Good morning,
Just
think, the God of creation has chosen us to live in one of the most
dynamic times in his plan for this world. Creation began it all, the
flood restarted it all and the call of Abraham and the nations that came
from his faithful line, led to a special chosen people. The fact that
they failed again and again led to the most important point in our
history. Jesus, the Son of God, came to live and to die for those who
lived here before him and those who would live here after him. Jesus
now leads God’s kids as the head of the Church, his Holy Spirit empowers
us to follow his leading and we, his followers, are responsible to be
God’s witnesses to a rebellious, dying world. Now the church, like
God’s chosen people before us, has failed again and again to live like
our Savior and Father. Sin has weakened our spiritual effectiveness and
the judgment that God promised would come to our rebellious world seems
right at the door.
Jesus told his disciples what to expect from
our world just before he returns as King of the earth. He told us to
expect wars and threats of wars. He told us that nations and kingdoms
will go to war against other nations and kingdoms. He promised famines
and earthquakes (could that be “global warming”) and that things would
get even worse from there.(Mat. 24) Did you notice what he said we
shouldn’t do? He said “don’t panic.” Why shouldn’t we panic? A very
wise friend of mine in the Ukraine pointed out that in times like this
people are more open to hearing what we have to say than any other time
in his life. When God begins the process of bringing judgment on
rebellious people, the unexpected shock of God’s anger wakes some of
these people up to their sinfulness and their need of a Savior. In
Matthew 24: 9 Jesus told them and us what to do in dangerous times like
we face today. He said “pray to the Lord who is in charge of the
harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Should we now
flood these endangered people with our Western saints? I don’t think
that God was thinking in those terms at all. I think that we should be
praying for those people who now share in the dangers and even death
that come with war, that they will now live in dynamic ways, the truths
that they have learned from those who have led them to the Savior.
These panicking lost people will best hear from their own people the
truth that Jesus saves. It won’t then be a foreigner’s faith. It will
be workers like them who aren’t panicking but trusting in the face of
their fears who will be most useful in showing them the way. Dear Lord,
help us to pray for them as they do the work God planned for them to
do.
Matthew 24:6 And you will hear of wars and threats
of wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end
won’t follow immediately. 7 Nation will go to war against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in many
parts of the world. 8 But all this is only the first of the birth pains,
with more to come.
Roy Wisner
