2016 Reading Plan

For Relevant Readings this year we will continue to read through the New Testament in a year. We are going to change the order a bit though. Our new plan will split up the gospels throughout the year and grouping the writing according to authors. For example, Luke and Acts were both written by Luke, so we will read them consecutively. John's gospel, his epistles and Revelation will be read together, etc. Since Paul has written 13 New Testament letter, we will divide his writing into three categories: General Epistles, Prison Epistles & Pastoral Epistles. 

Here is the order we will be reading:

Rv20

John's gospel and epistles make much of God's love and goodness. His final writings recorded here make much of God's final and permanent judgement! There is a certain hell for all those who refuse to repent and believe. This too, is a letter written in love.

God is slow to anger and slow to bring about His final judgement, but God's love and justice demands this awful penalty against sin! It is hard to think about. It is sometimes hard to believe. But it is no less true! 

When I was a child I was often afraid of "going to hell". Sometimes that fear was prematurely placed on me by zealous christians using scare tactics. Sometimes the fear was well founded and being placed in my heart by a loving God. Fear of death should keep us from doing stupid things! Fear of hell should cause us to turn to Jesus.

Hell was not created for people. Only those who reject Jesus will be punished there. 

Rv19

Merry Christmas!

"Hallelujah! Salvation, glory, and power belong to our God…Praise our God, all who fear Him, both small and great…Hallelujah, because our Lord God, the Almighty, has begun to reign! Let us be glad, rejoice, and give Him glory" - Rv.19

These verses will be the lyrics of the saints in the final days, and these should be the lyrics on our lips at Christmas! We celebrate Christ's coming to save us all today. Enjoy your time with God and family!

Jesus is the "KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS."

Merry Christmas

Rv18

It is an abrupt thing to read revelation 18 on Christmas Eve. Babylon was destroyed for her sinfulness and refusal to honor and worship the One true God. Babylon wallowed in wealth and sexual immorality. She refused to worship God. It makes me wonder how similar Babylon and America are.

This is the time we should worship Jesus' coming! Christmas is celebrated because of Jesus. But I wonder. Will there be much worship happening today and tomorrow? Will we truly give honor to the things that are honorable, or will we simply shower gifts on ourselves? Giving more to those who already have more than 99.9 % of the rest of the world?

If we were to celebrate Christ's coming in a way that would truly honor Him, what would be different? How would we refocus our energy? It's something to consider. 

Worship Jesus today.

Rv17

John describes those who will be saved with two words, "chosen and faithful". Earlier in this chapter he refers to the "book if life" and says that names have been written in it from the "foundation of the world"!

To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege. Salvation is primarily a work of God and there is nothing we can do in ourselves to create a sincere desire for God. Wanting to know Him comes from Him. I believe those who have been chosen sense their need for God in a deep way. We long to know Him. We feel the guilt of our sinfulness. We know without Christ's forgiveness, we will not be saved.

I have also noticed that there are many who "claim" to know God, yet seem to have no desire to know Him. Every act of obedience is duty and not delight. Following God's word and ways is a chore and they are rarely enthusiastic about the things of God. It makes me wonder.

Faithfulness is a joy! Those who are chosen live a faithful life. Not from duty, but rather, from delight. We want to honor Jesus. We delight in His word. We hunger and thirst for God on a daily basis. We are seldom satisfied with the things of this world and are most deeply encouraged by the works of God.

What a blessing to be among the chosen and faithful.

Rv16

In the end, God will pour out His wrath on earth! And what will be the response of the people? They "will not repent or give Him glory!" Wow.

God's mercy and forgiveness are being poured out every day for those who will repent and worship Him. His expectation in NOT that we don't sin, but rather, that we confess our sin and seek His forgiveness. His anger is not against man's sin. His anger is against man's unrepentance!

We need to measure our hearts. Are we truly sorry for the sins that we commit? Do we cling to them as acceptable and hope God will simply overlook them in the end? Or are we grieved over our sin? Do we seek to confess and forsake sin every day? Are we conscience and aware of how our sin effects our relationship with God?

Make this christmas season a time of confession and worship! It's good practice. It's a good life habit.

Rv15

I can't remember the last time I heard a teaching on "The Wrath of God". Can you? We often talk of God's love, mercy and forgiveness, but rarely discuss His coming and certain wrath!

We have a saying in our culture: "Two things are certain; death and taxes." We should adjust this statement when we talk about God. Two things are certain; death and judgement! Either we will suffer the wrath of God or we will experience His mercy through Jesus.

