Bible Studies

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The Letters
Revelation 1:4-8 – A to Z
Key Verses: (NCV)

• 4: "Grace and peace to you from the One who is and was and is coming, and from the seven spirits before His throne." – John's letter to the early Christian churches comes at a time of severe persecution. It comes as a message of hope for those who see only darkness. It comes as a message from God and from the Holy Spirit.
  
  
• 5a: "and from Jesus Christ. Jesus is the faithful witness, the first among those raised from the dead. He is the ruler of the kings of the earth." – John's message is also from Jesus, our teacher, redeemer, and king.
  
  
• 5b: "He is the One who loves us, who made us free from our sins with the blood of His death." – His eternal love for us is demonstrated by His sacrifice and our release from the bondage of sin.
  
  
• 6: "He made us to be a kingdom of priests who serve God His Father. To Jesus Christ be glory and power forever and ever! Amen." – John turns his opening comments from a greeting/blessing into praise for God. All things point to God and His offer of eternal life.
  
  
• 7: "Look, Jesus is coming with the clouds, and everyone will see Him, even those who stabbed Him. And all peoples of the earth will cry loudly because of Him. Yes, this will happen! Amen." – One day, the clouds of our lives that block our view of heaven will lift and our vision of Christ will be clear.
  
  
• 8: "The Lord God says, 'I am the Alpha and the Omega. I am the One who is and was and is coming. I am the Almighty'" – Praise God!
  

Points to Contemplate:

• Are you surrounded by God? Has He been your past – the One who has brought you through years of growing, exploring, testing, and discovering? Is He your future – with promises of hope, peace, love, and joy? Is He your present – providing a sense of comfort, guidance, warmth, and security? Notice how John surrounds these 4 verses with God by using the phrase "I am the One…" at the beginning and the end. Is your life completely surrounded by the presence of God? Do you feel Him involved in every thing you do? Is He your Alpha and Omega?
  
  
• Is Jesus your savior? Now that we are past Easter, are you still considering how Jesus' sacrifice affects you personally? Have you felt the burden of your sin lifted? Has His love invaded your heart? Can you accept that His victory over death assures your salvation and eternal life? Are you washed and cleaned by His blood? Have you accepted Him as your King of kings?
  
  
• Are you a member of the Priesthood of all Believers? What does that mean? Do you accept that as a Christian you are called to participate in a community of faith "to invest in each others' lives and hopes in order to work out God's grace in the world?"¹ Do you realize that building God's kingdom is a requirement of your belief? Do you agree that faith and belief, in and of themselves, do not fully define your life as a Christian? Isn't what you do with your faith and how you change the world in which you live also a critical component of your life as a Christian? Are you actively building the Kingdom of God?
  

Promises of the Gospel:

Revelation is a letter of hope written to those enmeshed in lives of persecution, cruelty, and death. These opening verses descriptively tell us that this message of hope emanates from the Holy Trinity. No matter what we face in life we have the assurance that our future is secure because of Jesus' victory over death. With His resurrection we have been set free to do the things God is calling us to do in our lives and in the world around us. As a Priesthood of Believers we are called to be actively involved in the building of God's kingdom. This is not a requirement of passage where the amount of our good works are measured and counted. However, we can not sit idly by waiting for the moment when Christ reappears. We have work to do – God's work. And that work is Kingdom building.

¹An idea presented in A Walk to Emmaus – A Pilgrim's Journey, A spiritual formation program sponsored by The Upper Room.

FUMC Devotionals

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