"Rick Warren states in his book The Purpose Driven Life that end-times issues are really none of our business. Really? What does God say about this?"
Well, I thought I'd find that out for myself.
Acts 1: 6-8 (NIV)
6So when they met together, they asked him, "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"
7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority.
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."
Here's the section from "The Purpose Driven Life" that Howse is calling into question:
When the disciples wanted to talk about prophecy, Jesus quickly switched the conversation to evangelism. He wanted them to concentrate on their mission to the world. He said in essence, "The details of my return are none of your business. What is your business is the mission I have given you. Focus on that!"
Speculating on the exact timing of Christ's return is futile, because Jesus said, "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Since Jesus said he didn't know the day or hour, why should you try to figure it out" What we do know for sure is this: Jesus will not return until everyone God wants to hear the Good New has heard it. Jesus said, "The Good News about God's kingdom will be preached in all the world, to every nation. Then the end will come." If you want Jesus to come back sooner, focus on fulfilling your mission, not figuring out prophecy.
So, in my humble opinion...if you take what The Bible says in Acts and compare it to what Warren says in "The Purpose Driven Life"...they are the SAME THING. I really have no idea why Howse would take issue with this. Christians shouldn't be concerned with knowing all the details of Christ's return (such as the date, time, etc). We should be more concerned about The Great Commission and The Great Commandment. I believe that's what Warren was trying to say, and I see absolutely nothing that contradicts what's being said in the scriptures.
Thanks for reading!
I agree with you we shouldn't spend our focus, however, I believe Jesus tells us we need to PAY ATTENTION less we be deceived. Matthew 24 is a good passage that I think best describes the "balance" we MUST have when considering the end times. We must be aware and alert, but not vigilante. We must be ready and good stewards of what has been given us (whether it be knowledge, time, or material things), but we must never get so caught up in those things that we lose sight of the end result: The Great Commission.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your post. I've seen you posting about your blog but haven't had the time until now to begin reading.