My Month Of Preparing For The Coming Of The Lord

It is with delight and great joy that I welcome you to our month of Preparing for the coming of the Lord. Are you ready for the coming of the Lord? "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God." Isaiah 40:3. There is a voice crying from the heavenlies saying 'prepare for the coming of the Lord.' The coming of the Lord Jesus Christ is in two phases, he first came as a lamb to save mankind (fulfilled), the second phase, he will come as a lion to harvest souls and give rewards. This month the Spirit of the Lord is periscoping Christendom and beyond to see how ready we are if Jesus should appear today. The scriptures are full of how he will come. At the tail end of his exit from this world, they asked Jesus, "When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? 7 And he said unto them, it is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power." Act 1:6 "For you yourselves are fully aware that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.3 While people are saying, "There is peace and security," then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape."1 Thes 5:1-2.

The unfortunate thing about this subject is that, some people argue, these words are written some 2000 years ago, and yet Jesus is yet to come. The bible warns God does not count time the way we count time -"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.2 Pet 3:8" For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night" Psalm 90:4 People trivialize, jovialize, simplify, derogate, ignore, argue and make jest, about the coming of the Lord. One thing those people with that school of thought forget is that delay is not denial, also that those who share those thoughts like them of old are no more on planet earth, meaning he will either come while you are alive or when you are dead. Whichever one comes first, terminates the period of preparation. So, the issue is not when He will come, the issue is the period of preparation. The issue is more personal than corporate.

What is delaying Jesus second coming?

I am amused when individuals, families, groups of people or nations are going through rough and difficult times and they blurt out, 'Let Jesus come now, so that the world will just end and everybody will just go to where they wish to spend eternity!' Really! Maybe such a person is in Etobicoke like me, forgetting there are some people in Beijing, Columbus, Ibadan, El-Salvador who are having the best of times and wishing that the world should not end! That is why the coming of the Lord is not narrowed down to individual whims and caprices. Jesus is focussed and strategic. He gave two reasons why he is delaying and once we are through with those he will show up. The first reason is given as: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come." Matt 24:14

Secondly, "The Lord is not slow in keeping his promises, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.'" 2 Pet 3:8-9.

What is the assurance that he is coming back?

I guess this is the second most difficult part for many people. The first being how are we sure Jesus is the only way? Some people just cannot deal with that powerful declaration: "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me" John 14:6. Are there not many roads to the market, to a school, to a city, to this and to that, what happens to all the religions? Nobody can answer these questions for you, you have to search them out. The vehicle plate number in Ontario is designated 'yours to discover'! I discovered both myself. Let me share my personal experience, that buttresses my conviction that he is the only way and he is coming back; you may need to get yours.

Personal Encounters.

I had an encounter about the coming of the Lord that never left me. In 1981, I was posted to Lagos for my National Youth Service Corp (NYSC). I served at Lever Brothers, located at Apapa Wharf sub area of Lagos State. I was living with a friend at Oko-Oba in Agege Area where I joined the Christ Apostolic Church choir and the church leadership, to rebuild the church where the last resident pastor had removed all removables in the church as a protest because he was posted to another church not as 'convenient' as this where he was living in a two bedroom vestry of the church. There used to be a Gospel Artist group called "The Light Bearers." It was led by late Bro Emma as we used to call him. Interestingly one of the top on the chart songs of the group in those days was "Are you ready for the coming of the Lord" I was drawn to this group because one of their lady vocalists was a Chemical Engineer who finished ahead of me at Obafemi Awolowo University in the same Department one Sister Christie. Unfortunately when we joined that year there was no more vacancy in the singing group. But borrowing the words of Jeremiah, the zeal of the Lord was upon some of us and the fire was in our bones. We just wanted to serve God with our energy, time, passion, and youthfulness. I have always loved drama and writing and by the grace of God I had written some plays in my university days that we acted as Members of CAC Student Association. Titles like "The Tout", "The Gate" were part of my plays, which was acted on the campus and taken to some universities like Ogun State University, there was no Nollywood then, how I wish!