Elliott's Muses

I began this on Tuesday, so go back and read Part 1 if you've not read it yet.  My main point in understanding the coming of Christ is that it must be tied to the Message of the coming of the Kingdom of God.  In fact, Jesus himself said in Matthew 24:14...   "And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." The reality is that the Kingdom of God is come in Christ's rule, authority, upon the earth and in the Church.  This is how I ended Part 1.... We must realize we are living RIGHT NOW as citizens of Christ’s Kingdom. Colossians 1:13 (ESV) 13  He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, Revelation 1:5-7 (ESV) 5  … Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood 6  and made us a k...

Hi again.  Last Sunday (and this next Sunday) the Potpourri summer series turned towards the subject of Jesus' return, and this next week, what it will be like to die and go to heaven.  I find it interesting to "muse" over, and though you might think it a walk in the park when it comes to what to say, I diidn't.  So, here's the beginning of this teaching...part 1 Matthew 24:1-14 (ESV) 1  Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2  But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” 3  As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, “Tell us, when will these things be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” There is no question that Jesus spoke of his coming again, and the disciples were asking because they wante...

Over the last couple of days I've posted teaching notes from a teaching that pertains to the question of "Why do people who don't know God seem to do just fine in life?"  I was asked to do that teaching as part of a summer long series that were often unrelated - hence, Potpourri. If you haven't read parts 1 & 2, I'd suggest you go back and read them first.  Either way, this is the final part of the teaching, and in it I summarize WHY knowing God is essential, regardless of whether a person is "doing fine" in life or not.   Picking up from where we left off yesterday.... Why seek to orient life around God, with faith in Christ, and a desire to follow his ways?  That’s worth thinking about…my primary point is simple: God is Just and all of Life will eventually be Accountable to Him The writer of Ecclesiastes hits the nail on the head… Ecclesiastes 9:1-2 (ESV) 1  But all this I laid to heart, examining it all, how the righteous ...

I began this blog last time, so if you haven't read Part 1, please go back before trying to understand what Part 2 is all about. The problem stated comes from Psalm 73...and the Psalmist wonders out loud in similar ways that we do... Psalm 73:1-15 (ESV) 1  Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. 2  But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. 3  For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4  For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. 5  They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind… 11  And they say, “How can God know? Is there knowledge in the Most High?” 12  Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches That’s the dilemma. A Lot of people walk faithfully with God, love Him, Obey Him, and Worship Him, but their neighbors are driving new cars, lots of toys and a big ho...

I've been reading a bit of Christian History...specifically about Charlemagne who was crowned as the first Holy Roman Emperor on Christmas Day, 800 a.d.  It's a fascinating read of a time when Church and Culture were as close as they could be.  A lot of Christians wished it could be true today, but once your realize what took place one cannot help but realize that it's a vision that is clearly not possible - simply because it fails to understand how human nature seeks a selfish end. Christianity recognized a power to rule, but it was not a power to serve upwardly, but a power that sought to rule from above.   A power to rule "over" rather than "under".  The result was a culture - although steeped in the church - that was using power to control, rather than power to serve.  It's been an interesting read and lesson to learn, but it creates a question: How do we then - as Christians - live within culture as citizens of the Kingdom? Increasingly so...

I've been teaching a Summer Series called “Potpourri”.  It’s a series of teachings based on topics, scripture, themes, our fellowship’s folk sent to me to teach on. I’ve done four so far…and posted them previously.   Last week we dove into this one on why people who seemingly don’t care about God do just fine in life, in fact, seem to do better than believers. I have to say, I’ve thought about this a number of times in my own life.  It makes me aware of the recent teaching on jealousy and the subject we dealt with on “where is God when people suffer?”.  We can’t help but wonder why God seemingly blesses those who don’t care and allows those who do care to go throw life with some difficult issues. In fact, I would say some people argue that this is why they don’t believe in God – because there seemingly is no difference… Well, that’s not the final issue, and that’s what we need to see… I'll begin this today and (hopefully) complete it tomorrow. ...

Uughh...I'm getting terrible at remembering to finish these in a timely way...So sorry, please forgive. I did this teaching on Judgments and Rewards and if you haven't read the two previous blogs you should see those first.  This is Part 3, and the final part of this teaching.  The last blog dealt with the first of the Crowns listed as belonging to believers.  There's a couple of more in scripture: 1.    The Crown of Life:   James 1:12 (ESV) 12  Blessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him. The crown of life is awarded to all believers who sustain their spiritual growth in this life under pressure where growth of their faith is tested and refined in various trials. 1 Peter 1:6-9 (ESV) 6  In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 ...