Becoming A Christian “Minuteman”

The statue of the greatly admired Concord Minuteman stands at Concord,

Massachusetts, to honor a class of armed citizens who

pledged to take the field at a minute’s notice during America’s War

Of Independence. There he stands—fearless, committed, resolute, alert,

hand having just left the plow, and musket in hand—but

more than anything else, ready!

The Minuteman is a fitting symbol of the Christian who is

spiritually awake and ready to meet the Lord at a moment’s notice

when he comes again.

For some time, I have felt the tension that comes from professing a belief that Christ will certainly come again, just as He said He would, but living as if it is never going to happen. It’s that uneasy feeling that comes when you know in your heart what you claim to believe isn’t making any practical difference in the way you live. Conscientious believers ask themselves, “Why?” Line up one hundred followers of Christ and ask them, “Do you believe in the second coming of Christ?” My belief is that almost all will respond, “Yes.”

Now ask again, “Do you believe in the second coming of Christ with sufficient passion so that it affects the way you daily live?” And watch the eyes hit the floor! For too long my eyes have been hitting the floor. When was the last time you heard a sermon specifically about the Second Coming of Christ? For many in 2021, the idea seems as far away as the moon.

Problem

The victorious return of our Lord to consummate God’s purposes and man’s history is a truth clearly taught in the Bible. I believe it—all of it. Yet, unintentionally, I treat it casually, as if it is of only minor importance. I may go for days and weeks without thinking about the return of Christ. I am troubled at how easily I shrug my shoulders and treat with disdain an event I know ought to be scintillating and joyful.

Perplexities

Several problems seem to contribute to this tendency to neglect anticipating Christ’s any-moment return:

We tend to overcorrect too far in the opposite direction when the media exposes us to sensational views of prophecy that foist onto a trusting public its message loaded with hubris which features sign-seeking, date-setting, and event-matching between today’s headlines and carefully selected pieces of the Bible. Some call this “rapture frenzy.” If these so-called leaders obsess with the end times, I am dispassionate. I permit their outrageous teachings, of which they are supremely confident, to alienate me from great truths that I ought to be heeding.
Believers do not want to be perceived as some sort of spiritual ‘wackos’ who have gone off the deep end in apocalyptic fervor when we try to share what we do know about Christ’s return. I yearn for a clearer understanding of end-time events that I can “live with” and hold in humility, respect, and tentativeness.
Christ’s return may now seem so remote that we underemphasize it at every turn, in teachings, writings, and in conversations which present Christ as a wonderful Savior, but say little of His return to reign. In a short while, fully 2,000 years will have elapsed since men first started looking for Christ’s return. Scorners have more reason than ever to challenge the hope of a Second Coming with the question first raised 2,000 years ago, “Where is the promise of his coming?”
After twenty long centuries of waiting, some believers get a “disconnect” between the Biblical truth that he will eventually return, and the actual event of his return and the initiation of heaven, thus making the time of his return appear unrelated and unimportant. This leads to errors in thinking such as: “Christ can come whenever he wants to, but what’s that got to do with me if I’m going to heaven anyway?”

Promises

Speaking for myself, there isn’t any serious question of our Lord’s return to this earth. He often personally promised it. For example, he said: “. . .I will come back and take you to be with me that you may also be where I am . . .I will see you again . . .” John 14:3; 16:22 NIV

Christ’s certain return was attested to by angels at His ascension: “Jesus has gone away to heaven, and some day, just as he went, he will return!” Acts 1:11 NIV

There are numerous New Testament references that urge Christians to be alert as Christ’s second coming approaches. Paul cautioned believers that the day of the Lord would come as a “thief in the night,” and that they should “watch and be sober.” I Thessalonians 5:2, 6 NIV Peter warned his readers that scoffers would ridicule the Lord’s coming because on his long delay. He, like Paul, assured them of the certainty of it, and that it would “come as a thief.” Anticipating the coming of Christ, he asked: “. . .what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.” II Peter 3:3-12 NIV

Principles

In 2021, how exactly is a 21^st century Christian supposed to “watch” for Christ to come? How do we do this without appearing to be a certifiable case of something abnormal? My question is not meant to suggest doing foolish, irresponsible things like sky-gazing all the time and losing the respect and validity we have with others. Nor do I want any of us to become so heavenly minded we are of little earthly use. I ask to raise the level of our personal awareness of His coming and to acknowledge that proactively looking for the Lord’s return is a real part of discipleship, whether He comes before this day is over or waits another century. In whatever way we watch, it must be done in a healthy and holy way.

