He is coming…

For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you are not in darkness, brothers and sisters, for that day to surprise you like a thief. For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober.
—1 Th. 5:2–6

A recent re-reading of Paul’s letters to the Thessalonians reminded me of how intensely Paul must have emphasized the return of the Lord in his teaching. The epistles show that Paul taught that judgment was coming and that a future vindication or punishment awaited all humanity. He apparently left his hearers with the conviction that there were serious consequences to the decision to either receive or reject the gospel.

When was the last time we heard a message like that preached in church? I appreciate that pastors have precious little time in the pulpit each year. However, in as much as Christ’s imminent return is a component of the creedal faith, it should warrant more emphasis. We need to hear the exhortation to live consciously and to number our days, because the Lord is coming soon!

Admittedly, many of us grew weary of the end-times hoopla that accompanied the march up to the year 2000. There were no lack of messages about the end-times back then. And it seems that as long as I’ve been a Christian (since 1981), there has been no end of obscure ministers trying to fit current events into biblical prophecy, hoping to discover how the tyrant-of-the-day’s name solves the riddle of 666. So I can appreciate that we may be suffering from end-times burn-out and fatigue!

But we must not ever forget that He is coming! He is coming soon! Remembering this promise is important to our Christian walk. Awareness of the coming judgment provides motivation to live consciously, motivation to order our lives according to the Word and to behave as though we really believe that Jesus is Lord and God is God. The apostle John captures this function of eschatology as a motivator in 1 John:

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. —1 John 3:2–3

The hope of seeing him, of being like Him when He comes, motivates a Christian to purify him- or her-self. We need to ask ourselves, “Do we obey his teachings or do we walk our own ways?” The less we expect His soon return, the more we will walk in our own ways. No wonder Paul emphasized the teaching of Christ’s return. And no wonder why the enemy would rejoice in its removal from our pulpits. You and I must be encouraged to expect His return and to order our way of living according to that expectation. Let us exhort one another today. Don’t let down your guard; keep looking up! Earnestly press on toward the prize of the high calling in Christ. Do not grow weary in well-doing. And be of good cheer, for He is coming soon!

Paul’s ministry strategy…

I have been reflecting on Paul’s ministry practice, thinking about what it might mean for us in the church today. During the first missionary journey [Acts 13:4–14:28], Paul and Barnabus traveled to the Galatian region and ministered in the cities of Antioch in Pisida, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. In each place Paul endured persecution: he was run out of every town and even stoned and left for dead at Lystra. Yet at the end of his circuit he picked himself up and went back into each city! (See Acts 13:14–14:23). What faith and confidence! Paul’s behavior is a challenge to me, because I can quickly descend into wondering if I have either missed God or “sinned away my day of grace” whenever I face some unpleasant or difficult circumstance. But Paul apparently didn’t waffle in self-doubt; he got up and went back. He did what he believed God had led him to do, regardless of how it came out. There’s a lesson there for all of us.

Interestingly, when Paul, who magnified his calling to the Gentiles, entered these cities he would preach first in the synagogue. That sounds strange, but the fact is, he went to where he knew there would be people who were interested in hearing about God! The synagogues of the time were populated by three types of people—natural children of Abraham (Jews by birth); proselytes (people who submitted to the Mosaic Law by being circumcised and keeping the Law); and God-fearers (those who had not submitted to the Law but still wanted to hear about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob). Paul would preach about how Christ had fulfilled the promises of the Law and prophets, and declare that by faith in Christ, all humanity could enter into right relationship with God. Luke records Paul as saying, “Let it be known to you therefore, brothers and sisters, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses” (Acts 13:38–39, ESV).

We can imagine how delighted the God-fearers must have been to hear that, but Paul’s preaching persuaded Jews and proselytes also. Inevitably, jealousy and anger rose up in the leaders of the synagogues and Paul was driven out. He was forced to take his message outside. Now think about that. Here was a man sent by God to preach the message of God, and he goes to the place where people profess belief in that God. Yet he is driven out of those places by the ministers of God and forced to take God’s message elsewhere.

Does Paul’s experience suggest anything to us today? If God gave a man a message today, where would he go? If he followed Paul’s strategy, he would go into the churches first. But how would he be received? I wonder…. Of course, a 21st century Paul probably wouldn’t even be allowed to speak in most North American churches; church services today, especially in large churches, are so tightly scheduled and programmed you have to book a meeting months in advance! But if he did get in, would his message be welcomed? Or would he have to be corrected?

Paul came preaching the move of God, and the ministers of his time rejected it because they thought they “knew” what God was doing; they had studied God’s plan and were trained to know what the scriptures meant. But they were wrong. Could we find ourselves in similar circumstances? We need to be careful that we don’t reject God. In spite of our learning and experience, God is still capable of doing something new today. We need to remember that Christians are called with the call to Abraham: “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you” (Gen 12:1, NIV). Christianity is a pilgrimage—a walk, a journey. Christians are a pilgrim people, and like the Israelites on their journey in the desert, just because the cloud was here yesterday doesn’t mean that it will be there tomorrow. That is not a repudiation of yesterday’s place. It is only a fact of the life to which God has called us.

