In His final hours with His apostles, Jesus gave His church a clear command as to her waiting and watching for His return; Jesus said this:
“…Of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father. Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is. For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at evening, or at midnight, or at the cock crowing, or in the morning: lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch” (Mark 13:32-37).
“Watch.” Some Bible versions give us “be on guard” or “be alert.” But the command is clear: Jesus will return; we know not when. Stay ready by watching and praying. That night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus knew the hour of the power of darkness was coming on Him and His apostles. And what did he ask them to do in preparation for that? Watch and pray.
The apostles’ response to Jesus’ words were to yield to the pulling of the flesh and go to sleep. And of course, the results are there: the apostles, with the exception of John and Peter, scattered; but then Peter later denied knowing the Lord three times.
I was born again 57 years ago. Before that, I was a devout Catholic for many years. I was very religious but dead in trespasses and sins. I was raised up and strictly taught church doctrine and practices starting at the age of six. But I was not only not taught the Bible, but was taught to avoid it. We didn’t even have one in our house. The word “Watch” loses all meaning when the Bible is set aside.
After I was born again, I was led to begin reading the Bible. I began reading certain books in the Bible and then started reading through the Bible once a year, and I still do. This is not a brag but to make a point, to make an appeal to my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I have read through the Bible in at least 7 different translations.
Here’s my point: the Bible is the very word of God. Reading from Genesis to Revelation is the only way to have your eyes opened to the marvelous workings of God and Christ – to know them and to enable you to watch for Christ’s return. It is the sure way to lead and guide you against false teachers and temptations and to bring you comfort and help in times of trials and afflictions. It’s God’s way; it’s Jesus’ way; it’s the Holy Spirit’s way;
Over the centuries, the church has had some great preachers who had faithful followers. We have some today who have faithful followers. And those followers will say: without them, I can’t understand the Bible. But here’s the catch: if you don’t know what the Bible actually says, you’re building your spiritual house on hearsay. They may be eloquent and inspiring, but how do you know what they are saying is the truth?
There’s coming a day when false teachers are going to speak so compelling that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect. The professing church of today is filled with false teachers and a multitude of followers: the blind leading the blind to destruction. How do you know, how can you know the person you’re following is leading you in truth and not error?
Knowing the Scriptures, reading God’s word is the only sure path to be able to discern truth from error. Jesus said this:
“It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4).
Read God’s word every day: find a plan that will take you through the Bible in a year, and read His word from Genesis to Revelation: not devotionals, not study Bibles, read God’s Scriptures, what He wrote for you to read. If you faithfully set yourself to do this, you will find an amazing transformation taking place in your spiritual life.
Prayer. There are no shortcuts or excuses accepted here. Jesus Himself prayed much, and He taught His disciples to pray. He taught us that we don’t have to use a lot of words nor repeat ourselves: Jesus said our Father knows what we have need of before we ask. He taught us to go to a private place, and there our Father would see us secretly and reward us openly (Matthew 6:5-6).
Jesus taught us to always pray and not lose heart because our Father is listening; Jesus taught us to be persistent in our prayers because our Father not only hears our every cry but is sure to answer. Paul taught that we don’t really know how to pray sometimes, and the Holy Spirit prays for us. Romans 8:26 Paul also wrote this:
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).
Make prayer and God’s Word of first importance in your daily life. Here’s something to ask yourself when you awake in the morning: the throne or the phone?
Jesus is coming! How will He find you: sleeping to the devil’s delight? Or watching and praying, as Jesus commanded?
Brother Bill bboldham@sbcglobal.net
