Simply Teaching the Word Simply—Pastor Chuck Smith

Originally published in issue 21 of Calvary Chapel Magazine

I believe that God wanted every church age to believe that it was the last. Believing this has a three-fold effect. First, it gives us an urgency for the work that we are doing, to get the Gospel out. We don’t have much time, so we should “lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” We need to “run with patience the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1). What we are called to do we need to do quickly. The Lord is returning soon!

Second, it gives us a correct perspective of material things. The material world is going to burn. We put all of our investments in the things of this material world, but they will all be lost. If God does bless you financially, that’s great. But remember, Jesus said, “lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 6:20a); in essence, “Use the unrighteousness of mammon for eternal purposes.” Jesus’ imminent return gives us the correct balance between the things of the Spirit and the material things of the world. We recognize that the material world is rapidly passing away and only those things that are eternal will last. Knowing that we have only one life, which will soon be past, we recognize that only what we do for Christ will last. This gives us the proper perspective.

The third reason why I’m convinced that Jesus wants every generation to believe it will be the last is that this maintains a purity in our lives. Jesus said, “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing” (Matthew 24:46). I don’t want the Lord to come and find me watching an X-rated movie or cruising pornographic sites on the Internet. Imagine! Believing that Jesus will return at any time keeps a purity in our lives. The Lord could come today! “Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing.” John said, “Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:2–3). It gives us a purifying hope. That’s why I believe it’s important that we keep this distinctive of believing in the imminent return of Jesus Christ and not compromise it.

Believing that Jesus will return at any time keeps a purity in our lives. The Lord could come today!

I am looking for the Lord of heaven to come and snatch me away that I might be with Him. As He said, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21:36). That is my prayer, and it is my expectation to be there. The exciting thing is that it could happen at any time! I do believe that the Lord intended us to live in this anticipation in every age of the church.

And I believe that the hope of the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ is the spark that God has used to bring revival throughout church history. This is what is sparking revival today – the fact that we don’t have much time. The Lord is coming soon. We are living at the very edge, and it is as Paul said, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed” (Romans 13:11).

May God help us to maintain that blessed hope and bring it to all people in order that:

 

• We might know the urgency of living for Jesus Christ fully and completely;

• We might have the right priority concerning the things of the world that so easily grasp onto us and hold us back;
• We might live lives of purity; and
• We might keep our hearts and lives pure in serving the Lord, knowing that He may come at any moment.

 

I want to be watching, and I want to be ready to meet Him when He comes. I don’t want to be doing anything that would be dragging me down or holding me back. I want to be ready for my Lord!

I believe it is so important that we proclaim this teaching of the Rapture and keep the people watching and hoping because, without that, what hope do we have in the world today? We need to keep people focused on the truth that a better day is coming very soon. Be ready! The Lord is coming for His people, and He is going to take us to be with Him.

All verses above are quoted from the King James Version.

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