faith – Page 7 – Be Still…

Galatians 1:6-10 – Are You A People Pleaser?

Paul doesn’t waste any time in dancing around the pressing issue here, does he? He comes right out and tells them he’s “shocked” at their behavior and how they have turned so quickly away from God. What does he mean they are following “a different way that pretends to be the Good News?”

Imagine the dynamic of what is happening here. You have Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles) all believing in Jesus. They have all heard the same gospel from Paul and were sold out, on fire for Christ. Then they were left on their own. Because of the traditional division between Jews and Gentiles, there were bound to be issues in the young Christian church. As I understand it, the Jews believed that Gentiles needed to follow Jewish traditions to be “true” Christ followers. After all, Jesus was a Jew.

Revelation 22:7-21 – Come, Lord Jesus

Read Revelation 22:7-21

Jesus says, “Look, I am coming soon! Blessed are those who obey the words of prophecy written in this book.” We see the sixth beatitude as another beautiful promise but there is some urgency. Have you heard of FOMO? That’s the fear of missing out. It’s commonly used in marketing to let you know something is coming to an end (like a sale) so you better hurry or you’ll get left behind. That’s a bit of what I feel is happening here. Jesus doesn’t want us to wait to obey, he wants us to do it now! None of us know what “soon” means.

We’ve been reading through the book of Revelation and it concludes with this passage. Whether it’s your first time through or your hundredth, the message is still the same. Follow Jesus, be encouraged in your faith, and trust he is coming soon. Revelation is prophecy, and we explored what that meant at the very beginning. Prophecy can have to do with the future, but it is not the same as a “prediction.” The intention is to always point us toward God, not away from him. As you look back at what you’ve read, I am confident you can see the prophetic nature of this book. It is drawing us back to God, strengthening our desire to be in relationship with our Savior King.

Revelation 16:1-21 – Bowls of Wrath

Read Revelation 16:1-21

We have been watching the pattern of 7’s. We have also seen how God set limits. Complete destruction was not allowed. With this vision, however, there is no holding back. This was the complete unleashing of God’s wrath on those following evil. We even see that they cursed God for bringing these plagues upon them, rather than repent and seek salvation.

The function of these visions is not necessarily to give us an exact picture of what is going to happen in the final days. Instead, we are given a sneak peek into God’s intentions, and we can either be stubborn like those being afflicted or be true followers of Christ ready to receive the life God intends for us.

Revelation 12:1-18 – Angel Battle

Read Revelation 12:1-18

Today’s reading could be out of one of the popular super hero movies of our day. Can’t you just picture all the special effects?! And if you were in John’s time, you might be thinking more along the lines of the dragon, Python who was chasing Leto, the mother of Apollo. The images in today’s reading open up Act 2 of Revelation. We saw Act 1 conclude as Chapter 11 came to a magnificent conclusion with victory! Today we see how the battle between good and evil has been ongoing. We might even think our reading today as a flashback.

It’s helpful to keep in mind Revelation does not exist on a time line. We are to glean wisdom to prepare ourselves for our own battles with evil. When you read today’s passage, did you see the virgin Mary as the pregnant woman? She was certainly blessed among women. The nativity looks a lot different in this account, a totally different representation of the incarnation. It’s like a behind the scenes glimpse of what happened when God took on flesh as an infant. There was a war in heaven going on.

Revelation 11:1-14 – We are the Temple

Read Revelation 11:1-14

This is quite the passage full of images, numbers, and a strong message. Many have wanted to take this literally and found ways to connect it to many Old and New Testament stories. Others simply see the beauty in the message God intends for us.

We’ll start by thinking about the temple John is supposed to measure. If you’re not up on your history, the temple in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans in 70 A.D. So, at the time John was being given these visions, the temple would have laid in ruin. Think back to Revelation 3:12. Christ promised the faithful would be made into pillars in the temple of God. And, in 1 Corinthians 3:16, Paul asks, “Do you not know that you are God’s temple?” The temple, then, could represent faithful Christ followers. We are the temple.