Therefore we must not allow ourselves to get too comfortable or too sure; we need to live lightly, be sensitive to the leading of the Spirit, and be ready to respond to His call. It may come at a time, at a place, or through a means that we weren’t expecting. But if another Paul comes into our midst, let’s be careful not to throw him out, but instead listen with our heart. Get ready. He is coming soon!

July Observances…

I came across a quote from Benjamin Franklin last week. He wrote, “I have lived, Sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this Truth, that God governs in the Affairs of Men. And if a Sparrow cannot fall to the Ground without his Notice, is it probable that an Empire can rise without his Aid?”¹ And it started me to thinking, especially in this time of national celebration.

This is our first fourth of July back “home” in the USA. Fifteen years out of the country have left my wife and me feeling somewhat like aliens now that we’ve returned. I for one became an American upon moving overseas; I grew to appreciate things about the land of my birth when I was “in exile” that I had blindly overlooked while living in its midst. Later my patriotism was quickened upon seeing my country under attack. It was strange to be so far away, and although there was nothing that I could have done were I any closer, I grieved the more because of the distance. That grief was made more intense by the discovery of the hostility held toward America and its political realities by the denizens of the place in which I lived and ministered. Now that we’re home, we’ve discovered that antipathy to things American is not restricted to those overseas. Patriotism seems to be a bad word these days.

I have always felt that some American Christians erroneously blur the lines between faith and politics; I’ve been to places where you got the sense that Jesus has an American flag tattooed on his arm! If we make those mistakes in the American church, then I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised when Canadian & African churches unconsciously equate anti-Americanism with Christianity. Like all things human, it is not that easy. Sin-scarred humanity, in all of its endeavors, produces things marred by sin. Yet God reigns over all, and His goodness manifests everywhere, even in the midst of the sin that colors the world.

Can one be patriotic and a Christian? There are obvious tensions between the two realms, especially for anyone who seriously thinks about things. What is perhaps most surprising to us now that we have returned to our native land is the actual lack of thought evidenced in much of the national—and personal—political discourse today. It is apparently easier not to think; to instead merely accept the interpretation of a particular broadcaster, cable channel or newspaper author, and then regurgitate one’s unexamined emotional reaction as considered opinion. The current state of American political conversation seems to prove two things: first, that in spite of universal education, wisdom is truly lacking; and second, that selfishness has triumphed in all quarters. It is quite dispiriting.

Perhaps this is yet another sign of the end. One certainly hopes so, for an informed electorate is crucial for the maintenance of a stable republican form of government. And, in spite of the amount of communication scattered across the ether each day, there seems to be precious little information disseminated. And sadly, few engage in serious reflection. May God help us!

What does this mean for Christians here and elsewhere? Two things come to mind. First, we must remember that regardless of our national identities or lands of birth, we have—in Christ—been made citizens of a kingdom that is not of this world. That does not excuse us from involvement in things here, but it must temper our thoughts and comments about government, policies and politicians. We in the church would do well to reflect on Paul’s remark when he was struck across the face at the tribunal in Acts 23. Quoting Exodus 22:28 he said, “It is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’” Listening to some commentary today suggests that we’ve allowed our freedom to devolve into anarchy; we seem no longer governed by even a basic respect for authority or position. But second, we need also remember that God is in control; that he ordains rulers and nations; and that all serve his plan. Paul wrote: “For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God” (Rom 13:1). We may not like what we see, but do we have faith in God’s governance of our lives?

Most of all, we must remember that our primary response is to pray. Paul is adamant on this point: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Tim. 2:1–2). As citizens of God’s kingdom, our ambassadorial function is prayer for this earth’s rulers. Let us therefore back away from the vapid invective of our time and assume our rightful place before God—on our knees, thankful for His providence in placing us wherever we are, rejoicing in His governance, and interceding for those He has placed in leadership over us in this life.

I am thankful that I was born where I was. It is a land in which there is—and has been done—much good. But I am not deceived, there is also much bad. That is not surprising, for neither it, nor any other geographic, social, political, economic or environmental system is heaven. I pray that God will send forth His Spirit and His Word into this land and into all the kingdoms of men in this time. Come, Lord Jesus, come! May God have mercy on us all.

¹ Benjamin Franklin, “Motion for Prayers in the Constitutional Convention, 28 June 1787,” in Franklin: Collected Works, Lemay, ed. p. 1138.

Hiatus…

As the three or four loyal readers of this blog have already identified, I have been strangely quiet of late. The truth is that I have been away, traveling to the tip of Baja California Sur (to Cabo San Lucas), and then afterwards, assuming double family duty as my beloved traveled west to visit family. But all is back as it should be in our home, and so I will launch a flurry of postings within the next few days. For, you see, I have not been away from my thoughts… just away from the time and opportunity to edit, rewrite, re-edit and ponder over their publication! Thanks for your indulgence!