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One Another

Love One Another

“This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” (John 15:12)

Honor One Another

“Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:10b)

Greet One Another

“Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ greet you.” (Romans 16:16)

Welcome One Another

“Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” (Romans 15:7)

Show Hospitality to One Another

“Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.” (1 Peter 4:9)

Have Fellowship With One Another

“But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7)

Agree With One Another

“…agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you.” (2 Corinthians 13:11b)

Live in Harmony With One Another

“Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight.” (Romans 12:16)

Be at Peace With One Another

“Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves, and be at peace with one another.” (Mark 9:50)

Be Kind to One Another

“Be kind to one another, tenderhearted…” (Ephesians 4:32a)

Forgive One Another

“…forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” (Ephesians 4:32b)

Paul’s Pride in the Gospel

Christians are called to love everyone – even those with whom we might disagree or who have a different worldview than our own. Some might ask, “Even sinners?” Well, those are the only kind of people who exist.

There are three kinds of sinners – non-accountable sinners (children and those with diminished mental (moral) capacity), forgiven sinners (those who are committed to Christ Jesus), and  non-repentant sinners (those who have not yet committed to Christ or those who are not faithful to that commitment). That’s it. We’re all sinners in need of Christ; Christ followers are called to love all three.

There is no room in our faith to hate, belittle, ridicule, ostracize, or otherwise mistreat anyone. Our commitment is to demonstrate the love and compassion of Christ. This applies to those in the LGBTQ+ movement – whether radicalized or those just struggling with their perception of self. We love, because he first loved us (1 John 4:19).

Having said this, God has never asked his children, in the name of love, to affirm what God himself has condemned as wrong and sinful. Jesus again, is our example with the woman caught in the very act of adultery (John 8:1-11). Jesus offered her mercy and, I believe, forgiveness. However, his command to her was to “go and sin no more.” In the same way, we can accept, love, and forgive people, without affirming their sin.

My lesson Sunday is entitled, Paul’s Pride in the Gospel; it is taken from Romans 1.

Romans 1:16-18 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. 17 For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith.” 18 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven  against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness.

I’m sure it has not been lost on any of us that June is celebrated by many as LGBTQ+ pride month. There will be parades, marketing campaigns, social media posts, and other “virtue-signaling”  affirmations to celebrate what God has unambiguously called sin. Those who do not share such “pride” – faithful children of God for one – are called homophobes, hate-mongers, and otherwise  made to feel “shame” over their lack of affirming attitudes and behavior. (This, by the way, was a part of a blueprint written by Marshal Kirk and Hunter Madsen in 1989, After the Ball: How  America will Conquer its Fear and Hatred of Gays in the ‘90s; I think the book itself is out of print but there are plenty of references to it if you just google it).

Paul, however, declares that his pride is in the Gospel of Christ because it reveals the declared righteous of God upon believers while at the same time revealing the wrath of God upon all  unrighteousness. It should not surprise us that Paul gives as his paradigmatic examples of people rejecting God, the very homosexual behaviors celebrated in today’s LGBTQ+ Pride events. These  pride events celebrate what the Scripture says should cause shame.

Children of God should share Paul’s pride in the gospel and not participate, support, or affirm those things that God says are shameful.

I’ll say more in my lesson.

— Joey

Greater Love Has No One

As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you.
Now remain in my love.

If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love,
just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands
and remain in his love.

I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and
that your joy may be complete.

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Greater love has no one than this,
that he lay down his life for his friends.

You are my friends if you do what I command.

I no longer call you servants,
because a servant does not know his master’s business.
Instead, I have called you friends,
for everything that I learned from my Father
I have made known to you.

You did not choose me,
but I chose you and appointed you
to go and bear fruit
— fruit that will last.
Then the Father will give you
whatever you ask in my name.

This is my command: Love each other.

John 15:9-17

Special thanks to the Honi Deaton Trio and all those who made our End of School Celebration a great success! Kudos also to Hunter Stevens for constructing this wonderful pavilion.

You can hear a sample of the performance here:  Honi Deaton Trio

I Hate Mother’s Day!

I hate Mother’s Day, but it’s not because I don’t have a great mother; I do! In fact my life has been filled with a number of wonderful, giving, nurturing, godly women. Starting with my mom, Marion Jo Gafford, who is 83 and has been the standard by which I measure all women. She was the glue that held our family together. She was my first Christian mentor.

