Listening to the Word

Lamentations 1- 2; Obadiah; Revelation 14   “…’Take your sickle and reap, because the time to reap has come, for the harvest of the earth is ripe.’ So he who was seated on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth and the earth, was harvested.” Revelation 14:15, 16 We are currently living in the greatest spiritual harvest the world has ever known. The Lord Jesus is swinging his sickle over people groups that have been formerly closed to the gospel, and many are responding to the good news of God’s grace in Christ. Not only is the message of Jesus our testimony, like a sharp sickle, but when we fully surrender our lives to Christ, they become God’s harvest instruments. In obedience to Christ’s call, men and women are sharing Christ with their family, neighbors, and coworkers. Some are called to far off nations, while others are pursuing least-reached people next door. This is the Lord’s harvest. Jesus is both our good news and our leader in the strategy of sharing tis good news. He ...

Jeremiah 42-44; Psalms 48; Revelation 13   “He who has an ear, let him hear. If anyone is to go into captivity, into captivity he will go. If anyone is to be killed with the sword, with the sword he will be killed. This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness on the part of the saints.” Revelation 13:9, 10 Some manuscripts say, ‘if anyone kills with the sword, with the sword he will be killed’ (Revelation 13:10). This is consistent with Christ’s words that ‘all who draw the sword will die by the sword’ (Matthew 26:52). In the last days, the intensity of Satan’s fight against God’s covenant-people is increasing. The enemy is making war against the saints, and the saints are called to listen to their great Shepherd, live by faith in God’s faithfulness, and live with patient endurance. Our confidence is in Christ and his finished work on the cross. Satan has been defeated, and we live now in the resurrection-life of Christ. In Christ we have all we need to stand firm and endure p...

2 Kings 25; 2 Chronicles 36; Jeremiah 40-41; Revelation 12   “Ishmael also killed all the Jews who were with Gedaliah at Mizpah, as well as the Babylonian soldiers who were there. The day after Gedaliah’s assassination, before anyone knew about it, eighty men who had shaved off their beards, torn their clothes and cut themselves came from Shechem, Shiloh and Samaria bringing grain offerings and incense with them to the house of the Lord. Ishmael son of Nethaniah went out from Mizpah to meet them, weeping as he went…’Come to Gedaliah…’” Jeremiah 41:3-6 Ishmael pretended to be a friend to Gedaliah, only to assassinate him. Then he pretended to be pious before eighty pilgrims, only to assassinate them also. The work of the enemy is to accuse, deceive, and destroy. When we function in those ways, we have to ask ourselves, ‘who is working through us?’ Jesus was betrayed and gave his life as a ransom for all of us whose sin has grieved the heart of God. The betrayal of God’s love through...

Ezekiel 29-32; Revelation 11   “…’The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign forever and ever.’” Revelation 11:15 The kingdom of God is not a list of religious rules regulating our eating and drinking, but it is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17). The kingdoms of this world are about power, control, and money. Christ’s kingdom-rule and reign in the lives of those choosing to follow him require us to declare our primary allegiance to his kingdom, rather than to our nation, company, or government. Is this how we live our lives? The advance of Christ’s kingdom over the past two thousand years is transforming this world. There is a day coming when Christ’s kingdom will be the only kingdom and he alone will reign. Will we pray and live today so his kingdom-will is done in our lives, families, workplace, church, community, and nation? “Lord Jesus, you are my King. Your will be done in my life, for your g...

Ezekiel 25-28, Revelation 10   “’Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘“In the pride of your heart you say, ‘I am a god;…By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth, your heart has grown proud.’” Ezekiel 28:2, 5 The commercial and spiritual stronghold of Tyre was confronted and judged by God because of her pride, idolatry, and manipulation of other nations. Wealth can become not just our security, but our worship and a weapon we use to control others. Globalism has made the western world very wealthy, including the Church. However, it grieves God when we are not growing in both humility and generosity when others have so little. God’s heart is for relationship with every person and for his kingdom will to be expressed in every culture. He desires to work through us as the Church in this mission of reconciliation and transformation. Will we surrender both our will and our wealth to God for his king...

Ezekiel 22-24; Revelation 9   “I looked for a man among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found none.” Ezekiel 22:30 The Lord is looking today for men and women he can trust who will build up the spiritual walls of the Church so we can stand firm in our faith against the schemes of the enemy. These spiritual builders stand in the gap while the discipleship work continues to intercede and fight in prayer against the “gap- exploiting” attacks of the enemy. These spiritual builders and “gap standers” are willing to stand before God on behalf of their own lives and the lives of others because they know he holds all authority. They recognize the gap between God’s holiness and our sin. They know the power of Christ’s atonement, our “great gap stander,” is enough. The consequences of sin are real and lead to destruction. But the grace of God in Christ can set us free from God’s wrath against sin a...