THE BOOK OF REVELATION - A SYNOPSIS

MY BRIEF SYNOPSIS OF REVELATION

 

John, was the friend of Jesus, gospel writer and evangelist. The purpose of Jesus’ incarnation was so real and empowering to John. He watched Jesus die. He saw him alive again. He saw Jesus ascend through clouds and out of sight. He knew everything Jesus said about the devil and sin and redemption, and the Kingdom were true. He wrote that God loved the world so much that He sent the divine Son, Jesus, so whomever believes in Jesus will have eternal life. 

QUESTIONS WITHOUT CENSURE

I have lived over three quarters of a century as I write this. All of my life has been spent with an awareness of a supernatural God with whom I was encouraged to have a relationship through faith, and whom I truly believe I have come to know. My knowledge is still minimal, even though I have spent an entire lifetime informing others how to meet God, and trust God and live for God. In a sense God is enigmatic, unknowable. The incarnation of Christ is an exquisite gift. For suddenly in earth time, invisible God made himself known to humanity by becoming what we are, human. Biographies about Jesus were written by persons who lived with him. Yet since deity inspired them to write, their words became his autobiography. As Jesus lived and taught and prayed, he informed contemporaries and me about eternal and celestial certainties.  He made it clear that he is one of a trinity of persons who comprise God. He called God his father, and taught his disciples to enjoy that familiarity too. He told listeners who believed in God, to also believe in him. His biographers told of hearing God’s voice from heaven announcing that Jesus was his beloved son in whom he was very pleased. Jesus told disciples that he himself was God, and that he and the father are one. He said that being able to see him was the same as seeing the Father. When he knew he was about to die, he promised that he would send another comforter, the same as himself, whom he named as the Holy Spirit who now would not only be with his followers as he himself had been, but would dwell inside them. With the indwelling Spirit, living Christlike lives became a valid opportunity. Being holy as God is holy was once a command, and now became a probability. This assurance is gifted to every person who takes Jesus at his word. He came that we might have life that lasts forever.

I only know about God what he himself has divulged, and that's a library of information.  Even so, I said that my knowledge of God is minimal because the more that I learn about God, the more inquiries arise in my mind. Not questions born from skepticism but rather from interest. God encourages my freedom to ask questions by being ever ready to provide responses. His responses come from my reading and re-reading scripture, and reading other respected students and scholars, and dialoguing with other seekers who can embrace questions without censure.  

DOES GOD LEAD US INTO TEMPTATION?

The question is, why did Jesus teach his followers to pray this statement? "Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil." Our uninformed default reading implies that God leads us into temptation to tempt us. Not so. Perfectly offensive to God. Scripture informs us that God does not tempt us. James 1:13 says, “Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.” God does not do the tempting.

WHAT SHOULD YOU SAY ON THE DAY HE DIES?

WHAT IS APPROPRIATE TO SAY ABOUT A FELLOW CHRISTIAN ON THE DAY HE DIES?  Some people think it is suitable to denigrate his memory on the day he dies. On the day he dies is my point.  We're not speaking about a madman or a money launderer or a serial rapist. It would be entirely apt to recite his transgressions one minute after he bites it. I'm talking about an upright man whose entire life was devoted to God. What would be appropriate to say about him on the day he died? Be clear, this is not an hypothetical personality. I refer to someone whose 99 years of earth life were spent talking to God, and to people who loved God and to people who did not know God but would. What 's fitting to say about him on the day he died? If the person making the post mortem comment hates God, then anything goes. Say what you want about the deceased. But if the commenter is a child of God and a good brother has died, would the right time to point out all of the brother's alleged bad stuff be on the day he died? Why am I asking this question here?  

