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LLM December 2012
Citation preview
“Why would you write about the Second
Coming at Christmastime?”
A few people were surprised to learn
this month’s theme. Isn’t this the season to indulge in a yule-
tide feast, not to discuss the mark of the beast?
I’ve been considering an end-times-themed issue since dis-
covering that some Free Methodists’ views differ significantly
from the eschatology espoused by the popular “Left Behind”
series and its precursor, the “Thief in the Night” movies of the
1970s and early ’80s. (My FM youth group watched one of
these films, which featured a leisure suit–wearing Antichrist.)
Then some colleagues unexpectedly offered an intriguing
suggestion: December would be a good issue to discuss the
Second Coming because of the speculation (in Hollywood at
least) caused by the Mayan calendar’s Dec. 21, 2012, “end
date.”
I felt peace about the topic after discovering this sermon
description from Nov. 27, 2011 on the Spring Arbor (Mich.)
FMC website: “Advent has traditionally focused on the second
coming of Christ as much as it focuses on His first coming. …
Advent is a season of anticipation and
preparing our hearts for His coming.”
As you read Scripture this Christ-
mas, don’t forget Revelation 12:5:
“She gave birth to a son, a male child,
who ‘will rule all the nations with an
iron scepter.’” [LLM]
Managing Editor Jeff FinleyLead Designer Erin EckbergWriter/Photographer Michael MettsCopy Editor Dawn McIlvain StahlInternal Communications Andrea Anibal Project Manager Julie InnesPublisher Jason ArcherBusiness/Operations Ben Weesies
Spanish TranslationEzequiel Alvarez Jazmin Angulo Janeth Bustamante Carmen HoseaJoe Castillo Karen KabandamaJennifer Flores Samuel LopezGuillermo Flores Rodrigo Lozano, Coordinator
LLM: Light & Life Magazine (ISSN 0024-3299) was established in 1868 by the Free Methodist Church. Pub-lished monthly by Light & Life Communications. © 2012 Free Methodist Church – USA, 770 N. High School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46214. Views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent the official position of the Free Methodist Church. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations, no portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated.
Whole No. 5246, Vol. 145, No. 12Printed in U.S.A.Member: Evangelical Press Association,Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability
Periodicals postage paid at Indianapolis, IN, and additional mailing offices.
Postmaster, send address changes to:Light & Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46214
1 [openers]
LLML I G H T & L I F E M A G A Z I N E
“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” — John 1:4
D e v e l o p i n g E a r n e s t C h r i s t i a n s S i n c e 1 8 6 8
Website: www.llcomm.orgEmail us: www.llcomm.org/staffNews and submissions: [email protected]: [email protected]
Address all correspondence to:Light & Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Rd.,Indianapolis, IN 46214 (317) 244-3660
Second Advent
To receive Light & Life in Spanish, please contact our office: (800) 342-5531 or [email protected].
Jeff FinleyManaging Editor
i
Ten devotional e-books by former Light & Life editor Roger Schoenhals are available on Amazon.com.
Search: “Kindle Roger Schoenhals”
Price Range:$0.99-3.99
MORE ONLINEScan this box with your smartphone for online access to this issue and additional content.
B Y J I L L R I C H A R D S O N
If, like many people, you have aspirations to
write a novel, you’ll have to learn some rules.
Yes, stories have rules, and certain rules just
don’t get broken. One of the first: Authors
must never interrupt the story they’re telling.
Think about it. Imagine J.R.R. Tolkien dropping himself into “The Return
of the King” to interact with the characters and say, “Excuse me, reader,
but these guys are not handling the situation well. Aragorn and Frodo, I’m
the author. Let me explain to you how this is all supposed to go and what
the point is.” uuu
He would not do it. You would not
tolerate it. You’d throw that book
across the room and demand your
money (and years of your life) back
from all three “The Lord of the Rings”
installments. You would definitely
disappoint Peter Jackson and not go
see “The Hobbit” this month.
Authors who break into their own
stories do so for all the wrong rea-
sons. They want to make sure read-
ers get the moral. Their out-of-control
characters need to be manipulated.
They must let everyone know who is
right and who is wrong. The rulebook
rightly says that shouldn’t be done.
Author as HeroOnce, however, the cosmic writer
did step into the story. He did not step
in as a moralizer, judge or manipula-
tor though He has the right to be all
of the above. He stepped in as the
hero. How unlike anything ever done
— anything in the rulebook!
