Christ Church

2017 Post-College Life Conference Talks

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You can find all of the talks from our recent Post-College Life Conference here!

Post-College Life is a sister ministry of Collegiate Reformed Fellowship, a college ministry of Christ Church in Moscow. PCL seeks to encourage, support, and equip those in or entering life after college.

Finding and Giving Your Gifts – Toby Sumpter
Future Planning and Investing – Rick Littlejohn
Life Between the Sexes – Ben Merkle
Preparing to Buy a House – Mike Church
Affecting Workplace Culture Pt. 1 – Matt Meyer
Affecting Workplace Culture Pt. 2 – Kirk Brower
Kingdom Building: The Big Picture – Douglas Wilson

 

Talks from last year’s conference can be found here:

2016 Post-College Life Conference Talks

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Bible Challenge #6

Becky Pliego on

Dear sisters,

Isn’t it great to know that we are moving into week 5 of this Bible Reading Challenge together?  If you signed up to start, but already feel like you won’t be able to keep up with the plan and finish strong, please read this: Do not quit. Don’t stop now, friend. Jump in on the day we are on and rejoice and be glad! Take the Book of Life and eat it. Open the Book of God and read. Feed your soul. Read one verse, and then the next, and the next one, and then the next chapter. Keep turning one page after another; God is speaking and He wants you to hear Him. Are you discouraged? Are the cares of your heart many? Open the Bible and read it in faith. Eat, God will make sure that His Word will not return void, it will do what God intends to do with it in your life. Receive it with meekness and let God give the increase. Take the Bible today and read it.

This week we will finish Exodus, 1st and 2nd Peter, and start Leviticus and Hebrews after having a Catch-up Day on Thursday. My recommendation, if you are current in your readings, is to read 1st Peter (or Galatians again) in one sitting on Thursday.

The book of Exodus, which we have been reading and I spoke about in the last Webinar, is a book in which God wants to make Himself known to His people. He wants to make His Name known, His power known, His glory known. He redeems a people for Himself to set them free to worship and love Him, and obey Him. God, Yahweh is His name, gives Israel His Law, Ten Words, that are given in the context of grace to show them how to be blessed in their walking with Him.

Yahweh wants to dwell with His people and gives them instructions on how to build a meeting place, the Tabernacle, and how to approach Him. There is a need for a priest, a mediator before God and men. So God, in His kindness, provides priests for them. The shedding of a flawless Lamb’s blood is required to open a way to His presence; substitutionary atonement to forgive sins is necessary to come to the Holy of Holies. And in all these, God keeps pointing us to the Perfect Lamb who was slain for His people and the Perfect High Priest: Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God.

Be prepared to read the last four verses of Exodus with much excitement. These verses which tell us of God’s glory filling up the temple clearly point us to see how Jesus, the radiance of the Glory of God (Heb.3:1), fills all the earth with His glory. The Lamb of God who was slain is alive today and is King over all! In Hebrews you will read about the reign of Christ, about His supremacy over all things even now.

1st and 2nd Peter will continue to shed more light on what God was telling us in the OT about Jesus our High Priest and how now we are God’s temple. Peter will remind us of our calling to be holy and to suffer persecution, he will explain what our baptism means, and will teach of what virtues we must have in our lives to stand against the false teachers. You will be filled with gratitude as you read these two short epistles.

In Leviticus we will read about the Holiness Code and the annual calendar for the Israelites. But the heart of the book is in chapter 19:1. God wants us to be holy because He is holy and the fulfillment of this is only found in our love for God and our love for our neighbor (1st Peter and Hebrews have the principle of God’s holiness and the call of His people to live holy lives as one of their main themes, so keep an eye open to see the connections).

Friends, be ready to let the epistle of Paul to the Hebrews explain to us in detail many types and symbols that we have been reading about in Genesis and Exodus, and will be reading about in Leviticus in a very clear way. Hebrews will shed light on your understanding of the whole Redemption Story and its main character, Jesus, in a wonderful way.

I hope you can join us in our next Webinar on Monday at 10:00 AM PST. It is my prayer as I prepare these webinars that you will find them encouraging and that they will be a way to help you press on, and persevere, and in doing so, love wearing this new habit of coming to the Word every day.

