Serving and Waiting

These words were written to young Christians — first-century converts — by the ApostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More Paul, the greatest evangelist of all time. We, the young Christians here today, were converted in the 20th century, but what was true then is still true today. The ApostleApostle (Greek) means "sent one." Today, we are "messengers" for Christ when we pass on the gospel (2 Cor. 5:20). But the highest-ranking messenger is Jesus Christ himself (Heb 3:1;... More began with the point when people stopped worshipping idols and began worshipping God. At the end of the verse, he talks about how God's Son will be revealed from heaven. But he showed what is meant to fill the gap for each and all of us. In the past, we were converted; in the future, we are to meet the Son of GodThe term "Son of God" in the singular always refers to the Lord Jesus. On the one hand, He is the only begotten (unique) and eternal Son of God, who... More from heaven; and between those times, we are to serve the living and true God and wait with expectancy. There is the serving, and there is the waiting; and if we close our meetings on this note, it may be profitable for us.

"Ye turned to God from idols" is what conversion really means. Once again, you see the good and the bad. If we turn to God, we must also turn away from the things that once fascinated and controlled us. Why did these people turn to God? Some of them undoubtedly were Jews, whose ancestors had been frightened and turned away from God at Sinai. They turned to Him because they had heard about Him through Jesus ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More our Lord, rather than through the earthquake and thunders of Sinai. We have turned to him for the same reason.

We know that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself," and all was so perfect that Jesus Himself could say, "He that has seen Me has seen the Father." God has become wonderful to us — everything that is beautiful. Some people wrongly think that Jesus is all good and kind, but that God is so great that they cannot positively think of Him. The truth is, when we see Jesus, we see God. We see His heart — His love and His holinessIt generally denotes something separate from the ordinary or even evil. Holiness is, above all, an attribute of God; He is glorious in holiness, He sits on his throne of... More.

When we turn to God, we turn away from idols. These Thessalonians turned away from the false idols of the pagan worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More and all its immoral practices. How can we stop worshipping idols? But what exactly is an idolIdol worship is antithetical to worship, having as its content an object that robs God of the glory that belongs to Him. Idols can be material, but also spiritual things,... More? It is anything that takes the place of the one true God in the hearts of people. Don't idolise anything, because God should be the only one who is worshipped in your heart and mine. The danger for us is that we may become cold-hearted, and then the things we used to idolise before we were converted may start to have power over us again. Many of us have seen with sorrow a young believer, who made so bright a start a few years before, grow cold; love for the Saviour wanes, and the old idols reassert themselves with enslaving power. We should make sure that change happens and that the things that used to inspire us – even the bad things – are no longer important to us.

Our journey ends when God's Son comes from heaven. He will save us from the terrible punishment that will come when he is revealed. Wrath is coming. A lot of people would say, "You don't believe in that, do you?" I should have to reply that, looking at the world today, I could believe in nothing else. Such shocking evils fill the earth that sinful men are moved to wrath and punishment against them. I could understand any sensible man who doesn't know anything about the Bible saying, "If there is no power in the universe to stop evil, there should be! We know there is a God who is always just and true, and that Jesus ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More will carry out God's punishment and also save His people. If you know how lucky you are to be able to believe in God instead of idols, you can be sure that Jesus will protect you from the wrath to come.

But what I'm really trying to say is that we need to fill the gap in the meantime. Our life is to be one of serving and waiting. Everyone has their own way of serving others. Men mostly just follow their own desires, and in doing so, they are actually serving the great enemy. We are called to serve the living and true God, and there are many ways to do so. If we commit ourselves to God and do what he wants, he will guide us to do what he wants, and we will be blessed. The worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More and everything in it will one day end, but God abides forever. We serve the living God, who sees and rewards every act of service.

