IN PREPARATION FOR JESUS’ RETURN

The imminent and soon return of Jesus Christ is one of the most foundational, recurring themes in the New Testament. From the Gospels to the Epistles, the early church lived with an eager expectation that history would culminate in the personal, visible return of their Savior.

1. The Biblical Teaching on the Soon Return of Jesus

Scripture presents the return of Christ not merely as a distant theological concept, but as a living hope that should shape everyday behavior.

• The Promise of His Coming: On the night of His betrayal, Jesus comforted His disciples with the promise of His return: "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also" (John 14:3). Following His ascension, angels reaffirmed this truth to the gazing disciples, declaring, "This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11).

• The Suddenness and Imminence: The New Testament frequently uses the phrase "soon" or describes His coming as happening like "a thief in the night" (1 Thessalonians 5:2). This does not necessarily dictate a timeline governed by human calendars, but rather emphasizes imminence—it could happen at any moment, demanding perpetual spiritual alertness.

• The Ultimate Vindication: When Christ returns, He will not come as a suffering servant, but as the conquering King and righteous Judge. Paul writes that the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven "in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus" (2 Thessalonians 1:8), while bringing glorious salvation to those eagerly waiting for Him (Hebrews 9:28).

  
  

2. What the Church Must Do to Prepare

To "prepare" for Christ’s return does not mean retreating from society or franically setting dates. Biblically, preparation is active, faithful, and focused. The church is called to posture itself in specific ways:

• Maintain Spiritual Vigilance and Holiness: Believers are commanded to put off the works of darkness and cultivate personal purity. 1 John 3:2–3 notes, "We know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is. And everyone who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." 

• Diligently Execute the Great Commission: Being ready means being busy about the Master’s business. In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30), the master commends the servants who multiplied what they were given, while rebuking the one who buried his gift out of laziness and fear. The church prepares by actively making disciples, preaching the Gospel, and advancing God’s kingdom globally.

• Persist in Loving Community and Good Works: Amid trials, division, and cultural pressure, the church must refuse to grow cold in love. Hebrews 10:24–25 urges believers to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, "not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near." 

3. Illustrations and Examples

Illustration A: The Ten Virgins (The Danger of Complacency)

In Matthew 25:1–13, Jesus tells the parable of ten bridesmaids waiting for a bridegroom. Five were foolish and took no extra oil for their lamps; five were wise, bringing flasks of oil. When the bridegroom was delayed, they all dozed off. But at midnight, the cry went out: "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him." The foolish virgins realized their lamps were going out and scrambled to buy oil, missing the arrival altogether and finding the door locked.

• The Lesson: "Oil" represents an authentic, living relationship with the Holy Spirit and sustained saving faith. You cannot borrow spiritual readiness from someone else at the last minute; every individual believer must maintain a personal, vibrant walk with Christ.

Illustration B: The Anchor and the Ship (The Anchor of Hope)

Think of a massive cargo ship caught in a violent, turbulent harbor storm. The waves crash against the hull, and visibility is near zero. The crew does not panic or abandon ship; instead, they drop a heavy anchor deep into the seabed, securing the vessel against the shifting tides.

• The Lesson: Hebrews 6:19 describes the hope of Christ's return as "a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul." When cultural instability, suffering, and societal shifts buffet the modern church, the promise of Jesus' return acts as our anchor. It keeps the church stable, preventing us from drifting into despair or worldly compromise, fixing our eyes steadily on the horizon where our King will appear.

  
  

4. The Current State of the American Church: Closer or Further Away?

Evaluating whether the American Christian church is moving closer to or further away from God reveals a deeply complex, polarized picture. Sociological tracking from organizations like the Pew Research Center and the Barna Group highlights a church undergoing a massive, painful reset.

• The Reality of Cultural De-centering: For decades, the American church enjoyed cultural privilege. That era has ended. Long-term metrics show that regular church attendance has declined significantly since the early 2000s, and overall religious identification (those identifying as Christian) has dropped. Millions have transitioned into the "nones" (religiously unaffiliated), marking a drift away from institutional faith.

• Signs of Refiner’s Fire and Realignment: Paradoxically, while the nominal (cultural) Christian middle is evaporating, there are localized signs of deeper devotion. Recent data points to a stabilization of attendance baselines, alongside pockets of intense spiritual hunger and theological seriousness among younger generations (such as Gen Z).

• The Verdict: The American church as a whole is arguably moving further away from cultural comfort and superficial religion, but being forced to decide whether to move closer to authentic, costly discipleship. The shedding of nominalism—though painful—is purifying, leaving behind a remnant that must choose between worldly assimilation and true faithfulness to Christ.

