BACK IN MY JESUS PEOPLE DAYS, we used to sing a little chorus that went something like,

Life was filled guns and war
And everyone got trampled on the floor
I wished we’d all been ready…
There’s no time to change your mind
The Son has come
And you’ve been left behind

What it lacked in musicality, it made up for in relatively good mid-trib, premillennial theology. Hey, it even lead to a good title for a series of eschatological novels, if not at least a bunch of “you’d-better-get-your-life-together” sermons.
But this little ditty, and the sermons and books related to it’s theme, often left us so caught in the fear of being “left behind” that we would often walk right by those who were. To put it another way, we were so concerned about Jesus’ future return that we forgot His present reign. It’s subtle, but it makes a difference in how we live our lives, today.
This subtle difference can lead to our focus of ministry as a local church. It defines the relationship between prayer and practice, between doctrine and doing. When faced with fires racing over ridges, destroying homes and displacing families, our doctrine calls us to pray, but it must also call us to act. As those who hope in His promised return, we are therefore those who must pray with our eyes wide open. Not just so we will see His return, but so we can respond to His reign.
Come to think of it, we have been left behind, and left behind on purpose. I invite you to join us as we pursue fulfilling the purpose for which we have been left behind.