The Kingdom!

Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven saying,
“The kingdom of the world has become
    the kingdom of our Lord and his Christ,
        and he will rule forever and always.”
Then the twenty-four elders, who were seated on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshipped God. They said,
“We give thanks to you, Lord God Almighty,
    who is and was,
        for you have taken your great power and enforced your rule.
        The nations were enraged, but your wrath came.
The time came for the dead to be judged.
The time came to reward your servants, the prophets and saints,
            and those who fear your name, both small and great,
            and to destroy those who destroy the earth.”
Then God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the chest containing his covenant appeared in his temple. There were lightning, voices, thunder, an earthquake, and large hail. (Revelation 11:15-19, CEB)

The kingdom of God is made known. The time we all wait for.

When suffering will be no more and we will all live forever with God.

People will be judged and servants will be rewarded.

Life will be eternal and God’s glory will cover everything.

Oh what a beautiful day!

Loving People. Loving God.

Hope!

Then I was given a measuring rod, which was like a pole. And I was told, “Get up and measure God’s temple, the altar, and those who worship there. But don’t measure the court outside the temple. Leave that out, because it has been given to the nations, and they will trample the holy city underfoot for forty-two months. “And I will allow my two witnesses to prophesy for one thousand two hundred sixty days, wearing mourning clothes. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth. If anyone wants to hurt them, fire comes out of their mouth and burns up their enemies. So if anyone wants to hurt them, they have to be killed in this way. They have the power to close up the sky so that no rain will fall for as long as they prophesy. They also have power over the waters, to turn them into blood, and to strike the earth with any plague, as often as they wish. “When they have finished their witnessing, the beast that comes up from the abyss will make war on them, gain victory over them, and kill them. Their dead bodies will lie on the street of the great city that is spiritually called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified. And for three and a half days, members of the peoples, tribes, languages, and nations will look at their dead bodies, but they won’t let their dead bodies be put in a tomb. Those who live on earth will rejoice over them. They will celebrate and give each other gifts, because these two prophets had brought such pain to those who live on earth. “But after three and a half days, the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet. Great fear came over those who saw them. Then they heard a loud voice from heaven say to them, ‘Come up here.’ And they went up to heaven in a cloud, while their enemies watched them. At that hour there was a great earthquake, and a tenth of the city fell. Seven thousand people were killed by the earthquake, and the rest were afraid and gave glory to the God of heaven.” The second horror is over. The third horror is coming soon. (Revelation 11:1-14, CEB)

Measure the temple, the altar, and those who worship there…

But don’t measure the court outside, for it will be trampled and the 2 witnesses will prophesy for a really long time and fire will come from their mouths to burn their enemies. These witnesses will bring pain upon the earth and those they kill will not be removed but left to rot.

And the third horror is coming soon.

Remember this is hope. A letter of hope sent to those in darkness. God is always with us and will be there through anything that comes.

Know there is always hope.

Loving People. Loving God.

Christ the King Sunday

Pilate went back into the palace. He summoned Jesus and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “Do you say this on your own or have others spoken to you about me?”

Pilate responded, “I’m not a Jew, am I? Your nation and its chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?”

Jesus replied, “My kingdom doesn’t originate from this world. If it did, my guards would fight so that I wouldn’t have been arrested by the Jewish leaders. My kingdom isn’t from here.”

“So you are a king?” Pilate said.

Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this reason: to testify to the truth. Whoever accepts the truth listens to my voice.” (John 18:33-37, CEB)

You are a king then?

Jesus said he came into this world to testify to the truth, and whoever accepts the truth listens to his voice.

If Jesus was a king in the realm he was in, his guards would fight so that he would not have been arrested.

He never denied in this passage he was/is a king. He merely said it is not of this realm. His kingdom is somewhere else.

Somewhere we will be when we hear his voice and follow where he leads.

Love like Jesus and listen to his voice.

The King is calling us to create his kingdom here and now.

