Revelation 12 - Another Side of History

A seven headed 10 horned dragon waiting for a woman to give birth so he can devour the child.  Child snatched up and brought to heaven and women flees into the wilderness so she can be taken care of for 1,260 days.  Not 1,259...but 1,260.  This John guy sure knows how to dream.  I read some interesting idea's about the interpretation of the imagery in this chapter, one of which drew some parallels to the Christmas story.  We could discuss for a long time what this picture represents, but might not be the best use of our time.

For me, the whole chapter (and really our whole reading program) can hinge on one small (yet huge) phrase in verse 11of this chapter.

"They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony"


Read it again.  No seriously...read it again:


"They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony"


Interpret the imagery how you like...but at the end of the day


WE WIN!!


Makes me think of a song...as do most things.  Enjoy!


Mathew McCabe

Revelation 1: The Final Word

Can you imagine this chapter in the hands of some special effects guru in Hollywood? Some of the scenes described here would strain the imaginations (and the budgets) of even the best and brightest that tinsel town could come up with.

As far as last words go, hard to top verse 5 & 6:

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father – to him be the glory and power for ever and ever!”

Slow down and take a moment to reflect on these words. As you do so, pay attention to what is happening inside of you:

• How are you experiencing Gods love?
• Are you feeling freedom from your sins?
• Do you feel stirrings of wonder or gratitude?
• Do you sense your smallness and God’s greatness?

Whatever you are thinking or feeling right now, take a moment, stop and talk with God about it. And please, do not miss the opportunity to say thank you for all that you have been given.


Ken Jackson

2 & 3 John – Pesky Deceivers

“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.” -3 John 1:11

In these short twenty-seven verses we find that there are those that are walking in truth and those that are being deceptive. And how do we tell them apart? Those that imitate what is good (walk in truth, obey God’s commands, and love) are from God. Those who do what is evil have not seen Him.

So Gaius not only knew the truth, but he lived what he believed. How about us? Will we be faithful to the truth? Will our actions and words match up regardless of whom we’re around? Will we commit to representing Christ well?

So two things are clear: know truth and walk in love.

-Gina G.

1 John 3 - Merest Christianity

Verse 18, "Let us not love with speech but with ACTION."

When I was a child my favorite ACTION figure was He-Man. Everyday I would pull as many of my He-Man ACTION figures out play as long as I could with them before bedtime.

There is a reason they call those toys ACTION figures, because they know children will put these toys in motion. The makers of these ACTION toys know that children will not let these toys just sit around while they play with them. The children will put them in ACTION.

Dear brothers and sisters we have to put our faith to ACTION. We have to show this world that we belong to Christ by the way we live, and not just by what we say. Talk is cheap. Let's represent Christ with ACTION everywhere we go.

John




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Jude: Sounding the Alarm

Jude is one of those short books at the end of the Bible that we hardly ever read.  It was written by Jude, a brother of Jesus.  He begins with “I wanted to write about this encouraging thing but feel I have to write about this other thing instead.”  The “other thing” that demands his attention?  Spiritual leaders who were doing more harm than good.  Let’s think about that.

Spiritual leaders are like anyone else – some good, some mediocre, some bad.  In fact, some are morally bankrupt.  These leaders are (to paraphrase) warts on the church who “feed only themselves.”  We recognize these guys, don’t we?  Every year or two one of them makes the latest news cycle, caught with his pants down or his hand in the offering basket.

Not every spiritual leader is a good guy, which is why you need to know the lives of the leaders who are your primary source of spiritual direction and sustenance.   You need to know your leader well enough, see him or her up close enough, to have some sense of his life, her character, his lifestyle – the car he drives, the house he lives in, the places he frequents for dinner – the way he treats volunteers and coworkers – the way he treats his wife.  Is he the real deal or is he in it for what he can get?  You need to know this because it directly impacts the kind of influence he will have on your life.  Will he be a healthy influence or a damaging one?

Don’t misunderstand.  There are wonderful leaders and teachers available to us through books, television, the internet who we can’t possibly know in any real way.  I’m not suggesting we not learn from them.  I’m reading a great book right now by Tim Keller and listen often to podcasts by Andy Stanley.  Technology is great, but you need to know the heart, the life of the person who is making the deepest spiritual impact on your life.  You can’t afford not to.

