Author: pastor.gerooney@gmail.com

I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world. Colossians 1:11

This short letter was written during one of Paul’s multiple imprisonments for announcing Jesus as the Messiah, God incarnate, resurrected and living. If there was one phrase that could sum up Paul’s message it would be, “Give your mind to things above.” This world is time stamped and filled with trouble. For new believers the mixed messaging, and dueling theologies was difficult before you even got to carnal temptations. First, Colossae was part of ancient Greece and controlled by Rome. They had a deity for every occasion. Adding Jesus’ name to the list was not the threat, giving Him exclusivity and sole authority was. To the other extreme Jewish converts were unwilling to turn loose of The Law and The Torah, specifically, circumcision and kosher dietary practices. Paul knows it is about a new law, the Law of Love. 

Paul teaches this wonderful group of believers that Jesus is not asking for supplemental obediences of any kind. Instead, live confidently in peace because He is singularly all powerful and victorious, evidenced in His great love, shown in His suffering on our behalf. The parallel connection is made by Paul; it is an honor to suffer for the sake of the Gospel because this too is a great love, a Christlikeness, for the lost people of this world. 

There is no denying that traditions tug and pull us in many directions, shifting cultural norms create questions and doubts. The early church struggled and so do we. We CAN look across history and know God has and will be faithful through all circumstances. Take heart! The battle has already been won, so live in peace in spite of the chaos around you.

All my Love and Prayers for each of you,

Gretchen

The Lord is my light and my salvation;The LORD is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:12

Light is an amazing thing. It has been said to shine from within us, upon us, around us. It is also reflected, but light’s greatest power is in dispelling darkness to reveal the truth, reality. This Psalm of David begins with the hope found in The One True God, The Light, our Light.

The verses that follow tell of struggles, serious threats, and pleas for assurance and security, finally ending with verse 14, Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. David isn’t just finding a way to escape his oppressors, he is seeking to find the presence of God in the darkness of this world and assurance that God’s righteousness overcomes all we fear. 

The weight of the world is cumbersome, paralyzing in fact. But, David sets an example for us to follow; before acknowledging the trials and troubles common to being human, seek God’s voice, hear His words of assurance and love before another sound echoes through your day. Forward progress is not an option for all those who draw breath and darkness is dangerous.  Step into and follow The Light. Fear is a liar. Hear Truth first. God’s light is before us, around us, and through salvation, within us. 

What is in the waiting? Our acts of faith that God is working in our best interest and for the greater good! Take heart and know, the best is always the next step forward when walking in God’s presence. 

Love Always,

Gretchen

He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. Revelation 21:4 (Revelation 19-22)

The Garden of Eden was the place God and man dwelt together, but sin separated man from his loving Creator. Now, there is a New Heaven and New Earth where God will dwell eternally. John sees the wedding of The Lamb and His Bride, The Church.  There are many references to wedding guests being invited, but collectively, they are The Bride. Throughout the Bible, the corporate and individual sinner has been labeled prostitute or adulterer. In contrast, it is an honor to be invited as a Bride, without blemish or wrinkle.

John watches as total destruction comes to the unrighteous and their father Satan. His domain was the abyss, the lake of fire, forever it will be his eternal prison of torture. There are now only two classes of people, the saved and the lost and John sees the glory of God become an eternal light, blotting out darkness and the need for locks and lamps forever. New Jerusalem has no temple, but why would there be, God and Jesus are our eternal dwelling place, the sacrificing and repenting is done, we have arrived!

The vision ends, but an angel remains to verify all John has seen and been instructed to relate to those who will follow and believe. John establishes that all he says is true and finally, Jesus authenticates John’s revelation.

In the divine person of Jesus, we are given love, power and the hope of resurrection. The sum of all these things is Abundant Life, today and forever more.

Love,

Gretchen

Who will not fear you, O Lord, and bring glory to Your name? For You alone are Holy. All nations will come and worship before You, for Your righteous acts have been revealed. Revelation 15:4 (Revelation 14-18)

Before John is given the view of God’s wrath, exacted in perfect judgement upon those who brought suffering upon the faithful, he hears a sound, like the roaring of the sea. It is a New Song only the redeemed can know. (The number 144,000 is not literal, but represents all God’s people.) All Heaven is singing praise for the mighty works of God. The prophets and Gospel writers were right; steadfast and persevering hope have brought rest from the toils and sorrows of life on earth. Heaven erupts in unutterable joy and praise for deliverance. This harvest brings a finality to mankind’s struggle against evil.

