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Monthly Booklet
The second coming of the Lord is one of the most talked about subjects in the world. If we look around, we can see that things are changing in the world. There are many things happening that has never happened before. If we carefully examine the biblical prophecies concerning the last days, we can be sure that the last days are here and that the Lord is coming soon. And as for us, we need to be prepared for His coming…
Let us examine Matthew chapter 25 where Jesus talks about the last days and how to be ready for it.
Gathering oil in our hidden lives – The parable of the ten virgins
The first part of the chapter talks about the ten virgins; five wise and five foolish. An important thing to note is that we can never recognize who is who among them from their external appearance. They wore similar garments, had lamps which were burning and they were virgins. This is the picture of Christianity today, where, every Sunday, people go to church, they have their bibles and attend every prayer meeting. But who is the wise and who is the foolish? Verse 4 tells us the difference; the prudent five had an extra flask of oil hidden in a pocket in their long robes. The foolish were exposed when the bridegroom delayed His coming. As time went by, the oil depleted and lamps were about to burn out when the wise replenished their oil while the foolish pleaded with the wise for extra oil. But in verse 9 we see the wise virgins refusing their plea and tell them to get their own supply of oil. Doesn’t it sound so ‘unchristian” like of them? But there is a message hidden. The foolish are asked to go and buy an extra supply of oil. Hence we know that there is a price to be paid to get that extra flask of oil.
How can we acquire it?
Exodus 27:20 says that the oil is obtained by crushing the olives. Our lives need to be crushed to receive that extra supply of oil. When we encounter temptations, our self-will needs to be pushed behind and then we gather some oil. When we are provoked, we need to stay humble, and then we gather extra oil. But the foolish let their own will override and never allow their lives to be crushed and so have no oil. In the end, we find that only the wise virgins were allowed to enter when the bridegroom arrived in the middle of the night. Some might say that the Lord being merciful would never shut the door on anybody. But in Matthew 7: 21-23 Jesus rebukes those who went against the will of God and He says, “…I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
Rev 19:7 talks about the bride who has made herself ready. God does not make her ready; the church herself gets ready for the coming of the Lord. How does she get herself ready? By being faithful in her hidden life.
Gaining souls for God’s kingdom – parable of talents
Matthew 25: 14 speaks about three servants who were given five, two and one talents each by their master before going on a long journey. The servant who received five talents, traded and got five more, the one with two talents also worked on it and got two more but the servant who received one talent buried it as he was scared of his master. In verse 21 we see the servants who had five and two talents receiving commendation from the master but the one who had buried his talents had his one talent taken away from him. You might wonder, “Isn’t God a loving God? How could He do this?” Our God is a righteous God; He gives five talents to one, two to another and before Him, five and two talents are the same. He rewards those who uses them and takes away from those who do not put it to use (Matt 25: 29).
If you have made Jesus the Lord of your life, the Lord has surely given talents to you. He gives talents for every one, but in different amounts. What did you do with your talents? Do you feel content that you go to church, pray, read the Word, put money for the offering and expect the “full-time” ministers to take care of the rest? There is a warning in the above mentioned parable; the person who did not use his talent was thrown into hell. I earnestly urge you to recognize your talent this very day. Never bury it, put it to use. Understand what God wants you to do. Our aim in this world is not to be famous or rich or be powerful but to prepare people for the kingdom above. Jesus taught us to pray like this, “…Hallowed be Thy name”, not my name! “…Thy kingdom come…” not my kingdom come! “…Thy will be done…” not my will be done!
If you build your kingdom and exalt yourself, it is the spirit of anti-Christ and you will end up in hell. The Lord has placed us in this country for a purpose. We needn’t go far to find people in need, they are around us. Let us use our talents for the Lord to win souls. Apostle Paul in Acts 17, talks to the people of Athens, Greece. He saw many idols built by the people for worship and among them an idol dedicated to an unknown God. He took this as an opportunity to speak to the people about this God whom he knew and hearing this, many believed in Christ.
Giving glory quickly back to God – the vision of the judgment seat
In Matthew 25: 31 onwards, Jesus talks about the time of judgment. The Son of God seated on the throne as the Judge and all mankind standing before Him. There is another picture of a similar judgment seat in Matthew chapter 7: 21-23. If we compare these two pictures, we see much difference between the two. In Matthew 25: 34-36, Jesus is the one who does the talking; He reminds the righteous ones of all that they had done. They did not keep any record of their good works but it is the Lord Who remembers. They were quick to give glory to God and never did anything to score a better record before God. But in Matthew 7, it is the people who do most of the talking. They remind the Lord all that they have done for Him and the Lord rebukes them. They have kept a record of all the wonderful things they did for the Lord and also took glory for themselves. But the Lord denies them and throws them in hell. It is amazing that those who healed many in the name of Jesus went to hell but those who visited the sick went to heaven! The difference lies in the fact that one took all the glory upon themselves while the other gave it quickly back to God. Jesus, when He was on earth, healed many and performed many miracles but always sent the glory heavenward. He even instructed people not to talk about Him. The Lord is coming back and He is looking into our hearts. Let us resolve to be like the wise virgins, like those servants who received the five and two talents and be like the sheep before the judgment throne and never miss out on this coming kingdom.
APOSTOLIC CHRISTIAN ASSEMBLY
Hyderabad Ministries
Telephone: +91-9848487210 OR +91-9951487210
or Email us at: acahyd@gmail.com
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