Then, we wait for the arrival of the Deliverer. For thousands of years, people have been trying to make the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More a better place, and they continue to do so. They never have reached it, and they never will. We know that, so we don't take part in the planning, fighting, and arguing that it brings. Instead, we wait for the coming of Jesus. Only He has the power to defeat even the devil, the one who started sinThe Bible carefully differentiates between sin and sins. • Sin: the evil power at work in man that causes him to engage in sinful activities (Rom 7:17, 18). God pronounced... More in God's perfect creation. He did it in one way at His first coming by dying and then coming back to life. He will do it in another way at His second coming, when He will defeat the devil and save the earth. He will take His church to heaven.

Some of you may think that this talk about the Advent started during the First World War, and that it led to "Advent Testimony" and other movements, but that it has not led to much. I remember ideas from over fifty years ago, and guesses about the mysterious number 666 in the Book of Revelation. Many of us also remember, with sadness, the exaggerated newspaper advertisements a few years ago that predicted the end of the worldThe word is used with different meanings. It can mean the whole of humanity (Gen 41:57) or the created world (Rom 1:20), but also a moral system that is opposed... More. It is sad, but true, that some Christians can become unbalanced and forget that God's plan for the universe is a very long process. God is always in control of time.

But Jesus ChristA title of the Lord Jesus, which is also used as an epithet; Messiah (Hebrew) and Christ (Greek) mean "anointed one". The title refers to the fact that Jesus is... More will certainly return. Setting a date is not allowed. It will not work. But I think that His coming is very close. People sometimes ask if we can find any proof in the Bible to support this belief. I will give three reasons from the Bible why I believe this.

Look at what the Lord says in Luke 21:27-31. His allusion to the fig tree is said to be a parable. The fig tree represents Israel. "All the trees" suggests that there are many other nations around that people. The return of people to their country and their national identity is a signThe Gospel of John tells us about eight signs that the Lord Jesus performed. These signs, which are also miracles, point to something special. They aim to help us grow... More that the summer of His presence is near. We definitely see a revival of nationality today. People's feelings about race have been made very strong, and Jewish people are more active than ever before. (Editor's note: The article was published in 1945)

Then there is 2 Timothy 3:1-5. The people described here are not atheists nor agnostics, for they have a form of godliness. They say they are Christians, but really, they love themselves, money, and pleasure. The state of Christendom today could not be more accurately described than by these words. It's like everyone is doing it. Everyone is selfish and only thinks about themselves or their class. They just want money and fun. We must all make sure that we are not caught up in these things. But remember, this will happen "in the last days". The message is clear: we are living in the final days.

The third point is 2 Peter 3:3-4. Here we have the prediction that a time will come when people will laugh at the idea of a second coming of Jesus Christ because nothing bad has ever happened, or ever will, since everything changes bit by bit so that we cannot see it. I am just trying to state this prediction in today's language. They don't realise that there has been the catastrophic intervention of God by means of the flood in the past. If you accept that, the theory of evolution, which talks about tiny, almost undetectable changes over many years, would no longer make sense. For many years, people have made fun of the idea of the second coming of Jesus Christ. But only in the last 50 years or so have people made fun of the idea because of the theory of evolution. The time when they will laugh at this is called "the last days". Again, the message is clear: we are now in the last days.

Young people, go from these meetings with serious thoughts of the coming again of the Lord Jesus, and don't waste the years you have left. Many signs show that we are close to the moment when God will once again get involved in what is happening on Earth. His coming is a blessingA blessing is something good, in the Old Testament, usually associated with possessions, prosperity, and health, and is usually pronounced over someone. In principle, the lesser is blessed by the... More for us, but it also marks the end of the graceTo the one who earns something through performance, the reward is not according to grace but according to debt (Rom. 4:4). Grace is a favor that is not given by... More period. God give us to be filled with zeal to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, who will deliver us from the wrath by calling us into His presence forever.

(Taken from Scripture Truth Vol. 35, 1945, page 189. Linguistically revised and simplified, 2025)