►Advance of the Gospel (1) - Epochal Event
The collapse of human government and the fullness of Israel are the epochal events that mark the end of the Time of Distress. These events release the Holy Spirit to carry the gospel to the world. The epochal event that marks the beginning of the next season is the Advance of the Gospel. Several changes will make a rapid advance of the gospel possible. With all constraints gone, the Holy Spirit will be free to do his stuff in a new way. The suffering of the Time of Distress will have purified the church. It will be radical and ready to preach the gospel. Christians will have been forced to build strong relationships with each other in order to survive through the Time of Distress. People will be able to see the new commandment being lived out in their neighbourhoods (John 13:34). They will be drawn to Christians loving each other as Jesus loves them. The nations of the world will have trusted human government for peace and prosperity. When peace and prosperity are stripped away, and governments go down the gurgler, people will be desperate for a better saver. Jesus will stand out from the pack. Many people will have experienced Christian love and generosity during the tough Time of Distress. They will have tested this love and proved it is real. The gospel will be preached in the power of the Spirit. He will accompany the gospel with signs and wonders that confirm the gospel by openly proving the love and power of God (Mark 16:16-17). Christian communities will have developed a model of justice that works. Local judges administering God’s law will deal effectively with crime and injustice, while allowing most people to get on with their lives. Jewish Christians will preach the gospel of Jesus and the Kingdom of God with zeal and fervour throughout the world.
1 comment:
I wonder how many Christians will have enough oil to enter the times of distress and make it out the other side? What did Jesus mean when He said that night was coming when no man can work?
It is true that adverse circumstances force stubborn people to grow; we all have experienced the need for it in our immaturity. But it is childish, and all of us ought to be growing to where we submit to God's will willingly and wholeheartedly, following this training. There is a world of difference in sight or maturity between people in fellowship at great cost because they want to be...and those who find themselves forced into it by circumstances (like, say, earthquakes). There is a place for 'force'...but let us go on to maturity! And not despise small beginnings. God looks at the heart, not outward actions.
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