Summer Bible Challenge #2

Becky Pliego on June 12, 2018

¡Hola, hola! What a blessing it was to read all the many testimonies of the first week of our summer BRC. Thank you for all the pictures and all the joy your shared with us. We are grateful for you and keep you in our prayers.

Last week we finished reading the gospel of John, a gospel that announces the gospel message and demands we respond to it with faith. Chapter 1 starts with a powerful scene that reminds us of Genesis 1: the Triune God separating light from darkness, moving, speaking, giving life. And just like God was the One who took the initiative to reach out to Adam and Eve when they fell in the Garden to bring judgement and mercy, here we see God again, reaching out to men. This time, however, He takes the form of a man: Jesus Christ, Immanuel, which means “God with us,” the Messiah, the One whom God promised to Adam and Eve that would come to crush the Serpent’s head, came into the world. The Word that spoke creation into being, became man and dwelt among us. And why did He come? To condemn the world that had been so unfaithful for centuries? No. He came to seek and save the lost, to bring light into the world, to make reconciliation with the Triune God possible through grace by faith (as we read in Galatians).

And here we are, reading this amazing story and we cannot pretend that we can read it and remain spectators in it. We are already in this story and have a role to play. We were born in this story, Friends. And we must respond to this Gospel message, to this love that is like nothing that we can compare or imagine by repenting of our sins and turning away from evil and believing and embracing full forgiveness in Christ. Isn’t that amazing? We can love Him, because he loved us first. We can respond to Him because He called us first. We can repent of our sins, because it is “in His kindness that He leads us to repentance.” (Rom.2:4) All of our salvation is by grace through faith. All of it is a gift. We read how Jesus called his disciples, and saw how all of whom He called came. How His grace is indeed irresistible! God loves to save sinners!

This week we will be continue reading the writings of John. His three epistles and the book of Revelation. See how the same themes that John brings up over and over again in his gospel, are present in his letters, especially in the first one.

John writes with the aim to help us believe so that we may have life as we see in John 19:35, 20:31, and 1 John 5:13. So, Friend, as you take the Book of God this week and read it, pray that the Lord will open your eyes to see Jesus in the text, to believe in Him and in His Word. To eat and be satisfied, to drink and not thirst, to walk in light and free from sin and free to obey and walk in light and love.

Don’t be intimidated to read the book of Revelation. Eat it and trust that the Lord will bless you as you read verse after after verse and chapter after chapter. This is also an inspired book by God and He gave it to us to nurture and strengthen our faith. Reading larger portions in one sitting will make it easier for you to understand the big picture: The Victory of the Messiah over all His enemies and His reign over all nations and individuals. He is King of kings today and all things whether on earth or in heaven are being reconciled to Him (Col.1:19-21).

Those doing the extended version, will be reading the first and second epistles to the Thessalonians and will start Ephesians.

When you read the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians, notice how he repeats that he is confident that the gospel, the Word perched in “much affliction” and “in the midst of much conflict” will bear much fruit. Paul reminds us of the power of the Word in the life of the Believers to help them persevere in the midst of great trials, because the Word of God is alive and always at work in the life of the people of God. So we pray that we will persevere in the Word in the happy days and in the days in which we are living in much conflict, and the Word helps us persevere in Christ. And now you are probably remembering what we read in John 15 (an amazing passage to meditate on!).

In the second letter to the Thessalonians, Paul calls us to remain faithful and to stand firm in the midst of severe persecutions, and the only way to do this is to stand strong in the Gospel of Christ. And we trust that our holding fast does not depend on us, we know that “the Lord is faithful. That He will establish us and guard us against the evil one.” (2 Thess.3) So we take the Book and read it, trusting that His Word is at work in us and drawing us closer to Him each day.

Do not forget that you can always invite more friends to join us. No need to catch up with the rest and read the previous readings, just encourage them to jump in on the day we are at! (we will come back to the previous passages at another time!)

May our prayer this week be: “ Lord, direct our hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ.” In Jesus name, Amen (2 Thess. 3:5)

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

Grace & Peace: Revelation 99

Douglas Wilson on June 5, 2018

“At thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Ps. 16:11).

“And the angel said unto me, Wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads and ten horns. The beast that thou sawest was, and is not; and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world, when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is. And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. And there are seven kings: five are fallen, and one is, and the other is not yet come; and when he cometh, he must continue a short space. And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition” (Rev. 17:7–11).

So the angel had shown John a vision of the great harlot, riding on the back of the beast. I believe the simplest way to understand this, as previously explained, is to see the harlot as apostate Judaism and the beast as the Roman Empire. Some additional reasons for taking it this way will unfold as we proceed.

