Show a map… Show a mapquest direction…

Pull out the GPS on the phone…

Getting from here to there is the theme, the challenge, the fun, and sometimes the curse.

I. Being of the same mind.

“Make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintain the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose.” (Phil. 2:2)

A. The desire of Paul’s heart is that others share in the same relationship with God through Christ that he has.

This relationship is described as: that I may know Him, (Phil3:10)

and the power of His resurrection

and the fellowship of His sufferings,

being conformed to His death;

B. How serious was this desire?

Rom 9:3 “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”

C. The two challenges before us:

1. The be like Jesus. To pattern ourselves after Him. To observe His teachings, be obedient (obedience means immediate response). To have knowledge, power, fellowship, identity.

2. To have the heart of Paul. Just how strong is our desire for others to know Jesus?

II. Being of the same passion.

A. What drove his passion?

There was a lifetime of training in the scriptures. Though that did not do it, it didn’t hurt. He had a basis of knowledge. But there was more than mental information.

There was the confrontation on the road to Damascus. He had to come face to face with Jesus. That had to be amazing and was certainly life changing.

Why doesn’t Jesus do that for all of us?

B. Christ in You…

Col 1:27 “to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every may complete in Christ.”

III. Being of the same Message.

A. So that Christ may dwell in your hearts… So that you may comprehend.

1. To know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.

Paul originally had knowledge of the Messiah, but now he knew the Christ.

Difference in titles. Difference in experience.

B. Telling the message to others…

1. This is how people think it ought to be…

2. This is how it really looks. What’s the difference? Your story.

God’s grace is never easy. Wasn’t for Jesus and Paul. Won’t be for you either.

God’s grace is often messy and unpredictable.

Insert your story here.

3. But the deal is this… You can get from here… to here. It is just how it works.

You have God’s word on it.

4. Here is the GPS in a two step direction…

a. Romans 10: 8-13 (Pull out your bible and read it or have it memorized)

“But what does it say? The Word is near you. In your mouth and in your heart – that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the scripture says, ‘whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed.’

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him, for ‘Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.’”

b. Phil 2: 12b-13

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who is at work in you both to will and to work for His pleasure.

 IV. Homework: Share this with someone this week and then come tell me how it went.

The point is.we need to be doing the small things in order to achieve the big things!

I. “I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.” (V4)
Tell about the joy of doing the baptisms of all three of my children.
Walking – moving through life
Compare 1Kings 6:12 to 1Kings 16:19 notice the word “walking”

Discussion Question 1: How are you walking in your life? Describe ways that may connect to either verse in 1Kings.

