Jesus is the Amen – but what does that mean?

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 3:14-22.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 3:14 (NIV) 
14  “To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation.
 
On verse 14:  In His message to the church in Laodicea, we learn 3 things about Jesus:
 
 –  Jesus is the “Amen”.  What does Jesus mean when He calls Himself “the Amen”?  “Amen” carries the meaning of agreement, affirmation and certainty.  When Jesus calls Himself the “Amen”, it means that everything that Jesus is and everything that Jesus does affirms and agrees with who God is.  Jesus is the One who gives us certainty about who God is and what He is like.  If you want to know who God is and what He is like, look at Jesus.

How Jesus Loves His Church

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 3:7-13.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 3:7-13 (NIV) 
7  “To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of him who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.
8  I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut. I know that you have little strength, yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name.

On verses 7-13:  The church in Philadelphia was going through a similar trial as the church in Smyrna, which was persecution from a group that claimed to be Jews but were not.  Jesus calls this group of persecutors a bunch of liars (v9) and, as He did in Revelation 2:9, “a synagogue of Satan”.  To the suffering church in Philadelphia, Jesus expresses His love in several different ways:

Jesus Your Morning Star and Glorious King

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 2:18-29.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 2:18 (NIV) 
18  “To the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These are the words of the Son of God, whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze.

On verse 18:  Jesus’ next message is for the church in Thyatira, a small city known for its agriculture and purple dye (see Acts 16:14).  To the church in Thyatira, Jesus describes Himself as the Son of God, “whose eyes are like blazing fire and whose feet are like burnished bronze” (v18).  According to some scholars, eyes like blazing fire and feet like burnished bronze are pictures of judgment.  That’s because Jesus has some tough words to speak to the church in Thyatira.

Jesus Knows Your Pain and Is Everything You Need

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 2:1-7.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 2:1 (NIV) 
1  “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:

On verse 1:  Starting in chapter 2 John records 7 messages from Jesus that he is told to send to 7 churches in the province of Asia.  The first message is for the church of Ephesus.  Notice how the message is worded “To the angel of the church in Ephesus”.  Who is this angel?  The Greek word for angel here is angellos, which is mostly translated in the New Testament as “angel” but is sometimes translated as “messenger”.  According to some scholars, the two main possibilities for what the “angel” is referring to are: (1) the “angel” refers to an actual angelic being who supernaturally watches over the church; or (2) the “angel” refers to the pastor of the local church, who practically serves as God’s messenger to the church and who would likely be the one to receive and read out to the church this particular message that John had written.

Jesus, Your Caring Shepherd and Tree of Life

Hi GAMErs,

Today’s passage is Revelation 2:1-7.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 2:1 (NIV) 
1  “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands:

On verse 1:  Starting in chapter 2 John records 7 messages from Jesus that he is told to send to 7 churches in the province of Asia.  The first message is for the church of Ephesus.  Notice how the message is worded “To the angel of the church in Ephesus”.  Who is this angel?  The Greek word for angel here is angellos, which is mostly translated in the New Testament as “angel” but is sometimes translated as “messenger”.  According to some scholars, the two main possibilities for what the “angel” is referring to are: (1) the “angel” refers to an actual angelic being who supernaturally watches over the church; or (2) the “angel” refers to the pastor of the local church, who practically serves as God’s messenger to the church and who would likely be the one to receive and read out to the church this particular message that John had written.

Jesus, Conqueror of Death and Your Ever-Present Help

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Revelation 1:9-20.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 1:9-18 (NIV) 
9  I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 
10  On the Lord’s Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 
11  which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.” 

On verses 9-18:  John is in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching the Gospel (v9 – “because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus”).  On Sunday (“the Lord’s Day”) he is praying deeply and sensing the presence of God (“in the Spirit” – v10) when he hears from behind him a voice like a trumpet telling him to write down on a scroll what he sees.  The voice behind John tells him to send what he writes down to the seven churches in the province of Asia (v11).  When John turns around to see who is speaking to him, he sees someone that he can only describe as “someone ‘like a son of man’” (v13).  One reason is because this person resembles a human being, yet his physical presence is unlike anything an ordinary human being has:  fully white head and hair, eyes like blazing fire, feet like bronze in a furnace, voice like rushing waters, his face like the sun in its brilliance.  He is wearing a robe with a golden sash across his chest (v13) and he stands among seven golden lampstands (v12). 

Jesus, Your Alpha and Omega

Hi GAMErs!

Today we begin the book of Revelation.  It is easily one of the most intriguing, mysterious, powerful and controversial books in all the Bible.   Revelation was written by the apostle John in approximately 95 A.D. while he was in exile on the island of Patmos for preaching about Jesus.  While on Patmos, John receives multiple visions which he understands to be from Jesus Christ and is told to write them down.  The result is the book of Revelation, a highly significant book that describes what will happen before, during and after the return (second coming) of Jesus Christ.  This book also shows how many Old Testament prophecies will be fulfilled.

Today’s passage is Revelation 1:1-8.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Revelation 1:1-2 (NIV) 
1  The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, 
2  who testifies to everything he saw–that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. 

Jesus Makes the Ordinary Extraordinary

Today’s passage is Zechariah 14:12-21.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Zechariah 14:12-13 (NIV) 
12 This is the plague with which the LORD will strike all the nations that fought against Jerusalem: Their flesh will rot while they are still standing on their feet, their eyes will rot in their sockets, and their tongues will rot in their mouths.
13 On that day men will be stricken by the LORD with great panic. Each man will seize the hand of another, and they will attack each other.
 
On verses 12-13:  Here Zechariah continues to describe what the end times will look like when Jesus the Messiah comes again.  What will happen “on that day” (a phrase repeated 15 times in chapters 12-14)?  In verses 1-11, Zechariah described how the city of Jerusalem will be rescued and transformed.  Now in these verses Zechariah describes what will happen to the nations who tried to attack Jerusalem.  He says their flesh, their eyes and their tongues will rot (v12).  In addition, there will be great panic, and they will seize each other by the hand and attack one another (v13). 

What A Difference the Lord Makes

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Zechariah 14:1-11.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Zechariah 14 has posed quite a challenge for scholars.  For example, Martin Luther once wrote two commentaries on Zechariah.  In the first one, Luther stopped at Zechariah 13 without explaining why.  Then in his second commentary, Luther begins his discussion on Zechariah 14 by saying, “Here, in this chapter, I give up.  For I am not sure what the prophet is talking about.” 1 I love Martin Luther’s honesty! 

So we must approach Zechariah 14 with special care and humility.  It seems quite clear that Zechariah 14 is talking about the end times.  Whereas Zechariah 9 to 11 focus on Jesus’ first appearance on earth, Zechariah 12 to 14 focus on Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of His kingdom.  

At the same time, I believe the Holy Spirit has some powerful lessons to encourage us today from this chapter.  Let’s go!  

There’s a Fountain of Forgiveness for You

Hi GAMErs!

Today’s passage is Zechariah 13:1-9.  While not an easy passage, there are some powerful lessons to learn.  As usual, I encourage you to read the passage yourself first and see what you can glean with the Holy Spirit’s help, then read the GAME sharing below.  Let’s go!

Zechariah 13:1 (NIV) 
1 “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity. 

On verse 1:  In Zechariah 13, Zechariah continues to describe the vision God has given him concerning the end times.  In chapter 12, Zechariah has just finished describing how God will protect Jerusalem and Judah against the attack of other nations (12:1-9), and how God’s people will weep bitterly upon realizing that they had pierced and killed the Messiah (12:10-14).