Sorry for such a long delay in getting this blog out. I will probably have to skip a few topics since I have been so behind over the last few weeks. I have really enjoyed the topic of the Doctrines of our Faith over the last several weeks. It has been a great study for me.
This last week we looked at the topic of the Doctrine of Eschatology or the End Times. Not any easy topic to teach appropriately in just 2-weeks, so what I did was attempt to give some of the essential truths of this topic that each person needs to be aware of.
First, beware of too much concern over the return of Jesus Christ. I have been with people who become so engrossed with the return of Christ and teaching about His return that they become no kingdom good. The purpose of the church was to be "sharp" and "ready" for Christ's return without ignoring her kingdom duties. I find there are many who spend all of their time predicting and looking for signs of Christ's return and forget that we are a church that is Commission driven.
Second, beware of too little concern. Strange, but I also know individuals that spend no time educating themselves or their church about the inevitable return of Jesus Christ. They, as well, become no earthly good because they don't, as I see it, connect Christ's return with the purpose of the church.
Finally, beware of those who make predictions. This is a tough one for me to write about because there are so many nuances and descriptions of Christ's return, and so many different authors, historians and theologians who define His coming again in so many different ways. But of course, we can't ignore those that make headlines and predictions stating that Christ will come again on THIS date. We are all aware of Harold Camping and his prediction of May 21, 2011, and how that came to an end.
The reality of Christ's coming again and the priority of this event is really quite simple. We don't know the day or the hour, nor does Jesus Christ, and the church has a task and that is to "Get Moving." Notice what the angels said to the disciples following Christ's Ascension.
9 After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. 10 As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” -- Acts 1:9-11 (NLT)
The message seems clear enough that the church is to be mission targeted in Christ's absence, not gawking into space trying to decipher when He might come again. Don't get me wrong, I think we are to be educated and prepared for the signs that the Lord left us, but we also need to be discerning about the time we spend researching His return when truly our mission is to be preparing His creation to enjoy His return.
I would love to share more on this topic. Send me your questions.
Randy