May our prayer this week be, “Lord, I pray that as I think and mediate on your Word, my soul will take comfort. Remember the Word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.” Psalm 119: 52 and 49

Under His Sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Grace & Peace: Revelation 72

Douglas Wilson on

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

“And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein. But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.”
Revelation 11:1–2

John is given a reed to use in measuring, and the first thing we should think of is how a man is given a measuring rod in Ezekiel (40-47) to measure the Temple in the vision there. John is told to measure three things—the Holy of Holies (the word is naos), the altar, and those who worship there. This measuring is a device for indicating separation, dividing those who will be protected in the calamity to come from those who will not be protected. The measuring is intended to mark out those who are genuine worshipers of God.

But John is told not to measure outside the Temple. This is a curious expression because the open court outside the Temple was specifically named the Court of the Gentiles. The way the Jewish hierarchy had set up a market there for selling clean animals (which represented Jews), thereby supplanting Gentiles, was one of the charges Jesus had leveled against them when He cleansed the Temple. “And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves” (Mark 11:17). And when Solomon had dedicated the Temple, he had specifically carved out a place for Gentiles (1 Kings 8:41-43). It was given over to them in this judgment, but it was a place that should have been theirs all along.

The measuring indicated that true Jews and false Jews were going to be distinguished in the judgment that was about to fall. The outer court was going to be turned over to the Gentiles (to whom it belonged), and their time to be measured was not yet. That would come.

“And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled” (Luke 21:24).

Another important clue is given to us in these verses. The Gentiles will trample on the holy city for forty-two months. This is a time period familiar to readers of Scripture, and in this section of Revelation it is referred to in three different ways. It is called “forty-two months,” “twelve hundred and sixty days,” and “a time, times, and half a time.” In short, we are talking about three and half years. This is the time that Daniel had said that Antiochus Epiphanes would defile the Temple (Dan. 7:25). It is how long Elijah was used to bring about a drought in Israel (1 Kings 17-18; Jas. 5:17). And this mention kicks off a flurry of references in Revelation. The Gentiles will tread down Jerusalem for this time (Rev. 11:2). The two witnesses will testify for this period of time (Rev. 11:3). The woman pursued by the dragon is chased for this time (Rev. 12:6, 14). The beast will blaspheme for this long (Rev. 13:5).

This is an important time anchor for us, one that will help us unravel what John is talking about. After Nero had a big part of the city of Rome burned, suspicion that he was behind it fell on him. He deflected it by blaming the Christians, and so the first Roman persecution broke out—in November of A.D. 64. That persecution ended when Nero was forced to commit suicide in a coup, which happened in June A.D. 68. This was forty-two months later. The first great persecution of the saints by Rome happened in fulfillment of John’s words. And there is another possible fulfillment. While the overlap was not complete, there was some overlap. The war between Jerusalem and Rome also lasted for approximately that same period of time.

This interlude between the sixth and seventh trumpets is a pause before the calamitous judgment of A.D. 70 falls upon Jerusalem.

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Bible Challenge #5

Becky Pliego on

Dear sisters,

How is the reading going for each one of you? We want you to always remember that it is our desire that each woman who signed up for this challenge will finish strong. And one of the things we want to encourage you to keep in mind as we enter week 4 is that if you miss a day or two, or ten, of the Bible Reading Challenge you should not quit. By all means, please don’t quit! Just jump in on the day we all are on.Take The Book and keep reading.  Be encouraged! God wants you to come to His Word and He will not let you go empty.

This week our readings are going to be pretty amazing. Reading Galatians after just having read Genesis and before we start reading Exodus is going to be like entering into a vault filled with precious stones. Each one will shine in such a way that will bring some unique light to the passages we have been reading and the ones we will be reading next. For many of you, this will be the first time that you will see in a very clear way how the New Testament is the best commentary on the Old Testament, and you will be amazed by its radiance! For others, this will be amazing in a different way, you will have more light to see with more clarity some things that you had not seen before and you will treasure the Scriptures even more. Be ready to be dazzled, Friends!

Are you ready to open the Book and read about the way God redeems a people to Himself? Are you ready to read about the way God will destroy a nation and its gods (Egypt) and build a new one (Israel) for Himself? We will read of the first Passover, and how a Lamb’s blood was required to protect God’s people and save them from His judgement. We will read the crossing of the Red Sea, and the songs they sang (like Psalm 90). And we will read how quickly God’s people forgot their mighty deliverance and started to murmur and complain. We will read how they forgot that they were delivered to be God’s people and to worship Him alone. We will read how they forgot that God is faithful and just and merciful. But we will also read that God will not forget them. Even in their grumbling He will lead them, and He will feed them, and will give them water. And we will see Jesus there: the Bread of Life in the manna and the Living Water flowing from the Rock, which is Christ (1Cor.10:4). And of course, after reading this, we will be brought to a point in which we will need to repent from our grumbling, or burst in thanksgiving before God. Or both!

