Vinings Lake Church

At exactly the moment these first century Jesus followers were feeling utterly powerless to change their fate, John shows them a realm where wholeness, harmony, health, bliss, peace, joy, justice, healing, and universal flourishing become a reality. The old Eternal City of Rome has ended to give room to the new Holy City of Jerusalem that is emerging.

The image of a throne is explicitly political in Revelation. It reflects the Roman Imperial Court. The first century Jesus followers knew something about standing before this throne for not participating in emperor worship. John subverts the image and reverses the roles. He portrays a judgment without partiality. This time it is all about actions.

All Empires will come to an end. Rome is no exception. We come to the place where the Roman empire collapses. This collapse of the old way of arranging the world gives room for the rise of a new way of arranging the world. Something has to end for something new to begin.

This week we get all the way into the depths of the weird, gory, and violent wrath of God as John portrays it through the seven bowls of judgement. Is Armageddon coming? Is Jesus coming back on a white horse to kill all those who rejected him? Let's get into it.

How about another week on the second beast? This week, we will explore a brief history of the church as it relates to the merging of empire + religion. We look at Constantine and his use of Christianity in (306-337). What can we learn from our history and how John understood the repercussions of the Jesus movement intertwining with the empire?

This week we look at the second beast, or the beast of the land. John describes this beast as one that has the appearance of a lamb but the actions of the dragon. From the first century world to our American world, we will examine the rise of Christian Nationalism to see if there are any parallels.

Is The Anti-Christ coming? Is he already here? Is the mark of the beast coming? Is it already here? These questions have been speculated for thousands of years. Today, we look at Revelation 13, the primary source for much of these speculations. How would the first audience have understood this story?

Hail, fire, blood, scorched earth, scorpions, locusts with lions teeth, two-hundred million troops, plagues, serpents, falling stars, bottomless pit, mountains thrown into sea, Wormwood, eagles, fire breathing horses like lions, China, Russia, and India. We are into the thick of Revelation and it is NOT a prediction about what is to come.

As John breaks the seven seals, what He uncovers might surprise you. The empire is not as secure and stable as it might appear. John is intentionally shaking the foundation of our security. He is not trying to induce anxiety but he is inviting us to trust in the salvation of something greater.

The creative artist John sets up the reader with an expectation of a fierce, violent, and ferocious lion coming to save the day. Just when you think the warrior is arriving, John surprises us with an image of a slaughtered lamb coming to save the day. This is about deconstructing notions of power.

Let's talk about the rapture. A word or concept found nowhere in the Bible. Yet, many believe and wait for the moment when all christians will be caught up in the air to meet Jesus and leave behind all non-Christians. Which leads us to some questions, where did the concept come from? Does Revelation even hint at it? And who cares if people believe in a rapture? Why does it even matter?

This week we visit the spiritual collective @ Laodicea. You know the one? They are lukewarm and getting spewed out of God's mouth. Does that ring a bell? It is a strong image. But what is behind it? Turns out John is serious about those who have gotten too comfortable inside the empire. John calls them to open their blind eyes to the reality of the empire.

John begins his specific address to the seven spiritual collectives in Asia Minor. The collective at Ephesus is praised for their willingness to accept the cost of calling out those who have willingly aligned with the empire. But he also pleads with them to make sure their work of justice is centered and grounded in love.

To know what the text means you have to first know what the text meant. Let's go deep into the historical context of Revelation. Then let's go deep into the literary context John is using. What do we discover? Not simply history but our own stories inside of this first century story.   

Today we begin our series on Revelation with a simple yet profound truth.  Revelation is not a prediction about the end of the world. Revelation is about the uncovering of things that were hidden. Revelation is not written to us in 2025. Revelation was written to people in the first century living under the boot of the Roman Empire. It is in this context, we discover EVERYTHING REVEALED.  

In Romans, Paul arms us with weapons of peace. He invites us to consider overcoming evil with good. The result? We will "heap burning coals on their heads." What does that mean? I believe the answer can best be summed up in what Dr. King called, "A Double Victory."

The Book of Romans has become a domesticated letter about individualistic salvation and personal righteousness. But Paul isn't writing systematic theology here. Romans is indeed about salvation, but it is salvation from real forces of evil. Paul outlines very tangible ways that his community can be a peacemaker in the face of evil. What are we supposed to do with all this evil? What do I do when t...

Can conflict be healthy? Can conflict be a doorway to transformation? Today, we explore how the collective at Ephesus found themselves in some serious conflict which leads to a major disruption. But it's in the midst of the conflict and disruption that something is birthed. The author calls it, ONE NEW HUMANITY.

Central to the human experience is pain and suffering. Last week we explored the question of WHY THIS? This week we will explore the question, WHAT NOW? What do you do when you are inside the pain? Is there a distinction between pain and suffering? Is suffering inevitable? How can we go through pain without being overcome by it?

Why? That is the question. Why is there pain and suffering in the world? Where is the Divine? And what about all those clutches like "God is still on the throne" "God is in control" "Everything happens for a reason" and "His ways are not our ways." Today we talk about pain and suffering. 

There are 8.2 billion humans in the world. There are 345 million humans in the United States. That is a lot of diversity, beliefs, prejudices, convictions, worldviews, values, and agendas. How are we ever going to live together? How will we ever organize ourselves? Today, we talk about politics, tension, and a new way to be human.

Dr Susan David said, "We don't experience emotions about things we don't care about." If this is true, then it leads to a question, what could our emotions be communicating to us? Could that answer tell us something about our purpose and meaning in the world? Today, we will explore emotions as a language of the soul.

Are feelings reliable? Do they always tell the truth? Can our emotions be trusted? Can we experience emotions without being controlled by them? Perhaps so, IF we recognize the space between who we are and what we feel. Today, we talk about emotional maturity.

We don't have to be afraid to feel. We do not have to ignore emotions. We do not have to bottle emotions. We do not have to numb emotions. We do not have to minimize emotions. We do not have to deny emotions. We don't have to apologize for our emotions. To feel is to be human. 

If I am not what I have, what I do, or what I think, then the question remains, Who am I? To get at this question, we must ask ourselves who is asking the question. Because whoever is asking, might very well be the answer to the question. Today, we will explore what has been called the true self, awareness, consciousness, the DEEP I, soul, pure being, essence, or the eternal you. This awareness ha...