Ignatius of Antioch: Frequently

Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21

“Be eager, therefore, to come together more frequently to give thanks and glory to God. For when you frequently gather as a congregation, the powers of Satan are destroyed, and his destructive force is vanquished by the harmony of your faith. Nothing is better than peace, by which every battle is abolished, whether waged by those in heaven or by those on earth.”

Ignatius of Antioch (c. 50-c. 110) in his Letter to the Ephesians 12:1-2.

As I stated over the past three days, the Apostle Paul wrote his letter to the Ephesians around the year A.D. 60 and Ignatius penned his around A.D. 108.

Today it’s interesting that he calls us twice to gather frequently to give thanks and glory to God. We don’t often think of this as part of our giving. We must.

Gathering frequently to give thanks and glory to God strengthens the faith of everyone involved and brings peace to the community of faith as God works “immeasurably more” among us.

When we facilitate the frequent gathering of God’s people for worship, Bible study, prayer, and any kind of giving thanks and glory to God it strengthens us.

Facing challenges? Fighting battles with Satan? How might you add this type of generosity – gathering frequently – to your living, giving, serving and loving on a regular basis?

I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people. Ephesians 1:18

“Apart from Him nothing should seem right to you. In Him I am bearing my chains, which are spiritual pearls; in them I hope to rise again, through your prayer. May I always have a share of it! Then I will be found to share the lot of the Ephesian Christians, who have always agreed with the apostles by the power of Jesus Christ.”

Ignatius of Antioch (c. 50-c. 110) in his Letter to the Ephesians 11:2.

Today’s Scripture reflects the heart of the Apostle Paul for the Christians in Ephesus around the year A.D. 60. He wanted them to “know the hope” and they only way that happens is by experiencing hard times.

Having a share of an inheritance in earthly terms relates to money and possessions. Having a share in Christ is so much greater. It is the lot that makes bearing chains turn them into spiritual pearls, a generous gift from God.

The fact that this share relates to “the hope to which He has called us” implies that having a share in Christ will put us in hard situations, such as having to endure suffering or difficulty. This was the case with Ignatius who writes the Ephesians around A.D. 108.

In my culture in America in 2024, people (even Christians) place a high value on comfort and aim to avoid suffering at all costs. So when I read that Ignatius writes “Apart from Him nothing should seem right to you” I can relate.

The world I live in does not seem right. How most people (including Christians) handle money and possessions shows their hope (or their share) is in money rather than in Christ. So, they miss the opportunity to “know the hope” or grasp their share.

So, today my prayer for myself and for you is that, like Ignatius, we will sacrifice everything to have a share in the riches in Christ, which includes His sufferings. Only then will we truly understand the hope to which we are called.

As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1-3

“Constantly pray for others, for there is still hope that they may repent so to attain to God. And so, allow them to learn from you, at least by your deeds. In response to their anger, show meekness; to their boasting, be humble; to their blasphemies offer up prayers; to their wandering in error, be firmly rooted in faith; to their savage behavior, act civilized. Through gentleness we should be their brothers. And we should be see to be eager to imitate the Lord. Who was mistreated more than He? Or defrauded? Or rejected? Do this, so that no weed planted by the devil may be found in you and you may abide in Jesus Christ both in the flesh and in the Spirit, with all holiness and self-control.”

Ignatius of Antioch (c. 50-c. 110) in his Letter to the Ephesians 10:1-3.

Both the Apostle Paul, writing the Ephesians around the year A.D 60, and Ignatius, writing them about 48 years later around the year A.D. 108, call the Ephesians to live humble and gentle lives.

I find it interesting that they were both prisoners. Paul is a “prisoner for the Lord.” Ignatius was arrested in A.D. 107 and visited churches across Asia Minor en route to his martyrdom in Rome around A.D. 110.

And both called us to be humble and gentle and to set worthy examples through our deeds. Whenever you see “deeds” appear in Greek it reflects our countercultural and Christlike generous giving, living, serving, and loving.

But I think what stood out to me most was the language of living a life “worthy” of the calling we have received and seeing to it that “no weed” planted by the devil may be found it us.

And both Paul and Ignatius want us keeping the unity of the Spirit and abiding in Jesus Christ and in the Spirit. So, on this Lord’s day, to live lives worthy of our calling with good deeds and no weeds.

Such lives, in the Spirit, will exhibit holiness and self-control, unity and peace, and teach others how to live worthy lives with no weeds as they look at our deeds.

Easier said than done, so help us do this, Holy Spirit!

You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 1 Corinthians 16:15-16

“Pay attention to what has been written, so that you may save yourselves and the one who is your reader. As a reward, I ask that you repent from your whole heart, giving yourselves salvation and life. For when we do this we set a goal for those who are younger, who wish to devote themselves to the piety and generosity that comes from God.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his Second Letter to the Corinthians 19:1b.

