HASTENING THE COMING OF THE LORD

HASTENING THE COMING OF THE LORD-THE CHRISTIAN DUTY

Christians are obliged to do many things not limited to giving alms to the poor, paying taxes to the government, praying for one another, giving tithes, attending fellowships, and spreading the gospel of Christ. However, today our focus shall be on "Looking forward to the day of the Lord and hastening its coming" (2 Peter 3:12) as one of their duties.

Christians have a duty, to prepare themselves in readiness for the second coming of Christ. Not only does a Christian have to prepare himself for the second advent of Christ, but he also prepares others for the same event.

Paul in his letter addressed to the Christians in Philippi, exhorts them to "work out their salvation with fear and trembling" (Philippians 2:12), "that they may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, amid a crooked and perverse nation..." (Philippians 2:15). 

From these Scriptures it can be deduced that to work out once salvation with fear and trembling is to labor to attain the perfect holy blameless character of heaven which is the righteousness of God that can only be obtained by faith through the impartation of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:18). Those who do not have the righteousness of God are called the unrighteous whom the Scriptures declare that they "shall not inherit the kingdom of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9)

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

⁹ Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

¹⁰ Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

¹¹ And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

When the unrighteous (who shall not inherit the kingdom of God) are washed by faith in the blood of Christ, they are sanctified, that is, purified from sin and made holy. They are then made fit to inherit the kingdom of God. 

Before His ascension, Christ promised his disciples that He could come back and take them to his heavenly home. "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." (John 14:3). So while Christ went to prepare a place for his disciples, that, they may be where their master is, they (the disciples) were to prepare and cultivate a character fit for heaven. Heaven is so pure to admit anything impure and defective. Therefore, those who have the hope of going to heaven with Jesus to live with him and all the other heavenly hosts who are pure and holy MUST PURIFY HIMSELF. John says, "And every man that hath this hope in him purifies himself, even as he is pure." (1 John 3:3). 

Man however in himself is hopeless. He can do nothing of himself even of cleansing the heart. This is a work of the divine in the human soul. By faith, we must come to Christ for cleansing. We must remember that it is only the blood of Jesus the Son that can purify from all sin as John puts it.

"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin." (1 John 1:7 NIV). 

The theme of Sanctification and Christ's second advent was largely dwelt on by the apostles and teachers of the gospel of Christ in the early church. While Christ's departure from among them grieved their hearts, they were consoled by two major promises:

1. The promise of the coming of the Comforter:-That Christ would not leave them comfortless but shall come back to them, and be with them till the close of the age through His Holy Spirit. (Mat 28:20; John 14:16,18). 
2. The promise of His second coming:- That at the close of the age, in the appointed time, Christ Himself shall come back with the trumpet of the archangel in the very manner in which he parted from them and shall take them with him to their mansions above that where He is his servants also maybe. (John 14:1-4, Rev 3:21).   

Disciples wanting to know more about the sign of Christ coming and of the end of the world went to Jesus privately on Mt. Olives and inquired, "Tell us...".  Surprisingly of the many answers Christ gave to the disciples was the spread of the gospel to all the world for a witness. "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come." (Matthew 24:14). 

After the resurrection of Jesus just before his ascension, he commanded the disciples to go and teach all nations baptizing those who believe in him (Matthew 28:19). To be witnesses for their master was the duty of the disciples to the world. They were to teach the nations to observe all the things Christ had commanded them (Verse 20)  when they shall have received the power of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8).

Christ was the doctrine known and preached by the apostles. The Holy Writ declares that "THEY PREACHED CHRIST" "THE WORD" (Acts 8:5,4; Philippians 1:15-18; 2 Corinthians 11:4). He was the center of their theology as witnessed in their sermons, teachings, lives, and practices. (1 Corinthians 2:2-5). While they dwelt largely on His divinity, messiahship, death and resurrection, ascension, and his second return, they often presented Christ as the savior of the world in whom alone was the forgiveness of sins. (Acts 4:12; 1 John 2:1-2).

Those who accepted Christ were taught what it means to be a Christian. Practical religion was emphasized in the believer's life. As Peter puts it, "be you holy in all your conduct even as He who has called you is holy" (1 Peter 1:15 NKJV). In his second letter, Peter again asserts the same doctrine of holiness and godliness in all the spheres of Christian daily life. "Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what manner of persons ought you to be? You ought to conduct yourselves in holiness and godliness" (2 Peter 3:11). 

It can be seen that the Apostles and the early church pioneers in their labor presented Christ as one who gave out his life for his people so that they would live a holy life.

"And so Jesus also suffered outside the city gate to make the people holy through his blood." (Hebrew 13:12)

Evidence is here shown that other than working out their own salvation with fear and trembling, the disciples also worked for the salvation of other men by carrying the gospel truth to them and calling men everywhere they went to repentance (Acts 2:28; 17:30). No doubt they were ministers of righteousness (2 Corinthians 11:15) calling those who may be God's holy people (1 Corinthians 1:2) through faith in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus effected in them by the Holy Spirit. 

Paul no less than Peter and John pressed the same line. In writing his first letter to the Thessalonians, he made known to them that the will of God towards men is their sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 4:3). That God was in the business of calling men out of uncleanliness unto holiness. (Verse 7). As ministers of righteousness, a call to holiness was their duty having understood that "WITHOUT HOLINESS NO ONE WILL SEE THE LORD" (Hebrews 12:14). And in doing so, they were fulfilling the commandment given to them of witnessing their master to the world, an event that Peter later describes as:

"LOOKING FOR AND HASTING UNTO THE COMING OF THE DAY OF GOD." (2 Peter 3:12).

By evangelizing the world, the Christian is hastening the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the duty of each Christian filled and led by the power of the Holy Spirit. May God help us be faithful ministers who shall attend to their duties faithfully in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.

Written by your brother in Christ Oleko Isaac for the edification of the saints. 

Shallom brethren.