SCRIPTURE: 2 John, 3 John

OBSERVATION:
John is writing to new communities of Jesus-followers, addressing concerns and encouraging them to stay true to the message of Jesus. Though persecution was a problem, a greater danger was coming from within: leaders and teachers who were not living in the way of Jesus (love, truth, grace, hospitality, obedience) and were therefore disturbing and misleading new believers. John urges them to be on guard against anyone who does not live and act like Jesus. He also urges them to excel in being loving and supportive to one another, especially to those who are investing themselves fully in the work of the Lord. Continue reading ‘they will know we are Christians by…’ »

Background for Reading the Prophecy of 2 John, 3 John
Taken from “How To Read The Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart

[2 John]

1. Content: “The elder” warns against false teachers who deny the incarnation of Christ.
2. Author: The same author who wrote 1 John, who calls himself “the elder”; a solid historical tradition equated him with the apostle John.
3. Date: Probably in the late 80s, early 90s A.D.
4. Recipients: The ‘lady chosen by God’ is either a single, local congregation or a woman who hosts a house church; ‘her children’ are the members of the believing community. Continue reading ‘reading 2 John/ 3 John’ »

SCRIPTURE: Haggai 2

OBSERVATION:
There are 3 sections in the reading. (1) God encourages His people who are discouraged by how small the temple seems. God is with them, He will bring His glory to this little place. (2) The poisonous effect of sin and worldliness, it undermines our success and happiness. Sin is contagious and affects us and those around us. But so is godliness, and the result is God’s blessing. (3) God chooses Zerubbabel as His special servant, and through Him He will accomplish His purpose. Continue reading ‘be strong’ »

SCRIPTURE: Haggai 1

OBSERVATION:
For God’s special community, the temple was the most important symbol of their relationship with God and the world. After God brought them back from exile to Israel, they started working on the city walls and the temple, but soon got distracted by building bigger and nicer homes. Better harvests meant better profits meant better homes. Meanwhile their relationship with God, and their calling as His people (both symbolized by the temple) was forgotten. God gets their attention by holding back their harvest, and through Haggai’s message. The Spirit of God stirs the spirit of the leader and the people, and they get back to work on their most important project, restoring God’s place in the nation and the world. Continue reading ‘stirring my spirit’ »

SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 14

OBSERVATION:
This is a vision of the end of history, when the Lord returns and finally and fully restores His kingdom on earth. It is written in language that the Jews of the day would understand (the nations, the temple and its furnishings, the feast of Tabernacles, Jerusalem). I would not read this prophecies literally, but figuratively: there will be a final battle, the Lord and His people will finally defeat the enemies of God and of good, and the survivors of this final judgment (from all nations) will enter into His eternal kingdom. Everything and everyone will be devoted to (set apart, ‘holy’) to the Lord, and there will be no sin and misery present there (symbolized by the Canaanite). Compare this with the final visions in the book of Revelation. Continue reading ‘your kingdom come… in me too’ »

Background for Reading the Prophecy of Haggai
Taken from “How To Read The Bible Book by Book” by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stewart

1. Content: Four oracles encouraging God’s people to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
2. Prophet: Haggai, a postexilic prophet in Jerusalem and contemporary of Zechariah (see Ezra 5:1; 6:14).
3. Date of prophetic activity: A four-month period during the second year of the reign of Darius of Persia (520 B.C.)
4. Emphases: God’s people need to rebuild the temple as the place of God’s presence and of their worship; current hardships stem from failure in this matter; a glorious future awaits the people of God and Zerubbabel (thus David’s kingly line). Continue reading ‘reading Haggai’ »

SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 12-13

OBSERVATION:
These messages speak about God’s plan to restore His people to an important place in the world (12:1-9), the grief His people experience for rejecting (piercing) God, an anticipation of the crucifixion (12:10-14), God’s promise to remove the impurity of false teachers and prophets who were misleading His people (13:1-6) and the upheaval that will result when Messiah comes, is rejected by some and accepted by others (13:7-9). The basic message is: God is committed to establishing His kingdom, and those who surrender to Him in love and obedience will be blessed, but those who stand in the way (whether other nations, His own people or their prophets) will be moved aside. We may resist, but we cannot stop God’s purpose. Continue reading ‘resisting or assisting Him’ »

SCRIPTURE: Zechariah 11

OBSERVATION:
This is a scary message. It basically says that the people prefer to follow worthless leaders and teachers (shepherds). In the vision Zechariah tries to help the flock by getting rid of the bad shepherds and caring for the sheep, especially the weak. But they rejected and detested him (symbolic of all the good leaders and teachers God provided them), so God breaks the special relationship (the two staffs – Favour, Union – symbolic of the covenant bond between them and God. And He gives them what they want… a really worthless leader who ravages and ruins them. Continue reading ‘what I need, not what I want’ »