Revelation 1

Revelation 1:1-20 ESV

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, (2) who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. (3) Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.

(4) John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, (5) and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood (6) and made us a kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (7) Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.

(8) "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty."

(9) I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. (10) I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet (11) saying, "Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea."

(12) Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, (13) and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. (14) The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, (15) his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. (16) In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.

(17) When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, (18) and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades. (19) Write therefore the things that you have seen, those that are and those that are to take place after this. (20) As for the mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand, and the seven golden lampstands, the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
 

What Does the Fourth Commandment Forbid?

Below is an excerpt from Starr Meade's wonderful book, Training Hearts, Teaching Minds.  This is the beginning catechism book we recommend to CRCC families for their family worship.  This particular excerpt really ministered to my family this week:

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Question 61.  What does the Fourth Commandment forbid?

Answer: The fourth commandment forbids failing to do or carelessly doing what we are supposed to do.  It also forbids treating the day as unholy by loafing, by doing anything in itself sinful, or by unnecessary thinking, talking about, or working on our worldly affairs or recreations.

Tuesday's Devotional:

We fail to rightly honor God on the Lord's Day when we are careless about our worship.  We can be careless about our worship in several ways.  Often, people come into the worship service late.  Imagine receiving an invitation to a meeting with someone important and showing up late!  Coming to worship God is at least as important as meeting with an important human being.  Yet Christians seem to feel quite free to walk in to church late.

Imagine being in a meeting with someone important-the president of the United States, for instance-and not paying attention to what he said.  People often fail to pay attention in a worship service.  When people sit in church, letting their minds wander during the sermon or when they sing the words of hymns without paying attention to them, they are being careless about honoring God.

The prophet Malachi wrote down God's message to His people.  He complained about their carelessness in worshiping Him.  In the case of the Israelites, they brought sick or damaged animals for offerings to God.  God was offended because they should have brought Him their best.  "Would you give a damaged gift to your governor?" he asked them.  If such a gift would insult a human leader, would it not dishonor God?  We no longer bring animal sacrifices as a part of our worship, but the principle is still true.  God's people should bring their best to God-their best worship, their best attention.  We should be careful, not careless, as we come to worship our great God.

Mal 1:6-8 ESV "A son honors his father, and a servant his master. If then I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is my fear? says the LORD of hosts to you, O priests, who despise my name. But you say, 'How have we despised your name?' (7) By offering polluted food upon my altar. But you say, 'How have we polluted you?' By saying that the LORD's table may be despised. (8) When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? Present that to your governor; will he accept you or show you favor? says the LORD of hosts.

(Note: we believe the principle of giving God "one day in seven" for His worship is a moral one, not a legal one.  Christians are free to do this whenever they like.  The spirit here is not judgment...Col 2:16...but one of diligent and intentional worship for a God who is WORTHY!)

That Love thing Again...Sorry

I've done lots of blogging and tweeting about "the love issue" lately.  As I opened up my browser this morning and the Yahoo news page loaded, I saw the below image.  Kinda a "picture is worth a 1000 words" moment....

See!?!  A loving couple!  Happy people in the background!  Discrimination finally ended!  The President onboard!  Key republicans onboard!  Several states and many if not most of the nation trending to be onboard!  Many "Christian" denominations have finally ended the hate and bigotry and repented!  Most of Hollywood and many influential in the music industry are onboard.  Main culture-driving areas are in favor (New York, Maryland, DC, etc)!  Utopia is upon us!!!

Oh but wait...there are still a few hateful, spiteful, ugly, mean-spirited people around.  Guess who they are?

The Christians.  The Bible-believing Christians to be more precise.  They need to learn to love like Jesus did.  If they understood true love, there wouldn't be so much hate.

And the "bible-believing" response (at least among the more popular pastors)?: "Yep...you are right.  More love. Love wins!"

Nevermind that untethered from the Laws of God love loses all meaning (Jn 14:15; Rom 13:8-10).  Nevermind that Scripture declares that homosexuals (if they do not repent) will not inherit the Kindom of God....

