Articles
What if Jesus came on Sunday?
Today is the first day of the week. The title above does not exclusively refer to this Sunday alone, but to all Sundays in the foreseeable future. If Jesus Christ fulfilled His great promise and returned today or next Sunday or the Sunday after that, what would He see and what would He find you doing? I fear that the significance of the phrase, “First day of the week”, does not carry the same weight with us that it did with some of the first century disciples. Many Christians I know would probably answer that their Lord would find them putting Him first. They would be at worship or at home thinking about His death and looking for any open avenues to spread some love and truth anyway they can to make a difference in the lives of others. In humility they would say, “I hope I would be found spotless before my Lord.”
Many other Christians would answer the same way, but Jesus would say to them: “You’re a liar and a hypocrite!”They pretend to serve Him first, but they storm of out of services on Sunday rushing home to watch the highly anticipated sports game of the week. Still others would hang their hats on the fact that they are thinking about Christ and His great sacrifice, but they just can’t wait to get to the nearest buffet to fill their stomachs because satisfying their physical hunger is of utmost importance. Jesus would probably look to them and say, “Where was your hunger and thirst for righteousness?” There is a specific reason for the use of Sunday. Sunday is a very special day for followers of Christ all around the world. It is a day set aside to first and foremost remember His death and resurrection and to give Him due glory and honor via worship.
The day many Christians deem as hallowed and special could possibly be the very day they come face to face with their maker. Would I be found diligently studying my bible and participating in the services we have set aside to focus on God and His Son? Would Jesus look into my heart and discover that I was far away from Him? Would He look at me with disdain and disgust and observe how I had trampled His holy name too many times to count? Would I be elsewhere clearly showing Jesus how little He mattered to me and how little His word meant to my life? Don’t misunderstand me. Emergencies occur and situations that are out of our control take place often. I’m not trying to single out folks who fall under those categories. I am, however, singling out the individuals who have it in their control and their power to be at services, to eat the word and hunger for more of God’s spiritual food but choose not to. Individuals who have the opportunity to shine Christ’s light but are too shy to. Individuals who claim to serve God and do His will but when Jesus returns they would be no more than secret atheists. If Jesus came on Sunday, would it ironically be the day I am separated from Him forever?
To those individuals who wear the name “Christian”and going to worship God means going to church on Sunday morning because it has become an integral part of our weekly routine, Sunday ought to mean far more to you than just that. Indeed, we can deceive ourselves to think that God is pleased with such intentions, but God wants us to be involved with Him in every possible way and to take advantage of every single opportunity to grow closer to Him. Bible study is just as important as the worship hour and Sunday night is just as important as Sunday morning. We choose to gather at these times because we need it. We choose to gather on these occasions because we need God’s help and we long for it. So, if Jesus returned on a Sunday what would my fate be? Would be I be found to be a true and humble servant following my Lord till the death, or would Jesus see right through me?
