Clement of Rome: Kindness

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.

Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 2 Corinthians 4:2

“But the Lord says, “No household servant can serve as the slave of two masters.” If we wish to serve as slaves of both God and wealth, it is of no use to us. “For what is the advantage of ac­quiring the whole world while forfeiting your life?” But this age and the age to come are two enemies. This one preaches adultery, depravity, avarice, and deceit, but that one re­nounces these things. We cannot, therefore, be friends of both. We must renounce this world to obtain that one.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his Second Letter to the Corinthians 6:1-5.

It was great to see two former students, then my parents, and lastly, my brother and his wife, yesterday. We enjoyed sweet fellowship.

If there was a common thread to all my meetings today it was this: we are living not for this world, but for the world to come. We have renounced the drive or mindset of this world to “acquire” for ourselves and replaced it with a perspective that aims to “bless” others.

As I spend time reading the letters of Paul to the Corinthians alongside the letters of Clement of Rome to the same church 30 years later, certain themes stand out like “renouncing former ways.”

What about you? Do you have any ways or wealth that needs renouncing?

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

“We are writing these things, loved ones, not only to admonish you but also to remind ourselves. For we are in the same arena and the same contest is set before us. For this reason we should leave be­hind empty and frivolous thoughts and come to the famous and venerable rule of our tradition. We should realize what is good and pleasing and acceptable before the One who made us. We should gaze intently on the blood of Christ and realize how precious it is to His Father; for when it was poured out for our salvation, it brought the gracious gift of repentance to the entire world.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his first Letter to the Corinthians 7:1-4.

I write with the same aim as Clement, that is, not to admonish, but to remind.

We are on this round ball called “earth” to remind each other to live for that which is famous and venerable not that which is empty and frivolous.

All you need to do is visit Florida and read the billboards along the freeway to see empty and frivolous.

When we remind ourselves afresh that Christ is risen and done away with our sin and given us a ministry of reconciling the world to Him, it brings us purpose and real joy to whatever days God gives us.

My day includes special visits with two former students and dear friends, Eric Fleshood and Andre Sergeyev, as well as my parents and my brother and his wife. As we find ourselves in the “same arena and the same contest” called life, I hope to encourage, uplift, and inspire each one to leave be­hind the “empty and frivolous” live for that which is both “famous and venerable.”

How can your interaction with people point them to that which is “famous and venerable?”

Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. 2 Corinthians 9:13

“And all of you used to be humble in mind, not arrogant in the least, being submissive rather than forcing submission, giving more gladly than receiving being satisfied with the provisions supplied by Christ. You heeded His words, carefully storing them up in your inner selves. And His sufferings were present before your eyes.

For this reason a deep and rich peace was given to all, along with an insatiable desire for doing good; and a full out­ pouring of the Holy Spirit came upon everyone. And being filled with His holy will, you used to stretch out your hands to the all-powerful God, zealous for the good, with pious confidence, begging Him to be gracious if you inadvertently committed any sin.

Day and night you struggled on be­ half of the entire brotherhood, that the total number of His chosen ones might be saved, with mortal fear and self-awareness. You were sincere and innocent and bore no grudges against one another. Every faction and schism was loath­ some to you. You used to grieve over the unlawful acts of your neighbors and considered their shortcomings your own.

You had no regrets when doing good; you were prepared for every good deed. You were adorned with a highly virtuous and honorable way of life, and you accomplished all things in reverential awe of Him. The commandments and righteous demands of the Lord were in­scribed upon the tablets of your heart.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his first Letter to the Corinthians 2:1-8.

When you read a Scripture like today’s text, don’t you like the know how the story ends. It’s like you are watching a home improvement television show and you see the before and the after.

The before for the Corinthians included instructions about giving and a promise.

The promise was clear an penned in 2 Corinthians around the year A.D. 57 that others would praise God for the their confession and for their collection or their words and their works.

The after is today’s statement from Clement some 30-40 years later.

