This Present Age
The Old Testament prophesied of the birth of a Messiah who would overcome the world, set up His Kingdom, and bring peace to all. Just as from a distance, two mountains are often seen as one, the Jews from the distance of the Old Testament viewed the Messianic coming as just one event. The Old Testament hinted at what they failed to glean: the Messiah would come to suffer and die and then judge and establish. Their mistaken perception of distant events became a stumbling block in believing that Jesus was their Messiah. As the gap of time progressively continues to narrow between prophecy given and prophecy fulfilled, the prophecy itself begins to become clearer. We can now see that the Old Testament texts that seemed to present the Messianic coming as one event were, in reality, referring to two separate fulfillments: one near and one far, separated by an unspecified amount of time. The time between the fulfillments is often referred to as a prophetic gap. This particular gap is called “this present age” or the “church age.” Jesus taught about the prophetic gap between His First Coming and Second Coming. In Matthew 17:11-12, Jesus said that “Elijah is coming and will restore all things; but I say to you that Elijah already came, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wished.” Here, he referred to John the Baptist, who came in the spirit of Elijah to preach repentance but was rejected without fully accomplishing his mission. Elijah will have to return to finish his mission. Jesus went on to say that just like Elijah, He would suffer at the hands of the Jewish leaders. That’s what happened. Jesus’ mission was cut short because Israel rejected Him, and this rejection necessitated a Second Coming. Another way Jesus alluded to the prophetic gap was during His reading of Isaiah 61:1-2 when he stopped mid-sentence, not reading the rest of verse 2, specifically: “And the day of vengeance of our God,” which refers to His Second Coming. (See Luke 4:16-21). The part He read refers to what He fulfilled during His First Coming. And the part He didn’t read refers to what He would fulfill during His Second Coming. Jesus knew about the prophetic gap. This prophetic gap is what we refer to as “this present age” or the “Church Age;” it is the age we currently are in. The Mystery Kingdom The word “kingdom” is used in many different ways throughout the Bible. The Kingdom of God refers to God’s sovereign rule over the entire universe. He created the earth and then man to rule over this earthly Kingdom. When man sinned, man handed his control over to Satan. God then promised a Messiah who would take back the earthly Kingdom and reign over Israel and the world from the throne of David. Christ offered Israel this Kingdom at His First Coming, but they rejected His offer. As a result, Jesus began to reveal a different form of God’s Kingdom that would intervene between His First Coming and Second Coming, a mystery kingdom that had been previously hidden but now was being revealed through Christ, the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 13:11). Jesus describes this Kingdom in the seven parables of Matthew 13. These parables address the progression of the Kingdom between His First and Second Coming. In Jesus’ Messages to the Seven Churches of Revelation, we discussed the letters to the seven churches that describe the progression of the Church during this intervening age. Revealed Mysteries: Character of this Age Not only did Jesus reveal the mystery kingdom to believers, but Holy Spirit also gave believers the ability to spiritually understand other mysteries previously hidden but now revealed. Some of these mysteries include the hardening of Israel so that Gentiles might be brought into the Kingdom (Romans 11:25), the mystery of the rapture (1 Corinthians 15:51-43), the formulation of the Church made up of both Jew and Gentile (Ephesians 3:3-9), Christ Himself and his relation to man’s redemption (Colossians 2:2, 4:3), the development of evil culminating into the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:7), and the apostate religious system (Revelation 17:5,7). These mysteries describe the character of this present age, an age that is like the valley that could not be seen from the distance, but nevertheless was there and has now been revealed to us through the Holy Spirit. Kingdom Parables – Course of this Age Jesus in Matthew 13 presents to us seven parables that provide the essential characteristics of the course of this present age. These parables offer further evidence that Jesus foresaw the gap between His First Coming and Second Coming. Let’s explore the seven parables: Parable of the Sower The present age is characterized by the sowing of the Word to which people will respond in different ways depending on the soil’s preparation. The seed is God’s Word and the soil, people’s hearts. Parable of Tares Among Wheat At the same time the Word is being sown, during this present age, weeds will also be sown among believers. Satan sows these weeds to deceive the Church, but these weeds will be destroyed by fire