So, we've been telling you for months that REVOLUTION isn't your typical church. Honestly, we've been discussing for the past few months that "church" really isn't the best word for who we are. We used to be "The Revolution Project", but made the switch to "Revolution Church" when we formalized and became a legal entity. We have recently picked the old "Project" term up, instead of "church". We find that we're using it more and more. It just fits better. Who knows...maybe we'll become "The REVOLUTIONary Church Project". Anyway-that's a topic for a whole other day.

OK-back to not being the typical church...
Have you ever wanted to learn more about the bible or would like to begin to dive into it for the very first time?
Have you worried that you'll look stupid and that you won't know what it means?
Are you scared to go to a bible study for fear that you'll be the only one who can't find the book of Mark in your bible?
Are you afraid that if you learn more about Jesus, the Bible, and Christianity that you'll have to change, you won't have fun anymore, and Christians won't really even like you?

If so, it's tempting to just keep on living without an understanding of the bible. It's tempting to not dive in. It's just easier to go through life without it.

Well, we have the bible study for you.

Every Wednesday night, we meet at Gasber's Fine Day Restaurant in St. Clairsville (usually on the back deck) at 7PM for "Beer & a Bible". We hang out, kick back, drink a little beer, and talk about the bible. We dig into what it says, talk about what it means, learn about the culture of when it was written, and discuss how that relates to us today.

Even if you've never opened the bible or you don't own one, you'll feel comfortable. Feel free to listen, talk, or both. Ask questions. Disagree. Ponder and discuss. Nothing is off-limits.

You'll have fun. And I promise we'll like you. :-D

We've been telling you for months that REVOLUTION Church will be wonderfully different than anything the Ohio Valley has ever seen...and it WILL be-we promise! But since our Fall/Winter public launch seems like such a long way off, we thought we'd give you a glance of what "different" and "unexpected" can look like in the middle of an average world! Enjoy!!

From Steven Furtick:
Acts 3:2
Now a man crippled from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts.

Acts 3:6-7
Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.”
Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong.

These two verses are interesting when you look at them side by side. I think they kind of reflect two different ministry philosophies.

There’s a crippled man. He needs help.
One group of people decides to help him by carrying him to the gate to beg everyday.
Peter and John decided to help him by reaching down, pulling him up on his feet, and telling him to walk.

Our ministry philosophy at Elevation (sub REVOLUTION) is more like the latter. We don’t really have much interest in carrying people to the gate to beg. We don’t coddle and cater and spoon feed.

We’ll reach down and help you. We’ll impart the healing power of Jesus to you. But you’ve got to get up and walk. You’ve got to make a personal investment into studying God’s Word for yourself.

How about you? Are you investing too much time in carrying people to the gate and dropping them off to beg? Are you the one doing the begging when you should be lifting somebody else’s burden?

Take some advice from Peter.

In the name of Jesus, walk.

Courtesy of Elevation Church. LOVE IT!

http://www.flowerdust.net/2010/01/11/breaking-news-new-survey-says-christians-give-poor-people-the-shaft/

Above is the link to a blog by Anne Jackson that has some stats (that may or may not be true) about the what Christian activists view as important compared to the average activist.

This type of information reminds me why we are starting Revolution Church to not be based or focused on issues such as abortion, homosexuality, politics, war, health care, etc...

We want to LOVE PEOPLE...ALL PEOPLE...and let God deal with the issues. In fact, the most REVOLUTIONARY part of Revolution Church will be the fact that two people with opposite opinions on any "issue" will be able to worship the God of all Creation in the SAME ROOM and not be attacked or told that they are wrong. I want people who disagree with ME to stand WITH ME and worship. THAT shows the WORLD that we truly love GOD and PEOPLE more than we disagree with people's ideas, choices, lifestyles, or actions. Think about the impact that will have on people who don't have a relationship with Jesus Christ because they view the church as judgemental and "anti" everything...

Maybe...just maybe...it will change the world...

Ever try to read the Bible and it didn't make ANY sense to you? All you could think was, "I don't talk like this. What does that MEAN!?" You know, all the "Thee" and "Thou" and "Shalt" language that isn't used today? It's pretty discouraging when that happens and people tend to stop reading because it doesn't feel like it is worth their time. I don't want you to be discouraged as we start "New Thru 30" and as you start to regularly read your Bible (a good habit) and I want you to understand at least PART of what you read, so check this out...

This is not meant to be a scholarly article on the accuracy of various translations of the Bible…it’s just some insight that may help you.

