13:1 Let brotherly love continue.
13:2 Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, for in doing so,
some have entertained angels without knowing it.
13:3 Remember those who are in bonds, as bound with them;
and those who are ill-treated, since you are also in the body.
Abstain from Covetousness
13:4 Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the bed be undefiled:
but God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterers.
13:5 Be free from the love of money, content with such things as you
have, for he has said,
"I will in no way leave you, neither will I in any way forsake
you."(Deut 31:6) 13:6 So that with good courage we say,
"The Lord is my helper. I will not fear. What can man do to me?"
(Ps 118:6)
Imitate your leaders
and focus on right teachings
13:7 Remember your leaders, men who spoke to you the word of God,
and considering the results of their conduct, imitate their faith.
13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
13:9 Don't be carried away by various and strange teachings,
for it is good that the heart be established by grace, not by food,
through which those who were so occupied were not benefited.
Endure through persecutions
13:10 We have an altar from which those who serve the holy tabernacle have
no right to eat.
13:11 For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into
the holy place
by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside of the
camp.
13:12 Therefore Jesus also,
that he might sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered outside
of the gate.
13:13 Let us therefore go forth to him outside of the camp, bearing
his reproach.
13:14 For we don't have here an enduring city, but we seek that which
is to come.
13:15 Through him, then, let us offer up a sacrifice of praise to God
continually
, that is, the fruit of lips which make confession to his name.
Share and Submit
13:16 But don't forget to be doing good and sharing,
for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.
13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they watch on behalf
of your souls,
as those who will give account, that they may do this with joy,
and not with groaning, for that would be unprofitable for you.
Pray
13:18 Pray for us, for we are persuaded that we have a good conscience,
desiring to live honorably in all things.
13:19 I strongly urge you to do this, that I may be restored to
you sooner.
13:20 Now may the God of peace,
who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep
with the blood of an eternal covenant, our Lord Jesus,
13:21 make you complete in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ,
to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Final Instructions
13:22 But I exhort you, brothers, endure the word of exhortation, for I
have written to you in few words.
13:23 Know that our brother Timothy has been freed, with whom, if he
comes shortly, I will see you.
13:24 Greet all of your leaders and all the saints. The Italians greet
you.
13:25 Grace be with you all. Amen.
Discussion Questions
vs 1-3 What hinders you from experiencing a close, empathetic relationship
with other Christians, whom you may only consider as strangers now?
vs 4 What steps do you recommend to avoid inappropriate relationships
with the opposite sex?
vs 5 How might you measure a person's contentment?
Greed is a common motivation to be ambitious in life,
but how might it have it's real root in "fear"?
Should a Christian give up all his secular ambitions
and learn to be content with what he has rather than striving for more?
vs 7 What does it mean "to consider the outcome of their lives"?
For example, Jesus was shamefully tortured to death and his followers
deserted him.
Paul suffered a great deal in life and had his head cut off at the
end.
What else about their lives is important to consider?
Name an example of faith in the Bible that you would like to imitate.
vs 9 What may constitute a "strange teaching"?
vs 13 What does it mean "to go outside the camp"?
How might this be particularly significant if you were a Jew living
in Israel?
vs 16 What kinds of things do we have available to share?
vs 17 Do you have any over you that you would consider a leader?
What are the limits to his realm of authority?
What are some things that your leaders have told you to do?
vs 18-21 How would you categorize Paul's prayer requests?
Are these the kind of things you would ask people to pray for?
Comments
vs 1-3 Brotherly love, hospitality and empathy. Loving other Christians
is the primary mark of a true believer.
vs 4-6 The most blatant violation of honoring marriage in the
Christian community is the adulterous practice of remarriage after divorce.
But there are also subtle ways in which marriage is not honored. Inappropriate
relationships can develop between the sexes outside of the context of marriage
like in the name of "counseling". And with more women in the workplace,
affairs on the job can be common. But these grow only if one hold's a contemptuous
attitude towards their spouse.
Covetousness is wanted what someone else has. Adultery is a product
of covetousness. Christians must learn to be content, whether it's with
one's marriage partner or one's finances. Paul writes:
"Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever
state I am, therewith to be content. I know both how to be abased, and
I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both
to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."Php
4:11,12
vs 7 There seem to be few leaders today worth following. But this
fact makes the Biblical leaders - Jesus and the apostles - to be the shining
examples to follow. The idea of imitating Christ or even Paul, for that
matter, is sometimes discouraged in the Christian community, as surprising
as that may sound. For often Christians are treated as capable in only
doing menial tasks as a cog in the big machine we call the church. Individuals
with their spiritual gifts are often treated contemptuously in this way,
while the institution is glorified. Often this attitude is instigated by
institutional leaders, who seemingly make themselves out to be the institution
simply because of their position, while treating people under them with
contempt, not allowing them to speak or practice their spiritual gifts.
Strangely enough it seems to have evaded them that this was the same mentality
of the religious leaders who were the enemies of Christ.
What would the Christian community look like if, instead of simply being
satisfied with attending a church service, each Christian actually tried
to live like Christ or like the apostle Paul?
vs 8 The God of the Old Testament is the same as the God of the
New. The Santa Claus figure that many modern Christians call "Jesus" is
not the Jesus of the Bible. It is the Jesus of the Bible that hasn't changed.
The Jesus of popular Christianty has changed.
vs 9 "Strange Teachings" in this case had to do with developing
weird applications concerning ceremonial foods which were not consistent
with the principles of the Bible.