Waitin' on the World

I’ve had the misfortune privilege of pastoring several end-time specialists.  You know, the ones who’ve got everything figured out. The ones believing they understand the complexities of the last days that Bible scholars have been debating for centuries.  Those who love highly symbolic passages of Scripture with few supporting texts. The ones who elevate important and interesting (read obscure) issues to the level of essentiality.  It’s hard to understand the changes we observe in our world, let alone those that may be. The problem is they can’t let it go.

I don’t decry study of time to come, but there is great room for leeway in understanding the prophetic.  It’s hard enough to put into practice what we understand concretely, and the foundational truths of faith and practice in the Bible are pretty clear.  What is may not resemble what will be, but there is nothing new under the sun. One of the reasons I have not chosen prophetic musings (and I have preached the entire book of Revelation) as my staple is that, as a pastor, I spend most of my time trying to help people deal with the present.  If they’re ready to go when their time comes, the manner doesn’t matter quite as much.

Crises and charts aside, the strength of Christianity is that it prepares the temporal for the eternal.  Nothing really matters if people lose their souls, but we need remember that Jesus purposed to teach us how to live and live well on the earth.  Whatever changes the future may bring, you and I have great say by the way we live now. Heaven will be wonderful one day, but the eternal state will also spell the end of help and hope for some.  This thought is ever before me. Many are disconcerted at the current state of affairs, but it is not enough to curse the darkness. We must believe we can change the planet.

In order to change the world, believers must understand the climate and challenges they face.  Such things are always challenging, so it’s no easy task, but the basic needs of mankind remain the same.  It will help if Christ-followers practice their faith. The Holy Spirit works best in the unregenerate as they observe genuine Christianity in action.  John the Baptist cleared a path for the entry of Jesus into the world. Add to practice preparation. It is not true that sincerity will accomplish everything.  Believers must learn to communicate their faith in clear terms to people wandering in a mist.

Potential is not production, and no change will occur without effort.  Understanding that we are part of the great plan of God to reconcile the world to Himself will empower Christian service.  I can make a difference and so can you. There’s not a minute to spare. Someone is running out of time even now.

Certain ancients believed that people had a limited number of breaths.  We tend to count minutes and hours, but no one is long for this world. Change needs to occur, and it can occur.  God’s Word is replete with stories of redemption and reform uplifting the unlikely. Will it happen in our day?

The world is waiting.

Sterl