Thoughts on Revelation

This last month or so I’ve been doing a lot of reading in the book of Revelation.  As a general rule I’m not interested in the book of Revelation at all.  When I was younger the popular interpretations of what was going on in the apocalyptic visions of John scared me senseless, and as I grew older I quickly grew tired of the closet theologians that were able to tirelessly debate over the minutiae of signs and times.  So I l gave up on Revelation and left it in the dustbin of incomprehensible scripture, and that “God will work it all out in the future, and I don’t need to worry about it now.”

All I can say is I’m glad I gave it a reread, because it is an important book with an important message that speaks to me, and to the culture in which I live.  Revelation centers on seven letters to the churches in Asia.  This was the riches province in the Roman Empire.  They were staunch supporters of everything Roman, and were among the first cities where it became common practice to worship the goddess Roma (representing the city of Rome) as well as worshiping Caesar (who just a man, claimed to be God).  In order to stay rich and comfortable in these cities, one had to participate in the worship of these gods.  And so the churches were faced with pretty strong temptation, to compromise, and blend in; just look like everybody else.  As a result some of them were losing what it was to be distinct, to be Christian, and began to assimilate with the culture around them.

I find this challenging because, I wonder at times if we as Christians in Canada have the same challenge in front of us.  We may not have a particular false god competing for our worship, but I think at times we do duck our heads down, and avoid creating controversy.  We might say it’s because we don’t want to offend anyone, but somewhere along the line we have to realize the gospel offends.  We might say that we are building relationships and waiting for opportune times, but have any of us really had the opportunity?  We might say I’m not gifted at evangelism, yet God calls all of us to be faithful in witness.

Maybe I am content to assimilate and blend in with the culture.  If I’m truly honest, I probably love the things of this world too much: I love my comfortable home, I love my entertainment, and I love my gadgets.  Jesus said in Luke 9: 23: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. “  The challenge of the gospel is maybe too challenging for me.

Revelation is meant to be motivational – to call us to live out the kingdom of God.  What does that look like and what should it affect in my life?  Think about these questions and ask yourself if your answer is a kingdom value or a cultural value:

How do I decide where I live?
How should I approach my work?
What should I spend my time doing?
What are my prayers like?
What do I do with my family or my friends?

All of these things should come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Take a moment and read Revelation 4 and 5.  These two chapters reopened my eyes to just who God is, and how great He is, and how worthy He is – thunder, lighting, smoke, lamps, flying creatures, ceaseless worship.  It’s like this great wake up call to the church: Look at this! There is nothing greater than God!  There is a greater reality at work in the world.  And yet too often I’m content with the smallness of my own selfish life.

And so I’m challenged in my work and in my worship.  Every moment is a choice: Will I be content to blend in, or will I live gladly exchanging my life and its comfort for the kingdom of God.

Lorn Gieck
Pastor of Music & Arts

Goodbye Generation

Goodbye Generation by David Sawler is a book I have been currently reading.  This book resonates with me and what has been on my heart and mind.

I grew up in the church.  I have gone to church my entire life.  Yet I am at the stage in my life now where some of the people I grew up with are not in the same space as I am.  The people I grew up with in the church have either completely turned from God and church or they are fitting into the ‘Christian’ mold.  Adults who went to the same church, the same children’s ministry, the same youth group, even the same families are vastly different.  Some now call themselves atheists, while others post scripture on their facebook statuses.

Unfortunately I don’t always like what I see in Christians.  Instead of a relationship with Christ that is lived out in love and actions,  I see religion or Christian talk but not a lot of Christ.   In his book, Sawler talks about why young people leave the church.  Sadly the reason is usually because they are not seeing Christ in the church or at home.  They get questions and false truths about their faith thrown at them every day through media and at school.  They see negative portrayals all around them and often we don’t address it at church or in our homes.

At Cornerstone church, in our youth & children’s programs we do what we can.  But our time is so limited with them.  Kids need parents and mentors to surround them and fill them with TRUTH.  They need to be taught how to live out 1 Peter 3:14-16 To ‘always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.’

It starts in the home and in the church.  What messages are we sending our young people about who Jesus Christ is?  Is church all about rules, judgment and what we are against in this world?  Or is it about loving, encouraging and sharing the truth of who Christ is.  Are we helping our children understand God and draw near to him?  Or simply teaching them to attend church.  Because sadly, if attending church and following  traditions and rules is all your children are learning, statistics show they will leave the church as young adults.

I have seen it.  I am watching it happen in those closest to me, and it breaks my heart.  I know it breaks Gods heart too.

