Care for Creation as Evangelization and WorshipParaugs

Day Eight: Mocking the Truth

As it is, the earth is becoming a less sustainable place to live. 

Over and over again, even among educated people, we hear statements like “It doesn’t really matter because it’s all going to burn anyway. Why should we care? We’re all going to get raptured and go to Heaven, and so we’ll just leave this mess behind.” 

But does the Bible really say this? 

All the way through the Bible we are called to stewardship and concern. The context of this call tells us a lot about the mode and character of God. He wants us to participate in living out His plan for all of creation. In the end, if God is calling us to do something, we need to answer that call.

God is bringing fire. He brought water the first time, and He’s bringing fire the second time, for the same purpose: to cleanse the earth.

It is ungodly man that will perish, not the earth. While we are on earth God calls us to be good stewards of it. God calls us to care for it. 

God brought water and fire to cleanse the earth. He also brought water and fire to cleanse our souls: first in Baptism, then with the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is through the Holy Spirit that we live, and through the Holy Spirit that we pray. 

When Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray, one of the petitions that He gives is “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Jesus is telling us that there is a huge link between earth and heaven and that we should be asking for the earth to be a reflection of heaven. 

History teaches us that many things are cyclical. If we look at the world today, it seems that we are breaking out of a cycle and into an escalation of problems. We could say that things are moving in the direction of the things of Matthew 24. 

We can’t know when the second coming is, but we do know that it is coming. We know that Jesus is coming. There is going to be a major catastrophe on this earth that will rid it of all sin and give it a second chance. And we need to ask ourselves: are we ready for Him? 

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the relationship between the health of our souls and the concern that we should have for the health of the planet? 

2. What does Peter mean when he says that people are ‘mocking the truth’? 

3. What are my hopes for the future? 

Want to find out more about creation care? This Bible study was developed from the Bible studies featured in the film Cowboy & Preacher: The Life and Times of Tri Robinson.  Learn more about the film at http://www.cowboyandpreacher.com