Love.

Loving People. Loving God.

life

The one who comes from above is above all things. The one who is from the earth belongs to the earth and speaks as one from the earth. The one who comes from heaven is above all things. He testifies to what he has seen and heard, but no one accepts his testimony. Whoever accepts his testimony confirms that God is true. The one whom God sent speaks God’s words because God gives the Spirit generously. The Father loves the Son and gives everything into his hands. Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life. Whoever doesn’t believe in the Son won’t see life, but the angry judgment of God remains on them.” (John 3:31-36, CEB)

Life comes in knowing Jesus is the Son of God.

When we know this we live and we testify to the love that God has for all people.

The Spirit of God gives life abundantly to all who believe and have faith in God.

Be life. Live in God and share love in all you say and do.

Loving People. Loving God.

death

But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead. He’s the first crop of the harvest of those who have died. Since death came through a human being, the resurrection of the dead came through one too. In the same way that everyone dies in Adam, so also everyone will be given life in Christ. Each event will happen in the right order: Christ, the first crop of the harvest, then those who belong to Christ at his coming, and then the end, when Christ hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he brings every form of rule, every authority and power to an end. It is necessary for him to rule until he puts all enemies under his feet. Death is the last enemy to be brought to an end, since he has brought everything under control under his feet. When it says that everything has been brought under his control, this clearly means everything except for the one who placed everything under his control. But when all things have been brought under his control, then the Son himself will also be under the control of the one who gave him control over everything so that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:20-28, CEB)

Jesus is the first crop from the dead, then all of us who believe and have faith will be harvested as well. Then death will be put to death. At the coming of the kingdom, death will be no more. We will die a human death, but we will never die the final death.

All things are under God’s control and we will be with God forever. That is the promise, and we can trust in that.

Trust in God and know even if we die, we will never truly die.

Loving People. Loving God.

enabled

Once the council members heard these words, they were enraged and began to grind their teeth at Stephen. But Stephen, enabled by the Holy Spirit, stared into heaven and saw God’s majesty and Jesus standing at God’s right side. He exclaimed, “Look! I can see heaven on display and the Human One standing at God’s right side!” At this, they shrieked and covered their ears. Together, they charged at him, threw him out of the city, and began to stone him. The witnesses placed their coats in the care of a young man named Saul. As they battered him with stones, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, accept my life!” Falling to his knees, he shouted, “Lord, don’t hold this sin against them!” Then he died. Saul was in full agreement with Stephen’s murder. At that time, the church in Jerusalem began to be subjected to vicious harassment. Everyone except the apostles was scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. (Acts 7:54—8:1, CEB)

It is like a superpower in a video game. The special speed, or skill a character uses to get that burst of energy to defeat the opponent. The enabling of the Spirit.

And like Stephen, we all have that power.

Know that God is always with you and the Spirit enables you to say and do things you do not know you can.

Spirit enabled. God approved.

Loving People. Loving God.

Proclaim!

“Watch out for yourselves. People will hand you over to the councils. You will be beaten in the synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings because of me so that you can testify before them. First, the good news must be proclaimed to all the nations. When they haul you in and hand you over, don’t worry ahead of time about what to answer or say. Instead, say whatever is given to you at that moment, for you aren’t doing the speaking but the Holy Spirit is. Brothers and sisters will hand each other over to death. A father will turn in his children. Children will rise up against their parents and have them executed. Everyone will hate you because of my name. But whoever stands firm until the end will be saved. “When you see the disgusting and destructive thing standing where it shouldn’t be (the reader should understand this), then those in Judea must escape to the mountains. Those on the roof shouldn’t come down or enter their houses to grab anything. Those in the field shouldn’t come back to grab their clothes. How terrible it will be at that time for women who are pregnant and for women who are nursing their children. Pray that it doesn’t happen in winter. In those days there will be great suffering such as the world has never before seen and will never again see. If the Lord hadn’t shortened that time, no one would be rescued. But for the sake of the chosen ones, the ones whom God chose, he has cut short the time. “Then if someone says to you, ‘Look, here’s the Christ,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it. False christs and false prophets will appear, and they will offer signs and wonders in order to deceive, if possible, those whom God has chosen. But you, watch out! I’ve told you everything ahead of time. (Mark 13:9-23, CEB)

We will be persecuted for our proclamation of love but it has to be done.