  
  

5. The Impact of the "Church Growth Movement"

Beginning in the mid-to-late 20th century (sparked by missiologists like Donald McGavran and popularized by mega-church leadership models), the Church Growth Movement aimed to reverse decline by treating church expansion through the lens of corporate strategy, marketing, and pragmatic consumer-sensitivity. Its legacy on the American church is profound and mixed:

• The Positives (Pragmatic Effectiveness):

  • Excellence and Accessibility: The movement successfully challenged insular, unwelcoming church cultures. It forced congregations to think carefully about clear communication, clean facilities, parking, and removing unnecessary human barriers for seekers entering a building.

  • Focus on the Lost: It re-energized a passion for evangelism and outreach, reminding leaders that the church exists for those who are outside of it.

• The Negatives (The Spiritual Cost):

  • Consumerism in the Pews: By prioritizing what "seekers" or consumers wanted, many churches inadvertently shifted the focus from cross-bearing discipleship to customer satisfaction. Worship became entertainment; preaching became therapeutic life-coaching rather than expository repentance and holiness.

  • The "Growth at All Costs" Compromise: To maximize numbers, hard truths regarding sin, judgment, self-denial, and costly obedience were often downplayed.

  • The Illusion of Health: As critics have noted, the movement often conflated numerical growth with spiritual health. A church can swell with thousands of attendees through clever marketing while its members remain spiritually malnourished, undiscipled, and virtually indistinguishable from the surrounding secular culture.

    
    

6. Bringing It Together: Preparing for Christ's Return Today

When we view the current state of the American church and the legacy of the Church Growth Movement through the lens of Christ's soon return, the call to preparation becomes starkly clear.

The church cannot ready itself for a holy Bridegroom by relying on corporate growth algorithms, polished stage production, or cultural relevance. Instead, the impending return of Jesus demands a return to substantive spiritual depth:

a)   Trading Metrics for Maturity: We must stop measuring "success" by seating capacity and start measuring it by the depth of personal holiness, sacrificial love, and biblical literacy in the pews.

b)  Resisting Cultural Conformity: As the culture grows increasingly post-Christian, the church must stop trying to blend in to win approval. True readiness looks like the wise virgins keeping their lamps filled with the genuine oil of the Holy Spirit—standing firm, distinct, and eagerly waiting for the sky to split.

Shifting a local church culture away from consumerism and back toward watchful, authentic discipleship does not always require a massive top-down organizational overhaul. Often, it begins from the ground up, fueled by individual believers who refuse to treat the church like a service provider.

Individual believers can help pivot their local church culture through several intentional, practical steps:

1. Shift from "What Do I Get?" to "How Can I Serve?"

• The Consumer Mindset: Attends church to evaluate the production, the music, or the comfort, asking: “Did this meet my needs today?” 

• The Disciple's Pivot: Re-evaluates personal presence by asking: “How can I give of myself, bear burdens, and minister to others?” Believers can combat consumerism by stepping out of the rows and into active, unseen service—volunteering in children’s ministries, mentoring youth, or visiting the sick without waiting to be begged by leadership.

2. Deepen Relational Accountability and Vulnerability

• The Consumer Mindset: Prefers the anonymity of a crowd where one can slip in unnoticed and leave without being known.

• The Disciple's Pivot: Actively plugs into smaller, localized pockets of fellowship (such as life groups, prayer cells, or accountability triads) where confession, spiritual struggle, and deep truth can be shared. When believers choose transparency over keeping up appearances, the church becomes a hospital for sinners rather than a showcase for spectators.

3. Anchor Local Conversations in Eternal Realities

• The Consumer Mindset: Obsesses over temporal preferences—style of worship music, building aesthetics, or campus amenities.

• The Disciple's Pivot: Purposefully steers conversational culture toward eternal things. Believers can inject a sense of watchful readiness into their peer groups by talking about spiritual hunger, local outreach, holiness, and the return of Christ, gently calling fellow members out of petty preferences and back to the core mission of the Gospel.

4. Support and Encourage Costly, Biblical Leadership

• The Consumer Mindset: Demands that pastors tickle their ears, avoid hard truths, and cater to every comfort.

• The Disciple's Pivot: Explicitly encourages leadership to preach hard, uncompromised truths, shepherd souls, and prioritize discipleship over metrics. Believers can lift up their pastors by letting them know they want substantive scriptural depth, repentance, and life transformation—reassuring leadership that they will support them even when the message calls for costly obedience.

"A consumer attends, evaluates, and chooses based on preference. A disciple follows, obeys, and is shaped over time." 

A Thought for Reflection

As you look at your own rhythm of church involvement, what is one concrete way you can move this week from consuming a religious program to contributing as a servant-disciple of Christ?