So what was Jude going to write about that “encouraging thing” – about “the salvation we share”?  We may never know, but don’t miss the jewel at the end of this book.  The last two verses are poetry, literally – a song of worship sung by the early church.  Read it.  Then read it again.  Then . . .

– Paul Abbott

2 Peter 1 – Hidden Dangers

A wise person once said it’s often more important to be reminded than to be instructed.

This is what Peter emphasizes at the start of his letter—that we are to actively remember the truths that have marked us as Christ-followers (vs. 12-15).  So what does this look like for you and me, in this church?  It means learning how to see and savor the holiness found in our routines:

Sharing that bread and cup of Communion as a way to remember what has already been done.

“It is finished”

Showing up ready to worship as we put great and familiar words on our tongues.

“You are mighty to save”

Re-reading that passage of Scripture so it might leave its mark on our hearts.

“Take my mind, transform it”

Repeating that prayer until we mean it.

“Your will be done"

Giving that tenth of what we earn back to God to remind ourselves that life is a gift.

“All I have is Yours”

Reuben Smith

I Peter 1 - Converted Coward

Sometimes we just need to rejoice even when we don't want to.  And according to this chapter we should"greatly rejoice" (not just a itty bitty joy...but a great joy) even though sometimes our circumstances might be not so joyous.  


Each year in Oasis (our high school youth group) we choose a one word theme for the year.  We dig into it in September and then keep coming back to throughout the year.  These past two weeks we have been looking into the difference between happiness and joy.  Our take away is that happiness is connected with our circumstances.  Things are going well, we are happy.  Things are going poorly, we are unhappy.  Pretty simple stuff.  But joy on the other hand, we believe that is routed much deeper.  It is connected to the goodness of our God.  And since God never changes we can always have joy.  


With this in mind verse 6 totally made sense.  " In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials".  We can "greatly rejoice" even when we are going through hard times.  Because the joy comes not from our circumstances, but from God.


What are you "greatly rejoicing" about these days?  Do tell!


Mathew McCabe

James 1: Walk The Talk

This entire chapter is an absolute gem - packed with divine wisdom and insight. There is so much here that I could highlight that would relate to the idea of 'walking our talk.' But, I would draw your attention to one very important truth that is tucked away in the very last verse (27). Please look at this verse again.

 

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this..."

If there is a "religion" (or faith) that God accepts as pure and faultless, it would be somewhat logical to conclude that there must also be an approach to religion that God finds unacceptable. Which begs the question, what kind of religion is it that God accepts? Don't we all want to be clear on that? James summarizes much of Scripture with just nineteen words:

"...to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Compassion AND personal purity... not compassion OR personal purity. It is not to be either/or - it is to be both/and. Too many churches in America today act as though only one of these two really matter - some emphasize social justice and compassion ministry above all else while others emphasize that personal holiness and piety is what really counts with God.

Both are right - and both are wrong. The church needs to be on the front lines in our society demonstrating God's heart for the poor and those in distress. But we also need to be very serious about personal ethics and morality - because our holiness also reveals and demonstrates God's heart and desires.

I am very grateful to be in a church that is pursuing both sides of this compassion/purity coin. I know that we do not do this perfectly, but I also know that their are lots of folks in this church deeply committed to living out James' instruction in verse 27. 

What is one small step you may be able to take this week to be a both/and kind of Christian?

Ken Jackson

Hebrews 12 - Marathon

I am currently training to run the Baltimore half marathon next month. The training process can be difficult. Early on, running a mile or two was challenging. You have ugly runs. Your breathing is off. Your knees hurt. You’d prefer to be in bed rather than hitting the pavement at 5:30am. You just aren’t feeling it. You regret the deep-fried tapas you ate the night before. You get the idea. There are plenty of things that could derail me from running the race. I could’ve just quit training when things got tough. After all, it’s challenging and time consuming. Or I could remind myself of the goal – run 13.1 miles. Don’t get overwhelmed with the bad days. Be encouraged by the good ones. Keep going. Take it one stride at a time. Stay focused on the finish line.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

–Hebrews 12:1-3

So just like a runner looking toward the finish line, let’s fix our eyes on Jesus – the One who can renew our strength!

-Gina G.