“For God so loved the world that he
gave his one and only Son, that who-
ever believes in him shall not perish but
have eternal life. For God did not send
his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but to save the world through
him” (John 3:16–17).
These gospel-central verses tell
the tale. We’re anesthetized to the
words; we’ve repeated them by rote
since our first VBS. Do we realize the
impact of what they mean to the story?
No other god worshiped by anyone
else on the planet sacrificed himself
to become the hero. They gave good
examples to imitate, handed out rules
and agendas to follow, and suggested
proverbs to live by. But no one ever
did what the author of the universe
did. God so gave — and gave and gave
— so people could be saved, not just
enlightened.
Jesus broke into the story of
humankind. When it looked like the
conflict couldn’t be resolved, the char-
acters were beyond redemption, and
there would be no happily ever after
for anyone, Jesus threw down the pen
and walked into the plot.
Jesus didn’t enter the story at
Christmas to moralize or manipulate
things to His own end. He came to
offer everyone the opportunity to have
a happy ending, courtesy of His own
sacrifice. At Christmas, we sing about
a baby in a manger, but do we
remember that the baby willfully
wrote Himself into the tale and inten-
tionally became its sacrificial hero?
Sometimes, we also forget that
He plans to return to finish it Himself.
One more time, He’ll toss aside the
pen and paper (or does He use a
3 [feature]
The cosmic writer stepped in
as the hero.
How unlike
anything in the
rulebook!
computer these days?) and give us
the ending human hearts long for
in every story — beauty, justice and
eternal love.
“No One Knows”“Eschatology” is a big word that
means the study of the end. What are
the last things that will happen when the
story wraps up? Few people are betting
that end will come this December.
Some, undoubtedly, are selling their
condos and Cadillacs and sending their
money to an enterprising televangelist.
But not most. God said, “But about that
day or hour no one knows, not even
the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but
only the Father” (Matthew 24:36). We
assume the “no one” included the
Mayans, Jehovah’s Witnesses and
Harold Camping.
But when the Author does write
“The End,” we all want to know what
will happen. Who’s in, who’s out,
in what order will it all go down,
and what is that mark of the beast
anyway? These are all valid curiosi-
ties. Yet, thinking about the story, one
other question seems even more
compelling. What does God want us
to do with the plot in the middle?
God Never LeftOne thing we overlook while sing-
ing about Christmas and speculating
about the Second Coming is that
God never actually left the story. The
amazing reality is that, for Christians,
the writer of the novel lives in each
one of us and leads us to the next
page, if we let Him.
“Dear friends, now we are children
of God, and what we will be has not
yet been made known. But we know
that when Christ appears, we shall be
like him, for we shall see him as he is.”
(1 John 3:2).
How will we be like Him? We don’t
know exactly. John doesn’t either, but
there is one thing we can be sure of.
He intends for the change to be an
ongoing process.
God isn’t interested in “Extreme
Makeover”-style “big reveals.” Rather,
according to Paul, “we all, who with
unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s
glory, are being transformed into
his image with ever-increasing glory,
which comes from the Lord, who is
the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18).
That’s present tense, ongoing
action. We won’t “be transformed.”
We “are being transformed” —
right now, daily. He wants us to be
getting so much more like Jesus
now that, when He returns, it will be
more like “Yes, that’s what I always
imagined” than “Whoa, that was
[feature] 4
Jesus isn’t just
the omniscient
author or
the “rode into
town and then
disappeared” hero.
He’s the writer who continues to
put His mark
on every single page of every
single person who
says, “I want my
story to be your
story. I want my life
to show who
writes it.”
some surprise ending!”
Genesis tells us we were made
in His image. Both John and Paul
insist Jesus came to restore that
image. Through His first coming, He
offered the opportunity to change
our story and return to what we
were meant to be. Through His
Holy Spirit, He gives the power to
make that change, starting now, in
“ever-increasing glory.” At His final
coming, He’ll let us see, and be, the
perfect ending.
Jesus isn’t just the omniscient
author or the “rode into town and
then disappeared” hero. He’s the
writer who continues to put His
mark on every single page of every
single person who says, “I want my
story to be your story. I want my life
to show who writes it.”
That’s the challenge of both
Christmas and Jesus’ future return:
to do something with the content
until He comes to finish it.
