In an Uncivil War: The Apocalypse of John. keynotes. Lipscomb University Summer Celebration

Transcription

1 In an Uncivil War: keynotes Lipscomb University Summer Celebration 2015

2 Chris Seidman Minister at The Branch Church A Call to Arms (Revelation 1:1-11) 1. Chris opened the message on Revelation 1:1-11 by talking about how we so often get ourselves into trouble when attempting to interpret Revelation because we don t take into account its context i.e. what was going on at the time, who it was written to, etc. Can you think of a time when you came to the wrong conclusions about what someone was saying because you didn t know the context of their discussion? Maybe you walked into the middle of a conversation? Or maybe they used a word that you thought meant one thing, when in fact it meant another? 2. When you were growing up what did you think Revelation was about? 3. Believers then were facing two great challenges in their world the persecution and seduction of the Roman Empire. When you think about the culture in which we live as believers today, which is more prevalent in your opinion the persecution or seduction of believers by our culture? Which have you experienced more personally? 4. Chris talked about the word apocalypse and apocalyptic literature. Do you remember what apocalypse means? 1. What s your biggest takeaway from this opening message from Revelation? 2. Chris told a story about a snake his grandfather had killed by chopping off the head and what happened next. What was his point and how did it speak to you in what you re walking through right now? 3. Revelation 1 begins with a vision of Jesus large and in charge. How does this inform how you face either the seduction of our culture or persecution by our culture right now? Is there something practical you are being called to do between now and the next time the group meets? 5. Can you think of a time when you experienced the curtain being pulled back and you realized there was more going on than what meets the eye? Summer Celebration Keynotes

3 Chris Altrock Minister at Highland Church of Christ Our King (Revelation 1:12-20) 1. Chris shared how, for a season, his family s life was centered on his daughter s high school graduation. Can you share a time when you life was centered on a particular event or issue? How did that impact the other areas of your life? 2. Chris suggested that sometimes we may celebrate Jesus but we don t necessarily center on Jesus. We make him significant but not central. Can you think of an example of that in your own life? 3. Chris proposed that churches are at their strongest when Jesus is at their center. What does a church look like when Jesus is at the center? 4. How does a church decide what traditions/preferences to push to the side so that Jesus is more central? 5. Chris suggested that what even the most cynical and hardened none or millennial is looking for today is Jesus. Do you agree/disagree? Why? 1. Draw a circle. Put a cross in the middle. If that middle represents a life completely centered on Jesus, where would you put your own life in that circle? What steps could you take to center more on Jesus? 2. If you surveyed three people in your community, how would they answer this question: When you think of our church, what is one word that comes to mind? What is one step your church could take so that more people would answer that question with Jesus? Summer Celebration Keynotes

4 Dean Barham Minister at Woodmont Hills Church of Christ God s Deployment (Revelation 2-3) 1. How might it be different to read the book of Revelation more with our 8-year-old eyes with our imagination and creativity instead of decoding or unlocking it? What images from Jesus prophetic words impact you most and why? How have we perhaps fallen prey to taming and domesticating Jesus, and how might this imaginative reading help us encounter Jesus for who he really is? 2. Identify for each of the churches all of the specific affirmations Jesus gives (the good things about which Jesus says I know ) and all of the specific warnings Jesus gives ( yet I have this against you ). Which of these strikes you as most relevant and convicting for you and for our world today? Are there particular churches or situations in our world that you have known that remind you of any of these churches Jesus discusses here? 3. One of the final elements in each letter of Jesus is a promise, the collage of images discussed in the message. Which of these promises resonate most with you? Describe a time when God brought his promise and hope into a difficult or seemingly hopeless situation in your life? 1. Imagine that there was an eighth letter from Jesus to the churches, and Jesus was writing it to your church, or to your family, or to your small group. Try writing what you believe the Spirit would say today. What would Jesus know and affirm? What would Jesus challenge by saying yet I hold this against you? What other words of promise and hope might he speak to encourage you to pursue God s heart and not give up hope? 2. Take the time to write a note, letter or word of encouragement to someone who has been part of God s revelation of Jesus in your life. Maybe it is a friend who is struggling. Maybe it is a mentor or teacher who has blessed your life in some way. Or perhaps it is your eldership, ministers or church leaders. Take the time to do what Jesus did for the churches in Asia: tell them that you have noticed the good they have done for God in the world and that it matters to you. Summer Celebration Keynotes

