ONEFAMILY Outreach

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ONEFamily Outreach exists to "Connect Kids to Community and Communities to Kids." Have you considered having a mission week for your church? This is one of my favorite "in-depth" ways of reaching out with the Great News of Jesus Christ. Activities can include:

  • Interactive and participative praise concerts for children, youth, and families;
  • Morning staff studies on "Authentic Leadership" and "Building a Culture of Intentional Courtesy"
  • Brown-Bag Luncheon Studies for your community focusing on our scriptural call to justice;
  • In-service for your volunteers or teachers on reaching today's youth and families with the vibrant, living, message of Jesus Christ;
  • Evening parent seminars based upon two of Jerry's recent books: "Significant Conversations: Helping Young People Live Meaningful Lives," and "The Deepest Longing of Young People; Loving Without Conditions."
  • Local networking with other area groups (secular or faith-based) regarding prevention and intervention strategies for high-risk and incarcerated youth;
  • Humorous and thought-provoking school assemblies (secular or religious, elementary through high school).

ONEFamily Outreach is primarily supported by your donations and by trainings, workshops, retreats and concerts.


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Quit Guessing, Start Building

Matthew 24 36-44

[Mt 24:36] “But of that day and hour no one knows not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.  [37] “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. [38] “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, [39] and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.


[40] “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. [41] “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”


[42] “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. [43] “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be  broken into. [44] “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” (NAS)

Matthew 24:36

[Mt 24:36] “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”

No one knows…

Why do people pour through the bible trying to garner dates to pin to “the last times?”  Jesus declares that, “not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone,” knows those dates. Are we greater than Jesus?  To what end do we search for those dates except to distract us from the work at hand?  I am all for biblical inquiry – but there is a hidden message to this reading which is; “Maybe we are not supposed to know.  Maybe that shouldn’t be our concern.  Maybe we are supposed to focus our energy elsewhere.”


Christ said more than we cannot know the dates; he said we will not know the dates – we are incapable of knowing them – they are for God to know. We are not to know.  So, why insist on flaunting his mysteries with pretentious scholarship?  It is enough for us to know that he will come again at the most appropriate time.  Paul’s implication to the Thessalonians was that we had more important things to do than to try and decipher the undecipherable:

1Thes 5:1-2

[1] Now as to the times and the epochs, brethren, you have no need of anything to be written to you. [2] For you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night. (NAS)


What is it that Paul thinks is more important for us to do than to gaze into the heavens, interpret the signs of the times or prophecy the future?

1Thes 5:14-18

[14] And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with all men. [15] See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all men. [16] Rejoice always; [17] pray without ceasing; [18] in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (NAS)


Where is the mind of the Christ follower focused?  We should be entirely focused on kindness, gentleness, encouragement, accountability, and patience.  Isn’t it enough to work on being someone who “rejoices always and prays without ceasing?”  This will make us far more instrumental in preparing the way for the King’s arrival than second guessing the date.  We have work to do – let’s do it.

Important terms

  • Day [GSN2250, hemera]; Gentle day, the space between dawn and dark.  This word is used frequently throughout the Gospels and the letters.  It is used for the most dangerous watch of the day (the moment between light and dark) and it is used for the crack of dawn.  The moment when light is heralded to a darkened morning.  In Romans 11:11-14, Paul uses it to tell us that it is the time when we must “wake from our stupor.”  It is also used for “high time” to get things done.  It is “high time”; let’s get moving!
  • No one can know (knoweth) [GSN1492, eido]; this term signifies that we are “unable to even be aware”; to grasp or behold this concept.  It is not that we cannot study it – it is that we don’t even know what we are studying.  It would be like a halibut elaborating on the Himalayans; we have no capacity to do anything but guess about God’s timing – and to what good?  We would just be wasting valuable time.  The term goes as far as to imply that guessing about the time is an insult to God. It is like an opinionated man telling his neurosurgeon which nerve to cut next.  Until the very day of Christ’s coming, we will never have “knowledge” of the time – we can only have opinions.  Unfortunately, there are always far too many people who spend far too much time garnering scripture to justify their opinions and who will preach on things they really don’t know.

Matthew 24:37-41

[37] “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah. [38] “For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, [39] and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be.”
[40] “Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. [41] “Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken and one will be left.”