And when that happens? I hear
the sequel is going to be even
better. [LLM]
5 [feature]
www.fmfoundation.org
i Jill Richardson is a Free Method-ist pastor, wife and mother sharing God’s grace through speaking, writing (jillmarierichardson.com) and living.
Connect to
the Free
Methodist
Church on
iPhone,
iPad, or
Android.
Use your
phone or
tablet to
search the
Apple App
Store or
Google Play.
What is our body’s form after the resurrection? What is the spatial rela-
tionship between heaven and hell? Are there incontrovertible signs of
end times? Are nations and people groups today influential in bringing
about last things?
These questions only scratch the surface of what people ask about our future. We
have hints rather than rock-solid answers about how events will unfold.
It is impossible to describe timelessness in timed, sequential language. It is equally
impossible to define the kingdom of God so far removed from the societal and politi-
cal structures we know. Our kingdom context has other kingdoms involved.
Yet people in recent history have spent an inordinate amount of time attempting
to clarify the unclear — only to have their explanations unraveled by linguistic and
theological experts or changes in the political landscape. Worse than the inconve-
nience and embarrassment of missed calculations is the overshadowing of Scrip-
ture’s great certainties.
The Free Methodist Church has clearly stated articles that spell out those items
of certainty. You can find these five brief articles under “Last Things” in our “Book of
Discipline” at fmcusa.org — “The Kingdom of God,” “Return of Christ,” “Resurrection,”
“Judgment” and “Final Destiny.” In a nutshell, God reigns for eternity with His people.
Christ will return without a doubt in a manner very much unlike His first entrance.
He will do away with evil and triumph in all things. There is a bodily resurrection from
the dead in which the person is clearly identifiable. There is a judgment to which all in
history must succumb. Our destiny is neither arbitrary nor temporary. God’s grace
paves the way for those who openly and freely respond. Rejection of God’s grace and
consequent evil pave a tragic, eternal path for others.
No charts. No timelines. No temporary kingdoms. No forecasted domestic events.
We simply do not need to speculate.
Scriptural certainties give us enough to celebrate and contemplate — triumph,
eliminating the distance between God and us, knowing that God will set everything
right, understanding that the stakes are high for all humanity. These certainties make
me look forward with eager anticipation, look around with serious commitment and
gratefully look up to the God who forever has it all under control. [LLM]
A Certain Future
[bishops] 6
Bishop Matthew Thomas
To read more from Bishop Thomas, visit fmcusa.org/matthewthomas.
i
These certainties
make me look
forward with
eager anticipa-
tion, look around
with serious
commitment and
gratefully look up
to the God who
forever has it all
under control.
On a cold December’s night, we put on our best sweaters and head to the
church to see the children’s Christmas play. We’re secretly hoping one of
the shepherds uses a crook to wrangle a rowdy preschooler. Inevitably, a
heavenly host of third-graders says, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth
peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).
Have you ever stopped to wonder about this peace? Is it simply a “silent night, holy
night” kind of peace or something much more?
This peace has little to do with absence of conflict or an inner disposition. This is a
different, radical peace foretold in the Old Testament about the way God moves and
acts to make everything new on earth. Isaiah 9:6–7 reveals a child “called Wonderful
Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the greatness of his
government and peace there will be no end.”
According to the Free Methodist “Book of Discipline,” the “reign
of God will be established; a total cosmic renewal which is both
material and moral shall occur; and the hope of the redeemed will
be fully realized.”
These passages remind us that the location of salvation is the
earth. Our hope is not some disembodied heaven, floating around
out there somewhere; rather, Jesus comes here to earth “for total
cosmic renewal.”
Revelation 21:3–5 provides a profound image of this: “And I
heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling
place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They
will be his people, and God himself will be with them.’ … He who was
seated on the throne said, ‘I am making everything new!’” [LLM]
Jaymes Lackey, a Seattle Pacific Seminary student, serves at First FMC in Seattle and formerly served at Foothill Community Church in Oroville, Calif.
SCRIPTURE:
Luke 2:14
Isaiah 9:6–7
Revelation 21:3–5
Radical Peace
7 [foundation]
B Y J A Y M E S L A C K E Y
As we celebrate Christ’s coming into our world, consider Bishop Emeritus Donald N.
Bastian’s observation: “The doctrine of Christ’s second appearing is as pro-
nounced in the New Testament as the announcement of His first appearance.”