After this amazing celebration of believers comes a solemn ceremony where seven angels are given seven vials of God’s wrath. These judgments parallel Egypt’s plagues. Persecution, oppression and abuse are avenged to the fullest degree! The Redeemed bear the mark of God and the wicked are marked by their allegiance also. There is no escaping what you have lived.

Babylon is mentioned in these chapters. It is representative of all nations that have used political and religious power to treat people as commodities. Every age has its Babylon, that which entices people away from God by means of greed, luxury and selfish pleasure. But rest assured, God’s faithful will be vindicated. It is so certain, it’s as if it’s already happened. So, join Heaven’s chorus and sing a New Song in worship for what God has done, will do, and is doing!

Do, Mi, Sol,

Gretchen

Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. Revelation 5:8b (Revelation 8-13)

The prayers of the faithful play a significant role in outcome. In addition to 5:8, 8:3 tells of a wonderful aroma. Our prayers are pleasing to God. John sees these prayers as a treasure in Heaven and he watches as God brings the answer to petitions.

John is shown a picture of God preparing Heaven and earth for final judgement. God’s people are represented as a woman with a crown of stars who gives birth to a Son who rules all nations, but Satan rises in opposition with political oppression followed by all out war and religious persecution. When destruction from outside doesn’t bring an end to God’s people, false prophets, also called false lambs, begin tearing apart The Church from within. With the powers of Heaven doing battle for good, Satan fails.

We struggle with what Satan is, and the pain and sorrow in which he delights, but it is of great importance for us to recognize what he is NOT! John’s vision has a great deal to do with this understanding. Satan is not a god, certainly not The God! He has no power of all-knowing, all-presence, all-being. He fears the name of Christ and knows his doom is inevitable.

God protects and cares for His own. The prayers of the Saints have worked! They are the most valuable asset we have. When you think your prayers haven’t been heard or honored, remember, they have not been stored in the dusty archives of Heaven, but are an active part of worship here and in the presence of God, today and for all eternity. Pray Saint Pray!!!!

Love,

Gretchen

Then I heard every creature in Heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!” Revelation 5:13 (Revelation 4-8:6)

John’s revelation turns from the things of earth as Heaven’s door is thrown open and he sees and hears God, the Creator and Redeemer, praised for His power and majesty.

For every scholarly commentary written, there is an opinion of what the visions of John mean to each of us. I will not choose a favorite theory and adopt it for your consumption. But, there is common agreement; we simply will not fully understand until we personally behold Christ in all of His Glory. However, one theme is clear: No matter sin’s destruction or tribulation, God is on His Throne. Sin’s sorrow will never outweigh the power of The Church as The Church remains faithful and earth endures.

We will not live a trouble free life on earth, but we will come through to a permanent home of peace and security in Heaven, our living hope. Today’s crisis is not your forever, for joy comes in the morning.

Love,

Gretchen

“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”  Revelation 1:8 (Revelation 1-3:22)

John is the only living Apostle when a messenger from Heaven arrives and tells him to scribe what Jesus is going to reveal. His visions were then to be sent to the churches of Asia where extreme persecution was taking place.  Imperial Rome was attempting to wipe Christianity off the face of the earth, but admonition and encouragement sustained the faithful and the Church then and today survives triumphantly.

Revelation tells the story of a sovereign Lord engaged in battle with the forces of evil. It uses supernatural imagery, figurative language and symbolism that is not easy to fully understand, but we do know the number of completion, God’s signature, is seven. God’s omnipotent knowledge as Creator of the universe and Jesus as the fulfillment of righteousness is shown through love that conquers Satan. “Then all the churches will know that I am He who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.” (Rev. 2:23b) is evidence of the precious promises of eternal life for the believer and the agony guaranteed for the lost and rebellious.

Of the seven churches, two were blameless; Smyrna and Philadelphia. Two were spiritually bankrupt: Sardis and Laodicea, and three were accused of apathy for their tolerance of wrong teaching and immoral behavior among their members and leaders. Take heed!

