4
in his vineyard, and He revealed to Jeremiah
that He is as it were running around the
streets and squares seeking men. And so
when God’s search for man and man’s search
for God come together, the whole of Heaven
is electric with joy, all the Angels rejoice
together. But we, nervous little characters
that we are, bounded by our conservatism
and the very narrow frames of our vision and
thinking, we who squirm in the dentist’s
chair, we who, as children, feared whether
our loving parent would really not let go of
our hand as we first jumped into a swimming
pool, feared whether loving, doting daddy
would really do as he promised and not let go
of our bicycle as we learnt to balance and
ride free… We, Conservatives that we are,
house proud town mice, or glued to our land
and village way of doing things, vainly
wishing to believe that the old and familiar
must be the right and Godly way. We. Need to
change, through believing more deeply the
most fundamental truth of the cosmos: That
God loves us, and wants us for His Kingdom,
and through all His active leading and
challenging of us, will never let go of us.
| Duncan Heaster
Editorial | We Must Change
“Even So, Come Lord Jesus”
| Bro Uka Egwa (Ohafia, Nigeria)
“S
urely I come quickly” (Revelation
22:20). His coming is fearful to those
who are not ready to meet Him. But in this
verse, the response is: “Even so, come, Lord
Jesus.” What kind of heart is portrayed in
this response?
1) A believing heart
Though it is now almost two thousand years
since the Lord’s return was promised, yet the
believing heart still responds, “Even so,
come, Lord Jesus”. This is the only good way
for a believer to respond. The thought is,
“Yes, Lord, I fully believe that you will come
as you said. Christ’s coming does not hinge
upon our acceptance of the fact. My belief in
his coming will make no difference whether
or not he comes, but it will make a difference
whether he comes for me. “Unto them that
look for him shall he appear the second
time” (Hebrews 9:28). So for me it will make
a great difference whether or not I am
looking for him.
Sadly, not all men believe. Peter speaks of
scoffers who ask, Where is the promise of his
coming? Such is the response of unbelief. We
surely would not scoff at the promise of the
Lord’s coming, but perhaps closer home is a
subtle form of unbelief like that of the
servant who said, “My lord delayeth his
coming” (Luke 12:45). We can easily believe
that Christ is coming but that he is probably
not coming today. Such thinking results in
disorderly conduct, as it was for that servant.
I once spoke with a young man who told me
that the Lord is not coming today. This man’s
attitude obviously affected his behaviour. He
was indifferent and was not living up to what
he knew was right. We must rather be
convinced that Christ is surely coming and
that he could come today. His promise is by
no means less certain because of the fact
that he has tarried many years. Peter wrote
that the longsuffering of God is one reason
for his tarrying. He wishes not that any
should perish, but that all should come to
repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
2) A submissive heart
This is indicated by the “Amen” in our text.
John was saying, “So be it, Lord. Even though
I do not understand all the details, come,
according to your will.” What are some char-
acteristics of Christ’s coming? One is in the
text: “Surely I come quickly.” This has the
thought of coming soon (without delay) as
well as coming suddenly (without warning).
Another characteristic is that the day of the
Lord comes as a thief in the night (1 Thess
5:2). People will feel secure, saying “Peace