1Co 6:9-10 ESV Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, (10) nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

1Ti 1:9-11 ESV understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, (10) the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, (11) in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

But of course, the above Scriptures are hateful or being misinterprepted or mean something else than what they plainly say.  Maybe that's why, as a matter of strategy, many churches carefully pick "loving" Scriptures and refuse to teach the Whole Counsel of God. (Acts 20:27).

There is just one problem.  That ain't love.  God's love will look these two nice ladies in the eye, and with care, tact, respect, brokeness, tears, and a sense of desperate pleading for one who might be dying and going hell, confront their sin with the Law of God in the hope they might repent and receive His grace.  That's love.

Amen.

It Ain't in There...

Compared to It's In There, It Ain’t in There!  It’s called Communism/Humanism!

Judges 21:25 ESV In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.
Proverbs 14:12 ESV There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death.

"My object in life is to dethrone God and destroy capitalism." Karl Marx

 “America is like a healthy body and its resistance is threefold: its patriotism, its morality and its spiritual life. If we can undermine these three areas, America will collapse from within.” – Joseph Stalin (whether he said it or not, it’s still true!)

Spheres of Government, Home, Church, State: The State is god, kill other two
Quotes from agenda outlined in the Naked Communist, 1958:
40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

see below as well....

Life: Abortion on Demand
Quote from agenda outlined in the Naked Communist, 1958:
27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a "religious crutch."
25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

Check any socialist, communist, or progressive website for their views on abortion.

Marriage: Any “loving couple”
Quote from agenda outlined in the Naked Communist, 1958:
26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

Economics: Progressive Taxes, Abolish “Income Inequality,” etc.
The Communist Manifesto 10 Planks by Karl Marx and Frederich Engels:

1. Abolition of Property in Land and Application of all Rents of Land to Public Purpose.
2. A Heavy Progressive or Graduated Income Tax.
3. Abolition of All Rights of Inheritance.
4. Confiscation of the Property of All Emigrants and Rebels.
5. Centralization of Credit in the Hands of the State, by Means of a National Bank with State Capital and an Exclusive Monopoly.
6. Centralization of the Means of Communication and Transport in the Hands of the State.
7. Extension of Factories and Instruments of Production Owned by the State, the Bringing Into Cultivation of Waste Lands, and the Improvement of the Soil Generally in Accordance with a Common Plan.
8. Equal Liability of All to Labor. Establishment of Industrial Armies, Especially for Agriculture.
9. Combination of Agriculture with Manufacturing Industries; Gradual Abolition of the Distinction Between Town and Country by a More Equable Distribution of the Population over the Country.
10. Free Education for All Children in Public Schools. Abolition of Children's Factory Labor in it's Present Form. Combination of Education with Industrial Production.

Government Scope: Everything
Quotes from agenda outlined in the Naked Communist, 1958:
29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."
31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

Care of the Poor: Social/Government
See the above.

Education: Free, Public, and Godless

"Education is the most powerful ally of Humanism, and every American public school is a school of Humanism. What can the theistic Sunday school, meeting for an hour once a week, and teaching only a fraction of the children, do to stem the tide of a five-day program of humanistic teaching?" - Charles F. Potter, Humanism: A New Religion 1930 p.128, signer of the Humanist Manifesto

Quote from agenda outlined in the Naked Communist, 1958:
28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."
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Dear friends, I'm REALLY not trying to be mean, divisive, or unloving.  It's just that so many CHRISTians believe and support these things without thinking them through biblically.  Humanism and socialism are inherently anti-Bible and anti-God, created and pushed foward by men and women who hated God from Plato through Marx, Stalin, Hitler, and many others in the 1800s/early 1900s.  That's why those who subscribe to them eventually end up trying to "get God out" of the picture in every way they can, or turning Him into a "social" god or a god that "wouldn't do that/wouldn't condemn who I am", etc.  It is no accident that communist/socialist countries persecute believers.

Yes, the Gospel is the answer.  But a pastor is also called to equip Christians.  Be equipped dear friends...don't fall for it.

In Christ's love,

Eph 5:6-11 ESV Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. (7) Therefore do not become partners with them; (8) for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (9) (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), (10) and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. (11) Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.