7 Billion and Counting

When I mention the mind-boggling number of 7 Billion, I’m not talking about the number of hamburgers sold by McDonalds; I’m talking about us, humankind.  

The earth’s human population has just past or is very near 7 billion souls at this very moment in October, 2011.  The “Dooms-Day” prophets of science and human ecology foretell of our lives being consumed in fear and hardship due to famine, global warming, environmental pollution, intensification of wars (“rumors of wars,” MK 13:7-8), revolutions, and genocide.  All these are real plagues upon earth, the evil of hate on all life.  All of these plagues began to eat away at our world, and human beings, at the moment of the first sin; a downward spiral of death has ensued, it is called entropy by a physicist.  The reality of the gloom-and-doom is accurate, secular science and humanism has realized and has forecasted what Scripture taught us a long time ago. 

God in his own timing, a moment unknown to us, will destroy all that plagues his creation, to include the earth as we know it.  Bur, He will resurrect a new earth (see 2 Peter 3:10-13).  All that isn’t good—the product of sin and evil, such as, war, prejudice, pollution, abuse, hate, cruelty, greed—will be burnt up.  God will end all that is bad.  The Lord will establish His kingdom on earth and in heaven.  There will be a new creation, a new earth (Isa 65:17, 44:22; 2 Pet 3:13; Rev 21:1).          

In Luke 21:9-11, 17-91 Jesus said:

“When you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.  … Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven.  …  All men will hate you because of me. But not a hair of your head will perish. By standing firm you will gain life.”  

Verse 18 reminds us that in your hope, your faith in Christ, you have a promise, you will not perish!  You have salvation from eternal disaster and separation from God.  We find a little different wording in The Message paraphrase for verse 19, it says it this way:  “Staying with it — that's what is required. Stay with it to the end. You won't be sorry; you'll be saved.”  Being a disciple of Jesus, a Christ follower goes beyond the good times, discipleship requires and takes your life, one must commit to “Staying with it—that’s what is required,” then “you’ll be saved.”  Sadly, all 7 Billion won’t be “staying with it,” however, if you follow Christ, then you will hear him say, “I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43 NLT).

Owen <><

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Read the Signs

“In the last days,” God says, “I will pour out my Spirit upon all people. … And I will cause wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below…” 

Acts 2:17, 19 NLT

God gets our attention.  When he seeks our attention, we don’t see freaks of nature or mere happenstance, nor is there such a thing as luck—but there is a God of mercy, grace, and compassion who desperately wants to get your attention.  He posts signs. … God’s attention getters are the signs and wonders one should not ignore.

Signs and wonders are the work of God pouring his “Spirit upon all people.” 

The signs and wonders are the Creator’s use of his creation.  He posts signs along the road of your life journey, to focus us on Christ.  They bring attention to the Lord, such as:  when Elijah used soaking wet wood on an altar to give a burnt offering to God, when Moses lifted a staff to divide the Red Sea and walk across on dry ground, when Jesus wept before he raised Lazarus from the dead, when Paul was unaffected by a viper’s poison fangs, when the Star of Bethlehem guided wise men—and likewise, signs and wonders, guide the wise to be attentive to the gospel this very moment.  God controls “wonders in the heavens above and signs on the earth below” and he delivers, saves, those willing to listen to His Word and pay attention to what is going on around them—in heaven and on earth.

Signs and wonders occur in heaven and all around us—in nature, in people, in awe inspiring acts.  What are they?  They are pointers to the message of Christ, they are the manifestation of God pouring out his “Spirit upon all people” and telling us, “Listen!  Listen, to the story of Christ Jesus.  He is the sign of my love; He is the wonder of my salvation.”         

Owen <><

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After Thoughts

"Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."   

                                                                                                                Matthew 8:22

Jesus may have sounded a little uncaring toward someone who needed to bury his father, especially when that man had just said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go" (v19).  Commitment to a Teacher (Rabbi), to become a disciple, a follower of Jesus is not merely done on a convenient Sunday morning with a latté, but in surrender as an obedient disciple—that’s discipleship.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer says it like this, “Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost you your life.”  Discipleship is proactive, it is for now and for the future of everyone we come into contact with, lastly, even for ourselves.             

What is Jesus teaching?  In example, when do you pray, after your beautiful world turns in to a heaping mess?  When your child is in trouble as a young adult?  When do you find the need, time to witness the gospel that comes by hearing, not by your silence?  What does burying the dead have to do with all this?  Let’s see:

Prayer, like evangelism, is to be proactive—we witness to the living, not the dead—likewise, our prayer and intercession is effective as a discipline, preparing our steps. But, it seems that we pray as bad as we witness.  Prayer shouldn’t be reactive; it is to be disciplined and proactive to thwart reactionary pleading.  When Jesus taught us to pray (Luke 11:1-4), he said, “give us this day,” the day was not over, it was just starting, we are to pray before the need arises—not after one of life’s cave-ins.  To be a disciple requires the following of Christ and his Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20), to bring “good news” (the gospel) to those not yet dead, but nonetheless dying eternally.  We need not worry about burying, but saving.

So, what was Jesus saying to the man having a father needing to be buried?  Being a Christ follower, embracing Christianity is not a moment of convenience, a mere afterthought.  Don’t pray because of a calamity, pray to prevent one.  People’s eternal souls are not to be an after thought; the gospel is of no use when shared in a cemetery.

Being Proactive, Thinking—praying, witnessing—Ahead, Always,

Owen <><