Some days we need to remind ourselves that our example inspires those after us to devote themselves to the piety and generosity that comes from God.

For example, in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, he affirms the household of Stephanas. They were the first converts in the region. They devoted themselves to serving God’s people.

That illustrates that their example had a ripple effect and impacted others. In the words of Clement of Rome about 30 years later, their piety and generosity inspired others to follow suit.

Who is younger in your life for whom you can set an example of piety and generosity. Picture that person right now. What can you do to live our your faith with radical obedience to save yourself and them?

On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor, and the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty. 1 Corinthians 12:22-23

We should treat one another kindly, according to the compassion and sweet character of the one who made us. For it is written, “Those who are kind will inhabit the land, and the innocent will be left upon it; but those who break the law will be destroyed from it.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his First Letter to the Corinthians 14:3-4.

The kindness, compassion, and sweet character of God should leads us to treat people differently than the world treats them. We show honor and kindness to the weak as well as the strong.

There are people around you that would normally be invisible or forgotten that you could treat with special care. This may not only bless their day with kindness, it might show them the way to life.

Clement echoes Paul in calling us to treat each other kindly. When we do, we not only inherit the land, we draw others to this way of living. It shapes our context. Be generous with kindness today.

Today I honor two kind women. My mother in law, Wilma Pickrell, and my daughter in law, Emily Hoag. Both have birthdays today and exhibit kindness and the sweet character of God. Happy birthday Wilma and Emily.

Let all things be done decently and in order. 1 Corinthians 14:40

“For this is a gate of righteousness that opens up onto life, just as it is writ­ten, “Open up for me gates of righteous­ness; when I enter through them I will give praises to the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, and the upright will enter through it.” Although many gates open, this is the one that leads to righteousness—the one that is in Christ. All those who enter it are most fortunate; they make their path straight in holiness and righteousness, accomplishing all things without disorder. Let a person be faithful, let him be able to speak forth knowledge, let him be wise in his discernment of words, let him be pure in deeds. For the more he appears to be great, the more he should be humble, striving for the good of all, not just of himself.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his Second Letter to the Corinthians 48:2-6.

God cares as much about how we do things as what we do. He wants us to strive for the good of all and to do it with a sense of order.

This gets to the heart of why GTP exists. We help churches and ministries exhibit order and accountability so people can engage in God’s work with service and generosity.

I find it interesting that today Scripture comes to us around the year A.D. 54 and in the generation after Paul, Clement echoes the need for choosing a righteous path and doing everything without disorder.

If Christ did a physical site visit of your church or ministry, what would he find? Would he find holiness, humility, and righteousness, pure deeds done with order for the good of all?

At GTP we aim to build faithful stewards who help ministries follow standards with order. If you need help with this, let me know. I’d be happy to share some books and resources with you to build you up.

And so, brothers and sisters, I could not speak to you as spiritual people but rather as fleshly, as infants in Christ. I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for solid food. Even now you are still not ready, for you are still fleshly. For as long as there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not fleshly and behaving according to human inclinations? For when one says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not all too human? What then is Apollos? What is Paul? Servants through whom you came to believe, as the Lord assigned to each. I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. The one who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will receive wages according to their own labor. For we are God’s coworkers, working together; you are God’s field, God’s building. 1 Corinthians 3:1-9

“Take up the epistle of that blessed apostle, Paul. What did he write to you at first, at the beginning of his proclamation of the gospel? To be sure, he sent you a letter in the Spirit concerning himself and Cephas and Apollos, since you were even then engaged in partisanship. But that partisanship involved you in a relatively minor sin, for you were par­tisan towards reputable apostles and a man approved by them. But now consider who has corrupted you and diminished the respect you had because of your esteemed love of others. It is shameful, loved ones, exceed­ingly shameful and unworthy of your conduct in Christ, that the most secure and ancient church of the Corinthians is reported to have created a faction against its presbyters, at the instigation of one or two persons. And this report has reached not only us but even those who stand opposed to us, so that blasphemies have been uttered against the Lord’s name because of your foolishness; and you are exposing your­selves to danger.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his Second Letter to the Corinthians 47:1-7.

When I travel overseas, one of the most common line of questions directed to me in social settings relates to politics. So, this except by Clement on partisanship really stuck out to me. Why?

Partisanship leads to division. This results in bringing dishonor to Christ and appears as foolishness. And the worst part, it exposes us to danger. We get off track and lose our sense of purpose.

Again, notice how the words of Paul’s letter, penned around the year A.D. 54 from Ephesus to the church in Corinth, are echoed about 30 years later by Clement, the bishop of Rome.

