Give Them Jesus

 December 11, 2021

“You have to wonder if the end times are not upon us.” These words came not out of the mouth of a wild-eyed preacher of apocalyptic judgment, but from a man who to the best of my knowledge has no church affiliation or commitment. He went on: “Blizzards in Hawaii, tornados through the mid-south…” He could have added, “violence in our cities, covid ravaging our nation and world, senators who think it conceivable to use nuclear weapons against Russia if they invade the Ukraine.

When people unversed in Scripture and theology start speaking in eschatological and apocalyptic terms, it may just be time for the Church to pay attention. Jesus himself said of us that we can read the skies for the weather, but can’t see the signs of the times.

I am not normally an alarmist nor a conspiracy theorist, but I am alert enough to know people are scared. They see life spiraling out of control, with no one having a foot on the brakes. Not being particularly proficient in the prophetic word, I still hesitate to make bold pronouncements linking current events to specific Scriptures, but I would make the observation that we who claim to follow Jesus Christ might do well to pay attention to what people are seeing and feeling. There is a great opportunity before us to present Christ as the answer to our hopes, our dreams, and our fears. People are more open to hearing the Gospel than when everything is going well in their lives. 

That doesn’t mean there is no opposition. There are as Paul said, “spiritual forces of darkness in high places,” and there are those vehemently opposed to the Truth because it exposes their emptiness and depravity, and endangers their power and position. Nevertheless, these are days of great opportunity, and we who claim the name of Christ dare not miss it. We have the Good News of salvation, forgiveness, and life. Compassion demands we share it, and Jesus himself commanded us to do so. May we be bold in offering to the world the salvation and hope we have in Jesus.

Years ago, our United Methodist publishing house sold prints of a painting depicting John Wesley standing on the shore, leaning into a skiff ready to shuttle Francis Asbury to the ship which would take him as a missionary to the Colonies. There is an urgency about him as he struggles to fight the wind whipping around them. The print is entitled, “Give them Jesus.” These were Wesley’s words to Asbury. Whatever else he might do, the one thing he must do, Wesley said, was to give them Jesus. It is what we must do, too.