Is Your Family Ready to Go?

Re 1:1-4 ¶ The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.       ¶Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

Reading the Old Testament can be very emotional when you stop and ponder on the last book of the Bible, Revelation. If you haven’t read Revelation, lately, pick it up and read this tremendous book. Don’t tell yourself that you can’t understand it but ask God to open your eyes to Spiritual truth AND He will. Take your journal and as you read, draw yourself pictures, not for the Appleton Museum, but just for you. Use arrows, circles, magic markers…..anything to connect information to information. You will be amazed at what you remember.

We as born again believers have lived through so much of the scriptures and yet we were not alive when the Messiah, Jesus Christ, walked this earth. All those people in that day were witnesses to His healings and many other miracles. Many accepted the truth that He is indeed the Messiah and the healings and miracles were from God the Father while others rejected and so it goes on and on and on.  Some made it and some didn’t. We weren’t there but we have depended on this inspired Word of God. As we see the fulfilment of scripture we prepare ourselves for the next event ….. The rapture. You and I could very well be alive when we meet Christ in the air.  Is your family ready to go?

God didn’t bless me with sons, but He gave me two son-in-laws. With this great blessing came six grandchildren. I pray for them all, every day. As I read God’s Word, I read with them on my mind, ALWAYS, because I am responsible for my circle of life, family and friends. Does that make me a super Christian? NO, and ten thousand times, NO! If anything, I see myself the worst of all sinners which in reality helps me see others somewhere in eternity.

The trumpet sound can be heard afar off it seems as we read and listen to what is happening all over the world. Read Revelation this time with your children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren’s pictures right in front of you. Do you see them? Are they ready for Christ’s return? Whether you believe in a literal rapture or not shouldn’t keep you from the reality that Christ IS RETURNING!

Get a hold of what will happen and ask yourself, “Are they born again, Father, and what do you want ME to do today to find out?”

Many times folks will say to me, “Well, I just don’t want to scare them away by saying something about Jesus or the church.” Oh really? Do you not trust Christ enough to believe that HE will put the exact words in your mouth to say to them what HE would say if HE were standing right there? Scare them away? From where, Hell? Oh me, dear friend, don’t be deceived by this lie from the enemy. YOU are the witness, friend……. you ARE the witness. No one may care enough to tell them but you love them more than anyone else. You care for them and they need to hear from YOU!

Recently, my daughter and I were passing out tracts and information about our church and radio station, 107.1, and a man greeted us by saying, “I’m an atheist.” I suppose he wanted to shock us, but I wanted to yell at him, “Sir, that is the reason we are passing out tracts! YOU NEED JESUS.” He refused the information. My daughter just smiled and I told her that one day he will see that re-run of himself rejecting Christ and it WILL BE TOO LATE! A fear beyond comprehension runs up and down my spine, friend, and I pray that you see the urgency of the hour. We find time for everything else we think we need, but people’s souls.

May I suggest the following to help you if you have struggled talking to your relatives or friends?    

  
 *Make yourself a list with their phone numbers. Call them and say, “I love you and was thinking about you today. Will you join me for church? I can fix lunch if you like.”

*Send them a message, “I love you and was thinking about you today. Will you join me for Sunday school or church? I will fix lunch if you want to eat with us or you can just take it home with you after church.”

*Visit them and say, “I love you and was thinking about you today. Is there a special need you would like for Mama (Grandma, Granny, Mema, Omaw, your name) to pray about? How about joining me for church and I will fix lunch.”

*Write them if they live out of town or call them regularly. Don’t preach to them, but always let them know you are praying for them. There is comfort to the lost or strayed when people pray for them. Sometimes, the hardest heart can be reached when we place our hand on their shoulder and pray for them.

*Set the right example or they will not listen to you. Remember Lot? Why would someone go to church with us, if we are not faithful ourselves? 

Don't hesitate because it may mean eternity in hell for that special loved one who just needs a "I love you, and was thinking about you today."

Until next time, Lord willing,

Sharon