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Come, Lord Jesus!
by Olawale Ogunsola Can you boldly say so? A Ministers' conference was held many years ago by a well known Christian denomination where speakers spoke extensively on the impending coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. After the conference, a servant of God was so sad that he did not respond to greetings from his colleagues. Then one of them was patient enough to inquirie about the reasons for his unpleasant mood. His shocking response was, "My son will soon graduate from the university and I suffered much to educate him thus far. Why should Jesus come when I am about to start reaping the fruit of my labor on my son?" This came from a servant of God with years of experience. What do you have to say? Unlike this servant of God, Apostle John, the beloved, demanded, after Jesus revealed many things about to happen to him, "Come, Lord Jesus!" Revelation 22:20. Where did Jesus go? Why did Apostle John demand this? To answer the first question, Jesus assured His disciples in John 14:1-4, "Don't let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. There is more than enough room in my Father's home. If it were not so, would I told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know the way to where I am going. " NLT. This is the expectation of Apostle John and every Christian who trusts in God and in Jesus Christ. This gives him the boldness to say, "Come, Lord Jesus!" Who then is Apostle John and what gave him the confidence to demand Christ's coming? *He is the disciple who rests in the bossom of Jesus Christ; *Apostle John is at Patmos Island and not in the palace or any other place of joy; *He is loved by Lord Jesus Christ and he loves Jesus as well. *He is a disciple with a true testimony. John 21:24. In short, John is a disciple indeed. In the book of Revelation 22:17, the Holy Bible revealed, "The Spirit and the bride say, 'Come' " let anyone who hears this say, 'Come.' Let anyone who is thirsty come. Let anyone who desires drink freely from the water of life." NLT. This ought to be the position of the Church today. The Church is expected to be prepared and await the Lord's coming and be able to say, "Come, Lord Jesus!". But is the Church ready? Jesus Christ is the head of the Church and for whom He gave Himself. (Ephesians 5:23,25). The state of the Church now can be compared with a woman in Proverbs 7:10-19 who *went about as she seductively dressed and with sly of heart; *was the rash, rebellious type ; *was never content to stay at home; *was flirting about with the world and what it has to offer. Why did she do this? She declared "For my husband is not at home. He's away on a long trip." NLT. If "the good man of the house"(King James Version) is not at home, is this a genuine reason for her to become wayward? Is that the best way to anxiously await the return of her husband? Can the Church with this attitude say, "Come, Lord Jesus!"? It is time for the Church of the Lord to repent and re.position herself for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. She should be able to boldly say, "Come, Lord Jesus!". Apostle Paul declares what the right position of the Church should be thus, "And now the prize awaits me- the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing." 2 Timothy4:8. NLT. Do you also have this hope in you? Do you eagerly await the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ? If no, make necessary amends today! If yes, you can confidently say, "Come, Lord Jesus!" Stay blessed and rapturable because the Lord is coming soon. NOTE. NLT is New Living Translation. The Author is the set man of CTFM(WORLD OUTREACH)and Presiding Pastor of Christ Restland Gospel Church.He is a Poet and author of many books. Visit his blogsites www.4thlink.wordpress.com and www.peacelink.wordpress.com for more quality contents. Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com |