Ready

“Get ready!” “Make sure you’re ready!” “Ready, set, go!” If you’ve tried to get kids out of the house on a Sunday morning, played on a sports team, or organized a social group you’ve undoubtedly heard similar phrases. We know what it means to get ready to go somewhere or to be ready to play a rival team. But do you know what it means to be ready for the Lord? Jesus’ last words to His people in the Scriptures were “Surely I am coming quickly.”

If you knew Jesus would return next week, would your days look any different? Perhaps there would be things you would stop doing, or other things that you would begin doing. When considering the idea of being ready, the author of Hebrews encourages us to draw near to God, hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, and to consider one another. Maybe you’re proudly thinking to yourself, “I consider others. Just last week I made a meal for one of our families in need, and I was really involved helping with VBS this year.” But if you read Hebrews 10 carefully you’ll see that the author had something else in mind - “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together…” We can see that the primary way the early church considered one another was by gathering together! There were no phones, facebook, or FaceTime to connect throughout the week. There was church! And let’s be honest - Didn’t the pandemic in 2020 teach us that technology is a lousy replacement for personal connection, especially in the church? When we gather together we are telling us each other firstly that God is worth the sacrifice of our time. Secondly, we’re telling each other that we are unified in Jesus Christ. And thirdly, we have the opportunity to say through our words and actions that we want to be changed by Jesus. Isn’t that why you first came to Christ? You realized that you were a sinner in need of a change that you could not perform - A heart that would love God more than sin. When we gather together and serve one another we are displaying that we are being changed by God; no longer only serving self, but rather having a new desire to serve God and others.

So, what does all of this have to do with Jesus returning you ask? If you continue reading our passage in Hebrews 10 it says, “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” You know what the author of Hebrews tells us to do even more as we approach Jesus’ return? - Gather together! Not to check off some spiritual checkbox. Not so you can feel good for a day or two. Not to be uplifted by the worship. But to get ready for Jesus’ return! Want to know how you can get prepared for Jesus’ return? Gather together with the church. Gather on Sunday morning. Gather on Wednesday evening. Gather throughout the week at Bible studies. And gather at ministry outreach events. Recognize that “going to church” is not just a duty of the Christian, but it is the privilege of the Christian, and it is how we prepare for Jesus to return.

It’s no secret that church attendance for our midweek service is considerably lower than Sunday mornings. And this isn’t just a problem at Crosspoint. It’s a problem for most, if not all, churches. Because of our fast paced, overcommitted, overstressed lifestyle midweek services often just become optional. However, when we realize that gathering together is actually how we prepare for Jesus’ return, that should naturally affect what makes it on to our calendars, and what we believe is truly important. Won’t you get “ready” with us as we continue our new series in 1 Corinthians on Wednesdays this fall? “Therefore you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” -Matt 24:44