Tuesday, February 21, 2012
JUDGMENT
As we work through the book of Revelation on Sunday mornings we now encounter a major recurring theme in the book: judgment. The judgment of God is taught in vivid and varied ways in the book of Revelation. As we launch into chapter 6 the tone moves from worship and praise of God to scenes of judgment. Persecuted saints cry out “How long before you will judge and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10). In John’s vision, the Lord responds to their pleas by opening the sixth seal thus bringing calamity on the earth. The text vividly pictures arrogant people experiencing dread as they realize they are doomed; “hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb” (Revelation 6:16).
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
LETTERS FROM JESUS TO THE CHURCHES
For the first-readers of the book of Revelation, I imagine those early chapters were both thrilling and shocking. The theme of triumph in Christ is introduced early and that certainly must have stirred the burdened hearts of those first century Christians. However, the roll call of churches in chapters two and three must have struck home very hard.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Pre-New Year's Eve Party
A great time was had by all at our Pre-New Year's Eve get together on Friday, December 30th. Here are some pictures of the fun.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Two Advents of the Son of God
The word “advent” simply means “coming.” It is from the Latin, “arrival.” The initial coming of the Son of God is vividly described by Luke: “She [Mary] gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger…That night some shepherds were in the fields outside the village, guarding their flocks of sheep. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord’s glory surrounded them. They were terribly frightened, but the angel reassured them. ‘Don’t be afraid!’ he said. ‘I bring you good news of great joy for everyone! The Savior – yes, the Messiah, the Lord – has been born tonight in Bethlehem, the city of David!’” (Luke 2:7-11 NLT)
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
SPLIT-PROOFING THE CHURCH
Too often I hear about conflicts in churches. Divisions that lead to church splits are a sad and all too common occurrence in the body of Christ. The effects of a church split, regardless of the cause, can be devastating. Church splits distress and dismay mature believers, disillusion new believers, cause havoc in the lives of preachers and their families, and bring reproach upon the name of Christ. I’m not saying that we’re on the verge of split here at this congregation. Rather, I want us to heed the warning of lessons learned from split-crippled churches. Hopefully this will remind us to work diligently to foster unity and preserve peace.
