Reality

Acts 20:25 And now, behold, I know that none of you among whom I have gone about proclaiming the kingdom will see my face again.

25 Καὶ νῦν ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ οἶδα ὅτι οὐκέτι ὄψεσθε τὸ πρόσωπόν μου ὑμεῖς πάντες ἐν οἷς διῆλθον κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν.

One of the things I've always loved about Paul is how he doesn't tend to sugarcoat things.  He didn't live in a dream world of vain hopes.  He lived in reality.  Here he realized that he was never going to see these folks again.  He knew that he was going to die from persecution one of these days and that he would not come back.  There was no sense of a door being slightly open.  He then took this opportunity to share the gospel.

This strikes me as contrasting with our typical way of viewing things.  The when French-speaking folks separate they say "au revoir."  This carries the idea of "until I see you again."  In America we have the idiom "see you later," which is shortened to either "see ya" or "later."  There is always the idea that we are going to encounter each other again.

I don't think that gospel ministry is like that.  Frankly, there should be an assumption that you are never going to see this person again.  One of you may die before there is a chance to talk again.  It's probably less likely than seeing each other again, but it is possible.  Where is the urgency in our sharing of the gospel?

If you're reading this and do not know Jesus please consider that today may be your last.  I don't want to be in the business of scaring anyone away from hell because I don't think that works.  However, I do want to be realistic about it.  Our days are numbered.  We are all going to die.  The statistics bear it out very well.  Therefore, we need to be ready to meet our Maker.  Are you?

And if you know Jesus what is the urgency with which you share the gospel?  I am ashamed of my own personal lack of urgency.  How about you?  I cannot say with quite such surety that ἐγὼ οἶδα ὅτι οὐκέτι (I, myself, know that none of you -- the ἐγὼ adds emphasis) will die before I have a chance to communicate with you again.  I don't even know how many people have read this far.  But I do know that it is my job to let you know that you are going to one day meet your Maker and you need to be ready for that encounter.  Are you?