Noah prepared

Many biblical historians believe that the flood began in the 2516 B.C. and lasted one solar year.  Prior to the flood the highest claim that man could make was that they were eating, drinking, and having babies.  In other words, they were doing no more and no less than an animal does everyday.  Yet, God did not call us to be animals.  We are the single creature drawn to meaning and purpose; the only creature drawn to the spiritual and to worship. 


Very few things deny the presence of God more than the man who goes through every day of his life without ever acknowledging the One who gave him the capacity for meaning and the endowment of faith.  The men of Noah’s time lived like animals, they went through each day of their lives completely uninterested in the God who gave them life and falsely satiated their need for spiritual intimacy.


Yet, one Godly man – Noah – was interested in having an intimate relationship with the Caller of all hearts and the humility of Noah’s heart before the Lord allowed him to hear God’s call.  It was a call into a time of preparation and it wasn’t a short time of preparation either. 


Noah did not finish the ark in a few weekends; it wasn’t like adding a deck on his porch. Noah began work on the ark when he was 480 years old and he had no idea how long it was going to take him to complete it.  During the process, his family looked like fools to those who had closed their ears to God.  Still they continued the gargantuan task.  In the 600th year of his life, Noah was finally told to get into his ark – a span of 120 years of labor!  That would be the equivalent of almost twenty years of our life span! We are talking about 20 years of labor on a project directed by God but seemingly fruitless in man’s viewpoint.


Would we be able to sustain such faithfulness as that?  Would we be able to spend that length of time working on our call – even when it seems hopeless?  Would we be able to sustain the effort of building something that seems totally worthless in our neighbor’s eyes?


Traditions of The Deluge [GSN2627, kataklusmos] are found among all the great religions of humanity; and these traditions, taken as a whole, wonderfully agree with the Biblical narrative.  In fact, they agree with it in such a way as to lead to the conclusion that the Biblical account is the authentic narrative. The most remarkable of these traditions is recorded on tablets prepared by order of Assur-bani-pal, the king of Assyria. These were, however, copies of older records which date back to circa B.C. 2000.


What can we learn from Noah’s faithfulness and the lessons of his time?

  • We are made to worship God.  We are not just called to live like animals and ignore the deepest and most profound aspects of our nature.  We are, by nature, hard-wired for meaning and relationship; the spiritual and the communal.  We insult God when we live in a manner that excludes him.
  • If we truly listen to God; our lives will be different than those around us who are not tuned in to the Creator’s still, but clear voice.  The point of this story is that the follower of Christ must spend his life preparing for the Lord’s coming just as Noah spent his years preparing for the flood.  At the top of our weekly planning session we should list; “Am I preparing for the Lord’s return?”  This thought should not have me scrambling to a fall-out shelter. Instead, I should be living in such a way that my neighbors and my community see that I take the mission of Jesus Christ’s church seriously. 

Matt 28:18-20

[18] And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. [19] “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, [20] teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (NAS)


Can I say that my weekly task list reflects this commission?  Can I say that my home is an ark to my neighborhood; to my city?  Am I collecting the helpless into my home to prepare for the promised return of my Savior and Lord?

  • We don’t know when the rain is going to come or how long we should be preparing; we should just prepare.  What if Noah knew that he still had 120 years to prepare the ark?  Don’t we think that human nature would put off preparations until the 119th year?  I am glad that God does not give me a timeline; either for my death or His return.  In addition, I am glad He never gave to me a “job description.”  If someone handed me a job description ten years ago for what I would be doing today – I would have called him or her crazy.  I never expected to be in jails most of the week, working with street kids and adults, sharing my heart with the homeless.  God sneaks up on us and we find ourselves “captive to joy.”

It is wise of God to sneak up on us because very few of us seem capable of choosing the path of sacrifice and endurance – especially when we learn that it will engage so much of our lives in efforts deemed worthless by this world. 


Yet, though the path is hard, our Lord’s yoke is perfectly crafted (not easy) [Mt 11:30].  The term the Lord uses is that his yoke [GSN5533 Chrestos] is “better on our shoulders,” it is gracious and well-fit.  Remember our Lord was a craftsman, not just a carpenter. Carving yokes would be among his primary specialty.  Oxen were the most important farm implements of Christ’s time. They were the tractors for the majority of the world (and still are in many developing countries).  A craftsman didn’t reduce the oxen’s load, he made the perfect yoke that would never blister or tear the animal’s shoulders. 


