This episode fits the title "The End" in more than one way. The podcast will continue, but today is minister Aaron Hill's last sermon for us as our preacher. He and his wife will be moving to a church nearer their families in New Mexico. The message itself is from the last chapters of Revelation signifying another end, a narrative about the end of an age given to us by the apostle John.

Revelation is both a literal and symbolic depiction of what things will be like at the end of times. It is often difficult to determine with 100% accuracy what is literal ad what is symbolic; therefore, we must be careful how we interpret what the book says.

John gives us a picture of a new heaven and a new earth. There is no sea, no sun, no moon, and no stars. The water of life flows from the throne, and God and the Lamb provide the light. It becomes evident who is responsible for life and light. The living water and the light are available to all of the sons and daughters of God free of charge. Nothing will be able separate us from Christ, and we will experience full enjoyment of the presence of God in this place.

In the last lesson in his "Identity Politics" series (Episode 366), minister Aaron Hill focused on the church at Ephesus, a church faced with the possibility of losing its candlestick because of its lack of love. In today's sermon, he discusses the plight of the church at Thyatira, which faces a vastly different challenge. They are commended for having the love that Ephesus lacked, yet some of their body are admonished for following the teaching of a false prophet in their midst. 

This so-called prophet is called Jezebel, reminiscent of the evil queen Jezebel who promoted idolatry and Baal worship in Old Testament times. Some in the church of Thyatira are apparently following this "prophet's" teaching and engaging in sexual immorality. John condemns this practice, and tells those, including the "prophet", that they must repent, or they will face resultant tribulation. 

He makes it clear, however, that this is not a whole church issue, or the church in Thyatira would likely be warned of losing its candlestick just as Ephesus was. He tells them in Revelation 2:24-25, "But to the rest of you in Thyatira, who do not hold this teaching, who have not learned what some call the deep things of Satan, to you I say, I do not lay on you any other burden. Only hold fast what you have until I come." For those who hold fast to Christ, he promises a reward, emphasizing their need and ours to be vigilant at all times and not to become complacent.

Continuing the series concerning how we engage with politics in our world, minister Aaron Hill discusses John's message to the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7. The church at Ephesus is of note here because it is the only one of the seven churches that is threatened with the removal of its lampstand. What could bring about such a threat? They work; they are patient; they are discerning of truth. What do they lack? The answer is love! The writer says they have abandoned the love they had at the first. Paul in 1 Corinthians 13 says that without love, it doesn't matter what we are, do, or believe. The Ephesian church did a lot right. They were concerned with truth; they discerned truth from falsehood, but truth without love is nothing! Is there a lesson that the church today can take from that?

Continuing his series on responding to politics in our world, minister Aaron Hill uses passages from a perhaps unexpected book. The book of Revelation, though it can be intimidating, often addresses the politics of the age in which it was written. John references Rome throughout the book, though it appears in the guise of Babylon. The imagery John uses to refer to the politics of Rome can be confusing and is sometimes misunderstood, but the Jewish people of the time would have understood it more readily that we would. 

Political tensions may have prevented John for writing this letter in a straightforward manner; thus, he may have cloaked his message in imagery grounded in a Jewish temple context. Roman authorities might have been less likely to allow John’s letter to be sent had they recognized John’s negative comments about the Roman empire. Jewish readers, however, would have readily understood it.

In the first chapter of Revelation, we find out that God has made us a kingdom. We are the kingdom! Not a kingdom defined by geo-political boundaries, but a kingdom nonetheless, and Jesus is King and Lord and God of that kingdom, which is His church.

Scripture is not silent about politics and how we as Christians engage with it. How we engage with people before, during, and after the polls close is important. Minister Aaron Hill discusses how the apostle Paul tells us in Romans 12 how we as Christians should behave. What we do and say, whether that is face to face or in a social media context, matters. Paul encourages us to show genuine love to others in all circumstances and gives us practical advice for what that should look like, ending with an admonition to never seek vengeance but always let love be our response. Are we up for the challenge?

As minister Aaron Hill continues his series on the ways we live in response to the politics of our day, he focuses on the first two verses of Romans 12. He notes that we as people tend to take Jesus and try to conform Him to our world, more accurately translated as our age or time we're living. Some want just part of Christ, perhaps choosing His love but rejecting His truth. Others of us like Christ but have our own views about how He would have us interact with our world, and those views may not line up with His truth. Still others of us may accept Jesus but want to reduce His influence in our lives so that the world is still bigger than Christ.  

God, however, calls us to make our bodies living sacrifices, daily dedicating our lives to Him, making them sacred, pure, righteous, holy, and set apart for Him. This requires an honest evaluation of oneself so that we can all grow. It will not always be comfortable to be transformed into what God would have us be, but we must leave the mold of this world, this age, behind.

As we approach election day, the candidates are trying how to win those voters who are as yet undecided. How will they go about doing that? As Christians, our loyalties need to be much greater to Christ than they are to our politics. What about the undecided when it comes to a relationship with Christ? Are we as concerned about those who haven't chosen to follow Jesus as we are about those who haven't chosen the candidate we support?  In Colossians 4:2-6, the apostle Paul tells us how to win the undecided. He tells us we should pray fervently, conduct ourselves with wisdom, and use grace-filled speech. Too often, we focus on our positions instead of to the people standing in front of us who need Christ. If there is a better way, doesn't it make sense to try it? 

Whom or what will we choose to serve? Will it be God, or will it be what culture dictates? Minister Aaron Hill continues his series on "Identity Politics" using Daniel 3 as his text. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, otherwise known as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, choose God at the risk of their lives when they refuse to bow down to the gold statue set up by Nebuchadnezzar. We live in a culture that insists that we bow down to its standards. Failing to do so can result in being cancelled or losing a job. Will we continue to practice our faith in God when we are threatened with a loss of livelihood? We must remember that God's kingdom is the only kingdom that will stand. We must avoid worshipping the golden images of culture that we encounter on a daily basis. Whom will we serve?

This week minister Aaron Hill begins a new series entitled Identity Politics, during which he will examine ways people in Bible times interact with their culture and respond to the politics of their day and how that relates to how we respond to politics in our time.

In this first episode, Hill uses the text from Daniel 1 to illustrate the way political power worked in Daniel's day. King Nebuchadnezzar besieges Israel and takes captive many of the people, taking them away to exile. In this process, the Babylonians do everything possible to separate their prisoners from their identity. They try to educate them in Babylon's wisdom even giving them new names. What is the prisoners' response? They cling to the God of Israel, not taking the easy path of accepting Babylonian culture as their new normal.

How does this relate to us? We battle culture daily. Do we support the politics of the donkey or the elephant? What about the politics of the Lamb? Are we Christians who crucify our Christian identity in favor of our political identity and let that determine how we live? Whom do we trust? God or politics?

In the last sermon of his series on 1 John, minister Aaron Hill reminds listeners that John wants his fellow believers to have confidence, to know that they are saved. Though the whole world lies in the power of the evil one, John says that we know we are from God. If we could only see the evil spirits at work around us, our perspective would change. This world is evil. People aren't basically good as we often hear. They are basically sinful and fallen, but Jesus gave himself to deliver us from this present evil age! While the god of this world is blinding the eyes of unbelievers, we must remember that Jesus has won the battle. Oftentimes, having assurance of our salvation is not emphasized, yet John says we CAN know! As we confess our sins, no longer walking in darkness but in the light of Jesus, let us rejoice in the salvation Jesus has given us.