OC Bereans

Gentlemen,

We WILL meet for Bible study this Monday, June 17th!  Please review the following questions to prepare you for our discussion on Revelation 3:7-13.  Download and print the handout, Message to Philadelphia, and bring this with you for note-taking.

1. What does the word Philadelphia mean?
2. What is communicated by the character traits of Jesus noted in 3:7?  Where else can you find these character traits?
3. What specific things does Jesus know [οἶδα] about the Christians in Philadelphia?
4. God placed an open door of opportunity in front of the church at Philadelphia.  What open doors of ministry are before the church today?
5. We tend to view churches with large facilities, congregations, and/or budgets as “successful” … yet Jesus proclaimed that Philadelphia possessed “little power” (v. 8) … What are God’s standards for using a church, or making it successful?

Dessert will be served a little before 7 pm … our study will start soon after that.

Remember to bring …

• …  your Bible
• …  a notebook or journal
• …  something to write with
• …  ears ready to hear
• …  eyes longing to see
• …  an open mind eager to learn
• …  a softened heart ready to receive God’s truth
• …  and a yielded will ready to heed His instruction!

I am eager to be with all of you again! … and to show you more pictures of my grandson!  😉

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Click on the link for a two-page handout including details and a map for this coming Saturday morning’s Meet Jesus @ the Beach (7 – 9 am, Sat., June 15).  Feel free to invite a friend (or two) and share the handout with them, too, or simply direct them to this blog post.  Roc has agreed to lead us in this strategic time with our Lord and each other.

Remember … we will NOT meet tomorrow (Monday) night for our regular study.

Check out these photos from Trinity Ranch in Montana!

“Let the mountains sing together for joy.”  Psalm 98:8b

“He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks upon the wings of the wind.”  Psalm 104:3b

“Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy before the Lord, for He is coming.” Psalm 96:12b-13a

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Click on the link to download the Revelation 3:1-6 Notes on the Letter to Sardis, plus a copy of the Sardis Slideshow.

In addition, please download and print the handout, Message to Philadelphia, so you can start taking notes on your study of Revelation 3:7-13.

Remember, we will NOT meet next Monday, but will be together again on Monday, June 17th.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

We WILL meet tomorrow, Monday, June 3rd for our regular, weekly Bible study at 7 pm, but please note the upcoming changes to this summer’s schedule.  Due to my shuttling between Montana and south OC this summer, there will be five Mondays between now and mid-August when we will NOT meet.  Refer to the schedule below and/or to the drop-down Calendar tab at the top of this blog page, just under the photo.

These are the five Mondays when we will NOT meet:

• June 10
• June 24
• July 8
• July 22
• August 5

We will conclude our in-depth investigation into the “Letter to Sardis” tomorrow night.  Check out the previous post, “Jesus Call to Spiritual Vigilance,” for clues to help prepare you for our discussion.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Complacency kills!  Just as one of our members noted a few weeks ago, this maxim holds true on the military battlefield, and in the daily Christian life.

“Complacent” derives from Latin meaning “to take the fancy of” … to be pleased with oneself or one’s situation, often without awareness of potential danger or defect.  The history of the ancient city of Sardis is a parable which Jesus uses to demonstrate the dire consequences of complacency.

Jesus employs five imperatives in Revelation 3:1-6 to call us to spiritual vigilance:

1.  “wake up” (v. 2) = to give strict attention to; be on the alert; literally, “show yourselves to be watchful”

2.  “strengthen” (v. 2) [στηρίζω   stērizō] = literally, “stand something on its feet” … to make stable, place firmly, set fast, establish something by making it strong.  At Monday night’s Memorial Day study this image immediately came to mind.

3.  “remember” (v. 3) = constantly bearing in mind … a present tense imperative denoting continual recall … but not merely bringing things to mind, but also putting them into practice.

4.  *Show up Monday night, June 3rd, for this one!

5.  *Show up Monday night, June 3rd, for this one, too!  😉

Please continue to pray for each other and the many requests that we have been sharing with each other.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

The Feast of Pentecost was celebrated 50 days after Passover, so traditionally, Pentecost Sunday has been celebrated by Christians at about that same time after Easter Sunday.  Pentecost Sunday celebrates the birth of the Church (Acts 2:1-13), and the coming of the promised and summoned Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17), Who enables and empowers us to live as Christians in a pagan world culture (Acts 1:8).