This is what makes christmas so special. Jesus came as a man. Lived a perfect life. Died a sinners death, so we could escape God's certain wrath and judgement against sin. Jesus took God's wrath on Himself for us! If we believe, we will escape the wrath of God.

What better gift could we ask for than this? Merry Christmas. 

Rv14

We will all worship! Either we will choose to worship now or we will be forced to worship in the final judgement. I am grateful to be among the former! I can't wait to actually be in a choir that sounds awesome and my voice is adding to the volume.

This year we had a choir in our christmas production. Choirs are pretty uncommon in our church. I have to confess, the choir was amazing! In fact, there were times I wanted to hear them singing without anything else going on. Maybe I am old school, but maybe I am preparing for heaven's choir.

And what about harps? The most I've ever heard played at once was one. What will a multitude of harpist playing together in worship sound like? It will be epic! It will be the sound of joy and salvation for some, but for others, the sound of judgement and death.

Be a worshipper today.

Rv13

It is difficult to grasp the end of all things and the revelation of the Beast mentioned in this chapter! What will it be like? When will these things come to be? How close are we to the end?

In my mind the climate is ripe for the end of all things. Things are not getting better. The world is not a better place. Our country is continuing to turn away from God and many countries have totally forgotten Him. Others continue to orient around false religions and gods! Christianity is loosing ground.

How about us? Are we adding to the chaos of faith? Do we have clarity of purpose in the way we live our lives? Are we rightly celebrating christmas and the hope of salvation. Are we rejoicing in the fact that our names are written in the "Lamb's book of life"?

I pray we are.

Rv12

Is Satan real? Absolutely! Does he desire to ruin and destroy the lives of God's people? Absolutely! Are believers in a battle every day to not get caught up in his destructive ways? Absolutely!

One primary way in which the enemy attacks is in our mind. He attacks with accusations. He is the "accuser of our brothers…the one who accuses them before our God day and night." He also accuses us, raising doubts about our faith and the reality of living for Christ. His methods are both subtle and aggressive, obvious and discrete.

Notice how to conquer him in verse 11. First and foremost the work of Jesus. (the blood of the Lamb) Second, the confession of faith. (the word of their testimony) And finally, being faithful even in the face of death. (they did not love their lives even in the face of death) These things are still true today.

Salvation is from Jesus. We need to confess our faith in Him and choose to live for Him boldly even when faced with death.

The battle is real. Prepare to fight today.

Rv11

Have you read today's chapter! Do you understand exactly what will happen and when? Well…neither do I. If you think you do, I am confident you actually don't. These are spectacular and unimaginable things. Things really hard to believe. Yet, I believe every word will come true.

The most spectacular, unimaginable thing to believe in all of scripture is the incarnation of Christ. Jesus was God and He became a man! And more incredible than that, He became a baby! A real live, vulnerable, needy, dependent, helpless baby! We celebrate this fact. We call it Christmas.

When I get to chapters like this I think, "I should study that out more. I should try to understand what is going on". Then I read and study it out more, and get even more confused than I was at my first reading. Then I remember Christmas. Prior comprehension of christmas is so unimaginable that I can only have understanding after the fact has occurred. And that understanding is still only limited!

If I could totally understand and comprehend God…He would likely really not be God. My brain is way to finite to grasp His infiniteness. 

Rv10

Take a look at verse 7, "God's hidden plan will be completed, as He announced to His servants the prophets". What is that plan? Is it still hidden? The answer is the church and the second coming of Jesus. AND it is only hidden to those who refuse to believe!

Paul writes a lot about the hidden or mysterious things of God! He says that Jesus came to make all things clear. What was hidden has, in this present time, been revealed. Ephesians 1:8 says, "He made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure that He planned in Jesus!" 

The final chapter is yet to be written and the Day is drawing closer and closer. Will this be the year, the month, the week, or even the day that Jesus returns? Are we ready for a true Christmas celebration? Christ is coming again. It is the grand finale.

Rv9

It is hard to get my mind around the final judgement. What will it be like when God's patience runs out and He releases His wrath on this earth? Reading these verses takes my mind into places it rarely goes. It is hard to think about. 

The bible is full of God's mercy and goodness. It mostly speaks of His patience and love. The entire bible is the story of salvation and redemption. We celebrate God's incarnation. Christmas is all about His coming. It is a time of joy! Then there is judgement! The final chapter. It will be horrible.

Amazingly, the people who will actually experience this judgement and wrath will NOT repent! This chapter records, "the people who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands to stop worshiping demons and idols…they did not repent…" Wow!

