It is our joy that we were able to go through what has been our longest book series throughout the history of our local church. For the past nine months, it has been our hope that, in one way or another, whether in our physical or in our digital way of gathering, that we have savored our opportunity to study & ponder upon God’s person & plan as He revealed those in the book of Revelation. When we started, we barely had any idea that a worldwide pandemic would come into context, but if anything, as we’ve looked into God’s sovereignty through the lens of His plan reaching its great & glorious culmination, we have also fixed our eyes and hearts on a hope that is greater & stronger than the difficulties we’re struggled through today-- as individuals, as families, as a church. Considering alone the premise that this very book we’ve studied through is one that’s been written a little less than 2,000 years ago already and is one that encourages His church yet even today, it is a comfort to know that He truly holds all things, and has laid out all things according to His plan & will. In truth, the biblical storyline begins and ends with this picture: with God dwelling with his people. In the beginning, at Genesis, there was the Garden of Eden and everything is in right relationship until sin entered the world. But because of Christ’s pivotal act of redemption, that is, His death for our sake & His resurrection bearing the promise of new life for those who believe in His finished work, we find the culmination of history not in our ultimate destruction, but in our reconciliation with God, once again with us in the new heaven and new earth, pictured in Revelation. The bookends of creation and new creation form the framework for the biblical storyline and for the Christian worldview. Genesis and Revelation are not only literally, but also thematically the bookends of the Bible. The scholars behind the ESV Study Bible put it this way: God’s ultimate purpose in redemptive history is to create a people to dwell in his presence, glorifying him through numerous varied activities and enjoying him forever. The story begins with God in eternal glory, and it ends with God and his people in eternal glory. At the center stands the cross, where God revealed his glory through his Son The biblical story of redemption must be understood within the larger story of creation. First Adam, and later Israel, was placed in God’s sanctuary (the garden and the Promised Land, respectively), but both Adam and Israel failed to be a faithful, obedient steward, and both were expelled from the sanctuary God had created for them. But Jesus Christ—the second Adam, the son of Abraham, the son of David—was faithful and obedient to God. Though the world killed him, God raised him to life, which meant that death was defeated. Through his Spirit, God pours into sinners the resurrection life of his Son, creating a new humanity “in Christ.” Those who are “in Christ” move through death into new, re-embodied life and exaltation in God’s sanctuary, there to enjoy his presence forever. The “bookends” concept of biblical theology illustrates that in the third-to-last chapter of the Bible (Revelation 20) God removes his enemies—Satan, death, and evil—that entered the story line in the third chapter of the Bible (Genesis 3), thus completing the story of redemption. The last two chapters (Revelation 21–22) don’t simply restore the first two chapters (Genesis 1–2); they go beyond them to a world that is fully ordered and holy, in which God is fully present with his people, completing the story of creation. -"The 'Bookends' of Biblical Theology", ESV Study Bible Notes Bearing these truths in mind as we close with our series on Revelation, we once again invite you to continue to marvel at the God we worship as we turn anew, now going from Genesis to Revelation for all of us to look into the God’s plan spanning across the ages.
If we are a people who call ourselves as disciples of Christ, we can live and abide by no other way. Through understanding the Gospel that has been entrusted to us, only then can we be faithful in our honoring God, making disciples, and proclaiming His truth to all the nations. Let us continue to come before God in worship, looking back in wonder of the things He has done, and looking forward for the day when Jesus returns to make all things right. Let us daily seek for that right relationship with God that we live out the two greatest commandments, a love for God and a love for others (Matthew 22:36-39), in a supernatural way that manifests itself in a life characterized by fruit that only God can cultivate in us (Galatians 5:22-23). == Our new series: “The Story of Scripture” will start on the first Sunday of October. == 🎨: “Creation, Covenant, Shekinah, Kingdom”, Donald Jackson (C) 2006, commissioned for The Saint John’s Bible Discussed by Ptr. Sonny & written by Ptr. Kevin, in behalf of the Pastoral Team.