5 Paul Prill Minister at Acklen Avenue Church of Christ Coronation (Revelation 4-5) 1. Why would anyone describe worship as a political activity? What specifically makes it political at the same time that it is ritual and celebration? 2. Should Christians in democratic countries engage in the culture wars? If yes, why? If no, why not? 3. How should worship inform our response to the culture wars? As oppressed as persecuted Christians, the first hearers of Revelation knew they could not change culture but could worship the one who could. How does this help us? 4. What do we learn from the life of Jesus about being ministers of reconciliation? How would you characterize the nature of his relationships with those he encountered? How did that change or not change based on their socioeconomic status, their ethnicity or the nature of their illness or sin? 1. As you read Revelation 4 and 5, make a list of all of the songs that your congregation sings or has sung which draw inspiration and lyrics from these two chapters. What words related to politics appear in these songs (power, kingdom, etc.)? To whom do these political words apply in Revelation and in these songs? Do you notice any difference in the songs of contemporary praise music and the words of older hymns? If so, what has been lost and gained in some of the newer songs? 2. Invite someone to coffee or lunch who does not share your political or social views. Meet several times and talk about your faith and your conversation partner s faith. Try to avoid obvious differences in church practice (use of instruments, frequency of communion, etc.). What do you learn about that person s approaches to the world and its opportunities and challenges? How much do you share in common in your understanding of God and God s Son and what God has done in Christ? What do you learn about the nature of the church and being ministers of reconciliation from these meetings? Summer Celebration Keynotes

6 Randy Harris & Kent Brantly Highland Church of Christ Southside Church of Christ The Fallen (Revelation 6-8) 1. After the triumphant worship of Revelation 4-5, we find God s people confronted with pure evil. How does a worshipping community deal differently with the realities of war, famine, disease and death? 2. The seven seals, like a seven-point message, piles one evil upon another. Is there a sense in which Revelation reveals that to be human means we are most always being confronted with a new evil in our world? How has this been true for you? 3. If the white horse is an image of the victorious Christ, then the red horse of War, the black horse of Famine and the pale horse of Death seem to be following right behind him. How do you see both Christ and Pure Evil as mutually present in your worldview? Is there a danger of forgetting the white horse and its rider in the midst of the ever-present news cycle of today? 1. Determine to spend your first hour each day in worship, focusing upon the perspective of the white horse before getting caught up in the news of the day. When the grim news of war, famine and death hits the newsstand, be ready to remind yourself to view the world from the perspective of the rider of the white horse. Let worship each morning reset your worldview. 4. James tells us that the evils that war against us rage from inside each of us (James 4:1-2). How do we contribute collectively to the evils at work in the world? In what ways might we contrite to the troubles of others without even realizing it? 2. For a week, determine to call evil what it really is: Evil. Join John and the other saints of Revelation in seeing our fallen world as a dark place when Christ is not present. Share your realizations about the nature of evil with others. 5. Evil is so pervasive, but in Revelation 7:9-11 we see a multitude of God s faithful standing for God against it. In what ways, like what Kent Brantly did in Liberia, are we called to stand with the multitude in the face of evil? 3. Read or reread The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Let this work give you fresh insights on the evils of our world. Share what you learn from your reading with the group. 4. Stand against evil in a tangible way. Show up, speak up, voice up or pay up but stand with Christ against evil. In so doing, stand with the oppressed and help them see the one on the white horse. Summer Celebration Keynotes

7 Randy Harris & Kent Brantly Highland Church of Christ Southside Church of Christ The Faithful (Revelation 9-11) 1. Jesus is called, the Faithful Witness in Revelation 1:5. But being a faithful witness could get someone killed read Kent Brantly s book Called for Life. In fact, the word for witness in Greek is our word today for martyr. What did Brantly risk to be a witness? What are we risking? 2. Witnesses speak about a reality few see a Kingdom vision. They tell how the world is supposed to be. How can we speak as a witness with a Kingdom vision for our piece of the world? Do we know how our world ought to be? 3. As a witness, John calls us to join him and eat this book (Rev. 10:9). As a witness, how do we assimilate the message of Christ and proclaim it to others? How is the message of Christ both a sweet one and a bitter one? 4. Much of today s social justice seems to be justice that often stands void of a kingdom message. How does eating the Word of God help us to be truly prophetic in a world clamoring for social justice? 5. It seems a true witness cannot be stopped (much like Brantly returning again to Liberia to combat Ebola). How is it true that real witness s message cannot be quieted, even in death? (See Revelation 14:13) 1. Join others in the prayers of a witness for patient endurance. Determine to pray that God raise up bold and courageous, compassionate and kind witnesses for Christ in our world today. 2. Commit to a deeper feeding upon the word of God. Before being prophetic, determine if your message comes from God s word or from culture. Let Scripture set your passions and your prophecy. 3. Consider how your witness for Christ is both sweet and bitter for you and also for your hearers. In what ways is your witness a sweet message? In what ways will it be hard for others to hear? Summer Celebration Keynotes