in the end. Parable of the Mustard Seed The mystery kingdom has a small beginning, but it will grow to significant proportions and include Gentiles. Additionally, believers and unbelievers alike will benefit from its blessings. Parable of the Yeast There are two interpretations of this parable. The first interpretation compares the yeast to sin and apostasy’s growth until they take over the world during the Tribulation. The other describes the yeast as the Kingdom of heaven that receives its power from the inside, spreading rapidly and changing everything it touches. Parable of the Hidden Treasure This parable also has a couple of interpretations. It could describe salvation as something that, once revealed, is so valuable that people are willing to give up everything
Perfectionism
One of the greatest obstacles to overcome when someone struggles with perfectionism is being vulnerable. We are so worried that someone will use our weaknesses against us or not love us because of them. I speak from experience on this subject. It has taken me years to learn that the root of perfectionism is really a fear of not being accepted, of not being enough, good enough. Those words, “good enough”, are a broad term and can be applied to a variety of relationships, jobs or job titles, thoughts of self-worth, a God-given calling, etc. If you will, allow me to paraphrase the dictionary’s definition for the words “good enough”: ‘a favorable tendency, or suitable to fully meet demands, needs or expectations’. I’m not a woman who typically makes wagers but if I was to place a bet, I’d say that the majority of women I know have struggled with feelings of being good enough, feelings that question being suitable to fully meet all of the demands, needs or expectations we have, some if not most being self-imposed, during at least one chapter of our lives. Who did you think of? Yourself? Your sister? Your best friend? Maybe all three. See, here’s a little truth bomb…the process creates progress not perfection. Let that settle for just a minute. As any real perfectionist will understand we typically don’t want or think the process is necessary. Our expectations of ourselves are to have it all figured out, solved, or fixed. After all, we have a standard of perfection. The ugly truth of a perfectionist is that we desperately want to be accepted but at our core believe it’s our performance, good or bad, that will drive acceptance or lack thereof. Are we being the perfect wife? Mother? Daughter? Sister? Friend? Let me gently answer this for all of us. No, we are not. Sweet sister, it’s not possible. No matter how hard we try to perform, figure it all out, or fix every situation, perfection will never be the outcome. Perfectionism is overrated. Perfectionism is unobtainable. And quite frankly perfectionism is no fun! Who wants to have it all figured out and put off the perfection vibe all the time, for all people, where you feel like you can’t exhale or really be seen or known? I’ll take another rare bet here and say NO ONE. And because as a former perfectionist I know we like tangible things ‘to-do’, here are some takeaways for you or the perfectionist in your life, to help during the process as we work towards progress not perfection. Seek loving accountability from true and trustworthy relationships. Give yourself grace; giving grace to myself was harder than receiving it from someone else. Receive the truth that God’s Word is for you too, not just for everyone else. Trust that God knows your flaws and He wants you to stop striving for something He never intended you to. Most importantly, seek Him and His truth. Soak in His truth about you (Ephesians 2:10), knowing that despite our struggles, His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:23), give thanks that despite lessons we find harder to learn, He doesn’t give up on us (Philippians 1:6). The personal growth I’ve had in this area is not perfect but it’s about the process and progress not perfection, right?! Lord, thank you for your new mercies every morning and for continuing to work in my life despite my struggles. Thank you, Lord, for changing my heart away from desiring perfection. Help me continue to receive my acceptance from You as you stay with me thru the process. I praise you for the victories and progress in my life and for all that is yet to come. In the Name of Jesus. Amen. This weeks playlist: Known Tauren Wells The God I Know Love & the Outcome Perfect (original by Ed Sheeran) Christian Version- Beckah Shae featuring Damien Horne
Jesus’ Message to the Seven Churches of Revelation
