We know how the story ends. We know that Jesus will return and make all things new. So between now and then, what should we do? Should we live in denial of Christ’s return and invest ourselves in this temporary world? Should we just sit around and wait for Jesus to return, holding tight onto our own personal salvation? Or should we do what Jesus commanded us to do, and, with a genuine sense of urgency, share the gospel and make disciples?

God has a history of granting people second chances. In fact, He has been known to grant third chances, and fourth chances, and so on. After all, God is “forgiving and good, abounding in love” (Psalm 86:5). But God will not force anyone to repent and receive Jesus as savior. God loves us all, but He won’t force any one of us to love Him back.

Many of our favorite stories follow a similar pattern. A hero on a mission is aided by mentors and friends and faces opposition from an enemy. That’s the basic plot of most movies. Human history also follows certain patterns, but real life is never as neat and tidy as fictional stories.

We begin our series at the end of the book of Revelation, where we find the beginning of a new world and a new kingdom. Spoiler alert! It turns out that we have a lot to look forward to.

Jesus prayed for the unity of all believers. Through our unity the truth of Christ will be revealed.

Jesus has not given His followers permission to be rude, disrespectful, snarky, or hateful towards anyone. We have not been given permission to hate the haters.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that." - Martin Luther King Jr.

Over the course of our journey together as a church, we have endured many trials and won many victories. United in spirit, united in mission, and united in vision, we will endure our current challenges and we will take our next step forward together, as one.

In life, it is easy to sit on the sidelines and criticize. Jesus invites his followers out of the passive life of criticism and into the arena of engagement.

We should not be judgmental, but we should exercise good judgment. Furthermore, when people in our lives engage in behaviors that are foolish, or even dangerous, we should find appropriate ways to address our concerns.