Why ‘Now Nearer’?

Good question!

It’s taken from Romans 13:11 – “… for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed”.

It’s a word of encouragement. The return of Christ for His Church is nearer than it’s ever been. That may be an obvious statement, but the signs of just how near are evident all around us. Jesus said that when the signs begin to appear, we should look up and lift up our heads, because our redemption draws near. Well, every passing week seems to indicate the signs have begun in earnest.

It’s also a word of challenge. The start of Romans 13:11 says, “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep”. Perhaps you remember those school days when you slept in and you were dragged out of the nicest of dreams with a loud, “It’s about time you were up!”. That’s the call to the Church in the 21st century. The Bible speaks of a “falling away” in the last days. Now while that phrase has a couple of interpretations, Scripture teaches that there will be a general cooling in attitude toward the Word of God and sound teaching. But on an individual level, we don’t need to sleepwalk into mediocre faith. We can wake up, watch, be aware, and live passionately for the truth of God’s Word.

It’s a word of urgency. If the return of Christ for His own is nearer, then the opportunities for the gospel to be shared will soon run out. The unsaved will be left behind when the Church is “caught up” to be with Christ. And the world they will find over the next seven years – the last of Daniel’s 70 weeks (Dan 9:24-27) – will be the stuff of nightmares. We don’t want that for anyone, and so, since that day is nearer than ever, we are called to be diligent in reaching the lost with the gospel.

There is one final perspective I want to finish with for now concerning the name of this blog. It’s a word of hopefulness. Do we sense that God is now nearer to us than ever before? Are we now nearer to Him in fellowship? That should be our goal – that every day we get nearer to seeing the Lord face-to-face, we’re also getting nearer to him in our relationship, so that we love Him and glorify Him more and more.

That’s the hope I have for this blog. But what will I be covering in it?

There will be three main themes throughout:

First, there’s prophecy – the forward view – but not merely what is going to happen. We will also think about what is happening, and how the world around us today is fulfilling Bible prophecy already or setting the stage for its fulfilment.

Second, there’s power – the upward view. We can see many Christians loving the Lord, being faithful to the Bible’s teachings, and who get very upset when God and His Word are mocked and scorned. But those same Christians feel that there’s something lacking. There’s a rhythm that’s out of step with God. It causes a sense of mediocrity, a feeling of frustration.

We just know that there’s more to this Christian life than the hum-drum routine that many of us have got used to. And I’m not just talking about passion. There are many passionate Christians who are incredibly vocal about their faith, but their spiritual understanding is superficial. There’s no depth, no stability. God’s good for the good times, but suddenly distant when the “blessed” life seems to vanish.

The spiritual power and strength of the truly spiritual life seems just beyond our reach. We’re hoping that through this blog we’ll discover some of the reasons why this happens and learn what we can do about it.

Third, there’s perspective – the outward view. The pressure to conform to the views and values of the world is immense. We are constantly bombarded with information from the entertainment industry, social media, and society at large. Yet Paul said in Romans 12:2, “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” We need to reject the world’s perspective and be renewed in our mind to see the world from God’s perspective. That comes from Scripture, and so we will be applying that Biblical perspective to life, so we can become more Christlike in our thinking.

I want all believers to have a vibrant and strong walk with God in which He is glorified and we are blessed, not materially, but spiritually.

For now, you can head over to the first article in which I ask the question “Is this the end of MAGA?”, considering how recent events could impact the world.

In later articles I’ll be sharing my thoughts from Scripture, commenting on world events from a Biblical perspective, and encouraging a closer walk with God.

As part of our journey I’ll be unpacking a simple framework – D.I.M.E.S. – to discover what really governs our lives and how we can return to the God we were made for. This framework could really surprise us, revealing issues we never realised were there, but if addressed can help us live closer to the Lord than ever before.

If this resonates with you, please bookmark this link so you don’t miss the first D.I.M.E.S. article next week, beginning with The Gods We Treat as God.

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” – Luke 21:28

Keep looking up!

DC