2Pet.3.10 – “But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and everything in them will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be exposed to judgment.
2Pet.3.11 – Since everything around us is going to melt away, what holy, godly lives you should be living! “
(NLT)
There is a general indiscretion and an apparent lack of wisdom currently sweeping across the entire world, holding most of its inhabitants captive. Prophet Isaiah prophesied a long time ago what the majority of people alive today are unconsciously fulfilling, by having eyes that do not really see, ears that are dull of hearing and hearts that have become spiritually lazy, and indulgent with Wordly pleasures. They have become so bereft of heavenly Wisdom that they view with shame the very means by which they could enjoy God’s gift of eternal life.
What was Prophet Isaiah’s message to his people at that particular time? It was not a message of hope but of doom! The people had forsaken the right way against all good judgment, so God had to let them have their way, but He sent them a strong delusion that will keep them perpetually in their error!
Isaiah 6:9-10 : “And He said, ‘Go, and tell this people: Keep on hearing, but do not understand; Keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed’.” (NKJV).
Today’s world seems to be courting the same disaster that befell the nation of Israel in the days of Prophet Isaiah: we invest so much of our time, money, energy, and intellect in a dying world, which is rapidly heading towards its inevitable end, but would hardly lift a finger in support of God’s Kingdom work on the earth; at least not in the way that is acceptable to Him!
Isa.24.1 – “Look! The LORD is about to destroy the earth and make it a vast wasteland. See how he is scattering the people over the face of the earth.
Isa.24.5 – The earth suffers for the sins of its people, for they have twisted the instructions of God, violated his laws, and broken his everlasting covenant.
Isa.24.6 – Therefore, a curse consumes the earth and its people. They are left desolate, destroyed by fire. Few will be left alive.” (NLT)
The rich and the poor; the wise and the foolish; the educated and the illiterate; the strong and the
weak: as many people as have treated God as unworthy of their time and attention, just for the sake of the fleeting benefits of this world – they are all confederate in one colossal act of foolishness by investing their lives in a dying world!
In Hosea 8:7, God’s word paints a picture which depicts the bleak life that anyone is doomed to have, who works hard at winning the laurels of this world, but without God’s blessings: “They have planted the wind and will harvest the whirlwind. The stalks of wheat wither, producing no grain. And if there is any grain, foreigners will eat it.”
The riches and fame of this world, with their attendant glitz and glamour, do not guarantee a happy and secure life after death, so seeking them as though they do, while at the same time ignoring the true means to achieving them, is not only a grave mistake, but also a foolish one. Luke.12.21 says: “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
The important question to ask ourselves is: how can we balance the scale between the legitimate pursuit of success in the world and achieving spiritual harmony with God, without tipping it?
Below are two scripture based answers that work.
- Learn From The Wisdom Of The Early Church.
Rom.12.11: “Never lag in zeal and in earnest endeavor; be aglow and burning with the Spirit, serving the Lord. “ (AMP)
The founding fathers of the Christian faith, and pillars of the early Church, followed the teachings of Jesus Christ and the principles enunciated in them word by word, and did not wrest the Holy Scriptures ( as some people do today) to support or debunk an opinion to suit their own desire. They had no other interests in their ministry to the lost other than that they should be accounted as faithful servants by both the church and the world at large. See 1Corinthians 4:1-2; 2Timothy 4:1-8; Philippians 3:1-3, 7-11.
Their challenge to the laity was, “Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
The secret of the early church’s victory over the world was that they looked at it through heaven’s eyes; what God’s word allowed, that they allowed, and what He did not, that they would not either.They lived for God and served His kingdom as those who would be required to give an account of their stewardship at any moment. They were loyal to God and His Kingdom, and for His sake were willing to give up any ambition or desire which contradicted the truth of His Word. See 1Corinthians 9:13-27; Acts14:21-22; Acts 4:32-37; Acts 20:17-27.
They preached with one purpose, which was to make Christ known to the whole world. They lived with
one hope, which was to be found worthy of God’s kingdom, whether in life or in death.
Gal.6.14 “As for me, God forbid that I should boast about anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. Because of that cross, my interest in this world died long ago, and the world’s interest in me is also long dead. (NLT)
Their services to God was with up-rightness of character. They, like any other ordinary person, went through the rigours of each day to carter for their daily needs, without any sinful compromises.
In the labour field their principle was straightforward, as seen in 2Thess.3.10 , which says – “Even while we were with you, we gave you this rule: “Whoever does not work should not eat.”
2Thess.3.12 – In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we appeal to such people — no, we command them: Settle down and get to work. Earn your own living. “
Also, in the matter of integrity their principle was deeply entrenched in the words of Titus.2.7 – “And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good deeds of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. “
With such dispositions to work and ministry, their lives were constantly focused on what’s acceptable to God and the secular authorities, leaving no chances for sinful meddling or compromises with the world.
Today, as Christians with hearts set on heaven, this is the model to follow. This is what worked for our predecessors. We must uphold it for the future generation of Christians, too.
2.Avoid The Folly OF Today’s Errant Church
James 4:4; 2 Peter 3:10-14
The church today is too indulgent with the world, much unlike its early counterpart which was focused on the mission of redemption. It suffers from a misplaced priority primarily because it does not seem to look at this world through heaven’s eyes: instead it tends to look at heaven through the eyes of the world. It cherishes what it can gain from the world more than what it can give to it. Just like the proverbial two daughters of the horseleech, ( see Proverbs 30:15) who are never tired of asking for more, we have a new generation of preachers who like to talk more and more on prosperity than on the much needed redemption of the soul, which we can not dispense with if we must go to heaven at the end of our earthly tenure.
They have lost their focus on what’s of utmost importance to God’s heavenly Kingdom! For, whereas God sees the world as a defiled and corrupt entity, waiting to be judged at the appointed time, unless they turn to Him in genuine repentance, the proponents of the prosperity gospel make it seem as if God is mistaken in His views, or that His word, the Holy Bible, is a lie.
There is no way that these two divergent views can ever be reconciled; and there can never be
because, for the true Christian, our anthem is found in Philippians.3.20, which says: “.. we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Savior.”(NLT)
But on the other hand, the constant prevalent mood among those who have found comfort and solace in this present world is aptly captured in Isaiah 22:13: ” But what do you do? You throw a party! Eating and drinking and dancing in the streets! You barbecue bulls and sheep, and throw a huge feast–slabs of meat, kegs of beer. “Seize the day! Eat and drink! Tomorrow we die!” (MSB)
Moreover, their shepherds are those, according to 2Pet.2.1819 , “who brag about themselves with empty, foolish boasting. With lustful desire as their bait, they lure back into sin those who have just escaped from such wicked living.
They promise freedom, but they themselves are slaves to sin and corruption. For you are a slave to whatever controls you.”
We must disabuse our minds and free ourselves from the wrong orientation of today’s modern-day preachers so that we can go back to the ancient path of the early Church.
There’s no denying the fact that we are on the precipice of eternity: one turn of event in heaven can signal the coming of the day of the Lord, and only those who are truly seeing this present world through heaven’s eyes would have been made ready for what’s coming on everyone!
Will that include you?
I pray that it would.