Once when I was talking with Pastor Godson Ssebuguzi of God’s Fortress Ministries about pastoral work and the general state of the Church in Kampala today, he made a profound statement that blessed me greatly. He said, “We are here to prepare believers for the coming of the Lord. That is the bottom line.” How true this is especially in our generation which is the last of the last days. I believe that it is also the bottom line for all Christians.
Before Jesus started public ministry, John the Baptist was honored with preparing the people to receive Him. According to John, the people prepared for the Lord were those who were bearing good fruits worthy of their repentance (Luke 3:8). John, in preparing for the public appearance of Jesus, called for nothing else but righteous living.
Now, John the Baptist came in the spirit of Elijah (Luke 1:11-17), and that Elijah is coming back before the return of Jesus. It is written: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord” (Malachi 4:5). This means that in these last of the last days before the return of Jesus, preachers will go forth in the spirit of Elijah to prepare people for His return. Unprepared believers– those without fruits worthy of their being born again – will not enter God’s kingdom. Preachers must imitate John by boldly telling people that,“every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9).
Paul said, “To those who eagerly wait for Him (Jesus) He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation” (Hebrews 9:28). This means that the people who will not be damned (because of sin) when Jesus returns will be those found eagerly waiting for Him. But what does it mean to eagerly wait for Jesus? The Bible says,“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:11-13). Here, Paul says that looking forward to the second coming of Jesus is achieved by denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, living soberly, righteously, and godly. Therefore, eagerly waiting for Jesus – a prerequisite for salvation at His return – is righteous living.
The bottom line for preachers, therefore, is to prepare Christians for the return of the Lord by telling them to live godly lives. And, the bottom line for all Christians is to live holy lives in anticipation of the glorious appearing of Jesus. The Bible clearly says that without holiness, no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14). The false hyper-grace doctrine twists the meaning of that verse to the detriment of those being deceived. No Christian would want to be “cut down and thrown into the fire” (Luke 3:9) for lack of goodfruits. And no Christian would want to hear the Lord declare to them, “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 7:23). Therefore, let us all bear fruits worthy of repentance.
God bless you.