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When will the Lord Come and What does the Lord Expect of the Church Before that Happens?

Last time we covered the prophetic warnings God gave about the “End Times;” what does God provide by way of guidance in dealing with the challenges we now face? As the world seems to be getting worse before our eyes, what does the Lord expect of us before the church is called home?

In some parts of the world, the situation Christians are facing is already deadly, many are being killed because they are Christians! What is fascinating evidence of God’s faithfulness, is the number of new converts to Christianity in those dangerous countries; people are still coming to Christ even in the midst of danger. The Holy Spirit is stirring the hearts and souls of those oppressed individuals and drawing them into the family of God!

As the spiritual war intensifies, Christians, as soldiers in the Lord’s army, must take a stand utilizing the whole armor of God as explained in Ephesians 6:10-17 where it is written:

“¹⁰ A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. ¹¹ Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. ¹² For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

¹³ Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. ¹⁴ Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. ¹⁵ For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. ¹⁶ In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. ¹⁷ Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

I have written more on the ancient spiritual war in which we are engaged in a series, “To the Soldiers in the Spiritual War”

Revival in India, Asia, and Africa

I recently got an interesting letter from India, the writer, a man I’ve known for several years, asked me a question about the number of people in India converting to Christianity. He was wondering if these converts were receiving Christ under some kind of pressure and I reassured him receiving Christ was a strictly voluntary association and anyone who received Jesus Christ as Savior did so because that was what they wanted for their lives.

As an online missionary for Global Media Outreach, I can personally testify to the large number of converts coming to Christ from India, Asia, and Africa. The Lord is seriously at work in those parts of the world! Each day the Lord tarries, many more individuals are being added to the family of God!

The church was commissioned by the Lord Jesus Christ to evangelize, baptize, and teach; in Matthew 28:18-20 it is written:

“¹⁸ Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹ Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. ²⁰ Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Our responsibility as Christians, should be crystal clear to all who are paying any attention at all; we should be fulfilling our role in carrying out the great commission! While each of us are limited in what we can do, we can all do something, no matter how small a thing it might be.

The AIDS epidemic in Uganda left many children without anyone to care for them; organizations like Lulwanda Children’s Home have been organized to provide for their care. Sponsoring a child is a good way to help when you can’t be there in person!

Lulwanda Orphans

I visited the website for “Covenant Bible Institute of Theology”, in Mbale, Uganda. This organization is devoted to the training of pastors to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ and teach Biblical Christianity to the new disciples . The statistics for East Africa from the website are rather amazing:

God is moving in East Africa.

“The Spirit of God is moving powerfully across Sub-Saharan Africa bringing millions of people to faith in Jesus Christ. According to the Pew Research Center, by the year 2060 more than 4 out of every 10 Christians in the world will live in that region. Much of this growth is taking place in the East African nations of Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania.”

Covenant Bible Institute of Theology Graduating Class

While most of us have never been to India, Asia, or Africa, we can have an impact there for Christ; organizations like Lulwanda Children’s Home, Covenant Bible Institute of Theology and Global Media Outreach offer each of us the opportunity to help in various ways. Money is always in short supply so a faithful donation can do much good in seeing the Gospel of Jesus Christ is spread to those in need of both redemption and growth!

Sitting around and moaning about how bad things are is not God’s plan for his children. The church may well be called home soon, but until that happens, we have a responsibility before the Lord to faithfully live out the great commission in our lives as God enables us and to faithfully serve as a soldier in the army of the Lord!

CHRIST IS WORKING MIGHTILY IN THIS PART OF THE WORLD; IT’S TIME FOR CHRISTIANS TO STAND YOUR GROUND WITH HIM AND BE COUNTED! THE LORD IS WITH YOU!