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O God,
We praise You, for all authority in the universe belongs to You. “There is no authority except from me, and those that exist have been instituted by me.” (Romans 13:1) “You, Pilate, would have no authority over my Son at all unless it had been given you from me.” (John 19:11) We stand in awe, O God, that in Your freedom, You do all that You please and all that You plan. “Whatever I please, I do, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.” (Psalm 135:6) “I work all things according to the counsel of my will.” (Ephesians 1:11) “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose.’” (Isaiah 46:9–10) We marvel, O God, that You share this total authority and rule completely with Your Son. “I have given all authority in heaven and on earth to my Son, Jesus.” (Matthew 28:18) “I love my Son and have given all things into his hand.” (John 3:35) “I have given my Son authority over all flesh.” (John 17:2) “I have put all things in subjection under my Son’s feet — all things except myself.” (1 Corinthians 15:27) “I raised my Son from the dead and seated him at my right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion. . . . I put all things under his feet.” (Ephesians 1:20–22) “I welcomed my Son into heaven. He is at my right hand, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to him.” (1 Peter 3:22) We submit with reverence to You, O God, because, through Your Son, You remove and install the rulers of the world. “Wisdom and might belong to me. I change times and seasons; I remove kings and set up kings.” (Daniel 2:20–21) “I loose the bonds of kings and bind a waistcloth on their hips.” (Job 12:18) “I sent my angel and struck Herod down, because he did not give me glory, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last.” (Acts 12:23) Indeed, O God, You not only raise rulers and put them down; You govern all their deeds in every age. “The king’s heart is a stream of water in my hand, says the Lord; I turn it wherever I will.” (Proverbs 21:1) “I will put an end to the wealth of Egypt, by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. . . . I will break the yoke of Egypt, and her proud might shall come to an end. . . . I will strengthen the arms of the king of Babylon and put my sword in his hand, but I will break the arms of Pharaoh.” (Ezekiel 30:10, 18, 24) “I have given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, my servant, and I have given him also the beasts of the field to serve him. All the nations shall serve him and his son and his grandson, until the time of his own land comes. Then many nations and great kings shall make him their slave.” (Jeremiah 27:6–7) “As I have planned, so shall it be, and as I have purposed, so shall it stand. I will break the Assyrian in my land; and his yoke shall depart from my people.” (Isaiah 14:24–25) “I will make the nations the inheritance of my Son, and the ends of the earth will be his possession. He shall break them with a rod of iron.” (Psalm 2:8–9) We acknowledge with wonder, O God, that no plan of man succeeds but those which You, in unfathomable wisdom, permit. “I bring the counsel of the nations to nothing; I frustrate the plans of the peoples.” (Psalm 33:10) “No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against me.” (Proverbs 21:30) And how mighty and wise You are, O God, that no man, no nation, force of nature can thwart Your holy plans. “No purpose of mine can be thwarted.” (Job 42:2) “I do according to my will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth; and none can stay my hand or say to me, ‘What have you done?’” (Daniel 4:35) “There is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?” (Isaiah 43:13) So, we bow, as dust in the scales, O God, and confess with joy, that we are as nothing compared to Your greatness. “Behold, the nations are like a drop from a bucket, and are accounted as the dust on the scales. . . . All the nations are as nothing before me, they are accounted as less than nothing and emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:15, 17) “I sit above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers. I stretch out the heavens like a curtain, and spread them like a tent to dwell in. I bring princes to nothing, and make the rulers of the earth as emptiness.” (Isaiah 40:22–23) Our hope and our joy, O God, is that You magnify Your greatness by lifting up the low, and putting down the proud. “Who but me can say to a king, ‘Worthless one,’ and to nobles, ‘Wicked man’? I show no partiality to princes, nor regard the rich more than the poor, for they are all the work of my hands.” (Job 34:18–19) “I shatter the mighty without investigation and set others in their place.” (Job 34:24) “I look on everyone who is proud and bring him low and tread down the wicked where they stand.” (Job 40:12) “I the LORD kill and bring to life; I bring down to Sheol and raise up. I make poor and make rich; I bring low and I exalt.” (1 Samuel 2:6–7) “I have scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; I have brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate.” (Luke 1:51–52) And so it will be forever, O God. You rule over all, with an everlasting rule, for the sake of the lowly who trust Your Son. “I live forever, for my dominion is an everlasting dominion, and my kingdom endures from generation to generation.” (Daniel 4:34) “My dominion shall not pass away, and my kingdom shall not be destroyed.” (Daniel 7:14) “My Son will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:33) Therefore, overflowing with praise and thanks, O precious and holy God, we rest in Your absolute sovereignty over our lives. May we always rejoice to hear you say, “Your times are in My hand.” (Psalm 31:15) Amen. == Note: All passages have been paraphrased for emphasis. Source: “Plunge Your Mind into the Ocean of God’s Sovereignty”, John Piper Reaching new people – regardless of wherever they are at in their faith – should always be the norm of our churches. In Matthew 28, Jesus tells us to “Go into all the world…” not to wait for people to come to us. Evangelism, therefore, should always be in our hearts. Here are three things that will help create a culture of evangelism in your church. 1. Reaching people is recognized a Kingdom culture Regardless of what congregation you’re a part of, and regardless of what country and culture you live in, reaching people should be a part of our culture. It’s our job as Christians to represent Jesus, and Jesus’ heart was always for people. Evangelism is a Kingdom-culture.
