Saturday, May 21, 2011

Be a Gospel-Spreader, Not a Date-Setter

I must confess that I used to be obsessed with the "end times." I looked for all the signs and kept "watching the sky," as it were. Heck, God used a message about the end times to bring me to himself. So it doesn't surprise me when I see people trying to figure out and even predict the timing for Jesus' return. I can relate somewhat, because I used to be in the same camp.

As the years have gone by, though, I've become less obsessed with when Jesus will come back and more concerned with the question: "What do I do while I'm waiting?"

The disciples, too, wanted to know when the end would come, even after Christ rose from the dead. Jesus' words to them are a good reminder to us today, especially for those who are crazed with figuring out when Jesus will come back.
He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

Jesus said it's not our business to know or figure out when the end will come. We have a much greater responsibility than figuring out when, or even how, the end will happen. We are to be witnesses for Christ now.