Reflections

Building over the cave where John received the Revelation

 History is a wonderful teacher when we take time to sit at its feet.  In fact, Paul wrote to the Romans that “For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.”   Romans‬ ‭15:4‬ ‭NIV‬‬

   So as we have returned home from our trip to Greece and cruise of the Aegean Sea to Ephesus and Patmos and Crete and Rhodes, I am trying to sit at the feet of what we saw and heard and learned.  Here are a few of my reflections.

   First, when people lack a true understanding of God, they continually seek to appease or engage the forces that are shaping their lives.  We call that idolatry.  When Paul arrived at Athens, he walked around and was distressed by what he saw.  So he engaged people in conversation, in order to bring light to them. He eventually was invited to address the influencers among them and he said, “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious. For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.”    Acts‬ ‭17:22-23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

   It was not an accusation; it was an observation and they received it as such.  I’m praying I (we) may be as observant as Paul, willing to engage people like Paul, and our observations received like Paul’s.

    Second, people are discipled best by doing life with their mentor and watching.  Paul picked up Timothy, a timid young man who was spoken well of, while traveling through Asia Minor.  He brought him onto his entourage, and Timothy watched as Paul struggled where to go next; was beaten and jailed for no reason; miraculously was freed from that jail and led his guard to the Lord; was threatened in a couple more towns before being sent to Athens by boat in a covert escape.  He heard Paul reasoning with people. He watched as Paul used his Roman citizenship as a tool to guarantee the local church would not be under the same scrutiny when he left.  He got to see it all.  And later experienced it all. You can read about it in Acts 16-19.  Later Paul wrote to Timothy, “You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it,”   2 Timothy‬ ‭3:10-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I want to be a mentor, a parent, a pastor, a teacher, who does life intimately with those around me and be a constant reminder of the grace, the power, the provision, and the glory of our Lord.

   A final thought is that history is His Story, and our lives are but dots on the line of eternity.  So the only thing that truly matters is pointing people to Him. Statues to men will crumble but the eternal Word of God stand firms, and the heavens declare His glory throughout ALL generations.

As John was told to write in the Revelation as he received it on the island of Patmos:

“To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. “Look, he is coming with the clouds,” and “every eye will see him, even those who pierced him”; and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.” So shall it be! Amen. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.””    Revelation‬ ‭1:5-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

AMEN!