Keeping Your Cool When the World Heats Up

I grew up in an evangelical home. From the time I was just a little kid, I can remember wrestling with fears about getting left behind from the rapture, and whether this or that conflict that had started in the Middle East was going to ignite Armageddon. Our house had books around that outlined just how bad it was going to be for people during the Great Tribulation, and warning us all about the rise of technology which fulfills all the apocalyptic prophecies of the Bible. My mom stockpiled freeze-dried food in a storage closet. She bought property in Northern Florida, twenty acres of land which could be turned into a self sufficient, off the grid haven of refuge for those escaping from the Antichrist…because clearly, the Antichrist wont look for people in the woods.

It’s a wonder I’m sane at all. (I know…that point is debatable, but please do it behind my back and let me feel okay about myself)

What emotional attitude do you think is most dominant when it comes to speculation about the end of the world? Jesus was asked about the end of the world in the passage we’re going to read this Sunday – Luke 21:6-19

As you read this (and I mean REALLY read what he says…don’t just insert all the adjustments and qualifiers that seem to always go along with what he said)…Do you think Jesus was trying to incite fear in his followers? When he described events that were going to happen, what did he say about those events? More pointedly, if you imagined Jesus writing a book about how to live during the last days….what do you think it would say?

How do you react to the idea of the world coming to an end? Fear, anxiety, anticipation, excited expectation? Share your thoughts.

Hope to see you on Sunday.

5 responses to “Keeping Your Cool When the World Heats Up”

Benjamin Prather

November 18, 2011 at 10:57 am

For some reason REM comes to mind.

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Golda

November 18, 2011 at 12:03 pm

I LOVE that picture! I also love The Message version of these verses: “Watch out for doomsday deceivers… Don’t fall for any of that…Make up your mind right now not to worry about it.” I think Jesus wants us to know that He will take good care of us and to not lose heart and keep doing what He has called us to do. We sure have enough to keep us busy, don’t we! Just “stay with it” and stay on course.

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Kerry C.

November 18, 2011 at 12:39 pm

Quite frankly, it still scares hell out of me…but only a little less now since I’m Christian. I mean, almost everytime I turn on the TV, I get blasted with economy being bad, Iran wanting to wipe out Jews, or some nut shooting up a shopping mall! Not to mention these idiot leaders spending good money after bad, buying everything but the kitchen sink!

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julie

November 19, 2011 at 10:17 am

I don’t believe Jesus was trying to insight fear at all. In reference to all the “stuff” happening, war, earthquakes, etc. He simply said this is par for the course in our broken world. Nothing new it’s been going on since the beginning of time and will continue till the end. He spoke of persecution, hearings, and death without a hint of worry or care. He promised wisdom and the real possibility of undisturbed composure under the worst of circumstances. We won’t make it without Him but in Him our future is secure! Go ahead and wear the “NO FEAR” bumper sticker and let the world inquire!!!

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Payton Isaacs

November 20, 2011 at 12:21 pm

Okay, so it’s my first time to post here but was just wanting to say what an awesome teaching this morning.
Is it just me or does anyone else see some similarity between ThePassover and Keeping A Cool Head When the World Heats Up?
When I think about it, Christ’s followers smeared the blood of the lamb on their doors so that the pestilence would “pass over” them as they stayed calm and kept a “cool head” trusting in God that He would protect them.
Just as it was Rob taught this morning, Christ said that wars, famine and such things would come to pass but not to fear as these are characteristics of the church age and not signs of the end of times.
If we wear Christ’s shield, continue to love God and one another and continue to advance His kingdom as we were put here to do then all these things shall come to pass and His love and our faith in Him is “the blood on our door” to protect us from harm and when He is ready for us to come home then home we shall all go. (if there are any errors in writing such as grammatical and exclamations I am so sorry as writing is not my best subject and I hope I got my thought across as it was intended)

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