Hebrews 11-true faith

BY FAITH nine months ago my family and I moved to Germantown, Maryland. We left our families, friends, and our security blankets, but through that God has blessed us so much! He has given us great friends, a loving church who treats us like family, gifted leaders pouring into our lives, and so much more than we can count!

I tell you that not to toot my on horn, but to ask you this question, What is it that God is asking you to do that requires you to step out in faith?

Is He asking you to reach out to that co-worker who is hurting? Is He asking you to join a G2? Is He asking you to serve in the Wave, Oasis, or Promiseland? Is God saying to you to sponsor a child through Compassion even though your pocket book is strapped? What is He asking you to do that will require you to walk by faith?

Whatever it is DO IT!! You'll be blessed you did.

John


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Hebrews 2: Great Descent

The letter to the Hebrews is just that, a letter written specifically to Jewish Christ-followers.  That’s why the Psalms are quoted so often; the readers were all familiar with them.  When it was written, midway through the first century, Jesus had been gone for decades and some of these Jewish Christ-followers were having second thoughts.  That’s why we read repeated warnings like the one in the opening paragraph of chapter two. The letter explores all the ways Jesus is superior to people a Jew would revere, people like Abraham and Moses and the high priest. 

In chapter one the letter unpacks the ways Jesus is superior to angels – maybe not a big deal to us, but a very big deal to a first century Jew.   Jesus, it says, is the very one through whom the Father made the universe, the one who is even now sustaining all things through by power of his word, the one to whom the Father says, “Your throne, O God, will last forever.”  It’s an exalted picture of a distant, glorious being.

Then comes chapter two.

Here Jesus is brought low. He’s made lower than angels.  He learns death.  He experiences temptation.  He suffers.  And because he suffered, he’s uniquely equipped to help.  He not only pays for sin through his death – he does that and it’s huge, bigger than we can grasp, but there’s more here.  He gets it.  He understands.  He knows.  In every way but one he was just like us.  And so he gets what it’s like to be weary or hungry, to feel helpless or afraid, to face temptation or death.  Because he suffered like us, he’s able to help us in our sufferings. 

In the hard times, he’s not some distant, glorious being, he’s one of us.

As we approach the close of this six-month tour of scripture, think about all the times, all the ways God has tried to tell us this one thing. 

In the hard times, he’s not some distant, glorious being, he’s one of us.

– Paul Abbott

2 Timothy 2 – Final Words

Several years ago, I had the opportunity to meet an Iranian couple, Javid & Mina Nevisa.  They were two modern day people who—like the early believers we read about in the New Testament—had experienced overwhelming persecution for their faith in Christ, but who had also seen God’s miraculous work up close.  (A complete account of Javid & Mina’s story is told in a book called, “Miracle of Miracles.”  If you enjoy gripping narrative non-fiction, you can find their story here.)  Just being in their presence was a moving experience, knowing all they had endured for the sake of the gospel.

After I was introduced to Javid as someone who taught children about Jesus, Javid marched up and embraced me like I was family.  He then pulled back, clasped me by both shoulders and looked me squarely in the eyes.  “Stay strong in the Lord!” were his final words to me.

These are the moments when you tell yourself, “Yes.  I want to be one of the faithful ones”—one of the soldiers who can be counted on, the athlete who plays by the rules, the farmer who works the land he’s been given.  It’s a prayer we often share as a ministry team circled up before kids arrive each Sunday: “God, we want to be useful to you here.”

This passage challenges us to do our part to present ourselves to God as one approved (vs 15):

“Those who cleanse themselves from the [status quo] will be instruments for special purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” –2 Timothy 2:21

Stay strong in the Lord!


Reuben Smith

I Timothy 1: Growth Pains

I can't tell you how many times I have heard someone utter some variation of the following phrases:


"If I came to church the place might fall down around me"
"If I came to church lightning would strike the place"


These phrases are variations on the same theme:  There is no way that God could love me.  If he only knew how bad I am, or what I have done.  


It makes me very sad when I hear this, and I hear it rather often.  I understand where they are coming from.  We all know the absolute worst about ourselves.  We know all the dark and horrible things about ourselves that we hide so no one else can see them.  More than anyone, we know how awful, how bad we are.  So I get it.  But what makes me sad is the mis-understanding they have about who Christ is about.  What God is like.  Even sadder is that most of them have these mis-guided views of who God is, or who Christ is because of some of us.  Many of them have drawn these conclusions because of how God or Christ has been represented to them by the "Church" in general.  I am not talking about Cedarbrook in specific, although we are part of the big picture.  It is just that over the last century the church has projected far more judgement than forgiveness and acceptance.  That trend is changing little by little and for me that is where the challenge is.


