Each Church Is To Be A Lamp Stand of Jesus

We used to own a vacation home in Colorado. What a view with waterfalls and mountains all around!

Very spectacular also is the view at night. Such a vast display of stars (with a few satellites blinking by as well). It is almost as if you could reach out and grab a handful. John says something like that about the Lord Jesus.

"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: 'The words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands. - Rev 2:1 ESV

How does it help us to know that Jesus holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lamp stands?

Let's start with the seven stars. Why seven? Why not twelve or forty? What's with seven? As noted in an earlier blog, seven is the number of completion (God rested on the seventh day after finishing His creation, Gen. 2:3). Seven churches refers symbolically to all churches. We all have something to learn from these letters.

Stars, on the other hand, will appear again and again in the Revelation.

• The third angel blew his trumpet, and a great star fell from heaven, blazing like a torch, and it fell on a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. The name of the star is Wormwood. A third of the waters became wormwood, and many people died from the water, because it had been made bitter. The fourth angel blew his trumpet, and a third of the sun was struck, and a third of the moon, and a third of the stars, so that a third of their light might be darkened, and a third of the day might be kept from shining, and likewise a third of the night. - Rev 8:10-12 ESV

• And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. - Rev 12:1 ESV

The ancients viewed the stars with wonder, just as we do, but they saw them named by the LORD, and under His control and guidance. David writes,

• When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, - Psa 8:3 ESV

• He determines the number of the stars; he gives to all of them their names. - Psa 147:4 ESV

The prophets, on the other hand, mock the unbelieving astrologers who think they can divine the future by their study of the stars. 

• You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you. - Isa 47:13 ESV

But we're becoming distracted. We already were told by John that "the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches" (Rev. 1:20). And we concluded that the messages are likely addressed first to the overseeing pastors of each of those churches who are to share them with the churches. So the  LORD Jesus starts by promising to hold each of these pastors in his right hand. They are His messengers, with direct authority from Him, even as Christ Himself is seated at the Father's right hand in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:20; Heb 1:3, 13; 10:12). The pastors are held in His right hand. They are especially important to Him as they convey His word to the churches. He will care for them.

Moreover Jesus walks among the seven golden lamp stands. Each church is a lamp stand, a stand that holds the lamp. The light from those lamps originates from Jesus Himself. He is the Light of the world. Believers already know they are to let that Light shine from within them. They are a city on a hill that cannot, must not, be hidden.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - Jhn 8:12 ESV

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. - Mat 5:14 ESV 

So Jesus, the Light of the world, is walking among and with the churches that are His lamp stands, letting the light shine forth from them. This is the introduction to each of the seven letters. Next time we'll move into the letters themselves.

Jesus' Return Could Be Today!

A week ago I promised to explore with you how apostasy is THE SIGN of our time, the Sign pointing to the imminent return of Christ. But I got sidetracked a bit. This is because I'm currently serving as the Interim Pastor of a Lutheran congregation seeking their next pastor. And I'm finding again that parish work is quite demanding.

Anyway, it seems best to pursue the answers to the questions about the signs of Christ's return from Holy Scripture. So I turn to Paul's letters to the Thessalonians. The epistles to the Thessalonians are certainly two of the most ancient Christian documents in existence. They are typically dated c. 50/51 AD. They are universally accepted as authentic letters of Paul. We believe they were written by him from Corinth a few months after he founded a congregation there.

Thessalonica was located at the intersection of two major Roman roads, one leading from Italy eastward (Ignatia Way) and the other from the Danube to the Aegean. Thessalonica’s location and use as a port made it a prominent city. In 168 BC it became the capital of the second district of Macedonia and later it was made the capital and major port of the whole Roman province of Macedonia (146 BC).

Paul writes in the fifth chapter of his first letter these words: 

Now concerning the times and the seasons, brothers, you have no need to have anything written to you. For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night (Matt. 24:43). While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. - 1Th 5:1-6 ESV

I wrote in an earlier blog about the day of the Lord (masculine genitive):

. . . the Greek word for Lord—Kyrios—has two different ways of saying ‘of the Lord.’ When Kyrios ends with a feminine genitive (genitive means ‘belonging to’), it refers to the day of the week that particularly belongs to the Lord, Sunday. When it ends with a masculine genitive it refers to that final day when the Lord will return. That day is also his, of course. 