The 18th century witnessed the birth of Methodism and heightened attention to
eschatology (“last things”) ignited by such events as the French Revolution and a series of
earthquakes in England. John Wesley was reluctant to be drawn into speculation about
the end, focusing rather on the urgency of evangelizing the unconverted. A “desire to flee
from the wrath to come” was the only condition for joining a Methodist society.
Widespread interest in “last things” continued into the 19th century, in which the
Free Methodist Church emerged. William Miller and the Seventh-Day Adventists pre-
dicted Christ would return in October 1844, based largely on their interpretation of
the book of Daniel. Early Free Methodists, following Wesley’s lead, wisely chose to avoid
millennial predictions and focused instead on the urgency of extending Christ’s earthly
kingdom.
B.T. Roberts, a principal FM founder, felt such speculation contributed little to car-
ing for the sick or converting the lost. Roberts affirmed God’s sovereignty over history
and the urgency of preaching the gospel to all nations (Matthew 24:14) to hasten
Christ’s return. The FMC broadened its “Last Things” statement in 1974 by inserting
a “Kingdom of God” section prior to the “Return of Christ” section.
Dispensationalism has been popularized by the fictional “Left Behind” books. This
approach, largely unheard of before the 19th century, divides history into seven dis-
tinct dispensations and hinges on an elaborate scheme for understanding last things.
The challenge for Free Methodists today is to focus on our tradition’s rich and
biblical commitment to evangelizing the lost, preaching the gospel to the poor and
living a holy life while affirming: “Christ has died. Christ has risen. Christ will come
again.” [LLM]
Seattle resident Joe Culumber recently retired from Greenville College’s philosophy-religion department.
Affirming Without Speculating
[history] 8
B Y J O E C U L U M B E R
Early Free Methodists
chose to avoid
millennial predictions
and focused instead on
the urgency of
extending Christ’s
earthly kingdom.
p Historical icon of the Return of Christ
Chris Carlyle is a busy pastor,
husband and father with another
important role — chaplain.
Within a year of arriving as pastor of the
Irvine (Ky.) FMC, Carlyle became chaplain
of the Irvine and Ravenna police
departments, uuu
B Y J E F F F I N L E Y
pastor/chaplain
helpspeople
heal
a local fire department, Marcum &
Wallace Memorial Hospital and the
Estill County emergency services. He
coordinates a network of local pas-
tors who help civilians in crisis situa-
tions while he serves the emergency
responders.
While in the Navy, Carlyle was
inspired by a chaplain. In college, he
took a clinical pastoral education
course that also increased his inter-
est in chaplain service. Despite previ-
ous experience, however, Carlyle’s
Irvine-area chaplaincy opportunities
came unexpectedly.
prayers for a house“There was a house in the neigh-
borhood that had a great deal of
drug traffic going on,” Carlyle said. “I
brought it up on a Wednesday night
service that we should pray for this
house because of that. By that Thurs-
day morning, a significant change had
come to that house.”
A resident of the house died, and
the drug trafficking slowed.
“The police department had
heard about us praying for the
house,” said Carlyle. He received a
visit from the police chief, who asked
if Carlyle “would pray for some of his
men and some of the other troubled
spots in town.”
A captain later asked Carlyle if he
would consider becoming the police
chaplain. After approval by the city
council, Carlyle received police acad-
emy training.
changing attitudesCarlyle has his own police uniform
and is considered an officer although
he is not a sworn member of the
force. The uniform notes he is a chap-
lain, but that label is often overlooked.
Many people assume he is a regular
police officer.
“The general attitude of the public
toward the police is often negative,”
Carlyle said. “Nobody makes eye con-
tact with you.”
He tries to change attitudes
about the police, and he encourages
people to be friendly with officers
instead of only approaching them
with complaints.
“Look at the policeman with grati-
tude, but look at him and say, ‘Good to
see you today,’” he said. “They’re not
used to that kind of thing.”
healing and cleansing Along with sharing the gospel, Car-
lyle helps people open themselves to
God as they deal with issues in their
past such as abuse, addiction and
divorce. He said the same philoso-
phy of ministry applies to his roles as
pastor and chaplain.
“For me, it’s all about helping heal
people,” Carlyle said. “I’m trying to
help people be healed in their spirit.
Their spirit is dead to God until they
find Jesus Christ.”
After a spirit comes to life, a
cleansing process may still be needed.