Next, her Mom, Roxie Ann McGough, was an example of generosity. She worked menial jobs, when she did not have to work, just so she could buy all her grand-children Christmas presents. I also must mention all those great holiday dinners she prepared.

My paternal grandmother, Rubye Johns Gafford, was a spiritual mentor for me throughout my life and my biggest cheerleader, when I was called to preach. She still influences my thinking.

My mother-in-law, Betty Hester, is probably the best mother-inlaw a man could have. She has been lavishly generous with my family and children and has masterfully walked that tightrope between providing assistance without interfering.

Finally, my wife, Tina Marie Gafford, has been an awesome mother to our children. She has been a loving, devoted, generous, Christian mom both when we were all together as a family and
even now as they have begun their own lives.

It is also not that I’m too cheap to honor my Mom. I take seriously the biblical mandate to care for one’s parents. I care for my mom the best I can, long distance, and arrange other hands-on resources to take care of the needs I cannot. I delight in the opportunity to send her roses and provide gifts whenever possible.

Why do I hate Mother’s Day? I guess hate is a strong word. It is not so much that I hate Mother’s Day as it causes me a lot of discomfort. There are things that I hate about Mother’s Day.

1. I hate that Mother’s Day is not always a happy holiday for many. Some may not have had a happy childhood or an ideal mother. Others may be grieving the loss of their mother. Others may be dealing with the heartache of infertility or other things that have kept them from the joy of motherhood. Still others, may be grieving over children that have passed or children that have left God and are lost.
2. I hate the commercialism of Mother’s Day as a manufactured holiday. Sure it’s great to have a memory jog to do what we should be doing throughout the year, but this is a cash cow for florists and card makers alike. This sets up high expectations for mothers who are often disappointed by thoughtless children.
3. I hate trying to come up with appropriate Mother’s Day messages. I am sensitive to the fact that God should be the center of our worship and messages should be God-centered at their core. There are only so many biblical texts that can accomplish the tasks of honoring mothers without diminishing our focus on God. It can be done, mind you, but it often challenges my creativity and biblical integrity.

I’ll say more in my lesson

— Joey

It is Not Good for the Man to be Alone

Genesis 1:26-28 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

Genesis 2:4-25 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens. …. 7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust  of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. 8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. …. 18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him”. …. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman, ‘for she was taken out of man.” 24 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

In Genesis 1-2 we find two accounts of creation. The first is general; it speaks of the universe being spoken into existence and the filling of the earth with vegetation and life, culminating in humankind. The second is more specific; it relates in detail the creation of Adam and Eve, their relationship, and placement in the garden.

In this more detailed account we learn that Adam was created before Eve and made to see that he was alone. Adam was male, but had no female counterpart as did all the animals. This is where we find God exclaiming, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Herein, we find the first mention of humanity’s need for connection and companionship. While this certainly can be generalized to the need we all have for each other, this account is much more  fundamental and specific. It speaks of our need for a “helper suitable.” Maleness was not adequate for God’s ultimate creation; maleness must have its counterpart, femaleness, to accomplish  God’s grand plan. This binary arrangement features both the sameness of male & female (bone of my bone), but also the differences (she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man, Genesis 2:23-24).

We’ll discuss the implications of this on Sunday.

— Joey

Two are Better than One

There was a man all alone;

he had neither son nor brother.

There was no end to his toil,

yet his eyes were not content

with his wealth.

“For whom am I toiling,” he asked,

“and why am I depriving myself

of enjoyment?”

This too is meaningless—

a miserable business!

Two are better than one,

because they have a good return

for their labor:

If either of them falls down,

one can help the other up.

But pity anyone who falls

and has no one to help them up.

Also, if two lie down together,

they will keep warm.

But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,

two can defend themselves.

A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Ecclesiastes 4:8-12

In Ecclesiastes, the Teacher is searching for meaning, but he only finds meaninglessness around every corner. A major theme is that work/toil is meaningless. In chapter two, he enumerates all  that he has worked for and achieved, but none of these things brings him the meaning he desires. Not only do these accomplishments fail to satisfy, he is tormented with the thought that when he dies they will be left to someone who has not worked for it.

He is almost schizophrenic in his thinking. On the one hand he suggests that taking satisfaction in one’s work is as good as it gets. However, he feels no satisfaction in his own work.