II. Hospitality was an expectation then. Now it can be a blessing.
A. In the ancient world hospitality was a sacred duty.
Yet, because of the Greeks instinctive dislike of taking money for the giving of hospitality, the ancient world inns were notoriously
unsatisfactory. To be an innkeeper was a low class profession, kind of like the stigma of the used car salesman of today. Plato compared innkeepers to pirates who held their guest ransom before they allow them to escape. Most inns were dirty and flea infested. (And they wouldn’t even have room for Joseph and Mary.)
Most of the ancient world had a system of guest-friendships where families in different parts of the country connected to give each other’s members hospitality in their part of the country. This connection would last for generations. There would be some sort of token the family members would use to identify themselves to their hosts.
B. So why wouldn’t Christians be expected to take it to the next level?
Bible on Bible:
1 Peter 4:9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint.
Heb 13:2 Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.
1Tim 5:9 A widow is to be honored if she has “shown hospitality to strangers.”
Rm 12:13 Contributing to the needs of others, practicing hospitality.
(Characteristic of church leaders:)
1Tim 3:2   An overseer then, must be above reproach, husband of one wife, temperate, prudent, respectable, hospitable, able to teach
others…
Titus 1:8 Elders should be “hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, devout…”
The Christian home was, and is to be now, the place of the open door and the loving welcome.
C. The Christian Adventurers
Wandering missionaries and wandering preachers who had given up home and comfort to carry the word of God wherever they went was common.
V. 8 says that “we ought to support such men, so that we may be fellow workers with the truth.” One writer (Moffatt) wrote that “we are bound to support such men, to prove ourselves allies of the truth.”
There are two kinds of people in the Christian family when you look at this idea.
Go-ers and Send-ers.
Not everyone can be on the front line. Yet by your support, you can stand with them.
Paul, in Rm 10:15, quoted Is. 52:7 saying, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things.” How do you support these people who have beautiful feet? UC might frown on you bringing in folks to stay with you in the dorms very much.
Support becomes, not obligation but a privilege and not a duty but a delight.
Discussion Question #2: Everyone always talks about the Church is all about the money. So, what are your opinions about giving to support the church, and particularly those needs outside the local church? Is there a difference between tithes and offerings?
III. The Reason for this Letter: Diotrephes and Demetrius.
Diotrephes: Local church elder. Looking out for the growing interest and development of the local body. Taking responsibility and authority for itself.
Demetrius: Traveling preacher. Giving direction and teaching to local bodies. Exerting influence and impact. Shaping, disciplining, exhorting, affirming, judging, bring the true teaching of Christ. An immovable object being hit by an irresistible force.
Problem was that Diotrephes did not do his actions in love.
His problem is not theological or John would not have hesitated to call that out. His problem was the sin of self-ambition or preeminence.  He did not heed the warnings of Jesus in Mk.10:42-45 (read this). His self-love was erupting into anti-social and very UN-hospitable behaviors.
Diotrephes slandered John, gave the cold shoulder to missionaries, and kicked out other believers who would show hospitality. He wanted no rivals, not John nor evangelist nor other church member.
Demetrius was introduced as an opposite character. Probably not from the same church community as Gaius and Diotrephes, most likely a helper of John who carried the letter to the church. Demetrius is affirmed three ways:
1. A good report from all men; 2. By the truth of his life; and 3. Recommended by John.
Conclusion:
For us, the most appropriate recommendation we could receive from this letter it the affirmation of hospitality between believers and the example of Demetrius to live out his Christian love so that all could witness and testify to its authenticity.
And this is where we complete the circle and return to the fourth verse that proclaims John’s joy to hear that his “children” were walking in the truth.
Discussion Question #3: How important is it that you would have “a good report from all men” and a recommendation from an influential believer?
Bonus Question: How do you live out your “walk of truth” through your hospitality?

B. The Elect Lady: a very special lady and her children.
Most likely this letter was written to the Church. This is appropriate that all men who know the truth would love her. Her children, converts to the faith through this congregation, would also be walking in the truth. Written during the persecution of the early Christian church, this letter may have been addressed in such a way to make it unclear to an outsider who might get the letter and cause trouble. This way it looks like a letter between two private parties.

C. When looked at as an early authoritative voice in the first century writing to a group of believers who have banded together under persecution, the opening four verses make sense. It also makes sense to close the letter (v. 12-13) by sending these greetings from other beloved believers in a sister church.

I. Agape Love: v. 5-6
We love as Christians as God has taught us to love one another. Agape love is not passion or an easy going indulgent sentimentalism. Agape love is not an easy thing to acquire or a light thing to exercise. Agape love is un-defeatable goodwill. It is the attitude towards other which, no matter what others do, will never feel bitterness, and which will always seek their highest good as well as and accepts all the difficulties, all the problems and all the work with that search involves. 1 John 4:11 tells us that we love each other because God loved us. Because God loves us we must love each other with the same generous and sacrificial love. It is by this love for one another that others, outside the body, will know that we are followers of Christ. (John 13:35) “I was glad to hear that SOME of your children are obeying the truth…” Not all. There must have been division in the church as some chose different roads to walk. The remedy is not new, but has always been, to love with the agape type of love. Only love can mend broken relationships. Rebuke and criticism will only create hostility and division. Argument will only widen the break. If the offended party is confronted in love about loving God, then the litmus test is the keeping of the commandments of God. If you love God, you will keep His commands. You cannot love God and continue in unrepentant disobedience. It is sin in the camp that prohibits the activity of God. Remember Achan and how he took some of the spoils of battle when the Hebrews were taking the Promised Land?

II. Liars in the World: v. 7-9
Jesus was a real man of flesh. Martin Luther said of Jesus, “He ate, drank, slept, waked; was weary, sorrowful, rejoicing; He wept and He laughed; He knew hunger and thirst and sweat; He talked, He toiled, He prayed… so that there was no difference between Him and other men, save only this, that He was God, and had no sin.” “Everyone who goes too far…” Were these false teachers in the church attempting to improve or develop further the teachings of Christ and the reality of the Incarnation and other Christian teachings? So what is the danger of being too progressive or advanced in your thinking and teaching? You may easily tread too close to going beyond the teachings of Jesus. John, an advanced thinker himself, would not allow himself or anyone else to go beyond Jesus. John does not condemn advanced thinking. Christian doctrine is not a static thing that cannot be advanced; but all John does say that Jesus must be the meashre of all thinking, and that which is out of touch with Christ can never be correct. The Bible is clearest and most concise in its language at the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus is the focus of all scripture. Christian thought is not nebulous or undefined theological wanderings. It is anchored forever in the person of Jesus Christ, a historical figure. What would you do with Jesus?

