OC Bereans

Gentlemen,

Two weekends ago, Jim Burns, from HomeWord, was guest-preaching at the church we attend: Coast Hills.  As part of his message, Jim shared “12 Accountability Questions for Leaders” that he and Doug Fields developed.  Since our last Monday night’s Bible study on the letter to Thyatira led us toward a discussion on the importance of mutual accountability, I thought these questions would be a valuable resource for you to contemplate:

1. Do you like the person you are becoming?
2. Is your heart for God shrinking or growing?
3. Are you giving your family only your emotional table scraps?
4. Have you done anything that compromised your integrity with the opposite sex?
5. Have you compromised your integrity with finances?
6. Is your character submitted to Christ?
7. Are you faithfully involved with worship and service?
8. Is your pace of life sustainable?
9. Have you allowed a person or circumstance to rob you of joy?
10. Are you taking care of your body through physical exercise, proper eating and sleeping habits?
11. Have you been faithful to regular connections with Jesus?
12. Have you lied on any of your answers with me?

As we prepare to wrap up our study of Thyatira this next Monday, here are a few additional questions to ponder:

• In 2:23, Jesus promises, “I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.”  Justify this statement with your understanding of God’s grace.
• What are the “deep things of Satan” in v. 24?
• What is promised to the “overcomers”? (vv. 26-28)
• Identify the “morning star” of v. 28.

In addition, please download and print the handout, Message to Sardis, and bring this with you Monday night for additional note-taking.

Steve B. is bringing the dessert, so arrive by 7 pm to enjoy that.  Even though we are all “creatures of habit,” consider sitting in a different seat, too! … this will facilitate our growing fellowship.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

As I mentioned to you at Monday night’s Bible study, a “redeemed obedient personality” is the phrase that one of my former mentors, Dr. Newton Wilson, would use to describe what it takes to be an effective witness for Jesus Christ.  He coined this phrase back in the 1970’s while teaching a course on evangelism & discipleship at Belhaven College (now Belhaven University), in Jackson, Mississippi.  In June of 1986, Newt became president of this historic institution of Christian higher education, which was also his alma mater, and where he had met his lovely bride, Becky.  According to the school’s website … “His nine-year term saw the greatest growth in College history, from just over 600 students to more than 1,100.”

                                                                                                                                                                                                                Isaac Newton Wilson … September 22, 1942 ~ April 23, 2013

Newt hired me as a faculty member in the joint departments of Bible and Christian Ministries in the summer of 1981, affording me the wonderful opportunity to teach at the college level.  Those five years teaching at Belhaven remain as a significant and enjoyable block of time in my 40+ years in vocational ministry.

More importantly, though, Newt became a mentor to me.  He epitomized all the good of what it means to be a “southern gentlemen,” plus he possessed an easy-going manner, a disarming sense of humor, a thoughtful and engaging intellect, a generous and warm heart … all capped off by a deep-seated passion to follow Jesus.

On a lighter note (but just as significant), Newt taught me how to fish! … Mi’ssi’pi style!  You see, large-mouth bass holed up in the shallow ponds and lakes that dot the Mississippi landscape are not attracted one bit to all the multi-colored lures and plastic worms you can throw at them … unless … you first light up an extra-long Churchill cigar!

This was all new to a young, conservative Baptist from southern California … but Newt’s calm and matter-of-fact Presbyterian demeanor convinced me to try.  Very early, one balmy, Spring morning, the two of us were floating in a flat-bottomed skiff in the middle of a private, multi-acre pond out in the country.  There was barely enough light to make out the shoreline.

I was eager to wet my line, so was quickly tying on a three-inch Rapala “top-water bait” that had three grappling hooks attached to the underside.  Newt calmly cautioned me to “slow down a bit” as he reached into his tackle box and produced two cigars … each more than half-a-foot long!  Frankly, I had no clue what to do with it! … so he coached me through how to remove and dispose of the wrapper … how to “cut, lick & light” it … and most importantly to me … how to avoid inhaling the smoke!  This young Baptist’s lips had never even touched a cigarette!

What happened next still AMAZES me to this day!  With a warm mist rising off the still, smooth pond, and just before sunrise, Newt explained (with his gentle Southern twang):  “Tiiim … the bass won’t biiite until the smoke hiits the pond.  Watch it!  Let it curl off the end of your ciiigar.  As soon as it kisses the pond, make your first cast.”

Now, I’m thinking … “Really?!” … but I did as I was told!  We were about 25 yards from the nearest shore, with a lot of underbrush and tree branches hanging out over the water.  As soon as the curl of smoke from my cigar made contact with the water, I straightened up my spine, pulled my forearm back, then flicked the top-water bait over my head toward the shore.  I was extremely proud of myself as I watched the lazy arc of that first cast put the bait on target to splash down within a foot of the shore … but that never happened.

