We just completed a month focusing on spiritual warfare, and as we prepare for the Advent season that begins at the end of this month, this month is a good time to step back and reflect on this year’s events. No other year has raised more questions about what is happening in the world than 2022. Here is a reflection that helps us put this year into perspective:

IN WORD The world doesn’t understand the direction of history. Many cultures believe we live in cycles, repeating history over and over again. Others have embraced randomness, thinking that we wander aimlessly through this universe, from one ignorant generation of evolution to the next. The Bible is believed by many cultural historians to be the first record of a people who believed history was moving in one direction and had a point.
We know the reason for that, of course: the Bible was inspired by a God with a plan. It’s a remarkable testimony: fulfilled prophecies, consistent themes over multiple writers and vastly different centuries, and a Messiah who unifies the Word from beginning to end. It’s unique in the world of religious literature, and we’re unique in the world of religious consciousness. We see history as purposeful and meaningful, and we refuse to drift through life. A world that has given up hope needs to see that as often as it can.
Just as the early church preached that it was the fulfillment of God’s plan, the church of our generation needs to preach the same. We alone can provide order to random cultures and absolutes to relative societies. We alone have been entrusted with the truth of the ages, as Paul preached in Athens (Acts 17). We alone are commissioned to point to judgment as a coming reality. Our God has called us to be participants in His plan, and His plan involves reaching an aimless world. We who know the target of history have a holy responsibility to point to it.
IN DEED The remarkable sense of fulfillment felt by the early church needs to be ours as well. Our Savior, the Bible tells us, is the apex of history, and His Cross stands as the central event. We are assured that every knee will eventually bow to Him, and every tongue—even the most blasphemous—will eventually confess Him as Lord. Our world hungers for the purpose we’ve realized, and there’s only one appropriate response for us: feed them. “The only possible answer to the destiny of man is to seek to fulfill God’s purpose.” —Paul Tournier (in “God With Us” by Chris Tiegreen)

While we do not know when Jesus will return, this year’s events have raised more questions than provided answers. Numerous parishioners have asked my views, and in discussions with faculty and other pastors, there is a sense that we need to take the events of 2022 seriously. Whether it be the pandemic, the increased intensity of natural disasters, or the Russia-Ukraine War that has caused famine and starvation around the world and driven up prices, many are trying to understand the “signs of the times.”
My response has been fairly simple: we do not know what the future holds, but we should rest assured that God holds it in His hands and is shaping it according to His plans. Even if the Tribulation were to come and the Rapture is just some theologian’s fancy, God is still in charge and one day Jesus will reign supreme. We can also rest assured that He will protect and preserve us through any and every circumstance. Our task is not to guess what will happen, but to trust and obey daily. Our task is to be found faithful doing what is right when Jesus returns.
The two best chapters for reflection are Matthew 24 – 25. Chapter 24 affirms God’s sovereignty and Chapter 25 challenges us with how to live. If we are doing what is right as described in Chapter 25, we need not fear, but by faith, can live each day with confidence that God’s purposes are unfolding. Nothing happens by coincidence, and we need not fear life’s circumstances. Close the week by reflecting on Matthew 6 and the assurance of God’s steadfast care of us. Have a blessed week! - from Singapore, Pastor Sam