The words ‘Jesus is coming soon’ have been echoed through time.
For thousands of years Christians have been preaching the same message and yet, this Earth continues to suffer great tragedies – earthquakes, terrorist attacks, wars, famines and sickness. Many question ‘why hasn’t Jesus come yet? And is He really coming? While many others are so caught up in this world that they do not take the warning seriously.
The Bible tells us that no man knows the day or the hour (Matthew 24:36) but how can you look at the world right now and not recognize that our time is limited.
In 2020 alone, we have witnessed death, racism, natural disasters, economic crashes, sickness and disease like never before. These events are just the beginning, they are to be a wakeup call for all of us. Just as we have witnessed countless tragedies throughout this year, we have also been blessed to be part of the growing Adventist online movement.
The Church has adapted to the current circumstances with Zoom meetings, live streams and chats. There has been an emergence of churches like Avenue, run by youth for the youth. The importance of connecting with an online community has been greatly emphasized.
We have never been more accessible as a church than we are right now. We, as Adventists, have been called for such a time as this. Although we are in isolation, we cannot use this time to be silent, we cannot disconnect, we cannot isolate ourselves from others and from God. It is important that now more than ever, we use our gifts to connect with others and bring people closer to God.
For every terrible event that happens in this world, God makes way for a bigger blessing (Isaiah 41:10). People are searching for God now more than ever, and God has made it even easier for us to bring people to Him by using the online presence we have.
We should be encouraged despite the difficulties we have faced this year. God never said that we wouldn’t encounter hardships and trials, but He promises to give us peace when our world is in chaos (John 16:33). We must use this time to work with God as He continues to transform His church.
We know that all things ultimately work out for good to those that love God (Romans 8:28). He is using this time to make us greater as individuals and as a church family. We are called to utilize the time that we have on this Earth to develop our relationship with God and to lead others to Christ. We were not called for an easy task, but if we move when God moves, how can we make the wrong move?
WRITER: Kymberly McMurray, attends Casey SDA Church.