When Will Jesus Return?

When Will Jesus Return?

Scripture Reading: Matthew 24:5-8, 32-44

Focus Verses: Matthew 24:36  "No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows.”

The short answer is nobody knows when Jesus will return.  Only God knows.   Jesus has given us some important clues in verses 5-8.  “Many will come in my name, claiming, I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.”  We are seeing all of these things happening today that are mentioned in these verses.  

Jesus could come back today or it could be a thousand years from now.  We need to live expecting that He could return at any time.  The Bible says that Jesus' return will be like it was in Noah’s day.  Noah warned them that rain was coming. But people went about their lives as normal.  They didn’t realize what was about to happen.  The flood came and swept them all away.  

I see people today not giving any thought about God.  Just as Noah warned the people of his day.  We need to warn the people of our day.  We are responsible for this generation.  Romans 10:14 says, "But how can they call on Him to save them unless they believe in Him? And how can they believe in Him if they have never heard about Him? And how can they hear about Him unless someone tells them?”   We don’t know when Jesus will return, but He will return.  So we need to share the good news of the Gospel with them before it’s too late.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Tempted to go Back

 Tempted to go Back
Bible Reading: John 21:1-14
Focus verse: John 21:3-6 – “I am going out to fish, “Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We will go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing. Early in the morning Jesus stood on the shore but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus. He called out to them, “Friends haven’t you any fish?” “No, they answered.”

When life becomes unbearable we often get tempted to go back to our initial way of life. We try to justify why we cannot continue holding strong into the faith. Some begin to think that God did not clearly speak to them about serving Him or maybe they did not make a right choice to follow God. They think it would have been better off for them in their previous way of life. These people may end up winning others to go back with them to their past way of life. Simon Peter finds things unbearable for him after Jesus was crucified and he feels he is not safe to continue with life as a disciple and a fisher of men. He shares his new decision to go back with other disciples who also jointly agree to go back with him. He forgets that Jesus had taken them away from fishers of fish to fishers of men.

The result of this decision is very disappointing! They did not catch any fish despite an all night struggle to get some. Isn’t this what others have faced when they are tempted to go back to their initial way of living? Actually others have ended worse than before and have lived not to see the joy they had hoped for in their going back. They try fixing it again and again but end up wasting their strength and resources. As it happened to Peter and the friends; a decision to go back will never result in any fruit. It is a decision for grief, disappointment, shame, regrets and even death. Regardless of the circumstances we must not think of going back. But Jesus is faithful and is out looking for a soul which is tempted to go back into former life so that he may bring him back. He has the power to restore and bring back those which have abandoned service for God’s Kingdom. All our life victories have been because He has been our side and unless we stay in him we cannot get any catch. John 15:5, “I am the vine; you are the brunches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Makira Baptist Church – Mfangano Kenya

Keep Moving Forward

Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 4

Focus Verse: 1 Timothy 4:1  “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith, they will follow deceptive spirits and teaching that come from demons.”  NLT

There are many indications that tell me that we are living in the end times.  One of those signs is that people will turn away from the true Gospel and follow a false gospel.  My friend Pastor Greg Laurie gives some good notes on this:  "We must be on our guard against Satan’s clever counterfeits, because as this passage tells us, he will be at work in the last days.  In fact, we are warned that some in the church will fall prey to these deceptive spirits and teachings. Therefore, as you listen to various teachers and pastors today, remember this:

* Any so-called gospel that distorts the message of Jesus as found in the Bible by either adding to it or taking away from it is not the true        

  Gospel.

* Any so-called gospel that offers Christianity without Christ or the cross is not the true Gospel.

* Any so-called gospel that promises forgiveness without repentance is not the true Gospel.

* Any so-called gospel that presents the hope of Heaven without the reality of hell is not the true Gospel."

"These are watered down versions that will give you false assurance. Such teachings are extremely hazardous to your spiritual health. Stay away from them at all costs."

There is no such thing as staying still in your spiritual journey.  Either you are going forward or you are moving backwards.  Satan will do all he can to get you to move backwards away from God.  Let us stay focused on God, the source of our strength so we can keep moving forward.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

God, Where Is The Good?

Scripture Reading: Romans 8:18-30

Focus Verse: Romans 8:28  “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” NLT

Romans 8:28 has always been a hard verse for me to understand.  If I were to plan out my own life I would not have planned everything the way it has gone.  And perhaps you would not have planned everything in your life the way it has gone either.  This verse has a very strong promise written here.  The promise is that God makes everything to work for our good.  But, the verse also says that if we want this to qualify for this promise,  then we must love God and be called by God for His purpose.  Another thing to notice about this verse is that God does not promise we will see the good.  We may not fully realize how good the plan is that God has for us until we get to heaven.

I’m reading in the news today about a strong Christian family that just had their oldest daughter murdered.  She was in college studying to be a nurse because she loved people and wanted to help people.  Where is the good in this?  I don’t know how God will bring good out of this situation, but this verse in Romans promises that He will.  I’m reading testimony by the parents of this young girl that was murdered a few days ago and it is obvious that they have a very strong faith in God, and they believe Jesus will help get them through this senseless tragedy.