David Sawler says this ” It is far better that our youth and young adults hear about questions they are going to face from someone in the Church than those trying to destroy their faith.  We must encourage people to talk about the questions they have before they walk away.  It is even okay to say we don’t have all the answers and we will try and find them.  Because of the growing amount of negative material, knowing about the failings of the past presents an incredible opportunity to ask for forgiveness for past mistakes and to show how we have changed. ”

Is this a losing battle against the world and what messages it is sending our children?  No.  But we as leaders and you as parents need to be turning your children towards Christ.  Not by quoting scripture at them or attending church semi-regularly.  But through our actions, in truth and in love.  “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger by the way you treat them. Rather, bring them up with the discipline and instruction that comes from the Lord.” Ephesians 6:4 NLT

Instruction that comes from the Lord can only happen if you have a right relationship with Christ.  If you do not have a right relationship with Christ you can not expect your children to.

Your children will still grow up and make the choice to follow Christ or not.  But God has entrusted you with your children.  There is purpose in that.  Talk to your kids.  Let them ask you tough questions and don’t try to have all the answers because you and I both know – you don’t!  But the more you seek to know Christ the more clarity you will have in raising your children.

Back to the Manger

A Family Christmas Musical

Practices begin November 11- Dec 16

From 6-7pm and Saturday Dec 18 (time TBA)

For Grades 1-8

Talk to Lorn or Jessica if you have any questions

God Moments

My passion for families grows each year as I work with your children here at Cornerstone.  Recently we challenged our elementary kids to read their bibles every day and I was taken aback by the resistance I got from the kids.  This was simply a reminder to me that each childs spiritual development can not happen at church alone.  On average the most I or the volunteers have to invest in your kids is 40 hours a year.  That is not much time to rely on us as the sole teacher of your child’s spiritual lives.  Our C-Kids theme Sunday mornings is “first things first” and it is important that you join us as we teach your child(ren) what should be first in their lives.  Our relationship with Jesus Christ.

I have heard from parents and kids that ‘we just don’t have time for that’. I agree we do live in a very busy culture and as a result time as a family suffers.   The bible tells us “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (Romans 12:2 NLT)

This short video talks about how you can teach your children in todays busy world and it’s importance.  Family Role

Jessica

Great resource sites for parents.  They give you ideas and conversation starters.  Check it out…

Rio Family

D6 Family

Lead Pastor’s Blog II.XI

October is stewardship month for Cornerstone. I like the word stewardship. The word steward, according to the Collins Universal Dictionary, means one who manages another’s property. Carrying that thought a little further we see that stewardship is about management. Obviously stewardship is not just about finances. We can talk about stewardship of our natural resources or stewardship of our relationships or our bodies. Managing what we have been entrusted with is a good way of looking at stewardship.

In Hebrews 9:27 we are told that man is appointed to die once and after that to face the judgment. There will come a day when I leave this earth and in a moment, a twinkling of the eye I will be in the presence of eternal glory. I will see God for the very first time. I will lay eyes on the one who has done so much for me. I will see the nail scarred hands of my Saviour. I will look at the one called Jesus who loved me so much that He was willing to take my sin upon Himself and pay the price for my salvation on a cruel Roman cross.

I will see Jesus. Nothing will ever be the same after that for I will be in heaven. Eternity in the presence of my Lord. At that moment when I stand/kneel/bow before Him I do not want regrets. I do not want to be there with a whole lot of oh my goodness I wish I had lived life differently thoughts racing through my head. Now is the time to make that happen.

You see what I experience then is to a certain degree determined by how I live now. I know I am not going to live the rest of my years perfectly. I know I make mistakes each and every day of my life. However I also know God is prompting me in many different areas to change, to grow if you will. This is a good thing. I have much to learn in regards to living like Jesus. This is a process I am trying to embrace because I know it is for my benefit to change.

Being a wise steward or manager is simply planning for the future. In the area of finances it is wise not to make money all about me. It is wise to be generous. It is wise to help others. It is wise to live with less in order to plan for the future. It is wise to live like a steward understanding the money has never been mine but rather God’s. Wisdom is directly connected to living life God’s way and not my way. Wisdom means I ask God how He wnats me to live. Wisdom is about asking God for direction in regards to the money that I am managing. My wife and I have been greatly challenged in this area. We are examining everything from the car we drive to the home we live in. We are laying these things before God asking for His direction sensing that things are about to change in our own journey as a couple. Paul told Timothy in his first letter chapter 6:8 that if we have food and clothing we will be content with that. We are asking ourselves where does our contentment sit? Is our current stewardship pleasing to the one who owns it all?

I will stand before Him sooner than I think. How I live here has an impact upon that moment. The person that I am stewarding all this stuff for has said that I can lay up for myself treasures in heaven.

That seems like a pretty good trade-off to me. I do with a little less here so that I have a lot more there to offer to the one who did everything for me. Are you living for the here and now or the there and forever?

Family Fun Challenge

Hello Families at Cornerstone!

In C-Kids we have been learning and talking about Creation and Foundational Truths. Next week, Oct 10, Lorn will be preaching on gifts & talents.
So my challenge for you this week is to do this:
As a family make a creation! Have your entire family join together using each others gifts & talents to create something. Use your imaginations! Use your gifts & talents! Then bring it to our Family Service on Oct. 10th to share what your family created with other families.

This is meant to be fun! So enjoy your time together as a family

Jessica