Just before my lure hit the water, a huge, large-mouth bass exploded out of the pond and swallowed half of it before crashing back down into the water.  Fortunately for me, one of the grappling hooks was securely stuck into the lower lip of the bass, otherwise I would have lost this 2 lb. (3 lb?) trophy.  I was so stunned by what had just happened, I momentarily forgot to start reeling in the fish, until Newt coached me what to do next.

What a memory! … What a man! … What a mentor!

Our Heavenly Father called Newt home today … to his gain and our loss … but the legacy of this “redeemed obedient personality” lives on in the lives of countless men and women influenced by his life.

Please join me in praying for Becky as she weathers these uncharted waters in her life.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Debbi and I first met Bill & Grace Harding at Denver Seminary in the fall of 1975.  They have remained close and cherished friends all these years, even though they invested a good portion of their lives planting churches throughout Ethiopia.  You are invited to join Bill and me for a casual lunch this Saturday at 11 am … location and details will be emailed to those who RSVP to me via email or this blog.

To “set the stage” for this gathering, invest a few minutes to watch a video that was filmed in February, at the dedication of the Harding Bible School … it is thrilling!

Bill is a master story-teller! … his anecdotes about the “State of the Church in Ethiopia” are inspiring! … I have often said that if you close your eyes while Bill is sharing a story, you will think it is Billy Graham talking!

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

During last week’s Bible study we introduced the Letter to Thyatira by exploring the first mention of this city in the New Testament … namely in Acts 16:13-15.  During the apostle Paul’s “2nd Missionary Journey,” just after receiving an unusual vision from the Lord, Paul journeys to Philippi.  Since Philippi did not have enough Jewish male residents to warrant a synagogue, Paul and his entourage head down to the river, seeking a place to pray.  There he finds Lydia, a “seller of purple fabrics” from Thyatira.  We looked briefly at ten character traits / behaviors of this international business woman:

1. She worshiped God.
2. She was a woman of prayer.
3. She was listening.
4. The Lord opened her heart.
5. She responded.
6. She influenced her household.
7. She obediently and publicly professed her new faith in Jesus.
8. She was judged to be faithful.
9. She extended hospitality.
10. She was insistent.

This coming Monday we will continue this discussion by comparing and contrasting Lydia with Jezebel, the woman Jesus warns in Revelation 2:18-29.  Who is Jezebel?  Check out the exploits of her O.T. namesake:  1 Kings 16:29-31;  18:4, 13;  19:1-2;  21:1-16, 23;  2 Kings 9:30-37.

The following questions were first listed in an earlier post, so we will cover them, too:

• What is communicated by the title and character traits of Jesus noted in Revelation 2:18?   (cf., 1:13-15)
• What specific things does Jesus know [οἶδα] about the Christians in Thyatira?  (2:19)  Do you detect a “pattern” in these items, or some sort of interconnectedness?
• Identify the warnings that Jesus issues.  (2:20-23)

Roc will bring the dessert, so plan to arrive by 7 pm to enjoy that.  Our time in the Word will begin shortly after that.

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).  Feel free to invite a friend (or two) and share the handout with them, too, or simply direct them to this blog post.

In addition, there is a new smartphone app — Faithlife Study Bible — available for both iPhone and Android devices, that you may want to check out.  This free app has loads of features that will aid your study of God’s Word, plus they are offering a free download of the NIV.

I am eager to see all of you tomorrow evening as we continue our study of the Book of Revelation.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Click on the link to download the Revelation 2:12-17 Notes on the Letter to Pergamum, plus a copy of the Revelation 2:12-17 (slideshow).

In addition, please download and print the handout, Message to Thyatira, and bring this with you Monday night for note-taking.  The following questions will help introduce our initial discussion on Thyatira (2:18-29):

• Where was Thyatira located?  For what was this city known?
• What is communicated by the title and character traits of Jesus noted in 2:18?   (cf., 1:13-15)
• What specific things does Jesus know [οἶδα] about the Christians in Thyatira?  (2:19)  Do you detect a “pattern” in these items, or some sort of interconnectedness?
• Identify the warnings that Jesus issues.  (2:20-23)
• Who is Jezebel?  Check out the exploits of her O.T. namesake:  1 Kings 16:29-31;  18:4, 13;  19:1-2;  21:1-16, 23;  2 Kings 9:30-37.

Scott B. is providing Monday night’s dessert, so plan to arrive by 7 pm to enjoy that … and to secure a nearby parking spot!

