PENTECOST • 24

How do we live between the times? (Between Christ’s First & Second Coming)

SONGS FOR PRAYER

SET PRAYER

Psalm 98
Oh sing to the Lord a new song,
    for he has done marvelous things!
His right hand and his holy arm
    have worked salvation for him.
2 The Lord has made known his salvation;
    he has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations.
3 He has remembered his steadfast love and faithfulness
    to the house of Israel.
All the ends of the earth have seen
    the salvation of our God.

4 Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth;
    break forth into joyous song and sing praises!
5 Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre,
    with the lyre and the sound of melody!
6 With trumpets and the sound of the horn
    make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord!

7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it;
    the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the rivers clap their hands;
    let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the Lord, for he comes
    to judge the earth.
He will judge the world with righteousness,
    and the peoples with equity.

reading for: Tuesday Night, 8 November

Luke 21:5-19

Live Courageously with Longing for Christ & His Return

  • READ

    When we reach passages like Luke 21 or Matthew 24 and other apocalyptic passages, because of the great influence of ideas from movies, we often get stuck looking at modern events around us and trying to guess how the world will end. We ask, “is the Russian-Ukraine war going to lead to the 3rd World War? Will the next pandemic be the final one that destroys everything? Or will it be from the effects of global-warming and climate change? Will the current economic challenges lead to another Great Depression? Or will the new biotech chip be the mark of the beast?”

    While it’s important to watch and long for the return of the Lord, we do a much better job when we try to hear Our Lord’s heart and his purpose for saying what he says to his disciples. Then we keep our eyes on Him, instead of pulling them away and getting flustered and panicky about things around us. So, what was he saying and why?

    In its immediate context, the Lord was speaking about the new thing God is doing through Christ. Through Jesus’ death, resurrection and ascension, the physical Temple in Jerusalem would be replaced by the Temple of the Spirit – the Church. (See 1 Peter 2:5, Eph 2:19-22, 1 Cor 3:9-11). What was still hidden at that time was this – that there would come a time when the Holy Spirit would be poured out (See Joel 2 & Acts 2) and both Jews and gentiles (all non-Jews) who followed Jesus as Lord and king, would come under God’s rule (Kingdom) and the God of believing Jews would become the God of believing gentiles also.

    And when this new People of God is formed, they will take on the priestly call, prophetic mantle and royal authority of the Lord Himself, and speak and act on God’s behalf, representing Him to the world. And in living out their vocation, they will suffer rejection and persecution, just as the Lord Himself suffered.

    Hence, the early Church (true followers of Jesus), in every generation after that, did suffer much persecution at the hands of many ‘anti-Christ’ figures throughout its 2000-year history, and this will continue until the ‘Great Day’ of His return. And today, Christians who try to live Christ-honouring, Spirit-led lives, and try to faithfully represent Christ in the world, WILL continue suffer for it, until He finally returns. And because all disciples of Jesus live in the ‘last days’ between the times (Christ’s First and Second Coming), Jesus is telling them (and us) all these things in order for us to expect what it means to follow Him and to keep our eyes fixed on Him, hold firm in our faith and keep trusting in Him (v19).

  • REFLECT

    Take a quick glance over the last 10 months of 2022. What things (people/activities/circumstances/decisions) have been helpful for you in keeping your eyes on the Lord? What things have not? What does it mean for these last 2 months of 2022?

reading for: Wednesday Night, 9 November

Malachi 4:1-2a

Wait Patiently for God’s Judgement on wicked & Redemption for Righteous

  • READ

The ‘day that is coming’ (v2) that the prophet Malachi is referring to is the coming day of judgment, when the righteous who have been in tribulation will be rescued. But for the unrighteous it will be a terrible day, a day of God’s wrath against them.

In a vision, Malachi saw this “Day of the Lord” coming like the sun rising at dawn. After warning of judgment, God said, “But for you who fear my name, the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings. You shall go out leaping like calves from the stall.” (4:2).

