And the tribe of the Christians, so named after him, has not disappeared to this day. Josephus, Antiquities 18:63
here’s a link to what the author calls polycentric leadership. Home church, simple church, apostolic church – whatever you want to call the movements – have all held something like this in high esteem (and I’m with them on that). It it’s hard to do and keep going. But is worth doing the hard thing!!!
Click HERE
here are some sources talking about the interesting assertion from a number of biblical passages about a “history(?)” of Yahweh coming from the area of Edom (Esau’s heritage) or the “south.” Most evangelicals just rush past this stuff and keep singing, but there is some interesting concepts about how the ancient Israelites understood the One we have come to know as “the Lord.”
THE SOUTHERN HOME OF YHWH AND PRE-PRIESTLY PATRIARCHAL/EXODUS TRADITIONS FROM A SOUTHERN PERSPECTIVE
THE FIRST DOCUMENTED OCCURENCE OF THE GOD YAHWEH?
TOwARd A NEw syNTHEsIs OF THE GOd OF EdOM ANd yAHwEH*
The God from Teman and the Egyptian Sun God: A Reconsideration of Habakkuk 3:3–7
This video, titled “Western Civilization Is Already Dead – with Paul Kingsnorth,” features a discussion between Jonathan Pageau and Paul Kingsnorth. Paul Kingsnorth is a writer known for his reflections on environmentalism, culture, and spirituality. He’s a fairly new Christian (not Protestant but Orthodox)
In this conversation, they delve into the notion that Western civilization has reached a point of decline or transformation. They explore how ancient myths and narratives can provide insights into contemporary societal challenges, suggesting that these stories may offer guidance on navigating current complexities. I find this conversation interesting because Kingsnorth has become something of an agitator to those who want to “save” Western culture (which has deep roots in early Christianity). Kingsnorth agrees that change indeed is upon us, but is pointing to renewal not as shoring up the institutional structures that are presently decaying but a deep, radical renewal – something akin to the life of the earliest church (self sacrifice, a very tactile experience of the kingdom of God, and intense, caring community).
A notable segment of their discussion draws parallels between the biblical story of the Tower of Babel and modern technological advancements, particularly in artificial intelligence. This analogy emphasizes themes of human ambition, the quest for unity, and the potential consequences of overreaching. The video is a helpful and sharp contrast between two big-picture ways of framing Christianity’s current dilemmas – how to keep (or return to) the status-quo and radical discipleship to Jesus. Kingsnorth recognizes his own personal difficulties in conforming to Christ in the modern world, and his honest wrestling with how to follow Christ is refreshing (though many would say that it is idealistic and impractical).
Enjoy….
Revelation 1:12-16
12 Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking to me, and on turning I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and in the midst of the lampstands one like a son of man, clothed with a long robe and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hairs of his head were white, like white wool, like snow. His eyes were like a flame of fire, 15 his feet were like burnished bronze, refined in a furnace, and his voice was like the roar of many waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, from his mouth came a sharp two-edged sword, and his face was like the sun shining in full strength.
Commentary: This section is filled with allusions from the Hebrew Bible (the Christian “Old” Testament). But before we get to those, we should note that John, having heard a voice speaking behind him, turns to “see”, and what he sees captures his attention. There is a powerful requirement for understanding Revelation communicated in John’s turning to see. For most of us today it requires a good bit of effort to give our attention to any one thing; our senses are constantly called upon to process incredible amounts of information-images, texts, activities of the modern world. To give one’s attention is today truly an act of the will! But this is what is required for Revelation to have any meaning for us.
So John gives his attention to this vision. What does he see? First, lampstands. In Exodus 25:31-40, a description is given of the lampstand Moses was to make – according to the heavenly pattern, that would be used in the tabernacle (the tabernacle as the small-scale temple that Israel took with it through the desert on the way to the promised land- the place where Israel would meet with God along their journey). The lampstand itself carried images from creation – God creating the ruling “lights” of Genesis 1:16 – and from, likely, the tree of life in the midst of the Garden of Eden (Gen 2:9). The lampstand was shaped like a tree with branches, with lights illuminating the inner “world” of the tabernacle (and later temple). The fact that there were seven of them likely refers back to the seven churches – the number of fulfillment/perfection – mentioned earlier in the chapter.