John was amazed at the vision, and the angel asked him why. The mystery of the woman, and the beast carrying her, will be fully explained. The beast in question is the same one that was shown to us earlier in the book—he has seven heads and ten horns. The beast was at one time, is not now, and will ascend out of the Abyss on its way to perdition. On its way to perdition, it will make an impressive display—enough to make all the reprobate on earth wonder. If their names were not written down in the book of life (from before the foundation of the world), then they will be the kind of people who are impressed with this kind of thing. The cryptic expression about Rome’s reality (was, is not, etc.) is then repeated again, but this time it concludes with a statement about a contrary appearance. The second time John says the beast “was, and is not, and yet is.” The beast is finished in principle, but is somehow managing to keep up appearances. And yet is.

John then poses us a riddle, using a similar expression to what he used in Chapter 13 when introducing the mystery of 666. There he said here is wisdom, and here he says here is a mind with wisdom. It all amounts to the same thing, and is considering the same object.

Just as New York is the Big Apple, and New Orleans the Big Easy, and Chicago the Windy City, so also to the ancients Rome was the City of Seven Hills. The beast is identified here two ways—the seven heads of the beast represent seven mountains, and the seven heads of the beast also represent seven kings. The first places the identification as Rome geographically, and the second places it in a particular period of Roman history—the times of the caesars.

Out of the seven kings, five were already in the history books at the time this vision was given. They were Julius, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, and Claudius (“five have fallen”). When John saw this vision, Nero was on the throne (“one is”), and we should also remember that his name can be extracted from John’s 666 riddle. The emperor who came after Nero was Galba, and he reigned for only seven months (“continue a short space”). Alternatively, because the time after Nero’s death was so tumultuous—a year with three emperors—it could be possible to read the one who continues a very short time as the scramble of all three contenders (Galba, Otho, Vitellius), none of whom were actually firmly established.

And this would mean that the indefinite “eighth” would be identified with the Flavian dynasty that followed. Vespasian was the general who was besieging Jerusalem when all this was happening, and he had to turn over military operations to his son Titus in order go back to Rome and establish order. This Flavian line was Vespasian, Titus, and then Domitian. They are distinct from the seven, and yet like them—like enough to be going to perdition also.

So the woman was riding the beast, but as the prophecy of this book establishes, the beast was going to turn on her. Rome was going to destroy the old Jerusalem, making way for the new Jerusalem.

Kirkers Read 01

Ben Zornes on June 4, 2018

Let’s get this Bible Reading Challenge show on the road…

Read the New Testament over a span of three months. A rather simple and straightforward goal. We’ve organized a few things in order to help cheer you on in that goal: these weekly blogposts, the Facebook group, and the weekly Kirkers Read podcast (hosted by the Christ Kirk podcast). Remember, if these help spur you on in reading your Bible, great. But don’t let these become a good thing keeping you from the better thing of, you know, actually reading your Bible!

Week One – John’s Gospel

A couple things to keep in mind as you read through the Gospel of John in this first week. Of the four Gospels, John was written last. Matthew, Mark, and Luke largely present the public ministry of Christ––His miracles, teachings, passion, and resurrection––in a chronological fashion. These Gospels present a factual gospel proclamation. By contrast, one thing to notice in John’s Gospel, is that it carries a reflective quality. John has clearly spent his life preaching, defending, and explaining the gospel, and his Gospel record unpacks the theological implications of Christ’s Incarnation, Life, Death, and Resurrection. Leon Morris points out that “it is undoubtedly an interpretive document. In selecting its material it omits much that the other Gospels include and includes much that they do not.” We should not view this difference with the other Gospels as contradictory, but as complementary. John’s Gospel is a barrel of well-aged whiskey, which offends both Jews and Greeks with its theological presentation of Christ’s saving work.

Another thing going on in the background, is that John employs Greek philosophic terms, but in adopting them, he adapts them and incorporates them into his theological presentation of salvation in Jesus Christ. The most prominent and famous example of this is in the “prologue” of John (John 1:1-18) where John speaks of the “Word made flesh.” “Word” here is the Greek word––and philosophical term––logos. Morris again comments: “Though John would not have been unmindful of the associations aroused by the term, his essential thought does not derive from the Greek background. His Gospel shows little trace of acquaintance with Greek philosophy and less of dependance on it.” In essence, John takes Hebrew ideas, shows Jesus as the fulfillment of those ancient doctrines and prophecies, all in terms of Greek philosophical notions.

Finally, as you read, notice the motif of “signs” throughout the book. For John, presenting the miracles of Christ was not a means of showing the mere wonder of the miracle; rather, the miracles were a means of signifying something beyond the amazement of the act itself. All of this culminates in the epilogue of the book: “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name (John 20:30-31).” John wants to make sure that these miracles compel us to evangelical faith in the salvation found in Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.

