The Wednesday Update

Lakeshore Friends—

At various times in our life, we all have watched and waited for someone great to appear or something great to happen.

As kids, we watched and waited for what Santa might bring for us under the tree.  We watched and waited for our first day of school or college and what it might bring.  We watched and waited for a special delivery that would arrive in the mailbox or on the front porch.  If you are married, you watched and waited for what your husband or wife would look like in their fancy wedding attire.  We watched and waited for a promotion or a big raise at work.  The list could go on and on.

Maybe today, you’re watching and waiting for something or someone.

One thing that I know is true for the discerning follower of Jesus is that they are watching and waiting for His soon return. 

We know a few things about His return:

1. No one knows exactly when it will occur but it can occur at any time (aka. Imminency, Matthew 24:36).
2. God gives us clear signs that tell us we are getting close to the day of His return and the signs will increase in strength and frequency as we get closer (Matthew 24:4-14).
3. The Lord will return in two phases: the Rapture of the church and the Second Coming to earth. 
4. Phase one will be His return to the clouds to take every Christian from the earth back with Him to heaven (the Rapture of the church, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). 
5. Phase two will be His return to the earth to establish His kingdom on earth (the Second Coming, Matthew 24:30).
6. Only a small minority of people will actually be ready for His return.

On Sunday, I will be talking about one of the most important passages on how to watch and wait wisely for His return, the parable of the ten virgins.  It’s not a story about how to properly raise your daughters or how to find a godly woman to marry if you’re a single man (though the title may lead you to think that way 😊).  Instead, it is a parable showing us the right and wrong way to watch and wait for Christ’s return.

The Lord is coming soon (Philippians 4:5, James 5:8, Revelation 3:11, 22:12, 22:20) and I want everyone who attends Lakeshore to be ready!

I hope you’ll make the time to be here on Sunday, our final Sunday with two services before the move to three services on September 20… but you already knew that, right?

Watching and ready,

Vince