Good Friday: The God who makes peace
Our history is marked with hostility. From brokenness in simple relationships to hostility on a global scale. Some may ask where God is in the midst of this hostility; has He abandoned us? Where is God when we are crying out for peace? The story of Good Friday reveals something stunning about God and our quest for peace on earth.
The Witness of the Church
Many in the Christian church have theories about what the church should do with the increasingly hostile or ignorant response of our society to Christianity. But here in Revelation 10-11 God uncovers how His true church does respond when confronted with a hostile context. This reality should redirect our thinking from the speculative theories and towards the eternal call that God has one His church.
Judgment Uncovered
Living in a peaceful and happy society it is easy to feel like we humans have got things pretty well sorted. However, what we see in front of us is only a super thin slice of the broader story of human history. There is a long history of rebellion and destruction that follows us everywhere. For this reason God has always sought to show His displeasure at our rebellion through ongoing judgment against sin. Chapters 8-9 of Revelation uncover the…
The People of God Uncovered
In chapter 6 we shuddered as we heard that the world would never cease to be plagued by suffering, war, poverty and injustice. Well it seems that God knows how harrowing this revelation would be for His people because instead of moving onto the 7th seal He unpacks a wonderful vision for John and the churches that is designed to reassure us of His power and salvation.
Suffering Uncovered
In the vivid throne room scene of last week the conquering Lion that looked like a Lamb, Jesus the Christ, was the only one worthy enough to take the scroll of God’s purposes for the world and open its seals. But as Jesus opens those seals a frightening vision emerges… a vision of unparalleled suffering for the earth. But this vision is supposed to be for the good of the churches, to encourage them to cling to Jesus. So join…
Worship Uncovered
After speaking out letters to the seven churches, Jesus causes John to be caught up in a vision of Heaven by the power of the Holy Spirit. As John sees the throne room of God uncovered, a dramatic scene takes place before him. And as we hear John’s account of this spectacular sight, we will be confronted by the magnitude of our God and why our worship of Him matters.
Church – The Ugly
We might not like to admit it, but church can be ugly… church has been ugly. Right throughout history there have been churches who have got faith in Christ very wrong. As we finish up our journey through Jesus’ letters to the churches of Asia, we look at two churches that had all but ceased to be true churches. In these painful letters we will find what it is that turns churches ugly and be confronted with the tendency in…
Church – The Bad
As Jesus continues to share insights with the churches of Asia we find that there are a group of churches seem to be holding on to the faith, but for some reason Jesus also has found something deeply concerning amongst them. This week Pastor Joe unpack what Jesus finds concerning in the church and how we might be on the verge of embracing this concerning trend.
Church – The Good
It would have been easy for the churches in Asia to feel as though Jesus was distant to their trials and tribulations. But last week we saw that they powerful and fearsome Jesus stood amongst the lampstands of His church. He knew them and He knew their situation. So when He writes to them, He writes with both knowledge and love. This week we look at two of the churches to see what Jesus commends in His church.
Jesus Uncovered
When it comes to the Book of Revelation it is really easy to get caught up in the crazy images, the numbers and codes, and the visions and characters… but this is to miss the main point. Pastor Joe commences our series in Revelation by unpacking the main point of the book and the greatest need for any generation.