Is it not curious that a lively, active church will have a course on practically everything except dying?
We have courses to prepare people for baptism and church membership. We offer classes on marriage, parenting, and singleness. We teach about healing, casting out demons, managing money, and how to live a Christian life, but not at all on getting ready to die. What could be more important?
The only certainty about the future is that we are going to die. We insure ourselves against all sorts of hypothetical eventualities, like having the house burn down, or even losing our spouses, but how much thought do any of us give to our own death? In this, of course, we are only reflecting the prevailing attitude of the world we live in. Even when death draws near, most people persist in trying to pretend it does not exist. A conspiracy of silence usually surrounds what is happening.
A problem of pastoral ministry today is to be told by the family that grandad is dying, but don’t mention it to grandad, ‘he does not know?’. Nine times out of ten, of course, grandad knows but doesn’t want his family to know. So, no one talks about it, and no one helps anyone else prepare for it.
Praise God that the church teaches on the healing power of Jesus. Praise God that many churches preach and minister about healing. Praise God people are being healed. But in the end, we are all still going to die (unless the Lord comes again first). The new problem is when and how to switch the focus, from praying and believing for someone’s healing, to helping them prepare for death.
We can so easily be accused of faith lessons if we do not keep up the expectation of healing to the bitter end. Are we not accepting defeat at the devil’s hands? Should we not still be standing on the promises of God, who said “I am the Lord that healeth thee”? But then, are we not also entering into world’s conspiracy of silence? Might there not be in our own attitude to healing something of the world’s paralyzing fear of death? Are we really preaching the full Gospel, if all we talk about is healing?
Preparing Now
The truth is that the time to prepare for death is while we are healthy and strong. It is the world’s folly to dismiss the very thought from our minds until we are terminally ill. Many people spend their last few days, even weeks and months, in less than full possession of their senses and faculties. We need to have settled these things with ourselves long before.
So, what do we need to do to prepare for death? There are the long-term preparations, and the more immediate ones with both spiritual and practical aspects. The long-term, practical preparations include making a will, arranging for the guardianship of our children, providing as best we can for our families, and at all times keeping our affairs in sufficient order that we do not leave a colossal mess for someone else to clear up. Spiritually, we need to reckon with our own mortality, that dust we are and to dust we shall return. We need to understand the awful consequences of our choices in this world; that there lies before us an eternity of happiness with God or an eternity of loss and exclusion from the presence of God. We need than to lay hold of that salvation which God has provided for us in his Son Jesus Christ, for “whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) Then we need to keep short accounts with God and with each other as we go through life, not letting “the sun go down on our anger” (Ephesians 4:26), repenting quickly of any known sin and seeking forgiveness from God and from those we have hurt. This way the day will not come upon us unprepared, but we shall be found watching and ready whenever it comes.
Failing Strength
But then, there may come for many of us a time when we realize our strength is failing and that our days are ending. Then we need to know how to make a good end. We need to make sure our worldly affairs are finally in good order. We need to make clear our wishes about a funeral. We need to repair, as far as it lies with us, any broken relationships; we need to renew our peace with God. We should ask people to read to us from the Bible and pray with us, especially as our own strength and capacity to do these things for ourselves fails. Our friends and relations, our brothers and sister in Christ, need to know that even we are apparently asleep or comatose we may still be able to hear and receive this ministry. We need to receive the spiritual food of the Holy Spirit and the blood of Christ for our spiritual journey.
Last Goodbyes
If we can, we need to say goodbye. It is indeed heart-rending to say the last goodbyes, but not as bad as dying without saying goodbye. Above all, of course, the Christian death-bed should be bathed in the hope of the resurrection to everlasting life. The salvations still speak of being ‘promoted to glory’. What a wonderful day! What joy! Words fail as we contemplate what God has prepared for those who love Him: the light of His countenance, the warmth of His unending love, the country far beyond stars, the pastures of the blessed, the holy city in all its glory, the company of the saints, the Father’s house with our room prepared, the heavenly banquet with our place laid. We ought to be in a state of perpetual longing until this inheritance is ours. We ought to pant for the streams of living water. We ought to be on tip-toe waiting for our call to come. The whole of our life ought to be focused on this—a joyful getting ready to die. This is the full Gospel. It is really a cheerful subject, isn’t it? Even more, I do hope you will make it so to the end. In Jesus we will. Hallelujah! I will see you there.
Stephen Silas Gill is an author, speaker, youth leader, social worker, and volunteer. He is serving God at the Smyrna Church of Pakistan. He is encouraging believers living in non-Christian states around the world. He is inspiring and uplifting the Christians who have suffered because of their religious convictions. His small church in Pakistan is dedicated to advancing the kingdom of God. Encourage him to expand his ministry and spread God’s kingdom. For more information, contact him at stephensilas17@gmail.com.
