Revelation 1 Q&A

Revelation is a very confusing book, but it's more understandable than you might think if you come at it from the perspective of the scholars and theologians who know it best. In this introduction to our new series, Jamin invites to see this book as letter, prophecy, and apocrypha. He then answers any questions people have on the first chapter of Revelation.

Clarification: Christians go to Heaven when they die, not Sheol/Hades. They are saved by Christ from going to that place and go to Heaven instead

Spiritual Social Justice

Last week Jamin showed his love for social justice and social activism. This week he offers some critique on the subject, for the way the world does social justice and the way that Jesus does social justice are grounded in very different themes.

My Social Justice Journey

Jamin begins a new miniseries on social justice. In this first message, he shares his own journey into the theme.

Pursuing God with Creativity

Joel Bradley preaches about an intriguing thing God called him to do this past month and where it led him. In his journey, many seemed to find a word for themselves. Sarah Crane followed it up with a call to communion in connection to Joel's message. See the pictures below to follow along with Joel’s story.

The man reached for the ring hoping it would give him all he would need, but when he put it on he was bitten by the bat.

This sent him into a mindless state where the bats cries echo their loudest.

He became the ideal bait and the lies and deception started to set in.

The man began to freeze as his realities began to shift

He migrated from his mind to his heart and began building and fortifying a wall around it.

As he built a husky sat and watched over him.

He built his walls higher and by the time he was done he had built an enchanted kingdom upon his heart.

A frail man entered the kingdom and approached the husky. He placed his hand on it and said to the man “Don’t be afraid. The husky and I are here to crush the legion of bats that plagues your mind.

The frail man sat on a swing with the husky close beside him. They looked out beyond the horizon keeping watch for the bats

The man had a vision of a pattern of ripe crops. While he didn’t comprehend the meaning, for the first time since the bats attacked he felt at ease.

The peace lasted only momentarily as the cold season got colder and the snow began to fall.

In the man’s weakened state he was attacked by the dragon, the leader of the bats.

The dragon decimated the kingdom upon the man’s heart and it became impossible to distinguish between the ash and the snow.

Overgrown vines wrapped around the man’s heart. The thorns stung, but the man held onto hope. The bats had taken his mind but he wouldn’t surrender his heart so easily.

The man heard a legend of a being so powerful it could crush the head of the dragon. The man held on to faith that he would be delivered from the dragon’s reign.

The bats, the dragon and the vines ran wild. If the man were to see his heart he’s not certain he would even recognize it anymore.

The man saw the ring he once chased sitting on a pile of leaves. The ornament he once desired so much was now only collecting dirt. It was now that he could see the deception. He wished he could take it all back.

As the chaos ensued the man began to feel like a misfit within his own heart.

The man encountered a bat with a damaged wing. While he despised the bats for destroying his mind he couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He wrapped the bats wing in a sling and in that moment the vines began to wilt and the dragon lost much of its power.

The frail man said “it’s time.” Then he and the husky tread towards the dragon.

The man went and found refuge in the deepest part of his heart. There he found a chest containing another ring. However, this ring was different from his first ring. The ring radiated with a sense of peace. He took hold of it and placed it on his finger. Upon doing so the dragon lost even more of its power.

After placing the ring on his finger a ghost appeared and startled the man. The ghost said “do not be afraid. I am here with the man and the husky. We are here to bring an end to this nightmare.”

The ghost joined with the frail man and the husky they spoke as one in an ancient tongue. The dragon and his legion of bats despised these words. One by one the bats began to fall.

The sheer mention of these ancient words made the dragon dizzy and the havoc it caused came to a screeching halt. The man felt a weight begin to lift from his heart.

Though the dragon was weakened it was not about to give up he spotted the man, and in a final burst of energy he flew after him shouting “tasty!”

In that moment everything went dark.

The darkness dissipated, and the frail man placed a coat around his shoulders. The husky sat next to him providing comfort and the ghost was dissolving what was left of the dragon. The battle had finally ended.

The husky offered to give the man a ride. He jumped on his back and together they went to reclaim his mind.

The frail man, the husky and the ghost healed the man’s injured mind and new life began to grow from him

A safety net was created to catch the man in case he was ever to fall again.

The man saw an orchard of ripe crops in the distance. As he approached he sat and rested. The frail man said “you survived the coldest season of your life and now the new fruits are finally ripe. Share these fruits with others and they too will witness new life.”

The Returned

Matthew puts a detail in his gospel that the other 3 gospels do not: Some of the dead returned to life and walked around Jerusalem. And this is not the only time in the Bible or in history that the Holy Spirit has brought people back to life.

Check out this podcast episode on 1208GREENWOOD’s webpage or simply subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play. You can also continue the conversation with my book/auidobook, Alien Theology.

The Final Temptation

A lot of times when we think about Jesus being tempted we think about his time fasting in the desert. But if we pay attention we can see temptation continue on throughout his ministry. We even see Satan’s temptations come at Jesus in his final moments as he hangs upon a cross. Check out this podcast episode on 1208GREENWOOD’s webpage or simply subscribe to the podcast on iTunes, Spotify, or Google Play.

The Nonviolence of Jesus

When Jesus disarms Peter, he disarms all of us.

End Times Q&A

This Sunday we tried something a little bit different. Jamin read 2 chapters of Jesus' comments on the end times, and then using the webpage Slido, he took and answered various questions from 1208ers on the confusing reading.

The Good & Bad of the Pharisees

The Pharisees are not remembered for good things and Matthew 23 reserves some of Jesus' harshest words for them. But even here there are a couple of good qualities Jesus draws attention to, and the rest of the New Testament paints a bigger picture for them as well. Yes, they miss the point time and time again, but perhaps they will eventually see this and repent. And perhaps, we today will see the same problems in our lives as Christians and repent as well.

Whose Son?

After the religious leaders try to trap Jesus in saying something stupid over and over again, Jesus decides to lead them to into saying something they would rather not admit.

Jamin's Supernatural Journey

Jamin shares his testimony with Chelsea Free Methodist Church about how coming to know the Holy Spirit completely changed his life.

The Chosen Few

Jamin teaches on a lesser read parable about a wedding banquet and explains the Biblical understanding of election.

The Son in the Vineyard

Jamin preaches an—admittedly scatterbrained—message on how the cross was an attempt to shut Jesus’ prophetic words up and how we can do the same if we’re not careful.

Tax Collectors and Prostitutes

Jesus had some pretty harsh words for the Pharisees that convict us all.

Healing

Jamin takes a brief look at all the healing stories in Matthew's Gospel and then talks about how he came in contact with a Holy Spirit who still heals today.

Ishmael

Our soap opera of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, and now Ishmael continues with more family drama and supernatural experiences.

The King Enters Jerusalem

In today's passage, Jesus enters the sacred city Jerusalem and the city celebrates him like a king. But Jesus' inauguration is very backwards from the kind we know.

The Fringes

A giant crowd gathers around Jesus at Jericho, but Jesus' attention is on two blind guys on the fringes. Jamin shares some stories about going to the fringes and how we must strive to do so as Christians.

A Biblical Soap Opera

In today's Bible passage we see how Abraham and Sarah repeat the actions of Adam and Eve.

Why Does God Allow Bad Things to Happen?

Guest speaker Pastor Ranay Brown takes us into the complicated question people have been asking for ages.