What might 21^st century “looking for Christ’s return” look like? If I search the Scriptures for guidance, I find what I need to know in the teachings of Christ and in a better understanding of the word “watch” as it was originally used. The clearest teaching about readiness and watchfulness come from the lips of Christ as He urged the followers who were with him to be watchful servants:

“Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning like men WAITING

for their master to return. . . .it will be good for those servants whose master

finds them WATCHING when he comes. . .you must also be ready because the

Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. . .it will be good

for that servant whom the master finds DOING so when he returns.”

Luke 12:35-43 NIV

Jesus said the wise servant will be characterized by waiting. . .watching. . .and working. He also added stern words of warning to servants who grow careless:

“But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long

time in coming’ and he then begins to beat the menservants and maid-

servants and to eat and drink and get drunk. The master of that servant

will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not

aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the

unbelievers.” Luke 12:45-46 NIV

The analogy is not about two groups of Christians—some worldly, some godly. It is about people who profess to be Christians—true and false servants. The punishment reveals this. Those who did not watch are punished with the unbelievers. The delay made no difference to the true servant. He busied himself in service and watched continually. The delay induced the false servant to sinful behavior. The Lord’s delay revealed the true character of both. Heart devotion, love for Christ, is what kept the true servant on the job.

Of the five different words for “watch” used in the New Testament, the primary one is used nine times, each of which is an exhortation to watch in view of an impending end—watch carefully because something important is about to happen. Jesus’ emphasis is on spiritual and moral wakefulness more than watching for His actual physical return. We simply do not know when the end time will come; the time is uncertain. Because it is, we are to watch. We are to be spiritually awake and not in a stupor. If we are awake and he comes today, we will be ready. If we awake and it is tomorrow, or some other day, we will be ready. Whenever he comes, we will be ready.

A follower of Christ does many things. He obeys, prays, loves, gives, worships, witnesses, studies his Bible, pursues a holy life, etc. I want to add another essential discipline to those we normally list; proactively watching for his Lord’s return by always maintaining personal spiritual readiness and wakefulness. For most of my adult life I have been busy and happy in the Lord’s work. No doubt you have been too, as have most committed Christians. It is obvious we must all wait for Christ’s return. It’s the watching part I need to watch!

Practical Application

How can a serious Christ-follower move to a higher level of watchfulness and readiness for an any-moment return of our coming King? What steps might we take? What spiritual disciplines should we undertake or strive to further develop within ourselves? As I strive to become a Christian Minuteman, I offer these three suggestions that are presently working for me:

Resolve to relentlessly pursue a lifestyle characterized by godliness and holiness. The practical effect of our “blessed hope” (Titus 2:11-14) is to call the disciple to a life of holiness characterized by unselfish pursuits and sacrificial deeds of compassion. This means embracing a lifestyle, not unlike that of Jesus, that is as free as possible from self-centered concerns, one that seeks to take up the challenge of Peter to see ourselves as a special people, called out by God, to be separate and different from the world. (I Peter 2:9-12)

It is also a life filled with the pursuit of virtues. In his book, The Pursuit of Holiness, Jerry Bridges summarizes these virtues as threefold: (1) those that deal with our relationship with God (humility, contentment, thankfulness, and joy) (2) those that require us to deal sternly with ourselves (holiness, self-control, and faithfulness) and (3) those that enable us to deal graciously and tenderly with other people (peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, goodness, and love).

Accomplishing all these is dependent on making the next commitment.

Engage in an intentional effort to live much more simply. We must each of us set up reasonable boundaries in our lives by making choices that avoid the unwise, unproductive use of our time, attention, energy, influence, and money. Saying “yes” to the right things requires saying “no” to a great many more wrong or unnecessary things. In doing this we will discover the vast power which lies in one simple word, politely spoken: no.

In our present culture, this may mean becoming expert at saying “no” to telemarketers and to the frivolous use of time-squandering social media, to the senseless buying of a vast amount of what can only be called “stuff” (which requires rental space to store) that has little or no redeeming value, and to meetings (including church) without agendas and which serve no apparent purpose. Our obsession with cell phones which give us 24/7 instant accessibility knows no bounds, including taking them to bed with us. We must make some sensible decisions about who, and who does not, have unlimited access to us.

My friend, Dr. John Hunter, had a wonderful mantra: “I live simply, so that others may simply live.”

Align my life with a self-imposed accountability that has two components:

To include in my daily prayers and meditation a sobering acknowledgment that, “This could be the day . . .” How do I know that this very day isn’t the one when I need to be more alert and, on the job, doing than any other day of my life? Jesus had some of his harshest words to say to bridesmaids who weren’t prepared and to napping disciples.
To live according to a personal mission statement I prepared many years ago, to which I recently added a new commitment: “To cultivate an intentional attitude of calm attentiveness toward the certain, any-moment return of Christ, characterized by waiting, watching, and working.” A written mission statement is helping move me from vague intentions to commitments to which I hold myself accountable to better honor Christ while staying alert.