A Lesson Learned from Teaching the Song of Solomon

By Adam Faughn
    I’m only a couple of weeks away from finishing teaching a Bible class on the Song of Solomon. This is actually the second time I have taught through that book, and, while challenging, it is a joy.    Since the book is quite short, we are able to throw in a few “special studies” on marriage, but they all come from the concepts found in that great love poem. Overall, though, the vast majority of the class is just going through the poem and being encouraged by what is there.    It is interesting to me that, while Song of Solomon is “famous” for its very descriptive language, that part of the book is not found as often as you might think. My opinion is that those sections (such as where the husband describes his wife’s body) are so different from virtually anything else found in the Bible that we tend to think the whole book is that way.    However, in preparing and teaching this book, it stands out to me that these two people–both before and after their marriage–are friends. It is very obvious that they are attracted to each other, and that in a healthy way. But the friendship is what stands out to me just as much.    In the book, the couple beautifully expresses love, but it is more than the sexual love that makes the book so famous (and causes a lot of people to avoid it, sadly). Both of them show forgiveness, sentiment, and honor for the other person.    It is no wonder, then, that, as the book comes near its conclusion, you have some of the most beautiful words ever written about the relationship between a husband and wife: “Love is stronger than death” (___).    Too many couples do not get this balance right. Some build their relationship–or try to–on the “rush” of pleasure from the erotic side of marriage. While that is a wonderful part of marriage, that alone is not enough to make things lasting and powerful.    Others want to be friends, but do not build that “one flesh” part of marriage, which includes the sexual glue which holds a couple together. Friendship is so needed–it’s essential–but God placed sex within marriage as a cement to hold that couple together more closely than any other human relationship.    The Song of Solomon has a lot of lessons, but finding that completeness of friendship and sexual romance is one of the most powerful lessons any couple can take from this great poem. I know that teaching the book again has challenged me to be far better as a husband and to strike that completeness for “my beloved.”    Maybe I’ll teach it again one day! (But, until then, may I live it.)

- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith

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What Went Through Her Mind

By Adam Faughn
    There are times when reading a passage of Scripture, I have to stop and wonder what someone was thinking or feeling as the events unfolded. At times, the Bible tells us what an individual was thinking, but many times, those details are not provided. While we do not need to try to come to some hard-and-fast conclusion about how someone felt or what they thought when the text does not reveal it to us, it is still an interesting exercise to engage in.    One of those times for me is in Acts 1, as a small group of the faithful were meeting in the upper room. Following the ascension of Jesus, 120 people were present in that room. The apostles would take that opportunity to appoint Matthias to take the place of Judas Iscariot, but most of what was done in that room was waiting, as Jesus had told them to do.    However, the Holy Spirit felt it was important for us to know at least some of those 120 who were present. The apostles were there, as well as "the women," presumably, those who had helped with the ministry of Jesus. Acts 1:14 ends by telling us that among those 120 were also "Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers" (literally, siblings).    When I read that detail, I cannot help but wonder what was going through the mind and heart of Mary. Those brothers had not believed in Jesus during His ministry. In fact, on one occasion, they had basically attempted to set him up, likely to be imprisoned or even killed (John 7:1-5).    Now, however, here were those same brothers, meeting with this small band of believers. Two of them--James and Jude--would go on to be inspired writers of New Testament texts. So far as we know, all of them remained faithful to Jesus.    What a blessing for that mother! The Bible does not reveal to us conversations that Mary had with those brothers during the ministry of Jesus when they struggled so much with believing in Him. We are left to our imaginations to wonder what she said, how she prayed, or what else she might have done. While we cannot go beyond the text, our hearts are filled with images of her desiring for these siblings to believe in their Brother.    Though it took some time, it would seem that the resurrection was the key (cf. 1 Corinthians 15:7). Now, those siblings were faithful to Jesus. We have to believe that Mary's heart was filled with praise and joy.    Today being Mother's Day, I believe her heart is similar to the heart of virtually every faithful Christian mom. Whether their children are faithful to the Lord or not, that is what they desire. They pray for it earnestly. They do what they know to do to help their children--small or grown--to know Jesus and be faithful to Him. Above anything else, that is what they want for their kids.    Those children may or may not be part of what is still a small band of faithful followers, but that is the heart of a Christian mother. And if anything can change those children, it is the same thing that changed the siblings of Jesus: His resurrection. Take them there. Remind them of His power over sin and the grave. Pray they will come to understand the eternal difference that miracle makes.    That is the heart of a Christian mother, and we praise God for each one of them today.

Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith

Every Mother's Day is a First

By Adam Faughn     For some, today is their first Mother's Day as a mother. They just had their first child, so today is special in that way.     For some, today is their first Mother's Day as a grandmother. They are seeing their own daughter hold a precious child for her first Mother's Day.     For some, today is their first Mother's Day as a mother of two (or three or...). They are getting extra kisses and hugs (and a well-deserved extra cup of coffee).     For some, today is their first Mother's Day without their mother living. So, today will be bittersweet.     For some, today is their first Mother's Day with an estranged relationship with their mom or child. There might be a phone call, but it will not be easy.     For some, today is their first Mother's Day since losing a child. There will be memories and, likely, some tears.     For some, today is their first Mother's Day with a child a long distance away geographically. It might be the first one where they are not physically in the same place.     For some, today is their first Mother's Day with a child back in the same area; thus, the first they can spend together in a long time.     We could go on, but markers on our calendar, like Mother's Day, are reminders of how each year contains firsts. Some are happy. Some are hard. Others are simply reflections of the normal passage of time. Each, though, is part of the tapestry of life, and mothers are an invaluable part of that picture.     God thought that mothers were so important that He gave every human being ever born a mother. A true godly mother, though, is rare. Today, no matter what "first" you are going through, if you are striving to be a godly mother, we honor and thank you. Reflect on why this Mother's Day is a "first," and use it as an opportunity to be grateful for what is good and learn from what might be a struggle.     To every mother, we say "Happy Mother's Day," but to those who are striving to be godly and righteous, we say a heartfelt and gracious "thank you."

- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith

The Balance of the Resurection

By Adam Faughn     This weekend, a large number of people around the world will celebrate the Easter holiday. Some will make it nothing more than a secular event, with egg-dying and talk of a bunny rabbit. Others will consider it a religious holiday, focusing their thinking on the resurrection of Jesus.     For New Testament Christians, we must be reminded that we are not commanded in Scripture to celebrate any sort of special religious "holiday." Instead, we are told to worship and remember each week on the first day of the week, and we are told to live each and every day in a way that reflects what we believe.     Still, with so many considering a central facet of Christianity this weekend, think just for a moment about the "balance" of how we consider the resurrection. When we think of that momentous event, there are two things we must not do.     First, we must not--in our thinking and teaching--leave Jesus on the cross or in the grave. Some of the most powerful and resounding words ever spoken are "He is risen" (Matthew 28:6). While we rightly focus on the cross in so much of what we do, we must not simply leave Jesus as the crucified Lord. We must remember that He is also the risen Lord!     If you take the time to carefully read the teaching that is recorded for us in the book of Acts, one thing you will likely notice is a strong emphasis on the resurrection. Yes, the cross is mentioned (many times, in fact), but Jesus's overcoming of the grave is of central importance in the teaching that was given (see Acts 2:32; 3:15; 4:10; et al.). The reasons are simple: they prove Jesus to be the One He claimed to be completely, and the resurrection gives us hope of our own resurrection.     Likely, you have heard it said that if Jesus did not overcome death, He is nothing more than just another good--but dead--teacher. That may be overstating things a bit, but it makes the point quite well. When we think about the death of Jesus, we need to be certain that we do not leave Him on the cross nor in the grave. We need to make sure we remember that He is risen.      Second, we need to remember that He was raised from something. For a good number of people, this is what they must work on for this weekend. They love the thought of Jesus overcoming death and the hope it provides, but they do not want to let their mind go back just three days to the horrific scenes of the cross.     To state the matter bluntly, we cannot have one without the other. For Jesus to overcome death, He had to truly be dead. That is obvious. But the Bible does not "sanitize" the picture of the cross for us. It leaves us with no option but to see how gruesome and even grotesque that type of death was. It is one reason Paul would later speak of Jesus's death and add the phrase "even death on the cross" (Philippians 2:8). Those of his day knew how awful it was. While we do not execute criminals in the same manner today, we cannot make the death of Jesus less than it was. It was horrific and awful. The resurrection points us back to not just that Jesus died, but how He died and was buried.     One of the beautiful things about our faith is that we have the complete picture. While at times it is helpful to focus on the cross and at other times it is helpful to focus on the resurrection, we need to spend a great deal of time remembering the totality of what occurred to bring our salvation and hope. We cannot leave Jesus in the grave, nor can we fail to go back to remember the death that He died. We are simply not left with that option if we want to truly consider what Jesus has done for us. "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures..." (1 Corinthians 15:3-4)

- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith

More Than One Sunday

By Adam Faughn     Today is one of "those" days for a lot of preachers. Because the calendar says something, there is a balancing act that many of us feel on these types of days. Do we preach about the "holiday," or do we avoid it?     Sometimes, it is a secular holiday, but one where people expect to hear something related to it. You might think of Mother's Day or Father's Day. It is just expected that there will be a sermon based, at least in part, on those subjects.     At other times, it is more of a national holiday. Maybe the expectation for a sermon based around these holidays is not as common, but they are sometimes used as the "jumping-off point" for lessons. These might include Memorial Day, Independence Day, or Thanksgiving.     There are two, however, that really cause preachers to do some thinking: Christmas and Easter. Because they are religious in nature, there is a tension: do we dive in and celebrate like so many others? Do we avoid them altogether? Do we preach against them? Ask around, and you can find people who will take any of these stances (and more).     But of those two, Easter is the one that is most interesting for some people, simply because we do know when it was. When it comes to Christmas, we do not know the time of year nor (especially) the date when Jesus was born. However, since Jesus was raised from the dead following Passover, we can know when in the year that occurred. And, since Jews still celebrate Passover, we can be certain each year when the "anniversary" of that tremendous occasion was.     However, it is quite interesting that the early Christians, who would have known that date on the calendar even better than we do, did not celebrate some type of "anniversary service" for the resurrection. We do not read of any special ceremonies for the first or fifth or seventh or tenth anniversaries of Jesus's death or resurrection. That silence is quite telling.     What is more telling, though, is that these Christians considered the resurrection all the time. If you read the book of Acts carefully, you will find a constant emphasis on the resurrection of Jesus because it was the basis of their hope, and it was their prime motivation. They did not need to have some annual reminder because they were thinking of the resurrection all the time!     I do not believe it is wrong to preach on the resurrection on this particular Sunday. After all, so many are expecting it, and it provides a chance to speak to something that is on their mind. I also do not believe it would be wrong for a family to talk about the resurrection in a home devotional to help cement in the minds of their children that this was an actual, historical event.     That said, we are nowhere commanded to have a special "resurrection Sunday" one day each year. We are nowhere given an example of the early Christians doing so. But we are shown that the resurrection filled their thinking and motivated their worship each and every Lord's Day, and it should ours, as well. "This Jesus God raised up" (Acts 2:32) "But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead" (1 Corinthians 15:20)

- Adam Faughn preaches for the Central Church of Christ in Paducah KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.centralchurchofchrist.org Visit the Faughn Family blog, A Legacy of Faith

Be Separated from the World

By David R. Ferguson "‘Come out from among them, and be ye separate,’ saith the Lord." (2 Corinthians 6:17)     This text touches a subject of vast importance in religion. That subject is the great duty of separation from the world. In every age of the church since its inception, separation from the world has always been one of the grand pieces of evidence of a work of grace in the heart. He that has been really born of the Spirit, and made a new creature in Christ Jesus, has always endeavored to "come out from the world," and live a separate life.     The world is a source of great danger to the soul. God’s creation is wonderful and good. I’m not talking about that. I’m talking about the pursuit of vain riches and glory, and the desire to please the carnal nature. That’s worldly and dangerous for a Christian. Sin, in all its forms, must be denounced and avoided by those professing to be followers of the Lord. The Apostle Paul says, "Be not conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind" (Romans 12:2). "We have received, not the spirit of this world, but the Spirit which is of God" (1 Corinthians 2:12). "Christ gave Himself for us that He might rescue us from this present evil world" (Galatians 1:4). "In time past ye walked according to the course of this world" (Ephesians 2:2). "Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world" (2 Timothy 4:10).     James said, "Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27). "Know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God" (James 4:4).      And John wrote, "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever" (1 John 2:15-17). "The world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not" (1 John 3:1). "They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them" (1 John 4:5). "Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world" (1 John 5:4). "We know that we are of God and the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5:19).     But being separate from the world does not mean we should be isolated from the world: "Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Who is in Heaven" (Matthew 5:16) The key here is letting the world see our good works. We can’t do that if we are of the world. Always keep God first in your heart.

David R. Ferguson preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com **

A Rejected Stone

By David R. Ferguson     In Acts chapter 4, Peter and John were arrested for causing quite a stir by healing a man and teaching about the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead in verses 2 and 3. The next day the Jewish leaders, (the very ones who had condemned Jesus some months earlier), asked them by what power were they performing these miracles. Peter answered, and his answer was an interpretation of Jesus' word about the rejected stone found in Matthew 21:42. Starting at the end of verse 8 of Acts 4 Peter declares, "Rulers of the people and elders, if we are being examined today concerning a good deed done to a cripple, by what means this man has been healed, be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man is standing before you well. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head of the corner. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."     Notice Peter's interpretation, one point at a time. Verse 10: The stone is Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Verse 8: The builders are the rulers of the people and elders. Verse 10: The rejection of the stone was the crucifixion of Jesus. Verse 10: The elevation of the stone to the head of the corner was the resurrection of Jesus. Verse 12: The implication of this new position at the head is that there is salvation found in no other. This is the same point that Paul made years later at the Areopagus in Athens: The resurrection declares that Jesus is the Son of God in power: All men everywhere must repent and seek after salvation in Him alone.     That was Peter's interpretation of the word of Jesus in Matthew 21:42 while speaking to the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem. His testimony is still true to this day. We all must turn to Jesus Christ, and Him alone, to find salvation from our sins and have the hope to share in the resurrection with Him.     Salvation is in no other. It isn’t in any human creeds or cleverly devised fables. It’s not found in the accumulation of material wealth. Choose this day whom you will serve: Will it be the Living Savior, Jesus Christ? Or will it be mammon? May the Lord bless you this week!

David R. Ferguson preaches for the Mentor Church of Christ in Mentor, OH.  He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://mentorchurchofchrist.com/ or davidferguson61@yahoo.com