Sometimes I can only shake my head with amazement.
Luke 21:36 says, “Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
For years, we in the church were taught that this Scripture means we are to watch world events so we can know when the time is right for Jesus to return and that this knowledge will somehow enable us to meet Him in the sky at His return. That’s right. We thought that our knowledge of world events would somehow save us or protect us or something silly like that.
Horse feathers!
This passage in Luke has nothing to do with making sure you read news magazines, surf the right websites, or regularly watch cable news. When Luke 21:36 tells us to watch, it means we need to watch ourselves. Each of us needs to ask the following question: “Am I living my life as Christ would live it?” The answer will have nothing to do with keeping abreast of the news!
Then why all the emphasis on the world’s current events in theChurchofGod? Why do we have sermons and booklets and articles which are created by some men whose specialty is preaching from the Bible in one hand and a news magazine in the other? Why do some Churches of God have websites that have weekly news updates?
The answer is because we haven’t learned our lesson! Yes, we were suckered with this stuff in 1975 and we are still falling for the same dribble today.
And why are our professing pastors and leaders feeding this nonsense to their congregations? Because it helps them rake in money. You can always rely on the weak-minded to be scared into responding favorably to this type of teaching. Many of these shepherds are fully aware that this is all an exercise in futility and that it has nothing to do with preaching the Gospel of Jesus to the nations. Their successful efforts at monetary gain are cynical ploys to increase their income.
Years ago, I listened to a Sabbath sermon by a visiting speaker. He went on and on with a bunch of prophetic nonsense that he was trying to tie into some crisis in theMiddle East. Afterward, I talked to the pastor. I said, “Surely you don’t believe this stuff we just heard, do you?” He responded, “Of course not. But a lot of the brethren do. And I figure that, if this is what they want, this is what I am going to give them.” Yes, a cynical ploy.
God’s people need to stop falling for this blithering and blathering. From now on when you hear someone quoting Luke 21:36, ask yourself: “Is he trying to encourage me to watch myself so that I can continue to grow in grace and knowledge? Is he helping me to focus on the weightier matters of the Law? Is he encouraging me to have love for God and my neighbor? Or is he appealing to the seamier side of Christianity that tries to twist Scripture into making biblical prophecies fit into some scenario that’s going to help his income?”
Should we read newspapers and watch the news? Of course. As long as we recognize that the knowledge we glean has nothing to do with Luke 21:36. The knowledge that we glean from current events is not going to save us.
Let’s get away from the nonsense. Let’s concentrate on preaching the TRUE Gospel of Jesus, feeding the flock real food of substance, and helping the poor.
Posted by dynamicchristianministries 