First of all, the Bible was not written in English, so every Bible sold is what you call a "translation" or a "version" of the Bible. Some of those "translations" or "versions" are easier to understand than others and when you read them, some are phrased more in modern English than others. This all affects how much you will understand when you read your Bible.

If you go get your Bible and look at the front cover, the binding, or the first few pages of the book, you will see something like "New King James", "New American Standard". "King James", "New Living Translation", "English Century", "New International Version", etc... or you may see letters like "NKJV", "KJV", "ESV", NIV", "NASB", etc... Those words or letters tell you what version of the Bible you own.

So here's what happened...

A person or a group of people took the original text (which were written mostly in Hebrew and Greek) and translated them into English. There are several different translations, ranging from "word for word translations" like the "English Standard Version", to "paraphrases" (that make it more like a story) like the "New Living Translation" or "The Message".

Some people are really committed to their favorite translation. For example, there’s a small group of people that believe the King James Bible (originally published in 1611) is the only real God-inspired translation. This is pretty stupid, because it would have to mean that people didn’t have a real Bible in 1610. I don’t think you will go wrong with any translation of the Bible, and God will honor you if you read and follow His Word. The trick is picking a translation that makes sense to you.

Here are a few translations I recommend to readers, listed here in order from the simpler to the more advanced.

1. The Message - This is one of the newest translations available. It reads like a book and is written like we talk today. It is very easy to understand if you are reading for a quick overview of the Bible like "New Thru 30", but is often not great for "studying" because a lot of what people study in the Bible is the historic language and it's meaning in the culture it was written.

2. The NLT (New Living Translation) is a great Bible. This is a very readable Bible as the translators focused on making it easy to read and understand. You won’t find “thee’s and thou’s” in this one. If you’re a new Christian or want a great starting point, then this translation is a good one. A lot of people in my small group use this version.

3. The NIV (New International Version) is probably the most popular translation. It’s still pretty readable, but it’s a little MORE of a word-for-word translation. It’s been around for about 25 years or so and is good to read. I recommend this to people who want a deeper understanding of scripture but aren't really advanced in their Bible knowledge. Almost everyone in my small group that doesn't use the NLT uses the NIV.

4. The ESV (English Standard Version) is the most accurate translation available. The goal of the ESV was to translate the Bible as close to the original writings as possible. This translation is very similar to the King James Version (the KJV has the "Thee, Thou, and Shalt" language that you often hear people quote), but it’s more accurate.

Lots of publishers publish all these translations so you’ll find them all with many kinds of covers and in all kinds of formats.

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU GET A STUDY BIBLE (I can't say this enough!!!), and there’s a good study Bible for all of these translations. A study Bible will have notes, maps and charts…so when you come across something that is confusing, there will be some footnotes or articles to help you understand what is going on.

As you do "New Thru 30" and get into your Bible more, you will find that it is like exercise. It is hard to read at first, but if you stick with it, you will finish stronger. Reading the Bible literally takes practice. You learn new things EVERY TIME you read it.

If you are struggling to find a Bible that you can understand or if you are struggling to figure out what kind of Bible you have, let me know and I will help you figure it out. =)

Hope this helps....good luck!

Vanessa
vanessa@ohiovalleyrevolution.com

I LOVE Mark Batterson. He is an INCREDIBLE leader and pastor! This is his blog from today and it's RIGHT ON. Check it out...and if you want to follow him just head over to evotional.com

Thou Shalt Offend Pharisees
from The Batterson Blog - Thoughts on Life and Leadership by Mark Batterson

I have a mantra: thou shalt offend pharisees.

Isn't that the example Jesus set? He didn't have the time of day for self-righteousness. Seems like he hated nothing more. The Pharisees turned everything into an argument. They found something wrong with everything--even miracles. And they were all about image. They looked totally righteous on the outside. They said the right things. They did the right things. But Jesus called them whitewashed tombs.

Abraham Lincoln said, "You can please all of the people some of the time, some of the people all of the time, but you can't please all the people all the time."

So good. So true.

So here's the question: who are you offending?

Most of us are far more concerned about offending Pharisees than offending sinners. But is that the example Jesus set? He didn't offend prostitutes or tax collectors. He shared meals with them. He restored their dignity. But he wasn't afraid to call a pharisee a pharisee.

Having said that let me say this: make sure you have people in your lives that can speak the truth in love. You need accountability. Why? Because no one is above reproach or above rebuke. So make sure you listen to the voice of the prophet. But don't listen to the self-righteousness pharisee. Don't dialogue with them. Don't listen to them. Don't give them the time of day. Why? Because Jesus didn't.

Hope that helps someone who is fighting Pharisees.