 

Let these parents of this girl be an example to us to walk so close to God that we could weather a storm like this.  Even when we can’t see the good in all of life's circumstances, David reminds us of another promise of God in Psalm 23:4  “Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for You are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.”  Let’s remember just because we can’t see God doesn’t mean He’s not here.  God is always present in our lives working out the good for us even when we can’t see it.  That is real faith.

Bobby Johnson

Interlocking Ministries

Don't Separate

Bible Reading:  Matthew 19:1-12
Focus Verse: Hebrews 3:8  "Don’t harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness."

Jesus had just finished teaching about how to handle a brother’s sin against you and how much we should forgive.  I don’t think it’s an accident that that is covered just before marriage.  Forgiveness is needed regularly in any marriage based on our nature to sin.  The Pharisees came to test him and asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”  Jesus replied that from the beginning, God created them male and female to be united as one.  God joins them together and man should not separate.  There was a concession given by Moses for marital unfaithfulness, but only because of the hardness of their hearts.  He said it wasn’t that way in the beginning.  Jesus went so far as to call it adultery if someone divorces and remarries for any reason other than that. 

There is a beautiful trinity in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  At the end of each day of creation, God said it was good.  After He created Man and Woman, he said it was “Very good!”  Why this difference?  We are not like the animals.  Marriage is a reflection of the unity found in the trinity.  Jesus many times said that the “Father and I are one”.  Now he says that man and wife will become one.  We are to honor that commitment. 

After saying this, it stands to reason that you should be careful and prayerful as you choose the person you will marry.  I remember when I was in High School that I made a list of the qualities that I was looking for in a husband.  I then rated them in priority.  Sure, we can get swept up in emotional love, but the lasting marriage takes commitment.  Remember how I started this devotion?  It was about forgiveness.  It really works.  Be sure that when you marry, you both are committed for life!  Begin now by praying about the person that you will marry.  Pray for that person as they walk with Christ.  If you are married, pray for your spouse and seek to build the unity between you through becoming closer to Christ together.  Pray together,  read God's word together and serve God together.

~Page Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

Plan Your Escape

 Scripture Reading: 1 Corinthians 10:12-13

Focus Verse: 1 Corinthians 10:13  “The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience.  And God is faithful.  He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand.  When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure.”

I had a dog named Mia. Sometimes when I was with her, she would see a wild animal in the bush.  Then she wanted to chase it, so I kept her on the rope.  But even though she knew I wouldn't let her chase it, she continued to look at the wild animal and that only made her want to chase it more.  If I used the rope to take her in the opposite direction, she would be back to normal.  That reminds me of how temptation is in our lives.  We see the sin.  Satan tempts us to want it.  If we continue to look at it, the temptation becomes even more difficult to resist. 

When you are tempted to do what is wrong, remove yourself from the temptation.  God has promised you a way out.  So get your eyes off the temptation, and start looking for the escape route God has promised for you.  Joseph in the Bible was being seduced by a woman.  We read in Genesis that he didn’t look twice, instead he pointed his feet in the opposite direction and ran.  Some things to remember when being tempted:

• The Word of God is our first defense. 
• Sometimes fleeing is the only way to resist.  
• Remember we are in a fight, a spiritual battle.  
• Fellowship with the right kind of people, not people that will drag you down.  
• Follow Jesus example, when He said “Get behind Me, Satan.”   
• Remember, the way you live does matter, so plan your escape.

Remember verse 12 as a warning, "If you think you are standing strong, be careful not to fall."

Bobby Johnson
Interlocking Ministries

God's Spirit Over Darkness

Scripture: Genesis 1
Focus verse: Genesis 1:2-3 "The earth was without form, and void; and the darkness was on the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light” and there was light."

     There is a great darkness hanging all over the globe today. The fear of death is taking control in many hearts and nobody is certain about what will happen the next day. People are glued to the media and there is a common fear of uncertainty all over the world. Doctors are overwhelmed and health facilities are overstretched. The economy is collapsing and people are losing jobs. It’s no longer business as usual. It’s a dark time that nobody would wish to have again. Our leaders are losing focus and so is the direction that nations are taking. Things appear formless and what we see is absolute panic.
     However, God’s word in Genesis reminds us of total darkness that covered the surface of the universe. The word of God tells that there was total darkness. I believe if that kind of darkness was to happen today there would be more danger than the present calamity. Can we imagine a darkness with not a single light in the entire world?  Not even the lights from the stars and any other heavenly bodies. I bet that’s something we can’t contain. God allowed that same darkness to cover the surface of the earth for three hours as Jesus hanged on the cross, Matthew 27:45. The Bible in Genesis tells us that in that total darkness, the spirit of God was hovering and taking control of all things, having authority and not being hindered by anything.
     We could be going through a time of darkness but the spirit of God is moving and God is still in control. He finally declared that there was light and the whole world had light. We know that God’s power to move and work is not hindered by any form of darkness. No matter what life brings today, God can still declare light where there is darkness, life where there is death, healing where there is sickness and strength where there is weakness. The Lord is in control no matter how close days of darkness hangs from us.

     As Paul states in Romans 8:1 – 18, For I consider that the suffering of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.  Our God is so faithful.

Pastor Eliazar Wambo
Bethesda Faith Ministries
partnered with Interlocking Ministries