In verse 13 it is one like a son of man (taken straight from Daniel 7!) who is walking in the midst of this heavenly temple and among the seven “lights” – i.e. the seven churches. The description of this one “like a son of man” is taken from a number of biblical texts including Daniel 7:9-10 (where they describe the Ancient of Days) and Ezekiel 1:26. The “son of man” is wearing priestly clothing and here, attributes that in Daniel only belonged to the Ancient of Days. In other words, here we have the resurrected Jesus described in terms of the Father (i.e. the Ancient of Days). The Son has ascended to the Throne of His Father and now shares in ruling – in particular in this section of Revelation – over His people the church (the seven stars, lampstands, etc.). It is a brilliant scene and one that is designed to invoke the relationship of the Father and the Son as King.
Application:
God is trying to get your attention. Let Him have it! I know this is often easier said than done, but it is crucial to settle our minds and hearts on who He is if we hope to make any progression in prayer and understanding.
So God and Christ as divine King, that’s where we want to start.
Take a few moments and get a picture in your mind of where this “one like a son of man” is positionally. He is portrayed in the image of the Ancient of Days, but he is not seated on a throne here, rather he is “in the midst” of the lampstands; this Jesus is found among the churches.
As we will soon see, the seven churches of Revelation are not perfect churches. But their imperfections do not keep Jesus away – they belong to Him.
Whether you currently identify with a local congregation or not, you are more than just a saved individual – you are a member of Christ’s body. In other words, Christ is not only manifesting Himself to you individually, but to you as a member of a corporate body. So lets think about it this way – Christ is in the midst of the modern American evangelical bible-belt church to which most of us have some degree of affiliation.
Now, as one who knows God (according to how He has been portrayed in Revelation thus far), you can see Him in our midst.
I am parking on this point because I believe it is super important that you see -from Christ’s perspective – you belong to an imperfect people. We could go on forever about all the things we would change about the church, but that usually leaves us more with a spirit of our own self-righteousness than it leads us to a place of seeing our inescapable connection to something greater than ourselves. The prophets of the Old Testament, just as the apostles of the New, did not just rail against the sins of God’s people, they suffered alongside them, grieved.
And it is both the vision of who Christ is (see our text above) coupled with our acknowledgment of our own failures as the church, that will lead to effective prayer and repentance.
So spend some time today reflecting on the fact that Christ does not lead His church from afar, but enters into our humble state and gives us a vision of where our true identity is found – in the midst of the Garden, the Tabernacle of His Presence, where a true burden for the church and the world is born.
All for One and One for All
Revelation 1:9-11
9 I, John, your brother and partner in the tribulation and the kingdom and the patient endurance that are in Jesus, was on the island called Patmos on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet 11 saying, “Write what you see in a book and send it to the seven churches, to Ephesus and to Smyrna and to Pergamum and to Thyatira and to Sardis and to Philadelphia and to Laodicea.”
Commentary: John now moves from the description of who God is and for whom the book is written (God’s kingly priests) to a scene highly charged with images from the Hebrew Bible. This vision is given to John while he is on the island of Patmos. There is some discussion on what exactly John was doing on the island; Romans occupied cities and penal colonies (work camps for those found guilty of crimes against Rome) on a number of Aegean islands. It is most likely that was a prisoner on the island, and, according to his statement “on account of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus” it had something to do with his faithful witness to Christ. In other words, he had done something to upset the pax romana (Roman Peace); likely challenging the worship of Caesar or some local divinity (which was common throughout the Roman Empire). He was not doing Cultural Christianity 🙂 The book he is commissioned to write is for seven churches in what is today the country of Turkey. But it is not seven separate letters: it is one book, containing the Lord’s summation to each church, but its words are to be communicated to all of them. In other words, the correction given to the church in Thyatira is not a private message between the Lord and the Christians at Thyatira; God is placing each churches’ “dirty laundry” before the others – not to shame them but that they might be warned and encouraged by each others’ experiences. The fact that these are 7 churches means that this is a message for the church as a whole.
Application:
Ok, so you’re settled in your identity as a member of God’s king-priest people. You recognize that He is ruling from His throne, and that you have access to that throne. You also acknowledge that from before that throne the Holy Spirit is going out into all the earth on the mission to have the Almighty’s name raised up and glorified among the nations. So you know God is at work in the world, through your priestly duties, and by your willing surrender to the Holy Spirit’s mission.
Before we get into the specific messages to each church we need to have clear in our minds why God is doing this: He is emphasizing the unity of His people and His care for them.
