Revelation Chapter Three, Part 7 of 7

3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
Here is a picture of our Lord standing at the door of His own church and knocking to be allowed entrance. Jesus our Lord isn’t allowed in His own church! This again is a sad indication of the sorry state of Laodicea’s spiritual condition. They have their Lord outside of the church, and the world within! I heard a song one time that sang about the believer having their Savior still up on the cross, while they reigned on the throne. What was needed was to exalt Christ by placing Him on the throne, while we die daily to sin on the cross.

Interview & Book Giveaway on Faith, Fiction, Friends

Greetings everyone! If you are interested in learning more about Dragonsong and a little more about me and my inspiration, click here to visit Glynn Young's blog: Faith, Fiction, Friends. Glynn contacted me and wanted to conduct an interview, which will be in two parts. The first part of the interview is posted today, and part two will follow tomorrow as he asks me a series of questions about the characters and realm of Andurun, and about the events and choices that led to writing this fantasy novel.

Oh yes; Glynn is also conducting a book giveaway. Anyone who registers a comment on the interview (either part) os registered for a chance to win a free copy of Dragonsong! Glynn will announce the winner on April 4th, so check in, read and enjoy, and don't forget to comment on it for your chance to win Dragonsong. God bless!

Revelation Chapter Three, Part 6 of 7

3:15-16 thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
Laodicea is the only church of the seven in which nothing commendable exists. If this is indeed the spirit of the majority of the churches today—which many believe it is—the boom of “mega churches,” the integration of psychology, casting doubt upon Scripture’s sufficiency, moral laxity toward sexual deviance (adultery, divorce, fornication, homosexuality), a focus on being entertained instead of being taught, et al. is the hallmark of this dispensation.

Revelation Chapter Three, Part 5 of 7

3:11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
The word “quickly” in this verse does not mean immediately; it means that when Christ begins to come, when the Day of the Lord arrives, things will happen rapidly. The Rapture of the saints is always imminent; that is, there is nothing stopping our Lord from coming at any given moment. This is why Jesus was so careful to warn us to watch and pray; to be diligent and vigilant, because He would not want to come upon us and find us sleeping.

Revelation Chapter Three, Part 4 of 7

3:8 and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.
A servant’s position begets a servant’s mentality. The Philadelphian church’s utter reliance on the Lord enabled them with the grace necessary to hold fast the name of Jesus Christ, even in the face of violent opposition and persecution. Like the Apostle Paul, when one lives in this manner—as a servant to Christ and to others—one counts the loss of their life as a little thing. Paul called it gain in fact, Philippians 1:21.

Revelation Chapter Three, Part 3 of 7

3:7 And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write; These things saith he that is holy
The sixth church, Philadelphia, was one of only two churches among the seven that was not admonished for its faults; the first of the seven being Smyrna. After Smyrna the church suffered false teachers in Pergamos, moral and doctrinal corruption in Thyatira, and spiritual deadness in Sardis. Philadelphia is a rejuvenated, vitalized, spiritual and sanctified church, eager to go forth in the power of the Holy Spirit. Thusly, the first title Jesus uses to address this church is “he that is holy.”

Revelation Chapter Three, Part 2 of 7

3:3 Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee.
Jesus warned Ephesus to remember from where they had fallen, and to repent and do the first works. Here is a similar command to Sardis: remember how you have received and heard the truth of their confession; that is, by faith, 1st Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 10:9-17. Ephesus left its first love (Christ) and stumbled into the bondage of legalism, the letter of the law. Sardis had forgotten that by faith they stand, Romans 11:20. Their comfortable position made them careless, and they had left off with watching for their Lord and strengthening the brethren through sound doctrine and love.

Revelation Chapter Three, Part 1 of 7

Before we proceed I would like to share some thoughts about the over-arching theme I believe is present in chapters 2-3. There are seven churches addressed in total; and seven in the Bible is the number of completion, beginning with the seventh day in Genesis when God rested from His work of creation, Genesis 2:2-3. I believe the seven churches so noted, while being real churches in the first century apostolic era also represent the state of the church through seven distinct ages. This is not a definitive statement, and I also believe that some of every type of church listed in these chapters existed (and exists) throughout the church age; by and large the majority of professing Christendom follows the progression of the churches of Asia. I am proposing a chronological order of the seven churches; the pre-dominant state of Christendom as represented by the particular church of that era.

The Myth of Evolution

The following chart will help you better understand the weakness of evidence used to convince people that Darwinian evolution actually happened. We do observe changes in living things, but what caused those changes and what do they mean?

Without the Camp, Part 2 of 2

And the bullock for the sin offering, and the goat for the sin offering, whose blood was brought in to make atonement in the holy place, shall one carry forth without the camp; and they shall burn in the fire their skins, and their flesh, and their dung, Leviticus 16:27

Without the Camp, Part 1 of 2

If a man also or a woman have in the skin of their flesh bright spots, even white bright spots; Then the priest shall look: and, behold, if the bright spots in the skin of their flesh be darkish white; it is a freckled spot that groweth in the skin; he is clean. And the man whose hair is fallen off his head, he is bald; yet is he clean. And he that hath his hair fallen off from the part of his head toward his face, he is forehead bald: yet is he clean, Leviticus 13:38-41.

Andurun Explored: A Book Review of Dragonsong.

Greetings friends.

I had recently sent Dragonsong to a book reviewer and magazine editor, Glynn Young, for his perusal and professional opinion. His initial review and impression of Dragonsong has arrived, and here is what Glynn had to say:

"I’ve been reading a new fantasy novel called The Canticles of Andurun: Dragonsong by Ian Thomas Curtis. I’m about halfway through it, and I’m completely enthralled with the world Curtis has created. The sheer imagination involved boggles the mind. A big story like this also requires a very tight control of the fictional world that’s been created, or otherwise the story will get away from the author and the reader. Curtis has pulled it off; it’s an amazing novel. The author blogs at What’s in a Name."

If you want to visit Glynn for the rest of his article, as well as other book reviews and more, you can find him at Faith, Fiction, Friends; his blog dedicated to literary work. I'm glad to know that Dragonsong is being read and enjoyed. As any more book reviews arrive I'll keep you posted!

Update: if you wish to read the full review Glynn gave Dragonsong click here. God bless!

Revelation Chapter Two, Part 9 of 9

2:25-26 But that which ye have already hold fast till I come. And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations
Verse 25 refers to a believer’s fruit-bearing; the works done in the Spirit as testimony and evidence toward men that we are Christ’s. Donald Barnhouse pointed out three signs of true discipleship: