Important or unimportant topics?
Today I came across an (online) discussion that was about the topic “When will Jesus come back to earth”. A discussion with a lot of numbers, a lot of explanations of what could mean something in the book of Revelation, pages full of ideas and thoughts…
And yes, I too am curious when He will return, but the most important thing is that He will return. There are plenty of Bible verses about that happening, and one of the most beautiful I think is this:
Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.
James 5:7-8
And to immediately suppress the discussion when that is: I have no idea. This is also clearly stated in the Bible:
But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.
Matthew 24:36
But alas, pages and pages on that subject with ideas, “I think”, “I feel”, “I see that”. If you add up all this time how much time people have spent discussing that… you’re not talking hours, not days, but years of people typing, “studying” and collecting ideas. Years.
Imagine… we as humanity would have invested all that time and money in evangelizing…. Because if we think the return of Christ is so terribly important…. what about the huge need to tell people that the end is really near? That NOW is the time to make choices. One couldn’t do without the other, right? But unfortunately…
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
Luke 10:1-2
And unfortunately that fact (too few workers) has not changed in those 2000+ years…
Every day, 25,000 people, including more than 10,000 children, die from hunger and related causes. And we’re just talking about literal hunger. Worldwide, nearly 150,000 people die each day…. How many of those people go to heaven and how many don’t? 150,000 people a day die each day…
And now comes the question… we see so many discussions… but are they really about anything? Anything at all? How many people are converted by all those discussions? They can be fascinating to you, but if you look at it in that light…
How much time and money do we put into discussions that, seen in that light, don’t really matter…. and shouldn’t we do it differently? What is really important and what do you do with your talents?
Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them.
The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “
Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that
I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Matthew 25:14-30
Is it perhaps time to say more often: “nice that you want to discuss that, but I have something more important to do?”
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 5:15-17
For ourselves? If it’s a “Salvation Issue”, then we go FULL for it.
Who is Jesus, Who is God, what has Jesus done for us, what is sin, are you sinning and hurting God or His people, what is salvation, are we talking about The real God, those kinds of topics. That’s what we’re going for. Because if we don’t have that clear, there is no salvation, there is no hope, there is no nothing… or even worse… So, when it comes to that, no one or nothing can stop us.
And the rest: we really have something more important to do. Today, not tomorrow, but now.
And you?
