Beloved,
I now write to you this second epistle (in both of which I stir up your pure
minds by way of reminder), that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken
before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the
Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last
days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His
coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from
the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God
the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water,
by which the world
that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But the heavens and
the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until
the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. But, beloved, do not
forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a
thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some
count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:1-9 NKJV
“Why
are we still here?” Have you heard
another believer ask that question lately?
It seems to be one which I am hearing more and more, especially as we
watch what is happening not only in this country, but around the world as well. Of course, there are those who use the
absence of God’s appearance to claim that it is proof we can justify disbelief
in the promise of deliverance, but as you can see from the passage from Peter,
this too has been foretold. However we
are still faced with the question; “what is God waiting for?” Might I suggest
an answer to that question that most of us will probably find uncomfortable?
For I
do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you
should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to
Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. Romans 11:25 NKJV
In
the passage from Romans, most scholars agree that Paul is referring to God's
plan for Israel when he says that the blindness of Israel will only last for a
period of time, and will change once the “fullness of the Gentiles” has been
achieved. The interpretation of the passage seems to rest on the meaning of the
word fullness, which is the Greek word plērōma,
which refers to the filling of something to completeness. It is often used to
refer to a ship being filled, but it is also used in Acts to describe the
filling of believers with the Holy Spirit. As such, many scholars believe what
we are being told here is that the rapture of the Church is a “number specific”
event which cannot occur until the desired number of believers is achieved.
If
indeed this is a proper interpretation of this passage, and if God is in fact
waiting for the specific number of believers to be reached in order for the
body to be complete, my question to all of us today (myself included) is simply
this; “whose fault is it we are still here?” God's? Not hardly! Speaking for
myself, this passage from Romans is a personal “calling out” pointing out to me
the importance of making sure I am fulfilling the primary responsibility of a believer
which is to share the Gospel of Christ with those around me. Notice I said
share the Gospel? Not be “active in my church”, “exercising my spiritual gift”,
or “living my life as a witness to others”, and otherwise trying to be “busy” doing.
Does
that sound harsh? I don't mean it to be, but if it makes us uncomfortable I
think we need only look as far as the church at Ephesus and the letter
addressed to it by our Lord Jesus Christ in the book of Revelation, to
understand what Jesus expects from us.
"I
know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who
are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and
have found them liars; "and you have persevered and have patience, and
have labored for My name's sake and have not become weary."Nevertheless I
have [this] against you, that you have left your first love. Revelation 2:2-4 NKJV
What
was their “first love”? Virtually every commentator or teacher I have ever read
or heard speak interprets this to mean that they had forgotten the excitement
which resulted in making sharing the gospel with an unbelieving world their
primary goal. They were busy doing everything else that makes for a healthy
body, yet they had lost the initial excitement of first love that made them
want to share Christ with others. Do you remember what it was like when you
first became a believer? Didn't we all want to shout out and share the joy with
everyone we met? That is our “first love”, and one we should never forget. In
the book of Acts, Paul shares with us his perspective on what he sees as his
first love and our purpose in this life as well.
"But
none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I
may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord
Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24 NKJV
The
simple fact is that God uses His believers to share the message of Christ with
an unbelieving world, and if we don't do it, it doesn't get done. Is it
possible we as a body are making the same mistake as the church in Ephesus? Are
we so busy “doing” what we think is important that we forget to do what God
says is important?
But
sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always [be] ready to [give] a defense
to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness
and fear; 1 Peter 3:15 NKJV
I'm
sure I am not alone in wanting to hear God tell me “well done” when I finally
stand before Him. Years ago I decided that the following passage from Jesus'
teaching in Matthew should be my personal motivation for sharing the Gospel in
order to hear those words from the Father.
"Who
then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his master made ruler over his
household, to give them food in due season? "Blessed [is] that servant
whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Matthew 24:45-46 NKJV
If
the rapture of the church is indeed based on the number of members in the body
of Christ, then it is logical to assume that the rapture will occur at the
moment the last person makes his or her decision to accept Christ into their
heart. That said, it is entirely possible any one of us could be the person
sharing the Gospel with that individual at that particular time. Many of us are
disappointed to still be here given all the signs that the rapture is indeed
imminent, yet if Paul is telling us that there is a number that has to be
reached for the “fullness of the Gentiles” to “come in”, it is reasonable to
conclude that it's our fault we are still here. As a body of believers, we need
to remember our first love and share the Gospel with everyone we meet so God
can “fill the boat” to completeness.
If
you are reading this and have never made the decision to accept Jesus Christ
into your heart and accept the free gift of eternal life He has offered you, I
urge you to do so right now. You can do that by praying this prayer and
accepting the gift of eternal life God has offered you by the death and
resurrection of His Son Jesus Christ.
Father, I know I am a
sinner in need of salvation. I believe you sent your Son Jesus to die on the
cross for my sin, and I ask you now to forgive me of my sins. I want to receive
your gift of salvation so please come into my heart and help me to live and follow
you as my Lord and Savior. In Jesus' name, Amen.
For I
am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation
for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16 NKJV
May
Jesus find us all “so doing” when He comes.
Keep
watching.