Paul's powerful words in I Timothy 1:15-16
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life"


Challenge:  What are you doing to help people understand that Christ came to show them mercy, to love them.  Christ has enough patience for even the worst person out there.  Even for me.


May we all show mercy to those around us and begin to change the perception of Christ in this world!


Mathew McCabe

Titus 2: Paul's Troubleshooter

There is something for everybody in these fifteen verses.

“Teach the older men…” (2)

“Teach the older women…” (3)

“Train the younger women…” (4)

“Encourage the younger men…” (6)

Which one of these groups do you find yourself in? Go back and reread Paul’s instructions. Challenging words!

I have always loved verses 11 - 14 in this chapter. The truths presented here are so rich, so powerful, and so true. Take a moment and reflect on the wonder of grace:

Grace saves us… (11)

Grace changes us… (12)

Grace gives us hope… (13)

Grace purifies us… (14)

Grace makes us eager to do what is good… (14)

Praise God for his grace and the hope he has given us in Christ!

Ken Jackson

Philemon - A Personal Favor

Are you the kind of person who "refreshes the hearts of the Lord's people"?

I was blown away as I read this passage at the kind words that Paul had for Philemon.  Now I understand that Paul was about to ask for a favor and so there could have been a little "buttering up" involved here.  Although from what I know of the Apostle Paul, he seems like a guy who shoots it pretty straight.

Could you imagine reading these words...from the Apostle Paul....to you!  "your love has given me great joy and encouragement".  How stinkin proud would you be to have that said about you?  I know I would be beaming.

Immediately following thinking of how I might feel if someone said that about me, I started thinking...what kind of person do I need to be today so that could be said of me.  What kind of things should I be doing today to "refresh the hearts of the Lord's people"?  What kind of things shouldn't I be doing?  As I contemplated this, a few simple thoughts came to my mind.  Maybe I could begin each day with a simple prayer asking that I could "refresh" someone today.  Maybe before speaking, or doing anything, I should ask myself the question:  will this refresh hearts?  What if that was a simple guiding principal by which I lived each day.

If I could accomplish this I think my life would look much different on many days.

Maybe if we all could do this, all our lives would be different.

And maybe, just maybe, if we could all do this, more people would be "refreshed".

With God's help, let it be!

Mathew McCabe
(blogging for Gina G as she is away on a much deserved vacay!!)

Colossians 1 - Spanning the Gap

 Vs 22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— 


When I was a kid I hated baths. I mean what boy really likes baths. I would be busy playing with my He-Men and then my mom would yell, "John it's time for a bath." I would put it off for as long as I could, and once I got in the bathtub I would speed clean, so I could get back to defending the universe. I in know way would say I was a clean child. Eventually my mom and dad began inspecting these baths and found out that I was cheating the system. I was bummed!!


If you and I were to stand before God we would be dirty. No matter how much we cleaned ourselves we would appear like we jumped in a mud puddle. We would be so unclean that our sins would send us to eternal separation from Him. 


What makes verse 22 so beautiful is that through Christ death we are made holy in His sight. We are without blemish. We are clean!! Satan keeps trying to tell us that we are not good enough, that we are worthless, that we deserve death, but Christ death gives us freedom from these accusations. 


There will be days that you will feel stifled in your walk with Christ, because satan will remind you of your past, but you have to remember this verse. You have to remember that when you are in Christ His sacrifice makes you holy, clean, and free from accusation!


John

Ephesians 2 – Letter from Jail

“I cannot sit idly by in Atlanta and not be concerned about what happens in Birmingham.  Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.  We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny.  Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

– Martin Luther King, Jr. (“Letter From a Birmingham Jail”)

Why is it some of the best letters are written from jail?

Some of our greatest words are born from times of great adversity, limitation, and need.  It is from the confines of a prison cell that Paul forges such important passages like this one in Ephesians 2:8, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

This is another attribute of God’s Words of truth—they shine brightest in times of darkness (see John 1:5).  Like in the refrain we sing today, “My chains are gone; I’ve been set free.  My God, My Savior has ransomed me” ransom here is a word that speaks of a slave’s or captive’s freedom being purchased at a cost, by a power greater than the chains of injustice.  Great sacrifice has bought us great freedom.