Today is the day of salvation. Let's be among those who practice repentance and faith!

Rv8

For centuries the sound of a trumpet has brought distinction and and meaning to all who hear. These final trumpet blasts will be the sound of judgement! It is a scary thing to actually consider.

In Iowa we have horns and sirens to sound the alarm! When we hear the sound, we know to take cover because eminent danger is at hand! In the same way (yet far more extreme), these trumpets will be the final warning on earth. God's judgement is coming. His patience has run its course.

Will we be living when the trumpets sound? Are we truly living in the final days? As we draw near to Christmas, (Christ almost silent entrance), let's not forget His final coming will be to judge. Right celebration keeps this in mind.

Rv7

I love this verse. "The Lamb…will shepherd them; He will guide them to springs of living waters, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes." It reminds me of Psalm 23! "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want." 

The time is coming when all of us will either be wonderfully cared for by the Lamb or horribly judged by Him for all eternity. Jesus is patiently waiting for all to put their trust in Him. 

Regret comes when we should have done something but we didn't. I hate regret. I love the feeling of having done something right. Living for Christ is always right. Helping others know Him is a great thing to pursue.

Live with eternity in mind.

troy

Rv6

What do you think about modern christian martyrs? Were you aware that there are still thousands of christians martyred for their faith each year? Some estimates are as high as 100,000, but even the most conservative estimates put the number into the thousands! Think about it. In 2015 thousands of people will be killed because they are christians.

Someone once said that dying for Christ might be harder than living for Him. Even though it was a "catchy" saying, I don't think it is very true. I believe christians who are "in danger" of being killed for Christ have counted the cost and likely are living for Him.

But what about us? What will we live for today?As christians will our lives reflect that we would die before we would disown Jesus? According to Revelation, the end is near. May we be found living for Jesus and willing to die for Him if necessary.

Rv4

What will heaven be like? How often do we think about this eternal reality? Do we live our daily lives with this eternal reality in mind?

Personally, I don't think of heaven much. In fact, I think of it far too little. For me the subject comes up most often when someone dies or when I am sharing the gospel with an unbeliever. But is this how it should be? Shouldn't I think of heaven on a regular basis? Shouldn't I be living each day for this reality?

Someday I will retire. I don't think about that much either but I do think about that more often than I do heaven. This is sad. IF I ever do retire, it will be short lived (but hopefully productive) compared to my eternal destination. Reading today's chapter helps redirect my mind. I am so grateful for John's spectacular vision.

Rv3

"As many as I love, I rebuke and discipline." - Jesus

When was the last time we felt rebuked or disciplined from the Lord? If it is recently, take courage, you are a child of God. He does not have children He does not love. Therefore, He does not have children He does not discipline.

Love always disciplines for the good of the one loved. To not discipline is to NOT love. It is crazy how our culture has turned this concept around! So many parents today feel that love withholds discipline. Nothing could be farther from the truth! An undisciplined life is an unloved life.

To not feel God's loving parenting in discipline might be a sign that we are deceived about who is actually our parent. I never like being disciplined by God. I always feel loved by it.

Rv2

If Jesus was to write a personal letter to me today, what would it say? Would it be a letter of rebuke or encouragement? Would it be harsh or gentle? I think this is a good thing to think about.

I receive all kinds of letters (mostly electronic). Generally the letters are simple information; come here at this time, do this, can you believe this?, buy this, etc. Occasionally I will get a letter of substance; something personal, something thoughtful, something that i truly needed to hear.

As I read these letters today to the churches, I felt as though I was reading someone else's mail. A letter not intended for me, but letters that were personal, thoughtful and needed. Honestly, the Ephesian letter hit me the most. Especially this line, "You have abandoned the love you had at first."

There is nothing like first love. Time to get back to what really matters. 

Rv1

John begins this final letter in our bibles with a wonderful description of Jesus: "To Him who loves us and has set us free from our sins by His blood,". What a wonderful introduction and description!

We end every year reading Revelation. It is a great way to end each year and to think about Christ's second coming! It is also a great time to celebrate Jesus first coming at Christmas. This season is ripe with significance and meaning. Let's not get caught up in the activity of the season and totally miss the greatest thing of all…mainly Christ.

Certainly the time is "near". If John thought it urgent to write about Christ's return over 2000 years ago, how much closer are we today? Is this the final season to celebrate? Will this be the final advent? We do know this, we are one day closer today.

Live with the end in mind.