Personal Rapture

Back in my early years, one monday morning I was getting ready to go to school, but news was all over the place that there was an accident, two boys and a girl were involved; one maybe dead and the others critically injured. Later that day, It was  confirmed that one of my very good friend was involved; we sat together in service the previous day. They were on their way to school when a car lost control and knocked them down and the boy died instantly. We were both about eight(8) years old at the time. 

What better description of the suddenness of rapture.

The bible said it is appointed unto a man once to die and judgment follows. For my late friend, that was his rapture. Rapture takes place daily. It could happen at any one moment. Stories has been told of people who were killed by stray bullets, some slept and did not wake-up, tripped on staircase, broke their neck and died or even people who died in collapsed buildings. To all these ones, there goes their rapture. That is not to say we should not live in anticipation of the second coming of Christ, that is a core part of our belief, we must stay alert and keep watch.

The Lord’s coming will be like a thief in the night. This is to show the sudden and unexpected nature of Christ’s return. One would have prepared if he knew a thief would come. Jesus warned that we should be ready at all times for His coming.

Tragically, many people will not be ready for the Lord’s return or even the personal rapture (death). They would be gloating in their accomplishments, thinking their clever advances will bring lasting peace. Instead, they will reap destruction. Caught in the trap of their own folly. We should never grow complacent of become self-satisfied in that knowledge.

We must live each day with Christ’s return in mind, keeping our lives pure and devoted to God. A Christian’s lifestyle should be different from worldly patterns of living as day is from the night. Our thoughts, words, actions, and priorities are to reflect Jesus’ character. Our lives should be characterised by self-control, faith, love, and the hope of salvation. It is possible to be caught up in worldly attractions and the hectic pace of living that we lose sights of what is most important. When we lose our passion for Jesus and become spiritually drowsy, we are in danger of being caught unprepared at His coming.

Jesus will return just as He promised. Personal rapture too happens unexpectedly. If you knew that Jesus would return tomorrow, what would you do differently? Perhaps you would repent from sin, stop all bad and sinful habits, make amends with an estranged family member, friend or colleague and then share the gospel with someone who needs to hear. Consider making these new changes now – while you still have the opportunity. Jesus could return any day. Make a fresh commitment to live each day with Christ’s return in view.

God my personal person

Cliftton Williams, 33, went to support his cousin during a hearing on a felony drugs charge, but during the sentencing he stretched his arms and let out a loud distracting yawn. His cousin got two years’ probation, but the yawning got Williams six months in jail for contempt of court. Surprising isn’t it?

We do worse than that to God both in and outside the church. We take God for granted too much. We have become overly familiar with Him that we believe we can get away with any and everything… after all, He no longer strikes people dead like in the case of Ananias and Sapphira  or Uzzah.

This has led to unmarried people living in sexual immorality – premarital sex (kissing and romancing), adultery, pornography, masturbation, incest, bestiality, bisexuality, paedophilia, etc. (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_and_sexuality); deceit and cheating, lying, stealing, defrauding and embezzling church funds, and so on and so forth.

People has become too casual as they enter into God’s presence. This condition can affect even those who are closest to Him, and have known Him for the longest time. Remember when you were first saved? You came to the house of the Lord and were awestruck, right? You would enter his presence with a trembling in your heart. Every time you opened your Bible, it was as if you had dug in the sand somewhere and found this hidden treasure. In addition, every time you opened the lid, you were going deeper and deeper into incredible gems of truth that were revolutionizing your life.

Ask yourself if you pass or fail this test. Have you become so familiar with God that you have little to no fear of Him? How do you know? Simple – if you premeditate sin and rationalize, “God will forgive me,” then you do not fear God. It is the most hazardous place to be. Your heart has become full of sin. You have set your hand to the ark of God, Christ Jesus the Lord, and you have mishandled the glory of God. How? By treating that which is holy as commonplace, to such a degree that you could easily mistake it for contempt. When you take the holy Son of God and you treat Him commonly, it is as if Uzzah is putting his hand to the ark all over again.

