A Spiritual Slumber
Romans13:11-12(NIV2011)
11And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
I remember when I was much younger how I hated to hear people talk about the end times. It was a common occurrence for people to look at the world we lived in and make assumptions that we must be living in the last days because of this world event or that world event. I also remember finally getting to a place that I could ignore it for a while, writing it off in my mind as a bunch of over-zealous Christians letting their imaginations run away with them. Maybe the best way to describe that is to say that I put myself in a spiritual coma. Looking back I realize what a dangerous place that was to be. That is because God has a plan and he doesn’t need me to implement it. I said all that to say, now I understand why so many believe that God may be drawing the curtain on humanity. That is because so many of the things that the Bible tells us to look for are coming together in extraordinary fashion these days
The New Testament speaks of the return of Jesus Christ more than three hundred times. God is not trying to keep this a secret. It is not like God does not want us to understand what to watch for, because he does. The Lord wants us to be prepared. Jesus wants to find us watching, he wants to find us working and he wants to find us ready when he comes back to claim his bride at the rapture.
Beginning January 10th on Sunday evenings, we will begin our study of the book of Revelation. For those of you that don’t know, the book of Revelation is by most accounts the most confusing yet powerful book in the entire Bible. Why do I say powerful? I say that because anyone who goes through a study of this book will likely never fall into a spiritual sleep again. That becomes apparent from the moment John turns and sees the glorified Christ walking among the lampstands (the churches) in chapter one. At that point we realize that the Christian faith is no game, it is serious business. When we see what Jesus has to say to the seven existing churches of Asia Minor we can’t help but wonder what he would say to us. When John gets a peek behind that open door to heaven in chapter 4, he tells us of an incredible scene of worship, so we naturally wonder if our worship is where it needs to be as well. But then, when the lamb takes the scroll from the one who sits on the throne and he begins to unleash the four horsemen which ushers in the beginning of the tribulation period, we realize that earth is not where we want to be at the time this happens. The good news is those who have made themselves ready will not be here. We will be with Jesus. But here is the part that may surprise you; we also realize that we don’t want to see anybody else here either. That is perhaps where the greatest wakeup call is. Folks, we are his chosen vessel for reaching the lost souls of this world, so the question for us is: Are we ready? And the next question is: Can we really be ready if we are not watching? More importantly, can we really be ready if we are not working? Come join us on Sunday evenings and find out!
Revelation1:3(NIV2011)
3Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near.
In Christ,
Steve, Holly and Rosie