Series: The Reformation and the Remnant
Message: Why Listen to the Reformers?
Preacher: Nicholas Miller
Daily Walk: Elia King

Refresh: Open with prayer. Read or listen to Psalm 74:9-17.

Read: Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV). As you read the New International Version, note 1-3 new insights.

Reflect:  As a child, I earned a reputation for taking everything that was said to me very literally. In most cases, the effect of this was nothing too dramatic—usually just a little confusion on my part. But one day on a family road trip with lunch time fast approaching, I asked my dad how soon we were going to eat. When he replied that we were going to “eat up the road,” I fell apart. “I don’t want to eat up the road! I want to eat at a restaurant!” In my mind, the literal option of eating the road was much less appealing than the thought of anything from a restaurant. I was so obsessed with the literal details of what my dad said that I missed his intent altogether.

In chapters 8, 9, and 10 of The Reformation and the Remnant, Nicholas Miller suggests that perhaps faithful Christians miss some of the big picture truth of last day events portrayed in Revelation when we focus too closely on literal fulfillments. He wonders whether our suspicion of other faiths has made us so paranoid that we don’t know how to interact with people from faith traditions outside our own. Furthermore, he upholds that Christians “need to start thinking about the principles underlying the Sabbath and God’s law so we don’t miss other last-day crises.”

Recalibrate: ​ 

1. What miracles did Christ do for Gentiles that revealed their faith? What point was Christ trying to make in commending their faith, and what did He hope the Jews would learn from the miracles?
2. What can we do to stand for Sabbath principles of justice, fairness, and equality even before the Sabbath itself comes under attack?
3. What does people’s fascination with conspiracy theories say about their spiritual experience?

Respond: Pray for wisdom, compassion, and discernment in your conversations with friends who believe or see the world differently than you do. Pray that in your interactions with them, you might be able to show the love of Jesus first and foremost.

Research: Read chapters 8-10 of The Reformation and the Remnant