OC Bereans

” … and when the parents brought in the child Jesus … he (Simeon) took Him into his arms, and blessed God …”  (Luke 2:27-28)

In the busy-ness and crush of our culture, are we really looking to embrace Jesus this Christmas season?

Simeon’s embrace of the infant Jesus in the temple (Luke 2:25-35) instructs us how to look for Jesus. He literally took hold of Jesus into the curve of his bent arm in order to “receive” or “grant access” to Jesus [δέχομαι] into his life. (v. 28)

Looking more closely at Simeon, we learn seven aspects of his embrace:

1. Simeon is described as “righteous” … meaning that his thoughts, feelings and actions were wholly conformed to God’s will. (v. 25)

2. Simeon was “devout” … meaning he was actively taking hold of good … he was “acting well.” (v. 25)

3.  Simeon was “looking” for the Messiah … meaning with the “expectation of fulfillment” (v. 25) … what a wonderful description of faith!

4. Simeon was paying careful attention to what God “revealed” to him as one would who had been warned. (v. 26)

5. Simeon was guided by the Holy Spirit, Who is mentioned three times in this text (vv. 25-27). How much more can we be guided by the Holy Spirit who resides within us … something Simeon did not experience.

6. Simeon’s immediate response to holding the infant Jesus in his arms was to “bless God” … meaning to celebrate with praises the God who fulfilled His promises.

7. Simeon’s worship and praise of God, followed by his instructions to Mary and Joseph, were all in accordance with God’s Word (v. 29) as he freely spoke truth to them (vv. 30-35).

As we look for and then embrace Jesus this Christmas, let’s follow Simeon’s example!

Shalom!

~ tr

“Names have great significance in the Bible. A name was not just the label that differentiated one person from another, but it often described something about the person. The most important names in the Bible describe God Himself. Through His names, God expresses the reality of Who He is. Our Creator does not cloak His identity and distance Himself from His creation. Instead, we have a Heavenly Father who desires to be known.”

“As we rush through the Christmas season burdened with busy schedules, may we take time to seek the Man whose birth Christmas celebrates. Who is Jesus Christ? Was He simply a good man, a teacher, or a revolutionary? Through His names, the Bible gives us great insight into the identity of the baby that was born in Bethlehem in Judea over 2000 years ago.”

These words are excerpted from an article that appeared in an eNews article a year ago by Koinonia House.  Click here to download the full article:  The Names Of Jesus Christ.

Embrace the blessings of the names of Jesus!

Shalom!

~ tr

The Advent season is observed by Christians world-wide as a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus the Messiah. The term is an anglicized version of the Latin word adventus, meaning “coming.” What better time to build disciples than the Christmas season, especially in our families?

A key word in that definition of Advent is preparation. A corollary is intentionality. It takes preparation, careful thought, planning, creativity and intentionality to lead our families in the path of following Jesus, the Christ-child.

I was recently dismayed to learn of a nearby church advertising their Christmas Eve services with the following, attention-grabbing bullet points:

• experience live animals in our nativity scene
• capture the moment in our photo booth
• enjoy cookies & hot chocolate
• hop on board the Christmas train
• test your skills at the “snowball” toss
• dash through the water in a giant bubble roller

Wow! … really?! … This all sounds more like a carnival at the county fair, than ways to prepare to meet Immanuel.  Is this what it takes in our culture to prepare our families to receive“God with us”?

To aid our preparation to intentionally build disciples within our families, here are some suggested resources to explore. Click on the corresponding links.

• Saddleback Church has created an Advent App for smartphones … it’s not too late to use this handy resource.

• Good News of Great Joy are Advent readings written by John Piper.

• Max Lucado has prepared a powerful one-minute video, God is Near, definitely worth watching.

• Local author, Alan Fadling, suggests 10 Ways to Have an Unhurried Christmas Season.

• Bill Gaultiere, from Soul Shepherding, created a Christmas Devotional Experience.

• One year ago, I created a Family Christmas tool for a local church, complete with Carols, that can be used to lead a family in worship at Christmas.

• Finally, enjoy and pass along this video of a Christmas Flash Mob by Journey of Faith Church at the South Bay Galleria!

“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father,

full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

Shalom!

~ tr

Today marks what would have been the 72nd wedding anniversary of Hal & Evie.

