Wait
Month: July 2021
Become wise
Quote for the Day
Telling the truth is at the heart of the Circle of Tov, but truth telling is not instinctive in toxic cultures where false narratives proliferate. It must be developed. Scot and Laura McKnight
Reflection on Matthew 24:15-28
Scripture
“For as lightning flashes in the east and shines in the west, so it will be when the Son of Man comes.”
Observation
The day is coming, says Jesus, when the abomination of desolation foretold by the prophet Daniel will stand in the Holy Place of the Temple. Then people must flee without delay from Jerusalem and Judea. There will be great anguish and suffering.
We must not be misled by people claiming that the Messiah is here. When the Son of Man returns it will be as sudden and obvious as lightning in the sky.
Application
There is so much confusion in the Body of Christ about the End Times and the return of the Lord.
In this section, Jesus is warning His followers about some events that would soon happen. Not long after His crucifixion, nationalistic movements emerged in Israel. A revolution around the year 66 removed the Roman occupying forces from Jerusalem and parts of Judea. The impetus for this was the installation of military banners in the Temple, interpreted by many Jewish leaders as the “abomination of desolation” spoken of in Daniel.
The Romans returned in 70 AD and besieged Jerusalem. They were able to recapture the city and destroyed much of it, including the Temple. It was said that they crucified so many people that the forests were totally cleared of trees.
In Jesus’ time, a generation before these events, many people claimed to be the Messiah. Some stayed in the desert. Movements sprang up claiming that the Messiah had come , but was hidden- a spiritual coming that only the enlightened ones could see.
Jesus says that when He returns, you will not miss it. There will be no secret coming, but a return that the whole world will see.
Every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I know that you will come back one day. In the meantime, please help me to be faithful and obedient to you. Amen.
He’s got it
Scott Sauls: Compassion, Judgement, and the Insufficiency of “Progressive Christianity”
A great word from Scott Sauls
Compassion, Judgment, and the Insufficiency of “Progressive Christianity”
BY SCOTTSAULS | JULY 19, 2021
In my sermon on July 18, 2021, I shared some thoughts on a movement within the church called “Progressive Christianity.” Among other doctrines, proponents of this movement have questioned the long-held belief, as quoted in the Apostles’ Creed, that Jesus “will come to judge the living and the dead.” Efforts have also been made to re-interpret Jesus’s teaching about hell and judgment, which he spoke of even more than he spoke of love. Following is my attempt to explain why such “progressive” thought does not represent progress, but rather a major step back — not to mention a step away from orthodox belief.
One of the greatest stumbling blocks to Christianity, especially among those who are drawn to the idea of a loving, compassionate God, is the Bible’s teaching on judgment. As the Apostles’ Creed says, at the end of history Jesus “will come to judge the living and the dead.”
Jesus, who was full of compassion and gave his life because God so loved the world, spoke more about judgment than he did most other subjects. He could not have been more clear that an excluding verdict awaits those who, in pride and self-sufficiency, exclude themselves by dismissing his generous offer of salvation by grace through faith (Matt. 5:22; John 3:16-18).
And yet, with an even greater intensity, the same Jesus got sideways with pious religious people who wished judgment on others (Luke 9:51-56). Though divine justice demands payment for sin, he desires that all would turn to him and find shelter from the wrath to come. He takes no pleasure in the death of anyone, including “the wicked” (Ezekiel 18:23).
Jesus, at whose cross “heaven’s peace and perfect justice kissed a guilty world in love,” perfectly balanced judgment with compassion.
Read the full article here
Quote for the Day
A fear-based culture stifles freedom through legalism, authoritarianism, status, and approval-based relationships. That’s not freedom, and that’s not love. “Perfect love drives out fear.” When fear prevails in a church, there is no real love. Scot & Laura McKnight
Give thanks
God’s Spirit lives in you
16 All of you surely know you are God’s temple and his Spirit lives in you. 1 Corinthians 3:16 CEV https://bible.com/bible/392/1co.3.16.CEV
New Life Narrabri 