Good day dear friends.
I'm reverting back to the standard no "rich-text" style of the last few ConCafes as I've heard from some that the full message did not make it to your mailbox. Most ConCafes, not prayer results, are archived at http://theuniversityoftheway.blogspot.com.
Here is our study guide for today:
Thursday: Let’s go to the last book of the Bible, Revelation. Look up Rev. 7:4-17. In this passage we catch a glimpse of the last “government” that of God. What are your thoughts about this governing system? Compare that with Rev. 20:10. What do you think about that “government?”
Here is that passage in NRSV:
7:4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred forty-four thousand, sealed out of every tribe of the people of Israel: 5 From the tribe of Judah twelve thousand sealed, from the tribe of Reuben twelve thousand, from the tribe of Gad twelve thousand, 6 from the tribe of Asher twelve thousand, from the tribe of Naphtali twelve thousand, from the tribe of Manasseh twelve thousand, 7 from the tribe of Simeon twelve thousand, from the tribe of Levi twelve thousand, from the tribe of Issachar twelve thousand, 8 from the tribe of Zebulun twelve thousand, from the tribe of Joseph twelve thousand, from the tribe of Benjamin twelve thousand sealed. 9 After this I looked, and there was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, robed in white, with palm branches in their hands. 10 They cried out in a loud voice, saying, "Salvation belongs to our God who is seated on the throne, and to the Lamb!" 11 And all the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 singing, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." 13 Then one of the elders addressed me, saying, "Who are these, robed in white, and where have they come from?" 14 I said to him, "Sir, you are the one that knows." Then he said to me, "These are they who have come out of the great ordeal; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 15 For this reason they are before the throne of God, and worship him day and night within his temple, and the one who is seated on the throne will shelter them. 16 They will hunger no more, and thirst no more; the sun will not strike them, nor any scorching heat; 17 for the Lamb at the center of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of the water of life, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes."
In pure worship, there is only one political party present and that is The Kingdom of God. While we may debate what constitutes "pure" worship, let us just say when we feel God's spirit moving and we are touched at our core by knowing God's awesomeness and our need to receive God's love, that is close enough for me and most. I just returned from our fall board meeting of the trustees of Asbury Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. We were honored to be on campus for the Tuesday chapel service. And this is always a moving experience. Guests, especially those visiting the campus as prospective students are received like one would imagine receiving the winning team of the Super Bowl. I kid you not, the guests are introduced by name, asked to stand, and the applause and the whooping and yelling that follows is beyond belief. The audience, made up of faculty and students and other guests do not stop clapping and yelling until the worship leader introduces, or tries, the next guest. It's no wonder this seminary has among the highest enrollment of most US seminaries of any denomination. Then the singing in that chapel with some of the most wonderful voices on God's earth join together to praise God like no other place. We were just honored in having President Jeffery Greenway on our campus and on Sunday morning during our worship services, his voice easily dominated most of our sanctuary, but at Asbury his voice is not even heard!
Such is the image I have of the passage that we just read. In this glimpse of Heaven, John records this type of pure worship in which the citizens of Heaven join together to praise He who will be praised for all eternity. This is in radical contrast to the picture we had of the assembly in which Samuel, dejected and rejected as God's representative, heard the cries of God's people asking for a king, all the while rejecting God as their king. I hate to wonder this, but I wonder how many in Samuel's crowd are among those in John's crowd? I'm sure there are some and I believe it was those who ultimately realized that what matters eternally is where our hearts and devotion to He who will reign forever are in terms of pure worship and understanding of God's place in our lives. What are your thoughts about this governing system in place there in Heaven?
Let's look now at Rev. 20:10: "And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." Not a pretty picture nor one I hope to see in person, but again, here is a governing system that has come to a terrible end. I wonder again, how many of Samuel's crowd, chose for themselves, to be in this scene? Remember it is OUR choice, not God's, to either surrender to God or to live our lives separated from Him. And it is our choice to face that consequence of our lives' choices.
How will we vote today? To seek God and to serve and worship Him with all our lives? Or are we content to vote against God and that which God offers? Sometimes it is not an easy choice and one we shouldn't make alone. Through prayer and worship attendance and fellowship with other believers we can make eternal choices that glorify God.
PRAYER: Eternal God, let my heart seek to worship You today in purity and truth. Let me make those choices and decisions that will allow You to govern my life in ways that are life-affirming and pleasing to You. I pray for those on my heart that do not yet know you. I pray for those who have asked me to pray for them and their loved ones that they may come to your saving grace. And I pray in the name of He who died for me, Jesus my Lord. Amen.
Have a great and blessed day!
e.v.
