our stance in world we live in. Several of these verses were cited by a particular state leader recently. Here we go:
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed--
10 always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
These are difficult days that we are facing, with life and death implications, with decisions to protect ourselves and our families, as well as to consider how we can be good providers for them, as well as those who are in need. Life can sometimes be difficult for the child of God, but we can know the strength of the Lord in the challenges we encounter. In and of ourselves, we are weak, but we can display the power of God through our reliance on Him.
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We are called to be ambassadors for Christ, His representatives in this world, and ideally, people can
see Him when they look at us. 2nd Corinthians 5 states:
18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,
19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.
For many, this was the second consecutive Sunday of online services that occurred all across America, and not only are we seeing the statistics of how many people are actually taking part, but how God is working to bring people into a saving knowledge of Christ.
The opportunity to reach people online who would not necessarily visit a church service has been enhanced by the Coronavirus situation. Lee Strobel had tweeted out this past Saturday night: "It feels odd to preach to an empty auditorium, as I did last wknd, but God still works thru live streaming. Our church had 49,087 people watching last wknd and 350 salvations. That's just one church. Think what He'll do thru so many other churches during this crisis!" Greg Laurie, who has been a leading voice in offering a Biblical response to the Coronavirus, tweeted out that in the past two weeks, 5000 people have given their lives to Christ, with over 3,000 this past week out of 359,000 who attended online.
One of the more unique online presentations of the gospel came from the state of Mississippi. Thanks to author and media host Todd Starnes for calling it to our attention. On Facebook, a gentleman by the name of Reeves read Scripture: 2nd Corinthians 4:8 and 9, which say, "We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed..."
The speaker read three passages of Scripture and offered two prayers for his state, including prayer for national leaders according to Todd, who related that Reeves "shared a familiar passage of Scripture from the Gospel of John 3:16." He said, "You’ll notice it doesn’t speak to Baptists or Methodists or Pentecostals or Catholics or any other denomination,” adding, “For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life.”
This Sunday morning Facebook message was not a sermon, it wasn't delivered in a pulpit, and it offered some practical steps, like taking care of those who are elderly and practicing "social distancing." So, why even bring it up?
Because Mr. Reeves is known to residents of Mississippi as Tate Reeves - Governor Tate Reeves, who, although he is no doubt very involved with his official duties, felt it was necessary to provide spiritual perspective.
We can remember to pray for our state leaders, including Governor Ivey and her team in Alabama - because the President seems to understand federalism and the relationship of the states to the Federal government, there is a lot of responsibility that state leaders bear. There are local and national leaders who also need our prayers. Congress has been debating for several days a significant aid package that is designed to bring relief to those adversely affected by the Coronavirus, and it should not be a massive entitlement program that is stuffed full of legislators' pet projects. Hopefully, the seed investment in the American economy can reap big rewards once the crisis has passed. We can continue to lift up our leaders, that they would have supernatural wisdom to navigate the challenges before them.
We can also remember our role to be a voice to the culture - and that is a concept that transcends the current crisis. We can be mindful of our opportunity and responsibility to be ambassadors for Christ and to show His love to a world that needs hope. We can be confident that God will use us to draw people to Himself.
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