Was Jesus an alarmist? He said some alarming things about watching and being on the alert for His imminent but unannounced return.
He instructed us to live here in constant anticipation of that dramatic moment, with awesome rewards for those who took Him seriously and awful consequences for those who didn’t. “Surprise – – I’m back!!” won’t be happy words for all.
MAYBE
Maybe it’s time for American Christians to rethink what our name implies.
Maybe we’d come to realize how trivial the things that have captured our hearts really are and how blatantly we have disregarded the Master’s orders about that.
Maybe we’d repent and draw near to Him in ways that open the Zoe-Life of His Kingdom to us in measures that we never dreamed of. And maybe we’d thank Him for the pain that set us free from bondage and opened that door.
WHAT IF. .
So, what if the present scenario motivated us to take Jesus’ commands and instructions about life seriously, and we made radical changes – – and then He didn’t come back for a hundred years? Would we regret having wasted opportunity to indulge in the world’s delights, or would we be ecstatic about the newfound riches of the Life in Christ that we enjoyed after we repented?
It’s important that we prepare for troubles, with short-term food and medical supplies for our families and to share with others along with plans for disruptions in utilities, supply chains, travel, banking, etc., but the main thing is to consider our walk with God and with those around us, and that matters forever.
How different would wisdom for today be from what He has always expected of us, whether in good times or bad?
Am I being an alarmist?
Ken Stoltzfus
Kidron, Ohio USA
August 18, 2021
CLICK HERE for a printable pdf.