God’s Word is to have a central place in the church and is designed to hold The Church to its mission. This final chapter is the consummation of God’s plan of redemption, established throughout the history of Biblical revelation. We are loved and our hope is in the promise and surety of eternal life.

Love,

Gretchen

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. I John 3:16 (I, II, III John)

The Christian Church was 60+ years old and many attempts had been made to amalgamate the Gospel with prevailing philosophical trends. John the Apostle wrote three letters, the first a circular letter sent to a large audience and meant to be shared far and near, and two short and very personal letters that were preserved because they were probably attached to the larger correspondence. The objective was to warn against corrupting Christianity with pagan behaviors and thought, and restate the Truth.

John was Jesus’ most intimate friend, the one Jesus had asked to care for His own mother at the crucifixion. Following the destruction of Jerusalem, John lived the rest of his life in Ephesus, from where he sent these letters. One misbelief that infiltrated Christian practice was dualism, the idea that body and spirit were separate. The body’s sins did not sully the spirit. This allowed for deeply immoral habits within the Christian community. There were also false prophets claiming to have a superior knowledge of God and denied the incarnate Christ.  John had walked intimately with Jesus for three years. He knew He was fully The Son of Man and fully The Son of God.

The Church must cling to the Truth and the Truth is, you must believe Jesus, the Son of a loving and kind God, died for man’s salvation. We have the assurance of eternal life and we show this knowledge of Truth by following God’s command, to love one another.

Love,

Gretchen

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1 (Hebrews 11-13)

These chapters are the Biblical Faith Hall of Fame, a pep rally of sorts for those who came before us, we the present, and those who will follow. It stands as a great encouragement for the persecuted and unjustly accused to remain strong and persevere. The same God that was faithful to them, is still faithful today. We can rest our hope in this.

Rather than expound on a very simple concept, I am going to list the accomplishments of faith as listed in Halley’s Bible Handbook, pg 654. It is tremendous inspiration.

-Abel’s faith brought the first sacrifice for sin

-Enoch’s faith brought relationship with God.

-Noah’s faith saved his family

-Abraham’s faith led him into the unknown that became the City of God and a confidence in God’s omnipotent and sovereign love and power.

-Sarah’s faith turned the impossible into reality.

-Isaac’s faith foretold the future.

-Jacob’s faith rested in the hope of promises fulfilled.

-Joseph’s faith sustained him from king to pauper to king.

-Moses faith chose to suffer with Israel, forsaking his place in pharaoh’s palace and the deliverance of the Hebrew children across the Red Sea.

-Joshua’s faith brought down the wall of Jericho.

-Rahab’s faith brought her into the security of Israel

-Gideon’s faith made him a mighty warrior.

-Barak’s faith subdued kingdoms.

-Samson’s faith made his weakness become strength.

-Jepthah’s faith defeated armies.

-David’s faith obtained promises.

-Daniels’ faith closed the mouths of lions.

-Jeremiah’s faith was tortured but stood firm.

-Elijah and Elisha’s faith raised the dead.

Yes, you can put out the fires of hell on earth with a little squirt gun when its loaded with a tiny seed of faith.

Love,

Gretchen

Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 (Hebrews 6-10)

These chapters focus on the priesthood of Jesus Christ.  A priest is the mediator between man and God. Jesus is referred to as the High Priest and likened to Melchizedek, who predated the Levitical priesthood and who Abraham gave a tenth of his bounty after defeating four kings to rescue his nephew Lot. Like Melchizedek, Jesus was not Levitical.

The writer of Hebrews logically and systematically shows Jesus as the complete and final priest.  With His death and resurrection, there is full access to God’s mercy and grace. The Levites were temporary, Christ is eternal. The ancient Law is written on stone, Christ’s Law is engraved on the hearts of those whose belief becomes faith. Animal sacrifice only reminded the people they were sinners (10:3&4), while the blood of Jesus has the power to save us from our carnal crisis.

A ‘testament’ or covenant is a will, a bequeathment, to heirs, effective after the death of their maker.  This is where we get the terms, New Testament and Old Testament. There is no further need for animal sacrifice (Old Testament) in an earthly Temple that was laid in crumbles. Christ’s blood (New Testament) is sufficient and God is faithful to forgive those who place their trust in this Salvation.

Love,

Gretchen