All of us see our future. A healthy future of planning, preparation, and peace.  In life we live out two futures.  A “definite” future and an “uncertain” future.   Our definite future is clear. Our uncertain future can be dim.  Producing anxiety, stress, heartache, and a debilitating fear for our present.  Every uncertain future falls upon us suddenly, unexpectantly, and powerfully.  This future Jesus comforts in His Revelation.  This is everyone’s uncertain future – Jesus Christ is Coming Back. Christ’s return will be sudden, powerful, an undeniable. For most it will be terrifying.  By knowing about it, believing in it, and waiting for it, Jesus removes ALL our fear.  Jesus begins His Revelation by speaking to His Church and He concludes by telling all, “Surely I am coming soon.”  Be ready and able to respond as did the Apostle John, “Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!!”

...The past several months we have concentrated our spiritual attention towards faith.  Matthew focused our faith to the life of Jesus Christ by communicating that Christianity is not a religion, according to the world’s definition, rather Christianity is a change of life producing a new way to live.  Religion is only as good as the source it comes from.  Think about the amount of faith an atheist has to believe in evolution and a godless existence.  Religious atheists have placed their faith in a flawed and a false source – Themselves.  The atheist believes, “I can make my heaven.”  Likewise, all other spiritual religions of the world.  Although they claim faith in a god, many gods, or all gods they function with the wrong source for their faith – Works.  The worldly religious person believes, “I can earn my heaven.” Neither the atheist nor the religious have a functional faith, and they are doomed to destruction unless they repent and believe.  The life of Elisha exemplified a functional faith where the living, true God is the only source of faith.  The Christian has accepted Christ, repented of their old life, and lives a new life.  The Christian believes, “I have received God’s Heaven.” ...

...Sunday will be our conclusion in the life of Elisha.  Elisha was not taken to heaven like is mentor Elijah.  The Bible tells us, “Elisha had fallen sick with the illness of which he was to die”.  Elisha like all of us, unless the Lord returns, will experience death.  Elisha has one final faith lesson to teach us before he went God in Heaven.  Elisha on his death bed, is approached by the King of Israel in a panic, the king is ruling a famine-stricken country, he faces an invading enemy more powerful than he, and he comes to Elisha in a time of paralyzing indecision.  The call to faithful action provided by Elisha must be followed by each of us personally and by all of us congregationally.  We will be required to act in faith, and our actions will prove our faithfulness.  The King of Israel learned this. We must also...         

This coming Lord’s Day, we will recognize how faith in God creates an undeniable “visibility” in the surrounding culture. Following Jesus Christ makes us highly visible amongst the people with whom we associate, at the places we work daily, wherever we happen to be, and within the community and country in which we live. Christians do not intentionally “look” different. As Christians, we do not all wear a recognizable uniform, hairstyles, nor are we required to wear a universal symbol upon our body to advertise we are followers of Jesus Christ. But make no mistake, our faith thrusts us into positions of high visibility in the culture. The world sees us as, “going to church all the time.” We are described as, “super-religious.” People around us believe, “we don’t even let our children watch television.” Some around us believe, “we read our Bible every day.” Wouldn’t it be awesome if the world was right about us. People “see” many things in our lives because our faith makes us seen.

…The Olympics is a competitive environment where the world’s best athletes compete against one another to win a coveted gold medal. The athletes sweat a lot, bleed more than they should, suffer underserved injuries, and work incredibly hard to earn Olympic medals. The Christian is not exercising for hours, running countless laps, lifting pounds of weights, nor repeating the same routine over and over again. But the Christian is exercising something divinely profound in order to win the “upward call of God,” something far more precious than an Olympic medal…