Welcome

The following overview of the letters to the seven churches will include a brief consideration of what constitutes a church with Christ as the head. It will also consider how we might view these seven letters with respect to our individual responsibilities as members of one of Christ’s ‘golden lampstands’ (Rev. 1:20). Ultimately, if Jesus was writing to our ecclesia, what might the letter contain - would we be pleased with its contents?

In Rev. 1:9, John records how he found himself on the island of Patmos. It was “…on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus.” Some think that Paul had been exiled on the island by the Romans as a means of silencing him, probably at the initiative of Jewish opposition.

Readings: Judges 16; Isaiah 39; 2 Peter 3

When we have a garment such as a white shirt or blouse, but there is a stain on it, our eyes are drawn to the stain.  In the same way, when there are men and women of strong faith, we remember their good deeds but it’s often not long before we mention the one time when they made a mistake.  The garment is mostly clean but sadly it’s the stain that draws the eye.

In the Old Testament readings for today, we find two faithful men who, despite being very different from one another, share a common fault.  However, we shouldn’t be quick to judge as their fault is something that we are all prone to in our lives.

The letter of James: In the first study of this series, we considered the letter of James as an example of ‘wisdom’ writing, both for the way in which James uses common images and analogies from the natural world and human life, and for his emphasis on putting faith into practice – being ‘doers’ of the Word (James 1:22). In both the style and content of his teaching, James was following the example of his older brother Jesus, the supreme embodiment of God’s wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30).

Readings: Judges 4-5; Isaiah 32; James 2

In our reading from the Book of Judges we see how the natural way of man follows a downward path. Israel had lost the strong leadership of Moses and Joshua and now, as they continue to come into the land of promise, they are going to find out that strong leadership is something which would be sadly lacking.

In fact, as early as Judges 2:2 we read that the angel of the Lord had to remonstrate with Israel because they had turned their backs on the instruction which they had been given, which was to destroy the enemy, throw down their alters, conquer the land and live in peace. The angel asks the simple question, ‘Why haven’t you obeyed’?

Perhaps one of the largest changes to be experienced by the saints in GODs Kingdom will be the use and appreciation of their time. So much of this mortal life is devoted to some kind of work, whether that be a career, time and effort spent looking after family members and friends or more generally being busy arranging and organising things in our lives. Often fitting in all the tasks we have to do can become overwhelming and seem impossible. Have we ever finished an arduous task in our lives only to look and find more work has mounted up in the free time we hoped to have created for ourselves?

Readings: Joshua 18; Isaiah 24; Hebrews 6-7

I want us to think about the exhortation we find in the epistle to the Hebrews; so, let us begin by setting the scene. The book is written to the Jewish (Hebrews) believers in Christ, and is clearly written about an issue that is being observed amongst this group. So, what is the issue? The writer is accusing the Jews of returning to the Mosaic Law, even though they had forsaken the things of the Law when they were baptised. In fact, the Judaizers were even teaching that the Law needed to be kept. The writer is then going to show, using principles of the Law, that Christ has fulfilled the Law and done away with it:

Part 1 – James and Jesus

The family of Jesus

We first read of James the Lord’s brother early on in the gospel accounts, when the people of Jesus’ home town of Nazareth question his authority because his mother, sisters and brothers are known to them (Mark 6:2-3). It also seems that James, and Jesus’ other family members, sometimes accompanied him in the early days of his ministry (John 2:12).

Readings: Joshua 11; Isaiah 15; 2 Timothy 1

In our Old Testament reading today we are with Joshua and the Children of Israel in the battle to take the Promised Land.

Joshua was a great military general, perhaps the greatest Israel ever had, the man chosen by God to lead His people into the land that would become Israel. We first meet him in Exodus 17. The Israelites were ambushed by Amalek and, in a battle that lasted all day, Joshua put them to the sword opening up the way to Mt. Sinai.

The Dome of the Rock, which sits atop the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, is so called because it encloses a rock – which is probably the most famous rock in the world. It is thought by Moslems to contain an imprint that was made by Muhammad’s donkey’s hoof as the prophet ascended to heaven. It also contains a square level imprint which is the exact dimensions of the Ark of the Covenant, and there is every reason to believe that this rock was the location of the Holy of Holies, of Solomon’s Temple.*

The Temple Rock