We will read how God’s law was given in the context of His amazing grace, and in the epistle to the Galatians we will read why the law was needed and was given. And as we keep reading we want to remember that obedience to the law was only expected as a result of gratitude to God for His great deliverance. As you read all the given laws, always keep in mind Ex. 20:1-2 and meditate on the words of the Psalmist in Psalm 146.

1 Peter 1 and 2 are wonderful readings to do as you read more about God’s laws and directions about the Tabernacle and the priests in Exodus. And guess what? Ready for some good news? 1 Peter has only 5 short chapters that I think that those of you who may have 15 extra minutes on Sunday to sit down to read, will love reading in one sitting.

Friends, I hope you can join us on Monday at 10:00AM Pacific Time to watch our Webinar live here: (https://www.christkirk.com/biblechallenge). If you can’t join us at that time, remember that all the webinars are being recorded so that you can watch them at your own convenience later. You can find them here:
(https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnTDQ1ggnV_wdm6JsHVBAaQ).

May our prayer this week be, Father, thank you for the work of your Spirit in my life. I ask you to continue working in my heart so that I may find my delight in Your commandments, which I love, and meditate on them day and night.” (Psalm 119: 47.48)

Happy reading!

Under His sun and by His grace,

Becky Pliego and the Team of Christ Church Ladies Fellowship

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Grace & Peace: Revelation 71

Ben Zornes on

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

“And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth. And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey. And I took the little book out of the angel’s hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter. And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings” (Revelation 10:8–11).

John hears a voice from heaven again, which instructs him to go up to the angel who is straddling earth and sea. When he gets there, he is supposed to take the little open book from the hand of the great angel. And so John obediently approached the angel and said, “Give me the little book.” Given that the angel was immense, the fact that John could take the book and eat it means that it must have truly been tiny compared to the size of the angel.

What happens here is a precise parallel to what happened to Ezekiel. That ancient prophet was addressing the destruction of Jerusalem (also), as accomplished by the Babylonians in 586 B.C.

“Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel. So I opened my mouth, and he caused me to eat that roll. And he said unto me, Son of man, cause thy belly to eat, and fill thy bowels with this roll that I give thee. Then did I eat it; and it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness” (Eze. 3:1–3).

The bitterness that John experienced is mentioned a few verses later in Ezekiel.

“So the spirit lifted me up, and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me” (Eze. 3:14).

This combination of sweetness and bitterness means that a message of judgment must be both.This combination of sweetness and bitterness means that a message of judgment must be both. The sweetness lies in the vindication of God’s servants. The martyrs under the altar will have their prayer answered. The persecutors will be utterly thrown down. Justice will be done, and the saints of God will say hallelujah. The only time that word is used in the New Testament is some chapters ahead of us in Revelation, when the saints exult in the fact that the smoke of Babylon ascends forever and ever (Rev. 19:3). But at the same time, we remember (also from Ezekiel) that considered in isolation, God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Eze. 33:11). As a stand-alone reality, the stubborn willfulness of the rebel is a genuine tragedy. It is not a tragedy that God will allow them to use in order to emotionally blackmail those who do rejoice in the will of God, but it is a tragedy nonetheless.

The stubborn willfulness of the rebel is a genuine tragedy. It is not a tragedy that God will allow them to use in order to emotionally blackmail those who do rejoice in the will of God, but it is a tragedy nonetheless.We see in this passage that John is not just a simple observer. He is told that eating the book, tasting its sweetness, and having his stomach turned by the bitter results of the message, means that he, John, must prophesy again. This book eaten means that John is the prophet.

The book of Revelation continues as a condemnation of the city of Jerusalem, but we see here that the fall of the old system has ramifications for the whole world—the message is for “many peoples, nations, and tongues, and kings.” And this what the destruction of Jerusalem would facilitate—a gospel for the whole world.

Remember that the book of Revelation has three sets of seven. We have seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. There had been an interlude before the seventh seal was opened, and we are in the midst of a second interlude now, right before the blowing of the seventh trumpet. Before the hammer falls, there is a divine pause, the witnesses confirm their testimony, and then the judgment.

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