The churches that Jesus chose to write letters to were real churches located in Asia Minor, now western Turkey. There are two explanations for why Jesus chose these specific seven churches. The first is that these churches represent the varying spiritual conditions of churches throughout the church age. The second is that each of these churches represents the seven stages of church history, with Laodicea, the apostate church, representing the current stage. Regardless of our approach, we can learn much about the present from these seven letters. In each letter, Jesus began by identifying Himself with a title related to John’s earlier vision in the first chapter of Revelation. This title pertained to the spiritual condition of the church that He was addressing. Jesus then informed each church that He knew all about them and their deeds. He assessed the church’s spiritual condition and appealed to each church to listen to his assessment and take action. Although each letter addressed a specific church’s spiritual condition, the letter was for all the churches to heed, as Jesus said at the end of each letter, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Additionally, He would end each letter with a promise to those who overcome. John tells us in 1 John 5:4 who the overcomers are. He says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Another version puts it this way: “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” As children of God, we are overcomers! Jesus’ promise to the churches is a promise to us today. Ephesus: The Church Whose Love Had Grown Cold Jesus identified Himself to the church at Ephesus as the “One who holds the seven stars…and walks among the seven golden lampstands,” reminding the Ephesus church that He is the head of the church. The church in Ephesus had retained its doctrinal purity but also left its first love. It had become rigid and legalistic, forgetting the very reason they were maintaining the doctrine in the first place. Paul reminds us in 1st Corinthians 13 that without love, we are nothing. Jesus tells the church to repent and do what they did at first. Then He promises that those who overcome will “eat of the tree of life.” Smyrna: The Suffering Church Jesus identified Himself to the church at Smyrna as the “first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life.” This title would have reassured the church at Smyrna as they were a persecuted church, sometimes to the point of death. Jesus had no harsh words for this church; His letter was a letter of encouragement, not rebuke. He told them that although they lacked financial resources, they were rich. Their richness was not in the physical but in the spiritual. Jesus promised this suffering church that those faithful until death would receive the crown of life. And He promised those who overcame the second death would not hurt them. Pergamum: The Church that Tolerates Wrong Teaching Jesus identified Himself to the church at Pergamum as the “One who has the sharp two-edged sword,” which would have brought to their mind judgment. He described the city of Pergamum as the place of Satan’s throne. Pergamum was the home of Zeus’s altar and the seat of Satan’s power in that region. Jesus commended the church for holding fast to His name and not denying Him in the face of satanic opposition. He also expressed concerns with the church, namely that they allowed the Nicolaitans’ teaching in the church. The Nicolaitans taught worldly compromise and moral surrender. They taught that it was okay to live in two worlds. However, as Christians, God has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9). We are not to accommodate the world through compromise. Jesus then admonished them to repent and said if they don’t, he will make war against the Nicolaitans with the sword of His mouth. His letter ended with a promise to those who overcome: “I will give some of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone, and a new name written on the stone which no one knows but he who receives it.” Thyatira: The Church that Tolerates Sin Jesus describes Himself to the church at Thyatira as the one with eyes like a flame of fire and feet like burnished brass. The eyes of Jesus penetrated deep into the heart of the church, and his feet of brass could swiftly execute judgment. Jesus commended the church at Thyatira on their love, faith, and perseverance. He said their more recent deeds were more outstanding than their first ones (contrast this with Ephesus). But He held one thing against them: they tolerated sin. The city of Thyatira was the home of a military outpost and a commercial center. To work in the city, one had to be a member of a trade guild. However, the trade guilds were corrupt and required their members to commit perverse acts. The threat of no work put pressure on the Christians to compromise. Jesus specifically mentioned a woman who not only taught immorality but also led the church into acts of depravity. This influential woman in the church most likely encouraged its members to engage in the immoral activity required by the trade guilds. Jesus demanded repentance of this woman and her followers and promised harsh judgment if repentance was not made. Jesus encouraged those who remained steadfast and had not succumbed to this teaching to hold on until He came. He ended the letter with a promise to the overcomers that they would rule with Him over the nations and receive the morning star. Sardis: The Dead Church Christ identified Himself to the church at Sardis as He who has “the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.” This
Anyone?
