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How do we put together the law of the Old Testament and the love of Christ’s message in the New Testament? This is one of the greatest challenges many face in their journey of reading scripture, and yet the law of the Old and New Testaments add up to the same thing: Love the Lord your God, love your neighbor as yourself.

How do we put together the law of the Old Testament and the love of Christ’s message in the New Testament? This is one of the greatest challenges many face in their journey of reading scripture, and yet the law of the Old and New Testaments add up to the same thing: Love the Lord your God, love your neighbor as yourself.

Acts 6. The New Heaven and the New Earth. God’s final work of the cosmos is done, and humanity lives in fully restored relationship with God and the rest of creation. This is where we’re headed. That ending is inevitable. In the meantime, while we’re still in Act 5, what is our responsibility towards moving us to that grand finale? Heaven has a lot of descriptions, but what will it be really? It’s a feast; a banquet. There is no more hurting or pain, but instead there is love and community. Will we be there? Will everyone be there? What is necessary for us to get to experience Heaven? Like any finale for a series, there are a lot of questions to be answered. The one thing we can say with confidence is: It will all be set right. What started Good will end Good.

Acts 6. The New Heaven and the New Earth. God’s final work of the cosmos is done, and humanity lives in fully restored relationship with God and the rest of creation. This is where we’re headed. That ending is inevitable. In the meantime, while we’re still in Act 5, what is our responsibility towards moving us to that grand finale? Heaven has a lot of descriptions, but what will it be really? It’s a feast; a banquet. There is no more hurting or pain, but instead there is love and community. Will we be there? Will everyone be there? What is necessary for us to get to experience Heaven? Like any finale for a series, there are a lot of questions to be answered. The one thing we can say with confidence is: It will all be set right. What started Good will end Good.

Last week, the church leaders came to an understanding on how the Christian way of life was applicable for both Jews and Gentiles. The timing was perfect because the church was rapidly expanding into different nations and regions. What the early church leaders quickly realized was the universal nature of Jesus’s message of grace and redemption. Paul began to plant church communities in different cities, appealing to the culture and language of that group. (e.g. When Paul was writing to a culture that venerated military service, he used military analogy and language.) This same universality of the Church continues to exist today. The church is rapidly expanding in different countries such as those in Africa and Asia. Yet it is also growing in areas around the US. Every time we engage with other stories, backgrounds, and cultures, we have the opportunity to see God in a deeper and more meaningful way. Paul discusses God from several different perspectives in his Epistles, and as a result, the language used around God reflects the people he was writing to. None of this contradicts itself, and in every letter, we see a fuller picture of God.

Last week, the church leaders came to an understanding on how the Christian way of life was applicable for both Jews and Gentiles. The timing was perfect because the church was rapidly expanding into different nations and regions. What the early church leaders quickly realized was the universal nature of Jesus’s message of grace and redemption. Paul began to plant church communities in different cities, appealing to the culture and language of that group. (e.g. When Paul was writing to a culture that venerated military service, he used military analogy and language.) This same universality of the Church continues to exist today. The church is rapidly expanding in different countries such as those in Africa and Asia. Yet it is also growing in areas around the US. Every time we engage with other stories, backgrounds, and cultures, we have the opportunity to see God in a deeper and more meaningful way. Paul discusses God from several different perspectives in his Epistles, and as a result, the language used around God reflects the people he was writing to. None of this contradicts itself, and in every letter, we see a fuller picture of God.

John of Patmos, or John the Revelator, offers us the final piece of scripture to round out the bible. The book of Revelation has long been the most misunderstood aspect of scripture since its inception. It is and apocalyptic writing that was customary at the time. Apocalyptic in this context is not world ending destruction however, but instead it is a great unveiling of previously unknown information. In this case, it is full of fantastical imagery, wild prophecy, and laced through it all is the image of Christ and his final redemption of the world. Much like every other book of the Bible, the words in these pages are historical, contextual, and relevant to our daily lives. The imagery of the beasts in Revelation are specific references to worldly people, groups, and events happening to the early church when this was written. WYet we can find meaning in those images for our lives as well. The questions for us to ponder in this book is why it was written, what were all these confusing symbols representing, and what do they mean for us today. More importantly, how do we understand the importance of revelation today? What is the difference between the words of these pages, and the words of the preachers of St. Andrew? Or any other church leader for that matter? Can we have revelation, and if so, how do we recognize it?  