MY HUMANITY HAS FRAYED ENDS

Nine years into retirement from formal day-job and career commitments seems hardly possible for me. I officially retired from ‘formal’ Christian service in summer of 2008. That statement is not to be understood as retirement from Christian service or ministry. The key is the word ‘formal.’ I am a follower of Christ. Easter Sunday has now come and gone. The resurrection of Jesus Christ remains the essential element of Christian faith. ‘Gospel’ is good news. There is no gospel without the resurrection. If the resurrection did not happen for Jesus Christ, then nothing that he told humanity can be believed and further there is no divine forgiveness of human sin and there is no hope for life beyond the grave. However, I am convinced that the Bible concentrated upon personal testimonies that affirmed Jesus revealed himself demonstrably alive after his violent execution and further, that all that pertained to him had been prophecied hundreds of years earlier. His arrival on earth, his death and his resurrection was a divine plan. In the act of dying, he who was sinless through three decades of living, sustained punishment for all of human sin, and he could do this because of who he is. He is the one included in the conversation in the garden of Eden as God spoke as a plurality, “Let ‘us' make man in ‘our’ image, according to ‘our’ likeness. He is the one about whom the apostle John wrote when he said, “all things were made by him and without him nothing was made that was made.” Jesus has been invested in human spiritual and moral wellbeing from the beginning of our human race. Sin so soon tarnished the reflection of God in humanity. Jesus’ death makes possible the restoration of the image and likeness of God in each person who trusts the good news summed up so memorably in the words, “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” In these retirement years that rush me forward to my completion, my service is confined, no longer speaking weekly to several hundred people, but rather to the few I randomly meet in our housing community, and at the golf course where I marshall and play, and through my contacts with artists and clients. Occasionally I am given the privilege of preaching from scripture as I once did regularly. Interestingly, almost cruelly, I remember as a young inexperienced pastor preparing and preaching twice on Sundays, teaching two or three times each week, and yet now I have doctoral level knowledge, the wisdom of years, acquired communication skills, the confidence of experience, and the understanding that I can accomplish nothing of significance without God. What’s missing is the sustainable energy for a full-time ministry commitment. Everything about a three score plus ten plus five human has frayed ends. What is important is for me to be faithful to my vows, my promises to God. Ultimately, that is the commendation for which I am waiting. 

In keeping with the Easter and resurrection theme here is a painting of interest to me. 

Ron DiCianni is an American illustrator/artist specializing in Christian themes. His ‘Resurrection’ mural measures 12X40 feet and commissioned for the Museum of Biblical Arts in Dallas, it is the largest depiction of this theme in the world. This size permits the viewer to look into Christ’s eyes. It required two years to complete. Definitive scenes are identified with some great artists, like Michelangelo and his “Creation of Adam” in the Sistine Chapel; Rembrandt, and his “The Prodigal Son.” DiCianni sees “The Resurrection”, as his definitive piece particularly because this act in history distinguishes Christianity from every other religion, philosophy and dogma. It authenticates The Nativity, The Crucifixion of Christ, and legitimizes every word Jesus said concerning Himself and His relationship to God. Blessed Easter to you. (If you care to hear him describe how and why he painted this cast of characters, here is the link,https://youtu.be/-yABivU-AKQ )

CULTIVATE YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

What are you doing to cultivate your relationship with God? You and I must give thought to this. We should revisit the question. We cultivate our hobbies with new equipment and training. We cultivate friendships with shared meals and sports events. Christian belief consists of relationship with the living God is how we describe our faith. What are you doing to enrich the bond? It's a candid question, not meant to criticize. I ask it because I know firsthand how easily presumption becomes normative. We presume we are okay, we trust, we attend requisite meetings in our churches. It becomes routine. Relationship we would agree involves communication. Of course a relationship with someone who is unseen is different from others. You are confident that God hears you whether you speak to him aloud or silently. That's one aspect of communication. You are assured that God speaks through the Bible of course, and through His indwelling Spirit in you, and sometimes through expressions by other people. Granted, much about hearing God speak in these ways borders on the subjective. But let's kick that aside and get back to the question. What are you doing, or what can you do to cultivate this relationship that you say you have with the Creator God who spoke the universe into existence, who approved the perfection that characterized all of his creation, who provided salvation through the sacrificial atoning death of his incarnated son Jesus? It's a question. I am not going to answer it for you. We gravitate to articles that advise us about three steps to this or five key spiritual exercises. Fine, maybe they can inspire you, but what are 'you' now going to do to cultivate your relationship with God?

