So, the Lord through a teaching a friend gave me this week made me understand a one-line passage more in context. Matthew 24:14 is the quintessential missions passage but if read in context our desire to reach the whole world with the gospel in many ways is hastening the destruction of the world and the death of believers. I mean those who preach escapism gospel are trying to quicken the Lords return in order to escape this life and the state of the world. This passage kinda says that as the day of completion draws closer its going to get worse (comfort level at any rate) than better. We should be praying the Lord strengthens our resolve in the face of calamity not the escape of it. Yeah, thats not gonna be a popular gospel. Read in The Message translation really struck a chord in my spirit: Matthew 24:4-14 (MSG) 4-8 Jesus said, “Watch out for doomsday deceivers. Many leaders are going to show up with forged identities, claiming, ‘I am Christ, the Messiah.’ They will deceive a lot of people. When reports come in of wars and rumored wars, keep your head and don’t panic. This is routine history; this is no sign of the end. Nation will fight nation and ruler fight ruler, over and over. Famines and earthquakes will occur in various places. This is nothing compared to what is coming. 9-10 “They are going to throw you to the wolves and kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other. 11-12 “In the confusion, lying preachers will come forward and deceive a lot of people. For many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in—nothing left of their love but a mound of ashes. 13-14 “Staying with it—that’s what God requires. Stay with it to the end. You won’t be sorry, and you’ll be saved. All during this time, the good news—the Message of the kingdom—will be preached all over the world, a witness staked out in every country. And then the end will come.
Posted on: Tue, 25 Mar 2014 21:22:41 +0000
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