5 posts tagged “come”
When John heard in prison what Christ was doing, he sent his disciples to ask him, Are you the One who was to come, or should we expect someone else? (Matthew 11:2-3)
Sometimes I make a prison for myself. I put myself in prison to a thought or a feeling or an attitude that binds me.
I remember a time when our sons were young and I was not making much money as a pastor of two churches in the countryside. I wrongly thought to myself, I am just working to pay bills. I am on a treadmill. My income is barely sufficient to pay for our basic needs. I am living paycheck to paycheck. I felt like I was in a financial prison. So I prayed about the matter. And here is what the Lord told me.
Darryl, you have it all upside down. There you are, doing what I had called you to do, married to your sweetheart, with three young sons, everyone in good health. Count your blessings, man! So you do not have much money, but look around, fellow! You are free to give yourself to your churches, your wife, your sons, and to Me! Money comes and goes. This time, too, shall pass. Set your mind on things above, rise out of your prison of self-defeat. I will be with you!
A peace came over me from that day. And I learned a valuable lesson: When ever a wrong thought, feeling, or attitude tries to put me in a prison of my own making, I just pray about it. And God shows me how to turn it over and see it from the sunny side, the side of God's blessings, which are all around.
Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?
John the Baptist asked this question of his cousin Jesus. It was an important question to John, because he was at the moment a prisoner of King Herod. He was waiting to see the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel and his liberty.
Go back and report to John what you see and hear: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is preached to the poor. Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.
Jesus preached the same message as John, but with an important twist. Oh yes, Jesus called for repentance, just like John, but He also preached that salvation was possible for all, even sinners, tax collectors, and their loathsome Roman overlords.
Jesus surely cared about his cousin John and wanted to free him from King Herod's prison, but He did not intervene to do that. Oh sure, He could have, but Jesus did not work that way. His kingdom was not of this world. His kingdom would come by invitation and response, not by His own divine power and might.
Take for example Jesus' encounter with the rich young ruler. Remember how He said the man lacked one thing? He told the man, Go, sell all you have, give it to the poor, and follow Me. Sadly, the man, who was actually a pretty good guy otherwise, could not do that. So the man walked away, unable to part with his riches and to enjoy being the 13th disciple of Jesus.
Did Jesus then run after the man and let him keep his materialistic god? No, he did not. He just let him go. He simply let him make his own decision. He respected his free will. Jesus did not really care about the man's money, but he did care about the man. He knew that the man's riches had a hold on him and he offered him a once in a life time opportunity to have true liberty!
I like the term being a non-anxious presence. To me it means what Jesus did here, addressing an issue but also showing he cared about the man. He cared enough to offer him a place in His own troupe of disciples. How sad that this man missed his opportunity for real liberation.
There are many who are weak and poor and need rescuing, but this man was not one of them. He was bound in a prison of his own making. He was possessed by his possessions.
How about you, my friend? Are you generously opening your hand to the poor at this Advent Christmas season and throughout the year? Are you still thinking that you can take it with you? Or, are you dedicating all that you are and all that you have to the Master who still invites you to follow Him today?
Jesus is waiting for you to make your choice.
Do it today.
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven,
with a loud command,
with the voice of the archangel
and with the trumpet call of God,
and the dead in Christ will rise first.
-1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV
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I am fascinated with verse 16, chapter 4 of Paul's first letter to the church in Thessalonica.
Thessalonica was a city of 200,000 inhabitants, the capital of ancient Macedonia, now known as Greece.
Paul wrote to the church there and, among many other things, spoke about the second coming of Christ.
When Christ comes down from heaven, three things will happen before we see Him.
- First, we will hear a loud command. I believe the command will be to look up!
- Then we will hear the voice of the archangel, Michael. He is the great warrior angel of God, leader of all the good angels. I believe he will announce that Christ is about to appear!
- Third and last, we will hear the trumpet call of God.
The trumpet call of God. It's "of God." It's from heaven. Will God the Father blow the trumpet? I don't know, but it's implied by the words "of God," I think.