2. Everyone is welcome.
What’s the experience of a new person at your church? It’s so important that every person who walks inside your church knows that they are welcome. The Gospel is for every one -- and to make any implication that anyone could be shunned for the way they dress or the way they move is a disservice to the Gospel that we are called to serve. The reality is, a lot of people love God and want to be more engaged with God, but they are not sure about the Church. If we’re going to be the Church, we need to represent Jesus. We need to be motivated by love and allow people to get plugged into healthy community, not create religious barriers that hold them back. 3. The congregation is able to preach the Gospel. The reality is, not everyone is called to be an Evangelist in the mold of Billy Graham or Reinhard Bonnke – but we are all called to be witnesses. We can’t necessarily cross oceans to reach people, but we can cross the street and say hello to our neighbor. Equip yourself to reach people however you can. The Word is not just something to heard on Sundays but is all the more something that can be applied in everyday lives Monday to Saturday. People in an evangelistic church make the most of their sphere of influence, and understands that they are to be open to what the Holy Spirit wants to do in and through them. London, 1743.
"Messiah", a musical masterpiece by George Frideric Handel, was about to be performed in England for the very first time. The Biblical narrative put into music and harmony filled the air of the auditorium that day, slowly weighing over those who hear it: nobles, important members of Parliament, businessmen, even the King of England himself. As the first notes of the triumphant Hallelujah Chorus rang out, the king was so moved that he rose to his feet and stood as a gesture of honor. And as the people found the monarch standing up, everyone in the audience also followed suit and started standing up. Soon, the entire host was standing as the be series of Hallelujahs filled the auditorium. It would soon become a custom for future audiences all across the world to stand whenever the Chorus is performed. "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another." Love is a universally-accepted thing. It is something every person—man or woman, Christian or Muslim, atheist, agnostic or otherwise—strives to obtain. Love is something we all know about and yearn for.
To love at all is a privilege, and we think it’s an amazing privilege that the presence of love for one another is what Christ intended to be the main distinctive of the Church. But nowadays, the terms “Christian” and “love” somehow to do not necessarily intertwine that much anymore. The world would even more likely relate Christians with rules, bigotry and even hypocrisy. In as much as we deny, we would find these tags more or less true, hurtful to our egos as it may be. If we’re claiming that Christ is real, if we’re claiming that He indwells in us – which is a radical claim – then we ought to look different. We ought to live lives so exceptional that one is left without a natural explanation. Now, all of us could go find ourselves a mirror, stare at ourselves at the face and ask: "Is this even possible?". Somehow, we know that left to our own capacity, the love we could extend would only be limited to our own selfish interest. There are always two sides in every celebration: the thankfulness and gratitude as we look back and the excitement and expectation in moving forward. As we at Joy in Christ would be celebrating another anniversary this September, it is our hope to not only for us to look back with grateful hearts, but to be motivated to move forward, as well.
The Church (with the capital “C”)’s existence has always been about Jesus and will be always be because of Jesus. All that we do is fueled, motivated and propelled by Him. And so, we considered this as we looked for a way to best capture our theme this year, “Advancing God’s Kingdom”. We hope to not just create another graphics set; we hope to create a meaningful campaign to work with for times to come. To do this, we decided to play with the idea of flags this 2016. There is so much history and symbolism within flags, with each element imbibed in each one carrying a depth of meaning and deep significance. When the first official Philippine flag was raised more than a century ago, along with it came a flood of emotion and pride, as it signified the birth of a sovereign nation and the identity of the Filipino people & the first Asian republic. Each element in the flag carried meaning, from the Sun and Stars, to its red, white and blue fields. |
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