III. Stay the Course of Christ’s Teachings: v. 10-11 There are many ways of sharing the guilt of other people’s transgressions; it may be done by culpable silence, indolence, unconcernedness, private contribution, public countenance and assistance, inward approbation, open apology and defense. The Lord pardon our guilt of other persons’ sins! We are responsible for what we are learning, who we are learning from, and to be on guard. Prov 19:27 “If you stop learning, you will forget what you already know.” This never meant to be hurtful or harmful to anyone. Just (1) don’t let them teach under your roof, (2) don’t give any indication that you favor or support in any way their teaching, (3) and don’t let even your silence be misunderstood.

IV. Closing Matters: v. 12-13
Sometimes it is better to talk about things person to person, rather than writing them down. It is too easy to misinterpret or misconstrue the written word if there is already a breach in the friendship.

Follow-Up Questions:
1. Is it possible for humans to show Agape love?
2. If someone has given you wrong teaching, how does your Agape love respond to that?
3. Who are some people that you have around you that keep you founded in the true Gospel of Jesus? (Do you have these people and/or why is this important?)
4 (Bonus Question: Why do we sometimes have a hard time taking responsibility for our own spiritual growth?)

Normally the prophetic judgement speeches against the nations were intended for the ears of God’s people. Obadiah’s audience was a remnant of Jews left in Jerusalem.

Read the entire book of Obadiah.

Who were these Edomites and what had they done to make God so mad?
Start with the earliest history… Read Gen 25:21-27 then.. Isaac loved Esau, Rebekah loved Jacob. (Heel grabber, supplanter) Esau sells his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of red stew. (Edom = Red) Jacob steals his father’s blessing (Isaac) from Esau by trickery.

To Jacob:
Now may God give you the dew of heaven and of the fatness of the earth, and an abundance of grain and new wine; May peoples serve you, and nations bow down to you; be master of your brothers, and may your mother’s sons bow down to you. Curse those who curse you and bless those who bless you.
To Esau:
Behold, away from the fertility of the earth shall be your dwelling, and away from the dew of heaven from above. By your sword you shall live, and your brother you shall serve; But it shall come about that when you become restless, that you will break his yoke from your neck. (So Esau bore a grudge against Jacob…)

Gen 36:1 Esau, also known as Edom, had many descendants.
Gen 36:2 He married three Canaanite women: The first was Adah, the daughter of Elon the Hittite; the second was Oholibamah, the daughter of Anah and the granddaughter of Zibeon the Hivite;
Gen 36:3 the third was Basemath, who was Ishmael’s daughter and Nebaioth’s sister. (Granddaughter of Ishmael, son of Abraham by Hagar. Gen.16:11-12)
Gen 36:4 Esau and his three wives had five sons while in Canaan. Adah’s son was Eliphaz; Basemath’s son was Reuel; Oholibamah’s three sons were Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
Gen 36:5 (SEE 36:4)
Gen 36:6 Esau took his children and wives, his relatives and servants, his animals and possessions he had gotten while in Canaan, and moved far from Jacob.
Gen 36:7 He did this because the land was too crowded and could not support him and his brother with their flocks and herds.
Gen 36:8 That’s why Esau made his home in the hill country of Seir.
Gen 36:9 Esau lived in the hill country of Seir and was the ancestor of the Edomites.
Gen 36:31 Now these are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the sons of Israel.

*****************************************

Tensions evident between Jacob and Esau in the story of their birth continued and accelerated, according to the record of their relationship recorded in the OT.
1. Edom refused Israel’s request for permission to pass through Edomite territory on their way from Egypt to Canaan. (Numbers 20:14-21)
2. Saul fought against Edom (1 Sam. 14:47)
3. David conquered Edom (2 Sam. 8:13-14) but Hadad of the royal Edomite family escaped to Egypt and returned after David’s death to plague Solomon (1 Kings 11:25)

Edom occupied it’s territory from about 1300 – 500 BC.