“Sin is the root issue that the
gospel has to address, but sometimes
the cleansing takes a while,” Carlyle
said. “In the old terms, we would call it
‘sanctification’ or ‘entire sanctification.’
I simply call it ‘soul cleansing.’” [LLM]
[action] 10
pastor/chaplain
helpspeople
heal
“I’m trying to help people be healed in their spirit. Their spirit is dead to God until they find Jesus Christ.”
11 [news]
More than 1 million people
are now members of the
Free Methodist Church.
“The Free Methodist Church is
growing substantially in some places
around the world,” Bishop Matthew
Thomas told the Free Methodist
Church – USA Board of Administra-
tion (BOA) on Oct. 18. “I would like to
note that since 1995, statistically,
we’ve grown by almost a thousand
percent — tenfold — in the continent
of Asia, and that’s due in large part to
our national leaders overseas.”
The denomination took more than
150 years to reach 1 million members
worldwide, but much of the growth has
occurred place in the last 10 years.
“Could we believe and pray for
3 million people in five years?”
Thomas asked.
International Child Care Ministries
Director Linda Adams noted
the work of FM missionar-
ies — some of whom became
martyrs — to spread the
gospel globally.
“A great forest has been
raised up from those seeds,”
Adams said.
Delia Nüesch-Olver, Latin America
area director for Free Methodist
World Missions, credited international
Free Methodists for their commit-
ment to sharing the gospel.
“In Venezuela, they apologize
because they only grew 32 percent
this past year,” said Nüesch-Olver, who
added the desire for growth is “not for
numbers’ sake but for Jesus’ sake.”
BOA members celebrated the
news of the global growth.
“I think this 1 million is the
answer to many people who have
been praying and working,” BOA
member Guillermo Flores said.
“The real exciting part is that we’re
shooting for 3 million in the next five
years. God is on the move,” BOA
Chairman Hal Conklin said.
At a worship service the next
day, Thomas directed participants’
attention to three one-word banners
that together stated “Celebrating
One Million.” He said it’s important to
celebrate each person, and the mes-
sage would still be appropriate if the
“million” banner fell down. [LLM]
FM Membership Passes 1 Million B Y J E F F F I N L E Y
Free Methodist churches around the world are one of the major forces behind growing membership numbers.
For expanded coverage, go to fmcusa.org/ ?p=493756.
[news] 12
FM NONPROFIT MINISTERS TO LOUISIANANS Shreveport, La.
Takin’ It to the Streets Inc., a community outreach ministry coordinated by Pastor
Ron Hampton, sponsored a July 21 event at Centenary College’s Gold Dome.
More than 100 salvations were reported and 4,000 people were served by more
than 100 agencies. To read more, visit fmcusa.org/blog/stories/takin-it-to-the-streets.
GREVE NAMED ALUMNUS OF YEAR Spring Arbor, Mich.
Spring Arbor University honored Wayne Greve of Noblesville, Ind., as
alumnus of the year Oct. 6. Greve, the son of Free Methodist Pas-
tors William and Leeta Greve, served as an educator for more than
50 years, simultaneously serving as a pastor for 13 of those years.
He and his wife, Marilyn, fund two endowed scholarships at SAU.
RIVER HIRES NEW OPERATIONS DIRECTORCaldwell, Idaho
Jason Lohse — the associate pastor of Journey Church in Centennial, Colo.,
and the author of the “Expresso” devotional book — became the new director of
operations for the River Conference on Oct. 1. Lohse takes over the business and
administration position from Tom Greco, who now works for Central Christian
College of Kansas.
ELI FOUNDER HONORED BY APUAzusa, Calif.
Free Methodist missionary and Empowering Lives International
founder Don Rogers had the opportunity to tell more than 800 people
about ELI’s work in Africa during an October banquet at Azusa Pacific
University. Rogers was honored as APU’s alumnus of the year. The
university’s video about Rogers can be viewed at bit.ly/apurogers.
The Rest of the Story
Want to find in-depth stories of remarkable Free Methodists? Visit fmcusa.org.
We want to hear from you!
Tell us what your church is doing to impact lives in the United States and around the world. Submit your story at fmcusa.org/ yourstory.
i
13 [world]
B Y J E F F F I N L E Y
“God so loved the world that He gave… ”
These words from John 3:16 are how
Linda Adams, director of International
Child Care Ministries, and David and Rose Brewer,
co-directors of SEED Livelihood Network, begin the ICCM
and SEED Christmas 2012 Catalog. Along with the quoted
scriptures, the leaders’ suggestion to “boycott excess”
reveals this is no ordinary holiday catalog.
