BE READY! BE FAITHFULLY ACTIVE IN HIS MISSION WHEN HE COMES!
Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. —Matthew 24:30-31
So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. —Matthew 24:44
Oh yes, Jesus will come! Why hasn’t He come yet? “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (II Peter 3:9). He has not come because He is patient with the church to get the gospel out so others can be saved. Truly, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). The church has been given a mission by Jesus. He said…
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” —Matthew 28:18-20
Who did He expect to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8)? Who did He expect to share His gospel of the kingdom (Matthew 24:14)? Who did He expect to make disciples of His (Matthew 28:18-20)? Every single follower of His! Not just a certain class of people in the church, but every member of His church. This has not been taught well because we have not discipled well. I read that only 5-10% of those who profess Christ proclaim Christ in the U.S. I also read that there are only about 5% of churches in the U.S. that are disciple-making churches. These two statistics show us that we are not discipling people very well. The average professing believer is not sharing the gospel and is not making disciples. A huge part of the dilemma is that they have not been discipled themselves and so lack confidence in sharing the gospel and making disciples.
Yes, Jesus is coming! We will be gathered to Him. It will happen when least expected. Let us be ready by being about the mission He gave us. Yes, Dear Father, may this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus— for Your honor and glory! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBHcvJhc6Pk&list=RDfBHcvJhc6Pk&start_radio=1