What is that message?

The message is simple, “…be reconciled to God” (2nd Corinthians 5:20).  God has done what is necessary, for He “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us” (2nd Corinthians 5:21).  Reconciliation is obtainable “through the death of His Son” (Romans 5:10).  What God has done for sinful man is what Paul calls “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Ephesians 3:8).  He would go on to say about us, “that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 3:10).  Sinful man has the chance to “become the righteousness of God in Him” (2nd Corinthians 5:21). God calls us to proclaim this message. That is what we do because of what He has done for us.          

Proclaiming the gospel to the world is what it means to be ambassadors for Christ.  Changed by the message of hope and convicted of its reality, we encourage others to “be reconciled to God.”  Our roles may differ somewhat, for some will plant, and others may water, knowing that God brings forth the harvest (1st Corinthians 3:6).  Nonetheless, our work as ambassadors is crucial.  Many around, even those with smiles on the faces, are not reconciled to God.  It may be that we are their chance to hear about the hope we have in Christ.  Are you up for it?

Dennis