“ICCM and SEED share a passion for doing justice, foster-
ing sustainable development and an unwavering commit-
ment to assist the Free Methodist Church in its local/global
mission and church planting,” said John Franklin Hay, ICCM’s
director of advancement. “We conceived the catalog as a
way to help Free Methodists, sponsors and friends learn
more and participate directly in the ministries of empower-
ment we share globally with and through them.”
The first-ever Christmas catalog offers details of ICCM
child sponsorship, projects and special-giving funds plus
information about Free Methodist World Missions and VISA
Ministries. For $50, a person can buy a water filter for a
household in desperate need. For $10, a person can buy a
Bible or a songbook for an ICCM child. The catalog also con-
tains information about buying animals for families and gifts
that provide education and prevent child trafficking.
The catalog offers opportunities to donate to develop-
ment projects through SEED, which empowers holistic
livelihood groups doing microenterprise projects that
make sense in their communities. Jewelry, bags, T-shirts,
decorations and other merchandise created by these
livelihood groups can also be purchased.
“Alternative giving is a way to enter into partnership with
communities, families and individuals in remembrance of
God’s gift to us at Christmas,” David Brewer said.
The catalog can be used throughout 2013 and will be
sent to FM congregations, ICCM sponsors, SEED patrons
and FMWM supporters. Copies can be requested from
ICCM at (800) 342-5531 or at www.childcareministries.org under “contact us.” A PDF version is available at
bit.ly/iccmseed. [LLM]
A Catalog for Better Giving
We tend to transfer our nostalgic heart-warmth onto the birth of
Jesus, but the Messiah was born into chaos.
Israel was in military crackdown. Bethlehem was packed
tightly under the decree of Caesar and the strong arm of King Herod. This
first Herod of the New Testament was also called “the Great.” In reality, he
was a psychopath willing to commit any crime — including murdering his
family — to stay in power, according to the Jewish Encyclopedia. Violent
uprisings pushed back. Herod desired to please the Roman Empire at any
cost.
“Son of Man,” a movie set in modern Africa, paints a portrait of unrest
around Jesus’ birth. In one scene (which can be viewed at bit.ly/llmson),
Mary hides from a group of armed militia — among the dead bodies of
children in an abandoned school building. After the militia passes and as she
rises to leave, an angel appears and proclaims, “Hark thou that art highly
favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou. Fear not, thou hast found
favor with God.”
She is stunned by the contrast of these words to her situation. The angel
explains how she will give birth to Jesus, the Son of God. She sings: “My soul
doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced, in God my savior.”
Hope is found in the person of Jesus, not in Christmas. Some Christmas
Day will be the last Dec. 25 — not because of the Mayan calendar, politi-
cians’ decisions, terrorists, economic crashes or environmental disas-
ters. God will call the due date and Jesus will return. Until then, let’s sing of
hope for all mankind to hear. [LLM]
Jason Paul Johnston is a musician, ordained FM pastor and teacher at Oakdale Christian Academy, Jackson, Ky.
GROUP DISCUSSION:
[1] What challenge or
encouragement can we
take from Mary’s response
(Luke 1:26–55)?
[2] What fears must we
surrender to receive Christ
this Christmas?
The Last Christmas
[discipleship] 14
B Y J A S O N P A U L J O H N S T O N
Did you know a new disciple-ship article is posted to our website each week? The four monthly arti-cles are perfect for use in your small group or as a weekly supplement to individual study.
CREATION HEALEDHoward A. Snyder and Joel Scandrett
explain why “Salvation Means Creation
Healed”: bit.ly/creationhealed.
“BOOK OF DISCIPLINE”Order the “2011 Book of Discipline”
and read the “Last Things” section
(Pages 24–25):
fmcusa.org/bookofdiscipline.
1
2
Explore the perspectives of Free Methodists and other Wesleyans about the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
“REVELATION” Richard Eckley looks at the Bible’s final
book and its promise of a new world:
bit.ly/eckleyrev.
LISTENING TO GOD The “Lectio Divina” Bible study series
presents “Listening to God Through
Revelation”: bit.ly/ldrevelation.
3
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