Rapture

 1 Thess 4:17

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

 

The church teaching of the rapture is based on many scriptures in the Bible, but this letter to the Thessalonians from the Apostle Paul is foundation to the truth that Jesus is someday returning to the earth. It appears that Paul thought that it could even happen in his lifetime (We who are alive). Jesus said that no man will know that day, except the Father in Heaven. Believers in Christ are still waiting for that day. Skeptics today still try to disclaim that such an event will ever happen. Over 2000 years have passed, and we who are alive today still hold to the promise that Jesus will return for those who have put their trust in Him. We are to live each day knowing that this life is not the end. If God chooses to take us in death before this great day, we are given hope that we will rise again with Him. Until then, we do grieve for our lost loved one, but we need not grieve for those who have gone before us. For those who die in Christ, shall be made alive, and be with Jesus forever. Let us keep our eyes on Jesus, His coming is imminent.

Conforming to the Cross

Phil 3:10 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death,”

Conforming to the cross of Christ implies that one also comes to realization that the sin of self must die. The Cross, the emblem to those who bare the marks that they belong to Jesus. “Pick up your cross, and follow me” are the words Jesus spoke to those desired to see God. The cross is not some magical amulet, that we carry around to ward off evil and danger. The cross is an emblem that reminds us that Jesus died for us, giving us the hope of eternal life. We too can take the way of the cross, giving up sin and the things of this world that are in opposition to the way God wants us to live. We go forth daily baring the cross of Jesus showing others that the cross is our hope and salvation. It is the cross, the blood of Christ that was shed on that cross that empowers us to live victoriously. We conform to the cross in our lives, so when others see us, they see Christ.

Dead with Christ

Col 2:20a, 3:12 “Therefore if ye be dead with Christ ..., holy and beloved, as the elect of God, put on hearts of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering,”-

Being dead with Christ gives life a whole new meaning. The deeds in our life are no longer measured by keeping certain laws of what we eat, or the relics we cherish as sacred. The life that we now live in Christ is demonstrated by our actions toward one another and to those who don’t know Him. It is the fleshly tendency of man to be critical and hard. When others interfere with what we want or get in the way of our desires we become impatient and intolerable with them. Paul says that if you have taken up the cross of Jesus and have been crucified with Christ you no longer act that way. Action in speech and attitude reveal what is in the heart. As believers in Christ, we are to show kindness in situation that normally would irritate us. Instead of being critical and oppressive, we are to show mercy and long suffering. Let us pray that God will help us to have the heart of Christ and live in such a way that God would be pleased.