John of Patmos, or John the Revelator, offers us the final piece of scripture to round out the bible. The book of Revelation has long been the most misunderstood aspect of scripture since its inception. It is and apocalyptic writing that was customary at the time. Apocalyptic in this context is not world ending destruction however, but instead it is a great unveiling of previously unknown information. In this case, it is full of fantastical imagery, wild prophecy, and laced through it all is the image of Christ and his final redemption of the world. Much like every other book of the Bible, the words in these pages are historical, contextual, and relevant to our daily lives. The imagery of the beasts in Revelation are specific references to worldly people, groups, and events happening to the early church when this was written. WYet we can find meaning in those images for our lives as well. The questions for us to ponder in this book is why it was written, what were all these confusing symbols representing, and what do they mean for us today. More importantly, how do we understand the importance of revelation today? What is the difference between the words of these pages, and the words of the preachers of St. Andrew? Or any other church leader for that matter? Can we have revelation, and if so, how do we recognize it?  

John of Patmos, or John the Revelator, offers us the final piece of scripture to round out the bible. The book of Revelation has long been the most misunderstood aspect of scripture since its inception. It is and apocalyptic writing that was customary at the time. Apocalyptic in this context is not world ending destruction however, but instead it is a great unveiling of previously unknown information. In this case, it is full of fantastical imagery, wild prophecy, and laced through it all is the image of Christ and his final redemption of the world. Much like every other book of the Bible, the words in these pages are historical, contextual, and relevant to our daily lives. The imagery of the beasts in Revelation are specific references to worldly people, groups, and events happening to the early church when this was written. WYet we can find meaning in those images for our lives as well. The questions for us to ponder in this book is why it was written, what were all these confusing symbols representing, and what do they mean for us today. More importantly, how do we understand the importance of revelation today? What is the difference between the words of these pages, and the words of the preachers of St. Andrew? Or any other church leader for that matter? Can we have revelation, and if so, how do we recognize it?  

John of Patmos, or John the Revelator, offers us the final piece of scripture to round out the bible. The book of Revelation has long been the most misunderstood aspect of scripture since its inception. It is and apocalyptic writing that was customary at the time. Apocalyptic in this context is not world ending destruction however, but instead it is a great unveiling of previously unknown information. In this case, it is full of fantastical imagery, wild prophecy, and laced through it all is the image of Christ and his final redemption of the world. Much like every other book of the Bible, the words in these pages are historical, contextual, and relevant to our daily lives. The imagery of the beasts in Revelation are specific references to worldly people, groups, and events happening to the early church when this was written. WYet we can find meaning in those images for our lives as well. The questions for us to ponder in this book is why it was written, what were all these confusing symbols representing, and what do they mean for us today. More importantly, how do we understand the importance of revelation today? What is the difference between the words of these pages, and the words of the preachers of St. Andrew? Or any other church leader for that matter? Can we have revelation, and if so, how do we recognize it?  

As the church moved to welcome in both Jew and Gentile, a natural division remained. This division spawned many questions as to what was expected of the Gentiles in order to claim their faith fully. The Jews had served as a fraternity or sorority of sorts, having passed down traditions and culture for generations. Their natural question was obviously, “Should these new members not do what we had to do?” Gathering for a Council in Acts, Peter and Paul help lead a debate between whether new Gentile believers must be circumcised to be saved. While this was a specific question of tradition, how it was settled would set the precedent on how every debate about Christian practices would be settled. The church ultimately decided that circumcision was not necessary because the Gentiles were saved by grace through faith. It was also determined that there was specific things which are necessary in the faith, such as not worshipping other idols. To this day, we must see what are the things that we ought to do as a result of having faith, and what are the things which we can do but are not essential for our faith to flourish.

As the church moved to welcome in both Jew and Gentile, a natural division remained. This division spawned many questions as to what was expected of the Gentiles in order to claim their faith fully. The Jews had served as a fraternity or sorority of sorts, having passed down traditions and culture for generations. Their natural question was obviously, “Should these new members not do what we had to do?” Gathering for a Council in Acts, Peter and Paul help lead a debate between whether new Gentile believers must be circumcised to be saved. While this was a specific question of tradition, how it was settled would set the precedent on how every debate about Christian practices would be settled. The church ultimately decided that circumcision was not necessary because the Gentiles were saved by grace through faith. It was also determined that there was specific things which are necessary in the faith, such as not worshipping other idols. To this day, we must see what are the things that we ought to do as a result of having faith, and what are the things which we can do but are not essential for our faith to flourish.