Anyone ever felt panic? That moment where you panic about the outcome. What to do. What not to do. I know I have, despite my faith in God, in my humanness, there are times when panic creeps in. Let me share a true story that will hopefully paint a picture, and will most likely make you giggle at me, but if the larger point is made that’s perfectly alright. It was the weekend and my car needed to be cleaned. I washed it, vacuumed it, and decided to Windex the windows and Armor All it. Productivity at its finest. I started at the front of the car and moved to the back. Literally the very back. I’m sitting in my SUV with the hatch up, cleaning the side windows and think “I’ll be able to really clean the back window if I close the hatch.” Without a second thought I hit the button that auto shuts the hatch. I clean the back window, Armor All the back door and think “whew, done!”. I hit the button that auto shuts the hatch, because surely it will also auto open. Surely. Imagine my surprise when it doesn’t work. The hatch doesn’t budge. I sit for a second and think, “ok maybe my hubby will hear me if I holler.” Nope. I hit the button again. Nothing. At this point I start to slowly panic. When it dawns on me “I can crawl over the backseat!” However, once I’ve begun to do this, I realize my full figure self may actually get stuck between the roof of the car and the backseat. Full on panic starts to creep in. As I squirm, wiggle and quite frankly panic. I fall through the space bumping my hip and falling on my neck. It hurt! I quickly open the backseat passenger door, get out, go in house, and try not to cry and laugh simultaneously as I recount the story to my husband. Here’s the point of this true tale. A few days later God spoke to me and said, “the answer was in front of you, but you panicked, this is how you and others go thru life sometimes.” See in my moment of panic I didn’t see the answer. There’s a second button. One that when pushed will lay down the back seat. I could’ve easily slid out of the car. Instead, my panic gave way to me choosing the more difficult path. The one where I squirmed and wiggled and ended up getting hurt. This is how we operate in our lives sometimes. Panicking before pausing, and possibly missing what’s right in front of us. God’s faithfulness and his answers. Now I know there are areas of life deemed more serious than a woman being stuck in the back of her car for a short time. Anyone lose a job? Anyone with kids? Anyone with grandkids? Anyone with relationships? Anyone have an ailing family member? If you answered yes to any of these or numerous other areas, then you know there are more serious issues possible, but panic should not be our response to any of them. Philippians 4:6 gives us instruction, saying, “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done.” One translation says “Never worry…” Never? Yes, never. Why? Because ultimately neither panic nor worry will change a single thing. God knew His children would struggle and that’s why He talks about it throughout the bible. “Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?” Matthew 6:27 “The seeds that were planted among thornbushes are people who hear the word, but as life goes on the worries, riches, and pleasures of life choke them. So they don’t produce anything good.” Luke 8:14 “May the Lord of peace give you his peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16 He also tells us that He is with us and gives us His peace. The rest is up to us. We must pause and not panic in order to see what is already right in front of us, his faithfulness and his answers. Abba, thank you for wanting a relationship with each of us. When we find ourselves headed toward panic, may we pause and pray, seeking to exhale in your presence and listen to your guidance. Help us see what’s right in front of us and remember You are always with us, that You are faithful and already have the answers no matter what concerning situations we may find ourselves in. In Jesus Name. Amen. This weeks playlist: Never Been A Moment Micah Tyler You’re Gonna Be Ok Brian and Jenn Johnson Not Today Hillsong
Revelation: The Seven Lampstands, Stars, Churches
The Apostle John, the last living apostle of Jesus, was exiled to the island of Patmos by the Roman authorities for the faithful preaching of the Gospel (Revelation 1:9). While on the island of Patmos, he had a series of visions which he wrote down and now form the Book of Revelation. This book is divided into three parts: “the things John has seen,” which relates to John’s vision in Revelation 1, the “things which are” that refers to John’s letters to the seven churches, and the things that will occur, the remainder of the Book of Revelation. The word revelation is from the Greek word “apokalypsis,” which means to uncover, remove a veil, to have an unobstructed view. The uncovering, the removal of the veil here is the revelation of Jesus Christ as we have never seen Him before. This is not a new Jesus, just an element of Jesus that was not made known to us in the Gospels. The prophecy of the book of Revelation is from Father God to His Son Jesus to give to us, his followers to show us “what soon must take place.” This is the only book of the Bible that says that those who read and hear its words will be blessed if they pay attention to what it says. This book is a revelation of Jesus in all His glory! John’s Vision The apostle John knew Jesus intimately. He walked with Him, and He talked with Him; he saw Him transfigured right before his eyes on the Mount of Transfiguration. He was there when Jesus died on the cross and saw Him in His resurrected state. John knew Jesus and believed His message with such an unwavering tenacity that He was exiled by the Roman authorities to a remote, barren island for his relentless preaching of Jesus. While exiled, Jesus appeared to John in a vision. John heard a voice, and when he turned to “see the voice,” he saw seven golden lampstands and Jesus in all His glory holding seven stars in His right hand. Every detail of John’s vision has significance, from the lampstands to the detailed description of Jesus’ appearance. Let’s explore Revelation 1. Seven Golden Lampstands and Seven Stars Jesus doesn’t leave us guessing about the meaning of the seven golden lampstands and the