The Clock is Ticking

Nov. 11

Read: Mark 1:14-15, Gal. 4:4, Eph. 1:9-10

The Clock is Ticking

“…making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.” - Ephesians 1:9,10

God is very much concerned with time; and he is quite intentional with HIS timing as well. There is nothing haphazard about how God works. This is why it is so powerful when Jesus declares that “the time is fulfilled, and the Kingdom of God is at hand”. (Mark 1:15) As God’s people we live in a unique time… a time that is “full”… a time that is “ripe” and “complete”. We live in a time that is READY for the invading of the Kingdom of God. We may not always FEEL this way, but Jesus declares it as true.

This “fullness of time” is what initiated the coming of Christ. We see this in Eph. 1:9-10 listed above. You see, God has a PLAN complete with timing… and his plan has been launched… the time for the in-breaking of the Kingdom of God is “full”… the waiting is over! There is nothing arbitrary about YOUR part in that plan either. YOU were called at the “right time”… the “full” time… to come to Christ. You were born at the exact time you were born to the exact family you were born to in the exact city you were born in for a reason… for the sake of THIS particular time which God has declared “full” and ready for his Kingdom. These are exciting times… “fulfilled” times.

The fact that the waiting is over and the “mystery” of Christ has been revealed is “good news”. (cf. Eph. 1:9,10 again) The world is ready and in desperate need of the Kingdom of God to expand and take over. This is explicitly what is happening RIGHT NOW. Look at what God is doing: “(uniting) all things in (Jesus), things in heaven and things on earth.” The Kingdom of God is that place where all things are being united in Jesus Christ. The plan that God has is the “uniting together of all things”… the uniting together of “heaven and earth”. This fusion is the Kingdom of God and it is happening RIGHT NOW.

God’s plan has a culmination… a goal in mind. Sooner or later ALL THINGS will come under Christ’s rule in the KOG. Some things come under his rule as “enemies” and are destroyed. (cf. 1 Cor. 15:26) Other things enter and are restored to their right way of being. We enter in - as sons and daughters in Christ - and are called to be set apart, ambassadors, who are a royal priesthood and serve as the hands and feet of Christ, That is what we should be using “our” time for now. Why? Because the time is fulfilled and the KOG is at hand!

There is an urgency to this idea. We have been called for “good works' ' that have been set apart for us to do since before the beginning of time! (cf. Eph. 2:10) The enemy wants to trick us into thinking that the KOG is not here now… that we must wait to experience the presence and power of Christ in us and through us. The enemy wants us tot think he is still the ruler of this time and place. This is a lie. The enemy is a LIAR! His time is over, and Christ has ushered in the Kingdom of God… Christ is the TRUE KING. Our time here - on this particular version of the earth - is limited. The clock is ticking. We live in full-times my friends… and this is GOOD NEWS! The waiting is over. What has God been asking you to do that you are “holding off on”? Could it be that now is the time to act? Ask him. Has your heart become desperate and fearful? Do you feel like you live in an un-redeemable time and place? Remember this is not so… you live in a “fulfilled” time where the KOG is working and transforming all around us… even when we do not see it at first! God brought YOU to life in this particular age because he made you to best person to do the good works he designed for you to do. “What a time to be alive” as my friend Josh Brower likes to say. Love you guys! -JDP