Keep Watch; Be Ready- Part II

I recently saw a quote on social media which highlighted the popular slogan, "life is short, enjoy it."  However, thinking about it in light of God's Word, I realize that a believer's focus should not be enjoyment of life due to its brevity but rather should be on preparation for eternity.  Thus, a more helpful note on the quote is, "eternity is infinite, prepare for it!"

The parable of the ten virgins in Matthew 25:1-13 is a continuation of the message to the Church on the Coming of Christ from the preceding chapter.  Prophecy is foretold of the state of the church at the times of the coming of Christ.  In ensuring that the message is clear to His disciples, Jesus tells the story of the ten virgins in the context of marriage ceremonies at that time.

Obtaining the background on wedding ceremonies in the Jewish culture helps us to better understand the parable of the ten virgins.  It is worth noting that different Jewish tribes and people groups may have celebrated the wedding ceremonies in varied ways.  I thus choose to highlight the common practices that cut across most if not all wedding ceremonies.  The first step in Jewish weddings was the betrothal where the groom visited the bride's family and formally engaged the bride by payment of a bride price.  The groom would then return to his father's home to prepare a house for the bride.  The groom's father would monitor the son's progress and would be the one to instruct the groom to go and take his bride.  The groom would normally send out a shout to alert the bride of his coming, though the bride would not know the hour of his coming.

Culturally, where the betrothal took place when the groom-to-be and bride-to-be were adults, the groom took about twelve months before he could take his bride to the house prepared for her.  The family members and the community would accompany the groom and the bride up to their house, where the bride would undergo ritual cleansing and a private wedding ceremony conducted.  Thereafter, the newly wed couple would know each other (the consummation).  This was then followed by a marriage feast.

The Church is already betrothed to Christ!  Our heavenly Father already paid the bride price for us.  He paid the penalty of our sin and redeemed us from eternal condemnation.  The bride price was Himself; He gave His Only Begotten Son to die for my sin and your sin.  This is the highest demonstration of His love.  There is no argument as to the love of God.  That love is complete and enough; reaching out to us from one generation to another!

Prior to Christ departing through His death, resurrection and ascension, He left his disciples with a promise that when He goes, He shall prepare a place for them.  Christ is preparing a chamber for His bride.  He awaits the Father to instructs Him to come for His bride.  He has sent out the shout to alert the Church that He is about to come.  His prayer is that you and I will be found ready.

John 14:1 states, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.  My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.

This is the eternal hope to which we have been called.  The Groom is coming for us!  He will take me with Him that I may be with Him, to intimately know Him and become one with Him.  John reminds us that though we do not know what we will be when Christ appears, we assuredly know that we shall be like Him for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2).  Our mortal bodies will be transformed to immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53), never again to struggle with the lusts of our eyes, the lusts of our flesh and the pride of life- this is the ritual cleansing of the bride.  We shall be clothed in fine linen, bright and clear (Revelation 19:8)!

We shall dine with the Groom at the marriage feast for seven years (Revelation 4-6), as those who remain behind after the rapture go through the great tribulation (Revelation 7-19).  No one who does not have the wedding clothes will be allowed at the wedding banquet of the Lord (Matthew 22:1-14).  Only those whose robes are spotless.  It will be unspeakable joy and divine rest for those who will be at the wedding banquet.  The invitation to the wedding banquet is to many, but only some will make it to be there with the Groom.

Reflecting on the parable of the ten virgins, we realize that they all had some things in common.  Each of them had a lamp; they were all expecting the groom to come, thus they went out to meet him; and since the bride groom took a long time to arrive they all became drowsy and slept.  The lamp is a representation of the salvation that we have received in Christ Jesus.  Jesus, the Word of God dwelling in our hearts is a lamp to our feet and a light to our paths (Psalms 119:105).

Salvation is instant, it is progressive and it is eternal.  The ten virgins had committed to follow Christ.  They were His.  I thank God that I made a commitment to follow Christ as a young girl.  This is the starting point of us preparing for eternity.  However, the journey of faith does not end at that initial commitment to follow Christ.  We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).  We must must take up our crosses daily and follow Christ (Matthew 16:24).  We must live and walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16).

