What Happens At The End?

The end seems to be a popular topic currently. Christian literature has its Left Behind series. Popular and classic literature is filled with stories about ultimate endings and everlasting beginnings. The Lord of the Rings is about the end of the age of magic and fantasy, of dwarves and elves, and the beginning of the age of men, the ordinary.

I am currently reading a book called The Forever War. Imagine Vietnam with time travel and you’ve got it. The time travel idea means the warriors are out of sync with the chronological time of the universe. The interstellar jumps put the soldier out of the proper timeframe. Hundreds of years have passed as he, or she, goes through interstellar jumps fighting an alien threat. The problem is that this lack of chronology is only experienced by the warriors of each side and not the population of their individual societies. The soldiers fight simply because that is what they are told to do. A peace treaty may possibly have been signed hundreds of years ago, but they cannot know about it because their time is out of sync with that of their societies. They live in a time unique to their situation as they travel across the Galaxy. Their skirmish begins a new series of confrontations between the two races. Neither wishes to continue the war, but neither knows how to stop. They want the end that never comes.

The Gatekeepers tells the story of five adolescents that reappear throughout history in new reincarnations to save humanity of its cyclical desire to destroy itself.

Will the world be destroyed in a fiery holocaust as some believe Scriptures prophecy? Will we destroy ourselves by not caring for creation? Will the sun supernova at some date billions of years in the future? We seem to want to know? We probably don’t want to be here for it, but we want to know

These aren’t things most of us fret about on any regular basis. I doubt it keeps you awake at nights, but Jesus does think about it. In fact, he has it figured out to the very end. He knows your end and mine. He mentioned it to his first disciples. In my Father’s house are many rooms. If this was not so, I would tell you. I am going to make yours ready. I will make sure the banquet to receive you is ready, your bath is drawn, and your bed is made. When all is ready, I will return and gather you to the homecoming. Then we can finally be together for all eternity.[1]

Pastor Craig

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[1] John 14:3ff

What Is the Real Mission of the Church?

In The Warrior Ethos by Stephen Pressfield the author asks this question, “Why do young men and women in a free society enlist in the military? The act seems to defy common sense. Why volunteer for low pay, lame haircuts, and a chance to be killed – particularly in a society that rewards such behavior with little of more substance than a ‘Thank you for your service’ or a yellow ribbon on a bumper sticker?’”

Fortunately he offers us his insight. As someone who served in the Marine Corps, he has some insight into the issue. “We want to be part of something greater than ourselves, something we can be proud of. And we want to come out of the process as different (and better) people than we were when we went in. . .We want to grow up.”

He puts it best in what he calls The Warrior Ethos.

• I will always place the mission first. 
• I will never accept defeat.
• I will never quit.
• I will never forsake a fallen comrade.

What if we adopted that attitude for the church? What if we really believed that we were a part of something greater? What if we believed that engaging in the mission of the church and putting it ALWAYS first would, indeed, make us different and better people? What if we reached out to all people, not just the ones like us, who believe like us, look like us, talk like us, and probably vote like us.

What if we took the words of Paul as true and acted upon his claim, If Christ is for us, who can stand against us?[1]

What if every human being was a comrade, and we refused to leave behind those who have stumbled or fallen? What if our arms were always wide open in forgiveness and forbearance? What if we didn't give up when the Gospel became difficult? What if we gave until we were poured out, as Christ was poured out for us? I know, it is a VERY scary thought. However, the world indeed would know our faith by our love for our Savior and one another!

Pastor Craig

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[1] Romans 8:31-32