HOW CAN I PAINT GOD

Imagination is integral to my craft as a painter. Suppose that I consider painting a picture of God, not as an idol to be worshipped but rather to tell God's story using visual imagery, how can I paint God when God is not observable? I am confounded. God is concealed, invisible. I have no model, nothing upon which to base a rendering. However, I remember that Jesus was a young adult when prayed the words, “our Father who lives in heaven.” Imagination encourages me to envision God the Father as at least one generation older than Jesus himself. Furthermore, in first century culture, men did not shave their beards so God likely had a long white beard. Would that seem plausible? It's highly unlikely. Let's say that it's at least convenient because it indulges the human mind that finds it easier to process the physical than the spiritual.

The famous Italian artist Michelangelo had no hesitation in painting a representation of God on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel in Rome. In his central scene of creation, Michelangelo painted God as a Caucasian white-bearded grandfatherly patriarchal figure extending his forefinger in a gesture by which he was imparting life to a newly created Adam. That was pure speculation and it was likely gloriously incorrect because no one has seen God the Father and the Bible says that God is spirit and we cannot assume God looks like a man. In fact the task of painting God is more problematic than any of us might imagine.

BEFORE I FORMED YOU IN THE WOMB

This painting by Ron DiCianni, renowned painter of images that tell biblical and Christian stories, is entitled, “Before I Formed You in the Womb.” When you look closely, you can see the faint image of a baby in mother’s body. Ron has placed the hand of Jesus on mother’s abdomen, unmistakably his hand with the hint of the nail print in his wrist. The shadow of his hand on mother’s body casts a cross and at the point of contact where the baby’s hand reaches to touch Jesus’ hand, DiCianni has placed a dazzling starburst. DiCianni’s artistry has entranced me for a long time. Mom wears no ring here which is the artist’s statement that regardless of how the child arrives it is a precious life.This is a fitting image at this Christmas season, and Ron tells a story that his mother was in an abortion clinic when she had second thoughts and walked out and within months gave birth to him.

7 DEADLY ZINS: The wine is good, the zins are bad

Don't get your shorts in a knot. This is not a wine review but an illustration. There is an exquisite Lodi region California wine called 'The Seven Deadly Zins.' The label lists the zins as Wealth, Vanity, Greed, Sloth, Gluttony, Envy, and Lust. The name is a clever pun spun from the fact that seven wines come from seven growers to comprise this big, bold and fruity spicy flavour that is great with barbecued meats. Connoisseurs say it has a spicy nose with raisins, jammy blackberry, walnut and black pepper, a bit of raspberry, tomato and cola. In the States it's $14.95 and in Canada it's $22.95 if one is lucky. The wine is good. 

Some of the seven are precisely the kind of zin or sin that offends God. Christian theology informs us that God is a three-personal God, three distinct persons not manifestations while remaining one being - God. Clearly it is something that must be received by faith because visual evidences are in shorter supply than they were in early New Testament times. Then, Jesus, the second person was actually resident on earth in human form. The Holy Spirit, while invisible most of the time, occasionally demonstrated his presence in the form of a dove that appeared in timely fashion. And God, the Father, also invisible, spoke intelligible and audible words such as "this is my beloved son with whom I am very pleased."

By the time Jesus was schedule to leave earth, he had clearly promised that in his absence, the Holy Spirit would continue to be with the disciples and all who follow Jesus anytime, but he would also be inside them, living within them. That is up close and personal. And this promise was given because Jesus is inclined to be graceful to us, God the Father loves us and the Holy Spirit partners with us. Since that is the dynamic or this relationship with God, it becomes clear that when we find sins so tasty, we risk offending the God-one inside us. So, the scripture declares a caution, "Don't grieve the Spirit of God." Do you know how he can be grieved? By us committing zins, well sins, such as lying, anger, corrupt language, bitterness, unforgiveness which are mentioned in verses that surround Ephesians 4:30, "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”  

Are these sins deadly? They cost us more than money. Unless we give them up, they certainly kill everything that God would powerfully accomplish in us and through us. That's because by continuing to sin, we quench the Spirit, dampen the spiritual fire. And there is an accompanying command against that.   I Thessalonians 5:19, "Do not quench the Spirit.” The wine is good. The zins are bad.

