A Sense of Urgency, A Sense of Hope
I begin with my first installment of “Thoughts from the Kitchen Table” focused specifically on Revelation with a special thank you to Pastor Bruce for the time in prayer and study in preparing for probably one of the most difficult to teach , yet one of the most important, one of most urgent messages for us to hear. It is also one in which we find such reassurance and hope. Thank You Pastor Bruce!!
Revelation is an unveiling of Christ in His exaltation, while the gospels were a revelation of Christ in humiliation. The gospels revealed Christ during His first coming to earth, while Revelation reveals Christ in triumphant second coming to earth. Revelation reveals a King returning in blazing glory, while the gospels reveal a Christ appearing as a humble servant.
The first point that I would like to address in my ” thoughts from the kitchen table” revolve around two words – those two words- urgency and hope. Pastor Bruce began his series on Revelation on October 25th. In that message he began by sharing scriptures from the beginning of the book – Chapter I verses 1-7, and portions of scripture from the last chapter. In both portions of scripture both from the beginning of the book to the very end, the apostle John states both his purpose in writing and he identifies the audience to whom he is writing. We understand from reading those words that John is addressing God’s servants and his purpose is to share all that what soon take place.
There, at the end of verse 3, John relays the urgency of the message “because the time is near”.
John restates and reemphasizes each of these points at the end of Revelation. In Chapter 22:6, John repeats, virtually word for word chapter l; verses I and 2. Why does John repeat, restate and reemphasize? Again, to emphasize the urgency.
Pastor Bruce, as he begins and continues to share these lessons each week, wants to emphasize and wants us to also understand not just the message, but also, the sense of urgency.
The apostle John continues in chapter 22 verse 7, with these words of Christ “Look, I am coming soon!. How does Christ want us to react to those words? How does the apostle John want us to react to those words of Christ? How does Pastor Bruce want us to react to those words? They want us to react with reassurance, excitement, and hope as we anticipate His coming.
As Pastor Bruce begins to teach and to share all these revelations, I have a couple of questions. Do these lessons take on the same urgency for each one us? Do they take on the same sense of urgency as God intended. Do we understand the implications of these lessons within our own life?
As we read, and as we listen to the words spoken by Christ himself, “Look, I am coming soon”, how do we react to those words, that promise of Christ? What sense of fulfillment, what sense of excitement, what sense of hope, fills our lives? “Because the time is near”, do we see a need for a self-examination, a time to reassess or own personal relationship with Christ?
In Revelation chapter 1, verse 3 we read these word – “Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy to the church, and blessed are those who hear the words of this prophecy, and take them to heart.
Within each of these statements we find promises of blessings from God Himself. The first blessing is for the person who will read the words of this prophecy aloud to the church. Thank you Pastor Bruce for the time of prayer, the time of study that has allowed Pastor Bruce first to take to heart and then share with the members of his church here at Emmaus. We do pray that Pastor Bruce experiences in full that promised blessing associated with reading the prophecy aloud to the church., The second part of that blessing is reserved for those among us who will listen to each of the Sunday messages and take them to heart.
My final questions (at least for this week) – Are we listening to the lessons from Revelation that Pastor Bruce is sharing with us? Are we taking the words of those lessons to heart? Are we committing our own time to listen those lessons again (via the church website), are we committing our own time to studying God’s Word?
Revelation is the only book in the Bible that blessing specifically identified for all those who read and take heart to all that we find there.
My prayer is that you will experience all of those intended blessings. My prayer also is for PastorA Bruce, that he too, experiences those same blessings as he shares God’s Word, God’s promises, and God’s hope to each of us every Sunday.
l am praying that God instills in your heart, a sense of urgency, a sense of reassurance, a sense of hope and most importantly the experience of His divine blessing on your lives
Thanks again Pastor Bruce!!