Photo by Thanos Pal on Unsplash
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I don’t travel much anymore. Work used to take me on many long trips. My method to survive – crash in the seat and hope I awoke as we started descending. But I usually woke up before then wondering, “Are we in the middle somewhere or near the end?”
Today is Pentecost. Jesus has ascended to heaven. He promised to come back … a day we call the “last day.” As we wait, it’s natural to think, “I wonder when that day will come.” Peter gives us a clue. As he speaks to the crowds on Pentecost, he says, “But this is what was uttered through the prophet Joel: ‘And in the last days it shall be … I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh …’ (Acts 2:16-17)”
According to Peter we’re in the last days … he said they began when the Spirit was poured out on the disciples. But Peter also mentions the final last day, “the day of the Lord, the great and magnificent day (Acts 2:20).” Jesus will return on the final last day. So … today we’re somewhere in the middle. But, something like waking up in the middle of a long journey, we don’t know where.
This uncertainty can be problematic. First, distress might set in because we hear about fire, smoke, and the sun turning to darkness … scary things indeed. Or, complacency might set in as we think we’ve got plenty of time to sort things out before the day of the Lord.
But there’s a third option – “It shall come to pass that everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Acts 2:20-21).” As we live in these last days, we trust Jesus’ promise that His return will be a great and magnificent day. So, let’s not be distressed … let’s trust His promise. And let’s not get complacent … let’s serve Him by proclaiming the good news to all we meet in words and deeds that they too might be saved along with us.
In Christian Love,
Pastor Jim