Posted by Pastor Pat on January 23, 2009
Where do we go from here? Because the story exceeds the boundaries placed on it, it engulfs everyone and everything that lies in its path. God wrote every detail into the story. He knows what will happen before it happens simply because He is God. There is only one book that gives us “the rest of the story.” It is found almost exclusively in the book of Revelation. The Book of Revelation is notably apocalyptic literature. This means it uses symbolism to communicate its thoughts. The meaning is not in the symbol but in what the symbol represents. “It is literature born out of crisis and was a means of addressing that crisis to a religious community.”(http://faculty.bbc.edu/rdecker/phd/depriest/1defined.html) This means the intent of the literature was to explain present conflict and provide immediate hope. The book of Revelation is remarkably singular in its purpose. Chapter 1 verse 1 opens with the following statement,
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on January 13, 2009
We have already noted how the Hero’s work has left His people with a legacy. This legacy is to be carried out by every succeeding generation. The mission for His people is to share His legacy. Luke 24:47 notes how the message is to “be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.” Luke continues this idea in Acts 1:7, 8. ”He said to them, ‘It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority; but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth’”.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on January 7, 2009
In the story of God, He created a world in which His story would unfold. From the very beginning a villain, an antagonist was presented. But God also wrote into His story a deliverer who would bring deliverance. This hero was foreshadowed and imaged throughout biblical revelation and history. The foretelling and figure were so exact that when the hero arrived all who were looking were able to identify God’s hero. The Hero came at a very specific time in history and with a distinct purpose. He came as a deliverer, and He brought with Him deliverance. The Hero has finished the work entrusted to Him by His Father; now He gives to His people the responsibility to carry on the work of proclamation to all the nations. Even though we acknowledge the story of God, we fail to see how we are living in the story and how our lives are a part of the ongoing story of God.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on January 5, 2009
“But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4, 5).
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on January 4, 2009
But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Gal. 4:4, 5).
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on December 23, 2008
As I think about this Advent season, I am reprimanded by my neglect individually and perhaps corporately. Although the Hero has arrived, we continue to ignore His presence. We enter Advent with little thought and preparation. We do not anticipate or expect His appearance. I do not believe celebrating Christmas as it currently exists undermines the truth it contains, but I do believe that we must not forget who and what this is all about. Although the words on paper read harshly, my intent is not to chasten, but to remind. It is to speak as a Shepherd and not as the Butcher. Today, my intent is to be touched by God.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on
Earlier the Bible told of a villain who sought, through deception and blatant tyranny, to overthrow the rule of God (Gen. 3:1-7). It is impossible to know why the author included the villain in His story, but his presence will show the power, justice, and grace of the primary character. In our story, God can introduce the antagonist without undermining His person and purpose. In the story, the antagonist, the villain, acts freely yet within the purpose of the author. The creator, author, king, and hero exercises dominion over that which is created.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on December 22, 2008
In the story of God, the villain is sin and the devil. God wrote the villain into His story. Although we cannot know exhaustively as to why He wrote the villain into the story, we do know the villain will show the power, justice, and grace of God.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on December 21, 2008
The Bible is a story. It is a story from which all other stories find their substance. Words such as epic, larger-than-life, and classic find their source in this one story. Folklore and mythology all find their soil in the Bible. It would be erroneous to think of the Bible as folklore or mythological. The Bible is the true standard from which all deviations and distortions originally flowed. It is a story of a Creator who acts, an Author who writes, a King who rules, and a Hero who wins. It contains villains, war, defeat and victory.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