Read Ephesians 5:25-33. According to verse 32, Paul says the relationship between Christ and the church is a “profound mystery,” one that is best understood in human terms as the ways of a husband with his bride. In this section paul moves back and forth between the imagery of human marriage and the union of Christ and the church.
Read Ephesians 5:25-33 again.
Now consider the 7 churches of Revelation as the church Paul is describing in Ephesians 5.
Now think about your experience of church (also consider how your own interaction with gathered Christians (i.e. the church); have you been a positive player in the preparation of the bride, a passive, apathetic onlooker, or negative influence?).
Write out 2 or 3 things you’ve done or said in the recent past that have either worked towards building the church (the people).
If you’ve been working for the purity and growth of Christ’s body, let him speak to you today and commend your efforts. This is totally ok!!!!! It is not pride!!!! Let Him encourage you!!!! If there is a temptation to pride, simply remind yourself that you KNOW every good thing you’ve been able to do for Him is a result of His work in you: “apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5)
If you know you’ve fallen short in some way (trying to tear down someone’s reputation, acting in impure ways, dishonoring your parents, etc.) confess that now. Don’t allow that to grow into something more, and don’t allow the energy you must use to keep that thing hidden rob you of the energy to do good!
End your time by crafting a short (or long 🙂 prayer, recognizing that God’s word is for THE CHURCH and that you are a member of it: Jesus is not coming back for brides (plural), but a Bride – We the Church!
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 2 who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. 3 Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
Commentary: In this section the revelation made known to John is described as a revelation (apocalypse) and as a prophecy. It was meant to be read in the context of a congregation (…blessed is the one who reads aloud…and…those who hear). This is important. Revelation is not a book meant to be studied and understood by a select few “super-spiritual” Christians or the like. No, this is to be public knowledge among the churches; there is accessible knowledge that leads to blessedness in these words!
the greeting to the Seven Churches…
4 John to the seven churches that are in Asia:
Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, 5 and from 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 kingdom, priests to his God and Father, to him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 7 Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen.
8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.”
Commentary: In this section, John gives us a praise, also known as a doxology, of God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Here we find clearly stated in apocalyptic (revealing) language what later in church history becomes formulated as the doctrine of the Trinity. God the Father: “him who is and who was and who is to come”, God the Son: “the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth”, God the Holy Spirit: “the seven spirits who are before his throne.” Describing the Holy Spirit as “the seven spirits” might throw us off a bit, but once we consider the significance of the number “seven” and its meaning of perfection/completeness, we can see there is no riddle here, but rather a description of the Spirit’s pervasive activity and presence (more to come on this…).
Application:
Ok, let’s stop and consider what we are being invited into here.
Revelation is a strange book to most of us. Many Christians make well-intentioned attempts to read through it and get at its meaning but, alas, the seemingly endless repetition of the appearance of angels, beasts, and heavenly choirs leads our attempts to an early demise. It’s not because we don’t want to know what it’s all about, but it is really difficult to understand ancient apocalyptic literature through minds that have been thoroughly formed by our modern world and its ways of communicating!
With that in mind I want to approach Revelation (at least at the beginning) in a way that avoids a head-on collision with the unfamiliar images and structure of the book.
Instead, let’s approach the revelation of Jesus Christ from a devotional, prayerful position. The book itself was originally written to be read in the setting of a Christian congregation, to encourage and inform the saints (a term early Christians used to refer to themselves) about history (and yes, its end) and their place in it. As they understood that God – their God – was actively inviting them into His presence and to see the world from the heavenly perspective, their hearts would be encouraged to both worship and persevere in the faith despite evidence to the otherwise (i.e., their experience of persecution and weakness).
With that in mind, as you are able, follow the instructions below and we can discuss it within the next week or so (feel free to email me your work, or we can have conversations about it in person, etc. – whatever you feel comfortable with). You don’t have to complete the exercises in one sitting. If you can, work through as much as you can in one sitting. If you need to step away or come back to this exercise days later be sure to review what you’ve already gone through. The whole exercise can be done in about an hour, maybe an hour and a half. The structure is itself part of the lesson of prayer, and over time you’ll find yourself praying in this way instinctively and spontaneously. And the closer we draw to God the more we will be amazed by His answers! Our goal at the beginning is to clarify for ourselves How God views us, How we view Him, and what it is He is calling us into in the Book of Revelation.
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”
I John 5:14
*Feel free to use the English translation you are most comfortable with. I’ll be quoting from the ESV.
REVELATION I
Christ Tribe 