Tuesday, July 7, 2020

Fear Extinguishers – Part 1


This week, Michael Low writes: Dave Hess is a missionary to the Middle East and has a unique perspective on the spread of the Gospel of salvation around the world. The whole world is hunkered down for fear of spreading the Corona Virus. However, as Christians, we have not been called as disease vectors (paths), but as vectors to spread God’s healing wholeness of salvation by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Many world leaders have proposed solutions to the global pandemic. However, the solution from God’s perspective is Jesus Christ and the gospel of salvation. Sometimes, God allows that which can be shaken to be shaken. We have the choice either to voluntarily go to our knees in prayer or he will allow circumstances to bring us to our knees.

Despite the dark doom and gloom of our times, the gospel of salvation is exploding in the Middle East. Many Muslims are being converted to Christianity during this pandemic. On-Line messages, conference calls, and video meetings have proliferated throughout the Arab world. The light of “the word of truth” is a stark contrast to the darkness of the pandemic of this moment in world history. God brings deliverance. There can be no victory without a battle. Greater is He that is in you than he that is in this world. Jesus said, “In this world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

In World War II, President Roosevelt said, “We have nothing to fear except fear itself.” According to 2 Timothy 1:7God has not given us a spirt of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee, yea I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.” As able ministers of the New Testament, in this world that is seemingly on fire with pestilence and pandemic, God has not called us to be fire extinguishers, but “fear extinguishers.” For there is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear for fear has torment. He who fears is not made perfect in love.

God works in mysterious ways. As high as the heavens are higher than the earth, so much higher his thoughts above our thoughts and his ways above our ways. We don’t know the end from the beginning, but he does. From God’s perspective, this “invisible enemy” of Covid-19 has an underlying cause. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against spiritual wickedness from on high.

According to Romans 1:29-32 “Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”

Let’s continue Michael’s on spreading God’s healing wholeness of salvation in the next post.
In Christ, Brian

No comments: