A Soon Return
Believing Jesus is returning soon, and in a process that requires participation, is very good motivation to live in agreement with Jesus. In the first generation of disciples, this paradigm of thinking grew the Church in a time of great trouble, and left those first believers reaching for God in a way that released great revelation.
What do you believe? What kind of fruit does your opinion produce in your own life? Does it motivate you to put on restraint and press you to reach for more and more understanding and revelation? Or, does it make you comfortable to seek what the world is seeking?
It would be a great tragedy to live in the time those guys...Peter, James, John, Jude, and Paul... longed to see, and then completely drop the ball and abandon the mindset they had for it.
James
I John 2:16-19 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
Peter
II Peter 3:11-12 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking 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?
Paul
I Corinthians 7:29-31 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.
Jude
Jude 1:16-21 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
James
James 5:1-3 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
They ALL were living like they were the last generation. That is why we still read their words. This is Christianity 101. They didn't say "whatever Jesus decides to do is ok with me"...no, they said "I live a certain way because I believe in a certain day.". They put on restraint because they had revelation... and they will be great forever.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
I want to see the hour and run hard into it, not look for ways to explain it away.
What do you believe? What kind of fruit does your opinion produce in your own life? Does it motivate you to put on restraint and press you to reach for more and more understanding and revelation? Or, does it make you comfortable to seek what the world is seeking?
It would be a great tragedy to live in the time those guys...Peter, James, John, Jude, and Paul... longed to see, and then completely drop the ball and abandon the mindset they had for it.
James
I John 2:16-19 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us.
Peter
II Peter 3:11-12 Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking 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?
Paul
I Corinthians 7:29-31 But this I say, brethren, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, those who weep as though they did not weep, those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the form of this world is passing away.
Jude
Jude 1:16-21 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
James
James 5:1-3 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you! Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are moth-eaten. Your gold and silver are corroded, and their corrosion will be a witness against you and will eat your flesh like fire. You have heaped up treasure in the last days.
They ALL were living like they were the last generation. That is why we still read their words. This is Christianity 101. They didn't say "whatever Jesus decides to do is ok with me"...no, they said "I live a certain way because I believe in a certain day.". They put on restraint because they had revelation... and they will be great forever.
Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.
Revelation 1:3 Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.
I want to see the hour and run hard into it, not look for ways to explain it away.
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