Setting the Course

Evangelistic Series coming to our church?  How do you feel about that?  Excited, or apprehensive?  Had experiences with evangelism in the past that makes you feel less than comfortable, or a bit uneasy about inviting someone?

Well whatever your experience in the past as been, this is one you might want to check into.  We'll be taking a couple of nights a month to explore the book of Revelation in a way that does not insult your intelligence, feel manipulated, or like you have just seen a page out of a grocery store tabloid translated into speech, but one that actually opens to you an understanding of the book of Revelation that allows the central figure of the book, Jesus, to stay central, and you understanding to be enriched.  The title of the series is:  Revelation:  Hope, Meaning and Purpose,"  and we hope you will find it a way to deepen or discover all of those things.

As a foretaste of what the series will bring, Jon Pauline introduced a few key ideas:

• The context of the book as it was written on the Isle of Patmos

• Five guiding principles:

•     Stay true to the book, not some other agenda (no text jumping)

•     The Book of Revelation is Christ Centered - and so will this series be.  It's about connecting  with Jesus not just communicating information.

•     This series stays focused on the gospel, as does scripture

•     Will focus on the everyday practicality of the message

•     The series is deliberately positive, not scary - which was the original intent of the book.  This series honors the book by not making it about something else.

• The fault line between good and evil does not lie between "us" and "them" but right down the middle of our own hearts.  This should have an impact on how we treat others, regardless of who they are and where they are coming from.

• This series will also be looking at ways the Book of Revelation gives us insights into how we deal with the real issues that impact our lives every day on a personal level, for (in chapter 1 for example) it is written to a  people who know what it is to face uncertainty and/or deal with rejection. 

If you would like to listen to the sermon once again, or perhaps for the first time, you can access our sermon library by clicking here.  If you would like to participate in the series itself, click here for more information.