8 Joshua Jackson Connections Minister at North Atlanta Church of Christ The Battle Rages (Revelation 12-14) 1. How might being a Christian in a so-called Christian nation make it difficult to recognize the influence of Satan? Is it possible Jesus is neither a Republican or a Democrat and Satan is both? 2. What deeds might John be referring to in Revelation 14:13? 3. On multiple instances, the faithful are told to patiently endure. What might we need to patiently endure in today s world in order to remain faithful to God? 4. Revelation speaks of the discomfort that will come for those who are faithful to the Lamb as opposed to the world. Do you believe your Christian walk is too safe? Why or why not? 1. John s revelation speaks of those who have the mark of the lamb versus those with the marks of the beast. How might your life be different, if the only thing people knew about you was that you had the mark of the lamb? 2. Look for others who you admire in their devotion to Christ. Consider how they carry the mark of the lamb upon them. 5. What specific ways might your congregation aid in providing a filter for things of the world and assisting people in patiently enduring persecution? Summer Celebration Keynotes

9 Don McLaughlin Minister at North Atlanta Church of Christ The Final War (Revelation 15-18) 1. What drives our desire for God to bring a final judgment on our world? 2. What questions arise when we consider God pouring out his full wrath? 3. How might our desire to see others pay (for the hurt they have caused us and others) distort our expectations of God s judgment? 4. Discuss the response from the altar (comparing 16:7 with 6:9-11). How does turning all judgments and timing over to God challenge you? 5. Discuss God s response to the souls under the altar. How do you feel about being participants in God s final war, but not strategists? 6. A key component of this section is that God s wrath is being poured out on the prostitute and all who have been seduced by her favor (17:1-2; 18:3-19). But a voice from heaven calls the people of God to come out of her so that they will not share in her sins nor receive all her plagues (18:4). How might the church be complicit in the sins of the prostitute? How might those situations seem hypocritical to the world? 1. Read (together) Revelation 16:7 and 6:9-11. Share some of your heartaches and disappointments with the way God has intervened or not intervened in the injustices you have experienced or seen in our world. Pray with each other for strength to trust God in the midst of hardships. 2. Hospitality: Invite someone over for a meal who has experienced prejudice and/or discrimination. Prepare an atmosphere where they can feel safe and welcome to express exactly what they have been through. Ask them to help you better understand their life and experiences, even if you do not completely agree with their lifestyle or their ideas. Resist the urge to correct them or recast their situation in a light that better suits your opinions. Extend a loving invitation to continue these types of conversations in the future. Summer Celebration Keynotes

10 Buddy Bell Minister at Landmark Church of Christ Victory (Revelation 19-20) 1. What difference does it make in the way you watch a sporting event when you are watching a game you have taped and you know your team is going to win? 2. How does that analogy play out in our life when we read about our ULTIMATE VICTORY in Revelation 19 and 20? 3. What challenges are you facing as you live between the promise and the fulfillment? How does Satan use this time to discourage you? 4. Discuss the two pictures of victory given in these chapters (wedding feast and warrior king). Which do you relate to the most? Why? Why are both necessary? 5. What difference would it make in the way you live your life (behavior, attitude, reactions, emotions) if you truly believed that Jesus is on the throne and in charge? Be specific in your answer. 1. Read Revelation 19 and 20 and underline what stands out to you and gives you hope. Pray back through the chapter talking to God about what you have underlined. 2. Set up a victory celebration meal with fellow believers you are close to (it could be your family). Serve communion in the midst of the meal and talk about the victory we are promised in Christ. Spend time at the table sharing how you are already experiencing victory today. Spend time telling each other how you see the victory playing out in each other s lives. Summer Celebration Keynotes

11 Rick Atchley Minister at The Hills Palace Procession (Revelation 21-22) 1. Why is the full gospel bigger than just Jesus taking us to heaven? 2. Revelation ends with God coming to be with us. How does this with-ness change and empower our witness? 3. Revelation gives a real physicality to heaven. What are the implications of this and why is this good news? 4. Revelation calls us to live in the future tense. How do we do this and how does it help us in the present to live with the future in view? 5. How can the church be a sort of coming attractions to God s future? How do we embody now what is to be forever? 1. We are called to partner with God in the ultimate restoration movement. What does that look like for you and for your church? 2. What does it look like when heaven comes to Earth? Summer Celebration Keynotes