
But I tell you the truth, it is for your benefit that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And when He comes, He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because they do not believe in Me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me; and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world has been condemned.
Berean Study Bible (BSB)
John 16:7-11 BSB
Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Matthew 28:18-20 BSB
The world around us is getting darker and into the depravity of rampant sin. Many believers fear what is going on in our society. Sin is being called good, and the things of God are being condemned as evil. The Bible has warned us that these things would come to pass (Romans 1:18-32; 2 Timothy 3:1-5, 4:1-4 just to name a few passages).
We who are followers of Jesus should see this as an opportunity to reach others for Him and make sure we ourselves are prepared to meet Him face to face. We believe the time for Jesus to return is coming soon. Since we’ve been warned these things will happen, we should make sure we are following Jesus, abiding in Him, and doing the work He has prepared for us to do. Instead of filling social media and conversations with our fears and disgust at what is happening around us, we need to first of all be praying for the souls of these same people, our government leaders, judges, teachers, pastors, family, friends, and the church at large to be ready to meet Jesus by acknowledging their need to be saved from their sins and living for Him. Prayer, compassion, sharing our testimony, and living a godly life are the things we need to be doing to make disciples.
Ask God to give us wisdom and words to speak. This world will not see change if we are not proactive in prayer, worship, and sacrificial living. We will have to sacrifice some of our leisure time for these pursuits. There are opportunities every day to be a witness to the truth of the Gospel at work, shopping, school, everywhere we go. It is our job to speak the truth, but the Holy Spirit’s job is to convict the hearts.
We also must realize that changes will be happening more on an individual level as opposed to as a society. When God decided to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, He did not spare the entirety of the towns because there were 4 righteous people living among them. At Abraham’s behest, He brought Lot and his family out before destroying the cities. So too, Jesus is coming to “rapture” the church before the time of the tribulation, aka the release of His wrath upon the earth. We cannot count on our unsaved friends and family being “left behind” having a second chance at receiving Jesus. Many will die in accidents during the rapture when believers driving cars, flying planes, running trains, controlling air traffic, and so on are gone in an instant. It will be much harder for those who survive the rapture to believe, because they will be even more readily deceived when the devil’s agent, the beast, comes into power over a world government. The time is now to be purposeful about making disciples and being careful how we represent Jesus to the world in all we think, do, say, and post.
You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.
Berean Study Bible (BSB)
Matthew 5:14-16 BSB
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