In the days of wooden sailing vessels, the word “shipwreck” struck horror in the hearts of those who lived and worked by, or on, the sea.  Oft times survivors told their stories of the storms and hidden dangers that caused the demise of their ships and crews.  Fierce storms that last for days have been known to slowly destroy the integrity of pristine sailing vessels, diminish the hopes of brave and stalwart men, and leave them shipwrecked.

  Interestingly, the writers of scripture were inspired to utilize these common tales of unfortunate seafaring men to illustrate a parallel truth pertaining to the voyage of some who have lost “faith and good conscience” on the tempestuous sea of life, and become shipwrecks.  In his letter to the young pastor, Timothy, at the church at Ephesus, Paul tells of two such men. 

  Paul writes, “Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, …that thou mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience…” 1Timothy 1:18-19a.  Timothy had already proven himself faithful, standing, like a soldier, for good and against evil, and God was using him mightily at Ephesus.  Such was not the case with two other Ephesians; “…some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck.  Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” (1Timothy 1:19b-20).

  It appears that these men had been accepted as a part of the family of faith there at Ephesus, but now, they blasphemed God, His truth and His people. The word blaspheme suggests that they now spoke slanderously of the God they once professed to worship.  Though close enough to taste His goodness, they had ultimately rejected the Way, the Truth, and the Life that God had offered.  They were spiritual shipwrecks.

  You too have heard the truth; perhaps you once sought to embrace it, but the storms of life have caused you to put away faith and a good conscience and you have become a spiritual shipwreck.  Since you are still able to read this, you could yet be rescued.  Jesus Christ, the Deliverer, is near!

  When something is about to happen, or could happen at any moment, we call it imminent.  In 1972, I watched the implosion of an eleven story hotel in Winston Salem, North Carolina.  I had a birds-eye view of the event from another office building just a few blocks away.  I can still remember thinking of how I needed to stay focused on the doomed building so that I would see the impact of the first of many blasts that would reduce the old wood and brick structure to a pile of unrecognizable rubble in a matter of seconds.  I was afraid to blink because the action was imminent.

  As excited as I was to be so close to the making of history that day, it pales in comparison to the excitement that is stirred in me when I think of the ultimate imminent event that still lies ahead—The Rapture of the Church.  Though many will scoff, because they don’t know the God of the Bible and have not read the Book of God, there are those of us who personally and  effectually know Him, and have mused over His Word and marveled at the accuracy of prophecies already fulfilled.

  We believe God when he says, “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” (1Thessalonians 4:16-17).

  To you who may question the sanity of one who would embrace such a promise, I would repeat the words of the Psalmist, “O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” (Psalm 34:8).  I have often marveled at those who insist that they don’t like something while they readily admit that they have never tasted it.

  I challenge you to lay aside your preconceived notions about God, His Word and His Promises, and exercise your capacity to discern truth.  Jesus told His disciples, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. (John 8:32)  Later, He prayed for them,“Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” (John 17:17).

  Though they are not as common in this world of high tech measuring devices as they once were, most of us can remember and appreciate the functionality of a balance.  It is a T shaped instrument with a pivotal cross member (like a seesaw at the park), each end containing a suspended tray.  On one tray a specified weight (e.g. 1/4 lb.) was placed, and on the other tray a commodity (e.g. sugar) was added until the cross beam of the balance became level.  At that point it was certain that the weight of the commodity was equal to the specified weight in the opposing tray. (i.e. 1/4 lb of sugar).

  It is a horrifying reality that most people in most cultures where there is a God consciousness, believe that someday they will be judged by God using the principles of a balance.  They believe that on “Judgment Day” God will place their bad deeds on one side of His balance and their good deeds on the other.  If their good deeds are more plenteous (heavier) than their bad deeds, God will be pleased and let them into His Heaven.  On the other hand, if their bad deeds outweigh their good deeds, God will reject them and cast them into the fires of Hell.

  The analogy may seem plausible, but in reality, nothing could be further from the truth.  In God’s way of reckoning, we were all born with a sinful nature, and as we drew our first breaths we became sinners by choice.  Since bad only produces more bad, if God were to use the balance method to determine where we would spend eternity, we would have nothing to place on the “good deeds” tray.  No one would go to Heaven.

  But there will be no balance on Judgment Day.  God sent Jesus into the world to live, die, and be resurrected from the dead, to pay the penalty of your sins and mine.  For those who will exercise their faith and call upon Him for help, He offers forgiveness and reconciliation (restored fellowship) with God.

  Jesus Christ offers to take your sin upon Himself and give you His righteousness instead.  God’s justice is then satisfied because the wages of sin have been paid—your sin.  “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)”

  Before Jesus died on the cross, four of His disciples were with Him on Mount Olivet, a mountain ridge adjacent to Jerusalem on the east.  From there they had a panoramic view of the city with its magnificent temple, one of the wonders of the ancient world, in the foreground.  Jesus told His disciples, “…verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down. (Matthew 24:2).”  This was alarming to His disciples and prompted them to ask, “…Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world? (v.3)”  Strangely, He answered them with language that might be used to describe the ever increasing pains of childbirth.  The harsh characteristics of the age began almost unnoticed and will intensify until Jesus returns to the earth.

  “For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows (i.e. birth pains). Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake. And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:5–14)”

  Jesus’ prediction of the destruction of the temple was fulfilled in 70AD when the Roman Emperor, Titus, ended a revolt by the conquest of Jerusalem.  Jesus’ description of the age is a fair representation of life on earth since His first coming, and the hardships and horrors have steadily intensified—similar to the pains of childbirth.  One might surmise that the end of this age is near, that soon Christ will return to complete the story of time.  Are You Ready?

  Perhaps you have read of WWII Japanese soldiers who were forced into remote areas and ordered to fight to the death.  Several of these men were discovered years after the war had ended; they were still in their hideaways, and still armed and vicious.  Why?  They professed, “Nobody told me that the war was over!”  They were ready to die for a cause that no longer existed.  Peace had been won for all the peoples of the earth.

  Similarly, peace has been won for all of mankind in the spiritual realm—peace with God.  The victory came as a result of the sacrifice of one man, the God/Man, Jesus Christ, but many haven’t received the good news and have become casualties in this war already won.  Who is to blame?  It’s me; please forgive me if we have met and I failed to share the good news with you.

  Quite often I am reminded of our Lord’s commissioning of His followers to take the good news of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection to those who have never heard, or have not yet responded. “For the Son of man (Jesus) is come to save that which was lost. (Matthew 18:11)”  Christ purchased your forgiveness with His own life’s blood.  This is the foremost theme of the Bible.  Delivering His message is imperative if one hopes to discover peace, receive God’s blessing now, and live in His presence forever. 

  God tells us that, “…whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:13),” but in the next verse He poses a series of questions that remind us of our responsibility to Go and Tell: “How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? (v.14)”  The word “preacher” in v.14 is not talking about the Pastor of a church; this word “preacher” could refer to anyone, and everyone, who is willing to herald the good news about Jesus’ offer of forgiveness (the gospel).  As a matter of fact, if you know God personally through faith in Jesus Christ, you too are commissioned to tell others.

  I would be thrilled to share the good news with you and yours!  Please call!