Two Reasons for Edom’s judgement: It’s pride and their participation in Judah’s downfall. But the message seems to also include a day of judgement on all nations when they will receive just recompense from God for all their deeds. Obadiah’s God is sovereign over the nations of the earth. They may create chaos by mistreating God’s people; they may seem to get by with an exemption from punishment or loss, but the day of the Lord will come and set things right.

The Reason for Destruction: The Underlying Sin: Violence to His Brother— Judah (1:10) Remember the James study last semester? Love God, love your neighbor was the deal. What Edom is being judged for is failure to obey the law. Even though Edom was not under the law of Moses, they still were responsible before God because their conscience should have told them they were violating the law of love.

The Specific Actions: (1:11-14)
1. You stood and did nothing while Jerusalem was destroyed. Guilty as if participating.
2. Not only did Edom just watch, they gloated as well. “Better them than us” attitude.
3. They came in after Babylon and took what was left.
4. When the Israelites fled from their enemies and headed to the south, Edom was there to capture the fugitives and then they sold the survivors as slaves.

The Day of the Lord (1:15-21)
What is the Day of the Lord? It is the time when God will judge the enemies of Judah. When is it? The Day of the Lord occurs at the 2nd coming of Christ when He comes in judgment on the nations for their rebellion against God and mistreatment of God’s people. It is a little confusing as your read the prophets to determine which part of their prophecy is going to be fulfilled in the near future and which will be fulfilled at the very end. Obadiah is talking about Edom and the next he is talking about all the nations. The references to Edom’s destruction near fulfillment (500BC) all the nations would be the far fulfillment. We see that they will be completely destroyed with no survivors. The Nabatians kicked them out of their city. The Hasmonians forced them to convert to Judaism and there is no one left today identified as an Edomite. There are no survivors. This is in contrast to Edom who tried to destroy the survivors of Jerusalem in verse 14.

Interesting side note: Most of the OT Prophets also called for repentance. Not Obadiah.

Conclusion and Application
1. Pride deceives and leads to more sin.
2. Sin follows a downward path. Complacency, Promotion, then Participation. Are we complacent about anything?
3. God will keep His word.
4. God will punish sin. We are introduced to the Day of the Lord. God is in control.
5. God will protect His own. God is good and He loves us and will take care of us.

These last two ideas, that God is in control and that God is good are extremely important to living the Christian life. These principles were repeated often in the OT and again in the NT.

Jesus tells us that God is even in control of the birds and the flowers, so he certainly can take care of us. He also emphasizes that God is our Heavenly Father, which means He loves us. And God is good.

So, when we face difficulties, that doesn’t mean God is not there or that He doesn’t love us. The difficulties are for our own character and spiritual development. We can get through them if we believe in God’s sovereignty and goodness.

Obadiah: Follow up discussion questions.
1. Did you ever have someone who did you wrong and wanted to get even (or ahead) with them?
2. What do you think about the progression of sin? Complacency, Promotion, Participation
Sin thrills, then it kills.
Sin takes you further than you want to go.
Sin makes you stay longer than you want to stay.
Sin makes you pay more than you want to pay.
It fascinates, then it assassinates.
3. What are your thoughts about the “Day of the Lord” and the coming time of all judgement?
4. Is the fact that God is in control a comfort to you or does it make you a little bit crazy?

II. Teaching About Slavery:
A. How do we approach social concerns which grow out of a transformed life of a Christian?
Philemon – How do I react to this one who wronged me but is a new believer?
Onesimus – How do I, as a new believer, approach someone who I have wronged? (btw, Onesimus mean “useful”)

B. Seeds of social reform planted.
Slavery in the Roman world was very common. Slavery through conquest, birth, debt, or even choice… Bible never denies slavery existed, it was a very present reality. What the Bible talks about is several view of slave and owner behavior. Examples: Joseph, Daniel Christianity arose in a real life, tension filled setting in the first Century. While others argued for the brotherhood of man, Paul used theology rooted to thoughts of the “in Christ” relationship. This is what we all have in common. Slavery was not the issue of the letter but it provided the opportunity to address another matter… Christian relationships.

III. Fellowship: Participation in the life of others.
Vs. 17 If you regard me a partner… Partners’ lives inter-relate at the deepest levels. This partnership is the main avenue of Paul’s appeal to Philemon. Think about your friends, not facebook, and silently list who you can share with at the deepest levels. Paul was the common connection between these two men. He was going to become the means of harmony between the two. He commends Onesimus for his character and reminds Philemon of his responsibility. To relate at the deepest levels is for believers to fully acknowledge the circumstances which made others the way they are. It includes that God can change them. To relate at the deepest levels also involves a willingness to become involved in making others’ lives better. This may involve some risk. Paul risked debt and possibly losing a friend.

