I’m finalizing plans for a special Wednesday evening Bible class on the End Times. I plan to begin this August after school starts and run for 4 or 5 weeks. One of my goals for this Bible study is that I provide a clear, Lutheran understanding of the Last Days. I think this is needed because there are so many confusing teachings on the topic.

For some Christians, all they talk about is the end of the world and what they’re saying doesn’t fit with the Bible’s complete picture on the topic. Lutherans normally don’t get that excited about the subject. Maybe we’re missing something.

In Luke 10, Jesus sent out 70 disciples to urgently proclaim that “the Kingdom of God is near you!” (Luke 10:9) These 70 went out in pairs and were appointed to get out the good news as quickly as possible: they traveled light, they didn’t waste time on the way, and they didn’t waste time on people who weren’t interested. We may admire their urgency, but we don’t envy it.

We tend to be a little more laid back about how we get out the message of God’s grace in Christ. We can always wait until tomorrow, or the next day, or for someone else to tell the Gospel. It is important, but it just isn’t that urgent.

Jesus was right: “The harvest is large, but the workers are few.” (Luke 10:2) The workers are few, but the procrastinators are plentiful. Maybe the realization that the time is short and Christ’s return is imminent might motivate us. We might see the urgency of our task (and it is OUR task) to share the Gospel if we thought more about the consequences of keeping silent.

But, maybe that isn’t the best motivation. Jesus reminds the 70 disciples who served as His advance team that they should “be happy that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20) We need more urgency, but we need a JOYFUL urgency and our joy comes from what God has done for us rather than our success.

So, be joyful and be urgent in sharing God’s love in Christ.