Continue to pray for each other and the many requests that have been shared recently.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

When celebrating Resurrection Sunday in the 1st Century, Christians would greet each other with “He is risen”!  The usual reply would be, “He is risen indeed”!  We continue that tradition today … in fact, 2 billion believers on our planet exchanged that greeting with each other throughout today … but this begs the question, “What difference does it all make”?

For the past 11 years I have taught “Research Project” for Biola University.  This has been the capstone course for adults seeking to complete their college degree.  The course gives them an opportunity to integrate much of what they learned in previous courses by researching and writing what is essentially a 5-chapter, 40+ page “mini-thesis.”  They cannot graduate without passing this course.

Chapter five is titled, “Conclusions and Recommendations” … which forces each student to answer two questions about their topic and research:

• So what? (conclusions)
• Now what? (recommendations)

The historical events that we celebrate today … Resurrection Sunday … force us to ponder these same two questions.

Fortunately, the Apostle Paul answers these questions for us.  In 1 Corinthians 15, he invests 57 verses to strongly lay out his case for the “So what?” of the empty tomb.  I urge you to invest some time today to read and contemplate his conclusions.

Verse 58 begins with the word “therefore” … and we all know what that means, right?! … stop and ask, “What’s it there for?”  In this verse Paul simply lays out the “Now what?” of the Resurrection … his Spirit-directed recommendations for our lives today.

If you want to dig even deeper, then check out this article by Thomas Schreiner, a Pauline scholar from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary … but don’t read the article until you have first read 1 Corinthians 15!

We will conclude our discussion of the Letter to Pergamum tomorrow evening … Then, if time permits, be prepared to share some of your thoughts and reflections about Resurrection Sunday.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

As you prepare yourself and your family for the historic events of this weekend, consider this article on Christ’s Death and Resurrection In the Old Testament prepared by Koinonia House.

As an old friend of mine used to say, “It’s Friday, but Sunday’s a comin’!

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

Here are additional details behind the meaning of the “white stone” that Jesus promised to give to “overcomers” in Revelation 2:17.  The Greek words for “white stone” are λευκός ψῆφος … λευκός denotes “dazzling white” … this color will dominate heaven.

ψῆφος, pronounced “pséphos,” was a small, smooth stone, or pebble.  In fact, the root of the word suggests a stone small enough to be held in the hand, and worn smooth by handling.

Biblical scholars have suggested numerous interpretations for what this white stone may signify:

• There was a Rabbinic legend that precious stones fell from heaven along with the manna.
• In the ancient world, colored stones were often used to count out calculations.
• They also served as amulets or good luck charms.
• Sometimes stones or small tablets (called tessera) were given to champions of the athletic games, which gave them free admittance to future public spectacles, games and entertainments.

But the interpretation that I find most significant is that the white stone is symbolic of a voting ballot.  When a case had been stated for the prosecution and for the defense in the ancient law courts, the jury expressed their verdict by casting stones into an urn:  black stones for condemnation; white stones for acquittal.  The verdict was determined by a simple majority.

The term ψῆφος occurs only one other time in the New Testament.  During Paul’s testimony before King Agrippa, he refers to his persecution of Christians before his conversion:

“And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote (ψῆφος) against them.”  – Acts 26:10

Gentlemen, Jesus Christ, our Mediator, has heard the evidence against us.  For each and every person on this planet (Romans 3:23), there is indisputable evidence against us that will render a guilty verdict, followed by the sentence of death (Romans 6:23).  Yet, in spite of the evidence, Jesus casts His vote in our favor!  He does this without any perversion of justice because He took the guilty verdict that was ours, and bore the death penalty for our sin (Romans 5:8).

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”  – Romans 8:1

Amen! … and Amen!

My prayer is that the white stone that I gave to each of you on Monday night will serve as a reminder of these great truths.

Shalom!

~ tr

Gentlemen,

As you celebrate Palm Sunday (March 24th this year), remember that this day …

… not only marks the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19) …

… not only sets in motion the events of the Passion week …

But this day commemorates the precise fulfillment of numerous Old Testament prophecies … even to the very date on the calendar!

Check out Zechariah 9:9 — “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!  Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!  Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”

For those of you who were part of the OC Bereans when we studied the O.T. book of Daniel early last year, may remember that the angel Gabriel delivered an extremely detailed and precise timetable for the future (Daniel 9:21-27).  Based on what Gabriel stated in verses 25-26, we know that the predicted date would be the 10th of Nissan in A.D. 32, or 173,880 days from the Decree of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1)!

We are loved by … and we serve … an AMAZING God! … who has delivered to us an “integrated message system from outside our time and space domain” … revealing His character and His will.

“Hosanna to the son of David.  Blessed is the King that comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest.  Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Shalom!

~ tr