In my last post I stated that Jesus not only wants unity but that He needs it. Unity is the result of maturity (Ephesians 4:12-13).
He needs His Church to be mature and work together to facilitate and bring in the end time harvest.
This need for unity is twofold. First, to handle the power properly and the second reason is that we will not give in to the increase of wickedness of the last days.
Because we believe in the return of the Lord and that the harvest is the end of the age then we need to listen to the warnings given to the Church in view of the Lord’s return.
All the scriptures listed below are instructions to the Church concerning how the Church should live and act during that time of the Lord’s return. They are from the Gospels, the Epistles and the Book of Revelation.
I realize there are many teachings on the end times and so it can be difficult to discern the true sequence of events and that can be very controversial. We should never allow our beliefs concerning different viewpoints of the last days to cause division or separation especially when the Lord wants complete unity. I believe the best thing to do is to see what the Lord says in His Word to the Church concerning His coming. He warns us to be watchful and ready. These warnings have to do with our character and our relationship with Him. Please read these scriptures and allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you about things you may have to change to be ready.
Scriptural Warnings:
Matthew 7:15-27; Matthew 22:1-14 This speaks of the Jewish people as their city was burned, but also speaks of Christians who have lost their first love or are not putting on their wedding garments; Matthew 24:4-14; Matthew 24:42-51; Matthew 25:14-30; Mark 13:32-37; Luke 12:42-48; Luke 14:15-24; Luke 21:34-36; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; 2 Timothy 4:1-5;
Hebrews 10:24-25; Hebrews 10:35-39; Hebrews 12:25-28; James 5:1-12 – verses 5-7 speak of His coming; 1 Peter 4:7-11 – the times demand sober living; 2 Peter 2:20-22; 2 Peter 3; Jude 17:23; Revelation 2:2-5; Revelation 2:8-11; Revelation 2:20-23; Revelation 3:1-6; Revelation 3:14-20
We need to heed these warnings and be like the men of Issachar who understood the times in which they lived and knew what they should do.
In conclusion we should walk in sacrificial love which will purify our hearts and keep us humble. This will bring us to maturity and unity by the grace of God and obedience to His lordship in our lives. Then we will be ready individually and corporately no matter what comes or what happens. This is how we should always live, but especially in view of His coming. And in doing this we will always be ready and watchful.