The Church faces the danger of spiritual slumber at the time of the coming of Christ.  We must rise above our feelings, moods, ambitions, comforts and operate at a higher level of obedience to the Spirit.  This requires that we pomel our bodies and make them our slaves (1 Corinthians 9:27). 

Mark 13:35 states, "Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning."

The Laodicean church (Revelation 3:14-21) is a representation of the church of this age: materially wealthy; learned and advanced in many fields of knowledge, including medicine; highly influenced by the world; ruled by the people rather than God; lukewarm; and exposed to attacks/ vulnerable.  The comforts of today's church lure us to slumber.  Our intellect and self-reliance deceive us that we are secure, thus our alertness wanes.  Consequently, we lack the passion for God.  We are prone to religious drowsiness and destructive self-centerdness.

The five foolish virgins lacked oil and this constituted not being ready at the coming of the groom.  The lack of oil led to them being shut out of the wedding banquet.  The oil is a representation of the Holy Spirit.  I thank God for those who have accepted Christ as their Saviour and Lord.  I urge you by the grace of God, surrender your lives to the working of the Spirit for sanctification.   Be filled with the Holy Spirit!

Ephesians 517-20 states, "Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.  Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Secondly, Jesus uses the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 to exhort the church to be faithful and wise stewards, till He returns.  The master in the parable was going on a journey and thus entrusted his property to his servants.  To one servant he gave five talents; to another he gave two talents; while to another he gave one talent.  The servant who received five talents worked them and bore five more.  The one who received two talents worked them and received two more.  The one who received one talent dug a hole and hid it in the ground.

The master is said to have taken a long time before returning.  Just like at the time of Noah when it took one hundred and twenty years (120) before the floods actually came as forewarned by God's servant; and just like in the parable of the ten virgins where the groom was a long time gone; so it is in this parable.  Waiting requires faithfulness (patient endurance) and wisdom (disciplined focus).  You and I must not loose sight on the gifts/ abilities God has entrusted to us for completion of His work.

When the master returned, he settled accounts with his servants.  Friends, a day is coming when we will give an account of what was entrusted to us.  The quality of our work will be tested and will be shown for what it is (1 Corinthians 12-15).  Your work done here on earth might have attracted men's accolades and made you popular.  Notwithstanding, before our master, our work will be subjected to a superior test: the Spirit's fire and the light of God's Word.  The person whose work survives the test will receive a reward.

How prepared are you for eternity?  We all desire and trust to live a long life.  As uncomfortable as this may sound, the reality of life is that some believers will be called home much earlier than others.  When God calls me home, whether earlier or later than expected, will I be ready?  What treasures will I have stored in heaven for eternity?  What works will follow me when I rest?

Revelation 14:13 states, "Then I heard a voice from heaven say, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.”  “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labor, for their deeds will follow them.”

The believers who were faithful and wise to undertake the work committed to them in their Father's Kingdom will be rewarded.  Matthew 24:47 states that God will reward such believers to be in charge of all his possession.  Both the servant who receives five talents and the one who receives two talents receive the same commendation.  Our performance rating as we stand before the Lord will not be against other people's performance, but rather against our God-given ability.

What has been entrusted to you? Focus on doing it faithfully and in wisdom. 

Believers must be deliberate in keeping the focus.  Paul in Philippians 3:12-14 says, "I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ... Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead.  I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."  In spite of the many distractions and reasons for discouragement, keep pressing on to run the race and win the prize.  Keep your eyes on Jesus!  

Those who will be ready at the coming of Christ will enjoy the wedding banquet of the Lord (Matthew 25:10).  Those who will have been faithful and wise stewards of what has been entrusted to them will be told, "Well done good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master's happiness!" (Matthew 25:21,23).  The raptured saints, having enjoyed the wedding banquet and shared in their Father's happiness, will return to reign with Christ for one thousand years. 

Revelation 20:6 states, "Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years."

I pray to see you there at the wedding banquet of the Lamb.  The Groom's shout is out!  Behold He is coming for His Bride!

