THE BLOG
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A Millennial Primer on the End Times
Last Sunday, we shared a very brief look at the various Millennial viewpoints about the end times. The Millennium is about the thousand-year reign of Christ mentioned six times in Revelation 20:2–7. The word is derived from two Latin words: mille, which means “a thousand” and annus, which means “years.” The period is used to place other end times beliefs in an order around the Millennium.
There are three primary beliefs about the Millennium (thousand year reign of Christ):
Don’t Mess with the Abominable
If you trace the word “abomination” or “horrid” or “detestable” in Scripture, you quickly find out what God despises or hates or what just disgusts Him (the meaning of the words). Those words simply reveal what is repugnant to God and His people in relationship to religion and morality. It’s not a fun word to trace, but it is very revealing.
The Big & Little F of Faithfulness
What a memorable day we had this past Sunday thanking and praising God for His great Faithfulness toward us, His gospel, and His Word over the past 40 years. He uniquely displays the big F of Faithfulness. We could never thank Him enough for sticking with us, yet it is also true that the Lord has been honored by those who have been faithful to Him and His church these past 40 years as well. These have modelled the little f of faithfulness to the Lord and His church.
GO with the Gospel
Recently, our CCFW leadership team has been reflecting on some important questions about outreach in our city: “How can we reach the lost for Christ?” “Who is our target population as a church?” and “How can we equip our people for more effective evangelism?” While all these questions are crucial, we have realized that at the heart of them lies a fundamental need—a personal desire to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Be Compassionate
We learned this past Sunday in our new series on “Go,” how compassionate our great God is. He sees and understands our weakness and need better than anyone else and He sympathizes with us. He truly cares.
Make Up of our Mission Field
Last week I shared some “Fast Facts” about the demographics of the United States and the church. This week, I will share some of the demographics of our local Federal Way mission field which trickles out into the surrounding cities. As you read about the diversity of our local area, ask the Lord to burden your heart for those who are spiritually blind and lost and need the life-transforming message of the gospel.
Makeup of U.S. & Church
I read the following “Fast Facts” this week from Lifeway Research about some of the demographics of the United States and the church. These give us some insight into our mission field as well as faith beliefs and church life. Take a moment to think about what these numbers might tell you about the needs and opportunities we have in and outside the church.
U.S. Population: 330 million (Global Population: 7.7 billion)
Population by Region: 17.1% (Northeast); 20.8% (Midwest); 23.9% (West); 38.3% (South)
What is God’s Will for my Life?
One of the often asked questions from believers is “What is God’s will for my life?” Generally, this question revolves around wanting to figure God’s will for a career, a spouse, or a big decision, among other things. This last week I was asked about God’s will for the salvation of unbelievers. Peter wrote, “This Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Joy in Suffering?
While driving Annie and her car home from school this week, we listened to a podcast by John Piper on Why God Wills Suffering for the Children He Loves. This presentation was given to a group of pastors and their wives in Hawaii back in 2014, and he focused his presentation on the connection of joy and suffering in Scripture. It was powerful, and I thought it would be well worth passing along some of the highlights, since suffering can tend to sideline us unless we keep God’s perspective in mind. If you’d like to listen to the entire 15-minute presentation, you can do so.
