End Times?

With all the recent natural disasters and terrorism, it seems like things are getting worse and worse. We hear on the news about hurricanes, mudslides, earthquakes, new disease concerns like the bird flu, and we are taken back by these things. We shouldn’t be to shocked, seeing that Jesus said these things would come to pass in the last days. We have a tendency to get scared when we hear the words last days, but as Christians, this is something we can rejoice in. Now, don’t take it wrong and say, oh well, Jesus is coming back soon, no need to do anything, let’s just hold the fort until he gets here. Jesus tells us to "occupy until he comes". When you look at traits of an occupying army, you see an army that has taken authority, someone who has taken ground. Occupying is an active stance. We as Christians are to take authority and implement God's kingdom on earth as it is in heaven, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. There are no sick people in heaven; there is no lack, no lack of compassion in action. We cannot sit idly by and wait for His return, he is coming back after a spotless and blameless church, and that doesn’t mean sinless and perfect, it means, mature and capable. So we are to be on the offensive. In order for the church, the body of Christ, to become "spotless and blameless" there must be changes to the body. We must learn to see as God sees, loves as He loves, believe as He believes. It’s so sad to see that in a lot of churches, it’s the Christians doing most of the hurting. Jesus called these people Pharisee's. Don’t be so spiritual that you are no earthly good. We need to strike a balance of being spiritual, and implementing it on an earthly level, that’s how we can reach people. We must occupy, cast down falsehoods, false images of God, and shine the light of truth, so that all men will be drawn. Let’s not wait until he comes and just hang on, let’s get moving, do as much good as we can until he comes.