Shofar - In the 'Last Days'!
Written by Dango
These days, one often hears and sometimes on a daily basis, that we are living in the “last days” before our Lord Jesus comes back. I believe that God is building His kingdom out of all the nations across the world. This includes you and me. Remember we are the salt and the light of the world.
With that in mind, I have not seen “believers” so confused as they seem right now. It seems as if they are doing their own “thing” and doing what they think is right. At a first glance, it comes across as being holy and righteous. Paul talks about the “last days” in detail referring to what will happen to the “church”. He makes the point that people being misled will be a given, it will happen. Even believers will be misled. What often amazes me is that if you talk to believers about this in terms of what the Word of God says about the topic, they defend their view brutally and they will tell you that you need to change your views or your interpretation of the topic.
God is not a man and does not think like man.
The concept that our heavenly Father is the Potter and we are the clay in itself should explain to any Jesus follower that He alone is a holy God. Can the clay explain or ask the Potter what shape, size or colour he wants to be?
After all has been said and done, it’s all about the Lord Jesus Christ in us and His grace.
Being involved with missions for some years I have come to the understanding that it’s not actually about our calling, but it’s all about God’s heart for the “lost” and his children. This concept of understanding God’s heart should be the motivation of our passion, the origin of what we do.
Some years ago, I woke up one Sunday morning, and I heard the Lord tell me to attend a service at a specific congregation. My first reaction was, ‘Please Lord no’; as I know the congregation well and I do not agree with certain principles that they believe. I was convicted again to go and I went. To my surprise, arriving at the church, I was greeted by a pastor I know well and he told me he is leading the service that morning. This man loves the Lord Jesus and he has an amazing love and deep insight for the Word of God. I walked in, found a seat and waited with anticipation to hear what the pastor was going to preach about as he is a gifted preacher.
Scripture was read and he started to preach about God’s heart for the “lost” and the fact that God is actually intimately involved and seriously concerned about the “lost”. It’s about people that will go to hell and that salvation is through our Lord Jesus Christ that died on the cross for our sins. To my right, against the wall, was a massive global map. In the beginning of his sermon I somehow started to get emotional every time I looked to my right and looked at the massive global map.
As the pastor got more serious about God’s heart for the “lost”; the more I was getting emotional. Actual tears were running down my face every time I looked at the global map. I told myself; ‘Stop this Dango’, but I could not. Later I tried to hide my tears due to the fact that I felt so vulnerable and in a sense, very silly. At one point I felt a pain on my own heart and I started to realise that the Lord is speaking to me personally. To hear the pastor’s sermon about God’s heart for the “lost” and to experience it inside myself simultaneously was one of those defining moments in my christian life. I actually started to examine my own heart, asking myself what was my motivation to “go” where the Lord Jesus leads me?
It’s actually a very hard thing to tell a person that he/she is destined to go to hell if they do not have salvation through the Lord Jesus. I came to the understanding that saying that to a person is actually judging a person if you do not have the heart of God for the “lost” in your own heart. I truly believe that our heavenly Father loves the “lost” and the “saved” with all of his heart.
The funny part of this story is that the teacher of my sister’s son, that knows me as well, was also in the service that morning. He asked my nephew that Monday at school as to why Dango was crying in the service on Sunday morning? My reply, out of my own vulnerability was: ‘He does not know what he was talking about.’
Rom 11 verse 25 - "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of gentiles has come in."
If we say we are in the “last” days, then time is limited for the gentiles as Scripture confirms that there is an actual number. As my one Jewish friend in Israel, who loves Jesus, will often say, ‘if the number is up then the number is up for the gentiles’.
Do you cry for the “lost”?
Shalom and Grace
Dango
With that in mind, I have not seen “believers” so confused as they seem right now. It seems as if they are doing their own “thing” and doing what they think is right. At a first glance, it comes across as being holy and righteous. Paul talks about the “last days” in detail referring to what will happen to the “church”. He makes the point that people being misled will be a given, it will happen. Even believers will be misled. What often amazes me is that if you talk to believers about this in terms of what the Word of God says about the topic, they defend their view brutally and they will tell you that you need to change your views or your interpretation of the topic.
God is not a man and does not think like man.
The concept that our heavenly Father is the Potter and we are the clay in itself should explain to any Jesus follower that He alone is a holy God. Can the clay explain or ask the Potter what shape, size or colour he wants to be?
After all has been said and done, it’s all about the Lord Jesus Christ in us and His grace.
Being involved with missions for some years I have come to the understanding that it’s not actually about our calling, but it’s all about God’s heart for the “lost” and his children. This concept of understanding God’s heart should be the motivation of our passion, the origin of what we do.
Some years ago, I woke up one Sunday morning, and I heard the Lord tell me to attend a service at a specific congregation. My first reaction was, ‘Please Lord no’; as I know the congregation well and I do not agree with certain principles that they believe. I was convicted again to go and I went. To my surprise, arriving at the church, I was greeted by a pastor I know well and he told me he is leading the service that morning. This man loves the Lord Jesus and he has an amazing love and deep insight for the Word of God. I walked in, found a seat and waited with anticipation to hear what the pastor was going to preach about as he is a gifted preacher.
Scripture was read and he started to preach about God’s heart for the “lost” and the fact that God is actually intimately involved and seriously concerned about the “lost”. It’s about people that will go to hell and that salvation is through our Lord Jesus Christ that died on the cross for our sins. To my right, against the wall, was a massive global map. In the beginning of his sermon I somehow started to get emotional every time I looked to my right and looked at the massive global map.
As the pastor got more serious about God’s heart for the “lost”; the more I was getting emotional. Actual tears were running down my face every time I looked at the global map. I told myself; ‘Stop this Dango’, but I could not. Later I tried to hide my tears due to the fact that I felt so vulnerable and in a sense, very silly. At one point I felt a pain on my own heart and I started to realise that the Lord is speaking to me personally. To hear the pastor’s sermon about God’s heart for the “lost” and to experience it inside myself simultaneously was one of those defining moments in my christian life. I actually started to examine my own heart, asking myself what was my motivation to “go” where the Lord Jesus leads me?
It’s actually a very hard thing to tell a person that he/she is destined to go to hell if they do not have salvation through the Lord Jesus. I came to the understanding that saying that to a person is actually judging a person if you do not have the heart of God for the “lost” in your own heart. I truly believe that our heavenly Father loves the “lost” and the “saved” with all of his heart.
The funny part of this story is that the teacher of my sister’s son, that knows me as well, was also in the service that morning. He asked my nephew that Monday at school as to why Dango was crying in the service on Sunday morning? My reply, out of my own vulnerability was: ‘He does not know what he was talking about.’
Rom 11 verse 25 - "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of gentiles has come in."
If we say we are in the “last” days, then time is limited for the gentiles as Scripture confirms that there is an actual number. As my one Jewish friend in Israel, who loves Jesus, will often say, ‘if the number is up then the number is up for the gentiles’.
Do you cry for the “lost”?
Shalom and Grace
Dango
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