GENUINELY CHRISTIAN YET PRACTICALLY AGNOSTIC (2)

I perceive there will be superior value to the topic if I personalize it. So, I am writing to Christians today. This is a cue, an incentive to a segment of the Christian community.  In the earlier critique I expressed an opinion that we may be living like practical agnostics. It's possible. We are not 'practical' agnostics in the sense of being 'almost' agnostic or virtually agnostic. Of course not, because we do genuinely believe in the large constructs of Christian truth. Rather, during the weekdays, we have minimal explicit contact with God. While the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are factual within our theological framework, we are out of touch. We know that prayer is the network that links us with the divine, but prayer takes time and discipline. We know when we are honest with ourselves that we apply both time and discipline to online social networking, to watching our favourite TV shows, and to daily exercise.  So, we must admit we are slackers. We have not prioritized prayer.

An agnostic is characterized by uncertainty. While we believe in the merit of prayer, we may be uncertain about the effectiveness of prayer.  Possibly, our journals contain slim accounts of answers to specific prayers. We do not doubt God's ability to hear prayer, or to respond to great challenges. We are uncertain that God will answer our request. Our asks have been made before without a response. We don't want to be disappointed any further. Our request seems so trite and selfish so we hesitate. Strangely we are not open and transparent before God who is all knowing.  We worry about a job, about money, about our children. We struggle with our sexuality, with addictions, with attitudes and moods, but we refer none of these to God because we have not successfully integrated our theology with our lives on planet earth. The incarnate Jesus spoke to his Father, and advised us to call God Father. Father loved us (humanity) so much he gave us Jesus.  Jesus came here to do what he needed to do to provide a relationship for us with himself and the Father.  Jesus assured us that in his physical absence he would not leave us comfortless, but rather he promised to give us another comforter, divine like himself, namely, the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not only with us but inside us, where character and spirituality are developed so that we can reflect the image of God, that is, be Christlike.      

(I will pursue this subject for in a few posts in the days ahead)

CLOVERDALE BAPTIST CHURCH 2015

I read many Facebook respondents in the last few days express sadness at the demolition of the forty-something year old building that housed the Cloverdale Baptist Church. I acknowledge my own melancholic sentiments as the giant arm of the shovel pushed through sanctuary walls and reduced them to rubble. I am permitted the feelings since I served as lead pastor for ten years from 1991-2001. I was daily inside the facility and officiated countless meetings and services, weddings and baptisms. My two children were each married to their sweethearts in that sanctuary into which sun blasted through the gaping wound this week before the walls disappeared. 

Now they must remain as memories and that is fine since next to the demolition site now stands a newly completed building with twice as much seating and classroom space and state of the art equipment. This observation stands as a metaphor for a theme on which I have been hammering for a little while. What has been constructed is not a church although that is how we commonly employ the term. Nor would it be true to say that the church was reduced to debris. Church was the collective people inside the older structure and Church continues to be that group of people and whoever also joins them inside the new design. It's difficult for us to move away from language that by weight of habit associates church with physical structure, but we should make the effort. We do not go to church. We are church. We don't attend church. We live as church. Does it make any difference? I believe it does. Otherwise, like a fantasy we could say, if we build it (the church), they (people) will come. What we should say is, if we are it (the church) they (the people) will come. It is not where we go but who we are that is important. If we live as church, God's family, Christ's bride, a ransomed flock with a divine shepherd, then by exposure to us, others whom the LORD wants to call will hear his voice. 

THE TRINITY CAN INFORM THE CHURCH

Many people today are stating or behaving as though they want spirituality but they do not have a desire for involvement in organized religion. Granted, 'spirituality' can mean anything from Spa music to Buddhism to born again enthusiasm. I do want to narrow my comments to those who hold to a Christian faith that esteems Jesus as son of the Father God, redeemer, and King. Even among this focus group there are some who love Jesus but the church - not so much. Much of the disenchantment with church results from those within who have power and who misuse it. Top-down organizations have fallen out of favour. Let's recover something important. We cite the Genesis One quotation of God's statement, "let us make man in our image according to our likeness." Perhaps the plurality inherent in that quotation speaks of three persons essential to God who should also now inform our ecclesiology. After pastoring churches for 40 years, and having time to assess church during the past 7 years, I conclude that we need to promote a leadership model that is interdependent, relational, participatory, self-giving, communal and self-surrendering.