The Midnight Cry - Part 3

This is the third and final installment in this series on the Midnight Cry. We started in Matthew 25, with the parable of the Ten Virgins, where Jesus told his disciples about how they should prepare for his second coming. We then looked at the first letter of Peter to the saints scattered throughout Asia Minor in the 1st century, urging them to persevere and prepare for the return of Jesus. Peter told the believers to "put their faith in God" in the midst of severe hardship, persecution and trials. We are called to do the same as we also pass through unprecedented times of hardship in human history on many fronts. Peter also encouraged them to "set (their) hope on the grace to be brought to (them when Christ is revealed at his coming". In like manner, we also, must stop focusing on the problems that surround us, but look to Jesus. This does not mean we ignore or pretend that the problems are not there. No! Rather, it means we acknowledge the problems, but focus on the one who has the power to remove the problems, or as he often does, give us the grace to go through them, and outlive or outlast them.  

Continuing in his exhortation, Peter encouraged the brethren to "Revere Christ as Lord". "But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord" (1 Peter 3:15, NIV). One of the things we find difficult is to  give up control. We spend most of our childhood and teenage years clamouring for freedom from parental control. We want to lead our lives the way we please. We want to have the freedom to fulfill our own desires. When we become Christians, we are freed from the claws of sin and Satan who held us in bondage, to do as he pleases. We enter into the freedom Christ provides, but this freedom is not absolute. Rather than force us, Christ invites us to allow him to be our guide. He knows the way, the right way to life. Therefore our relationship with Christ is that of willing obedience to his will and direction. But, we often revert back to the old ways, wanting to choose what we want, even when this sometimes conflicts with what Christ wants for us. To revere Christ as Lord in our lives means to willingly submit to his Lordship. To live by the code...Your will is my command! Reverence for God is a strong indicator of our state of preparedness. To revere God is more than respect, it's to honour, obey and adore him. It is to know that even though he is Father, he is also God, The Almighty, The Creator, A consuming fire. 

In the West, we are not as familiar with the concept of paying the price for our faith as Christians in other parts of the world. In most parts of the world where Christians are persecuted, this concept is well understood. In 2018, a 15 year old Christian girl in Northern Nigeria Leah Sharibu, was kidnapped by an Islamic terrorist group called Boko Haram, along with others. Many of the girls were forced to deny their faith and convert to Islam. Many of them were forced to marry these terrorists.  After a couple of years, many of the girls were released, but Leah was not, because she refused to deny her faith in Christ. Many of her friends asked her to simply pretend to have denied her faith so she can secure her freedom. She refused. She is now twenty and still in captivity. The idea that we will suffer for our faith is not alien in the scriptures. Peter admonished the saints about this when he said: "Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because whoever suffers in the body is done with sin." (1 Peter 4:1, NIV). Another way to prepare for the Lord's coming is to be ready to pay a price for your faith. Christianity is not a religion of convenience as we sometimes make it out to be. That's why Paul said, "Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12, NLT). Peter goes on to say, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you." (1 Peter 4:12, NIV). He encourages us to rejoice instead. Admittedly, this is hard to do, but God promises that we will find joy because the "Spirit of glory and of God rests on (us)" (1 Peter 4:14, NIV). 

Being prayerful is another way to prepare ourselves for his coming. "The end of all things is near", said Peter to his hearers, "Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray." (1 Peter 4:7, NIV). Having an alert and sober mind helps us to pray. As the time of Jesus' second coming approaches, we must guard our minds. The state of our mind influences our prayer life. It was Martin Luther that said "to be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing". Prayer is like our spiritual breath. 

Peter goes on to say we should each "use whatever gift (we) have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (1 Peter 4:10, NIV). Faithful stewardship is another way we prepare for his coming. The church is made up of different people from different backgrounds that God himself has built together to form his body. We all have different gifts that God himself through his Holy Spirit has given us. There is no one who does not have at least one gift. As we prepare for God's coming, we are expected to find out and use our gifts to the glory of God. We should serve faithfully, not by compulsion, but as grateful and faithful servants. 

Do you know we have "everything we need for a godly life" in Christ Jesus? That's precisely what the Bible says in 2 Peter 1:3-4. This has been provided for us through God's divine power, but we can only access it as we grow in our knowledge of Christ. Instead of yielding ever so easily to evil desires within us, and thereby corrupting our Christian walk, we can live a godly life that pleases God. Peter says the way to do this is to keep growing in our knowledge of Christ.  As we grow in Christ, Peter encouraged us to "make every effort" to add to our faith. This means we need to work hard at it. The list of things he encouraged us to add to our faith includes: goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, mutual affection and love. Peter says, "if (we) possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep (us) from being ineffective and unproductive in (our) knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:8, NIV). This means that knowledge of Christ is not enough. The knowledge has to translate into a lifestyle that is influenced and affected by it, leading to an effective and productive Christian life. Our Christian growth must bear fruit. Is must be effective and productive. The alternative is inconceivable - "But whoever does not have them (the qualities listed above) is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins." (2 Peter 1:9, NIV)

Peter went on to warn that we should beware of false teachers and prophets as we prepare for the Lord's coming. The scary thing is that he said they will be "among us". (2 Peter 2:1). Like wolves in sheep's clothing the devil will infiltrate our ranks. His mission - to deceive and lead astray. Jesus said, by their fruits we will know them. They will "secretly introduce destructive heresies" (false teaching). They will deny Jesus, their lifestyle will be questionable, sexually immoral, they will be greedy for money, power and wealth. Above all, they will lure people into a false sense of security and persuade them that Jesus is not coming back again. This is why we need to develop and maintain a personal relationship with Christ, to know him for ourselves and not just rely on the words of the pastor or internet sensational preachers. Finally, "Be on your guard", Peter said, "so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen."

Maranatha!!!