King Jesus’ kingdom?

“I am sorry- (talking about the emergent church’s over-realized eschatology), but I am getting real sick of hearing about the kingdom, and never hearing anything about the King.”
-Mark Driscoll

 

Men Who Turn The World Upside Down!

Acts 17:5-7 But the Jews were jealous, and taking some wicked men of the rabble, they formed a mob, set the city in an uproar, and attacked the house of Jason, seeking to bring them out to the crowd. And when they could not find them, they dragged Jason and some of the brothers before the city authorities, shouting, “These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also, and Jason has received them, and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus.”

The book of Acts deals with the work of the early church in spreading the Gospel from Jerusalem to ‘all the ends of the world’. It is amazing that God chose these men, who in the Gospels, were so foolish and narrow-visioned at times. God used men who were prideful, self-centered, unfaithful (at times), and bigoted to ‘turn the world upside down’!

This should give aspiring Gospel preachers hope. The Gospels’ description of the disciples should be a mirror into our own lack of personal ability (but with Him, all things are possible). We also need to remember that the disciples became the Apostles. The old cliche is that God equips the called, not calls the equipped. He will prepare and secure the needed gifts and abilities. The world still has plenty of places that need to be ‘turned upside down’ for the sake of Christ and his Gospel. Proclaim to the world that there is another king- Jesus Christ! This is our calling.

 

Knockin on Heaven’s Door

^{Revelation 3.}20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

This is one of the classically misused verses for evangelism. The church has decided that the verse portrays Jesus Christ patiently waiting for the sinner to come to his senses and open the door. This is not the case. This verse needs to be understood in the light of Luke 12.36-40 which speaks of the Great Marriage Feast. Jesus Christ will come to this feast with triumph and power and we will sup with Him in victory! Richard Bauckham says, “Jesus’ knock is not that of a homeless traveler, standing outside the locked door of a human heart, seeking shelter. Rather, he is the master of the house, and he will burst through the door in sovereign judgment!”

It reminds me of a conference that Francis Nigel Lee did at Southfield a number of years ago when he said (speaking of Psalm 110), “This is no namby pamby Arminian Jesus knocking on the door of your heart saying, hey buddy its cold outside, could you let me in and spare me dime?“

We serve an all power Savior who will save whom he desires, yet is gracious enough to invite even the most back-slidden of churches to hear his call to repentance and invite them to the marriage feast!

---

 

Dear Ephesus

I have begun a Bible study on the seven churches of Asia Minor found in the second and third chapters of the book of Revelation. There are so many practical applications for the Church today found in those two little chapters.

Wednesday we began with the letter to Ephesus. Ephesus was the ‘mother kirk’ of the other churches in that region, pastored by Timothy with apostolic oversight from John. The session of this congregation was known to have precision doctrinally and could spot heresy from a distance. At the time of the writing to the churches, this congregation had lost much of the zeal that ‘first generation’ Christians bring to a congregation. The love for Christ had grown cold. Jesus tells them that they are to do these first works again and to repent.

“The lush green color of springtime in the congregation has disappeared, and the fading shades… of Autumn are now prevalent. To put it differently, the church that Jesus addressed no longer consisted of first generation believers but of second and third generation Christians. These people lacked the enthusiasm their parents and grandparents had demonstrated. They functioned not as propagators of the faith but as caretakers and custodians. There was an obvious deficiency in evangelistic outreach as a result of a status quo mode of thought. They loved the Lord, but no longer with heart, mind, and soul.” -Simon Kistemaker

Jesus gives them a great promise though. If they overcome, they will be granted to eat from the Tree of Life. To a city that was full of false worship that was symbolized by the fig-tree, this promise would stand out as such comfort to those that longed to magnify the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Jesus’ last words… is not a threat but a promise: the victor will eat from the tree of life in the paradise of God. In this first letter the painful memory of paradise lost is transformed into hope, as the promise points ahead to the tree of life in the New Jerusalem… The great temple of Artemis at Ephesus was built on the site of an ancient tree-shrine, and the image of the date palm symbolized the goddess and her city, Ephesus. But Jesus excels Artemis, for he promises to those who overcome, through truth expressed in love, access to a tree that yields endless delight and eternal life. –Dennis Johnson.

May we not lose our first love, do those first works of love and worship towards Christ and neighbors, thus also being partakers of that eternal fruit from that Ancient Tree.

 

Saddam in Hell- should Christians be happy?

Just over a year ago I told you of the execution of Tookie Williams in California. This weekend Saddam Hussein was executed by the people of Iraq for murdering hundreds of Iraqi people. As Christians we are to rejoice in justice served by the sword of the magistrate, but to be heavily saddened by this death as well. Hell is never to be taken lightly since hell is not the absence of God, but the fullness of God in justice without mercy.

Ezekiel 33:11 “Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

Friends, if you do not know of your eternal destiny- flee to Christ for the remission of sins.

The Reformed Doctrine of Hell