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[Hebrews 9:27-28 KJV] “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation”.
Recently hit by the call to glory of a relatively young man in our ministry, I began to rethink how well the church and pulpit are preparing the young generation to face God and eternity. It seems to me that we prepare the young generation for anything; marriage, the future, wealth creation, effective living and other things, but very little is done about preparing them to face God and eternity.
The text above shows clearly that we are all waiting to either die once and face judgement or see Jesus Christ face to face and be redeemed or saved. Whether we will face judgement or find salvation at the end of our lives depends on the choices we make today. What each of us will face does not depend on God or any other person but on us.
If you really want to be ready when the trumpet shall sound for you, you must be ready.
The following keys will help you to live your life ready;
1. Trust Jesus to pay for your sins:
There is no other name by which men ought to be saved, except the name of Jesus! We must live every day of our lives trusting Jesus to pay for our sins.
2. Be baptized and be added to the church:
You must be added to the church and submitted to those who bear rule over you. Baptism will usher you into a new realm of life; it is an initiation into the new life in Christ! Don’t just visit a church, be a member, be part and be submitted.
3. Continue steadfastly in fellowship and doctrine:
If you really want to be ready, when the trumpet shall sound, either to face death or the second coming, then as a member of the church you need to continue steadfastly in fellowship, teaching, and counsel of the apostle. You need to continue steadfastly in prayer and in breaking of bread.
The Apostle appointed over you has a doctrine or teaching or counsel for you. Don’t just be a member of a church, walk in the fellowship and doctrine of the apostle; attend the fellowship meetings and walk in the doctrine that is being thought. There is a doctrine or emphasis God give every church because of the kind of people that worship there. You must be loyal to the creed of your church; unless it is in total contradiction to the Scriptures; we must be loyal to the creed of the apostle. We must treat his words with respect.
There have been so many times people have disregarded my counsel and have gotten punished. Sometimes, what I am saying looks very improbable, but you disregard your pastor‘s word at your own peril.
Continue steadfastly! Don’t let anything make you rebel. Just continue steadfastly and you will be ready when the trumpet shall sound; whether it is the trumpet to face death or the second coming.
4. Rest well, eat with gladness, groom well and be at peace with all men:
If you want to be ready, when the trumpet shall sound either to face death or the second coming, then you must rest well at night, eat your bread with gladness and singleness of heart. Let your garments be white always, and be at peace with all men.
These are the fundamental tenets of effective living: Good sleep, good diet, good grooming, and social inclusion. These things make life worth living. If you really don’t want to miss the moment, then prepare to face eternity.
5. Step out and do what your hands have found to do:
If you really want to be ready, when the trumpet shall sound whether to face death or the second coming find out what must be done, pray about it, plan how it can be done, prepare to do it, step out and do it.
Just do it! Whatever your hands have found to do, do it with all your might. Just purpose, pray, plan, prepare, and do it! That is all it takes to be a great achiever.
Do you remember, in the days of the prophets, when a prophet died leaving his wife in debt? The woman survived because she found out what had to be done, prayed, planned, prepared, and did it. You must be up and doing. Though we are looking for His coming, we must be working while it is day.
6. Return to worship, give God glory, and reach out:
If you really want to be ready, when the trumpet shall sound whether to face death or the second coming, then remember to worship, to give God all the glory, to reach out with the gospel and with charity.
You must have a custom to return week after week to worship, return the glory, and reach out with the gospel and charity.
This is how you live ready, we must work out our salvation with fear and trembling. We must be ready when the trumpet shall sound, whether to face death or the second coming of Christ.
Be blessed, I love you!
Kofi Simpe
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