One thing I love about the way the Evangelical Free Church statement of faith is written is how it connects what we believe with their necessary implications. Consider what we believe about the future return of Jesus (italics mine).
“We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission (EFCA Statement of Faith, rev. 2019).”
Constant expectancy. Motivation to life, service, and mission.
The Lord Jesus will surely return “to judge the living and the dead (2 Timothy 4:1).” For some, that day will be a day of great rejoicing for which they have been watching and waiting. For others, it will be a day of great dismay that catches them unaware. The parables of Jesus we will look at this week (found in Luke 12:35-48) force us to ask, “Which will we be?” Take some time to read those now.
Faith in Christ (which is evidenced by constant expectancy) will be richly rewarded, not as a meriting work, but as the fruit of the faith that pleases God who “rewards those who earnestly seek him (Hebrews 11:6).
“Stay dressed for action and keep your lamps burning, and be like men who are waiting for their master to come home from the wedding feast, so that they may open the door to him at once when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will dress himself for service and have them recline at table, and he will come and serve them. (Luke 12:35-37).”
There is a wrong way of understanding Jesus’ words.
The readiness of the righteous servants in Jesus’ parable is not one of servile fear and compulsion, but love of the master and an eagerness for his return. This is how Jesus wants us to live.
This Sunday Jackson Randall will be preaching and Kenny Clark will be leading our sung worship. Would you pray for each as they prepare? And let’s pray that 1 Thessalonians 5:8-10 would be true of us. “Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him.”
See you Sunday, Grace. Let’s come hungry!
Song Link of the Week
There Is One Gospel by CityAlight
Now on my Savior, I fix my eyes
My life is His and His hope is mine!
For He has promised I, too, will rise
I stand in the Gospel of Jesus Christ