The sun of righteousness here is the coming of justice. Throughout the ancient Near East solar deities are connected to justice. It is not unusual in the Old Testament for God’s work to be depicted using this metaphor in terms of such language. “Healing in its wings” is a symbolic use of the wings of a bird with the rays of the sun. The wings denote protective care (hence the healing).  

So these short verses assure those longing for the Lord’s return and his justice, that the terrible night of the great tribulation will end and a new day will dawn for God’s people. For believers today it means that Jesus will come and once He has separated the righteous from the unrighteous, there will be a time of healing. Then the world will become a safe place, as indicated by the pastoral illustration of calves being loosed from their stalls.

  • REFLECT

    Are you longing for his return? What difference does this make to your choices and lifestyle today? How does this affect your priorities, relationships, prayers and choices?

reading for: Thursday Night, 10 November

2 Thessalonians 3:6-13

Live Faithfully and Simply with Integrity

  • READ

    In the Thessalonian churches, there were Christians who were letting the others down by rejecting their responsibility to work and contribute to the community. Paul has had to address this problem before (see 1 Thess. 5:14) but it seems like now the situation has become even worse. So Paul corrects them again. As a Christ-like believing community, work and prosperity were not signs of individual grace but, rather, evidence of supporting oneself and thereby the whole community. To refuse to work was thus to rebel and take unfair advantage of others, and this was the problem, not mere idleness.

    Besides the fact that refusal to work takes advantage of others, life in community requires that everyone be enabled and encouraged to work because work is essential for the cultivation of both dignity and humility.

    Opting to be left out of the work life of the community, eventually reduces the value of a person, someone who was created in God’s image. And because God worked, He has imprinted upon all humans productivity and fruitfulness of labour as a aspects of his divine nature. So a person who chooses not to work is actually denying himself something that makes him godly and whole.

  • REFLECT

    Anytime we give, there will be someone who yields to the flesh and tries to take advantage of that. We need to be realistic about that and put in place whatever safeguards we can. Paul’s advice - no work, no dinner, gives us permission to set some boundaries. We are not called upon to have folk take advantage of us. Nevertheless, we still need to risk the giving. If sometimes we get taken, so be it. Let the Lord hold the ledger and keep the accounts. When he returns, he comes with reward and justice. Let us recall and pray for someone who has despicably used or abused us. Please for God’s mercy on them, just as Christ did on our behalf, when we denied and betrayed him.

reading for: Friday Night, 11 November

Psalm 98

Anticipate with Joy, His Return to bring Justice for His people

  • READ

    In this psalm the writer calls the whole earth to sing and praise the Lord who reigns as King because He had done marvelous things in saving Israel by His power and will judge the world in righteousness.

    At the very beginning, Psalmist bursts out at the very beginning with a call to praise God in song. With a vivid image of a mighty, outstretched arm he invites the Jew to remember the Exodus stories describing God’s power over pharaoh and the salvation he brought for the Israelites, leading them out of slavery in Egypt through Moses and into the Promised Land. Remembrance of God’s faithful, loyal love and His deliverance is the basis of singing and praise for God’s people. (v1-3)

    Then anticipating the Lord’s final salvation of His people, the psalmist calls the earth and everything living in it to rejoice before Him. Everyone should shout for joy and sing with various musical instruments before the LORD, the King Even nature, including the sea. ... rivers, and mountains; is called to resound and rejoice together. (v4-9)

  • REFLECT

    Singing praises was a communal activity. It was often accompanied by music and dancing and it engaged and immersed every person sensorially, emotionally and mentally and focused all activity and expression on God who is King. Man is the worship leader, and all of God’s creation is to participate in worship of Him. What stands at the foundation of your worship to God? Is your whole-being engaged and immersed in worship every week when you come for Sunday Service? If not, what might be hindering you? Spend time in the Lord’s presence seeking Him.

Season of PentecostCNL