seven stars. He tells John that the seven golden lampstands represent seven churches and the seven stars, each church’s angel. The lampstands are golden, which shows the churches are valuable and precious to Jesus. To fulfill their purpose of giving off light, these lampstands but be filled with oil. Oil in the Bible represents Holy Spirit. Likewise, the churches must be filled with Holy Spirit so that their purpose can be achieved, to illuminate Jesus to the world. John is told to write letters to the “angels” of the seven churches. The seven stars represent these angels. The word angels in Greek describes either a human messenger or an angel sent on a specific mission. In this case, the term most likely refers to the pastors of the churches who have a specific mission to pastor their church. Additionally, Jesus holds each of the seven stars in His hands, symbolizing that He has power and control over the churches. When John sees Jesus, He is in the middle of the lampstands. Although the letters from Jesus point out serious flaws and imperfections in the churches, Jesus still loves the churches and walks among them. It is reassuring to know that flaws and imperfections don’t cause Jesus’ love to wane for us. He still wants to be in our midst. Message to the Seven Churches The churches that Jesus chose to write letters to were real churches located in Asia Minor, now western Turkey. There are two explanations of why Jesus chose these specific seven churches. One is that these churches represent the varying spiritual conditions of churches throughout the church age. Another is that each of these churches represents the seven stages of church history, with Laodicea, the apostate church representing the current stage of church history. Regardless of how we view these churches, we can learn much about the present from Jesus’ letters. In each letter, Jesus would begin by identifying Himself with a title related to John’s earlier vision in the first chapter of Revelation. This title pertained to the spiritual condition of the church that He was addressing. Jesus would then inform each church thatHe knows all about them and their deeds. He would then assess the church’s spiritual condition and appeal to each church to listen to his assessment and take action. Although each letter addressed a specific church’s spiritual condition, the letter was for all the churches to heed as indicated by Jesus saying at the end of each letter, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.” Additionally, He would end each letter with a promise to those who overcome. John tells us in 1 John 5:4 who the overcomers are. He says, “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.” Another version puts it this way, “For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith.” As children of God, we are overcomers! Jesus’ promise to the churches is a promise to us today. Next time we will explore each of the seven churches.
Lies
“Don’t let one lie spoil a thousand truths.” ~unknown When I read that, it struck a chord with me. Any of these lies sound familiar? That healing will never come. They always… They never… That relationship is too broken. I’m alone. No one understands. I’m not good enough. The list of lies Satan uses is extensive. He is a liar. Period, no wiggle room because scripture tells us so in John 8:44. And one day quite literally his pants will catch fire. Well, maybe not his pants but you get the idea. Ok, back to the point. The enemy of our souls, he thrives when we start to believe the lie. He likes to use the same hurts and old triggers to start us down a slippery slope of believing the lie. He isn’t picky, he’ll use the one that strikes us, the one that causes discomfort, pain or doubt. That’s the one he’ll keep coming at. In his limited abilities and limited creativity, he may use a slightly tweaked version, a different person, a new hurt that feels like an old one, a circumstance that feeds the word “always/never”. But God, He is unlimited in his ability and creativity. That’s the truth we each need to stand on… We need to remember what God has already healed, in body, heart, or spirit. Praise Him for the relationship already restored and blossoming. Believe we are called His, we are enough and never alone. He is always there for us but in His unlimited wisdom gave us family and friends to share life with. Understand that “always” and “never” are strong words when it comes to imperfect and flawed humans because each one of us needs God’s grace, daily. Pause for just a moment and look at this image. For the most part they look the same, however, if you really looked, you may have noticed one is slightly different. The image on the right is courser, not as refined as the one on the left. However, here’s the full picture and a reminder that our God is always a truth teller. It’s up to us to not trust everything we see or feel. Even sugar looks like salt sometimes. Or as a friend recently said to me “Shahla, your feelings are real, but that doesn’t make them reality.” So, what lie do you need to stop in its tracks? What one lie are we allowing to destroy a thousand truths? Let’s allow the truth to push back the lie. That’s where the enemy loses, that’s where victory is found. “Salt is good, but if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it salty again? Have salt in yourselves and be at peace with one another.” Mark 9:50 “Through the Lord’s mercies, we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23 “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” Matthew 19:26 “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together.” Ephesians 2:4-5 Oh Jesus, thank you for being unlimited in power, grace, and mercy. Thank you for being the ultimate truth-teller. Lord, for any lie being believed or any crack the enemy is trying to sneak into, may Your word make him flee, may the salt you offer and call us to be make the enemy shrivel as we stand firm and hold tightly to Your truth. Help give us discernment to recognize lies, to see clearly the liar the enemy is and know the difference between the enemy’s course false sugar and Your refined truth giving salt. In Jesus Name. Amen. This weeks playlist: Haven’t Seen It Yet Danny Gokey See A Victory Caleb and Kelsey Cover (Elevation Worship) Raise A Hallelujah Bethel