REVELATION FOR THE REST OF US

This past Sunday, we began our first journey into the Book of Revelation. Our current series focuses on the seven letters to the churches in chapters 2 and 3. Then, starting November 2, we’ll spend four weeks exploring the rest of the book.

I shared yesterday that I approach this text with some hesitation — not because I doubt its value, but because Revelation is a challenging book to read on its own, and even more so when many of us come to it with assumptions and preconceived ideas.

I want to explain why we are taking this next step together:

We are committed to digging into the Bible — even the hard parts — so that we can more fully discover who God is and who we are called to be in light of His love.

So, onward we go!

To help us stay aligned as we move forward, here are a few guiding principles for how we approach Revelation:

  1. Start with the text itself — not your assumptions. We want to hear what the Spirit is saying through Scripture, not just what we’ve always thought about it.

  2. Read Revelation in its original context. As with all of Scripture, Revelation was written for us but not to us. It was penned for specific churches in Asia Minor, in a particular time and place.

    “When we come to the book of Revelation, we must come with a disciplined imagination, a praying heart, and a reasoning mind.” — Michael Bird and N.T. Wright

  3. Keep the whole of Scripture in mind. Revelation is saturated with Old Testament imagery and allusions. We can’t fully understand it apart from the larger story of the Bible.

  4. Read it in community. The Revelation is meant to be wrestled with together, within the community of faith.

Resources I’m Using for this Series:

I am excited about this journey together. As we dig into God’s Word, I believe we will discover a deeper sense of His love and life and our call to overcome whatever trials we may face.

Join us this Sunday for Week Two in this beautiful, challenging book!

— Pastor Jay