Acts 1:6-11 - When is the second coming?

Scripture: Acts 1:6-11

Summary: Jesus told the disciples that they won't know the time when he restores the kingdom of God, but they will receive powers from the Holy Spirit and will be his witnesses to the ends of the earth. Then Jesus was lifted up into a cloud. They were told by angels that Jesus would come in the same way as he left.

Thoughts: When I read this scripture I can't help but think of the prophet who has been telling everyone who would listen that Jesus would come back to the earth on May 21, 2011 and the rapture would occur, taking everyone who was worthy up to heaven.  Well, it's now June and I'm pretty sure that the rapture didn't occur or if it did, none of us were worthy!  Now this prophet is saying that he miscalculated and his new date is October 21, 2011. I find myself wondering why people believe in this sort of thing. It says pretty clearly in several places in the Bible that no one knows the time or place and yet several times in my lifetime people have predicted exactly when Jesus was coming (with no serious results). Why is it that we feel like we need to know exactly when something is going to happen? Especially something like the second coming of Jesus? Don't we have enough to worry about without worrying about when this is going to happen?  I believe that we have two choices about how we live our lives. We can spend our lives worrying about when something is going to happen: the second coming, the tornado, our own death,...  Many people spend their lives this way, in constant worry.  Or we can spend our lives making each day count: loving those we come in contact with, praying for others, working to move toward the kingdom of God! What choice will you make? What are you going to do with the rest of your life?

Prayer: God, help me to focus my time today on things that I can change, things that I can do to make a difference in our world! Amen.

2 Peter 2:1-3 - False prophets: Is it I, Lord?

Scripture: 2 Peter 2:1-3

Summary: False prophets arose and false teachers who will bring in destructive opinions. Many will follow them. In their greed they will exploit you.

Thoughts: The warnings about false prophets continue in this scripture. We all know the obvious examples: like Jim Jones and David Koresh. In my town, Garland, Texas, there was a group who thought that extraterrestial visitors were coming to whisk them away. They all bought houses in the same neighborhood expecting UFOs to come get them on March 31, 1998. When that didn't happen, the leader changed his story, saying that they had all become gods. These type of false prophets seem to me to be easy to spot. But what about the false prophets that are mainline? What about the pastor who has an affair with someone in his or her congregation? What about the preacher who preaches the prosperity gospel, telling people that if they believe (and possibly donate large sums to the church!) they will be blessed by God with prosperity? How do we determine which prophets are false? I think that we do that by evaluating their message. Is the gospel that they preach in line with the God that we know: a God of love and compassion, with a preference for the poor? Also, take a look at their actions. Do they preach the gospel as loudly with their actions as they do with their words? And we should be judging ourselves by the same standards, for we are prophets to others. What do our actions and message say about us? Are we false prophets?

Prayer: Give me the wisdom to evaluate the various messages that I hear, Oh Lord. Help me to sift out the chaff and know what is really coming from You. Amen.

2 Peter 1:16-21 - Who should we believe?

Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21

Summary: We have been eyewitnesses to Christ's majesty. He received honor and glory from God. So we hve the prophetic message confirmed. Prophecy is not our own interpretation, it comes from the Holy Spirit.

Thoughts: When we tell other people about Jesus Christ, whose authority do we have it on? I think I base much of my faith on the Bible, especially the New Testament. But what did the early Christians do before the New Testament books were written down? Before a council got together and decided which books were holy and should be included in our current Bible?They depended on prophets. They depended on people who told them about Jesus and who he was and what he said and did. This left alot of room for false prophets to confuse people with different versions of the truth. This writer is very concerned that the community to which he is writing has been hearing from false prophets. So the first thing we should look for when we hear a prophet speak is whether or not their truth comes from themselves or from the Holy Spirit. We certainly still have false prophets today. Some of them are extreme and can be seen leading people away from God, like Jim Jones in Ghana or David Koresh in Waco. Others are more difficult to spot. I have always thought that religion would be simpler if someone just told me what to believe. This is why many churches do so well. They are attracting people who don't want to think for themselves, who just want an authority figure to tell them what to believe. But the United Methodist Church encourages each of us to decide for ourselves what we believe. So my entire life will be spent refining what I believe about God and creation and the truth about Jesus Christ. Which means that I will have to be watching for false prophets, constantly evaluating what I hear from others to see if I believe their truth came from themselves or from the Holy Spirit. Yes, the other way seems simpler, just to be told what to believe. But God wants more from me. God wants me to use my mind, my heart, and my soul to reflect on my theology because then it becomes truly mine.

Prayer: God help me to always be searching for the truth about you. Don't let me become complacent, feeling that I know enough, because you have so much more to teach me. Amen.