Connecting to the Larger Story Even as the church continued to grow and faced persecution at the hands of both the Jewish authorities and the Roman government, it remembered the promises about the day of Jesus' return. Despite the troubles they faced, they held out hope that Jesus would return to finish the work of bringing God's kingdom to earth. John, one of Jesus' disciples, saw a vision of Jesus' final victory that he wrote about in a letter to the churches in Asia Minor. While we often focus on the mysterious, gruesome imagery he uses to report his vision, the message he had to share was one of hope for how glorious the world will be when Jesus returns. His vision draws to a close with the beautiful description of the new heaven and new earth that God will create and the new Jerusalem in which God's people will live. Important to Note1) God's new world is a place with no more crying, mourning, or death, because God will dwell amongst the people and wipe away their tears. The world God intends is one of bliss filled with the good things of life. 2) The book - indeed the Bible and God's story - ends with the invitation to join God's people in receiving the free gift of the water of life and praying for Jesus to come back. Thoughts for Reflection1) What is the one thing you most desire for the new heaven and new earth?
2) Is God's story over? 1/30/2016 January 30th, 2016Connecting to the Larger Story As Paul traveled from one city to the next establishing and growing churches along the way, he would stay for a while until the church was stable with leadership in place to continue its ministry. When he moved on, however, troubles, conflicts, and disputes over his teaching would often arise. As news of the trouble reached his ears, Paul would write a letter to be read to the whole church to address the issue - often correcting a misunderstanding - and encourage them to continue in holy living. Important to Note1) Paul's encouragement often came in the form of a series of instructions on how to live in a holy way. Instead of addressing specific situations like many of the commandments of the law, these instructions lifted up general patterns of behavior and lifted up virtues by which to live: compassion, kindness, forgiveness, humility, patience, etc. They also warned against behaviors and attitudes that could lead down a slippery slope to faithlessness: anger, malice, jealousy, harsh words, etc. Instead of merely rules to follow, Paul set out the ideals by which we should make decisions and orient our lives. 2) Another common theme of Paul's in his letters to the churches was that of unity. The members of the church should act as one and put aside divisions because they were all one in Jesus Christ. 3) Paul also encouraged a general attitude of thanksgiving among believers. Whether things were good or bad, believers should find something to give thanks to God for. Thoughts for Reflection1) What ideals do you live your life by?
2) Why was unity so important to the church? 3) Why should we give thanks in the midst of difficult times? 1/29/2016 Day 29 - G0d's People - Acts 15:1-21Connecting to the Larger Story God had chosen Paul for the mission of taking the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles - that is, non-Jewish people who did not believe in the God of Israel, much less Jesus himself. Paul spent time building up churches and inviting Gentiles to become a part of the church. Many Gentiles came to believe and became practicing members of the church. Yet there was a question about what made one truly a Christian - did you have to follow the Jewish law, specifically those concerning circumcision - the sign of the covenant with God, first? Paul's understanding of the gospel was that Jesus had fulfilled the law and thus had freed us from its burden. Many of the Jewish Christians understood the gospel to be an addition to rather than fulfillment of the law of Moses, so they expected that Gentile converts should first become law-observant Jews and then profess faith in Christ. This issue came to the forefront in the Council of Jerusalem as Jesus' original disciples met with Paul. What was at stake was what it means to be a part of God's people. Important to Note1) Recognizing the fruit of Paul's ministry as evidence of God's approval, Peter spoke out in favor of accepting the Gentile converts as they were without the requirements of the law. James then added that burdens should not be placed that would keep the Gentiles from turning to God but that the Gentiles should be instructed in how to live in a holy way: avoiding idols, sexual immorality, and unclean foods. At the heart of this discourse is one of the great tensions in the faith: we are freed by Jesus from the consequences of the law and yet we are not free to simply live how we want to without consequence. While we are saved by faith alone, the way we live after receiving salvation should bear fruit of a transformed life. Thoughts for Reflection1) Why should we worry about how we live if Jesus forgives us of all our sins?
1/28/2016 Day 28 - Acts 9:1-31 - ConversionConnecting to the Larger StoryOne of the people who was most prominent in persecuting the young church was a Pharisee named Saul. He had followers of Jesus brought before the courts and was able to have some of them stoned for their perceived crime of following Jesus. As the converts to the faith scattered into the countryside and neighboring towns, Saul followed with his mission to destroy the church. Important to Note 1) Saul - who later be renamed Paul - had a vision of Jesus in a blinding light on the way to Damascus. Being blind, he had to be led the rest of the way and then rested for three days. God gave Ananias the task of healing Saul of his blindness, but Ananias was reluctant because he knew of Saul's reputation. Yet he still obeyed despite the danger. 2) God told Ananias that Saul was chosen to take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles. To this point, the disciples had only sought out converts among their fellow Jewish people. Saul would take the message outside the Jewish community and establish churches in areas of modern-day Turkey and Greece filled with Gentiles - non-Jewish people. This was very different, because most of these Gentiles had not believed in the God of Israel before coming to believe in Christ. 3) After his conversion, Saul found that the disciples did not yet trust him. He continued to pay for his persecution of the church until Barnabas vouched for him and he was able to prove himself as a true follower of Jesus. Once he had proven himself, those who had been his allies in persecuting the church sought to now kill him. Just because he had converted did not mean that the consequences of his crusade against the church would not follow him. Thoughts for Reflection1) How are we called to risk ourselves to serve God?
2) Why would God call someone so opposed to Jesus to be so important in establishing the church? 3) Why does God let consequences of our behaviors follow us even after we have repented? |
Bible Blast 31A month-long reading plan to get a grasp of the whole story of Scripture! Archives
February 2016
Categories |
RSS Feed
Port Republic Riverside Church
8525 Water Street
PO Box 116
Port Republic, VA 24471
540-249-4111
8525 Water Street
PO Box 116
Port Republic, VA 24471
540-249-4111