If you no longer set Him up as high and holy; if He is not the object of your greatest respect; if you now consider His mercy to you a right and not an undeserved kindness, the sacred has become common. That is the prevalent sin of God’s people today: this is where we are, we mishandle the sacredness of God because we are so familiar with Him. I plead today; let us repent of hearts filled with contempt. Let us regret our cold casualness toward our God. Can you not shed at least one tear for mishandling the sacred? Ask and pray for a boldness that fears not to come to God; for a grace that draws us near; for a holy fear that causes you to draw near rather than away from Him. May you and I live life so characterized by carefulness that people see in our face and countenance the face and the glory of the Son of God, and that glory smites them with a conviction that causes them to tremble that they would ask us, “What must I do to be saved?” Amen.

For Your Own Good!

John fell in love (or so he thought) with a beautiful girl named Joy. He was all in; it seemed like bliss all the way, the excitements, adventures, and anticipations. One day, several months into the relationship, he was trying to jump a ride home; he saw Joy’s car approaching. He leaped in anticipation, but the car whizzed past with another guy at the wheel. The worst part was that she waved gaily as they rushed by. You could imagine the disappointment and betrayal.

Everyone has been betrayed by someone at one point or the other, some more profoundly than others. Betrayal is a violation that strikes at the core of our being; to make ourselves vulnerable and entrust our wellbeing to another, only to be harmed by those on whom our hopes were set, is among the worst pain of human experience

Sometimes the way God treats us feels like betrayal. We find ourselves in a dangerous world, unable to arrange for the water our thirsty souls so desperately need. Our rope will not take the bucket to the bottom of the well. We know God has the ability to draw water for us. However, oftentimes he will not. We feel wronged. We ask, “Do you care for me, God?”

It is easy to praise God when things are going our way. However, hard time can be real test of faith. They can push us away from God, or they can send us running, like children into the father’s arms. Stress, anxiety and grief can open our lives to spiritual attack. Satan may tell us that God has abandoned us, that He does not care or that we were better off before becoming Christians. 

This is when we need to cling to God’s promises. Sometimes those truths are hard to believe when we reach toward God in faith; He will guide us through our darkest hours. He knows what we are going through and is beside us every step of the way whether or not we can feel Him.

God is the Storyteller. He is the director of the story of our lives. He has the script; He knows the end from the beginning. Just like someone that has watched a football match or movie before and it is being replayed. Someone who has not seen it  before would shout at every goal attempt  but since you know the outcome already, you are never moved.

The author (God) lies behind and beyond. He has watched the movie of our lives and knows the storyline by heart. His omniscience and omnipotence makes Him the mastermind behind the story. Just trust Him and He will come good for you.

He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him.

(Romans 8:27-29, MSG)

A WONDERFUL TESTIMONY

The story was told of two brothers who terrorised their community. Stealing, bullying and all manner of despicable acts was their trademark. Soon, one of them died. Then the living brother approached a priest with the following request, ‘Sir, i would pay you anything, just name your price but all you have to do is call my brother a ‘saint’ at his funeral’. The Priest agreed.

At last the funeral day came; the priest mounted the podium and began the sermon. ‘Today, we are gathered to witness the burial of a unique man. This man was a hooligan, thief, terrorist, drug addict and more, but compared to his brother, he was a saint! ’.

Gosh! I laughed my heart out when i heard that story, but seriously, imagine somebody’s testimony. I’m already pondering what mine will be, what is my life’s testimony? . American author, Mark Twain, once said, “Let us endeavour so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry ”.

Our lesson today, narrows down to the life of Paul and the people of Thessalonica.1 Thessalonians 1:1 through 2:20. The apostle Paul wasn’t out to win any popularity contests, but he did lead an exemplary life in Christ. He loved deeply, preached earnestly, served sacrificially and honoured God faithfully.

In today’s world full of hypocrites, sycophants and the likes, like Paul, we may find that not everyone likes us , especially when we take a bold stand for righteousness. Nevertheless, our lives can be wonderful testimonies that can point others, even our enemies to Christ. Genuine Christian living is a powerful testimony for Christ.

It is said that there are 5 gospels, Mathew , Mark, Luke, John and ‘the Christian’ but people hardly read the first 4. Thus dear Christian,  i challenge you, nope! I encourage you to serve God with your lifestyle such that men and even the heavenlies will give testimonies about you.

I recommend that you trust God for every moment, live like Jesus, engage in discipleship, embrace God’s word, and persevere in love even in spite of hardship. As your name is in God’s book of remembrance, i implore you, Do not cease in your work of faith, labour of love and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father (1 Thessalonians 1:3)