Today Todd continued in the Hold Fast series. Looking in 2 Peter 3:1-13, he taught on being ready for the second coming of Christ (the second Christmas), and specifically how believers should focus their time before His return on sharing the gospel and making disciples.

1. From 2 Peter 3:1-2, Todd stated that believers in Christ are not called to simply attend church, but to sincerely “attend to God’s business.” What do you believe God’s business is for your life? Consider Joshua 1:8 and how it would look like for you to be sincerely, daily anchored in the truth of the apostles’ teachings? Would you be able to say that your faith is whole-hearted, or does it have cracks patched with a wax of superficial living?
2. Looking at 2 Timothy 2:20-3:7, why do you think Paul is warning against being caught up in “worldly chatter?” Are there any examples of such worldly chatter in your life that could be preventing you from being a “vessel of honor” for the Lord? Would you say that these examples from your life are an “information problem,” or a “problem of the will?”
3. A common worldly saying is “time is money,” but Todd explained that in Christ’s economy “time is precious people.” Do you find in your daily routine that you are more often concerned with time and money, or are you more concerned with time and people? What steps might you take to become more concerned about time and people, specifically with how you are sharing the gospel and making disciples? While there is time, how might you impress on others that they must receive Christ’s gift of mercy in His first coming so that they can then avoid the judgment of His second coming?
4. How do we know that Jesus will one day return, that there will be a “second Christmas?” In considering the promise of His imminent return and of a perfect new heavens and earth, what role does the Holy Spirit play in our lives in the world today (Ephesians 1:13-14, 2 Corinthians 1:22)? If you are truly a new creation in Christ, how might you best use the time you have before the second Christmas to share His joy with the world and to serve as a devoted minister of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-21)?