"[L]ooking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat (2 Peter 3:12)." - What an amazing thought! The fact that the Lord of Glory will descend from heaven (Acts 1:11) in order to receive His children back to Him (John 14:3) to take them to their eternal rest (2 Thessalonians 1:7) is awe-inspiring to say the least. 

     However, there is a word in that passage of inspired Scripture that seems to be overlooked on a daily basis. It's the word "hastening". Now, to some that word gives the idea of causing to speed up, but we understand there is no Biblical precedent on how a Christian can do anything to speed up or slow down the coming of Christ. No, the word means an earnest desire, a hope. 

     Do we honestly, sincerely and reverently hope that Christ will return sooner rather than later? There is a song which some sing called, "Jesus is Coming Soon" in which the singers say that Jesus is, in fact, coming soon. The problem with the song does not arise from that idea, per say, but that the second verse is very premillennial and cannot be sung in accordance with God's will (check out this article for more insight). 

     That being said, do we earnestly desire and expect Jesus to return to gather us for the Judgement? 

     I'm afraid that if we don't, we are in danger of being caught off guard and ill-prepared for that Day!

     So, what does this mean to us in 2014 as Christians living in a much different world than that of Peter and John yet still having the same Christianity and standard of such as they? It means we have to have that same hope! 

     I once heard a brother end his prayer with something to the effect of, "Please, Lord, bring the Judgment soon so that we can be with you!" When he said that, I have to admit that I was somewhat uneasy praying that but upon further meditation I'm convinced that is exactly how we ought to be thinking today. 

     Let's face it, our world is a sinful place filled with ungodliness and Satan is well-loved. It is a place in which Christ and His church is the source of derision and even hate. It's a place where the individual can find salvation and encouragement through the Word of God and yet many would have that Word thrown into the nearest dumpster at a moment's notice. I don't know about you, but I hope Jesus comes soon! If not just to get out of this world and live in a place where righteousness reigns. 

     So, if you have the understanding that Christ will return to bring Judgment on the world and take the faithful to heaven eternal, tell someone about it because at the same time you are to be hoping that it happens very quickly and you just might not have time to tell other people. 

     "Even so, come, Lord Jesus!"

     I have recently been preaching through the 7 ones of Ephesians 4:4-6, the things which are the building blocks of Christian unity wherein we find the standard for our fellowship between brethren. This week, the topic at hand is that of the "one Lord (Ephesians 4:5)." I have to admit, this sermon has been difficult for me to wrap my finite head around, but as Sunday was growing ever near I was faced with condensing the Biblical teachings on the Lord into something which could be conveyed to the congregation effectively so that we can leave the worship service with a better, although somewhat superficial, understanding of what the term means and how it applies to the Christ. 

     I have to admit, I put it off as long as possible, knowing that I most likely wasn't going to do the topic as much justice as it deserves. And then, I read Ephesians 5-6 again!

     In these two chapters, really the end of chapter 5 and the beginning of chapter 6 I found something that might be one of the best passages I've read on the subject although it isn't directly pointed toward that end. Let's discuss it briefly and hopefully you will see the same!

The Lord Passionately Cares for Us, As A Husband Does His Wife - Ephesians 5:22-33
     The only thing which I can see would NOT fit this illustration, which we understand that an illustration is just that and doesn't exactly prove a point in and of itself, is that the wife and the husband are equal in humanity and yet the wife is commanded to submit to the husband's leadership in order to keep the marriage bond pleasing to God (Ephesians 5:21) while we are not equal to God (Isaiah 55:8-9). 

     However, the Biblical teaching of the marriage bond being an illustration of how the Lord and His children interact is very strong, and for good reason. 1) He was willing to die for us, as I am to be willing to die for the wellbeing of my wife (Ephesians 5::25-27). 2) The church is treated as part of the Lord, as a husband and wife have become one flesh (Ephesians 5:28-30). 3) All other relationships are to be forsaken, making the relationship between husband and wife the most important next to that of Christian and God (Ephesians 5:31). 

     See, the man's love and care for his wife is a wonderful look into the love and care of the Divine for His people!

The Lord Propagates Himself in Us, As A Father Does His Son - Ephesians 6:1-4
     The Law of Biogenesis states that life originates from life after its own kind (Genesis 1:25). If that is the case, and it is, then it would go to say that the physical bond between father and son would be very strong. We understand this in that many of us look, sound, walk and even sometimes act the way our fathers do. But, it goes beyond the genetic similarities!

     In Ephesians 6:1-4, Paul gives the commands to children to obey their parents but at the end of that passage (verse 4) he gives exhortation to the father, teaching him to rear his children in a godly way obviously in keeping with his own Christianity (for, a father not living the Christian life cannot effectively teach his child to do so). 

     In much the same way, the Lord propagates, or reproduces after his kind, Christians into a person built not only in the image of God, in that he has some of the characteristics of the Almighty, but in the very attitude of God! 

     It goes without saying that the Lord is our spiritual Father (1 Peter 2:9, Proverbs 3:11-12, Hebrews 12:5-11), but I'm afraid that sometimes we fail to recognize that the Lord is not simply commanding us to clean our spiritual rooms  because He likes to keep a clean house (see what I did there?) but more than that, He wasn't us to be like Him!


     There it is, the Lord purchased us to be His slaves because He loved us so much that He wanted to instill in us His attributes so that we can be like Him and be with Him eternally. He is, in fact, my LORD! I hope you can say that He is yours...