We must speak of the good news of God, and the love that flows freely from the throne to all people at all times and not worry about what will happen.

Do not worry about what you will say, because it will not be you speaking but the Spirit will speak through you.

Hold fast to God and share love in everything.

Loving People. Loving God.

complacent

But remember the earlier days, after you saw the light. You stood your ground while you were suffering from an enormous amount of pressure. Sometimes you were exposed to insults and abuse in public. Other times you became partners with those who were treated that way. You even showed sympathy toward people in prison and accepted the confiscation of your possessions with joy, since you knew that you had better and lasting possessions. So don’t throw away your confidence—it brings a great reward. You need to endure so that you can receive the promises after you do God’s will. In a little while longer, the one who is coming will come and won’t delay; but my righteous one will live by faith, and my whole being won’t be pleased with anyone who shrinks back. But we aren’t the sort of people who timidly draw back and end up being destroyed. We’re the sort of people who have faith so that our whole beings are preserved. (Hebrews 10:32-39, CEB)

Complacent. Have you become complacent?

When you were a new believer and the light of understanding came upon you, you fervently defended the faith. Speaking up and out to show love in every place and time.

This is the way we should live our lives every day!

Love out Loud. Do not be complacent. Let love reign supreme!

Loving People. Loving God.

Do we undo what was done?

If we make the decision to sin after we receive the knowledge of the truth, there isn’t a sacrifice for sins left any longer. There’s only a scary expectation of judgment and of a burning fire that’s going to devour God’s opponents. When someone rejected the Law from Moses, they were put to death without mercy on the basis of the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think is deserved by the person who walks all over God’s Son, who acts as if the blood of the covenant that made us holy is just ordinary blood, and who insults the Spirit of grace? We know the one who said, Judgment is mine; I will pay people back. And he also said, The Lord will judge his people. It’s scary to fall into the hands of the living God! (Hebrews 10:26-31, CEB)

The first line of this reading is interesting to me. If we consciously decide to sin after we know Jesus died for us and wants us to live for God, then there is nothing that covers those sins. Now there is only judgment and burning fire.

So then who can be saved? I read this as saying once we know the truth and then willfully sin we have undone what was done and we are no longer in God’s good graces and all we have to look forward to is judgment and hell. One could say I didn’t willfully choose to sin. However, I think we all know that that is a lie. We all put things between us and God all the time. If it is based on my actions I am and will be damned.

I do not think we can undo what God has done, just like we can’t do what God has done to get us where we are.

Trust in God.

Believe you are God’s Child.

Have Faith in the promises.

Loving People. Loving God.

birth pangs

As Jesus left the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, look! What awesome stones and buildings!” Jesus responded, “Do you see these enormous buildings? Not even one stone will be left upon another. All will be demolished.” Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives across from the temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, “Tell us, when will these things happen? What sign will show that all these things are about to come to an end?” Jesus said, “Watch out that no one deceives you. Many people will come in my name, saying, ‘I’m the one!’ They will deceive many people. When you hear of wars and reports of wars, don’t be alarmed. These things must happen, but this isn’t the end yet. Nations and kingdoms will fight against each other, and there will be earthquakes and famines in all sorts of places. These things are just the beginning of the sufferings associated with the end. (Mark 13:1-8, CEB)

When people come and say this is the end, do not believe them.

Many will cry out that the end is near but they really do not know.

Focus on Jesus, and doing what he told us to do.

Love like Jesus and worry not about when the end is near.

Loving People. Loving God.