Revelation

If these messages aren't online yet, they soon will be--Jay, Alex and I have begun a Sunday series on the book of Revelation, using a book called "Discipleship on the Edge" (DOE) as a commentary guide. I've always been a little suspicious of commentaries because I've had a hard enough time on my own reading God's word for instruction and insight without someone else's "quiet time" over-influencing the process. Yes it's odd.

For my message Sunday ("First Love-Jesus' Rev 2 letter to the Ephesian church"), I incorporated many of the insights from DOE, and some from another recent read, "Velvet Elvis." But I did add one of my own that, like all insights I guess, "came to me" as I was studying Revelation 2: knowing from DOE that "revelation" translates more like "unveiling" or "revealing," I realized that Jesus starts that process with seven letters to seven churches. BEFORE he "unveils" what is and what is to come to the disciples, he does a very personal unveiling of what is going on in the seven churches of Asia--he reveals what they are and are not doing.

We (hopefully) crave spiritual insight. We want some ongoing "unveilings" of scripture as we read and study--real "meat," something new. But perhaps the structure of Revelation points the way: only when we are first engaged in the unveiling of our own hearts will we encounter unveilings about God's will for us in scripture. Heart inventory is a good thing, and that's why Jesus spends so much time on it in Rev 2-3.