That Day of the Lord, the day of judgment when time as we now know it will end, will come as a thief in the night. However, for now, each Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the day when the church openly gathers to celebrate his first coming, to be blessed by his present coming in the Word and the Supper and to anticipate the Day of the Lord when he will return to complete the great work of salvation. On Sunday the church receives a foretaste of the marriage feast that is yet to come (Luke 13:28-30).

I also wrote about the many failed predictions of exactly when that Day of the Lord will take place. And indeed there have been many. You may even remember that back in 2010 there was quite a stir about that day happening in 2012. Perhaps if Paul were writing to us today he would say the same thing he said to his young Thessalonian congregation: "you have no need to have anything written to you, for you are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night."

A couple years ago I literally experienced that thief in the night when I awoke to discover my brand new generator had been stolen from my carport. Unfortunately I had not chained it down and the thieves had easy access. Needless to say, I learned an important lesson. Be prepared for thieves at all times. That's the same lesson Paul is pushing with the Thessalonians. Quit looking around for some sign about the when of Christ's return. Be ready at all times. It could be today!

Search Paul's letters and you will not find him talking about signs of Christ's return. He does speak negatively about the Jews seeking signs proving Jesus to be the Messiah:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, - I Cor 1:22-23 ESV

For the Jews the coming of the Messiah would mean that the time had arrived for their earthly kingdom to be restored by God. That in itself was a confused understanding of the Messiah's role, as Jesus pointed out to Pontius Pilate:

Jesus answered, "My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world." - Jhn 18:36 ESV

Instead of focusing upon some worldly kingdom, keep focused upon the true nature of Christ's kingdom and His imminent return, writes Paul. Remember who you are, children of light and not of darkness. Light is a common analogy for God's revelation in Christ and for those who have Christ living in their hearts.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, "I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." - Jhn 8:12 ESV 

"You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. - Mat 5:14 ESV

As the Lord said, darkness refers to the ways of the world and those who follow the prince of this world.

So Jesus said to them, "The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going. . . 

I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. - Jhn 12:35, 46 ESV

This is why we don't need someone to write to us about times and seasons and about when Christ will return. We have the Light and we wait expectantly at all times for His return. It could be today! Even so, Come Lord Jesus! (I Cor. 16:22).

Once In A Blue Moon

Some of us attending a birthday party recently got into a discussion about the Blue Moon. Katy said that August, 2012 was one of those months to have two full moons and so that meant the second full moon was a Blue Moon. But, wondered another woman, why is it called a Blue Moon? No one seemed to know. Would the moon actually be blue? I had no answers. I only knew of the expression "once in a Blue Moon". I had never thought about what a Blue Moon is. So I did a little research.

The next Blue Moon is August 31, 2012 : August, 2012 is a month with two full moons. And, by popular acclaim, that means it’s a Blue Moon month—but it’s blue in name only. That’s because a Blue Moon is sometimes defined as the second full moon in a calendar month. The first full moon is August 1. The second full moon is August 31, 2012. There are two more definitions for Blue Moon. It can be the third of four full moons in a single season. Or, someday you might see an actual blue-colored moon. For details check the link.

But what has that to do with anything? The Bible often refers to the moon. From the beginning we read,

And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth." And it was so. - Genesis 1:14-15 ESV

And God made the two great lights--the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night--and the stars. And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, - Genesis 1:14-17 ESV

What does it mean to rule the night? The Psalmist urges us to thank the LORD for the moon. The rule of the moon is part of the steadfast love of the Lord of lords.

Give thanks to the Lord of lords, for his steadfast love endures forever; ... the moon and stars to rule over the night, for his steadfast love endures forever; - Psalm 136:3, 9 ESV

For a detailed study of the moon's importance check out The moon: the light that rules the night by Dr Jonathan D. Sarfati. He reminds us that the moon is critical to life here on the earth. It is over a quarter of the Earth's diameter. If it were smaller it wouldn't have enough gravity to maintain its spherical shape. It orbits the earth about once a month in regular cycles of 29½ days. This fact made calendars possible and helped people to plant their crops at the best time of the year. The entire Biblical calendar is based upon these phases of the moon. 