Keep Watch; Be Ready- Part I

One of the childhood occurrences that I vividly remember to date is one sunny afternoon when as a first grade kid, I came from school at about 1300 hours and as routine would have it, I took my lunch and slept.   After enjoying a soundly deep nap, I woke up in fright from a bad dream.  The dream seemed very real and so in confusion I responded to its illusion.

In my dream, all my siblings had gone to school and had left me behind sleeping.  School for me was synonymous with playing and that explains why the thought of being left at home on a school day was overly devastating.  At school, I was a team leader of a game called "circular" and the fun that came with it made school the best place in the world.  Not realizing that it was merely a dream, I jumped out of bed in haste, frantically wore my shoes and sprinted out of the house (never mind that I had not won my school uniform and did not pick my school bag).

I believe it was by divine arrangement that my dad who worked about 8 minutes walk away, thought of checking on me just about that time when I was running out of the house.  He literally stopped me on my tracks about three minutes away from home.  I didn't relent easily; it took some convincing before I came around to realize that I had already had my share of school for the day.

Whenever I think of this experience, I relate it to the rapture account in Matthew 24:36-51 which states that no one knows the day nor the hour of the coming of Christ.  Two men will be in the field, one will be taken and one will be left.  Two women will be grinding with a hand mill, one will be taken and one will be left. Unlike my experience, the rapture will not be a bad dream.  Not at all.  It will be an irreversible occurrence with eternal implications.

Just like the days of Noah (Genesis 6), so will be the times at the coming of Christ.  Jon Courson in his exposition of Genesis 6 elaborates on the characteristics of that time: population explosion; gross immorality; violence; and minds corrupted with evil thoughts.  All these signs are evidently present in the times that we live in!

Matthew 24 is basically a message to the disciples of Jesus.  This means that the message in this chapter is for the church.  In verse 1-2, Jesus prepared His disciples for his crucifixion, death and resurrection.  In verse 3, it actually dawned on the disciples that Jesus was physically departing from them through death on the cross.  This prompted them to reflect on the promise of Christ's return.  Thus in that verse, the disciples asked Jesus, "When will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of age?" 

Although contentious amongst believers, I strongly believe on account of God's Word that the Church will be taken (raptured) first and saved from the hour of trial; the great tribulation of 7 years.  Revelation 3:10 states, "Since you have kept my command to endure patiently, I will also keep you from the hour of trial that is going to come on the whole world to test the inhabitants of the earth."  The disciples of Christ who have kept the commands of God and endured patiently, at the coming of the Messiah, will be caught up with Him in the air!

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 states, "For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.  After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever."

Christ took time to explain to us what it will be like both at the time of His coming for the Bride (Matthew 24:36-44) as well as the end of age- judgement of the nations (Matthew 24:4-35; see also Revelation 6, 7, 20).  Perhaps the following illustration will better help us understanding the unfolding of the end-time events as taught in scripture:

I totally agree with Jon Courson's statement that though we may not know the day and the hour of Christ's coming, we should know the times and the seasons.  Just like the Sons of Issachar, we ought to be men who understand the times and also live in the wisdom of knowing what we ought to do at the proper time (I Chronicles 12:32). 

The responsibility of the Church in this age is to keep watch and be ready! (Matthew 24:42,44)

Effective watching requires right positioning.  In the case of soldiers watching, some would position themselves at a vantage point while others may choose to take cover in bunkers depending on the situation.  A believer is rightly positioned when they are walking in righteousness.  Actually, the word righteousness means "right standing with God".  A believer soiled in sin cannot effectively  engage in watching.  Ephesians 2:6 states that we are seated in and in Christ in the heavenly realms.  When believers live in righteousness, they rule and reign with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Effective watching requires eyes that see and ears that hear.  As we watch, we look out for the enemy and his schemes/ traps; we look at unfolding events in light of the word of God; we listen in to hear God and deliver His Word (rhema) to humanity; and we listen in to the voice of the commander-in-chief, Jesus Christ, directing us in the battle ground.  Such watching, requires alertness.  It requires that a believer's mind be set on things eternal and not on temporal things (Colossians 3:2).  It requires a sober mind with a clear conscience.