The very warning given by Paul had not been heeded. The people focused on partisanship. When that happens, everyone loses because their focus is no longer on Christ and on each other. The evil one becomes the winner.

So, related to generosity, do this whenever your country moves toward elections. Resolve to keep your focus on Christ. Don’t look for earthly people to deliver or save you. Only Jesus can do that.

What’s at stake here is your maturity and your generosity! Don’t put your future at risk. Play your role of planting or watering, by living, giving, serving, and loving generously, so growth continues to happen.

And subject yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ. Ephesians 5:21

“And so, let our whole body be healthy in Christ Jesus, and let each person be subject to his neighbor in accordance with the gracious gift he has received. Let the one who is strong take care of the week; and let the weak show due respect to the strong. Let the wealthy provide what is needed to the poor, and let the poor offer thanks to God, since He has given him someone to supply his need. Let the one who is wise show forth wisdom not through words but through good deeds.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his Second Letter to the Corinthians 38:1-2a.

For the body of Christ to be healthy, we must use the gift or play the part God has designed for each of us to play, and we all need to subject ourselves to one another.

It does not look like this in the world. The poor are subject to the rich. The weak are subject to the strong. Even many Christians follow these social and cultural patterns.

But keen followers of Jesus notice that He did not Lord over us, though He could have, but took a posture of a servant. He became poor so we might become rich. We get to follow His example.

When we do this, we don’t lose our place with God or position in society, but actually find our place and our purpose. Subjecting ourselves to others and sharing is the pathway to healthy living.

On a personal note, we praise God that Ellie is a healthy baby. We pray she grows in wisdom and stature and favor with God and man. It was a joy and privilege to hold her last night.

And the report from Cleveland is that my sister’s surgery was successful. In removing the tumor, they got everything and the prognosis is good for a full recovery. God has good deeds left for Heather to do!

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27

“So then, my brothers, we should compete in the games, knowing that the competition is at hand. Many set sail for earthly competitions but not all receive the crown—only those who labor hard and compete well. We should therefore compete that we all may be crowned. And so we should run the straight course, the eternal competition. Many of us should sail to it and compete, that we may receive the crown. And if all of us cannot receive the crown, we should at least come close to it.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his Second Letter to the Corinthians 7:1-3.

I love how Clement echoes Paul calling us to compete to win, to labor hard, to compete well, to run the straight course in the eternal competition. I return home to Denver this morning thankful for my sister’s aim to run the straight course, the race the Lord has marked out for her, regardless of the outcome of her surgery today.

It inspires me to discipline myself to go and do likewise. What if you choose to do the same thing?

If you are reading this, don’t let strong winds or stormy seas get you off course. Don’t grow weary in doing good. Run the race of life to receive eternal reward from our Lord. And this message fits for our new granddaughter. Meet Eliana “Ellie” Shiloh Hoag. She was born early on 20 April 2024 to our son Sammy and his sweet wife, Emily.

I met Ellie by Facetime yesterday. Jenni and I hope to see her later today. It’s awesome to think that God already knows the race marked out for little Ellie. This is true for Heather, you, and me too!

Father in heaven, hear my prayer for my sister, Heather, who has surgery today to remove a large tumor. Give the doctors wisdom to do pathology work, to determine her prognosis. and give her courage to pursue next steps, whatever they may be. At the same time, thanks for baby Ellie’s safe arrival. Help Heather, Ellie, and each of us run the straight course you have marked out for us to win. Hear my prayer in your mercy in the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 1 Corinthians 15:53

“We think it better to despise the things that are here, since they are brief, short-lived, and perishable, and to love those other things, which are good and imperishable. For by doing the will of Christ we will find a place of rest; on the other hand, nothing will deliver us from eter­nal punishment if we disobey His commandments.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his Second Letter to the Corinthians 6:6-7.

It’s fascinating to read the first and second letter to the Corinthians authored by the Apostle Paul next to the two letters of Clement of Rome penned 30 years later.

Don’t get me wrong. Nothing can touch the Scriptures. It’s just cool to see apostolic fathers, like Clement, inspiring God’s people to stay the course and not focus on that which is “brief, short-lived, and perishable.”

I’ve had a weekend with a focus on the eternal. It was a joy to see former students, Eric Fleshood and Andre Sergeyev, and then to visit with my parents, my brother and sister, and then Ted Blount.

Today I fly from Orlando to Cleveland. I will see my sister who just got the news that she has ovarian cancer. Regardless of the prognosis, I love her perspective. She’s focused on “doing the will of Christ.”

When we do that, no matter the circumstances. We find peace and rest. What about you? Do the circumstances in this crazy world have you feeling immobilized or are you focused on doing the will of Christ?

Aim at the former and live in fear. Aim at the latter and find that the the gift of knowing Christ in crazy times (or in a cancer journey) is peace and rest.