The moon also controls the tides. As the moon orbits the spinning earth it causes a cycle of two high and two low tides about every 25 hours. Tides are vital to life here. They cleanse the ocean's shorelines, keep ocean currents circulating and prevent the ocean from stagnating. Our shipping channels and sewage discharges are scoured out. It some places people exploit the enormous tidal energy to generate electricity.

Ethan the Ezrahite sings about the steadfast love of the LORD for His people, comparing that love to the ongoing rule of the moon.

Like the moon it shall be established forever, a faithful witness in the skies." Selah - Psalm 89:37 ESV

All this is part of God's good and wondrous creation. We recognize it as we gaze upon the moon, but there is a dark side of the moon. By this I do not refer to the fact that the moon does not rotate like the earth. I refer to the worship of the moon as the Queen of heaven, as well as the idea that the moon causes lunacy and is related to ancient and current views about werewolves and vampires.

More on this next time.

How We Know The Love Of God

One of the most popular Bible verses of all time, memorized in Sunday School by thousands of kids, is from the third chapter of John. With this blog I conclude my meditations upon that chapter by taking a careful look at what Jesus said to Nicodemus.

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. - Jhn 3:16-17 ESV

Who or what is this world that God loves? The Greek word is kosmos, a word we are quite familiar with, only we spell it cosmos. By this we usually think of the universe as a well-ordered whole. In the original Greek kosmos was also an ornament or decoration. Peter uses the word in that manner when he urges women to be less interested in outward adornment (kosmos) and more focused on the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit (1 Peter 3:3-4).

A third use refers to the people who live in this world, the human race itself. So the apostle Paul writes that . . .

in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. - 2Cr 5:19 ESV

The word is used again and again with this meaning in John's Gospel. For instance, the Samaritans tell the woman who met Jesus at the well,

"It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world." - Jhn 4:42 ESV

But this is also the world of people that despises the Savior and rejects the light and salvation he brings. Immediately following the verses quoted above in John 3, we hear Jesus say,

And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. - Jhn 3:19-20 ESV

Jesus is the light of the world that loves the darkness. He is the one who gives sight to the blind (John 9:39; 12:46). His life and teachings expose the world and the ruler of this world who dwells in darkness. All through the Gospel of John we sense this conflict building. As in modern cowboy movies the drama moves steadily toward that final scene in which the good guy and the bad guy come face to face. It is like Moses coming before Pharaoh to demand that he let the children of Israel go.

Afterward Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, "Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, 'Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.'" - Exd 5:1 ESV

But this time it is not a mere messenger from the LORD. Oh no, it is the LORD Himself who has come to win freedom for His chosen people. Moses was given a glimpse of this when the LORD said,

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him. - Deu 18:18 ESV

The good word this Prophet speaks is that God loves this world. He does not desire that it perish. This is why He sends His Son to save it. But to save it in a most peculiar manner. The cowboy with the white hat does not stand with his hand ready to draw his gun and drill a bullet into the heart of the dirty sheriff who has ruled the town for years. Instead he allows one of his own disciples to betray him into the hands of his enemies. And when they come for him in the garden Jesus says,

"Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs? When I was with you day after day in the temple, you did not lay hands on me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." - Luk 22:52-53 ESV

So the Son of God by whom all things were made, submits himself to them and to the power of darkness, the prince of the world, the spirit at work in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). They condemn him, beat him and nail him to the cross. There, at about the ninth hour of that dark day, the Prophet shouts out the decisive word of the LORD.

"Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" - Mat 27:46 ESV, (Psalm 22:1)

Thus he saves the world, the entire world of men who live, have lived and ever will live. He does it not by killing this world's prince, but by being himself condemned and forsaken by God, by drawing the unspeakable burden of this world's sin upon himself until he finally can say,

"It is finished," and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. - Jhn 19:30 ESV

The prince of this world lives on. Darkness is yet at work, but that final day is coming when that prince and all his minions will be cast out. For the Light has come, the Light of the world and whoever follows the risen Savior "will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12). John pulls it all together in his beautiful letter, words with which I complete this brief study of John 3.