Effective watching literally demands that we leave our comfort zone and familiar grounds.  It requires patient endurance.  It requires discipline.  It requires hearts committed to their Lord's cause, even when the flesh is weak and failing.

Believers are required to watch so that they may sound a warning regarding what they see (Ezekiel 33:1-7).  They are to blow the trumpet; they are to speak God's rhema word.  Believers are God's mouth piece urging people to repent; reconciling men to God; and offering prophetic direction.  God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked and will hold us accountable for the blood of all whom we fail to warn (Ezekiel 33:8-11).  Believers are appointed watchmen to travail in prayer, reminding God day and night of His promises, on behalf of their families, cities and nation until the purposes of God are established.

In readying ourselves for the Groom, every human being must first be reconciled to God by acknowledging his/her sinful state and their need for a Saviour; repenting and welcoming Christ into their hearts to be Lord over all aspects of their lives.  This seems basic, but is not obvious in this era where mere Christian rituals are mistakenly taken to be the same as a man's reconciled relationship with God.

It frightens me that many people have associated themselves with the Christian faith merely by reason of their names, family backgrounds and christian practices such as attending church.  However, their hearts are not reconciled to God in Christ Jesus; they have not come to the point of true repentance- asking for forgiveness of sins, turning away from sinful living and allowing Christ to be Lord of their lives.

It is only in Christ that we become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21).  Have you made that conscious decision to surrender to and follow Christ?  Is your name written in the Lamb's book of life (Revelation 3:5; 17:8; 21:27)?  The inhabitants of the earth whose names will not be written in the book of life will remain when Christ takes away the Church.  Those whose names will not be present in the book of life will have to endure the great tribulation, and will perhaps have to defend their faith by their own blood (Revelation 7:9-17).

The irony of Jesus' ministry is that he was utterly distressed by the religious more than the 'sinners'.  Often, we see Jesus rebuking the Pharisees and the Sadducees and yet I can hardly find an incident in the Bible where Jesus rebuked the tax collectors, the prostitutes and the Roman soldiers.  One of the greatest undoing of the religious people during Jesus' time was hypocrisy.  This hindered brokenness, and consequently true conversion.  Yet to all who truly confessed their sins- the tax collectors, the Roman soldiers and the prostitutes included- were baptised (Matthew 3:6).

Preceding Jesus' ministry was John the Baptist who had begun preaching the message of repentance in the wilderness, to prepare the way of the Lord.  John blatantly expressed his discontent when the religious people came to him for baptism.  Perhaps the religious people came to him because it was the socially correct thing to do.  They might have perceived it as spiritually fashionable or an attainment of religious status.  They were pursuing the action and yet their hearts were far from God.  The radical prophet would have none of this.   

"... You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?  Produce fruit in keeping with repentance."  Matthew 3:7-8  

Christ warning his disciples in Matthew 16:6 stated, "Be careful.  Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."  The same warning is resounding to the church today!  A believer's outward expression of faith ought to be a reflection of inward transformation.  You and I must allow the Spirit of God to work on our inner man for sanctification.  This takes humility and obedience.   Christ is coming for a bride that is holy and blameless, whose garments are without spot or blemish.

You and I must be prepared for the groom! We must guard our hearts against worldliness, for to love the world is to be an enemy of God (James 4:4).  The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life (1John 2:15-17) comprise worldliness.

According to Galatians 5, it is for freedom from the slavery of sin that Christ set us free.  We must take caution lest we fall back to the yoke of slavery.  The desires/ lusts of the flesh include sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  These lusts relate to physical pleasure from sinful activity.  The devil knowing that Jesus was hungry after his fourty-day fast, tempted Jesus to turn stone to bread for the sake of physical gratification.  Jesus countered this temptation with the word of God.

The lust of the eyes concerns desire to have things that are not ours or to look upon things that we should not look upon.  Today's Church is divided and it struggles to forge forward in unity because of the sin of covetousness and strife.  We covet other peoples' spiritual gifts and ministries; we covet their material blessings; and we live in strife with fellow brothers and sisters.  The devil showed Jesus the kingdoms of the world and tempted the Messiah with earthly authority and splendor.  Jesus countered this temptation with the word of God.