In chapter four, he suggests that a man who has no heir, business partner, or brother to share in his labor is in the same situation. He is alone, toiling away, for nothing. It is also meaningless.

This is where we find the beautiful “Two are Better than One” poem. It speaks to the human need for relationships. Join us Sunday as we discuss our need for relationships.

— Joey

Our Responsibilities to Leadership

We have already spent four weeks in describing the work and qualifications of both elders and deacons. These lessons are archived on our website and YouTube page; I recommend that you view them there, if you missed them. We discussed the responsibilities of Shepherds.

1. Shepherds oversee every aspect of the work of the church, both physical and spiritual; it is their responsibility and one for which they will be held accountable.
2. Shepherds also serve as pastors; they shepherd the spiritual needs of the flock. Their responsibility is to see that the flock is well-fed and protected from false teaching, secular philosophy, and the negative influences of the world.
3. Shepherds serve as elders, older men who arbitrate disputes and make spiritual judgments. It presumes that older, Christian men have the wisdom and respect to make the hard decisions to lead the church where it needs to go.
4. Shepherds also have the authority to delegate their responsibilities to helpers that can assist them.

Deacons are one group of special helpers to which the elders delegate tasks. It is an error to believe the Shepherds oversee the spiritual and the deacons oversee the physical. The Shepherds  oversee all of the churches’ work – spiritual and physical. The deacons assist the Shepherds in both these areas as the Shepherds see fit. They serve at the will and request of the Shepherds. The  number one responsibility of deacons is to be faithful in the tasks assigned to them.

Just as leadership has responsibilities toward us, we also have responsibilities to them. While most of these scriptures refer only to the Shepherds, they also apply to deacons as they are delegated agents of the elders.

1. We are to obey our leaders and submit to their authority. We are to obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden (Hebrews 13:17).
2. We are to respect and honor them (1 Timothy 5:17-20).
3. We are to give them the benefit of the doubt (1 Timothy 5:1).

Regarding the work they oversee, we are to support it and the cause of Christ, with our time, talents, money, prayers, and enthusiastic participation. Leaders will be held accountable to God for  how they lead the church; you will be held accountable for how you support them in their work.

Joey

EXALTING HIS RESURRECTION

Dan Jenkins*

The central event in the history of mankind is the resurrection of Jesus. Without it, death is the victorious enemy of all mortals. Without it, death comes, and all our dreams, aspirations and future plans come to a screeching halt. It all ends. When Job faced this problem, his heart was full of questions.

Job looked at his life and said, “Man that is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble. He comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue” (Job 14:1,2). His despair is sent in many of the verses which follow. “But man dies and is laid away; indeed he breathes his last and where is he? … So man lies down and does not rise. The heavens are no more, they will not awake nor be roused from their sleep.” He then asks the ultimate question. “If a man dies, will he live again” (Job 14:14)? Without a revelation from heaven, death wins!

Hear the words of Paul when he affirmed that the appearing of the Savior “…abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” (2 Timothy 1:10). There are glimpses of the  resurrection in the shadows of the Old Testament, but the gospel brought by Jesus brings this truth out of that shadow. We now understand so clearly that the time will come when all that are in the grave will hear His voice and come forth (John 5:28-29). But there is more. God has given us assurance of this truth by raising His own Son. He entered into Hades (Acts 2:31) and returned from that realm having “the keys to Hades and death” (Revelation 1:18). His resurrection answers Job’s question and forever removes the bondage of the fear of death from the hearts of the saints (Hebrews 2:14-15). In Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth, he tied the fact of our resurrection to the fact of Jesus’ resurrection (1 Corinthians 15).

How will this happen? When those who are in the grave hear His voice, they will come forth in an incorruptible, spiritual body. Because flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, even the bodies of those who are alive will also be changed. “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised…” (1 Corinthians 15:52). How quickly will this happen? In the twinkling of an eye. How long will it take? Just as long as it takes you to bat your eyes!

Jesus has been raised, and by this we know that we shall be raised. His resurrection is the foundation of Biblical truths. We live in bodies that are mortal—subject to death. We live in bodies that  are corruptible—they are aging and decaying. “When this corruptible has put on incorruption and this mortal has put on immortality, then death is swallowed up in victory” (1 Corinthians 15:54). God  hasten that day!

*Dan Jenkins is an acquaintance of mine and has ministered with the West Palm Beach Lakes Church of Christ (Florida) for over 40 years. —Joey