Monthly Archives: January 2014

The Three – Fallen Fallen

29 Wednesday Jan 2014

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I’ve been sharing some thoughts concerning the last message of warning given to a dying planet – Revelation 14:6-12. This message is for “those who dwell on the earth,” people who hate God and hate those who love God. It’s a message based in God’s great love because he desires to woo all people to his heart; the source of love and life.

In the second angel’s message we are introduced to a new character Babylon (new in this letter but actually a literal and symbolic enemy of God and those who love God). The book of Revelation reveals that Babylon seems to have almost godlike powers. She will have everyone “eating out of the palm of her hand” – all the kings of the earth and merchants commit “adultery” with her. She seems to have all the cards, control all the roads, have all the keys to all the doors. When the time comes, she will be able to inflict capital punishment upon those who rebel against her system.

As this comes into it’s fullness, all will seem lost. The night will grow very, very dark. We have seen and are now seeing what this looks like on smaller scales – genocides, atrocities, all the horrors that humanity inflicts upon itself and the word. If you can get the magnitude of this situation, if you can see just how serious this is, then perhaps you can see that the second angel’s message is one of hope.

Revelation 14:8 says: “Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city,”

The important part of this message is not Babylon. What is it? Is fallen, is fallen. The technical detail is that these words are repeated for emphasis and are what is called the prophetic perfect. Huh? What does that mean? Prophetic perfect means that this is a future event described in the past tense.

In other words, it means certainty; the end of Babylon is as sure as the air you are breathing, the earth spinning on it’s axis, that you are alive at this very moment.

For those who dwell on the earth, this is part of the urgent call to worship God before time runs out. See, some think that they are choosing between two equally viable options – God or whatever else they have given their heart to. NO! This message is loud and clear: the choice is between God and all other options that are collapsing under the weight of sin, depravity, and selfishness. Babylon is a sinkhole from which there is no escape once it begins to go down.

For those of us that know God and are known by God; you’ve put your life into his hands – what does this message say to you? As the darkness closes in; as the sword begins to fall; as the martyrs give their lives, the second Angel’s message is our God telling us is….”Hey _______, you have nothing to fear; Babylon’s fate is sealed; it’s destruction is sure; it’s something you can count on.”

God is shouting into all our hearts, “No matter how bad it gets, stick with me and I’ll get you home.”

Trust Me

28 Tuesday Jan 2014

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I am just completing a month of travelling and seminars. One thing I hear repeatedly in the seminars I attend is leaders must take time to show they are relationally trustworthy* before the team, committee, congregation, etc. will really engage with them as a leader.

It occurred to me that we don’t really talk about how the members of a team, committee, congregation, etc. also need to show they are relationally trustworthy. We talk about how leaders must be accountable (and they must be) without much emphasis on the same relational accountability for team members.

This probably sounds like a leader pity party but think about it for a minute. In the environments where we feel the most healthy – creative, appreciated and excited about what we are doing – trust is flowing BOTH ways. These are places and times when we feel safe enough to be vulnerable.

So maybe, for an organization to move towards being truly healthy, the best leader isn’t necessarily the person who has it all together and never makes mistakes thereby “proving” they can be trusted. After all, a manipulative and self-seeking person could do that. Rather, it’s the person who is willing to be vulnerable first, to be the first to step into the fray and to engage with people as a real person; even with those who haven’t demonstrated trust or worse, have demonstrated untrustworthiness.

*I am saying relationally trustworthy to distinguish it from technical competency; trusting a person to complete a task. In one of my past workplaces the office administrator could be trusted to get things done and she worked very hard to ensure customer satisfaction. At the same time, she was harshly critical and judgmental. Get it?

Failed to Deliver

25 Saturday Jan 2014

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I’m not a prophet or the son of a prophet. I don’t have visions or apocalyptic dreams. However, I do have an over-active imagination and under the right conditions (late night popcorn seems to help) I’ve had dreams that wake me with a pounding heart and a brokenness before God that changes my life. Here’s a dream like that from earlier this year.

The dream was set in Daytona Beach, probably because my wife, two sons and I were planning to vacation there. As in our plans, our daughter and grandson would be staying home. So in the dream we were at the beach. My wife and sons were down by the water but I went into the hotel restaurant to take a break from the heat. On the TV, the news was all about a string of disasters that were happening all over the world. These disasters were unusually huge and widespread and more were happening even as they reported the last one. The realization swept over me – this was it, the end the Bible talks about; the world was turning inside out as the Son was about to return.*

Anyway, in the dream I had to get outside and tell my wife and sons. I ran out to the beach, and I saw them laying on the sand. They didn’t see what I could see. The sky had changed and the tide had pulled so far back from the shore that I couldn’t see the water. I knew what was coming – there would be a wave rushing toward us in minutes. I wanted us to get to high ground before the water came crashing back in. I called to them, yelled to them, to come in. We had to get to the top floor before the wave came and, more importantly, to see Jesus returning.**

We were together, running into the hotel. At the stairwell to the roof, it hit me that I need to tell my daughter. Even though I had cell reception the call was not connecting. I quickly typed up a text.

I wanted to tell her that everything was going to be okay. I wanted to tell her not to panic, to hold her son close and pray, to remember the things that we taught her that most of the time it seemed she was in a hurry to forget. Most of all, I wanted to tell her to hold fast to faith in Christ because I wanted her to be among the rescued; I wanted to see her and my grandson again and enjoy the blessed hope we long for.

I pressed the send button.
The wave was coming, the sky was tearing apart, but I held fast. I was so desperate to tell her all the things I should have told her the day, week, month or year before.
I held by breath as I watched the little sending indication line move across the top of the screen; the one that tells you the message is going out.

Then the screen updated: Failed to deliver.

 

*The second coming will be a joyful time – think of your best friend who you haven’t seen for years is flying in to see you. At the same time, there is an anxiety. What’s going to happen when you see your friend again; will you hug, will they be the way you thought they would be, will they land okay and all that stuff? Also, while I have faith in Christ and in his resurrection power, I’m not in a hurry to die in a landslide, flood or earthquake.
**When the world collapses, you can’t get high enough – Tower of Babel much? Our security is found only in The Lord. You can be on high ground, low ground, or even in the ground and it won’t make a difference because if you have put your life in his hands you place with him is assured. And by the way, there will be some significant and key signs before this event so it will be unlikely we will be vacationing at Daytona Beach when it happens. Remember this is just a dream.