“Never before have I written so long a letter. I'm afraid it is much too long to take your precious time. I can assure you that it would have been much shorter if I had been writing from a comfortable desk, but what else can one do when he is alone in a narrow jail cell, other than write long letters, think long thoughts and pray long prayers?”

–Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reuben Smith

Acts 28 - Rome at Last

For me the part of this passage that stuck out the most to me is tucked away in VS 21.  "none of our people who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you."
Paul's character preceded him.  The religious leaders wanted him to be in deep trouble for preaching the message of Christ to the "wrong (Gentile)" kind of people.  As he is arrives in Rome to defend himself he is met with people who are not really sure why he is there or what the problem is.  They haven't heard any thing bad about him.  Not only nothing bad, but had they heard anything it would have been so good.  Think back to his experience on the island earlier in this chapter.  I would think the people he met and inter acted with there would have nothing but good things to say.  And just look at the doors it opened for him to share the gospel in Rome.  They wanted to know what the deal was.  Why are people talking against Paul and the other followers of the Messiah?  As they listened, some believed.  Others didn't, but some did.

Our character matters.  Who we are, what we say, how we act and live....they matter.  Our character has the potential to give us opportunities to speak to the goodness of Jesus the Messiah, or maybe not so much.

So what would people say about you?  We make a big deal about "it doesn't matter what others think about us".  But actually, it does.  Maybe we should all examine our life and consider...could others report something bad about me?  If so, maybe I have some work to do to change that perception.

God be with us as we do this.

Mathew McCabe

Acts 27: Perfect Storm

“Just sit right back and you’ll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip…” Try to get that tune out of your head now… go ahead, I’ll wait. 

The “fateful trip” that Paul sails on during today’s chapter makes Gilligan’s trip look like a cakewalk by comparison. Over and over again, we read Luke describing this trip as being very dangerous and very difficult. How bad was it? Read verse 20 again:

“When neither the sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved” (20).

This storm was about as bad as it gets. Everyone on board was “in the same boat” (pardon the pun!) – they were hopeless and helpless. But all hope was not lost. God tells Paul that not one single man on board the ship will lose his life. Look again at verses 25 & 26:

“So keep up your courage men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me. Nevertheless, we must run aground on some island.”

That is some “nevertheless!” God is with us, God will take care of us, God will save us, NEVERTHELESS, we are going to crash into some island. I am sure that some of the men on this ship may have wondered, if God can supernaturally save us from this storm, couldn’t he bring us gently and calmly into a nice, quiet port somewhere?

We all have some "nevertheless" moments in our lives as we pursue God. Paul did not allow his circumstances to cause him to question God’s sovereignty or goodness. The next time we hit a rough patch and wonder where God is in the midst of struggles we may face, remember Paul’s unwavering faith in God in the face of this perfect storm.

Ken Jackson

Acts 26 – Unexpected Passage

The organization I worked with while living in Mexico would host short-term missions teams throughout the year. We’d set up a variety of ministry for groups to be involved in and then spend our weeks doing evangelism, food distribution in poor neighborhoods, various church services, construction projects, orphanage visits, etc.

My first summer on staff, I was often used as a translator for our English speaking teams. As they stumbled through our gringo lingo book to invite a family to a service or tell them about Jesus, they looked to me for help. I dreaded the evangelism days the most. I was afraid that the people we encountered would ask me a question about God that I wouldn’t be able to answer, much less translate into Spanish!

One afternoon I had tried really hard to get out of going with a group to hand out Bibles, but much to my chagrin we were short on Spanish speakers and I was needed. I remember praying before we knocked on the first door that God would use me even though I had no idea what to say. As we began talking with the woman at the door, I was reminded that while I didn’t have all the answers I did have a story. And sure it was nothing like Paul’s Damascus road experience, but Jesus had done things in my life and he could use that. The woman at the door came to know Christ that day – a beautiful moment that I’ll never forget!

“…to open their eyes, so they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Then they will receive forgiveness for their sins and be given a place among God’s people, who are set apart by faith in me.” –Acts 26:18 (NLT)

How has Jesus changed your life? With whom can you share that?

-Gina G.