Married eight days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, he was in the Army Signal Corps, about to ship out to the “Pacific Theater.” She worked at Douglas Aircraft as a “Rosie the Riveter.” They had been high school sweethearts in northern Minnesota, until she gave up on him and headed West to pursue her future.

He chased her all the way to California, and like a lot of young couples in that era, she was underage by California marriage standards, so they drove out to Las Vegas, met another couple (total strangers), stood up as witnesses for each other, and got hitched!

Within the first decade of their marriage, first a son, then a daughter were born. Then just before their second son was born (yours truly), they made a life-changing decision.

Much like the decision that God placed before Moses and the nation of Israel prior to entering the Promised Land …

“So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving the Lord your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding fast to Him”  – Deuteronomy 30:19-20

… Hal & Evie chose life! They intentionally placed their faith and trust in God … on His terms … through the shed blood of Jesus, and were sealed and indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Evie has been gone now for more than six years … enjoying her “eternal reward” with her Heavenly Father, but before her death, she and Hal had celebrated 65 years of marriage! Hal is still alive and active … still driving his van at age 93! … and just celebrated the marriage of his youngest grandchild a week ago.

They had come from families that were God-honoring (more or less), but not necessarily Jesus-trusting. Their decision changed the life-course of generations to come … and still coming! … the newest great-grandson is only seven months old.

The legacy of their decision to follow Jesus and their God-honoring marriage lives on through their descendants who have been engaged in varying walks of life …

… school teachers, administrators & college professors, musicians, business owners, pastors, missionaries, chaplains, police officers, etc.

“Listen, O my people, to my instruction; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old, which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us. We will not conceal them from their children, but tell to the generations to come the praises of the Lord, and His strength and His wondrous works that He has done.”  – Psalm 78:1-4

What a legacy! … What a tribute to God’s grace and mercy!

Shalom!

~ tr

God’s grace is AMAZING!

God’s grace is prevalent throughout the Book of Revelation … even in the midst of all the “shock & awe” of the end times.

As four angels blast trumpets in Revelation chapter 8, God’s grace is once again on display!  These four end-time judgments impact only one-third of the earth … essentially giving the “earth-dwellers” still another occasion to repent and turn toward Jesus, the “Lamb that was slain.”  Although we do not wish anyone to experience these horrible (deserved) judgments, nevertheless, God is patient, long-suffering, merciful and gracious.

God’s sovereignty is also on display!  For those on this planet who would worship creation more than the Creator … be they animists in the remotest regions of this globe … or politicians scheming to line their pockets with profit … these Trumpet Judgments clearly reveal Who is ultimately in control!

Click on this link to download more details in the Revelation 8:1-13 Notes.

Shalom!

~ tr

During Monday night’s OC Bereans Bible study we made an interesting discovery …

In Revelation 8:3-5, an angel holding a golden censer offers up incense, along with “the prayers of all the saints,” to God on His throne.  This same angel then fills the censer with fire from the altar and hurls it to the earth, launching horrific “seven trumpet judgments.”

Could it be that these prayers somehow trigger God’s judgments on the earth?  When coupled with the prayers of martyred saints in Revelation 6:9-10 this appears to be the case …

“How long, O Lord, holy and true, will You refrain from judging and avenging our blood on those who dwell on the earth?”

Grant R. Osborne, author of Revelation, makes the case that since these prayers are mixed with incense, it shows that they are acceptable to God and please Him.  In fact, it can be argued that these “imprecatory” prayers are not only in keeping with God’s will (Rom. 12:19), but they may even have a place in the life of a disciple.

“Such prayers allow us to place our deep hurts before God and know that He will deal justly with those who have mistreated us.”

The Old Testament reinforces this truth, primarily through King David’s numerous imprecatory prayers in the Psalms.

During our study, Brent correctly observed that these martyred saints are now in the presence of God’s throne room, and therefore, need no longer be concerned with the vicissitudes of everyday life on earth … the what, you say?! … the normal “ups & downs” of life … braces for the kids … inking that corporate contract … studying for a final exam … healing from a viral infection … these and all the other things that we pray for daily.  These saints, now in God’s presence, don’t need to worry about such mundane issues, but can effectively pray …

“Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”  (Matthew 6:10)

The bottom line to all of this is what Bill quoted to us from an unknown source:  “Prayer is the engine driving the plan of God towards completion.”