IV. The Christian Mind: Life reflecting the Gospel
Paul acted like Christ did. This letter gives us a more personal look at Paul. In other letters, Paul wrote about Jesus’ willingness to act on behalf of sinners. Here Paul considers the meaning of grace, the cross, and salvation. In other letters, Paul wrote about the meaning of the Cross in Christian living. Here Paul demonstrated he understood the implications in his life.

Here is the Gospel acted out in Paul’s life.
A. Two people were in need of reconciliation and Paul sought a way to accomplish it.
B. Paul pleaded the case of Onesimus, taking the side of the guilty, calling for forgiveness.
C. Paul offered to pay the debt Onesimus owed, even though it was not his responsibility.
D. The reconciliation was, in essence, effected in Paul. He was the common tie between.

Questions for Small Group Follow-up
Read the entire book of Philemon together.
1. What issues do you see that provide opportunities to address others with the Gospel?
2. What would make you willing to risk the vulnerability of relating to someone at the deepest levels?
3. How are ways you can act out the Gospel in your life? Give some examples.
4. Will you commit to doing some of these this week? Will you allow your group to know these and keep you accountable?

• August 30th – Introduction
• September 6th – The Source of Temptation
• September 13th – Listening & Doing Part 1
• September 20th – Listening & Doing Part 2
• October 4th – Favoritism Forbidden – James 2:1-13
• October 11th – Faith and Deeds – James 2:14-26
• October 18th – Taming the Tongue – James 3:1-12
• November 9th – Boasting About Tomorrow – James 4:11-17
• November 15th – Envy, Patience, and Word – James 5:1-12
• November 29th – Prayer and Restoration – James 5:13-20

Lauren B.

“Thank you so much for your prayer. It really touched my heart and brought me to tears. I really admire what you and your organization are doing for complete strangers. I will be seeing you guys soon. Hopefully I can attend one Thursday or Tuesday meeting.”

So once again every Thursday @ 2 we’ll be meeting in TUC to gather prayer requests and pray for folks around the way. Lauren Barth (the boss) wants to focus more on building relationships with the people we meet this year so please if you’re free come join us for this wonderful time. And if you can’t, just send up some prayers on our behalf so that the Lord can have His way in the lives of the people we meet.

Carver Scott

Wow! I really had no idea. I do remember being totally overwhelmed with freshman orientation. Too much information in too little time. Some things never change. I hear that it is the same way still. Especially at UC. Sorta two days crammed into 24 hours. So what did you learn while you were here?

Can I tell you a couple of things you should remember from your orientation or disorientation experience? First there are a lot of names to remember. You will remember your SOL. You will remember several of the folks in your orientation group, especially that goofy one or that cute one. But some names you should remember will be the couple of folks you met around the Collegiate Ministry table. And other names will be CrossWalk and Dinner@theHouse. But you will hear more of these later. I also hope you will remember the name of the Collegiate folks that contact you this summer. They really want to connect with you and help ease your transition to college life.

Another thing you should remember from orientation is that there is so much college life before you it is really hard to wrap your mind around. I promise that you will be amazed at the transformation of your life by the end of the first year ahead of you. You will be much more comfortable in your new surroundings and with your new friends. Who knows, you may even want to apply for one of those SOL positions or to be an RA in one of the resident halls. Just remember this, every vital piece of information that you need to know will be repeated. If you don’t get it all the first time, don’t panic. Every vital piece of information you will need to know will be repeated (oh, I just said that).

Here is a very vital piece of information. Part of your continued development as a young adult fresh out of the “kid” stage is the spiritual part. My desire is to challenge the way you look at your faith. The way you develop your faith over the next few years will most certainly impact your pilgrimage with God for a long time. I just read some facebook comments from “old” people who have been out of school ten or fifteen years. Some regret the things they didn’t learn or didn’t do to enhance their faith walk. Others are commenting about the way that a special friend, a retreat, small group, or summer experience really enhanced their faith in God. Your end of the deal is to choose wisely at this point. It may not be the holy grail you are looking at but it will really could be a holy moment.

Get ready. I hope to see you soon.

Ken, the campus pastor guy.