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation (all atoning sacrifice) for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. - 1Jo 4:10-16 ESV

Wake Up—The Light Is Already Shining.

Things were quiet in my daughter's household as I arose this morning. As the old poem goes, "Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse." I was the first one to stir and step out into the kitchen to make the coffee. I cannot begin the day without a good cup of coffee. However, to do that I had to find the light switch, something that is not easy to do in a somewhat unfamiliar kitchen. But finally I managed and now I set here with my first steaming cup, ready to begin the day.

That night the shepherds were in the field keeping watch over their flock was also a dark one. I imagine that sheep watching must count among the world's most boring jobs. Then suddenly came this bright light. Luke calls it "the glory of the LORD," shining all around them. The darkness was quite unexpectedly illuminated—and they were afraid (Luke 2:9).

The Bible uses familiar occurrences, like the darkness of night and the light of day, to speak about spiritual matters. When God's people were struggling with depression and despair, feeling forsaken in the foreign land of Babylon, forced to work as slaves, they referred to their condition as "walking in darkness" (Isaiah 9:2). Nothing was going right. The future was bleak and they had little hope of ever returning to their homeland. They couldn't see any daylight.

In their history it had been that way hundreds of years before, way back in the days of Moses, when they had been slaves in Egypt. Then suddenly, quite unexpectedly, God graciously intervened and forced Pharaoh to set them free. Out in the desert, gathered before Mount Sinai, the Glory of the Lord came down—and they were afraid (Exodus 19:17-20; Exodus 20:18). And no wonder. The whole mountain shook with thunder, lightning, the sound of a great trumpet, fire and smoke. Who wants to sit at the foot of a mountain that appears to become a huge volcano, spewing out lava, fire and death?

When the Glory of the Lord appeared to the shepherds of Bethlehem it was not like that. There was not thunder, lightning and earthquakes. Instead a wondrous choir of angels began to sing about peace, hope and a Savior. The long-awaited Messiah had come and they would find Him in a manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes.

There's still plenty of darkness, despair and death in the world of the 21st century. But as we celebrate yet another Christmas, we are reminded again that our Light has come, come in the person of a Child.

A Merry Christmas to all!

DST, Chickens And Christians

Tomorrow morning we all get to sleep in an extra hour. Daylight Saving Time ends for another year. In studying the history of this annual fall and spring ritual I learned several interesting things.


*Chickens don't adapt to the changed clock until several weeks have gone by.

*70 percent of Americans rise before 7:00 a.m.

*There is evidence that the severity of auto accidents increases and work productivity decreases as people adjust to the time change.

*The idea of daylight saving was first conceived by Benjamin Franklin during his sojourn as an American delegate in Paris in 1784.

*The present time time zones were first used by the railroads in 1883 to standardize their schedules. Standard time zones were established by U.S. law with the Standard Time Act of 1918.

*During World War II, President Franklin Roosevelt instituted year-round Daylight Saving Time, called “War Time,” from February 9, 1942 to September 30, 1945, but after that confusion reigned as localities chose to observe or not observe DST.

*Since 1986 Daylight Saving Time in the U.S. began at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of April and ended at 2:00 a.m. on the last Sunday of October. However, the Energy Policy Act of 2005 extended Daylight Saving Time so that from 2007 and on DST begins at 2:00 a.m. on the second Sunday of March and ends at 2:00 a.m. on the first Sunday of November.

So . . . this is the first year DST ends in November and that accounts for my confusion about the whole topic.

We Christians have some pointed instructions about light and darkness. Darkness for us is a symbol of what people do when they think no one sees or knows. Walking in the light, therefore, means that we believe we are forgiven in Christ for all our dark deeds and are guided by the light of God's revelation and love. Here's how the Apostle Paul writes about it:

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:
"Wake up, O sleeper,
rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you."
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil (Ephesians 5).