Luke 21:34 states, "Be careful or your hearts will be weighed down with dissipation, drunkenness and the anxieties of life, and that day will close on you unexpectedly like a trap.  For it will come upon all those who live on the face of the whole earth.  Be always on the watch ...."

Pride is another element of worldliness and its temptation does not spare the believer nor the sinner.  Believers must watch out for pride because the enemy is roaring around looking for someone to devour.  Pride seeps in slowly and un-announced.  Even Jesus Christ was tempted on pride when Satan asked Him to throw Himself from the temple top and proof the word of God regarding protection.  I believe in the manifestation of the Spirit.  Signs, wonders and the miraculuous are our heritage as children of God.  Sadly though, God's grace manifest through spritual gifts in believer's lives have become their reason for pride.  How can we overcome pride?  Counter it with the word of God as Jesus did.

The word of God is primary in our inward transformation, even as we prepare for our Groom.  John 17:7 records that it is the Truth of God's Word that sanctifies believers.  It is tragic to note that many believers want transformation through many means other than reading, hearing, studying, meditating and memorizing the Word of God.  The Word of God is life, sharper than two edged sword; piercing to the division of the soul and the spirit; to the division of the bone and the marrow (Hebrews 4:12).  All believers need to as often as possible lay at God's theater table for the surgery and healing of their hearts and minds.  The Word of God is the sword that circumcises the foreskin of our hearts (Jeremiah 4:4), causing us to be delivered from sin's grip.

Through the Holy Spirit, God works in us both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).  God reaches to the core of us and heals our wounds and delivers us from the bondage of sin.  By His grace, we are empowered to shake off every sin and every weight that hinders us from running the race of perseverance (Hebrews 12:2).

Christ's intent for believers/ the church is that they would endure to the end.  This is depicted in the message to the churches in Revelation 2 & 3.  Each church's message ends with a promise given to "him who overcomes ...."  It is great that believers have received Christ as their Lord and Saviour.  However, we must press on to run the race of faith set before us according to the rules (2 Timothy 2:5).  Cursed is the man who puts his/her hand on the plough and looks back (Luke 9:62).  Friends, we ought to endure patiently and to finish the race.

In spite of how difficult the race might get, our comfort is in knowing that we have overcome the world.

1 John 5:4-5- “for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. 5 Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”

God desires that we watch and keep ready faithfully and in wisdom (Matthew 24:45-47).  These were important traits for the early church as they elected leaders.  Perhaps the words of Jesus in Matthew 24 were still so loud and clear to their ears.   For example, when the disciples were looking for Judas Ischariot's replacement, they looked for a man who had faithfully followed Christ during his earthly ministry.  Also, when the church decided to elect deacons, they looked for men full of the Spirit and wisdom (Acts 6:3).  Stephen, one of the deacons is described as being "full of faith and power" (Acts 6:8).

The Groom's expectation is that His Bride will watch and ready Herself faithfully and wisely.

God desires that individually, we will be found ready, faithfully undertaking the work entrusted to us.  Doing God's work is not burdensome because it is a natural expression of our relationship with God.  Labouring for the Lord is done willingly because it emanates from the love of God poured upon our hearts (Romans 5:5).  Enduring patiently is made possible by reason of the eternal hope that we have in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:18).

God desires that we will gain a heart of wisdom, to number our days (Psalms 90:12); to utilize every opportunity in realization of the fact that the days we live in are evil (Ephesians 5:16); and to prioritize the work of God's Kingdom for the fields are ready and the harvest is ripe (John 4:35).  For abundant and enduring fruit, the Church needs to learn to join God in His work and abandon pursuit of its own agendas.  The latter are effort in futility.  Wisdom demands that the Church be where God is, to do what God requires, in the manner that God prescribes.

The following words of Christ are resounding now more than ever:

Revelation 16:15- Behold, I come like a thief! Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.

 I pray that at the return of the Groom, you will be found watching and ready!  Amen.