My grandfather was diagnosed with melanoma shortly before my mother got married. He was given only a short time to live, but he kept pulling through, beating the odds and outliving the doctors’ predictions. However, after a few months, death became unavoidable.
My grandfather knew that he was going to die, and he was scared. When death is inevitable, one certainly becomes afraid - afraid of the unknown, afraid for themselves, and afraid for those they are leaving behind. With these thoughts running through his mind constantly, he started searching for answers. He sought out the religious figures – the priests, pastors, fathers, brothers. Because these people had answers to the “afterlife”, my grandfather thought they could give him hope and safety.
Shortly before he breathed his last, my grandfather told my mother that he “wanted to be on the ark”. Now my grandfather was born Catholic, but he rarely went to church as an adult. He had basically abandoned all religious ideals, but when death approached, he knew exactly where to turn. Whether he was actually on the ark, I will find out soon enough. I certainly hope that he was.
Death is inevitable – some people don’t like to talk about it, but it is the punishment for the Fall of Man and for our sin. The Lord will take our lives at some point. Potentially, you might be carried up into heaven in a chariot of fire, similar to Elijah…but don’t bank on it. However, bank on this - you will face judgment before Chief Justice. Will you be on the ark?
Just as the Lord destroyed the Earth in Genesis, He will come to judge the world again for its wickedness. That day could be tomorrow, or that day could be in a million years. However, it will come suddenly and without a warning. 1 Thessalonians 5:2 says “for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” The only way to escape this condemnation is to be on the Ark of the Lord.
For some of you, you are firmly planted on the ark. You potentially have been born and raised on it, and have come to accept it as your own. Praise the Lord! For others of you, you may be newcomers to the ark. You are welcome with open arms! Jesus says in Luke 15:10 that “there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents”. And there is rejoicing here on earth as well for those that come into the Kingdom of God.
Now there are others of you that have not yet put yourself on the ark. For a long while myself, I was clinging to the edge, but I still wanted to dabble my feet in the sinful waters of this world. I thought to myself, “Oh, I can play and splash around in the water until it gets to a certain level, and then I’ll pull myself up”. No! This is not the way with God. James 4:4 says “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God”. Do not become an enemy of God, my brothers and sisters. There is a gnashing of teeth and roaring fires waiting for you in Hell. You have to choose.
Finally, there are those of you who have no interest in the Gospel. “It’s boring” or “It’s restricting”. “I can’t have fun…I have to go to church and read my Bible”. Hopefully, none of you see the Gospel as this way, because that is totally wrong. Being a Christian doesn’t entail a checklist of responsibilities that you have to follow. Being a Christian doesn’t mean that you have to work your way up a corporate ladder into heaven. By no means! “It is by grace that you have been saved, through faith- not by works”, as Ephesians 2 proclaims. Nothing that you have done or will do can get you into heaven. You don’t have to do all these things to work your way into favor with God. No. Rather, God is extending His saving Hand, welcoming you into the kingdom of heaven. He threw His son Jesus Christ off the ark and into the waters to save you. All you need to do is repent and grab the life vest that is floating in the water. The Lord wants you in His kingdom – will you reject that offer?
That’s the “evangelical” part – most of you have probably heard that story again and again and again. So what about those that are on the ark, whose salvation is secure? Well, one thing is certain – we are not commanded to sit about happily and twiddle our thumbs, waiting for the Lord to come. By no means! We are called to serve and love the Lord in all our actions.
This is where spiritual gifts come into play. Ephesians 2:10 says that “we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” We have been given gifts to advance the kingdom of God – 1 Corinthians 12 tells us about this.
So what is your gift? For some, they are given the gift of teaching. This includes pastors, preachers, teachers, and elders. It is there job to guide the ark, per se. They are to inform and continually teach the passengers – the body of Christ. 1 Peter 5:2 says “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them.” This includes watching over those that are firmly secure in their faith, as well as those struggling in sin. Obviously, we all struggle with sin, but for those that are struggling to stay on the ark, this is where these men are called.
Then there are those who are called to dive headfirst into the waters: our missionaries. These take many different forms. Some may minister in a far off third world country, where Christianity is a banned religion. For others, this calling may take you to your local youth center. Spreading the Gospel is our calling, regardless of where it takes us.
Finally, there is everybody else. The majority – those who are not teachers or missionaries. But your role in no less important. 1 Corinthians 12 says “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. Three are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” It goes on later to say in verse 12 “just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ”. We all serve the same purpose, with the same goal in mind – serving the Lord.
For me, sometimes, I get frustrated being cooped up at college. I want to go out an evangelize; get involved with a ministry such as Harvest or WYAM. I want to be on the front lines for the Lord. But I am on the front line for the Lord already. Just because it isn’t as “glorious” does not take away from the Lord. In an army, you only see the work on the front line soldiers. But what army can function without its commanders, without its technology. In the same way, we are the army of the Lord.
In closing, let us remember who we serve. It is not for our own glory and praise that we spread the Gospel, but for the Lord. Christ is the anchor to our ark. Hebrews 6:19 says “we have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure”. We sail our ark through the rough waters of this world for the glory of God. The waters are rising, brothers and sisters. Hold fast – help is on the way. Our lives on earth will soon be over, and we will soon enter the glorious presence of God Almighty. But until, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfect of our faith.”
--Ben Fallon
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