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Sunday, January 17, 2010 - Northeast & Northwest Regional Service
Announcements -- Mike Dames
www.hopeww.org -- Haiti relief efforts
Jon Folstad collecting blankets, clothing, toiletries for VA hospital to send to Haiti
124 volunteers for Red Cross Martin Luther King day on Saturday
Communion -- Jon Folstad
Heb 1:1-4
Do you see Jesus for who Jesus really is? greater than the prophets and angels
1 - vs. 2 more than a prophet, son of God, co-creator
vs. 3 radiance of God's glory; exact representation of God (powerful, intense)
he sustains all things by His words
he provided purification for our sins
he sat down at God's right hand
2 - more than an angel
read verses 5 to end
Jesus could have stopped everything
God never called an angel his son, never told 1 angel to worship another
God's angels serve us
conclusion -- need to see Jesus for who He really is or we will fall short of the powerful life
Get into the word of God, see Jesus again
Ron Drabot - Revelations 2
175 teens at bash - 2/3 nonChristians and visitors -- dream 40 teens baptized in Charlotte in 2010
teens reaching out to other teens and to their teachers
Melinda baptized today - SW ministry and Latino ministry
Jack & Michelle - Reel Time ministry, hospitals and nursing homes
800 people in church last Sunday in 3 regions
Last week was Revelations 1 - introduction to Revelations
in review:
many different time periods; different beasts (Hitler, Pope, Middle East Leader)
Revelations is God's vision, revealed to an angel, to the apostle John
catastrophic, dramatic, symbolic, detail all about the suffering in the 1st century
Rev 1 --
vs. 3 first century Christians reading this, the time was near
vs. 1 must soon take place
entique -- soon, means in a hurry, right away, speedily
Rev 22:7, 10, 12 the time is near
Daniel is also a book of apocalyptic writing
Daniel 8 prophesies things in 2nd century BC, written in 5th century BC approx 550 BC
Dan 8:26 told to seal the prophecy because in the distant future (300-400 years)
in Revelations - don't seal because it is soon, this time, right away
2 Tim 4:9-13 Paul, from prison, writes to Timothy -- come quickly, same word in Greek used in Revelations - soon, entique - not in the next 2000 years or so
2 Tim 4:13 bring a cloak and scrolls - he wanted the word of God to study
2 Tim 4:21 get here before winter (he wanted his cloak)
Revelations was for that time
The problem with Revelations is people try to make it work in other time periods
1 Thess 4 - rapture - Jesus' final coming - need to stay in the timeframe of the book
Col 1:12-13 we are in the kingdom
Mark 9:1 some will not taste death
the Kingdom came with power in Acts 2 - the Holy Spirit came with power
Rev 1 Jesus gives John a vision about himself, reigns forever and eve
we must have a vision, a dream
you must see God in his glory - powerful and dynamic
gives you a vision for your life
we need an individual dream, a kingdom dream - not just Charlotte but God's kingdom
What part of the wall are you going to build?
everyone can point out the negative
need God to have a dream
Everyone has been hurt - welcome to the Kingdom of God
It's promised that you'll experience more hurt
There will always be those who fall away, who hide secret sins, who are weak
But there are always people who are dreaming, too
Every church will have hurts and challenges
There is no church without sin -- if you have people, you have sin
Those looking for perfect marriages, they won't be perfect
You can't challenge people's hearts and not have conflict
Read Revelations 2
Rev 2:1 angel -- minister, messenger, representative for the church
What do the symbols mean?
2 = courage, courage in companionship, Jesus sent them out by 2's -- wild beasts roaming free, attaches by enemies (no worker's comp, health insurance)
3 = Divine -- mother love, father love and friendship love
4 = world - most people did not travel more than 30 miles from where they were born, the believed the world was flat and had 4 corners
5 / 10 = completeness, 10 sets of fingers and toes; 10 is the number of Commandments.
6 = evil, sinister, fell short
7 = considered a number of perfection-God's number. most sacred, divine (3) + world (4)
1,000 = really complete, completion personified
12 = organized religion, 12 tribes of Israel; 12 apostles
144,000 is seen as kind of a symbolic expansion of the 12 tribes (literally 12 X 12 X 1000) - 12 squared and complete; not literal 144,000
Revelations has 404 verses and 500 Old Testament references
Rev 1:20 stars - representatives; lampstands - churches (safe position in the light)
2:6 Nicolaitans - decadent, worldly, needed belief only
Acts 18 - Paul left Priscilla and Aquilla in Ephesus
as a couple, they shared their faith, they taught Apollos more accurately
Apollos preached with great zeal
Acts 20 - Paul stayed in Ephesus 3 years
He loved those people so much
churches need evangelists and elders
they loved each other, parted with tears on the beach
Paul wrote the letter to the Ephesians from prison, 60 - 63 AD
He put Timothy in charge, then John in 66 AD
John was the apostle of love (son of thunder)
Everybody has a long way to go with love -- we need to all be striving with love
how many are you loving? including the unlovable?
John had this vision, and he loved Ephesus
The church was 40-50 years old
the children of this church did not see the miracles their parents did
the greatest gifs you give your children are your own miracles - your serving, your evangelizing
Ron shared about the young marrieds group (no children yet), they shared what first attracted them to each other
Then challenges, life, familiarity breeds comfort, which breeds conflict
The same thing can happen with God
you need to be real
Ephesus - 1st church - adoration
Smyrna - 2nd church - tribulation
they are indicative of the churches then and now
They are God's kingdom, they were going through great challenges
We will return to our first love, we will not let our lampstand be removed
Remember what you did at first -- repent