Wow! …we participate in God’s redemptive plans for the world via prayer!

Hope to see you Monday night at 7 pm when we will uncover additional gems from the book of Revelation.

Shalom!

~ tr

Then on that day David first assigned Asaph and his relatives to give thanks to the Lord. Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name; make known His deeds among the peoples.  ~ 1 Chronicles 16:7-8

On the very day that King David brought the ark of God into a tent built for it, he also commissioned Asaph’s family to formally give thanks and sing praises to God. Their outburst of praise continues for 29 verses in 1 Chronicles, and is repeated and amplified in Psalm 105.

Now in 2013, as we all prepare our hearts and minds to thank God for His abundant provision to our nation and our families, here are a couple resources you may want to share during Thursday’s celebration of Thanksgiving:

Our National Challenge: Thanksgiving

The First Thanksgiving

Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!

Shalom!

~ tr

“When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.”

The interlude between the breaking of the 6th and 7th seals is over … Jesus breaks the final seal on the scroll of God … dreadful calamities are about to be unleashed on the earth.

To aid your preparation for our study, download and print the Revelation 8:1-13 handout, then ponder these questions below:

• Why is there silence after Jesus breaks the 7th seal?
• What role will prayer play in the coming “trumpet judgments”?
• Why will an angel throw fire from God’s altar down onto the earth?
• The first of seven trumpets is sounded by an angel … hail, fire and blood are thrown to the earth … what will be the impact?
• What are the consequences of the sounding of the second trumpet?
• What are the consequences of the sounding of the third trumpet?
• What are the consequences of the sounding of the fourth trumpet?

Arrive by 7 pm, if possible, to enjoy the dessert … the study will start soon after that.

Shalom!

~ tr

Fifty years ago, November 22, 1963 will always be remembered as the day President John F. Kennedy died, as it should be.  In fact, I can remember exactly where I was standing when I first heard the news …

… front lawn of Lockhaven Christian School on 104^th St. in Inglewood, California …

… getting ready to board a big yellow school bus for a field trip to the California Museum of Science & Industry (just north of the L.A. Coliseum) …

… my 6^th grade teacher, Bruce Murray, gathering us around to break the unheard of news of the President’s assassination …

… a word that this 11-year-old had never heard, and could not spell …

But it was also the day the world lost two literary powerhouses, but news of their deaths were virtually lost in the coverage of JFK’s assassination:

… Aldous Huxley, who wrote Brave New World.

… C.S. Lewis, the greatest Christian thinker of the 20^th Century, and prolific author of 60+ books, including The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narnia, plus innumerable articles.

If you’ve never read anything by Lewis, then you must!  A complete list of all his works can be found here at the C.S. Lewis website.

In addition, you can download a free e-Book, C.S. Lewis – A Profile in Faith, from the C.S. Lewis Institute.

As a tribute to this Christian literary giant, here is one of many favorite quotes from C.S. Lewis’ Mere Christianity:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of – throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

Shalom!

~ tr

Revelation chapter 7 is all about end-time events, right?

… about 144,000 Jews sealed from destructive forces wrought by angels and nature …

… about innumerable peoples from every nation, tribe and tongue who come to faith in Jesus …

… about another outburst of praise and worship toward God …

Plus, as we discovered these past three Monday nights, this chapter also clearly demonstrates just how AMAZING God’s grace is!  He is not willing for anyone to perish, but for all to come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).  We learned from one of the 24 Elders that an innumerable multitude will come to faith in Jesus … “wash their robes in the blood of the Lamb” … through the Great Tribulation!

If you believe in a pre-Tribulation rapture of the Church, and that many acquaintances, colleagues, friends, even family members of Christians will be left behind to endure the Tribulation, this chapter reveals that even they will have another opportunity to place their trust in Jesus.  Although we do not wish that anyone would have to endure this terrible, 7-year period, we see that God still extends His wonderful grace one more time!

Click on this link for the Revelation 7:1-17 Notes and Revelation 7 Slideshow.

Next Monday, we will forge ahead into chapter 8 and the breaking of the final, seventh seal.  Discussion questions will be posted later this week.

Shalom!

~ tr