In ancient Israel, they had trumpets. Perhaps the most well known instrument of God's people then was the ram's horn, also called a shofar. It was the ram's horn, hollowed out, with an opening at the narrow end. When air is blown into the ram's horn, it sounds.
There were also trumpets made from metal, looking very much like trumpet horns we see today.
It seems altogether fitting that Christ's second coming should come with a succession of events.
The loud command, first.
The voice of the archangel Michael, second.
And then, just before Christ descends to be seen, the great trumpet call of God.
Will it be one great blast of the trumpet call or several in quick succession?
I happen to think it may be three great blasts that will be sounded.
I don't think an angel will blow the trumpet.
I don't think Michael the archangel will do it, either.
I think it will be God himself.
The trumpet call of God.
Are you ready to hear it?
It sounds to signal the imminent return of Christ from the heavens.
"From whence He shall come" we say in The Apostles' Creed.
Christ has died. Christ is risen.
Christ shall come again!
I am looking forward to that Day.
I will not be surprised by it, but delighted.
Until then, I live in expectant hope for His return to claim us as His own, forever.
I live in thanksgiving for the salvation He imparts to all who believe in Him and seek to follow in His steps.
I live in joy that He is my Savior and Lord.
I walk today, tomorrow, and until He comes, in His peace, a peace that passes understanding.
Glory be to God!
1 Thessalonians 4:16 NIV:
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.
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I am studying 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 this week. I am fascinated with verse 16, above.
What is the loud command given when He comes down from heaven? Does Christ give the command or someone else?
I think the loud command is a great "Hark!" It sounds dramatic enough. Or maybe it's "Behold!" Or perhaps it is "Look out below!"
The Lord himself will come again. He will come with a loud command. We don't know what he will command us, but it will be loud. Of that we can be sure. It will be so loud that everyone will hear it, even when jackhammers are jackhammering. Will it be so loud that it hurts our ears?
It makes me remember being in school and hearing the morning announcements begin over the P.A. (public address) system.
I also think of when sailors hear their Captain say over the P.A. system, "Now hear this!"
Whatever the loud command is, it is meant, no doubt, to get our attention, to stop what we're doing, and just listen. We need to ready ourselves to do just that.
The Lord's return will happen, says Paul. He wanted to reassure the Christians in Thessalonica that Christ was coming again.
"Now hear this!" Christ will come with a loud command.
As I think about this verse, I ready myself for that moment. When it happens, I will not count it as a surprise. I will look forward to the return of Christ with joy and anticipation.
In the meantime, I will enjoy His daily presence, communicated by the Holy Spirit, by which Christ is "with us always," just as He promised!
Philippians 2:1-11 NIV:
Verse 5: Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.
Attitude is everything sometimes.
A few years ago two laity and I went from our church to a pre-conference briefing early on a Saturday morning. It was held in the rural western region of our conference, far away from the Conference Center in affluent Columbia, Maryland.
As we drove to the briefing, I suggested that we adopt a different attitude as we sat through the reports that were to be presented all morning. Usually such meetings consist of two groups of people: the presenters, who never know how they will be received, and those who come to be briefed, never knowing what we will hear and see.
"Let's all sit up front and smile at the presenters, as if we are really glad to see them here. And, after each presenter is introduced and again when they're done, let's clap to show our appreciation," I told our little threesome.
So we did. Sat up front. Smiled at the presenters. And when they were introduced and when they were finished, we applauded.
When we changed our attitude about giving up our Saturday morning to drive to a briefing to hear reports, we changed the meeting itself.
When we smiled, we saw the presenters brighten and smile back at us.
When we applauded at their introduction and their conclusion, we found that everyone behind us also did so.
We left the meeting convinced that attitude is everything.
Or at least that having a positive attitude can result in positive things happening.
I don't know if Jesus would have done what we did. I don't know if He would have been smiling at every report and applauding at any of them.
But I do know that Jesus had a great attitude.
Change your attitude. Change your life. Change your world.
We should have the same attitude that Jesus Christ has.
Do you believe this?
I do.
