Further Reflection on Revelation 6

Young adults,  thanks for a fruitful discussion at last week's Bible study!  I so appreciate your willingness to engage this important book.  I hope that the study has been a help to you so far.  I want you to know that this is my first in-depth look at this book, so I am learning with you.  

With that in mind, I wanted to share some further reflections on Revelation 6.  Last week, I'm afraid I might have misled us a bit.  We talked that the horses may be descriptors of the violent Roman empire.  The horses are often misunderstood as being the work of the Lamb, and I pointed us to 6:9-11 to see that Christians are those who are perishing.  Aaron Peplinski pointed out his disagreement that while the 5th seal is talking about martyrs, it cannot be universally applied to the rest of the destruction that the horses bring.  I appreciate his comments, and I want to agree with him and help bring understanding to the horses.

Beth pointed out Romans 1 where God "gave them up to their sinful desires."  I think this helps us understand the horses!  Rather than try to explain this myself, here is an excerpt from Eugene Boring's commentary on Revelation:

"The destruction unleashed by the four horsemen is not directly done by Christ, but neither are the horsemen independent agents of destruction.  They are permitted, with God / Christ being the actors hidden in the repeated 'divine passive' verb edothe (vs. 2 'it was given," vs. 4a "was permitted," vs. 4b "was given," vs. 8 "were given")."

"The actual actors in the eschatalogical (future) drama, the direct perpetrators of the eschatalogical woes, are the forces of evil in the world, demonic anti-God forces permitted and used by God as agents of divine judgment (serving as a warning, and call to repent).  These forces which seem to be powerful are actually mere parodies of the ultimate power of God represented by the Lamb.  The rider on the white horse does look deceptively like Christ (white horse and crowned; rf. Rev. 19:11ff), but his 'conquering' is the this-worldly power of death that kills others, not the true power of the Lamb who dies for others."

I hope this helps to clear chapter 6 a bit.  While it can be understood as general description of the Roman empire it's imagery is meant more to expose the evil in the world in general.  Please continue the discussion by leaving comments.  You don't have to have a Google account to comment, but those who do have a Google account, log in and comment.

Does this make more sense?  Any further questions?  Use this resource to help us continue our engagement during the week.

Adventures in Missing the Point

We have been on a journey of confessing the ways Church has missed the point, and trying to rediscover Christ's message so we don't miss the point any longer. 

What has God been saying to you?  How has He challenged you?  Have you discovered ways that you have missed the point?  Have you learned ways of living that no longer miss the point?

Let's use this forum to continue the discussions we have started in worship....

God's iPod

We've been talking about things God really cares about in a sermon series called God's iPod.  So far we've discovered that God longs for the restoration of His Kingdom, for our lives to bear fruit, and wants to heal our lives holistically.  What are your thoughts on these things?  Do you agree?  Disagree?  What would you add to the list?  How has God been speaking to you through these messages?  Use this blog as a platform to continue processing what God is teaching us. 

You've heard it said...

But I say to you...

Over the past few Sundays we've been dwelling in the section of the Sermon on the Mount where Christ visits common laws & understandings and reveals the authentic intention and meaning behind them. The theme has been Counter Cultural Living.

So what do you think about all this stuff? It's been heavy, but a great journey stretching our perspectives. Where have you been landing on these issues? What has stuck out to you the most?

Reflections on the Lenten Journey

It's hard to believe that the season of lent is over. This Sunday we celebrated Easter and we truly had a great time together. So in this post-lent week and as life returns to its usual way what are your thoughts over the past 40 day season?

I hope that our lives don't really "return to their usual way," but that we have grown and Christ has changed us in very real ways. Where are you at in your journey? What has God been doing in you this lent? What do you feel God has been doing in our life as a church community? Where do we go from here?

High Priest

We talked last night about Jesus as our high priest, and all that it implies. How is this working in and through us? What do you think about Jesus representing us to God, and God to us? This truth won't leave us the same, how is it changing you today?

Redeemer

A huge part of the lenten journey is contemplating and celebrating Christ's redemption of humanity. How do you see redemption happening in our world today? Where do you see redemption needing to happen?

On a more personal level, how has Christ redeemed you? How is He redeeming you today? How is He redeeming us together as a community?

Fully God, Fully Human

Hebrews 2:18 says, "Since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted." Tuesday night we talked about how through Christ's suffering He became a brother to the human being and human condition. He fully embraced humanity in becoming one of us. Fully God, fully human.

How are we to respond to this? How is this reality sinking into our lives as followers of Jesus?

Limitations

This past Sunday Pastor Andy talked about coming into contact with our limitations.  What are some times when you have realized your own limitations?  Have you felt God working in the midst of that, like being shaped by the Potter's Hand?  

Pastor also talked about three practical things we can do to realize our limitations and show our dependance on God.  Did you commit to one of the three things - to establish rhythm, sleep well or play well?  Are there other practical things we can do to show our dependance on God?  Share your thoughts here.

Lent

As we enter the season of lent, Christian tradition calls us to a season of repentance and taking an honest look at ourselves. What in our lives needs to look more like Jesus? Lent over the years has encouraged believers to take a step back out of the ebb & flow of daily life and seek to see things with a new, more Christlike perspective. Many deny themselves usual comforts in effort to focus instead on Jesus. Many fast things from food to television as a way to spend more time in prayer. Above all, God calls us to a season of intentional focus on Him.

Here are some recommended scriptures: Psalm 103, Joel 2, Isaiah 58, 2 Corinthians 5 & 6, and Matthew 6.

Forum for Posting: What is God calling you to this season of lent?