Happy reading!

The God of Surprises

Ben Zornes on June 4, 2018

Communion Meditation

Christ Church Downtown

Ty Knight – June 3, 2018

Our God is the God of surprises. Peter, James, and John expected an afternoon hike and prayer retreat with Jesus on the mountain. This turned into being blinded by Christ’s radiance, observing two dead heroes of the faith, and beholding the Trinity’s glory. Surprising, to say the least. But God often transforms the ordinary, everyday, even mundane to reveal his great power and glory. This was true on the Mount of Transfiguration and also true on the Mount of Crucifixion.

Jesus’ death appeared as the awful and yet not uncommon execution of another criminal. But God is the God of surprises. On the cross, Jesus seemed to dash the hope of the Christ for his disciples, but really he was fulfilling the work of their Christ. He submitted to the torture of the Romans, and so became the Lord of the Romans and of every other government. He truly died, and by his death he ensured the future resurrection for all his people. All glorious surprises.

There will be the day when we will see fully revealed the promises of Christ, his Lordship over all creation, and the final resurrection of the dead. But that which comes at the end, God gives us a glimpse of now. As Peter glimpsed the coming power and glory of Jesus, so we experience Christ’s promises now, spiritual resurrection from the death of sin now, and even a taste of the heavenly feast now.

We have set before us ordinary bread and everyday wine. We come in obedience to Jesus. We pray, we sing, we eat and drink, we proclaim the Lord’s death, just like he told us to. We do all of this in faith knowing that God has the power to transform death into resurrection, weakness into power, a few loaves into a feast. We come knowing he is the God of surprises. So come, and welcome, to Jesus Christ.

Summer Bible Challenge #1

Becky Pliego on June 4, 2018

¡Hola, hola! Welcome to the Summer Bible Reading Challenge! We are so very grateful that you are joining us and look forward to hearing what the Lord will be doing in your life through this challenge – let us know through email or on our Facebook page!

Our plan is designed for us to abide in the Word of God with much intentionality through the summer. We have two plans running simultaneously: one will take you through the New Testament once reading only 4 chapters a day, and the second option will take you through several epistles three times and a few psalms, reading 6 chapters a day. Each week we have readings assigned Monday through Friday, and Saturdays are set apart for you to review and meditate on the Scripture passage that we will be considering closely each week (Saturdays are called “M-Days” and of course you can use them as catch-up days too!)

I recommend that you print your weekly memory/meditation card and have it ready by Monday. That week read it and meditate on it, pray it, and even try to memorize it by reading it 5-6 times a day. Don’t be intimidated by the idea of memorization. Keep it at hand and be intentional about reading it and meditating on it several times a day, and then on Saturday – our M-Day – you will be surprised to see how much you actually remember. Note that our plan is not organized following the order in which the books appear in our Bibles, but rather in a unique, well-thought order. We will start with the gospel of John, followed by his three epistles, and then the book of Revelation, which he also wrote. Pay attention to what John chooses to tell us in his gospel about Jesus and then see how these things closely relate to the doctrines he develops in his letters. Note themes like light/darkness, dead/life, confession of sin, repentance, loving God and His people (but hating the world!). Those of you choosing to do the extended plan will be reading almost twice this per week. I am sure you will find many connections with what we will be reading in John’s writings while at the same time finding so much encouragement in seeing how our justification is through grace by faith alone.

The meditation/memorization passages are chosen to tell one story if you put them together. In June we will memorize John 3:16-21, 1 John 1:5-10; and Revelation 21:1-4. If you take a moment to read them all at once you will see that we are going to be meditating on the gospel message: The Father sends His Son to the world to save the world, to bring many to the light, and God is the Light and in Him there is no darkness at all, so we must repent (instead of saying that we have no sin!) and believe and trust that only the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all our sins. He is faithful and just to forgive us and not only forgive us but cleanse us from all unrighteousness! And then in the passage of Revelation we will read how, when we are in Him as part of His church, we will be in a restored relationship with Him. He will dwell among us, He will be our God and we will be His people forever! Sin will no longer have dominion over us, but all things will be made new in Christ Jesus! Alleluia!

As you meditate on each week’s passage, I hope you see how important it is to consider the immediate context of the text, and it’s context within the whole letter. This will make your meditation richer.

Friends, we are praying that you will be nourished as you come to the Scriptures every day this week. Remember that we don’t need more willpower to persevere, we need more hunger and more thirst, and we cannot produce those ourselves. Ask God to give you more hunger and more thirst of Him, He will surely answer you and draw closer to you as you draw closer to Him.

May our prayer this week be, “ Father, help us abide in your Word as your true disciples do.” (John 8:31)

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Christ Church Ladies Fellowship