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The Seven Churches of Revelation - Smyrna (Revelation 2:8-11)

SMYRNA: FAITH UNDER PRESSURE   Do we hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches? We have begun a study of the Seven Churches of Revelation and today we are looking at Smyrna, a Church under pressure.             I was thinking about the good and the bad of being pressured and a certain beverage came to mind: Coffee! We drink this brackish dark liquid every day. Since coming to Rosenort, I drink more of it than ever before. It is a social drink. It is a spark in the morning. It is a companion to sweets. Can you imagine life without that heavenly aroma?             What does this have to do with pressure? I thought of the process that it takes to get that cup of elixir to your mouth in the morning. Think of it: the berries are grown and then yanked off the life-giving branches of their bushes; then they are left out to dry in the hot sun; they are roasted to the point where they are unrecognizable as berries (now they are beans), darkened by the punishing heat; next, they are ground
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The Seven Churches of Revelation - Ephesus (Revelation 2:1-7)

EPHESUS: RETURN TO YOUR FIRST LOVE   Do we hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches? Each letter to the Seven Churches ends with this challenge: Listen to the Spirit. What is he saying?             In our new series on the Seven Churches of Revelation, we are studying seven real churches that had real problems. These are not churches of the future; they are first century churches that faced difficult challenges in their time. What makes this relevant to us is that not much has changed for 21 st  century churches.              Just as Jesus spoke to the churches of Asia Minor (Turkey), he speaks the same message to us today. I know this because of how John composed the letters to the seven churches. From a literary perspective, there is a pattern we cannot ignore. The first and seventh churches are in danger of losing their identity as Christian. The three center churches contain members who have remained faithful and those who have compromised with pagan culture. The second and s
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Easter Sunday 2024 - Reset: The Restoration of a Failed Disciple

RESET: THE RESTORATION OF A FAILED DISCIPLE   A couple of weeks ago, I was facing a major fork in the road of my life, a huge decision. Once the crisis had passed and the intense emotions connected with it had settled down, I found myself sitting on the couch alone with our dachshund thinking, “I need a reset.”              What is a spiritual reset? A reset is needed when we stray from the purpose and person of Christ. We all get distracted by decisions, disappointments, and faulty discernment about life. If we stray too far from the foundation of our faith, Jesus, we may end up sinning. Sometimes it’s just losing our way in discipleship.              A reset is simply coming back to Jesus, back to square one where life with him all began. The beautiful thing is, Jesus wants to restore us back to intimacy and harmony with himself. He wants to create in us a new heart (again), to heal us, that we would walk in peace with him after having wandered off (yet again).              Isn’t tha
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Good Friday 2024 - Denial!!

DENIAL!!   Peter was known to be impulsive and brave. He was the first one to speak up; he was driven by fierce loyalty to Jesus. Peter may have been the type of person who thinks while he speaks. Others think before they speak. Not Peter.              When Jesus asked his disciples who the crowds’ said Jesus was, they answered “Elijah, or one of the prophets.” When Jesus asked who they thought he was, Peter replied in that impulsive yet not completely informed way of his, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”              Jesus then goes on to explain the mission of the Christ that the Father had sent him to accomplish. Peter steps up and says, “No way, I won’t let you die!” Jesus has to rein him in and rebuke his zeal.              After the Passover supper on that Thursday evening, Jesus and the remaining Eleven disciples go out to their campsite on the Mount of Olives and settled down for night. But Jesus tells Peter, “You’re going to deny me three times tonight.” Peter
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Portraits of the Passion - John 20:24-29

THE BLESSING OF DOUBT   How can doubt be a blessing? We all struggle with doubts to varying degrees. We all have questions about our faith in the crucified and risen Jesus – we do. And this bothers us. It’s okay to admit that you have doubts about Jesus. If this isn’t a safe place for doubters, then we need to change some attitudes. If the can of worms were opened the questions would come spilling out.               Doubt has been made out to be a plague to faith. It is so unwelcome in Christian circles that space has not been made to allow it. We even fear it. What will it do to our young people? If I express doubts about Christianity, I will be put out of the church. You may feel, “Doubt is sin, after all.”               There are two kinds of doubters. We need to identify that there are unwelcome doubts and doubts that can be a blessing.              Unwelcome doubts come from doubters who use doubt as a cover up for sin. They think they are being intellectually honest and cannot fi
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