Those morning spent going to church…
Those hours listening to sermons on discipleship, Biblical understanding, or self help…
Those singalongs standing and singing with a hymnal in your hand…
Those handshakes and hugs you extended as they entering the building…
Those children you cared for and taught about how the shepherd boy slayed the giant…
Those evenings you spent eating and talking about Scripture in someone’s home…
Those feelings you felt as the band rocked out and your hands were raised…
Those times of prayer you prayed calling out to God for your prayer list…
Those games you played with the other teens in your youth group…
Those potlucks you attended that produced sweet times of fellowship…
Those miles you walked knocking on doors, asking people if they were certain they were going to heaven…
Those decisions you made after having the time of your life at camp…
Those trials you walked through…
Those tithes you gave even when things weren’t great financially…
Those guitar chords you strummed on your way to learning how to play for Jesus…
Those weeks you traveled and fed and played with hungry kids…
Those breathless minutes waiting to go on stage before the big Church production…
Those chapels you didn’t want to be at, but over time learned so much more than normal…
Those pages flipped in The Picture Bible, CCM Magazine, and Relevant Magazine…
Those dollars you spent as soon as the newest DC Talk album found its way to the Christian bookstore…
Those victories you celebrated over the years with your church family…
Those Sunday school lessons you studied for, then taught…
Those attempts at understanding what the talking and singing vegetables were all about…
Those tears you shed when someone decided your community wasn’t for them…
Those wires you untangled and power point slides you created trying to produce the best worship times…
Those Bible verses you memorized…
Those funds you raised trying to get to that missions trip…
Those first steps inside of your new church…
Those last steps inside what would become your old church…
That was training, This is the race.
This is no time for the Christian to cower in fear. I’m not saying be foolish and not worry about how sickness might affect others. I’m saying be sensitive to what the Holy Spirit wants from you as you navigate the troubled waters of this pandemic. Be strong and courageous, God has something for you to do in the midst of all this. If you can’t live out your faith now, then maybe it’s not worth living it out.
All that above was training. This is the race.
What would you add to my list?
Pre order my book, “How to start a Home Church”.
Pretty much sums up everything a Christian will experience in his/her walk with the Lord. Years ago, I remember hearing a preacher say , “Being a Christian is no bed of roses.” That didn’t mean as much to the first time I heard it. I just kinda blew it off since I hadn’t really been tested. But as I grew in the Lord, and matured as a human, I learned through the school of hard knocks just how true that was. God never promised us a thornless rose garden. Thank you, for your post, Marty. What is extremely helpful to me is God’s Word, but also other Christians who are being tested and tried by the Lord, and seeing them grow and mature through their trials. If they can do it, I can do it.
I might honestly consider purchasing your book.
Great points Bill! The Word of God endures forever! Thankful for you and your leadership in my life. These are certainly times where we have opportunity to consider these trials great joy!
Pingback: Kingdom Work during the Pandemic – The Holman Report