Our Lord has the “most appropriate” yoke in store for us; but He does not have an easy life in mind for us.  However, because our yoke is so well-fit; there is joy in wearing it.


Today, the church is our ark.  It must become the place where those “hard-wired for God” can prepare for the Lord’s coming.  It must become the place where we can connect between the spiritual and the relational; between God and His people.  It is not, however a fortress.  From the church, we must receive the strength to go out and to invite in. The doors must remain wide open so that all those who hunger and are lost might find respite and care.


Does that describe my church?  Is that the mission of our people?  Are we a fortress-people or a refugee boat for the lost?

One will be taken and one will be left

The Lord is quite clear about who will be taken and who will be left.  He says it very plainly earlier in this chapter:

Matthew 24:12-14

[Mt 24:12] “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold. [13] “But the one who endures to the end, he will be saved. [14] “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”


The one who “endures,” whose “love does not grow cold…” Can I say that “enduring warmth” is the catchphrase that others use to describe me?  Does my warm love endure the cold cynicism of this world?  Do I continue to burn with Christ’s love even when others don’t love me back or even when the world turns a cold shoulder to me?  Am I “hot” in a tepid world?


This is critical stuff, because this statement of Jesus tells me how my “enduring warmth” is tied to his return.  When will Christ return?  “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”


Jesus did his part; am I doing mine?  Do I want him to return soon?  Then, what am I doing to make sure that; “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations?”


Is my lamp burning in the darkest corners of my part of the world?  Am I going to get out and comb the streets today to find the one place in my community where someone hasn’t heard about how much God loves them?

Important terms

  • The coming of the Son of Man [3952, Parousia]; being near, the advent (return) specifically of Christ.  The parousia should seem like a daily event for the disciple of Christ. Our Lord reveals himself in a continually deepening manner as we obey him.  However, parousia corresponds directly with apokalupsis – the revealing of the Son of Man – and both phrases point to a specific age that is to come.  An age of full revelation – not just to followers – but to all people.  However, it will not be “good news” to all people. For some people, the justice of Jesus will be very frightening.
  • Shall be taken [3880, paralambro]; to be brought near, taken above, amazed (as in learning), or to assume an office (take our place by Christ).

Matthew 24:42-44

[42] “Therefore be on the alert, for you do not know which day your Lord is coming. [43] “But be sure of this, that if the head of the house had known at what time of the night the thief was coming, he would have been on the alert and would not have allowed his house to be broken into. [44] “For this reason you also must be ready; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will.” (NAS)

Am I prepared?

“Be on the alert!”  Here is one of the most frequently utilized terms in the Gospels signifying the action we must take as the “groundwork” for the coming of Jesus Christ.  The term is used for “get ready” and “be prepared.”  It is used by Jesus to call cripples from their mats. Angels also use it to call the indecisive or inactive from their slumber.  This the term Gabriel uses when he “kick-starts” Joseph at a time when the carpenter is vacillating about 1) what to do with his pregnant fiancé and 2) whether his family should leave Bethlehem after the warning from the three magi.  The term should be significant to all Christians as it tells listeners to, “Rise up from obscurity.”


“Be on the alert!”  “Wake from your slumber!” “Rise from obscurity!”


Let us rise from obscurity, Christians..  When our Savior comes; let us be found “on the alert.”

Important terms

“Be on the alert!” [GSN1127 gregoreuo]; this word means to be vigilant, especially watchful and was also used for a guard “on the watch.”  The root word is egeiro [GSN1453]; which means to “awake from your stupor,” to “rise up from your disease” and even to “step out of obscurity” and into history.

Copyright Notice

Copyright © 2007 Jerry Goebel. All Rights Reserved.  This study may be freely distributed, as long as it bears the following attribution: Source: Jerry Goebel: 2007 © http://onefamilyoutreach.com.

Scripture Quotations noted from NASB are from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD VERSION of the bible. Copyright © The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer’s and Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the “Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” These files are public domain.

The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon is Brown, Driver, Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the “Theological Word Book of the Old Testament.” These files are considered public domain.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew-Aramaic and Greek Dictionaries. Copyright © 1981, 1998 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved. (www.Lockman.org)

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