While visiting our son, daughter-in-law, and new grandson in Colorado Springs, we attended Pulpit Rock Church today, where the pastor reminded us of the amazing promises in John 14:12-15.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.  Whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask me anything in My name, I will do it.  If you love Me, you will keep my commandments.”

During one of our Monday night Bible studies, we will have to steer a course down the “rabbit trail” of what this passage means … “greater works than these he will do” … what are these “greater works”? … and how is it possible for us as human beings to even come close to doing the “works that I (Jesus) do”?

Bottom line:  We are called to “extend the heart and hands of Jesus Christ” to a lost and dying world.

I pray that you will invest some time this Pentecost Sunday reflecting on the significance of this historic day.  Happy Birthday, Church!

By the way, please remember that the OC Bereans will NOT meet tomorrow night (May 20), but will reconvene next week on Monday, May 27th.  Since you are used to being with each other already every Monday night, I suggest that you get together in smaller groups (1-on-1, 3s, etc.) for a time of mutual sharing and prayer.  At the very least, email or text two or three fellow Bereans with a few words of encouragement from the Word of God.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

I’m runnin’ later than normal on getting these prep questions to you … there have been some “very nice distractions” this week … namely, the birth of our first grandchild … Liam Baker Robertson!

Monday night we will focus our attention on Revelation 3:1-6 … the Message to Sardis … use these questions to ready yourself for our discussion:

• What is the “Big Idea” in this letter?
• What comparisons can you make between this letter and the letter to Ephesus?  (2:1-7)
• What meaning do the “seven Spirits of God” and the “seven stars” have for Christians in Sardis?
• What does Jesus know [οἶδα] about these believers?
• Identify five imperatives that Jesus uses to correct the Sardian Christians in vv. 2-3.

Steve T. will bring the dessert, so arrive by 7 pm to partake of that!  A “Liam Pictorial” will begin shortly after that 😉 … followed by our study!

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Dallas Willard’s mother died when he was only two years old.  Her final words to her husband were: “Keep eternity before the children.”

This morning, Dallas went home to be with the Lord at age 77, after battling pancreatic cancer for several months.  His writings have certainly focused my attention on eternity in ways that no one else ever has before.  He is now experiencing first-hand new realities of his eternal existence!

John Ortberg, who pastors Menlo Park Presbyterian Church, has skillfully written a touching tribute to Dallas, entitled: Dallas Willard, a Man from Another ‘Time Zone’ which is well worth the time you will invest to read it.  Read the article online by clicking on John’s name, or download this article by clicking on the title.

Additionally, seven video messages are available for viewing from a February conference, “Knowing Christ,” held at Westmont College in Santa Barbara.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

More resources for our study in Revelation, to facilitate your spiritual formation in Christ, can be downloaded here as well:

• Revelation 2:18-29 Notes

• Biblical Theology of Work

• Thyatira Slideshow

Continue to intercede in prayer for the many requests that have been shared in recent weeks.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, He departed and went out to a desolate place, and there He prayed.” ~ Mark 1:35

This was a normal, repeated, disciplined habit practiced by Jesus, our Savior and Lord.  I urge you to incorporate similar times of solitude and fellowship into your rhythm of life.

Click on the link for a two-page handout including details and a map for this coming Saturday morning’s Meet Jesus @ the Beach (7 – 9 am).  Feel free to invite a friend (or two) and share the handout with them, too, or simply direct them to this blog post.  Bill M. has agreed to lead us in this strategic time with our Lord and each other.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

You may find this hard to believe … we are not yet ready to leave the Letter to Thyatira!  😉

At the conclusion of last week’s Bible study, I posed the question, “Who is the smartest person you’ve ever met?”  We then discussed just how completely Jesus can address every issue in our lives … including our careers … because He, in fact, is that Person.

Since Jesus warns about impending judgment because of Thyatiran business practices, we want to make application to our careers and vocations, too.  So before we conclude our look at this letter, ponder this question:

“Why do you work?”

We will attempt to briefly sketch a “Biblical Theology of Work” before we move onto our introduction to the Message to Sardis.  Please download and print the handout, and bring this with you Monday night for additional note-taking.  You may also want to invest several minutes and read Revelation 3:1-6, while asking, what is the “big idea” or “one thing” that Jesus is communicating to the Christians in Sardis.

Steve P. will provide the dessert, which will be served just prior to 7 pm.

We have been praying for a number of strategic requests this past week … You will want to be here to hear about how God has graciously been answering our prayers.

Shalom!

~ tr