Clement is writing from Rome about the faith and generosity of the Corinthians. It’s beautiful! Absolutely beautiful. He celebrates their words and their works. And I highly three aspects.

Firstly, the Corinthians had an “insatiable desire for doing good.”

Think about that word insatiable and what it means. Because our doing good flows from God’s abundant provision, there’s never an end to it. We never stop wanting to bless others because God perpetually blesses us.

Secondly, they had “no regrets when doing good.”

This means that they heard the teachings of Paul, put it into practice, and never looked back. This is my prayer for readers today. That they will choose to live, give, serve, and love generously, and not look back.

Thirdly, they were “prepared for every good deed.”

Imagine this. They now live for a whole new purpose. They live to serve as conduits of blessing, ready and prepared to bless others. Do you? Only you can answer these questions.

Do you have an insatiable desire for doing good? Do you have no regrets when doing good? Are you prepared for every good deed?

Believe it or not, I am flying again today. I’d appreciate your prayers.

I fly to Florida to see my parents, my brother and his wife, and a few close friends. I want to encourage all of them to continue to live this way.

I am also encouraging my parents who are brokenhearted by recent news.

Don’t get me wrong, they drip the peace of Christ, but they are sad because their daughter, my sister, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. That’s why from Florida, I fly to Cleveland.

There, I am going to see my sister and her family and to pray for her before her surgery on Monday.

If that’s not all, I will race back Monday because the doctor says our second grandchild is breach so a c-section has been planned for Tuesday.

So, my next few days appear as racing to encourage, pray for, and support family and friends.

I’m thankful for the abundant grace of God who gives us strength for such service. I pray my presence brings comfort and my words deliver love. Make is so, Lord Jesus.

“‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:23-24

“The beneficent father, compassionate in every way, has pity on those who stand in awe of Him; gently and kindly does He bestow His gracious gifts on those who approach Him with a pure resolve. And so, we should not be of two minds, nor should we entertain wild notions about His superior and glorious gifts. May this Scripture be far removed from us that says, “How miserable are those who are of two minds, who doubt in their soul, who say, “We have heard these things from the time of our parents, and look! We have grown old and none of these things have happened to us.”

Clement of Rome (A.D. 35-99) in his first Letter to the Corinthians 23:1-2.

Thanks for your prayers for me in Dallas. The meetings with seminary administrators went great, and I am safely back in Denver. I will turn my attention to the Apostolic Fathers now.

The “Apostolic Fathers” represents a collection of early church letters. Why study them? This line of research comes in response to requests from of persecuted Christians around the world.

Many ask me. “Gary, what do we do if we are not allowed to meet as a church?” And I say to them that I think they need to “be the church” and move toward the brokenness in society and meet up where the pain is!

I get this from watching the example of the early church in the first two centuries. But I want more facts to share.

So, I pitched proposals to deliver two papers in Amsterdam in July 2024 at the Society of Biblical Literature International meeting. They accepted both of my research proposals.

The first is on the topic of “Advice from the Apostolic Fathers on Christian Social Engagement in a Hostile World.” Or to put it another way. How did the early church live out the teachings of Jesus despite persecution?

Today’s post starts to answer that question. Notice at least three things.

Firstly, God is our beneficent Father who cares for those who depend on Him with pure resolve. Secondly, we as His people sometimes wrestle with unbelief. We struggle to trust Him, but we must remember that He stands ready to help us in our unbelief. Thirdly, the early church struggled with the same fears, the same “what if” doubts. What if this or that happens? When “what ifs” dominate our thinking we have two minds. We worry about what might happen and let fear immobilize us.

Let’s pause and remember the Father’s faithfulness to us. Let us move toward brokenness and trust the Father to help us turn it to blessing. And let’s not hold back anything because of fear.

Don’t miss the profound statement of Clement, the first bishop of the church Rome: “We have grown old.” The Father has cared for us for a long. long time.

We can count on Him to care for us today and to sort our tomorrows, so let’s demonstrate that we believe this by living, giving, serving, and loving generously, regardless of the opposition.