“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.” 2 Corinthians 5:10-11a NKJV
In The Most Important Place on Earth: What a Christian Home Looks Like and How to Build One, Robert Wolgemuth shared how he and his young granddaughter were in an art museum and viewed Jean-Leon Gerome’s 1863 piece called Early Christian Martyrs in the Coliseum at Rome (which also hangs in my home office here in Indy). Drawing from history, he described horrific details of Christian persecution in the first century by the hand of psychopathic Roman emperor, Nero. His challenge to modern Christians is that the testimony of our lives should be different and therefore counter-cultural regardless of the temporal cost. Since there are only two days that matter in life, God calls us to be prepared for His return by living in surrender to Christ on THIS DAY knowing that we are accountable to Him on THAT DAY as He is increasingly day by day the most urgent need of the world.
1. This Day: Surrendered to Christ – 2 Cor.5:9 The aim of our hearts on THIS DAY is the glory of Him who is worthy of all praise because of who He is and what He has done. We do this by living in surrender to Christ through total dependency upon God and His Word (Rom.12:1). This counter-cultural endeavor is not conformed to the world’s system as God’s Spirit transforms our minds to live according to biblical priorities (Rom.12:2).
As parents and grandparents, what are we doing on THIS DAY to deliberately invest into the lives of our children and grandchildren as far as cultivating a biblical worldview and gospel stewardship is concerned? In other words, how are we encouraging them to redeem the time, talent, and treasure of their lives for God’s glory and their good? Are the formative influences of their lives, pointing them to Christ and the Word of God or pointing them to not-Christ and the humanistic worldliness of a secular age? Prayerfully consider what such texts of Holy Scripture as Psalm 1:1-6; Proverbs 1:7; 9:10; 13:20; Romans 11:33-12:2; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Colossians 2:8-9; and 1 John 2:15-16 have to say about honoring our great God and Savior on THIS DAY.
2. That Day: Accountable to Christ – 2 Cor.5:10 There is coming a day when our lives will flash before our eyes as we give an account before Christ for the duty-bound stewardship responsibility of the gospel on THAT DAY. The testimony of our lives as believers will bear witness as to how faithfully we defended the faith as a soldier, advanced the faith as an athlete, and cultivated the faith as a farmer (2 Tim.2:3-6). Investing the time, talent, and treasure of our lives in eternity through evangelistic outreach, cross-cultural missions, and establishing believers in the faith by training them in sound doctrine, biblical/creation apologetics, and the comprehensive nature of the Christian worldview is the responsibility of every believer on THIS DAY in light of THAT DAY.
As parents and grandparents, how are we preparing our children and grandchildren for THAT DAY when they stand before the Lord Jesus Christ and give an account for their lives? Do they understand that their lives are about something far greater than themselves? How are they learning to serve God and others in love through a ministry mind-set versus being preoccupied with me, myself, and I? What are the godly passions of their heart and soul that provide insight to ways they may live on mission for God’s glory and the good of others? Prayerfully consider what such texts of Holy Scripture as Genesis 18:19; Deuteronomy 32:46-47; Joshua 4:19-24; 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Psalm 78:1-8; Jeremiah 9:23-24; Ephesians 5:15-17; Philippians 1:20-21; Colossians 3:1-4 have to say about honoring our great God and Savior prior to THAT DAY.
3. Day by Day: Proclaiming Christ – 2 Cor.5:11 “Pay day some day” is a reality as the awesome terror of God’s holiness demands that the righteous standards of His justice be satisfied on that judgment day of reckoning before His great white throne (Rev.20:11-15). As ambassadors for Christ, we are not ashamed of the gospel because the power of God to salvation is not in the winsomeness of our personality or the wittiness of our methodology but in the message of the cross (Rom.1:16). May we faithfully proclaim Christ DAY BY DAY and thus prepare not only ourselves for His return but also a world in urgent need before it’s eternally too late.
As parents and grandparents, what are some creative avenues and innovative strategies that we can use to cultivate gospel urgency in the hearts of our children and grandchildren DAY BY DAY? How familiar are they with the gospel of Christ? How familiar are they with the biblical narratives? How familiar are they with biblical doctrine? How familiar are they with the biblical worldview? How familiar are they with biblical and creation apologetics? How robustly developed is their spiritual muscle/maturity? How adept are they with physically speaking with others about the Lord Jesus Christ? Prayerfully consider what such texts of Holy Scripture as Psalm 96:1-5; 115:1-8; Isaiah 45:22-23; Acts 13:47; Romans 10:14; 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10; Revelation 20:11-15 have to say about the gospel urgency of honoring our great God and Savior DAY BY DAY.
Recommended Resources: Missionary biographies are great for reading aloud to your family as well as redemptive gifts to your kids and grandkids for birthdays, graduations, and Christmas.
“Through Gates of Splendor” by Elisabeth Elliot
“Hudson Taylor’s Spiritual Secret” by Mrs. Howard Taylor
“The Autobiography of John G. Paton” by John G. Paton
“Borden of Yale” by Mrs. Howard Taylor
“The Life and Diary of David Brainerd” by Jonathan Edwards
“Robinson Crusoe” by Daniel Defoe (Although not recognized as a missionary biography, this classic has a tremendous amount of mission-driven apologetics content. GFM recommends the Focus on the Family Great Stories edition with an Introduction & Afterward by Joe Wheeler.)
